Hello Junio! What a fantastic year we’ve had so far: The weather has been absolutely wonderful, and the economy is doing great. Here it is the end of May and I have yet to turn on my air conditioner! Besides a few windy days, it has been pure Heaven and I know all of your think that too since our weekends are bustling. I have a rule of not crossing the border (coming south) on Friday and (going north) on Sunday and sometimes even Monday. On a recent trip to California, it saves me a couple hours if I cross at San Luis. So, figuring the Lukeville border would be busy on Sunday morning, I headed to San Luis. I’ve crossed here many times so I can gauge how long the wait will be by where the line ends. The line was about at the 2-hour-wait mark so I thought I would pop over to Algodones to outsmart everyone. Hah…3! Freaking! Hours! Good grief!! Doesn’t anyone go to church anymore? So, lesson learned…cross at Lukeville. Speaking of Lukeville, I’ve noticed that on some days the Federales are pulling everyone over (coming south). They don’t inspect everyone, but they still make you stop – just as they do going north – so be aware of that. And, tons of people selling stuff and asking for money…to the point where they impede your passage, so be EXTRA careful not to run someone over and make sure you have your Mexican vehicle insurance.

I’d like to give a big THANK YOU to Krissy and Rick Nichols of the Satisfied Frog for hosting the Survivor’s Party after the El Golfo Run, and to my Uncle Pat for giving a nice toast to my Mom (who passed last June). Krissy and Rick surprised us with an announcement that they are giving my Mom her own frog shelf – it will be her very own “Sandra O’Hare Memorial Frog Shelf” where some of her frogs will sit so be sure to toast her with tequila – she loved tequila!! Aren’t Krissy and Rick great? They are such great hosts and if you ever want super special treatment for a special occasion then hit them up.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the “Memorial” Run: My Nephew, Ryan and his friend Matt came from California, which was great – they were both first timers to Rocky Point and really enjoyed it! There were some new people and we were missing a few of our “usual suspects” so it’s an interesting adventure every trip. We happened to stay at the motel where a ton of Federales were staying and it was pretty intimidating (and badass cool) watching them all come through the pool area with their dark gear and helmets and masks and guns. Felt like we were in on something. Glad we weren’t. It was a sight you don’t often see – and while half of them were out, the other half were in the pool, so that was some nice eye candy for all of us (*wink*wink – yes, there were women Federales too).

Coming into Mexico the other day I chatted up the Agricultural guy as I crossed the border and he gave me an updated list of food items that are permitted and prohibited. The list is so tiny that I had to blow it up to 200% and still use cheaters! We’ll print all the details in next month’s issue as there are some weblinks we need to follow to make sure everything make sense: Some things are a little confusing to me, so we just want to make sure we publish the correct information and make it as easy as possible to understand.

Dog and cat food seem to be a hot topic online so here is the skinny…You CAN bring them in, BUT they cannot contain “ruminant origin contents” (keep reading) and they must be packaged and labeled. The limits are: one (1) 50 lb. bag of dog food per family in 1 or 2 bags, and 10 lbs. of cat food per family, and ONLY the daily ration, accompanying the pet, can be unpackaged. No exceptions. So, check the ingredient list on the bag carefully because there is a lot of stuff in pet food that you may not be aware of. If your intention is to donate to the animal rescues or to families with pets, they do sell dog food here in Peñasco, and it is a little more expensive, but not unreasonable. You can find the large bags at Sam’s Club and Kirkland brand and others at Welton’s, which is across the street from Sam’s Club (more or less). Ruminant animals include cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, elk, giraffes (huh?), and camels (double, huh?). Google tells me they all have 4 sections to their stomachs, one of which is the largest and called a rumen. So, NOTHING…NOT even little sprinkles of anything from those animals can be in the dog and cat food you bring into Mexico. So, if your bag contains a little giraffe bone meal, it will be taken away if they find it. This goes the same for pet treats and supplements.

We’d like to say Happy 15th to Gustavo and Optica Turati! Can you believe it has been that long already? I was just in there getting my prescription updated, getting new glasses and all my old ones fixed and checking out their tons of designer frames and sunglasses. Look for their ad in this edition and stop in for all your prescription, non-prescription and sunglass needs.

Thanks to Alfonso at Excell Fotografia who took about 10 minutes to get me the proper photos for some recent immigration work I had to take care of. We have been using him for about 24 years. We were trying to figure out the first time I came in for photos and figured it was about that long ago. If you are needing any photos for Mexico immigration get them from him BEFORE you go to start your paperwork in the U.S. or if you’re finishing it up here. It was super easy, no wait and cost me $5 I think: It may have been $6 or $7 – but super cheap and easy. He is on the Cholla Bay Road hooked right onto Farmacia San Martin. His front door is around the side of the building. I forgot to ask his hours, but I don’t think I’ve ever been there when he was closed. You can give him a call at 638-110-1102.

It’s Circus Mexicus time again with Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers and 30+ bands and entertainers from June 6th to June 9th. There will be entertainment in every part of town from early in the morning until late at night! On Saturday morning they will be having the Soccer Tournament in the morning in front of Wrecked which will benefit Esperanza’s Children’s Home. If you want to check out all of the events, bands, photos, buy tickets or sign your soccer team up visit www.circusmexicus.net. Tickets are incredibly reasonable so get yours today! See you there.

And in July, the 8th Annual Las Vegas Night for Charity Event will be taking place at the Sonoran Sky once again on Saturday, July 6th so be sure to get your tickets because it’s always fun. They have Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, etc. and over 100 prizes from t-shirts to vacations and everything in-between. The ticket price includes dinner, served by Cielito Lindo Fine Mexican Cuisine and playing chips. There is also a full cash bar and all of the proceeds go to charity. I just saw on Facebook where you can buy tickets (through ticket tailor) and if you buy 4 you will receive a complimentary bottle of Casa Madero Wine at the event. See you there! Don’t forget to check out the Events section in this, and every issue, of the Rocky Point Times. We’re proud to be your favorite Tourist Newspaper!! Have a great June and we’ll see you in July!!