DOGS AND OF PACIFIC SURF
By Malcolm Callister
It is now February, we are on Mexico’s Pacific coast, two times zones from Ontario, two hours north of Puerta Vallarta. Our one month on the beach is turning into two, the joy of RVing, plans can change. My wife Linda, and I, with our two, trailer size, Shih Tzu dogs (Angus and Molly) our getting our beach fix as part of our three-year, RV Adventure in Mexico.
PITTER PATTER OF EIGHT FEET ON THE VINYL
Dogs adapt quicker to time change than humans. If we are not out of bed by 7 a.m., they start to move about the trailer, their claws making that tiny pitter patter of eight feet on the vinyl flooring. Hiding under the bed covers is no escape, the dogs want to explore outside, again, now!
Getting out of bed, here at LaPenita RV Park on the central west coast of Mexico at 7 a.m., I grab a coffee, and we all go out to watch the sunrise. Palms and giant ferns on the hillside, block the early sun but as it raises the sunlight breaks through gaps in the foliage. The warmth creates a light breeze that brings with it the scent and sounds of the tropical jungle, the two dogs leave my side to explore their campsite.
EACH DAY IS A NEW BEGINNING
The sounds of the Pacific surf crashing onto the rocks below fill the whole campground with a steady rhythmic beat, like a distant rolling thunderstorm, under a calm blue sky and the rising sun. For our dogs, the surf is this sound that triggers their memory. Memory from yesterday’s morning’s games on the beach. Games of chasing, splashing, and tumbling together, while intermittently searching out all the new smells. Smells new each day on an ocean beach. It is the association of sound, smell and unleashed fun in a dog’s mind that defines each day as a new beginning. As Linda and I walk down the path to the beach, we have two excited dogs on eager to get past the RV’s and off their leash, on the sand and run.
THIS IS QUALITY TIME
There on the beach below the LaPenita RV Park, we take our daily one-hour walk on the golden sand. Time spent listening to the surf, walking the sand, looking out over the blue Pacific Ocean, searching rocks for iguanas, or the sky for frigate birds. This is quality time for all of us. It is tired dogs, and their owners, who slowly climb the path back to the RV Park. Back at the RV Park as we sit the shade of the RV awning, we have Angus and Molly curled up asleep at our feet, happy and contented, emotions that we are all share.
M&L TIP OF THE WEEK:
When applying for Temporal Visa status in Mexico use a paralegal or lawyer. They do all the work while you get to play on the beach.
