There I was, safely ensconsed at Las Olas, thanks to Arturo's intervention and the competence of the Vincents' staff: Omar and Rosario. It was such a relief to be there exhausted as I was after all the intense preparation, which I couldn't have accomplished without the help of Pablo Peres, our administrator, and Cruz, my pool and garden tender. After a few hours however, I began to think" "Where is the huricane?" The sky stayed bright, there was none of the sudden clouding up and big winds that preceded Kenna. I even walked around the community, strangely silent and boarded up. Yes, plywood covered the windows at Tambien.

Looks like it's going to hit at one. Victor, Soccoro and I are heading up the hill. Mindy will probably join us when she's taped her windows. Kathy has been very generous and offered Amigos, Arturo says Las Olas (where we went last year) is open. Thanks, Bob, for the request, I also left one with Monty. Won't be the same without you!!! Wish us well - Mindy has put a protection mantra on the whole bay so we might get to party instead of worry! So good having neighbors like this, and thanks to the website so we can commuicate...fondly, Nancy

Mexico is #38 out of 178 on the Happy Planet map...

The HPI incorporates three separate indicators: ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life expectancy. The statistical calculations that underlie the HPI are quite complex. However conceptually, it is straight forward and intuitive:

HPI = Life satisfaction x Life expectancy / Ecological Footprint

The HPI reflects the average years of happy life produced by a given society, nation or group of nations, per unit of planetary resources consumed. Put another way, it represents the efficiency with which countries convert the earth’s finite resources into well-being experienced by their citizens.

Dear Homeowners,

News!

There is lots of news here in PDB. The most important thing you should know about is that we have hired Pablo Perez as the manager of the community. After investigating professional management solutions, it was apparent that we couldn't afford the services used by large 300 home communities.

Upscale Resort in Mexico's Hottest Development Also Takes Top Honors in Accommodations and Service
(Click here to visit the Four Seasons Punta Mita site.
PUNTA MITA, Mexico, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita -- the flagship resort of the innovative 1,500-acre, master-planned community just north of Puerto Vallarta -- has taken top honors in three categories of Conde Nast Traveler's eleventh annual Reader's Choice survey on the world's finest golf resorts. In this year's evaluation, The Four Seasons Punta Mita is named the #1 Golf Resort in the world, as well as the top property for both accommodations and service.

(This is taken from Nicklaus.com.)

Four Seasons Golf Course at Punta Mita, an unparalleled private championship course, is distinguished by breathtaking ocean views and 200 pristine acres of lush, rolling hills and flowering landscapes. The 7,104-yard, par-72 course features eight ocean-side holes and an optional "19th" par-3 hole with a natural island green, making it the first of its kind in Mexico.

Set on a natural rock outcropping known as a site for whale watching, the signature island hole, "The Tail of the Whale," features the added challenge of an oceanside tee on the beach, with an undulating green designed in the shape of a whale's tail, situated 199 yards off the coast. A tee box is based on the mainland, while the putting green is set on the idyllic natural offshore island.

Scanned Von Borstel article on Mexican Environmental law. To enlarge click View Original.

From April, 1996

1. The Homeowners Associataion shall consist of all owners of lots and homes in Punta del Burro. It shall meet twice a year on the second Sunday of January and the second Sunday of May, and shall elect yearly a president, vice-opresident, secretary and treasurer and such other officers of committee persons as may be needed. Each property owner should have one vote per property. A quorum shall consist of 75% of the homeowners or representatives. Written proxy may be given to another homeowner to vote at meetings where the home/land owner cannot be present. Residents are expected to assist with community upkeep. Those property iowners choosing not to help personally with cooperative efforts, such as emergencty rtepairs to water pipes, should pay their workers for assistance help.

It's not talked about much yet. Remember, "You heard it here first, on the PdB Homeowners Association website!" Anyway, there is a new highway under construction which will go all the way from Minnesota to Mexico.

This is the map of the route. You can see that it doesn't go all the way to Punta del Burro, but it will be pretty close. Although I haven't done the drive myself on existing roads, I have talked to people who have and they agree it's not as easy as driving on US interstate. So, that's about to change for the better. Construction will begin in Texas next year. Here's an excerpt from this article:

Quietly but systematically, the Bush Administration is advancing the plan to build a huge NAFTA Super Highway, four football-fields-wide, through the heart of the U.S. along Interstate 35, from the Mexican border at Laredo, Tex., to the Canadian border north of Duluth, Minn.
...
...the first Trans-Texas Corridor segment of the NAFTA Super Highway is ready to begin construction next year. Various U.S. government agencies, dozens of state agencies, and scores of private NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have been working behind the scenes to create the NAFTA Super Highway, despite the lack of comment on the plan by President Bush.

You can also get more information from this site.

From what I understand, this is part of the plan for the US to eventually merge with Canada and Mexico. This should make visiting and living at PdB much easier eventually. Here's an excerpt from a report "Building a North American Community: Report of an Independent Task Force. Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales".

The Task Force offers a detailed and ambitious set of proposals that build on the recommendations adopted by the three governments at the Texas summit of March 2005. The Task Force’s central recommendation is establishment by 2010 of a North American economic and security community, the boundaries of which would be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter.

You can download the entire report here (PDF, 295 KB).