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For the last week of 2006, we flew down to Costa Vallarta to spend some time recovering, resting, and rejuvenating in warm sun falling from the soft skies and tepid waters of the Bay of Banderas. Although I'd made noises to my friends that I wasn't even going to take a single camera, they all knew me better than that (and were not afraid to snort and hoot when I floated the idea.) They were, after all, right, though I made some concession to the idea of a complete vacation: I took only one entry-level D-SLR and two lenses. In seven days I shot just 600 images (fewer than I normally shoot in two days) and concentrated work in just four shoots, all of which are represented in the following images.

It was a vacation: I slept in every morning but one (the one when we got up at 5:00 to go deep-sea fishing with friends) and during my time there I managed to read five books (ok, so three were light reading: Harry Potter I and two Tony Hillerman novels).

As usual when we are in the Vallarta area, we stayed with our friends Don & Pat May at their wonderful inn, Casa Fresca, in the interesting village of Jarretaderas, located between Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta. Jarretaderas is a fascinating mix of new and traditional - the weekly market with its usual food and clothing vendors interspersed with others selling the latest electronics and electronic media. Every night we went to sleep with the barking of dogs and each morning awoke to roosters crowing. Caballeros ride the dirt streets on their horses, and street vendors drive up and down ceaselessly, their truck-mounted PA systems touting their wares. All in all, a far cry from the sanitized, internationally-flavored glittery resorts just three kilometers away in Nuevo Vallarta.

I hope this brief portfolio sets the scene and the mood for you, even though it is colored by my experiences and outlook.