In February, with the long cold Kansas winter nearly over, we purchased tanning sessions, a first for me. It was NOT what I thought! My feet got cold, the tanning bed was cold, the air blowing on me was cold. But I felt like a bit of ‘color’ was a good idea on my pale skin before heading to Mexico!
March: We spent a week on the beach at Maya Tulum, a resort south of Cancun. It was a yoga retreat and a vacation on the beach! We had great food, great yoga, a self-guided tour of the Mayan ruins with our new friends, shopping, and of course….swimming in the ocean. Bethie met another watercolorist and they made instant friends. My schedule included yoga each morning for 2 hours and again each evening for 2 hours. For six straight days!
…..on the Yucatan Pennisula
We named Bethie’s new fishing boat “Maya” because (after buying it at the show in February), it wasn’t ready for delivery until the week we left for Mexico…so we asked Wichita Marine to hold her for a few extra days. She has a top! So Cindy doesn’t get sunburned in the summer!
Spring ---We had a good camping season with our friends and “adopted” family, the Welsh’s. We dedicated our outings this year to the memory of our sister, Mona Jones, who fought cancer until February 1st. We met Jeanne and Amy in Vegas in April, Beth hit a nice slot machine jackpot on the way out the front door (literally!). We met again in Wichita this November for a mini-vacation/weekend.
July – August – September
Still bit by the travel and yoga bug, I went to the Dallas area for a week in July and toured several yoga studios with my best friend Beth (YogaBeth) who had been visiting the area yoga studios, blogging about her experiences, and meeting new teachers and students. YogaBeth then gave me the tour! Great stuff! Meanwhile, Bethie took her first art class! We all had fun partying at the hotel pool with family and old friends (like my college roommate), and I finally got to visit a “Cheesecake Factory”.
August was our annual trip to Beaver Lake – new boat, bigger motor –so Bethie bought a tube called “Big Mabel”, and she turned out to be a lot of fun. You should have seen us try and “unseat” my brother Derek, his legs bouncing as high as 4 feet in the air! Rana and I managed to hang on when it was our turn……but just barely.
September was the long drive to Estes Park, Colorado for the Yoga Journal Conference held there every year at the YMCA of the Rockies. This time we took YogaBeth and Bethie’s sister and brother-in-law Jan and Gary Etheridge. Gary was a great fishing buddy to Bethie…..YogaBeth and I left each morning for the conference and we all met again for dinner and games in the evenings.
There was a lot to do: yoga, trout fishing, shopping, bike rides, and soaking in the hot tub. Other than a late night visit from a bear when we didn’t empty our trash and a close call with someone else’s car wreck as I rode my bike through a pedestrian intersection, all was well.
