I’ve discovered the answer to why the helicopter has been around. It appeared again yesterday morning and is doing a promotional video shoot of some kind for the area. That’s why it flies over this resort about 200′ feet off the ground rattling the dishes and terrifying the guests. But, it only happens in the morning and for a short time. Nevertheless, it gives one pause to consider pilot error and engine failure.

Yesterday there was a wedding on the beach in front of our unit about 2:00 in the afternoon. A wedding party arrived all dressed up in their finest. Chairs had been set up on the beach and a tent erected. A group of a about fifty local people arrived. The service didn’t last very long and the people retired to a nearby hotel area where they celebrated with music and dancing. In the early evening we took a taxi to the nearby Pamillia Hotel for dinner at the Charlie Trotter restaurant located on the hotel grounds. The hotel is in a beautiful location on the water with the ocean right in front.

Charlie Trotter’s was started in Chicago and today is regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world. For 20 years it has received national and international awards for its food and wines. The awards include Relais & Chateaux, five stars from Mobil Travel Guide, five from AAA and awards from organizations like Wine Spectator. In 2004 Charlie Trotter opened this restaurant in Cabo San Lucas at La Pamillia. So, let me be a name dropper here. When Charlie Trotter’s first opened in Chicago, Lita and I went to Chicago on a trip and ate there. Not because of the restaurant, but because of Larry Stone. Larry was the well known wine expert and sommelier at the Four Seasons in Seattle and had been hired away to work at Charlie Potter’s in Chicago so we were curious to see what kind of a restaurant would lure him away from the Four Seasons. Lita had cut a newspaper article from a Seattle paper about Larry and his new employment. We went there for dinner. Larry was flattered to have the article which he had not yet seen. The food was very good, the service wonderful and the wine excellent. Larry treated us very well like honored guests.

Larry Stone became one of most well known wine sommelier’s in the country and internationally. In the late 1980’s he was carrying the title "Best Sommelier in the World." He helped put Charlie Trotter’s on the map nationally and internationally. Now at 53 he is out of the sommelier business and into the winery business. He is heading up movie director Francis Coppola’s wine estate.

With this background, you’ll understand how surprised we were to have Charlie Trotter, the owner, come to our table to talk to us. It turns out he comes to Mexico every several weeks to monitor his restaurant in Cabo and by coincidence, he was there this night. When we told him the story of our visit to his Chicago restaurant so long ago and our connection to his friend Larry Stone he couldn’t have been more friendly. The chef, from Austria, came to our table and offered to fix us what he would create for us. The service was spectacular and when we left, Charlie made sure to find us to say good by. We felt like very important people.

When we got back we were surprised to find the wedding celebration still going strong. Music playing, people were dancing and they were having a good time. There was a message from the hotel offering to move us to another unit because of noise of the wedding, but it wasn’t that bad so we stayed. In fact, Lita stayed up to listen to the music. When we finally were able to get to sleep we were suddenly awakened by loud explosions. We got up to see what was going on and were rewarded with a fireworks display from the wedding party right in front of our unit. It was like a private fireworks display.

This morning, Sunday, we took a taxi into nearby San Jose to the Catholic church for mass and a walk around this small town. Church turned out to have unexpected entertainment. The Mass was in Spanish and the priest was a relaxed friendly man with a ready smile. However, there were a few pigeons who were roosting on the top of a high pillar near the ceiling. Every so often they would decide to relocate with the noise of flapping wings. Soon a hummingbird showed up too. It had built a tiny nest in the light fixture hanging from the ceiling just ahead of where we were seated. A baby bird’s long beak could be see over the edge of a colored broken shell in the nest. Every so often the mother would fly in and seem to forget where the nest was. She would check other light fixtures. Then when she found her baby she fed him and off she would go for more food.

On top of this activity, in the middle of the service a half breed brown dog ambled in while the priest was giving his homily searching for his owner. Down the aisle towards the front of church it went carefully studying each pews on each side for his owner. The priest was standing on the steps in front of the altar facing the people and the searching dog as he gave his homily. The dog got almost to the priest when he spotted his owner in the very front of the church. His tail began going fast and he just laid down with his head in his paws turned in towards his owner in the pew. He positioned himself right in the middle of the aisle. The priest, however, acted as if this happened all the time and with a big smile just kept talking through the whole scene. No one else reacted either and the dog stayed there. Maybe the priest is another St. Francis who attracts wild life. Given the fact the service was in Spanish and all the distractions I’m not sure I got much out of it.

It’s hotter today so we are relaxing and swimming. We leave here tomorrow and head for Scottsdale to meet our children and grandchildren.