Outskirts Press, INC.

As of 2014 there were approximately one million American expatriates living in Mexico, many of whom bought property and built homes there. Wayne and Linda Gibbs became two of those expats in 2004, when they decided to retire—lock, stock, and barrel—to a small village in central Mexico, a decision that surprised their friends and family…and themselves. This couple’s dream was based, in part, on living in an oceanfront environment, after concluding early on that it was unlikely they could afford such a property in the U.S. “Our dream included white sand beaches, sunshine, Coronas and margaritas, and was perhaps a bit unrealistic. However, we certainly have gotten the adventure that we were looking for. For just about every upside of living near the ocean, there is a downside.” Flapping Shoes and Double-Dog Dares is the Gibbs’ memoir, documenting the trials and tribulations of living in a foreign country—adjusting to village life, jungle and ocean environments, swarms of insects and scorpions, and learning Spanish. Within the first few years in Mexico, they ran into problems with their land survey and deed, experienced the Nayarit flood of 2010, drove through the remnants of a hurricane, and found themselves caught in a drug war shootout in a grocery store parking lot. Their adventure, they are learning, is just beginning!