Yesterday, Emily and I spent the entire day sitting on the beach and reading our books. It was great! The resort has beds as well as regular lounge chairs on the beach. I spent a few hours napping on one of the beds under an umbrella.

Today we also spent the day at the beach. I decided to try sailing again. But this time, I had someone show me how to do it. I was able to go back and forth in front of the hotel a few times, but on my third turn I flipped the boat. It happened so quick that I didn´t even realize what was going on until I found myself in the water. My glasses fell off and started sinking. Somehow I was able to grab them before they were washed away. The instructor had to paddle out in a little kayak to help me turn it back over. I was able to sail past the hotel one more time, before making my entirely ungraceful landing on the shore.

Overall the trip has been really nice. We haven´t had to think about anything. There are eight restaurants, all of which are included in the price of the trip. The staff is wonderful and they take care of your every need. I imagine it´s like living in a very nice retirement home on the beach.

Emily and I arrived in Mexico last night. Our resort is beautiful, but the food is basically inedible. We spent all day today sitting on the beach or by the pool reading. I tried to sail a small, one person sailboat, but failed miserably. I thought that my sailing experience in Sudan would be sufficient, so I rented a boat from our hotel. The first time I got about 20 feet from shore, then headed into the wind and came right back to where I started. The second time, I went out much further, sailing parallel to the shore. When I passed the resort, I tried turning around and heading back. The wind took me right into the resort's swimming area. I narrowly dodged some swimmers and landed on the beach. Someone helped me pull the boat ashore so I could get someone to sail it back. The guy who rented me the boat seemed to have no problem zipping right back along the shore to the dock. When I get back to DC, I want to try taking some lessons.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Things have suddenly gotten really busy at work. Manalisi, the SABC correspondent, is back in town (and busier than ever) and we have a couple new clients. Emily has been doing about seven shoots a week for Newsmax.tv, a conservative website. Most of her shoots are with Republican members of the Senate and House. Last week, I came with her to interview Ron Paul, which was very exciting. Here are some photos from my recent shoots:





My upside-down tomato plant is doing great! I haven't had much luck growing tomatoes in the past, but this year I cut a hole in the bottom of a bucket and suspended it from the outside of our house. I let the tomatoes ripen on the vine and they are the most delicious I have ever tasted. Here are some photos of the plant and my pesto pasta with tomatoes:




Tomorrow we leave for our vacation in Mexico!

I have a love / hate relationship with the Fourth of July. The problem is that it gives my neighbors an excuse to light fireworks. They really take it too far. The "celebration" starts on July 1st and goes till July 7th. During this time, my dogs huddle in the corner shaking and refusing to eat or go outside.

We did manage to get out of the city for part of the day. Emily, Kat, Turtle, Piggy and I went hiking at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland. The hike down was great. Going back up, not so much. The route up the mountain didn't allow for a gradual incline. We were exhausted by the time we got back to the car. After the hike, we stopped at the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard for their Fourth of July celebration. They had a nice outdoor seating area, a delicious fruit and cheese plate and plenty of wines to taste.

Last night someone was setting off dynamite on the corner. Literally dynamite. It rattled all of the windows in the neighborhood and set off car alarms. I was unfortunate enough to be sitting on the porch for one of the explosions. My hearing will never be the same.

The people behind our house were blasting Michael Jackson's greatest hits at full volume. Kat saw a fat lady moonwalk across the alley. Judging by the abandoned cars in the ally, our neighbors clearly spend more money on fireworks than they do on car repairs.