Home Sweet Home

 I woke up early this morning so I could enjoy my final walk along the beach at sunrise. It was a cloudy and windy morning, so not as spectacular as other mornings, but still left me with a feeling of awe as I watched the waves crash towards the shore.

My flight home didn't leave until 3pm, so I enjoyed a leisurely morning walking and lounging on a recliner studying my Spanish vocabulary. I'll be in Costa Rica for all of January, so I'm more determined than ever to keep improving my Spanish.

The Cancun airport was a bit of a zoo with long security lines, but I had given myself plenty of time, so the flight home was incredibly stress-free. It was a direct flight, left right on time and there was literally no line going through customs back in Denver.  

I was able to catch the Skyride bus and my friend, Glenn, met me at the Park'n'Ride to give me a ride home for that final last mile. An international travel day has never been so easy! In fact, I wasn't even cold! (One of the difficulties with these winter snowbird trips is that I usually arrive back to the Colorado cold without a winter coat! But my double layer of sweaters worked fine tonight.)

I had a burst of energy and immediately unpacked and put all those damp clothes right into the washer. Ah! A washer and dryer at last! One thing about the humid climate is that, without a dryer, my clothes always were damp and some were taking on a mildew-like odor. I've never been so happy to do laundry!

I've written each of these blog posts very quickly without a bit of creativity or flair. Erma Bombeck would be disappointed. I'd been thinking that perhaps I'd write a book about my snowbird adventures, with Mexico being the first chapter.  However, I've realized this trip has been very devoid of drama! No big adventures, no big problems, no big love interest..  It would be a pretty boring story.

Still.. I'll consider it a writer's challenge to see if I can improve the quality of my blog posts and introduce some kind of conflict or dilemma.  In reality, my only dilemma is trying to stay warm and figure out where I'll eventually retire.

Even though I loved Mexico and will be back, I've ruled out Playa del Carmen as a place to buy a snowbird home.  It seemed like more of a party vacation spot than a retirement spot and, as much as I enjoy international travel, I don't think anywhere outside of the US will ever feel like "home."

The truth is, after living in Colorado for over 27 years, I doubt anywhere else will ever feel like home.  So right now I'm grateful for a wonderful 3-week Mexican vacation, and very grateful for a safe and uneventful trip home for Thanksgiving!