The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Beautiful start to spring!

Looks like not too many people in Canada can say that! Our old home town of Ottawa is cold at -9C, while the prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are stuck in a deep freeze. Looks like about -23C (-9F) in the city of Price Albert, Saskatchewan. It had better warm up a little over the next month!!!

But here we are having perfect weather. Sunny skies, and high temperature around 24C (75F). A great start to spring!

Got our taxes done yesterday. It wasn't much work actually, our tax situation is pretty simple. It sure is funny putting down our address in Ottawa...we have only spent a few weeks there out of the last five years. But, the government says you have to have a residence, so we'll pretend that's it. They don't have any rules that make it easy for us nomads, so you just have to play their game as best you can.

It's so easy to do Canadian taxes from afar. I use Studio Tax which is free (did I mention that it's totally FREE) software designed for Canadian tax filing online. All receipts and info that we need is available online now, and the Canada Revenue Agency has finally got rid of that ridiculous four digit code that you have needed in past years to file online. Now, it's only your Social Insurance Number and your date of birth. Simple. I've been using that free software for about six years now...it's so easy.

Yesterday, we took a drive over to the town of Concepcion de Buenos Aires about an hour away. We were there in the fall and it was such a clean quiet little town. Well it was still clean, but not so quiet!


Entering Concepcion de Buenos Aires.

We went because we had heard there was some sort of pottery festival. We're not that interested really, but we figured it was something to do for the day. They had the road around the entire square filled with people selling stuff. We wondered how much of it was made in China!!

Many stalls, but not many people. I wonder how they stay in business!

We went for lunch at a nice little typical looking cantina in an ancient building. 

Nice old building with lots of character.

Lunch was good. Ruth and I each had a bowl of goat birria. It's a sort of a stew with lots of goat meat. Cost was 60 pesos ($5.00) each, which is a little on the high side. Going by memory, but I think we've had goat birria in Mazamitla for around 35 pesos ($3.00) each. But that was at a market stall, not an actual restaurant.

Going out to enjoy the spring day. Got to do our 45 minute power walk and then do some cleaning on both Sherman and the little blue car.

19 comments:

  1. Lets hope that weather warms up soon for us heading back north!

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  2. Well, they say our turn will come. Supposed to be a hot summer. Swell.

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    1. We would rather have a hot summer than a cold one.

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  3. I checked out the Studio Tax link but noticed I can't use it on my Mac. Darn - I'll just have to wait until we get back I guess.

    Crazy how cold it is in Canada right now. Not too surprising though - in 2008 we returned to Saskatchewan April 15 and there weren't even buds on the trees! And in 2009 we received a foot of snow there on March 22 the day that Roofous was born.

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    1. Yup that's our weather. Trees dont usually start budding until mid May. We dont plant any bedding plants until May long weekend as you run the risk of frost. It's also known to blizzard at that time too...although rare. It really is looking like a late spring. To be seen if the ice will be off Sturgeon Lake before K&R start their new job.

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    2. You guys are starting to scare us off!

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  4. I once spend about a month in Saskatchewan in the winter. I don't even want to talk about it!
    Grace (in Tucson)

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    1. Unless you love winter that would not have been fun, no wonder you don't want to talk about it!

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  5. I'm sure loving the weather here in AZ. Low 80's - just about perfect. I use an on line tax service and it's free also. Last year with all Jim's medical bills made it a lot more work to get the return done and it's still only halfway there. Really need to get going on it.

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  6. Love Concepcion de Buenos Aires! Neat town.

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  7. Next winter! Have always wanted to try goat but have not had the opportunity.

    rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

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    1. If you are here when we are, we will take you to have goat. When it is done as birria you would never even know it was goat. Very tasty!

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  8. This "Made in China" stuff is getting out of hand! That's wrong in so many ways... :c)

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    1. My guess it that a lot of it is made in Mexico or in Guatemala but these days you just never know.

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  9. Looks like a wonderful place to roam around in.. but would hope the items were made by locals and not imports.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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    1. There are lots of places in Mexico that make pottery, we have been to a number of them. So I am hoping that the pottery is local too but we have heard that some of the pottery and various crafts gets imported from Guatemala.

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  10. I love the little towns in Mexico. So colorful and interesting. Really appreciate your pics

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