(Above: A particularly delicious lunch enjoyed at Lolita’s – a family restaurant that has been in business for over fifty years. Both my brother and I tried the sampler plate which consisted of one chile relleno (stuffed with cheese), a chicken sope, a chicken enchilada, two quesadillas, a small piece of flank steak, and plenty of steaming hot handmade tortillas.
Este almuerzo particularamente delicioso estaba disfrutado en el restaurante de Lolita’s. Lolita’s ha estado abierto hace cinquenta años. Mi hermano y yo probamos el sampler que consistía de un chile relleno con queso, un sope de pollo, un enchilada frita de pollo, dos quesadillas, una porción de bistec, y unas tortillas humeantes y frescas.)
4/30/2023: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the high 70s. Fairly rainy and sunny and rainy and sunny and breezy throughout.
Early morning of 4/30/2023: Padre and I found a hackberry tree that had split in half. Fortunately, it did not take out the fences, so we were able to leave it be and let the cows eat the leaves. A primera hora de 30/4/2023: Padre y yo encontramos un árbol hackberry que estaba partida en mitadas. Afortunadamente, no destruyó las vallas, y por eso, no necisitamos arreglar nada… y las vacas pudieron comer las hojas. 
Dawn in the central beef pasture after an evening of heavy rains. 
A better view of gaur and gaur mother (seen to the left in the prior picture). 
Lunch: Fried beef and steak topped with salsa verde and accompanied by a green salad that was made by my father and mother. El almuerzo: Res y huevos fritos cubiertos con salsa verde y acompañados de una ensalada verde que estaba hecha por mi papá y mamá. 
This is an apple and strawberry that I enjoyed after lunch. Both fruits were sliced, sprinkled with cinnamon, and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana y una fresa que you disfruté después de almuerzo. Ambas frutas estaban en rodajas, espolvoreadas con canela, y acompañadas de una cuchara de yogur griego. 
More progress was made on the outdoor shower today. I cut one of the composite planks to fit between the two northernmost posts, and after that, I fastened down all but one of the remaining planks. The final plank will need to be jigsawed. 
This is the pizza I made for dinner. It is uncooked. Esta es la pizza que yo hice para cenar. Está cruda. 
This is the pizza after it was cooked. Esta es la pizza cocinada. 
Dinner consisted of margarita pizza with cucumber salad (cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, tomato, and olives in a tangy vinaigrette). La cena consistía de unas porciones de pizza margarita con una ensalada de pepino, zanahorias, repollo rojo, tomate, y aceitunas en una vinagreta ácida. 
Dessert: A sliced Granny Smith apple sprinkled with cinnamon. This was accompanied by a quartered strawberry and a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre: Una manzana Abuela Smith en rodajas y espolvoreada con canela. Esta estaba acompañada de una fresa en cuartos y una cuchara de yogur griego.
5/1/2023: Today began in the high 50s and warmed into the low 80s. Mostly sunny. Quite windy throughout.
Early morning in the south-easternmost pasture (facing west). The grass has grown noticeably in height and color over the past few days. 
#7324. This is the calf we were IV’ing on April 29th. It has made an excellent recovery thus far. 
Garden after some clean-up and renovation following the recent heavy winds. 
Wagyner Blue & Belgian Blue short ribs, pulled from their packages, coated with olive oil, salted, and peppered. They are to dry-brine for about 6 hours before the cooking process begins. 
Today’s lunch was acquired from Sushi Bistro of Ocala. This is the miso soup garnished with red cabbage, spinach, and red purslane flowers. 
Sushi. Today’s batch was particularly tasty because it was chilled completely through, the rice was tender, and the fish was fresh (not previously frozen). 
Padre started an apple seedling from one of the many green apples we’ve consumed (he started it in a damp paper towel), and today I planted it in a small pot. 
After cooking the short ribs in the oven on 250 F for about 1 hour, they had reached an internal temperature of 120 – 135 F (depending on size of the rib). After letting them rest for a few moments, I moved them to the outdoor skillet for the final sear. 
A spectacular photo taken during the final moments of searing the short ribs on the skillet. Esta es un foto spectacular que yo grabé durante los ultimos momentos del sellando los costillitas en la sartén. 
Dinner of 5/1/2023 consisted of reverse-seared Wagyner Blue short ribs accompanied by a salad of lettuce, spinach, carrot, and red cabbage in a tangy vinaigrette. La cena de 1/5/2023 consistía de costillitas de Wagyner Blue que estaban selladas en reverso y acompañadas de una ensalada de lechuga, espinaca, zanahoria, y repollo rojo en una vinagreta ácida. 
Dessert: This is chopped watermelon sprinkled with cinnamon. El postre: Esta es sandía cortada espolvoreada con canela.
5/2/2023: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny.
Dawn of 5/2/2023. El amanecer de 2/5/2023. 
Bovines grazing beneath a slightly grey (and banded) sky. It seemed like a cool front was coming through. 
Another picture of the dawn, this one looking out across the central pasture. 
This is the chiltepin plant that is growing southwest of my abode. Esta es la planta de chiltepines que está creciendo sur y oeste de mi casa. 
Lunch of 5/3/2023: A salad of lettuce topped with F1 Wagyu ground beef, avocado, sour cream, and two types of salsa. El almuerzo de 3/5/2023: Una ensalada de taco cubierta con res molida de F1 Wagyu, aguacate, crema ácida, y dos tipos de salsa. 
The lunch dessert consisted of cinnamon-sprinkled watermelon. El postre de almuerzo consistía de sandía espolvoreada con canela. 
Late afternoon in the central pasture. 
This is one of many tatuma squashes growing in the garden. Esta es una de muchas calabacitas que están creciendo en mi jardín. 
Dinner of 5/2/2023: A fried mixture of eggs, beef, broccoli, mozzarella cheese, and dried rosemary. This was accompanied by a green salad made by Padre. La cena de 2/5/2023: Una mezcla frita de huevos, res, brócoli, queso (mozzarella), y romero seco. Esta estaba acompañada de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre. 
Dessert: Some pieces of watermelon sprinkled with cinnamon. El postre: Unas porciones de sandía espolovoreadas con canela.
5/3/2023: Today began in the low 60s and kind of hovered between the 70s to 80s as I moved across from Florida to Puerto Vallarta. Sunny.
Morning of 5/3/2023: After getting up at 4:30 AM and being drove to the Orlando Airport by Madre, I enjoyed a Diet Pepsi before boarding my flight. La mañana de 3/5/2023: Después de me levanté a las 4:30 de la mañana, Madre me llevó al aeropuerto de Orlando. Allí, yo disfruté una Pepsi Dieta antes de yo salí por avión. 
Such is the way of flight as a lengthy individual. 
Due to the prior delay, I missed my second flight at Dallas. Fortunately, the wait was only 1.5 hours for the next flight. I used the time to stretch my legs and enjoy a Diet Coke. 
My only food between 4:30 AM and 8:30 PM: Some delicious pistachios. Travel hack. Bring some gloves. I may have received a couple strange looks, but it is far better than pouring them out of the bag directly into my mouth or being left with salt & vinegar hands after eating. 
Main sign for Puerto Vallarta on the Malecón. I took this photo on the way to the hotel. 
The Pacific Ocean as seen from the shores of Puerto Vallarta. I actually thought we were in Baja California until I researched this morning to see where exactly Puerto Vallarta is. It turns out that it is on a very close latitude with Taxco. That explains the nearly perfect weather. 
Dinner appetizer at Frida’s (of Grand Park Royal): Some chips accompanied by some salsa verde. El plato primero del restaurante de Frida (del hotel Grand Park Royal): Unos totopos acompañadas de alguna salsa verde. 
A unique salad of roasted nopale (cactus) and grilled Oaxaca cheese topped with arugula, tomato, and a little bit of olive oil. Una ensalada única de nopale asado (un tipo de cacto) y queso de Oaxaca a la parilla cubiertos con rúcula, tomate, y un poco de aceite de oliva. 
The main course consisted of fish topped with nopale, onions, and a buttery cream sauce. El plato principal consistía de un filete de mero cubierto con nopale, cebolla, y una salsa de crema y mantequilla. 
I was still hungry, so for dessert I enjoyed another small bowl of chips along with some gaucamole. Yo todavia tuve hambre, asi yo disfruté un bol pequeño de totopos y una porción pequeño de guacamole para el postre.
5/4/2023: Today began in the mid 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Smoky and hazy.
Morning of 5/4/2023 from the “office” (the porch of our room which overlooks the ocean). This morning, I enjoyed writing and tending to the blog post to the sights and sounds of the sea. 
A particularly delicious lunch enjoyed at Lolita’s – a family restaurant that has been in business for over fifty years. Both my brother and I tried the sampler plate which consisted of one chile relleno (stuffed with cheese), a chicken sope, a chicken enchilada, two quesadillas, a small piece of flank steak, and plenty of steaming hot handmade tortillas. Este almuerzo particularamente delicioso estaba disfrutado en el restaurante de Lolita’s. Lolita’s ha estado abierto hace cinquenta años. Mi hermano y yo probamos el sampler que consistía de un chile relleno con queso, un sope de pollo, un enchilada frita de pollo, dos quesadillas, una porción de bistec, y unas tortillas humeantes y frescas. 
A large garden of rock towers to be found along Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town malecón. 
A street belonging to the Romantic Quarter of Old Town (located south of Puerto Vallarta). The decorative plants they have planted here are very reminiscent of those planted in Taxco. 
Dinner of 5/4/2023 at Grand Park Royal Buffet: Assorted sushi, roasted fish in a light sweet & spicy sauce, a cabbage & nopale slaw, and assorted roasted vegetables. This was accompanied by a glass of Merlot and a glass of sparkling water. 
The second plate: I acquired a second large helping of fish, some rice-noodles in a thick shrimp-inundated broth, and a particularly delicious fried-rice ball (fried in the same pan as some form of meat, I think) which satiated the remainder of my appetite.
5/5/2023: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Hazy and smoky.
Morning of 5/5/2023: After exercises and spending a little bit of time at the beach, I returned to the room, wrote, and tended to container log. 
Morning adventure of 5/5/2023: Venturing up a dry riverbed to a waterfall that was surprisingly not completely dry. 
A particularly impressive tree specimen found on our way to the waterfall. It may be a form of ficus. 
Despite the dryness of the terrain, there was still a little trickle of water at the back of this pool. I should note that the hue was very reminiscent of Pozas Azules. 
Picture taken on the way back from the almost-dry waterfall. 
After returning from our morning adventure and cleaning up, we ventured to the lunch buffet. My primary fare today consisted of grilled pork chops, Vallarta-style ceviche, and green salad. There was also some excellent roasted calamari. 
Late afternoon of 5/5/2023 in Puerto Vallarta. 
Dusk of 5/5/2023 in Puerto Vallarta. 
First course at the Italian Restaurant of Grand Park Royal of Puerto Vallarta (I will look for the name of the restaurant the next time we go). This plate was obtained from the salad bar. The Italian Vinaigrette was quite good (reminiscent to Barcelo’s in-house Italian). Este estuvo el primer plato de mi cena en el restaurante Italiano del Hotel Grand Park Royal de Puerto Vallarta. Yo conseguí toda de esta comida en un bar de buffet de calidad superior, y la vinagreta que yo usé estaba muy similar a la vinagreta Italiana de Barcelo. 
Second course: Fried calamari in a fresh marinara sauce topped with a sprig of parsley. El plato segundo: Algunos calamares fritos en un lecho de salsa marinara y cubierta con perejil. 
Third course: A bowl of creamy tomato basil soup. El plato tercero: Un bisqué de tomates y albahaca. La textura estaba cremosa y el sabor estaba muy rica. 
Main course: An expertly cooked salmon filet (skin on) laid atop a bed of penne noodles in olive oil and topped with cherry tomatoes and parsley for garnish. El plato principal: Un filete de salmón con piel intacto que estaba cocinado con perfección. El filete estaba descansado en unas fideos en aceite de oliva, y cubierto con una tomate ceraza en rodajas y algún perejil. 
Dessert: Coconut panna cotta topped with strawberry syrup and accompanied by a crumbled chocolate cookie. El postre: Panna cotta de coco cubierta con una jarabe de fresas y acompañada de una galleta de chocolate que estaba demenuzada.
5/6/2023: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny.
Early morning of 5/6/2023. Though it does not look like it from here, the ocean seemed especially turbulent. La primera hora de 6/5/2023. Aunque no se ve de aquí, el mar estaba especialamente violente esta mañana. 
Around 10:30 AM, we rode the bus into town (10 pesos per person) to walk around and procure an early lunch. Cerca de 10:30 en la mañana, mi hermano y yo montamos un autobús al pueblo para caminar y conseguir un almuerzo temprano. 
Local market (mercado) of Puerto Vallarta. El mercado de Puerto Vallarta. 
Lunch was enjoyed with my brother on the Mercado’s second floor. Yo disfruté el almuerzo con mi hermano en el segundo piso del mercado. 
Tortilla soup. The first I have had in just over a year. Crispy tortilla chips placed in a spicy broth and topped with queso costeño and chicken. El primer plato estuvo la sopa de las tortillas. Esta sopa consistía de una caldo picante con totopos y cubierta con pollo desmenuzado y queso costeño. 
Full lunch spread of 5/6/2023: Tortilla soup, birria tacos (and condiments), and a glass bottle of sparkling water. El almuerzo completo de 6/5/2023: Sopa de tortilla, tacos de birria, y una botella de vidrio de agua mineral. 
The main course: Three steaming-hot birria tacos accompanied by some pico de gallo and refried beans for condimentation. El plato principal: Tres tacos de birria que estuvo tan frescos ellos estaban humeante. Los tacos estaban acompañados de algún pico de gallo y frijoles. 
Inside the birria taco (and with pico de gallo and beans added). Dentro del taco de birria (cuando estuve añadiendo los frijoles y pico de gallo). 
A closer look at one of Camoen’s chorizo tostones, topped with salsa, lettuce, tomato, and queso costeño. I really would have trouble saying which of the three dishes I tried in this meal were my favorite. Una foto de uno de los tostenes de chorizo que mi hermano pedió. El tostone estaba cubierto con salsa verde, lechuga, tomate, y queso costeño. 
Before hopping into a taxi to return to the resort, I took this picture of an especially large Ficus tree hanging over a traffic-filled street. 
View of dusk & sunset from the seventh floor of Grand Park Royal Resort. 
First course at Frida’s restaurant in Grand Park Royal Resort: Los totopos y salsa. 
A unique concept: a slice of watermelon topped with grilled Oaxaca cheese and arugula. Drizzled with an olive-oil based dressing that had basil-like undertones. 
The third course consisted of Marlin Tacos, and they are probably some of the best seafood tacos I have had as of yet. The flavor was reminiscent of BBQ, but there were subtle hints of fish and of heat (spicy heat). 
Main course: Birria style taco served in a gourmet fashion. Though the presentation was tremendous, the birria tacos from the mercado were better in flavor and texture. Still delicious, though. 
Dessert: A small piece of corn bread and a puff pastry filled with custard.
Final Note: I’m presently writing this final note on the balcony of our room in Grand Park Royal Resort of Puerto Vallarta. The day is sunny, the sky is completely clear, and the ocean seven floors below is of a vivid aquamarine hue. Before I enter the waves for the third time today, I think I will venture down to the lobby bar and practice some Spanish. I’m in Mexico doing pretty much exactly what I planned on and wanted to do, and I have a brother to enjoy some of the adventures with.
Muchas gracias por compartiendo… your log helps fill the Jacobless gaps