(Above: A photo of Banderas Bay (and Puerto Vallarta) from my seat on the plane. The Sunset Plaza resort is slightly to the right of center in the photo.
Una foto de la Bahía de Banderas (y Puerto Vallarta) desde mi asiento en el avión. El resort Sunset Plaza está un poco a la derecha del centro en la foto.)
8/17/2025: Today began in the mid 70s and warmed into the low 90s. Quite warm. Good for swimming.
My morning office on August 17, 2025. Mi oficina matutina del 17 de agosto de 2025. 
For lunch I had a green salad accompanied by fresh pizza from the oven. Para el almuerzo comí una ensalada verde acompañada de pizza fresca del horno. 
We also ate white fish and shrimp ceviche. Además, comimos ceviche de pescado blanco y camarones. 
After lunch we played a game called “Spicy”. Después del almuerzo jugamos un juego se llama “Spicy”. 
The sunset of August 17, 2025, as seen from the balcony of our bedroom at the Sunset Plaza Hotel. El atardecer del 17 de agosto de 2025, como visto desde el baclón de nuetsro dormitorio en el hotel Sunset Plaza. 
Tonight we ate at the Italian restaurant. Our starter was a Greek salad. Esta noche comimos en el restaurante Italiano. La entrada consistía en una ensalada Griega. 
These are the “Montancitos” I had for dinner last night. They consisted of toasted bread covered with cheese and cured ham. Estas son los montacitos que comí en la cena anoche. Consistían en pan tostado cubierto con queso y jamón curado. 
For the main course, I had the Chicken Cordon Bleu. This chicken was accompanied by mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. Para el plato principal comí el pollo Cordon Bleu. Este pollo estaba acompañado de un puré de papas y vegetales asados.
8/18/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny.
A photo of my morning office on the morning of August 18, 2025. Una foto de mi oficina matutina en la mañana del 18 de agosto de 2025. 
For lunch we ate at Pepe’s Taco restaurant. Para el almuerzo comimos en el restaurante Pepe’s Taco. 
To start, I had a quesadilla with chorizo, roasted peppers, and sautéed onions. Para empezar comí un quesadilla con chorizo, pimiento asado y cebolla salteado. 
After eating the quesadilla, I ate four tacos: two chorizo and two al pastor. Después de comer la quesadilla, comí cuatro tacos: dos de chorizo y dos al pastor. 
Today I found a starfruit tree with ripe fruit. I picked one of them. Hoy encontré un árbol de carambola con fruta madura. Recogí una de ellas. 
I cut the star fruit with a comb. The fruit’s flavor wasn’t very strong. Corté la carambola con un peine. El sabor de la fruta no era muy fuerte. 
A photo of palm trees in front of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Una foto de palmeras frente a la puesta del sol sobre el Océano Pacífico. 
The starter was smoked salmon in a puff pastry tart. La entrada fue salmón ahumado en una una tarta de hojaldre. 
The main course consisted of roast duck on a bed of mashed potatoes. All of this was topped with a little green apple and sweet onion. El plato principal consistía en pato asado encima una cama de puré de papas. Todo esto estaba cubierto con un poco de manzana verde y cebolla dulce. 
Dessert consisted of an apple pie accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. El postre consistía en una tarta de manzana acompañada de una cucharada de helado de vainilla.
8/19/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the 90s. A bit stormy at the beginning of the day, but it was in the distance, and the water remained calm.
For lunch on August 19, 2025, we ate a lot of tacos at Taco de Pepe. The al pastor and chorizo tacos were delicious. Para el almuerzo del 19 de agosto de 2025, comimos muchos tacos en el restaurante Taco de Pepe. Los tacos de al pastor y de chorizo estaban deliciosos. 
A photo of the palm trees outside our room at the Sunset Plaza Hotel. Una foto de las palmeras afuera de nuestro dormitorio en el hotel Sunset Plaza. 
Madre peeking around the wall that separates our rooms. Mi mamá echando una miradita alrededor de la pared que separa nuestros cuartos. 
For my starter I had a salad with grapefruit drizzled with a citrus dressing. Para la entrada comí una ensalada con toronja rociada con un aliño cítrico. 
The main course consisted of a pizza topped with arugula and Serrano ham. The chef made it crispy as requested. El plato principal consistía en una pizza cubierta con rúcula y jamón serrano. El cocinero la hizo crujiente como lo pedí. 
For dessert, the waiters gave us a huge plate of tirimisu with the words “Have a nice trip.” It was a truly special moment. Para el postre los meseros nos dio un plato enorme de tirimisú con las palabras “Have a nice trip.” Fue un momento verdaderamente especial. 
Another photo of the dessert plate the waitstaff at Luciano’s (the Italian restaurant at Sunset Plaza) gave us. Otra foto del plato de postre que nos dio los meseros de Luciano’s (el restaurante italiano de Sunset Plaza).
8/20/2025: Today began in the mid 70s and warmed into the low 90s. Severe thunderstorms in Houston delayed our second flight’s departure by four hours.
On the morning of August 20, 2025, after swimming and playing cards, we left the Sunset Plaza resort. It only took 15 minutes to get to the airport, and security was very easy. We were on the plane by 1:30 p.m. En la mañana del 20 de agosto de 2025, después de nadar y jugar a las cartas, salimos del resort Sunset Plaza. Solo tardamos 15 minutoes en llegar al aeropuerto y el proceso de seguridad fue muy fácil. Estábamos en el avión a la 1:30 de la tarde. 
There was plenty of legroom on the flight from Puerto Vallarta to Houston, Texas. Había mucho espacio para mis piernas en el vuelo de Puerto Vallarta a Houston, Texas. 
A photo of Banderas Bay (and Puerto Vallarta) from my seat on the plane. The Sunset Plaza resort is slightly to the right of center in the photo. Una foto de la Bahía de Banderas (y Puerto Vallarta) desde mi asiento en el avión. El resort Sunset Plaza está un poco a la derecha del centro en la foto. 
On the flight, I ate the sandwich Yoli had made the day before. This ham, chicken, and cheese sandwich was accompanied by a cup of mineral water and a glass of red wine. En el vuelo, comí el sándwich que hizo Yoli el día anterior. Este sándwich de jamón, pollo y queso estaba acompañado de una taza de agua mineral y una taza de vino tinto. 
After arriving in Houston, Texas I got a bottle of Diet Coke. After an hour of waiting, I learned the flight to Florida was delayed four hours. So, I got more drinks: a bottle of water and a coffee to sip while I wrote. Después de llegar en Houston, Texas conseguí una botella de coca light. Después de una hora de espera, aprendí que el vuelo a Florida estaba retrasada 4 horas. Por eso, conseguí más bebidas: una botella de agua y un café para beber mientras escribía. 
This is the nutritional information for a dark chocolate cupcake at the Houston, Texas, airport. The amount of sugar was ‘terrifying.’ Esta es la información nutricional para un pastelito de chocolate amargo en el aeropuerto de Houston, Texas. La cantidad de azúcares era ‘aterradora’.
8/21/2025: Today began in the mid 70s and warmed into the low 90s. Quite rainy around 2-3 PM. Very humid late day.
A photo of my morning office on the morning of August 21, 2025. I’m back home. Una foto de mi oficina matutina en la mañana del 21 de agosto de 2025. He regresado a casa. 
Two license plates that we are going to place on the new freezer truck. Dos placas de matrícula que vamos a colocar en el nuevo camión congelador. 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of eggs, beef, and some sourdough bread. To accompany it, there was a Padre-made salad. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos, res y un poco de pan de masa madre. Para acompañarla, había una ensalada hecha por mi padre. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
Dinner consisted of reverse-seared Wagyu burger-steak accompanied by a green salad topped with three pieces of Swiss cheese. There was also a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce for dipping. La cena consistía en un bistec de carne molida de wagyu dorado al revés acompañado de una ensalada verde coronada con tres trozos de queso suizo. Además, había un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera para mojar. 
This is another sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es otra manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
8/22/2025: Today began in the mid 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Cloudy throughout.
The early morning of August 22, 2025 in the southeasternmost field of the ranch. La madrugada del 22 de agosto de 2025 en el campo más al sureste de rancho. 
A morning activity: I cleaned up around the signs near the road. Una actividad matutina: Limpié alrededor de los carteles cerca de la carratera. 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of eggs and beef, accompanied by a colorful salad made by Padre. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos y carne de res. Esta estaba acompañada de una ensalada colorida hecha por mi padre. 
A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
This afternoon I prepared an order for a Master Blend customer. Esta tarde preparé un pedido para un cliente de Master Blend. 
The partly sunny afternoon of August 22, 2025: There were impressive clouds in the distance. La tarde parcialmente y soleada del 22 de agosto de 2025: Había nubes impresionantes en la distancia. 
Dinner on August 22, 2025, consisted of a Wagyu round roast. This was accompanied by a green salad topped with three pieces of Swiss cheese. La cena del 22 de agosto de 2025 consistía en un asado de ronda de Wagyu. Este estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde coronada con tres trozos de queso suizo.
8/23/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the high 80s. Quite cloudy throughout with slight sprinklings of rain in the morning.
For lunch on August 23, 2025, we had beef sausage, a piece of bacon, and a colorful salad drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette. Para el almuerzo del 23 de agosto de 2025, comimos salchichas de res, un trozo de tocino y una ensalada colorida rociada con una vinagreta de mostaza. 
This is a ladybug I found this afternoon. I found it on a hackberry tree in the central field. Esta es una mariquita que encontré en la tarde. La encontré en un árbol de almez en el campo central. 
For dinner I reverse-seared two Wagyu ribeye steaks. Para la cena doré al revés dos chuletones de Wagyu. 
Dinner consisted of a reverse-seared Wagyu ribeye steak accompanied by a green salad topped with three pieces of Swiss cheese. There was also a horn of red wine to drink. La cena consistía en un chuletón de Wagyu dorado al revés acompañado de una ensalada verde cubierta con tres trozos de queso suizo. Además había un cuerno de vino tinto para beber. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
Final Note: During our time at Sunset Plaza, I helped one of the bartenders create a Berta. The Berta is a simple drink with origins in Taxco, México. The first Berta was good, but the second was much closer to what I had in Taxco and much better/more refreshing. I’m including the notes for the second Berta’s creation. These notes will be both in Spanish and in English for future reference.
Berta, Recreado:
1.5 oz jugo de limón
1.5 oz jarabe de agave (o miel)
2 oz tequila de buena calidad
1 taza de hielo
8-12 oz. agua mineral
1. Combina el jugo de limón, jarabe de agave (o miel), tequila y hielo. Agita.
2. Vierte en un vaso grande (¿una copa de margarita?).
3. Añade el agua mineral hasta llenar el vaso y revuelve suavemente para conservar las burbujas.
Berta, Recreated:
1.5 oz lemon juice
1.5 oz agave syrup (or honey)
2 oz good-quality tequila
1 cup of ice
8-12 oz. sparkling water
1. Combine the lemon juice, agave syrup (or honey), tequila, and ice. Shake.
2. Pour into a large glass (a margarita glass?).
3. Add the sparkling water until the glass is full and mix gently to retain the bubbles.
And here’s a small bit belonging to the chapter I’m working on that was inspired, in part, by this beverage:
“And speaking of the lands beyond, has anyone here ever had the pleasure of visiting Trynac across the east sea?” While awaiting response, Manfretti shrugged off his so-named Khonan Accordion and replaced it with the lute from the stand beside him.
“Not I,” piped up one of the gathered folk, “I hear it’s hot as all the hells!”
“Isn’t that where you Khonans send your worst of the worst?” asked another.
The singer nodded, “True, we send our most unfortunate mis-doers there, but they’ve adopted a code just like any people. A people can’t survive without a code, and that goes for the folk we send as well as the natives.”
“Natives?”
The singer shrugged, “Of course. Trynac’s a fine piece of land. Hot as all the hells just like that good man over there said. But fertile. Filled with plenty. And we people? We people are the weevils of the world. Can’t exactly know where we come from, but we always find the flour bin, don’t we?”
There was a general round of chuckling agreement.
Manfretti, having slung the lute’s strap about his shoulders, cleared his throat, “Right. So, off the coast of Trynac, there’s an island of these weevil people. They’re called the Motzo’comans. And as is the way of all people, they do their best to make themselves comfortable in their given clime. Here, you folk have hides for the winter and light and airy clothes for summery days like today. But what if it gets any hotter? I ask. You can always add the clothes but you can’t keep takin’ ‘em off, can you?”
“No!” a number of the gathered folk replied, followed by a quip in Gren’s low, laconic tone, “Not unless you’ve decided to go about butt-bare like Baby does.”
This was followed by more laughter, but Manfretti gave his head a serious shake, “My friend; even naked, the heat’s far too much. But these fine people… these fine people have arrived at a solution. A solution of the most literal and refreshing form.”
The singer strummed his lute, and began to play. The tune was quiet and of good humor, as were the words that accompanied it;
“In the cheery isle of Motzo’come
Where sun is strong as is handsome
Where he seeks skin under sea and shade
It’s here the best of brews is made
The fine brew’s name is Lemburr Tea
And for that brew, there’s recipe
So let’s sing it now and sing it once
That we remember in the summer months
Lemburr n’ honey in equal measure
Then half ‘gain qui-la for greatest pleasure
Add chips of frost from a Goldmont flurry
Shake it quick to make a slurry
Then add water from spring Lahoam
And stir it gently to keep the foam.
Last are sprig of mint and lemburr rind
And powdered cheelay of the finest kind
Only then, my friends, can you be free
To relax, recline, and sip your Lemburr Tea.”
Tremendous week… To have shared it is a gift, as for the snipet of your book, to be able to integrate the context of one’s experience is a gift in life and also in this case for the reader, both are much appreciated
Tremendous week… To have shared it is a gift, as for the snipet of your book, to be able to integrate the context of one’s experience is a gift in life and also in this case for the reader, both are much appreciated