Sparky’s first book signing; Maxie moves to Arizona

Sparky's first book signing.   

Sparky was the cutest and definitely the shortest celebrity at a recent Make a Difference fundraiser in support of the Ron Brown Scholarship Fund. 

On Tuesday this week, a generous group of people gathered at Curtis and Ashley Blogins’ beautiful Villa la Bella B&B to raise money for the charity. Since its inception in 2010, the scholarship fund has helped seventeen island students to achieve degrees as veterinarians, dentists, graphic artists, engineers, and many more occupations.

Some of the graduates

This year, Sparky and I received an invitation to participate in a book signing and a drawing for the lucky person who will be ‘Killed Off’ in my Isla Mujeres Mystery Book #4. 

The lucky winner was Patti Packard. She will get a choice of being either a good person or a bad character in my next novel, due out late in 2018. (Book #3 Tormenta Isla is just a couple of weeks away from being published!)

Diego, Thomas, and Lynda, 

I was delighted to add a healthy donation to the fund on behalf of both myself and my friend Diego Medina. Diego is the talented illustrator of our bilingual book for children – The Adventures of Thomas the Cat / Las Aventuras de Tomas el Gato. 

We have been setting aside a portion of our book sales for the scholarship fund, and this was the perfect event to present the donation. According to Gwen Brown, the fundraiser brought in a little over $8800.00 Canadian. All of the funds will be used for assisting students; nothing is spent on administrative costs.

Thank you to everyone who made the event so successful. You can find out more about the Ron Brown Scholarship Fund at

Jeff Current

http://ronbrownscholarshipfund.org/. Please be sure you click on this link for information about the Isla Mujeres, Mexico scholarship program, as it is easily confused with the similar-sounding name that supports students in Africa.

~

The day after the fundraiser, our other little pooch, Max, and I went on an odyssey to his new home in Arizona. 

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Lawrie has been diagnosed with a debilitating disease. The left side of his body doesn’t get the messages from his brain as quickly as the right side does. It creates serious stability and mobility issues for him.

Max waiting for a boat ride to Cancun

Having two energetic dogs underfoot is too risky for Lawrie, and as much as we loved the fuzzy little guy, Max had to find a new home. Fortunately for us, our friend Janet Cummins sent our blog post to her friend Dianne in Arizona. Dianne Stocks, who has had other rescue dogs, including her current beautiful girl Willow, agreed to adopt Max.

Wednesday was a tough day for Max and me. He left his island in paradise for the first time ever. Even though I have been giving him an anti-anxiety medication for a few days in preparation for the trip, riding on the Ultramar passenger ferry frightened him. But by the time we got him loaded into the CARM van and headed to the airport, he had stopped trembling and seemed interested in his new adventure. A special thanks to Denise and Mike Burton, who helped me get from the boat to the CARM van on the Puerto Juarez side of the trip. Mike, you looked so handsome carrying my purse!

Max keeping an eye on wheelchair

At the airport, the porters and wheelchair assistants were a huge help to us, bustling us to the head of the immigration line, the check-in line, then outside for a doggy pee break before he had to be surrendered to the baggage handlers. I had to use the wheelchair service because of course, two days before I was due to make the trip, my sciatica decided to act up, making walking or standing extremely painful. (Perfect timing!)

The American Airlines folks were delightfully kind and accommodating with Max and me. By the time we reached Phoenix, he had adjusted to his international traveler status and was doing just fine when I reclaimed him. My assistance wheeled us both out to meet Dianne and her friends, Laurie and Chris, who had come to pick him up. It was a very emotional meeting for me because I knew my time with Maxie was coming to an end, and Dianne was just beginning a new adventure with him. After tearful hugs and goodbyes, I slipped away, leaving Dianne to get to know her new guy better.  

Dianne and I at Phoenix airport

My return flight via American Airlines was just as easy and trouble-free, only this time I was checking an empty dog travel case. That really confused the porters and customs officers alike, wondering if I had an invisible dog. I had the same crew on the flight back to Cancun, and would like to mention Teri, who took the time to make my return flight very pleasant and comfortable.

Back on Isla at the Ultramar ferry dock, I was faced with a not-too-long, but still painful walk from the boat to the car park. I turned to one of the baggage handlers that I recognized and asked, “Would you give me and this empty dog cage a lift to the parking lot?”

He laughed and said, “Sure, hop on!”

I finished my two-day odyssey riding on a diablito, Isla-style.

Willow and Maxie were worn out by excitement

I’m very happy to be back with Lawrie and Sparky. Thank you so very much to all of our friends and family who looked after my guys while Max and I were traveling. It’s the caring people around us that make our lives so rich.

Our best wishes to Dianne, Willow, and Maxie. We hope life is good to you as well.

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, and Sparky

Available as e-books and paperbacks

 in online book stores

Isla from a kid’s point of view.

Dancing on the beach- carefree and happy.   

To get a different perspective on life on the island, we decided to write about Isla from a kid’s point of view.  

We asked several of our friends if their youngsters would be willing to answer a few questions. Here are their responses.

Where were you born? 

Cancun and the USA were the most common answers.

Hanging out with friends

How long have you lived on Isla Mujeres?

My whole life, or in some cases, the youngsters answered with the number of years. 

It sounds so very grown-up, but from their perspective, it is their whole life.

If you have lived in another country, do you miss anything from that country? 

The mountains.  

Interestingly enough, none of the kids mentioned missing a particular food, which, according to our grown-up friends, is one of the biggest adjustments they had to make. We have friends who ‘mule’ down a variety of their favourite items every time they return from their country of origin. We, on the other hand, have adjusted to the food and flavours that are available here, except my favourite brand of hard, salty Dutch liquorice. That I get ‘muled’ to us a couple of times a year. It’s a must-have.

Bike riding on the Malecon

Is living on Isla fun?

Everyone answered that one with a big YES!

Why wouldn’t it be?  There are parades and fireworks several times a year for Carnaval, Independence Day, and Revolution Day. Then there are traditional dance groups, musicians, and Carnaval dancers. 

Trick or treating for Dia de Los Muertos

A youngster can celebrate Christmas with their Canadian or American friends, and still convince mom and dad that they should receive presents on the Night of the Kings, on January 6^th.  

Or they can trick-or-treat for Halloween, then continue through November 1st and 2^nd, for the Day of the Dead. 

The tradition of trick-or-treating was brought to Mexico by visitors, and the local kids adapted to the custom, expanding it into a five or six-day binge of collecting candy and pocket change from tourists.

One of several basketball courts 

What is your favourite thing to do on Isla?

These answers ranged from playing video games, going out for dinner, hanging out at the beach, and enjoying the annual Carnaval dances and parades. 

Us too, except the video games. We’re terrible at those! With a choice of hundreds of restaurants ranging from high-end gourmet to economical home-style, it’s a great way to introduce youngsters to new foods and a new culture. 

Revolution Day parade on Isla Mujeres

Kids can also learn to play baseball, basketball or soccer. Then there is fishing, either with a few friends or as a participant in the annual kids’ fishing tournament. Ride a bike. Learn to skateboard. Go swimming, or just chill at the beach. Except for a few storms that roll across the island, the weather is normally warm, sunny and great for outdoor activities. No snowsuits required!

Playing in Centro

What languages do you speak?

Everyone answered English and Spanish. 

Other languages that we have heard local youngsters speak include Hebrew, French, Italian and a number of Spanish dialects from South America. How lucky for the kids to be fluent in a number of languages at such a young age.

Fishing Tournament for the young islanders

Do you sometimes translate for your parents?  

Most said no, that their parents are bilingual, some said yes, their parents are still learning Spanish or that they translated for grandparents. 

We need one of those! We still struggle to learn the language after nearly ten years of living on Isla. A fluency in other languages is so helpful when you travel to other countries. I struggled in high school with five years of mandatory French. Lawrie chose Latin, which has been very useful for deciphering written instructions or road signs in French, Spanish or Italian.

 

Summer fun all year round

Is your best friend the child of a foreigner?  Or a Mexican child? 

The majority of the responses were: I have many friends who are from the USA, Canada, Europe, and Mexico. What a great mix of experiences for island kids.

Where do you go to school?

Most of the youngsters attend school on the island, whether it is a private school or a public school. One is being homeschooled by parents.

Do you like school?

Ha! The answers were pretty plain: which ones were boys and which ones were girls. Boys-no! Girls-yes!

Any advice for parents who are thinking of moving with their children to Isla Mujeres? 

Parents, for the most part, answered that question:

Celebrating Independence Day in Centro

Living in Isla is great with kids, safe, and fun. Most of the things I thought I needed to raise a child it turned out I did not need at all. Learning to live simply is the best lesson of all!  

Rent a golf cart, get to know the island and get a house.

Learn the culture, learn the language, and get involved with the island.

Cheers, Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Max 

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

Reelin' in outstanding scholars, Isla Mujeres

Students March 2014

A criminologist, a nurse, a human resource administrator, a graphic designer, a petroleum engineer, a linguist, and an animal health specialist all have one thing in common; the Ron Brown Scholarship Fund available to qualified Isla Mujeres students.

Created shortly after Ron Brown's untimely death in the summer of 2009, the scholarship fund assists a limited number of students with tuition and the expenses of living off-island while completing their education at a university or college. 

Reeling for Ronnie tournament - P Parent Photo

Since its creation, Ron's close friend Richard Lock and the Lock Search Group have been the biggest supporters of the fund, along with Ron and Gwen's many personal friends and family members. The fund is incrementally, year by year, increasing the number of students that can be assisted.

In addition to personal donations, the fund also raises money through an annual fishing tournament organized by Richard Lock, Frank Berke and Peter Zukow. 

Patrick Parent - largest fish.

The Fifth Annual Reeling For Ronnie Fishing Tournament was held this year at the luxurious North King Lodge, located in the sheltered waters of Caamano Sound on the northern coast of British Columbia. 

North King Lodge Caamano Sound BC.

Participants from a variety of cities in Canada and the USA - Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, 

Fort McMurray, Victoria, Vancouver, Minneapolis and Austin – enjoyed a fun-filled four days of fishing and camaraderie. Afternoons were consumed by the recounting of spontaneous and slightly exaggerated fishing stories. 

Airfare to Bella Bella, a helicopter ride to the fishing camp, meals, snacks, beer, wine, equipment, boats, and gear are all included in the price. Best of all (according to the website), there are no fish-stealing Sea Lions in the area! This is serious fishing country!

Gwen Brown and Mike Johnson

Between the tournament and a raffle for an all-expenses-paid fishing trip, the 2014 event raised a record-breaking $15,000.00 CDN; 100% of all money raised is used for paying tuitions and student expenses.

Here on Isla Mujeres, at least two dozen guys were salivating over that trip, purchasing handfuls of tickets in hopes of upping their odds. 

The winning ticket was drawn by Gwen Brown at a Friday night happy hour at Villa la Bella in February. Mike Johnson from Minnesota was the lucky guy, but his nephew was even luckier when Mike gave him the winning ticket. The moans and groans from various ticket holders were painful to hear; everyone wished that they were Mike's nephew.

Sorry guys! Maybe next time.....

Hasta luego
Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas the Cat

Murder. Mayhem. Revenge. Romance.

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky