For the second year Sonoran Resorts are encouraging everyone to donate whatever non-perishable foods you can spare or choose to donate to be distributed to the many families in Puerto Peñasco who have been affected by the devastating crash of the tourism-based economy here over the last several years. Many of these families find themselves in need of the basics for survival, like food for their children.

Sonoran Resorts Director of Sales and Marketing, Jim Ringquist, wanted to create a way to provide ongoing help to the needy in our economically torn community and last year determined that a Holiday Food Drive would provide the most expedient, timely and direct benefit to those who needed help the most.

Within days he had gathered the support of the city and of DIF (Department of Integral Family Development) the 35 year old municipal family assistance organization, and launched the first drive, the success of which was gratefully appreciated by DIF.

This year, Jim has met with and gained the enthusiastic blessings of the new administration, including Profra. Rafaela Felix Bernal, new President of DIF and esteemed wife of the newly elected Honorable Mayor of Puerto Peñasco, Profr. Gerardo Figueroa Zazueta.

By government policy, a Mayor may only serve one term of three years. It is also the tradition that the Mayor's wife becomes the President of the important DIF organization. She then brings aboard her management staff and sets the mission and goals for the organization for the next three years.  Since taking office on September 16th of this year, the new administration has already written and published an impressive DIF Analysis and Work Plan for the next three years.

Non-perishable food items are treasures for the needy, and readily accessible to our generous visitors. We gratefully request that you remember the less fortunate on your next visit to Rocky Point and stop by one of the sales offices at any of the Sonoran Resorts or stop by the Tourism and Visitors Assistance Office to donate an item or two for this great cause. If you prefer, cash donations are also being accepted.

If you are not planning a trip to Rocky Point over this holiday season and would still like to donate, you may email Jim Ringquist at the email address on the poster above for details on how you can help. You may also call one of the numbers listed on the poster.

Sonoran Resorts are proud and privileged to conduct our Second Annual Holiday Food Drive in cooperation with the City of Puerto Peñasco and DIF Charities. And we sincerely look forward to your food donations. 

Results from the scores of ten judges made after a blind reading of the 26 stories that qualified for the finals are now in and tabulated.  The competition was as close as we thought it would be, with only a few points differentiating the second through fifth highest scoring stories.  The Grand Prize winner's story seemed to capture the hearts of the judges as it was a clear winner!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:  Greg Ross

For "Life Lessons on Sandy Beach, Courtesy of a First Grader"  

(Link Below) 

SECOND PLACE WINNER: Sandy Baker

For "Finding Me in Rocky Point" (Link Below) 

THIRD PLACE (Editor's Choice): Shawn Rost

For "For the Love of Rocky Point" (Link Below) 

Our congratulations go out to everyone who participated in the Sonoran Resorts "Best Job in the World" Travel Writing contest!  Stay tuned into our web site blog to see your story published with your byline as our guest writer in the coming months.  All 26 finalists will be published.  Don't forget that once published, your story can be used as credentials should you wish to pursue or continue your writing career.

Here's the story by Sonoran Resorts "Best Job in the World" First Place Winner, Greg Ross:  

Thursday and Friday have the early birds as well as the Friday arrivals beginning their annual traveling Black Jack Card draw at the Flores Gas Station in Why, AZ for the first two cards and continue drawing cards all the way to the Playa Bonita Hotel in Rocky Point with stops for the third card at Vazquez Liquor Store in Sonoyta; fourth card will be collected at the Barclin Circle K Gas Station on the way in to Rocky Point; and the fifth card at Playa Bonita Hotel.

Registration both days will be from 10:00AM until 6:00PM at the Barclin Circle K Gas Station as you approach Rocky Point (in case you've been living in a cave somewhere, AKA Puerto Peñasco) on the left side of the highway about Km 96. Barclin will be sponsoring free beer and tacos both days.   

The Welcome Party for Thursday will take place pretty much all day on 13th Street (AKA Calle 13 pronounced: Káh-yeh thur-teen). Then, from 8:00PM to 11:ish the annual Wet T-Shirt  contest will take place at Duke's (AKA Camel Toe Cantina from last year).

Friday at noon will be the free Pirate Boat ride for the first 100 bikers with charity wrist bands departing from Balboa's Restaurant West side of the Marina...

Mexico Has World's Highest Level of Energy Security  by Brian Wingfield  

Mexico, which has monopoly power over its oil production and sales, has the world's highest level of energy security, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce study of the largest energy-consuming nations.

The government-owned Petroleos Mexicanos ranks among the world's largest oil companies while Mexico's energy expenditures and carbon-dioxide emissions per person are relatively low, according to the study released today that reviews data for 25 nations from 1980 to 2010.

"They are a very resource-rich country with very low energy use per person," Karen Harbert, president of the Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy, said today at a Washington news conference, noting Mexico may not hold the status in the future. "Oil production is going down in Mexico and their transportation use is going way up."

Energy production has been a national security concern for the U.S. at least since the 1970s Arab oil embargo caused gasoline prices to soar. The U.S. imported about 45 percent of its petroleum last year, with about 22 percent originating in the Middle East, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. dependence on energy imports has declined since 2005, amid the global economic slowdown and increased reliance on other fuels including natural gas, the agency said.

The U.S., which ranked seventh in the energy-security report, may become a net exporter of natural gas by the end of this decade, sooner than a previous government estimate of reaching that status by about 2022, EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski said at U.S. Chamber event to release the industry group's report...

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No Crosses to Bear for this Generous Couple

 

After retiring from UPS ten years ago, Mike was soon immersed in his life-long hobby and artistic love for woodworking, a creative outlet his long career prevented him from pursuing to the degree his "inner artist" required.

We met them for an interview out at the Good Samaritan Church of God where Mike and Eilene were installing two of his custom crosses, a donation he had offered after reading our blog article of last January about the Church and dedicated intentions of Pastors Edgar and Alma Cabrera (read that story here: http://www.sonoranresorts.mx/?p=3155).

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When Tempe dentist Kris Putrasahan has free time, he heads down to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, to give dental care to about 30 kids who otherwise may not see a dentist.

The children's home Putrasahan and his companions work with, Esperanza Para Los Niños (Hope for the Children), fosters residents from ages 5 to 18 whose parents are in prison or unable to care for them, often brought in by government workers. The facility has separate sleep and study quarters and most kids attend local public schools.

"They are some of the most pleasant and well-behaved kids I've met," said Putrasahan's wife, Maya. "The older kids help take care of the younger ones. They share everything together including chores."

Putrasahan donates his time to provide work, such as checkups and cleanings, as well as work that may cost between $275 and $300 in the United States.

Putrasahan was born in Indonesia and grew up in Singapore. He came to the United States in 1988, earned his bachelor's degree at Arizona State University and then attended dental school at California's Loma Linda University. He returned to Arizona in 1996 where he began practicing dentistry in a group setting before opening his own office, Logos Dentistry, in Tempe in 2011.

In Arizona, Putrasahan was introduced to Dr.Richard Martin, who nine years ago began making clinical trips to Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point.

Putrasahan's wife, their 15-year-old son, Josh, and 13-year-old daughter, Marisa, aid in the clinics, sometimes acting as dental assistants or preparing meals and playing sports with the kids.

"Even though my family has only been there five times, we are already treated as part of the Esperanza family," said Marisa, who this year hopes to work with UthBuild, a group that helps build homes, and provide needy families in Rocky Point with food and clothing...

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When the tight-knit Sonoran Resorts sales team decided to throw a surprise birthday party for their lovable multi-tasking sales admin assistant, Laura Valencia, they handled it with the same cool professionalism and warm family style harmony with which they handle their professional relations-cooperation, thoroughness and a dash of colorful Pizzazz! 

Sometimes, no matter how much effort is extended, pulling off a complete surprise for someone is as much of a surprise for both sides when it does come off as planned

If the intended success depended on the detailed planning and preparation of sales team members and self-appointed organizers, Jennifer Ridsdel and Dolores Vargas, the party was going to be a hit in pink and white for everyone, especially the victim-uhh-Birthday Girl.

Ah, but suspense still hung on the ability of Laura's two good friends, Ursula Miranda and Erika Curiel of Sea Side Reservations, to keep Laura blissfully unwitting of what awaited at the top of the stairs in Capone's Restaurant as they lured her to the venue, then casually up the stairs and ...BAM! ZAP! POW! It's obvious the surprise on Laura's face was genuine; and since pictures are worth a thousand words, we'll let them do the talking for the rest of this story!

By: Annita Kaltenbaugh via Rocky Point Times 

If you have ever taken a cruise, do you remember the days at port? Those who have cruised, know, when a ship comes into a port or leaves from a port; the city fills up with tourists. Tourists, who want to explore the area, tourists who want to try the local foods, buy souvenirs, local arts and jewelry.

Upon exiting the ship, the passengers either walk off the boat or take a tender into the dock with the ship parked offshore. Vendors from the town are lined up as soon as the passengers hit land, offering excursions for the day or tours to the hot spots. Taxis will be waiting to take visitors to specific areas of town or buses to shuttle to the local shopping area. Can you see buses in Old Port, Rodeo Drive and along the beaches?

Things will change, that is a guarantee. I'm not a fortune teller, but here are 10 things that will definitely happen if Rocky Point is a debarkation area for a cruise or a port on a cruise lines itinerary...

Spanish influences evident in modern Mexican cuisine include quesadillas, now a Mexican street-cart staple, and burritos. Until the conquistadors arrived, there was no wheat in Mexico. Burritos are still practically unheard of in southern Mexico, where tortillas are made the traditional way, with corn. The colonization of Mexico also brought the assimilation of cuisines and cooking techniques from France, the Caribbean, Portugal, West Africa, and South America.

Chile, not Chili

The most common Spanish accent is the acute accent: á, é, í, ó, ú. This accent does not change the way a letter is pronounced, but it shows where the emphasis falls when pronouncing a word.
The acute accent is also used to distinguish between two words that are written and pronounced in the same way, but have different meanings: for instance, 'él [he]' vs. 'el [the]'.

Some Spanish words are written with a diaeresis ( ¨ ). In Spanish, the diaeresis is used in the groups 'güi' and 'güe' to indicate that that vowel 'ü' is pronounced (if the diaeresis is not present, the vowel 'u' is not spoken).

Spanish has also another mark, called 'tilde'. This mark is used only on the letter 'ñ' to represent a specific sound (similar to the English 'onion').

Examples of accents:
             * lápiz [pencil]
             * café [coffee]
             * país [country]
             * canción [song]
             * tú [you]
             * argüir [to argue]
             * España [Spain]

In written Spanish, a system of double punctuation is used. An upside down question mark is placed at the beginning of a question and the usual question mark is written at the end of it. Similarly, an inverted exclamation mark indicates the beginning of an exclamation, while the ordinary exclamation mark shows the end of the sentence.

But, did you know about these uncommon punctuation marks in English?

13 little-known punctuation marks we should be using Sometimes, says Adrienne Crezo at Mental Floss, regular periods, commas, and apostrophes won't do.

Here are some examples: Click the link below for the full article and descriptions of how each is used. I doubt that I will ever use any of them but I did find it interesting to discover that they even exist. Maybe Spanish isn't so tough after all...


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