It's hard to believe it but June has already arrived. It seems as though this year just started and, here we are, almost half way through. The kids are out of school and the weather has warmed up to the point of using the air conditioner. This month should be perfect. Usually the extra heat and humidity don't kick in until sometime in July. Come and enjoy it if you can. 

Life is good here and our resorts (as well as the rest of town) were busy over the Memorial Day weekend. Early reports are that over 35,000 additional visitors came to town to enjoy our beaches and hospitality. From my office, I see the front desk of the Sonoran Sky and it's always interesting to see how many people are coming and going at any particular time. To me it seemed like more people were leaving on Tuesday this year than on Monday (I didn't officially check). The other funny thing was that we had a ton of check-ins on Tuesday as well. I guess that there are a lot of people that wanted to avoid the holiday weekend and come in right afterward.

Things are still moving right along throughout town. Street paving continues in several areas of town, new construction and new businesses seem to be sprouting up much more often lately, and there is a positive feel about the local economy and the future. Our new convention center has had several groups using it lately and more are planned. We had a world championship boxing match last month, Herbalife was there for several days and Lucha Libre (Mexican Pro Wrestling) is now using it for events. It's nice to see the parking lots full and it promises to be a real benefit to town. Until it was completed, we just did not have a location capable of hosting the large groups and events that are beginning to use it. I foresee good things from this great addition to our little city on the Sea.

Anyone who has stayed at one of our Sonoran Resorts properties knows how nice they are. 100% True Ocean Front, great designs and amenities, etc. Well, TripAdvisor, a well known site for vacation reviews agrees. They have awarded the Sonoran Sky Resort with the 2014 Certificate of Excellence Award. The award is not taken lightly by TripAdvisor and it is only given to establishments that consistently receive outstanding reviews from travelers. I'm not surprised. I talk with happy visitors every day.

 In Part IV of our Impact study, we defined some areas of infrastructure needed to accommodate the cruise passenger market that aren't as obvious as those normally envisioned. We discussed how simple the formula is that cruise lines themselves have been using for 40 years that is credited as crucial to their phenomenal growth over that period. It has to do with spoiling (not just satisfying) the passenger. This simple philosophy has virtually guaranteed the cruise lines a passenger loyalty base that has stretched through generations of families, each generation taking more cruises than the last one.

 

We discussed how very effective it would be for a home port destination to duplicate such a simple formula to capture passenger interest in returning for a non-cruise vacation. Since nearly 80% of cruisers say cruising is a great way to "sample" destinations for planning their next non-cruise vacation it makes this formula a no-brainer for any destination to follow.

 

So, how do we spoil our visitors? Using the questionnaire format the same way the cruise lines have been doing for four decades: 1.) Ask and listen to the answers; and 2.) Give them more than they asked for. Just one example of giving more than they ask for is illustrated perfectly by Carnival Cruise Lines recent discovery (through questionnaires) that passengers traveling with family wanted water slides for their kids. Carnival didn't  just add a water slide to their pools. They added a water slide that took kids through flowing water that spanned four or more decks at a cost of millions of dollars! Spoiled? You bet.

 

How do we garner information from our cruise visitors with questionnaires? A recent study of how cruise passengers to Hamburg, Germany were interviewed to gather such marketing information revealed that very effective booths manned by volunteers were bustling as the passengers debarked for a day visit and were handed an assortment of brochures and maps to help them navigate around the city. 

 

However, when the passengers returned to the ship at the end of their visit, the booths were closed. Unmanned. So there was no exit interviews to determine if the information they were handed actually helped! This illustrates the importance of careful planning when executing service concepts like these. We can learn from these types of studies, of course.

 

In PART VI next month we'll continue more in-depth examples of how known habits are exploited by asking and listening to our visitors.

Let's take a walk with home port project Administrative Director, Wendy Winzer, to get the latest on the very visible slow down (O.K., halt) in construction ...

 

Down by the Pier 

 

In our last walk down by the Pier, we learned and reported in Part IV that there were two main issues causing delays in the overall project. While the dynamite permits were all issued after a delay, the actual blasting did not produce the required size of rocks to continue construction and they had to return to the drawing board and plan another blast date. The second blasting took place on May 19th producing the correct size rocks, thus solving this issue for awhile. During this exercise, the geologists discovered that Black Mountain quarry would not be able provide sufficient tonnage of the very large rocks of the three sizes needed build the pier. They are now studying  various ways of acquiring those rocks. One of the ways is to actually cast them out of concrete using the smaller stones from the original blast to fill and shape the castings so allow water flow and settlement needed as with natural stones. We'll keep you updated on that as it develops.

 

Meantime, back at the union farm (dare we say asylum?) there is a confounding issue with the invoicing by the union. It seems that each truck upon being loaded at the quarry receives a two part receipt-like form which the driver carries to the weigh station located just before reaching the pier. There he enters the weight (this is for statistical purposes), dumps the rocks and turns over one copy of the form to a collector of forms (?) who in turn delivers them to the construction office which is actually one end of a small trailer, the other end of which is Wendy's office. The trucker then turns in his copy of that form to someone at the union contractor's office to substantiate his pay.

 

When the project began, the general contractor, per agreement, paid an upfront sum to cover the estimated maximum amount of truck deliveries for an agreed upon time. When it came time for the union contractor to substantiate that payment with invoices backed up with those receipts, first the amount of the invoice was far more than could have possibly been delivered by the number of trucks, especially considering the delay caused by the blasting permits; and second, no receipts accompanied the invoice to show how they arrived at the invoice amount.

 

When asked about the receipts the general was told that they didn't have any. None. But they still demanded on being paid the additional billing amount. Stalemate. Eventually, in fact, he just returned to Hermosillo last week, the head of the project, Director of Tourism for Sonora, Javier Tapia Camou spent last week in town trying to reach an understanding with the union contractor and creating a system that would keep this from happening again. He left believing they had an agreement. At the time of our meeting with Wendy (Friday May 30) no one had heard from the contractor.

 

Wendy assured us that with an aggressive work schedule they can still complete the project by the end of 2015. And includes taking into consideration some other good news involving the need to extend the pier so it reaches deeper water as requested by the cruise lines who would like to use larger ships than originally planned. Larger ships are trending in the cruise industry nowadays because of demand and new design technology.

 

As always, We will deliver the facts about what's happening with the home port project to you as we get them, along with any updates.

 

Everyone, especially our leader, Jim Ringquist, is working diligently to organize the greatest night ever for all our supporters who participate in helping us raise money for Puerto Peñasco Charity, DIF, the 37 year old Municipal Family Assistant Fund that helps children, families and individuals with everything from medical services to rehabilitation to food boxes, student breakfasts and so much more.

 

Even though new information is coming in every day now, we want to give you a report to keep you excited about coming out on July 5th and trying your hand at Black Jack, Roulette, or Texas Hold 'em. Then after you "break the bank" you can bid on dozens and dozens of great prizes - that is, if you haven't already won what you wanted in one of the three drawings that will be held throughout the night!

 

Each year since our first Las Vegas Night for Charity, we've collected over 80 prizes donated by local businesses that have ranged from spa treatments to dinners, bracelets and watches, artwork, tequila, cases of beer, bottles of wine, and resort weekends and so much more.

 

Remember that your $35 ticket includes $300 in "Charity Chips", a catered Mexican buffet (three hours of non-stop  Mexican delicacies!) and a raffle ticket for the drawings. We call them Charity Chips because they are valid only for gambling and prizes during Las Vegas Night since unlicensed gambling is against Mexican law. You can purchase as many chips as you like throughout the night and the money for every purchase goes to help DIF help those in need. You can also buy extra raffle tickets with no limit, and all that money will go to DIF as well.

 

We're excited to tell you that this year we are very lucky to have the infusion of expertise on the part of Olimpia García Watson, Director of Weddings and Special Events for Sonoran Resorts lending her high energy style to make sure things go smoothly.

 

What is so special about Las Vegas Night for Charity, besides the beautiful venue, "Los Volcanes", and the friendly dealers and staff, is the atmosphere of camaraderie that flows through this gala event.

 

Maybe that's because everyone knows that the money is going to help such a great cause. The photos of the past two years show you the fun everyone has at our charity events.

 

Again this year, Las Vegas Night will be held in the second floor conference facility known as Los Volcanes with more than enough space to comfortably place more than 15 Black Jack tables, a Roulette table and the popular Texas Hold 'em Tournament area, a couple of fully stocked cash bars and the full buffet and seating area.

 

Plus, we are lucky and grateful to have Randy Van Hulle, owner of Ace Casino Rentals of Tucson which he founded in 1987 and now has over 3,000 corporate functions to his credit lending his expertise to our event for the third consecutive year, training the dealers on how to make sure you have a grand time while raising money for the most worthy DIF charity.

 

We know that it's all for charity, and we also believe that charity should be fun. Good people like Randy and Jim, Olimpia, Jerry's catering and our entire staff strive to make sure you do have fun and take home great memories along with your prizes!

 

If you have any questions or for more information, call our executive sales office (from the states) 602-476-7511 and from here in Rocky Point dial (638) 382-8547 or email Jim Ringquist at rockypointjim@gmail.com.

 

Mexicans work more yet have lower incomes than people in other countries. However, according to a study by the 'Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,' Mexicans are satisfied with their lives.

As a child, did you ever have an aunt whose home you always loved to visit, not for a a big family thing, but because you  could "explore" the timeless treasures that adorned every inch of space  throughout her palace of furnishings, knick-knacks and paintings? Surprise would be the order of the day as you discovered new, really cool stuff during each visit. Elegant doilies decorated every flat surface, lamps abounded, all with colorful ruffles, tables bloomed with centerpieces announcing the current season, bedspreads bright with scenes that inevitably set your imagination into orbit and sent you running back shrieking, "Auntie, auntie!" followed by an eruption of exclamations about all that had captured your fascination.

 

Don't be surprised if you find yourself revisiting those same memories upon entering Donna Peckenpaugh's Segunda This and That in Old Port.

 

It makes sense. Donna graced our little slice of paradise by the sea as a resident 9 years ago after 30 years as a designer of not just the interiors of luxury homes but as the primary designer and project manager of large estates in places like Colorado, Nevada, Arizona among other exclusive locales.

 

Six years ago, as she gazed bewilderingly over the two large storerooms of dust laden residential treasures she had brought down with her, Donna made a big decision. She had to find a good home for these beloved tokens of her outstanding career and set out to find a suitable location for a store front consignment shop.

 

That decision turn out to be one that filled many social gaps in her life here. She began meeting new friends, in fact, several of her very best friends she met through her little shop in Old Port. Her new clients told their friends to be sure and visit when they came down to Rocky Point. Then her friends began asking if they could put their items in her store on consignment.

 

Many brought things down with them from the states after talking with her. 

Never short of cute and classy items to offer, Donna soon found herself too close to being "unretired" for her comfort and realized the need to structure a routine that included time in her popular little  shop balanced with time for the things she loved most about Rocky Point and time for her new friends and charitable activities.

 

If you want to stroll through Donna's Segunda This and That, you can always find her there from Noon until 4:00 PM Wednesday through Saturday from the middle of October until the second week in July. From July until October you might cross paths in Colorado or Lake Tahoe as she escapes the sizzling seaside humidity of our tropic summers.

 

If you would like to speak with Donna you can call her at the shop when you're in town at 383-1396 (when calling from a land line to another land line here, you don't need to dial the area prefix 638); If you'd like to contact her from the states call her Vonage at (480) 626-8755. You can always email Donna at mexidivadonna@aol.com.

 

Segunda This and That is easy to find because you pass it every time you leave the Malecón. It is on the one way street leading you back to Benito Juarez just past the Friendly Dolphins restaurant.

 

You may not come around a corner shouting, "Auntie, auntie!" when you visit her shop, but you just might feel like it!

 

There are several things that have to come together to define what is traditionally cooked in different areas or states of Mexico, and how it is cooked. The first thing that defines a Mexican dish is the preferences and recipes of the different precolumbian cultures...since Mexico was a territory originally populated by Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, to name a few. However, the cuisine is also defined by the kind of vegetables and fruit that grow in the different climates, as well as the different animals that you find there. All these things have defined the traditional dishes of each area. Those, and of course, the blending with the Spanish cuisine and products that came with the colonization from Spain.

 

 It is said that pork was introduced in Mexico by the Spanish, and one of the most emblematic dishes that we have in Mexico is called "carnitas," (literally, "little meats") which originated in the state of Michoacan, but is now prepared in different ways throughout all of Mexico and Southwestern United States depending on the region where you eat them.

 

Picture this: Mounds of juicy, tender, crispy-edged Mexican-style braised and fried pork, just waiting to be tucked into freshly made soft tortillas along with salsa, chopped onions, and cilantro for tacos. Now imagine that same braised and fried pork piled high on a plate alongside rice and beans.  

 

This authentic Mexican recipe is the classic way to make carnitas-well, almost. While the pork is traditionally browned on the stove top, doing it in the oven is even easier and more effective. The pork goes from being braised to being fried, browning in its own luscious fat.

 

This recipe for Mexican-minded lusciousness makes what some would consider to be a plethora of pork. Hardly a problem in my mind, seeing as I can eat a ton of this stuff and it's great to have some of this subtly infused Mexican-style braised and fried pork leftover for later. Should you wish to make just half a batch, the it is advised that you cut the amount of pork, salt, and oregano in the recipe below in half, but that you rely on the same amount of water, onion, orange, garlic, bay, sweetened condensed milk, and lard. You'll also want to rely on a slightly smaller pot than what the recipe suggests.