Swimming in the Caribbean Ocean

     We had a big rain overnight and woke up to pddles of water on the living room floor and in the kids bedroom.  There was a lake of water just outside our door on the patio.  The pool guys who come each day to clean the pool spent a lot of time picking up debris from the grounds.  It always looks so beautiful with lots of flowering plants. 

     Cancun is on the Yucatan Peninsula , just around the corner from the Gulf of Mexico.   Last falls hurricanes paaed it by, so winter getaway business is ghriving.  The ocean just at our doorstep is the Western Caribbean.  The water is deep blue and relatively warm.  The beaches are gold and the sand is fine and soft.  Stella was barely out of bed when she begged to go play in the sand.  She was willing to hold off for a while and have some pancakes with her brothers.  Then she pulled on her bathing suit, slathered up with sunscreen and climbed down the stairs to the beach.  The house is well supplied with pails and scoops. 

     Before long the sun broke through the clouds and the day warmed up.  Everyone joined us at the waters edge and soon were in the water.  Carter and Kellen learned about the bouyant properties of salt water as they did back floats.  Bennett has been swimming in the pool with his snorkel gear non-stop.  He never wants to go home.

    Once again the day clouded up and the rains came in the late afternoon.  We brought in heaps of wet towels.  It's great to have a washer and dryer in the house to keep up with all the damp clothes.  The humidity remains very high.

    Kellen was coughing and seems to have caught Stellas cold.  He wiped out on the sofa for a rest.  The kids played Monopoly while the adults planned activities for the rest of the week.  Unusually big waves have stopped some of the snorkel and scuba tours.  It's supposed to be better late in the week.  The ladies went back to the big grocery store for more food.  It is a time consuming activity to shop in a very unfamiliar store with all the labels in Spanish.  The upside is amazingly good fruit and vegetables.  

     We went home and prepared a feast of chicken tacos.  We are eating very well with our great grill and two big refrigerators full of food.  The kids are using up calories at a high rate from all their swimming a playing.  One week is not going to be long enough!