Spreading her wings – a Quinceaños

Mindy entering the church for a mass to give thanks

As the sun slid below the horizon a gorgeous young woman confidently made her way down the flower-draped church aisle.  

Leading her procession were a dozen young altar boys wearing sparkling white surplices over red vestments, hands clasped in prayer, trying hard to suppress their natural exuberance. 

Padre Sanchez Alonzo, in his gleaming white surplice with intricate embroidery, strode solemnly behind the altar boys.

Altar boys leading the procession 

Her beaming parents followed behind, walking just in front of the young men who formed her traditional court of honor.  The year-long planning, the rehearsals, and the attention to details were about to be put into action.  

Mindy Lizeth Poot Hau’s Quinceañera celebrations commenced with a mass, giving thanks that the young woman and the family were to be able to enjoy this occasion together.

Traditionally, the Quinceaños is the first time a young lady could wear makeup, high heels, and dance in public.  This is no longer the case for most young ladies. 

Tony, Mindy and Fredy Jr.

However, it is still a very special time for families to celebrate with their daughters, family, the daughter’s godparents, and friends. This celebration was an amazing production from start to finish. 

Shortly after ten in the evening the majority of the guests had arrived for the second part of the Quinceaños held at the Taxi Syndicate’s event hall. Mindy was formally escorted in by her two beaming brothers, Tony and Fredy Jr.  They proudly circled the dance floor giving everyone a chance to see their beautiful sister and then stood with family, including Mindy’s married sister Jeanie Gissell, while the toasts and speeches were made.  

The traditional first waltz with her papa was sweetly emotional.  You could see that Fredy was struggling a bit with the concept of his baby girl being all grown up.

First dance is with papa

Then Mindy and her six chambelans performed several complex dance routines.  Each dance entailed a costume change – from a gorgeous blue and silver ball gown, to short ruffled dress, to form fitting leotard, and back to the ball gown.  At midnight a full sit-down dinner was served.  

Around one o’clock in the morning the dancing switched to a nightclub atmosphere, with pounding music, flashing lights, roving boom camera, and party-favours of flashing trinkets for everyone to wear.   

Two entertainers, perched precariously on stilts, hovered over the crowd, encouraging everyone to join the fun.

Mindy and her escorts -  dance routines

By two o’clock on Sunday morning we, and most of our friends, had slunk away yawning and sleepy-eyed.  

We never seem to last long enough to share in the many yummy cakes that are traditionally baked for a Quinceaños.

Dancing on stilts 

The hardier, experienced guests partied on until five in the morning, dancing, dancing, and dancing. 

When the last celebrant had departed from the festivities Fredy, Ana and family members had the arduous task of removing decorations, and cleaning up the hall.  It had been rented for another event later that same day.   

I can’t imagine how tired they must have been when they returned home, close to noon on Sunday. 

Ana, Mindy and Fredy 

We can't stay awake for the cake!

In a recent email a friend said: “Laugh, dance, drink, and dance some more.  And please give our best wishes to the Poot family.”

We did!  All of it!

Our best wishes to Mindy for her next adventure.  

And thank you so much to the Poot Family for including us in their family celebration.

Hasta Luego          

Lynda and Lawrie

Why Isla Mujeres?

Wow!  Pink sand beaches that stretch for miles on a narrow scimitar of land in the Bahamas - on a island named Eleuthera.  It fascinated my spouse for months, fantasizing about living on a long empty stretch of beach with no one, or nothing around.  There is a total population of approximately eight thousand people (mainly English-speaking) in this former British colony, with the nearest city of Nassau fifty miles by air.

Whoa!  Stop!  I'm good with rural, or semi-isolated, but not Robinson Crusoe remote.

Caribbean Blues!

In 2002 we fell in love with the turquoise sea of the Caribbean, and the search began for the perfect property for our dream-home.  We had a choice of over 7000 islands in and around the Caribbean Sea including 501 in the Bahamas, 43 in the British Virgin Islands, 12 in the Cayman Islands, 58 in the Turks-and-Caicos, and 81 in the US Virgin Islands. 

Ah, but then, reality pokes it's pesky little head up and says - what about obtaining building supplies for the dream-home?  A construction crew to do the work?  Furniture?  Milk?  Meat? Veggies?  Doctors? Dentists? And what do you do when you finally get bored watching the ocean?  As fascinating as it is, eventually you have to do something else with your day.


Our outdoor decision-making office.

So, when the opportunity happened to purchase a slice of heaven on Isla Mujeres we decided it was definitely worth considering.  We opened a bottle of our favourite wine, took two glasses, and a bowl of mixed nuts and retired to our home office - the lakefront patio.  After lighting dozens of candles and lanterns to set the mood for serious consideration of our future, we started to list the reasons why Isla Mujeres would be a good decision:

1.  close to the City of Cancun, population of approximately 800,000 - with shopping centers, grocery stores such as Costco, Mega Commercial, Soriana's, Sam's Club and Wal-Mart

2. Home Depot, and other large Mexican chain stores for building supplies

3. three excellent, and very affordable, hospitals in Cancun with American-trained doctors

4. only 20 minutes via water taxi (passengers only ferry) to the mainland

New Chedraui Grocery & Super Store

5. only 45 minutes via a car ferry to the mainland

6. easy air access to and from Canada to visit family 

7. easy air access to South America, as we have not had the opportunity as yet to visit that area of the world

8. an active ex-pat community from US, Canada, and Europe

9. pleasant oceanfront temperatures of between 20 degrees C (70F ) and 33 degrees C (95F)

10. cooling ocean breezes, swimming and snorkeling. (We later discovered the sea turtle nest annually in front of our casa.)

11. not much rain, even in the rainy season as the clouds skid rapidly across this low island, heading to the mainland

Four Amigos!

12. electricity available curb side

13. internet service available curb side

14. municipal water system

15. municipal sewer system - for the side of the island where we were proposing to purchase property

16. two gas stations on the island

17. a variety of small grocery stores on the island, and later in 2011 a Chedraui Super Store 

18. a fabulous variety of restaurants

Home Sweet Home!

19. a choice of banking options

20. doctors and dentists on the island with many more available in Cancun

21. The best reason of all, we enjoy the Mexican culture very, very much

By the time the wine was gone and the candles had burned down to nubs we had decided that yes - Isla Mujeres would be the perfect place to build a dream -home. 

It is!  And we are never bored!

Hasta Luego
Lynda, Lawrie and Sparky