Wishing you and yours the best this holiday season.
It was a white Christmas in Calgary. I’d like to claim this is me out on the roads … 🙂
Instead — like Santa — I took flight on New Year’s Eve. Flew to Nanaimo and on to Parksville for Christmas day.
My two brothers and their wives were actually in Calgary this year. Randy cooked turkey for us on the 22nd.
In 2006 the McCharles clan had a reunion in Mazatlan. Mom announced it would be our last big family holiday.
10 years later we were back. 🙂
Here are my final few photos from the trip.
At the El Cid Resort Mazatlan we could eat whatever we wanted at 12 different restaurants. Cost US$46 / day.
The goal is to eat and drink yourself to death.
I did enjoy my 3 glasses of red wine each day – a nice tipple from Spain.
More Maz Food photos.
I’ve been to sea a number of times over the years. This photo sums up my excellence as an angler. 🙂
Even though Snapper were enthusiastically jumping into our boat out of Marina El Cid, I was still only able to randomly snag five of these monsters.
My Dad – sitting next to me – caught dozens including 8 pairs reeling them up two at a time.
10 years ago at our LAST family reunion in Mazatlan we enjoyed some great fishing.
This time we hired Captain Johnny with the Aries Fleet out of Marina El Cid. We departed at dawn.
In a simple but functional boat, Johnny took us north up the coast to some of his favourite spots.
Our bait was a combination of frozen and LIVE shrimp (extra $35 / 200).
Immediately we began to haul up dozens of small Snapper like this.
It was soon obvious that everyone was catching far more fish than me … despite my unique technique on the reel. 🙂
Rob and Yvonne finally broke into the beer and selfies.
Johnny moved us around many times. If we went more than 5 minutes without reeling in a fish, it was time to go.
Within a few hours we had 80 or more fish in the boat. Johnny got us back to Marina El Cid at 1pm.
We kept perhaps 10 fish: Snapper and Trigger. For a few bucks one of the guys on the dock cleaned them.
The scraps went to catfish or pelicans.
The excellent restaurant at the marina was happy to cook up half our catch at no extra cost.
Mom opted for salad.
A good day.
Our go to breakfast place. The El Cid all inclusive food package offers at least a dozen different restaurant options. But this is our favourite.
Trip Advisor ranks it #20 of 329 Restaurants in Maz.
Travel Advisor ranks it #5 of 80 Hotels in Mazatlan, Mexico. #familyreunion
Yvonne got us upgraded to a penthouse atop the high El Moro tower. Suite!
I needed a vacation from Bermuda. 🙂
Ten years ago we enjoyed our last family holiday in Mazatlan.
We’re doing it again over the next 2 weeks. I fly to Maz on Sunday to join the rest of the family. 🙂
My brother Randy was a Prix Aurora nominee for Best English Novel. 🙂
These are the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary publications of the year.
When drama teacher Paul Samson decides to put on a High School production of Macbeth, he forgets that it isn’t just The Scottish Play, it is The Cursed Play. And Paul soon learns just how cursed. After grappling with his principal, the PTA, his family, and his students, he must contend with witches, ghosts, and skeletons from his past.
The show is destined from the outset to end badly, but no matter how desperate or dangerous circumstances become, Paul cannot cancel the play. Theatre has but one rule and one rule only: the show must go on.
The story is set in our old High School – Viscount Bennett. The witches hang out across the street at the Dairy Queen.
Much Ado about Macbeth has very high reader ratings on both Amazon and Goodreads.
I read the paperback version. And then the audio version when it came out on Audible. I liked the audio better as reader Harold Squire did make it come to life with different voices for different characters. (One of the witches is difficult to understand, however.)
The book did not win. That honour went to A Daughter of No Nation by A.M. Dellamonica, Tor Books.
Randy had a second nomination for as organizer of the When Words Collide book festival. And he did win. Congratulations.
official website – Randy McCharles
This time he’s won the Aurora Award for Best Fan Organizational. A tribute to his “When Words Collide!” annual conference in Calgary. 🙂
Rick McCharles 
