Allow me to introduce you to the lovely Chica, who kept me company while I house-sat in Isla de la Piedra, Mexico, for the past six weeks! Not only did I get to see new places and make new friends, but I also experienced many new adventures.

Everything started off as one would typically expect. Chica and I warmed up to each other quickly, becoming bedmates every night, almost right from the beginning, until the last few weeks, when she fell in love with my husband. She is an incredible snuggle-buddy.

Within the first week of my arrival, I fell ill, likely contracting a germ on the flight, and had to let it run its course. It wasn’t anything too severe that acetaminophen couldn’t handle for a few days. I was thankful to recover quickly. Fun resumed!

I never knew I had it in me, but I instinctively crab-wrangled two that entered the home I was staying at. Chica brought one in, and the other one crawled in by itself. Talk about some heart-pumping going on! However, in the end, I was able to remove both of them from the premises. Thank goodness! Here you can see the first one that was trapped behind the bookcase. Those pinchers were about 2″ wide!

Chica also had a habit of bringing me other gifts – lizards! Like almost daily! Unfortunately, they didn’t survive her batting them about, and I would find them and have to dispose of them. :(

Another scary situation, I unfortunately locked myself out of the residence at one point. However, with the help of Google Translate, the local people were able to understand what had happened and assisted me in getting back in. I cannot express how grateful I was for their kindness and support.

But let’s talk about some better things – like the food! I have a favorite restaurant called Carmelita’s. The service is wonderful, and the staff are a lot of fun. They helped me learn more Spanish, and I, in turn, helped them with English. If you happen to ever visit here, please look them up and ask for Alex and Marcos. Tell them I said hi! :)

I never tired of the freshness, flavors, and colors of the wonderful food there! Yum! I feel like I’ve probably lost a little weight, eating this healthily.

The other wonderful things were certain stretches of beach. You know how I love the beach!

That last pic was the view from Carmelita’s while I was waiting for my food.

I got around primarily in this golf cart, and if I wanted to ride a horse, I could do that too! :)

Some more interesting shots – a random religious image on the side of a mountain, my street after a violent thunderstorm that knocked out our power for almost 24 hours, and a beautiful hummingbird capture from the kitchen window.

As every year, the month off has done me good! I’m feeling refreshed and rested. I look forward to reviewing The Short of It submissions and starting next year’s features again.