mike & rhonda's latest adventure: Shooter Bingo.........the way the game should be played

Following an extended beach walk on Wednesday morning we were prepared for a lazy afternoon. At about the same time Pocahontas declared she was going to have a short nap, I overheard a couple of male neighbours talking about going over to play Shooter Bingo, so shortly after I ventured over to the park clubhouse to check it out. When I arrived the room was packed with close to 100 people, all seemingly having a good time and the games hadn't even started yet. I paid my $6 entry fee which entitled me to 6 bingo sheets with 3 games on each card. As soon as I sat down at a table with an open seat my "new" friends started pouring me a large glass of beer. As it turned out, there was draught beer (Corona) for sale for $2 a jug on an honour system and everyone at the table took their turn purchasing a jug for the table to share. Whenever a "B" number was called (1-15) then everyone was supposed to take a drink of Beer. When "Bingo" was eventually called and the cash prize confirmed, they called one more number and if it was on one of your 3 game cards then you were entitled to a shot of tequila. On 5 of the 6 different games I had the "winning" shooter number. At least 50% of the players seemed to get up after every game......with 15 bottles of tequila on the table and nobody checking cards it was basically self-serve. When I returned to the camper van a couple of hours later my dear wife (in her refreshed body) took advantage of my altered state and whipped me at several games of Lost Cities.

We have been having a great time here in Puerto Penasco. Our friends Brent & Barb have been doing a wonderful job including us in their circle of friends here. We went to their regular Friday night Pizza Party where friends and neighbours drop in with 1-2 pizza toppings and their own beverages. Barb makes the dough and keeps turning out differently dressed pizza's all night until everyone has had their fill, at which time she makes two more pizza's that Brent delivers to the security guards that work the gates into their neighbourhood. Another day we were invited to a Mini-putt pot luck party at a nearby condo resort. I also went fishing with Brent and two other friends. Within 5 minutes of tossing our lines in, about 8 miles out from port, a grey whale surfaced less than 100 metres from our boat. I caught enough sea bass for a healthy dinner that evening. We have also played 5 games of golf down here on three nice courses (2 are Jack Nicklaus designs) for less than $50 a round. On another day we had a scenic lunch up by the hilltop lighthouse and then did a couple of geocaches, bumping into an interesting man (Waldo if you can believe it) claiming to be from London, Ontario. He said he was a millionaire but looked like a street person who hadn't slept in days. His many bizarre stories kept us entertained while we awaited the driving directions that we initially asked him for.

The weather has continued to be better than normal for February, sunny and 25C every day. With no clouds we are experiencing perfect sunsets every night. The only disappointment is in seeing so many incomplete buildings, a direct result of the 2008 recession when work in this popular resort town came to a sudden halt. A good thing perhaps for the people who have places down here and are not anxious for the lovely town and beaches to become crowded but sad for the Mexican people who rely on tourism to make a decent wage. A new pier, 1 km long, is currently being built in an effort to attract cruise ships but the jury is out on how successful that venture will be. In any event we are glad that we came here and will enjoy our last 3 days in this friendly seaside town.