Happy New Year!

So this will be brief tonight dear readers....sorry to cheat you but it's new years eve and soon we will be leaving for the airport to pick up our friend Carol. Meantime, I am in the lobby of the hotel which, as i've told you before, is apparently a haven for no-see-ums that love to chew on my ankles as I type. I will attempt to keep them at bay while i send out a little something your way while rubbing my ankles together....good thing i can multitask.....
A regular occurance in our comings and goings is giving people rides. I believe I have touched on this before. There are certain specific locations these travelers post up at, then there are random spots that they just happen to be as you pass. One day recently, John helped a guy who's motorcycle had broken down. Both of them really had to struggle to get the thing in, but the task was accomplished. Today on the way in as we were driving on the highway, a gentleman of about ....well, an indeterminate age between 50 and 65- was riding wildly on a bicycle with a load of sticks strapped on the back (they burn these and sell them for carbon-like charcoal). he waved and whistled at us as we sailed by and thinking he needed a ride or help of some sort, we stopped and headed toward him in reverse. luckily there was very little traffic on the road. We pulled up next to him and after several hearty greetings all around we asked him if he needed a ride to Motul, the nearest town. He rapidly fired back in Spanish more than we could grasp but it was pretty clear he didn't need a ride. He fussed around with a plastic bag he had tied on the front of his ancient, rusted steed and handed through the window a bag. i had no choice but to open my palms and receive it or ot would have landed in my lap. before i could discern what was happening, my mind shifted to what the hell is in this bag? I simultaneously realized a) he wanted me to buy it and b) "it" was a bag of octopus-octopi? Now, keep in mind, this road is inlad. The gulf was about 20 miles away and this guy was on a bicycle that was all over the road......the octopus was very cold, frozen actually, and while it IS octopus season ( we see fisherman walking around with strings of them hanging from broomsticks like jungle hunters bringing in a wild boar) but he was on a bike on the inland highway waving down unsuspecting travelers to thrust it in their windows.....ahh...never a dull moment here....
And so we head into the New Year, by starting the day with frozen seafood...what will tomorrow bring? What could the next bend in the road produce? For now, a ride to the airport to pick up our friend. but before that, I need to wash my ankles because I have rubbed my sandals all over them to fend off marauding bugs and they are black with dirt. Happy new Year and may all your octopi be fresh and your ankles bite free!

Happy Holidays!

Well, here we are on Christmas Eve. I am wearing shorts and walking about barefoot on beautiful old tiles in an incredible home in Merida with friends from the states. we have just eaten a delicous breakfast and some are sitting with their feet in the pool out back. The ceiling fans are spinning and birds are chirping. Even though we are in a very busy city, on a very busy street, the way the homes are set up you don't hear it. The doors are right on the sidewalk and give you no idea of what lurks beyond. Some open to small, simple residences, others open into opulent homes like the one I'm in. There is an open courtyard that leads to several bedrooms each with their own bathroom. Further still you enter the kitchen, dining room and pool area beyond. So by the time you're that far back, the sounds of the street fade away.
I have spent some odd holidays in my time. There was the Thanksgiving we all went out and shoplifted the ingredients for our meal ( that was in my "other" life...)or the Christmas we spent in an abandoned house festooned with a tree that John had earned by sweeping a parking lot ( also in our previous life...)and gifts provided by the VA. There were a few similar holidays...then there were the christmases where all of the gifts came from Goodwill.Little by little as the years went by, the holidays became a bit more elaborate. We had the ability to buy larger gifts. Then, as the kids got older, we started making gifts for people because they really didn't "need "anything. Then we had a grandson and that added a whole new twist.
Yesterday we gave all the plants a good drink, grabbed 5 or 6 coconuts to take in to people, and as we were driving in we managed to avoid a snake about four feet long ( live). Wearing a skirt and sandals we checked into the hotel where everyone knows us and went for a stroll around the city. This morning as we packed up to leave, John passed out the coconuts to hugs and"gracias"s and wishes for 'feliz navidades" and we drove to this beautiful home where we ate a wonderful meal with friends. Now, my kids are missing from this picture and that saddens me but at the same time I know they are healthy and happy. As any parent knows, you can't really ask for more. They have their own homes and their own lives. we all love and miss each other but we are all OK. I cant help but feel that this is a warm up for the eventual, after all, none of us will be here forever.
So, it's christmas eve and we are all in various stages of some adventure if you are above ground and breathing. My wish for you all is that you make the most of it. Ever see one of those "choose your own adventure' books? It's like that. If you don't like the way this one is going, take a different path. I used to force myseldf to finish a book even if i didn't like it. As I've gotten older, I've realized I don't need to waste time on things I'm not enjoying. I have choices. Who knows whats waiting for any of us around the corner-could be better and it could always be worse. Sometimes the most memorable experiences are the ones that didn't exactly go well. Today , I can laugh about the holidays in hell I had before-because i'm not there anymore! Right now, all we have is today. Here's wishing you all adventure. Good or bad, at least it's interesting. I don't know about you, but I don't want to draw my last breath with regret. Who knows what lurks behind the next door......

Finally settling in

So at long last we are not just staying in a house, we are settling into our home. There are still finishing touches and small acquisitions to be made but all of the essentials are in place.

I began painting a design above the bed that continues to be a work in progress ( Lynda do you recognize the curtain?). This all looks a bit different doesn't it? I sit and look around me sometimes and am in awe that this is my life. I have things I've brought back from trips around the world and art that has been gifted me by friends who are artists. There are photos of our many friends and loved ones on our refrigerator and bulletin board and we already have a schedule of events revolving around new friends, acquaintances and committments. What a lucky girl I am, especially when I contrast that to the life of some of the people around me. The desk clerk makes 107 pesos a day (about $12.00) and works 7 days a week. At least it's a regular job though. The guys we hired to work on the house take work as they find it. We spend more on lunch sometimes than most make in two days. There is a tiny little Mayan woman who works at the hotel. She is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. About my age , very hard working and kind. her needs are met but there is very little room for extras. Hers is the only gift to be given by me this holiday. I crocheted her a shawl. I presented it to her this morning and she cried. We always tip her and today we will leave one much larger. This season, this is the type of giving I am able to perform. I'm not running around shopping like a crazy woman to by things for people who don't need them. People who already have so much there is no room to put it. This simple shawl and a few dollars hopefully let her know she is cared about and appreciated as well as relieving a bit of lifes daily burden. I am living in my second home and don't have to work. I don't take my fortunes for granted. As we near December 25th, I hope we all remember to be grateful for what we have. Most of us not only have more right now than many others do, but more than they can ever hope to have. On the other hand, they are richer than many. They have a simple life but are happy. As long as they have something to eat, shelter, and family, they are content.

I am content. I am loved, my family is well, I have food and shelter and the ability and the desire to share what I have. For those of you who look forward to my blog for a few laughs, I am sorry to be so serious this week. I am just feeling so fortunate that I have the ability to take risks. That I get to live this charmed life, and that I get to share it with you all. Thanks for being part of my adventure.

Recent addition

The gentleman on the left is Nacho ( I swear that's his name- it's short for Ignacio) and on the right is one of his seven sons, Manolo. Nacho is the comisario of Santa Clara. This doesn't really mean too much, it's more of a title like Royal Rosarian Princess. What power do they really hold? but in Nachos case it involves a stipend, an illusion that you are somehow involved in monitoring criminal activities or local disputes and you occasionally ride around with three or four of your buddies in an older car with "Santa Clara Comisario" emblazoned proudly across the drivers door. We haven't quite established how one becomes the comisario but Nacho lost out to Chupy last year...prior to that he had held the position for around 13 years. One of the duties entrusted to the comisario is the turning on of Santa Clara's water supply each morning and turning it off each evening. As far as we can tell, these times, like many things in mexico, are left to whim. It depends on when the person in charge of said duty chooses to get up and do it and remembers/feels like doing it at night. Nacho is a practicing alcoholic so occasionally the water is left on all night, or perhaps isn't turned on until 10:00 some mornings, and some days it doesn't come on at all..."where does the water come from?" you may ask. There are cenotes everywhere in the Yucatan. They are underground, fresh water rivers. They sometimes surface as a sort of waterhole,pond, pool whathaveyou and sometimes just flow along underground. They even surface in the waters of the gulf where the fresh and salty waters mingle...must really freak out the fish. Anyway, this particular cenote near Santa Clara has been tapped into like a great keg and the pump, once turned on, sends the water through a very small pipe, sort of a cross between pvc pipe and a garden hose. At our house, it comes from the road underground and surfaces to be used as we see fit. Ours runs to a cistern, a large concrete well, into which another hose is submerged. On the roof of our house is the water tank that serves the house. All water tanks are on the roof here. In this tank is a floating device like a toilet. When the water level gets low, an automatic pump kicks on ( one of our many new upgrades...John used to have to get the pump going then climb up on the roof and put the hose in and wait for it to fill) and water from the cistern gets pumped up to the water tank...Now, John and I don't use a lot of water so we are happy with this system, however, water is a very hot topic among the gringos with pools, washing machines, tended yards that they actually set up sprinklers for ("wait...I thought you lived in a little fishing village?"....well, it's changing!) They are forming groups, signing petitions and generally getting very heated about why the water system isn't up to their standards. Don't even mention the word water unless you are prepared to listen to a tirade.... But back to Nacho...local rumor has it he is...how shall I say this..less than scrupulous. Manolo as well. They have in fact "borrowed" tools and things from us in the past. Some have found there way home while others....We paid Manolo to install screen doors and a year and a half later we were still waiting for one...but in his defense, that's our fault. This is a big no-no. Anyone who has been here for more than a week knows better. So upon our return to the house last week from our trip to the city, we discovered our large tool box and a couple of saws were gone. Screw drivers, tools for the truck, tape measure...you know, tools-gone. So the investigation proceeded...Nacho happened by and we told him. His response was we should get a dog (remember he's in charge of this sort of thing...the comisario...). We believe he is a bit unhappy with us because we used workers other than his sons. Who knows but it seems that all the gringos have a story involving something missing and Nacho....this is our little Peyton Place ( for my young readers that means a little town with soap opera tendencies). You see what happens when you have no television or newspapers? You discuss Nacho and the water situation.......
So speaking of water, these pictures were taken on the back of our property where it borders the mangrove swamp. Our friend who is a wildlife photographer went nuts when he realized our property bordered the swamp and asked if he could have a little dock put in. So a couple of weeks ago ( prior to the case of the missing tools ) Nacho and manolo and three of the other sons cut through the trees with machetes, some with shoes, some without, used a post hole digger and some logs and constructed this dock. The swamp doesn't look very interesting in this shot but it's full of a wide variety of birds and, remember? crocodiles. we are going to get a little tiny flat bottom boat to pole around in.

This is John and our friend Mark test driving the dock (Mark's the photographer).

So one last water related story and I'll take my leave. John and I were working on projects around the house. He was varnishing and I was constructing a wall out of bamboo. It was a very hot day and we were both sweating quite profusely so to replenish our systems, we were taking in a lot of water. John stopped to take a break and I heard him coughing, gagging, spewing..I thought he had some water " go down the wrong pipe" as they say. He held up his quivering hand and displayed a bottle that i thought (and so had he) was water but upon further inspection I realized with horror was the paint thinner. I asked "did you swallow it?" he nodded yes as the gagging and spitting continued. "Very much?"...another nod. several things went through my mind at once,,,where is the doctor again? we don't have insurance, will this require a hospital? do you throw up or not throw up paint thinner...I got him some milk and brought out a bottle of tums. "Here" I said thrusting them at him. Once he got some down I instructed him to make himself throw up which he proceeded to do for the next few minutes alternating with more milk/Tums intake. When I saw him shaking like a first time roller skater, I brought him a stool. Once he relaxed a bit he informed me "at least I had the where with all to throw my cigarette right away!" I could just see it...I turn to witness my husband with a ball of fire blazing around his head...oh sure, I know some of you are horrified and others ( my close friends..) are laughing hysterically by this time....I must say, the bottle did look like a beverage. I thought to myself the day we bought it "this isn't a good idea...." Needless to say, his throat was raw for the next several days and he felt poorly but came through it.

Nacho came by the other day to show us a giant crab (giant by local standards...it was average for Oregon). He was chatting with John who was holding down the hammock. He told him that in two or three years, John might be the comisario. "Wouldn't that be something? Me, the comisario?!" I had a vision of John rolling around in the truck investigating petty thefts and water thievery with "Santa Clara Comisario" emblazoned on the side and a bottle of cleaning solvent in his hand.......

other life forms

I've spoken with you previously about the birds, now I'd like to address some of the local wildlife.
One day on a drive back from Dzidzantun, we saw a very recently deceased snake in the road. John stopped for a closer look ( why wouldn't a person stop to examine roadkill...) and informed me it was a rattlesnake. I will admit I too leaned in for closer inspection and could actually see the rattles which, by the way, were still quivering though the poor guy was obviously deceased. About three weeks later on the same drive we saw another snake. I may have mentioned it to you before. It was roughly the size of my upper arm and was a grizzly site that I refrained from looking at for longer than it took to determine what was supposed to be encased in its skin was now residing on the road...sorry for that detail but i'm trying to fill you in....So, I was beginning to understand why we see guys on days that are hot enough to melt asphalt wearing rubber boots peddling down the road on rust covered bicycles with guns slung over their shoulders. After the day we saw a tarantula crossing the road ( "to get to the other side...")I made up my mind you would never get me to walk in that grass. John and I have discussed on many a night drive home down that road that should a breakdown ever occur we are not walking anywhere. We would spend the night in the car.
So about three days ago, another road kill appears closer to our house. This one is a boa with a beautiful skin basically unblemished by its fatal interaction with a vehicle. As we pull away, John comments that "I should be skinning these. I could dry them out back. I'm sure I could sell them or maybe barter with someone". My initial vision was of John as a Crocodile Dundee like character brandishing his machete out back stringing up yet another snake carcass on a coconut tree. "Maybe we should wait until you actually know how to tan them" I suggested.
While discussing these topics, people have tried to tell us that we did not see a rattlesnake. That there are no rattlesnakes here. So I went on line this morning and looked it up . There are in fact rattlers and there are vipers- the poisonous variety- several of them evidently. The list of snakes was about 25 names long. Some are tree varieties. I don't know which is worse- having one drop down on you from above or the water variety that silently swims up to you and comes face to face with you while you're trying to stay afloat.
Here's another snake conversation we had with a woman from Canada. We were riding in the truck with the windows open, I was in the back seat so it was a bit hard to hear. I thought I heard her say something about mating snake balls. I commented "I couldn't hear you" and she repeated louder "mating snake balls in Manitoba" . What?! She proceeded to explain how there are tens of thousands of garter snakes-more than anywhere else in the world-in this town called..i think it was Narcisse in Manitoba, Canada. They live in these underground dens through the winter . Come spring, they come out into the open and begin mating. I guess their.."activity" results in a big ball of snakes. These snakes evidently follow some sort of route that leads them over a highway. " Oh yeah" my friend said" it got so bad cars were hitting these things and sliding all over the road so they had to put in sort of viaduct for them. There's a big mating snake ball statue and everything in the middle of town. it's quite a tourist attraction". Well, I thought this was the craziest thing i'd ever heard of so i looked it up on Wikipedia. Sure enough, there it was. Evidently the big freeze of 1999 really decimated the masses and thats part of what prompted them to put in the viaduct. they also put up signs by the freeway warning people to watch out. It has greatly reduced fatalities. Wow, who knew? Mating snake balls complete with statue...." Guess what we're goin' to see for vacation kids!...."
I was at a vets with a friend the other day getting eye medicine for her cat and spotted oddly labeled bottles of something that looked like snake oil sold by a traveling salesman. "What is that?" I inquired pointing behind the counter. The man rattled off an explanation while my friend translated. It was a Mayan , well, medicine man's( for lack of a better name) remedy for snake bites. You rub it on externally then ingest the rest. He says it works to keep you alive until you get to the doctor. He proceeded to tell us a story about a fisherman who was out on the ocean. He was very allergic to bees and carried a bottle with him. Good thing because one day while he was fishing, a swarm of bees ( who knew bees went out to sea! evidently he did and that's why he brought the medicine..) attacked him and he was covered in bites. Someone asked me why he didn't just jump in the water. I don't know why but as his throat began to close he drank the medicine and was able to breath well enough to get himself into shore and to the hospital. Stupidly, I did not purchase any of this magic elixir but now that I have learned about the wide array of snakes, I may go back.
We have also heard stories of crocodile sightings. Of course the first time I did not accompany John into town he saw one but I had a sighting of my own the other day. His lair is just off the road in the "manglar"- the mangrove swamp where he likes to hunker down under a tree. First of all, I think of a swamp as stagnant and draped in spainish moss. A place where chian gang escapees flounder through while beating off water moccasins.This is not like that. The water moves, is pretty clear and the mangroves are short stubby things that have birds on them not moss. This fellow was about 4 ft long and not scary looking at all.
We now have a little dock built on the back of our property that goes out into the manglar. Our friend is a nature photographer and asked if he could have one built for photo opps. We don't really mind, but it feels like we are leaving the back door wide open......

on the subject of food...

Since today is thanksgiving, I thought that food might be an appropriate topic.First of all, I'd like to clear up the fact that everyone seems to think we are eating mexican food. I can understand why one might think this, seeings how we are living in Mexico and all, but actually we live in the yucatan. Yucatacans do not consider themselves mexican or even part of mexico. They are Mayan and their food is very different. Almost every restaurant or little storefront cocina serves mayan food.They all have the same menu...panuchos, enchilada suissa (this is a chicken enchilada with a green sauce topped with swiss cheese), salbutes (sp?) which is sort of like an enchilada but is stuffed with boiled egg and has a sauce made out of pumpkin seeds.mmmmm.. The only exceptions are a couple of really bad ( so I'm told ) chinese food places and a couple of pizza joints ( don't order the lasagna...it resembles a batch of bad dog food and came in a disposable foil pan). Keep in mind there are many places here, we just haven't been to them.We went to a couple of good Argentine places......steak lovers rejoice! ( I had a nice salad). All in all, vegetables are sorely lacking. This is reflected by a number of bow legged people...my gramas people suffered from rickets...lack of vegetables. They do have something called Chaya though. Its a green leafy plant, bush actually, that is used like spinach and evidently has many health benefits though I can't actually tell you specifically what they are but hey, its dark green and leafy. They even have juice bars where they mix up fruity drinks with chaya in a blender. Whole familys slug down pitchers of it. I also can't find a sweet potatoe but can easily buy (for a price!) a Washington state apple. Oranges can be purchased for next to nothing. I was visiting a friend the other day when a truck slowly rolled by. The driver was shouting ( I have found out this is a regular occurance for people announcing the sale of anything from propane to water) oranges 40 for 20 pesos ( the peso is around 11-12 to the dollar right now) . "Wanna go halves?" my friend asked. She grabbed her coin purse and we ran to catch him. We stood at the back of the truck with her large plastic washtub while he loaded us up with green orbs. " They take long to ripen up?" I asked. "they're ripe' she informed me "that's the color they are".The next morning I pulled out my plastic juicer we had purchased the week before and whipped up two glorious, sweet glasses of unadulterated orange juice. My half will last us three days....for less than a dollar.

So far I have not found any burritos, enchiladas with red sauce, tacos or empanadas. Panuchos are everywhere, which is what i had for my thanksgiving dinner. A saucer sized corn tortilla (crispy) covered with a smear of refried black beans then topped with shredded turkey, either an avacado slice or cucumber slice,tomatoe and shredds of purple pickled onion (don't knock it till you try it!). I got 4 of these for 50 pesos. No way could I eat all that but in true thanksgiving tradition, I gorged myself and ate three with a bowl sized glass of fresh mango juice.John does not care for these and wasn't hungry at the time so later he dined on a bag of pork rinds, two coconut cookies and a couple of yogurt drinks. Oh. and a Coka Light....Coke is everywhere here...any little tiny closet sized tienda in the living room of a house in a crossroad in the middle of nowhere has coke...thats explains why the diabetes rate is so high here....

So, onion, cucumber, tomatoe and avacado are your vegies...and chaya. Chicken, fish ( we live at the beach remember) and turkey-lots of turkey-shredded. Not like slices of turkey breast. Not many potatoes and forget trying to find a good loaf of wheat bread. I made spaghetti last week-what a challenge! I felt like I was on a scavenger hunt looking for italian seasonings and the tomatoe sauce wasn't much easier. I finally found some basil and oregano and a packet of what was being sold as spaghetti seasoning but what I smelled when I opened it did not conjor any images of tuscan hillsides , gondolas or , for that matter, anything I had ever smelled before. I threw it away...

Our diets have changed considerably since moving here. Lots and lots of yogurt, granola, corn flakes (often all mixed together in a big bowl), something I never had at home-cup-o-noodles-there's some vegies! Those microscopic cubes of carrot with two peas and three kernels of corn. Sometimes a tuna sandwhich-witch?wich? my standard-torchiditos- like Cheetos but with a little kick, and John's favorite, little pastries that are made by a lovely local lady. They come in all different shapes but have the same taste-pie dough. I don't care for them. Scrambled eggs and refried black beans.....thats about it. I occasionally cook but not every day. Its hot and we just aren't that hungry.

So, my turkey panuchos today with the fresh mango juice were a real treat. Today was thanksgiving and I did that. I gave thanks for being healthy, being with my husband of thirty years, knowing my kids are OK, being warm, for the ability to eat anything at all and have a bed to rest my weary head on at night. For the opportunity to live an adventure instead of fighting for survival. For not having to eat that dog food lasagna again........

Let's talk about the birds....

Being a huge Seinfeld fan, I feel that most life situations can be related to an episode of said series. I also find that , more often than not, I am the only one to appreciate the comparisons. The last time I tried to relate this to someone, they stared at me blankly before stating " I never liked that show". I don't know how many of you out there are fans as well, but for those who are, perhaps you remember the episode where George runs over a pigeon. His date is horrified at which point he tries to explain that humans and pigeons have an agreement...they are supposed to get out of our way. He thinks the car incident is a fluke and goes to the park where he kicks a pigeon in front of a young boy and his shocked mother.

I have not seen many pigeons here, but there certainly is no shortage of avian life here. There are spoon bill herons, pink flamingos, storks, vultures, pelicans and a cast of others too numerous ( and unknown ) to mention. One thing many of them have in common is they have a very different modus oporundi. First case in point.....when driving at night, it is very, very dark out our way as there are no street lights between towns. you never know what you might come across on the road so it's important to be somewhat hypervigilant. So, you grip the wheel and lean forward (because we all know that somehow enhances your vision) looking for any forms of life that may be crossing your path. Periodically, you see a set of glowing eyes that usually belong to a dog that knows enough to retreat into the brush as you approach but from time to time this glowing set of eyes propells itself upward and heads directly at the windshield missing it seemingly by inches. This always makes us grateful for the massive amounts of raw garlic we've been eating ( its good for the heart in addition to being a fine insect repellant). These are birds that for some reason, choose to sit in the road and wait for the last possible second to move. i believe the are called nightjars. Then we have case #2....John likes to "check the perimeter" at night. He stands at various points around the house with a flashlight illuminating the night and hoping not to find anything. One night during his rounds, he called quietly for me to "check this out". I joined him on the back porch and after several "over there...to the left"s I saw a bird about two feet tall standing between the cocnut trees. I can only describe it as dorky. He had a look about him like a high school nerd who's just been busted accidently walking into the girls bathroom. He moved very stiffly a few paces to the right where he positioned himself behind the trunk of a tree. It reminded me of when I was little I thought I was invisible to monsters if I was under the sheet. I wanted to say "we know you're there you know". We waited for several moments then moved around to where the light shone on him again. After freezing for a bit he was off again wandering around the back yard. For the next several nights, the same scene played out. Then one night upon our return from the internet, we pulled into the driveway (in the dark) and who was there but our guy. We stopped the truck at the gate. he didn't shy from the headlights but actually started to approach the truck. He positioned his body in a way that looked like he was straining to see who we were and asking" is that you Bob?" ( we have since named him the bob bird). He continued to move toward the truck until he was about three feet away. As if suddenly realizing we weren't who he thought we were, he scurried off around the corner of the house and into the back yard. Case #3 is an odd little thrush. He first appeared about five days ago. We were just waking up and heard a strange tapping noise. It was this thrush pecking the window. After several pecks, he would move over just a few inches and repeat. This escalated into full fledged head banging and when that didn't achieve it's desired outcome- whatever that was- it flew up a bit and literally threw its entire body at the window. This has gone on for five days now every morning at dawn. Always at the same window, same time. I saw a robin in the back yard the other morning by John's compost pile and the thrush flew down and drove it away.

I spoke to a woman the other day and she said "there's something weird with the birds down here. We've hit so many of them with our car it's awful. We never hit any in the states". So you see, that just confirmed my thoughts. Evidently, there is no deal here. Maybe learning cultural differences and nuances doesn't just apply with the human population. Maybe there is in fact a deal in place down here that I just haven't discovered yet because I haven't learned the language.

Random musings on ritual and regalia

As many of you loyal followers know, the whittling down of our possessions and the decisions about what to bring took months. With very limited space in our "ark", what was important was analyzed from many stand points...is it something we can't get there? is it something that is expensive there? is it something essential to our day to day lives? Therein lies the crux of it....what IS essential to a life? It reminds me of the old question about if you could only take three things to a deserted island what would they be. As a child, I had a little suitcase packed with my most treasured objects that I kept under the bed ready to go at any moment. Should the house catch fire or some other possible scenario happen that would render everyone else wringing their hands about their losses, I would be smugly clutching the handle of my little plaid suitcase thinking "too bad they didn't plan ahead" (this planning ahead for worst case scenario is an entirely different topic I will perhaps one day address ...)To us, books and music are essential...artwork...a generator ( we do live in a storm belt and the power goes out)..the shoes and clothes we could have reduced even more...it's warm! and really, people tend to wear the same things over...Two small things we brought were three inch high glass bottles. One is white with a red lid, the other clear. Contained within them are remains..human remains..Let me clarify that we have not been dismembering people and "preserving" them in jars..these aren't pickled fingers or eyes. They are ashes from cremations. We were a little concerned about a thorough inspection at the border..."and what is this powder in these jars..?" The white jar is Gretchen, John's daughter, the clear one , Ray, John's 40 yr friend. John thought they might enjoy Mexico so we carefully wrapped them to keep them safe...to keep them from getting hurt..(?!) I built them a little house out in the front yard and decorated it with shells. Last Tuesday, a couple of my new friends took me to a town called Izamal. It has two claims to fame -one is that all of the buildings are painted yellow, the other that they have a virgin that the pope blessed-actually, crowned- in the 90's. She "lives "in a huge church that is completely surrounded by a very large wall (sidenote...the church and wall were constructed using the stones from the top portion of a nearby pyramid..you actually see what's left of the pyramid by looking just over the churches wall). Her actual room is beautiful..lovely paintings, chairs for those who come to pray, posts where you hang little "milagos' a sort of charm that is symbolic of an ailment ( you buy them in the gift shop. They were out of the headache ones for John so I bought a man with a missing foot...), frescoes on the walls, chandeliers. She "sits' behind locking glass doors (they keep her safe...).When there is an event or service, she slides out of her little house on a rail like a train and appears on the other side of the wall high up behind the pulpit in the chapel. It's quite fabulous really. It reminded me of a magicians trick...I feel terrible that i can't remember her name and have to keep referring to her as "the virgin"..I'm sure she would prefer to be remembered for a different accomplishment...anyway, she has a glorious crown that the pope gave her AND she has a wardrobe!! Who knew?! Icons have wardrobes? Every so often...REALLY special occasions...someone gets the honor of donating a new ensemble to her. Well, as you can imagine, these are no simple cotton tunics or shifts...no calico or gingham...these are embroidered, velvet, golden, silver, shiny, sumptuous garments...beaded, crocheted and preserved on mannequins behind glass when not in use (yet, on display).

Well, I did a lot of good works......but I didn't stay a virgin. So, I did not get a crown and my clothes are kept in a pink footlocker (it keeps out the scorpions and spiders...) My lovely home is magnificent to me

and was also constructed from simpler beginnings...

and out front sits our own version of a shrine. A simple little three sided house covered in shells. We'll add to it and build on it as time goes by. I don't think they'll be getting any outfits though.....

is this fall...?

As I sit here focusing my thoughts and feelings in preparation to launch into my weekly discourse, I am pondering how cool and grey it is here this morning and how familiar that feels. My perch is the second floor breakfast area at the hotel which is an open area (literally open- one wall is merely vegetation)overlooking the street. I am quickly reminded that I am not, in fact, in Oregon as a rusty '70 something truck drives by with the bed filled to the rim with bananas.
This is the coolest day we've seen so far. There was a storm in the night with high winds and rain that washed away the heat. As I walked to the breakfast area, it felt like an early September day where it's still warm enough for shorts and sandals but you can feel a change coming and you know summer is over. That always brought a tinge of sadness and a grim preparation for nine months of grey, cold and damp. As that feeling started to encroach on me this morning, I shook it of by reminding myself " I'm in Mexico!". I don't know what fall looks like here but the desk clerk last night was wearing a jacket! Obviously it's already chilly to him. I wonder if he was having the same feeling of hunkering down for winter. We've been here before in December around Christmas and New Years and while we were languishing in the ability to wear shorts and thongs, the locals had on jackets and gloves.
Last night we arrived at the library about fifteen minutes before the meeting and after selecting a couple of books to read it dawned on me it should be time for the meeting. I looked up to see John approaching from the meeting area with his palms opening upward in an "I don't know" motion. "There's no one here" he told me. How odd. Was it a holiday of some sort? Had they moved locations? we asked the woman behind the desk and she informed us "it's still really early" which led us into the revelation that a time change had apparently taken place. Yes, we are in fact WAY out of the loop......So this morning as I sat down to a lovely breakfast of fresh fruit and toast, I decided maybe we should get on line with MSN and take a glance at what is going on in the rest of the world. The usual horrors...murders in Mexico, people already stricken with poverty hit with some horrific natural disaster, a conservative getting elected somewhere and...wait...what's this....cheese being recalled...Costco cheese??? Didn't I just "report" on this? I ask you again-what is going on with cheese??!!! What do all these portents signal? Why am I unable to decipher the message being sent? In all of my 53 years I've never had so much involvement with cheese and now I can't seem to escape it's innundation. E coli tainted cheese at costco.....the home of Mennonite cheese.......
Speaking of food products, in an attempt to ward of the ever marauding mosquito, we have taken to eating large quantities of raw garlic. Three or four times a day, John chops up several cloves and we ingest them with various other liguids and edibles to make the intake easier. John learned the hard way that taking in too much at once can make you sick to your stomache and can burn your throat (he had to buy some Halls lozenges). The payoff is a definate decrease in bites. After the night with no windows-last Monday night- I had at least fifty bites, and that is a conservative estimate. After starting the garlic regimen, I have only been bitten two or three times. Apparently some mosquitos are really desperate. Serious addicts who will do anything for their next hit......
So, we're packin' it up and headed back to the house..the one with windows and a hot water heater and lovely tile and lots of concrete dust covering every possible surface. I'll be wearing a long sleeved shirt, John will be wearing long linen pants and we won't be stopping to buy cheese, only more garlic. Hopefully we won't hear of any recalls on that......

pinching myself

One of the glorious things about letting life unfold rather then squeezing it in an attempt to force out a desired out come is that you can be so pleasantly surprised.
Last night we went to the meeting. People were very welcoming and friendly. afterwards we had a very late, delicous dinner and felt so Yucatacan eating at 9:30 PM. We also joined the English library which means I can read to my hearts content. I spotted Shadow of the Wind on the new arrival shelf. " I love this book!" I exclaimed lovingly pulling it off the shelf. I debated about checking it out. I thought I'd leave it for someone else for now since I had already read it and it was a little like saving a delicous treat for later...holding off..delaying gratification..savoring the fact that you knew it could be yours whenever you wanted it.
we came back to the hotel and as I blogged a thunderstorm hit. When I went back to the room, I finished reading Catcher in the Rye and went to sleep around 12:30 in an air conditioned room on a grand king sized bed. Lovely...Upon awakening, I padded down barefoot to the little kitchen area where a graciuos Mayan woman with a genuinely warm smile and a big gold tooth always pleasantly bids me good morning and makes me a cup of tea. John joined me shortly and we struck up a conversation with the only other person around- another somewhat disheveled, sleepy eyed guest. This gentleman is from scotland but lives in london. He loves Mexico. He has been here several times but he especially loves the yucatan because of its culture and friendly people.
After our breakfast and some enjoyable conversation, we bid our farewells and readied ourselves for a trip to the immigration office. We had the hotel call us a cab and we were off (we know where it is but it's so much less stressful to let someone else battle the traffic here in merida). It was an effortless visit. we explained that we have been trying to call to make an appointment but can never get through and since we don't have a phone and are at others' mercy to use theirs it is very difficult. She not only made our appointment without further delay, she made it at the new office in progresso for next Wednesday. No three week wait and it's a bit closer to home. done. In and out in about 10 min.
From there we strolled a block or two up the street to catch another cab and head to the tile store. There are some amazing homes in this area. I use the term "home " loosely. These are edifices of a different time. Massive, regal structures where attention was paid to craftsmanship and detail. Everything was done in large proportions. Doors wide enough to drive a carraige through, windows that stretched for two floors and staircases not meant for walking on but descending from. Sculpted detailing around the windows reminded me of Paris or Italy as did the chandeliers. These weren't showy homes built by people with new money but generational, family residences that had transpired over a hundred or more years, lovingly added to only after careful consideration and tasteful aqcuisition.
We approahed one that clutched at my heart. It was an enormous, grand white three story with an elaborate front porch that wrapped around, verandas on two sides with a huge central balcony in the front. Below the balcony was the front door, actually two front doors each weighing more than I made of wood and inch thick beveled glass. One door was open . I actually caught my breath and told John " look at this house!"We both stopped at the front gate. it was padlocked with a rusty chain. Grass was two feet tall and mostly dead covering the walk to the house. The chandelier on the porch had been vandalized and was broken. There was a man in his late 50's or so, shirtless, throwing a bucket of water on the porch and sweeping it. What got me about this place was the book- The Shadow of the Wind. I had loved it so and having just seen it the night before it was fresh in my mind. At one point in the story, the main character returns to a home that was once beautiful, opulent, only to find it in ruins. It was a very important piece of the story and the image I had in my mind of that structure was standing before me on the streets of Merida. I can't describe the feeling. Just then, the man finished his task and standing, caught site of us. We waved to each other and I yelled to him what a beautiful home it was. John also chimed in with how much we liked it. He thanked us than made a motion we weren't sure of but we thought he was beckoning. he went inside than returned with keys in hand. Making his way through the leaves and dead grass, he unlocked the gate and invited us in. After my initial focus on the undergrowth- snakes was what i thought of- i refocused on the rest of the front yard. it had once been grand but very little of that was now visible. we stepped up onto the porch,veranda.I'm not even sure what to call it. Images of people in gowns, of lush tropical plants in magnificent pots entered my mind. He happily invited us inside. I couldn't believe it! Once through those beautiful doors, we stood on a spectacular floor. to the left and right were huge rooms with columns and gloriously detailed work on the ceilings. Parts of the ceiling were crumbling and discolored. Chunks were missing here and there. there was absolutely nothing inside.No sign of any past inhabitants or their lives other than a shodow of where a very large bookcase filled with volumes had once stood. In the center was a grand staircase a full two stories high that curved upward in front of an enormous window. as we climbed up we could see out the window the remains of a pool now all but overgrown. Once upstairs, we were agiain in a large hall of sorts that led to the huge balcony we had seen in the front. as we drifted from room to room, balcony to balcony, it made me so sad for the waste of it all. this amazing, beautiful place that had once held so much life being wasted and left in a sad stae of slow disintegration. it reminded me of lives I have known, hearts I've known. Places so full of beauty and life rotting away needlessly. At the same time, I felt so much appreciation for the fact that this man, in a brief moment trusted us enough to bring us inside. He was the caretaker. Nobody had lived there for ten years. As we went down the stairs, a phone rang. It was such a strange thing to hear in that emptiness. He put a finger to his lips. We weren't supposed to be in there and he didn't want to get into any trouble. The phone was a landline on a tiny wooden desk, the only thing in the entire house other than a hammock in a back room that was the most decrepit of all. Once off the phone, he was trying to tell us what had happened there. He spoke no English and we lost a lot in translation but the story involved some sort of police officer, shooting, someone going to prison and that it would not or could not be sold. As we thanked him profusely and prepared to leave, he told us there would be a party there the next morning with much music, food and dancing and he invited us to come join him. We again stepped into the bright sunlight and the heat of the day, tiptoed through the tall grass and exited through the rusty gate. As we strolled up the side walk amidst the bustle of downtown traffic we just sort of looked at each other. "Can you believe he let us in? Was that something? And what about this party tomorrow?" neither one of us could picture any sort of festivities in that home anytime soon.
Now it all seems very surreal. The thought of returning...would he even be there? What would it be like to see it fully decorated with life flowing through it again? Was he some madman who had squatted there? Whatever it was, it was unexpected and it was an experience I felt rather than saw. It was liking stepping into a place that before today only existed in my imagination. Like waking up to find that something from a dream was in fact reality.
Had we planned every detail of today and focused solely on completing our tasks, we would have missed this. THIS is life. These unexpected little treasures that happen while we think we have such important tasks to attend to. Once again I am reminded that all things are possible if we are open to them.
i may go back tomorrow to try to take a picture for you, or I may just leave it alone.....

now for some photos..

Here is a fence John and I constructed from leaves-fronds- from our coconut trees. Just like Robinson Crusoe! I get to live out on of my childhood fantasies..I loved that book..

here is a lovely lizard that frequents our back porch...he's about a foot long

This is our fabulous new light fixture and mirror in the bathroom!

Thur. night in Merida

We just got back from dinner and I'm tired and drugged by the food...it is 11:00 Pm and I am usually fast asleep not digesting. Lets see if I can manage to put a couple of coherent thoughts together. Updates...well, we have hot water, an air conditioner ( which we have really been puting to use...)two new light fixtures and the water system is updated now so John doesn't have to climb on the roof anymore. The window man came and measured the openings...he MAKES the windows..and the front door. On Monday, the mason will be out to remove the old windows and the front door...did you catch that? Monday...windows out...Tuesday windows in. Monday night? NO windows and no front door. Haven't I discussed with you the mosquitos? The biting "no seeums", the large snakes, mice...you're getting the picture. We decided we are going to tape something over the window in the bedroom, pull the curtain that seperates the bedroom from the living room and light lots of those mosquito coils in the living room. I'll let you know next week how that worked out...We have also had a guy over for the last two days applying stucco to the outside walls. he had to stop because we left to come into town but he will be back Monday as well. Lots of activity going on at casa de kahnerts....
So much for the construction updates....now, lets get back to the topic I brought up before...cheese. Now, I know there are a multitude of things going on in the world at any given time that I am completely unaware of but I had no idea that so much was going on in the world of cheese. First, we were in a little village I don't even remember the name of about 4 hrs from here. I noticed this great big giant of a man that looked like a red headed version of Jethro from The Beverly Hillbillies ( now that I think about it, that show was in black and white wasn't it..?)anyway, he was a huge, strapping man made even more freakishly large by the fact that I am used to seeing Mayans who are unusually short. He was wearing dark denim bib overalls and a long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up( it was about 90 degrees) and a straw hat. I was mesmerized by his appearance. What was he doing? he was just casually walking around, an obvious gringo strolling about, being a giant, in dark denim overalls. We drove for about 45 min or so and stopped for gas. As the attendant was filling us up, I turned my head and there was the same guy!! What?! This guy had been walking-we had been driving-and what the hell was he doing? ( sorry, Im stuck in italics...sort of loses it affect doesn't it?) He approached the truck and asked me- in Spanish-if i wanted to buy some cheese? What? he strolled away and as we pulled out of the gas station john and i discussed how very bizarre this occurance was. how did he get there so fast and what was up with the overalls and the cheese? Now...fast forward to a couple of weeks later...we come into Merida to go to the immigration office. Our friend Linda is with us and she is directing us to a place to make some copies. as we near the stop sign, this boy of about 9 or so approaches us in dark denim overalls and a straw hat SELLING CHEESE....? What is with this cheese!!Linda informs me they are Mennonites and they are really big on making and selling cheese and that this cheese is in fact so good that they sell it at...where was it.?..Cosco or some big name store like that...Mennonite cheese it says right on it in the store. Evidently they hawk it all over on the streets too. They are light skinned, freckle faced overall wearin' cheese experts. Now, if that isn't weird enough, on the way home we stop by a woamn's house...I mentioned her to you, that's when I first broufht up the cheese. She not only used to be into making and selling cheese, it was BLACK MARKET cheese....boot leg cheese. Have you ever heard of such a thing? I wanted to ask her what the hell boot leg cheese was but I didn't have the time and I didn't feel like I knew her well enough, having just met her. What do they have cheese speak easy's where they slide open a little door and ask you a pass word before they break out a knife and crackers? Are there large wheels of cheese disguised as truck tires being smuggled around? Are there people that look like Robert Mitcum driving the backroads in '49 mercurys full of illegal wedges? It's one of lifes mysteries...what else is going on out there that we aren't privy to? Can you see some guy in prison.." hey, whadda ya in for?"...."bootleg cheese".
It's raining now. It's like it got so hot it couldn't take it any more and it broke. Thunder, lightening and rain. I'm still in a tank top and a skirt but it's not so sticky. Went to the AA meeting tonight, speaking of sticky. They have a community bottle of "Off" they let everyone use because it's held outside. I didn't get any bites though. You know people who have been here for a while don't seem to get bitten. Maybe they know something I don't besides where to get really good cheese.

Its been a while...

Well hello dear readers...its been a while since I gave you any meaningful updates and alas, this week is no exception. We would normally be in Merida tonight but since we´ve been getting work done on the house, we had to stay home. That also means no pictures....I know, what a bore....I imagine some of you got hooked on a daily post and are finding yourselves in slight withdrawals....I truly apologize. If you´re ¨jonesin´¨for something to read between postings,I can offer up some books I have gulped down in the last week...yes week, not much else to do while the work is being done. First - Stone Cowboy- peruvian setting, rambling social outcast, magician, romance, mystery....what else could you ask for? OK..another option- The Geographers Cabinet...history, mystery, romance ( I´m sensing some common themes.....) and today I finished My Name is Memory..what´s it about? Well, part history, various locations around the world, mystery and romance..what can I say?
Minor updates/ tidbits...as we left the house tonight to come in, I noticed something in the road..you have to look sharp because it´s like a real life video game out here.....it was a ...crab! Yes, a crab about as wide as my hand was scuttling across the road. From where? To where? Who knows. Last time in it was a SNAKE the size of my arm..seriously..as big as my upper arm ( and I´m not exactly boney). It was pretty squished so I couldn´t really tell exactly what type of snake it was before it became roadkill and somewhat of a sideshow attraction to others driving by...the day before it was a very large dead toad that looked like a stuffed animal from the Adams Family home that had been left lying on its back when Pugsly and Wednesday finished playing with it...it was large enough to fill a dinner plate. Last bit I will leave you with is the super cool fence that John and I have built in the last few days..in between reading...... My favorite all time book when I was young was Roninson Crusoe and I now get to live that out somewhat.In keeping with that theme, we constucted a fence out of palmfronds from our 32 coconut trees. First we started with John cutting all of theleaves off and just leaving the spine which we wove in and out of the existing barbed wire ( we´ve seen others like this ) then we branched off into our own variation by leaving the frond intact and weaving the entire thing through. Some of them stuck up wildly beyond their counterparts so in the end we wove them over across the top like you would french braid hair...there´s not another one like it to be found! I will send a picture of it next week along with a lovely picture of a green lizard that was on our wall and vultures holding their wings open to dry.
I believe that is it for now. It´s 8:30..we have our nightly Seinfeld episodes to watch and the drive home in the dark will be slow because who knows what lurks beyond the lights.......

a brief chat

Just finished some tea and toast at the hotel..we are going to wrap it up here and stop in at the Immigration office then hit Home Depot for an air conditioner, hot water heater ( covering both ends of the temperature spectrum!) , Aurora Bodega for a few groceries and head home.
In the truck on the way here, we always had the windows rolled down so I had my hair clipped up with a headband on. Only when I washed it did I have it down only to put it back up before it dried. I realized I didn't have a brush with me. It was somehow left behind. That feels a bit symbolic to me. A snake doesn't just wake one morning to find it's wearing a new ensemble. It's a process that takes a while and gets a little ragged before the process is complete. I woke up this morning relaxed, john brought me some tea and I finished reading my great book, Stone Cowboy. As I closed the book I realized I was wearing a new internal ensemble. The last vestiges of my tattered garb seem to have vanished in the night on the warm, spicey winds of the Yucatan while the cicadas ushered them out with a song.........

First day at the house

Woke up to find this fellow hanging out in the bathroom...a harmless guy...he later was found expired on the floor. I questioned John about this but he assured me he had had nothing to do with it. I believed him.

And these lovely specimens are regulars across the street from us. I have learned sinceIi've been here this time that the pale flamingos are the young ones.

If you look closely in the center you will see a small brown, furry, mouse. We had to eject him from his cozy spot in our clothes.

Our first day, I got up, made coffee and tea and we resumed our unpacking. We really didn't bring a lot with us even though the truck was packed. I had to determine what we actually needed to get out to use and what would remain packed.
It didn't take long to get things in place, at least for now, so we decided to drive the 15 min or so to Dzilam de Bavo to visit a couple of people we know there. One is a woman named Linda who is originally from Canada but has been here for 15 years. We talked to her at length about the drive down and how we had not received any sort of temporary visa at the border. By the end of our visit it was decided we would return tomorrow and go on line to fill out an application for our FM 2-it allows us to stay for longer than 6 months and in two years it could lead to dual citizenship. We went home, ate something, puttered around a bit more then went into Dzidzantun where we dropped our dirty clothes from the trip off at the lavenderia to be washed. we went to the internet place to check e-mails and returned home after having ice cream treats. we atched another seinfeld CD and ended our first full day.

day 2- after tea and breakfast, John headed into Dzidzantun to buy a mattress. Our friend from the hotel stopped by with a buddy of his. They were on their way to take photographs of birds. I cooked breakfast and made coffee for them while we waited for John's return.About an hour later, the truck pulled in through the gate with a mattress in back!!

Later that day, we returned to see Linda about the application, which we filled out on line. It was decided that we would go into Merida the next day to the immigration office to drop off papers and see about our visa, which is exactly what we did. Thank god we had her! she knew exactly where to go and what was needed. We had a great lunch, I bought a beautiful mirror and wall sconces at a shop she wanted to stop at to buy some tiles. Oohhhh...the tiles!!! talk about overload. it was almost like walking into Cargo or the Cistine chapel....well, maybe not qwuite but you get my point....beautiful, beautiful tiles and lots of them. So when we got home, I packed the mirror and sconces away. I won't be hanging things and decorating until some work gets done.

by the time we dropped her off and got home it was dark..oh, we did stop and meet a very interesting woman in a town about a half hour away from us. She is around 60 and had a swin suit top on under her tank top. her curly grey hair was tied back in a pony tail and her skin was smooth and glowing. she pays $150.00 a month to rent her house and makes her living by teaching english to whoever wants to learn and baking bread. She says shes never going back. In her other life in the states she raised goats and sold bootleg cheese....i will tell you more about the cheese phenomenon another time. right now i am tiring from all the posting and the no seeums in the lobby have started biting so I will bid you adieu for now friends. All is well and we are happy....more to come...

into the house

When we opened the doors of the house and looked around, the first thing we discovered was that there was no electricity. It was probably around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It would be dark before long and we did have candles but " the food will go bad' I pointed out.

we began to unload the truck and once most of it was out, we sat down to ponder the situation. " We brought a generator!" we were still a bit road weary evidently and not firing on all cylinders. it took a bit of ingenuity- various plugs had to be cut and taped...sorry boom box.....but he got it running and a plug ran from it to a plug inside the house and voila! electricity!! As the cacophny overshadowed any possible bird songs or moments of tranquility, Nacho arrived. Nacho, short for Ignacio, is our caretaker ( and I use the term very loosely) who was supposed to have the water tank full and the electricty on when we arrived. After mutual greetings and a bit of chit chat, Nacho told us the electicity was off due to the wiring at the street being bad. He climbed up to check it out and see what he could do but alas, couldn't get it working. He informed us that an electrician was just up the street, left with his two sons in tow and within 10 minutes was back with a man in a truck. At home, he would have resembled a county employee. by now it was dark but within moments we were applauding his handiwork. No more loud generator but its reassuring to know that we have it and that it works. We put our food in the fridge ( after a good scrubbing of course)I dug out the inflatable bed and sheets, plugged in the i-pod dock and lap top and called it a day. we sat down and watched a Seinfeld DVD and went to bed.......

going in

More of the drive in.....another little village...see on the sign?...Santa Clara!

Some village kids...big brother being protective..the same no matter what country..and a tri-cycle. These are EVERYWHERE
- as common as cars are at home.

Obviously not one of the homes of the wealthy...at least monetarily wealthy.

Since we've been here...

After leaving Merida, it is a short drive of maybe 20 minutes to Progresso. Progresso is a beach town where Meridanos go to get away from the city, especially in the summer months when it gets unbearably hot and anyone with any financial means gets out. This can vary from a student who has the bus fare to get out for the day and lounge around on a sugar white beach with water the color of a tropical island travel poster, to a wealthier group who actually ship all of their furniture down into a beautiful beach house for a month or two. the one thing everyone, including us, has in common is a stop at Aurora Bodega (photo). this is actually Wal-Mart. This one is like Fred Meyer- one stop shopping. We get everything from eggs ( which aren't refrigerated here. I've eaten dozens and have never suffered any ill affects) to clothes line, avacadoes, limes, cilantro, shaving cream, insect repellant, videos-you get the picture. once when we were down, they had a large bin of C.D.'s. it was an odd array of Marriachi, reggaeton, bad 70's and 80's music and an amazing selection of jazz. i couldn't believe my luck1 i was buying boxed sets for around $4.00. After picking up what we thought we'd need for a week, we were yet again on the road but it was only a short drive in comparison to what we'd been experiencing for the last two weeks.

As the familiar road rolled out ahead of us we took it all in- the little villages we passed through, the gulf waters and the never ending coconut trees. An hour later we were pulling up in front of our house.

I jumped out of the truck with keys in hand and unlocked the gate...our gate...we were HOME!!!

out to the house..

Just so you know..this is NOT the house! These are a few more hotel pics...

We just got back from our morning stroll up to "pops" the restaraunt we always eat breakfast at- scrambled eggs, black beans (refried), fesh fruit and toast. The waiter always remembers us and this morning gave me a kiss on the cheek. We told him we are living here now. On the way there, we stopped at the place we always rent a car and our lady friend ( we can't remember her name..Yvonne?) also warmly greeted us and asked if we are here all the time now. She also asked about our daughter, whom she has met. John talked to the hotel owner before we left and they chatted it up for a while. He's going to be out near our house Monday morning (at Telchac Puerto) taking pictures and he's going to stop by. So, we are already in the swing of things. John is in the shower then we will pack up for the last time-yes! head out to Progresso to Aurora Bodega (which is actually wal-Mart w/ food), buy our groceries and head to the house. Once we get things out of the truck, we'll probably go into Dzidzantun and buy a mattress. Tonight we'll be sleeping in our house.

It's sunny and warm, we are in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.....Portland weather comes up on my screen and I see it's 58.....

our room at Hotel Trinidad galeria

This is our regular room. We'll come in once a week on Thur for the english speaking meeting. It's kind of like living in Corbett and coming into Portland once a week. Kick back in the country then clean up for the big city...

relaxing..

After resting, eating dinner and strolling around we feel really comfortable.John went out to get a cup of coffee and a pound of beans, we went out to the Italian place down the street and had lasagna and we walked to the English library to double check when the AA meeting is (Thur night 7-9). You see, we know where all these places are. We've spent time here, it's not like a strange place to us. We're glad we're here. It's like slipping your foot into a comfortable shoe- it just feels good. Lucky thing considering what we went through to get here! So, i'm going to try agin to post those pictures. We will be back in Merida on Thur ( and spending the night) so i will probably post again the with info about the house along with photos. You can e-mail us before that because we will be checking almost daily in Dzidzantun. For those of you who don't already have it, it's kahnerts@hotmail.com We'll be talking to you Welcome home......

we made it to merida!

WE'RE HERE! Well, in Merida, which is basically the end...another hour and a half driving tomorrow and we'll be there.
I am writing to you from the lobby of Hotel Trinidad Galeria! We have checked ito our room, I've showered and put on the only clean thing I have, we're drinking Coca Lights and listening to the turtles splash next to me and a TV playing daytime TV...something with a woman commentator, lots of laughter and applause...eating my favorite cookies- marshmellow on a cookie wafer covered with coconut..bitesize little delights...aahhhhh. Maggi, Ron Emily and Tyler have all been here so they can picture it. It's a crazy place filled with all kinds of statues, art collectables...eclectic. Our bathroom is a mosaic of broken tiles..love it.
We passed the 4000 mile mark just before we entered the city limits..4000 MILES!! Wow, can you believe it?! Tomorrow will be two weeks. that's only around 300 miles a day which seems crazy. well, some days we did more, some less. it seems like there were a lot of really long days so I don't know. The point is we made it. Along with the smudging and wanding, my lovely friend Vanessa made me a beautiful necklace with a St. Christopher on it just before we left. I've worn it all the way. So who knows if it was john's driving skills, all your good vibes...etc. etc. we are here. Tomorrow it will take us about 2 1/2 hrs to get to the house ( we have to stop for groceries) and that'll be it. So close to the finish line. Almost 5 years in the planning!
We're going to go to a Mayan restaraunt for dinner that our friend Ron found when he was here with us. It's fab. Other than that we will probably take it easy...we could swim but i don't want to unload the truck to get out the bathing suits...maybe we'll nap...maybe we'll eat more cookies, maybe we'll watch TV...we can do whatever we want!
I'm tired now so I'll post you a few photos and take my leave..for now..Maybe I'll come back later. I'm feeling a little wasted and I'm in the lobby around other people so it's a little hard to...well, get intimate with you which is something I think I've done a bit of in the last two weeks. I've tried to be as honest with you all as possible about what I've been feeling. This feels a little anti climactic....what was I expecting? I don't know, but I feel like i've been stringing you all along for two weeks and there should be..i don't know. The 'puters beeping so I better put in the pics and post...I'll come back to you later...

ok...just three more..

Pelicans

another 2 or 3

more

todays roads

These are bags of limes...there are lime trees everywhere

One of the cows that have to hang out near the road because their field is still flooded

Here's a few