Thursday, April 22, 2010

The Unexpected Rewards of Blogging..new friends and riches from Chicago!



Grateful kitties playing with their new toys

I guess that "serendipity" is the best word used to describe a thoroughly lovely, humbling and unexpected experience. That is what happened to us last night - when we actually had the chance to meet some wonderful people whom we met through this blog.

Some months ago, I heard from a delightful Chicago woman named Annie. She had been reading our blog, and had some kind words to say. A bit later, she sent an email saying that she was on her way to Bucerias in April, and would we like her to bring us anything from the states. I made a request for baking parchment paper - I use it for baking cookies and bread, and was down to only a bit of a scrap. If it is available here, I have never been able to find it.

Last night, we met Annie and her friends Kristine, Julie and Jeffrey at one of our very best local restaurants, Roga's, which sits on a hill and has a panoramic view of the entire bay. Just a lovely setting. We intended to enjoy a drink with them, but ended up staying for dinner, as we chatted enthusiastically with our new friends.

Julie handed us a gift bag filled with GIRL SCOUT COOKIES and toys for the kitties! Annie handed us a huge bag filled with gifts - FOUR boxes of parchment paper, T shirts from Chicago, wonderful toys for the dogs, and (drum roll please) a generous length of smoked Polish sausage! Oh my gosh, Jerry has been longing for Polish sausage, and it is simply not to be found in Mexico. How did she know???

To top it off, Annie insisted on paying for our dinner, and we ended the night with a shot of smooth and warming tequila courtesy of Roga, the restaurant owner, who also happens to be our neighbor!

Thank you so much Annie, Julie, Kristine and Jeffrey. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and your generosity is overwhelming. Who would have thought, when we began this electronic journal, that we would be rewarded with such rich new friendships?