a fond adieu.....( not to be confused with fondue)

Yesterday afternoon my friend Sarah came out to the house. After hanging out and chatting for a while we went to La Lagunita for dinner ( the local restaurant). Since it was a Sunday afternoon, it was packed with families who had come to the beach for the day. Cars, vans, trucks and busses full of people filled little Santa Clara like a tummy on Thanksgiving. Beach towels, sundresses and laughing children flavored the scene like any other summer hot spot. Music pumped through the speakers as we ate botanas and drank lemonade waiting for our food. Vendors strolled by , the breeze was hot and above it all blazed a crystal blue sky. I got stung on the back of the arm by a wayward bee but isn´t that part of summer as well? The fish was freshly caught and delicious. Sated, I leaned back and took it all in. My last day. For now. We went back to the house and relaxed, talking , reading, laughing. It was a really pleasant evening. I felt so glad to have met sarah and become friends with her. That led me to think about all of the people i have had the pleasure of getting to know here. A varied and quirky bunch each with their own odd story and set of circumstances but all sharing the spirit of adventure it takes to create a life here.

This morning we ate the last of the yogurt with some granola. sarah had brought sweet rolls with her and I set them on a plate. We had a leisurely breakfast, sipping tea and talking. When we finished, I washed the dishes and put them away. Not on the counter to dry as usual, away. After showering, I stripped the bed and bagged the sheets along with my bath, hand and dish towels. These would get dropped off at Marcias house for Marciel to wash, bring back and put away. He will be looking after the house. I then proceeded to pack the couch cushions into large plastic bags. I ran to the dump, and returned with the truck, rolled up the windows and patted the dash thanking it for being such a trusty steed to me. For driving me safely over many, many miles. We loaded the kennel in the car-realizing it wouldnt fit, we had to take it apart. This means I will have to re-assemble it tomorrow morning at 4 am at the airport (my friend Michelle who flew down for two days just to bring it to me wins bonus points ). From Merida we go to Mexico City and on to Las Vegas where i will rent a car and we will drive home.

I locked the casita, closed the back protector, shut the windows, turned off the fans and closed the door. Closing my new protector on the front door, I slid the shiny new lock into place. Sarah started the car and pulled it out to the road as I walked behind her and shut the gate slipping the chain into place and securing the last lock. I looked at the house as we pulled away. Melancholy. Sad to leave..so much work and heart put into it. A five year plan in preparation to move here and two years here slowly creating a little piece of perfection. But also excited about going back to friends and family. Home for the holidays, an oven! Soups, fall leaves, pumpkins, halloween, turkey, movies, Red Vines and Hot Tamales! Mexican food! and along with it all a return to work, a phone that rings a lot, schedules, a much different life. I was reading a book and in it they were discussing how people go to work, spend the day thinking about going home and spend a lot of time thinking about when they can relax or go on vacation to some sunny, carefree place. Ive gotten to live in that carefree sunny place and its been amazing but it has also been a bit lonely from time to time. Circumstances change, plans need to be altered and life goes on. How lucky am I that Ive gotten to live out not one , but several dreams. I don´t feel like my dream is over, I get to launch into a new one. So many people truly care about me, I am loved, I am healthy and still filled with the spirit of adventure. Let the games begin!

( sound of a scream)...!!!!!!

So, I´m at the internet place in Dzidzantun where I currently spend a good portion of each morning..I won´t go into a lengthy explanation of my cancelled reservations, lack of ability to manage my own affairs, feelings of frustration, powerlessness and just generally being on the edge...i would rathe spend this brief time telling you a story...
The other day, I was quietly sitting and reading a book about the brain. Still no functioning DVD player ( though last night I had the portable DVD player on the counter and the one thats hooked up to the TV both open trying to hand spin the DVDs to get them playing...I was SUOER stressed and needed a distraction..) anyway, the afternoon clouds and thunder rolled in and a deluge started. ¨wow! listen to that¨I said to, of course, Lucky. Then I heard an odd noise and looked up. It took me a second to realize it was a small human on the prch huddled by the door. Being Sunday, i thought it might perhaps be Didier, ChuChos son...maybe they were there for a Sunday visit. i got up and as i approached the door i see who I believe to be Marie, his mom. As i open the door and beckon the saurated two inside, i realize it is in fact not Didier and Marie. I don´t know these folks but regardless, they need to get out of the rain. Not like its cold or anything, but still. So, I put a big rag on the floor where they are standing to soak up the puddle they are creating. She takes off the childs wet shirt ( i see he´s very tiny..small and frail like a fledgling). I offer them water, don´t have much else..tea? No gracias...so, the idle chit chat, such as it it when the other person speaks no English and i am limited...we go through this for a bit and establish she is riding a scooter..ok, so i cant really give them a ride in Dzidzantun where they live. While we are struggling with more conversation topics, here strolls Mr Iguana across the front near the porch. This is Luckys nemesis. He is constantly on red alert to get this guy but of course hes much too fast and wiley for Lucky to ever catch. as i wonder what the heck he´s doing out in this downpour, Lucky spots him and flies out the back door. We all laugh as we see him running around the front in pursuit of senor iguana. However, Mr I is for some reson impaired and Lucky is catching him!! Next thing you knwo, they are thrashing around on the porch in front of the door. Im screaming ¨Lucky no!¨as the iguana gets pinned to the screen door, hissing , he has no option but to climb so up the door he goes! Where he stays out of sheer terror forthe next hour or so....Once this excitement dies down. i realize they have been here a long time now and the conversation has sadly lapsed...I decide to play solitaire..what else can I do? I have given the tyke a car to play with ( it was my grandsons) so hes busily playing and making universal car noises..then i hear a different noise..? what? what the..its liquid..liquid hitting the floor and i realize with horror that he is casually relieving himself down the stool and onto the floor and mom is just sitting there like its all in a day...when the sound ceases, she casually removes his tiny underpants and wrings them out near the front door. as in inside the front door..ah yes..the smell ..¨he needs to drink more water¨is the first thought that comes to mind. I want to start laughing. in light of all thats going on with me, here i am, a very large iguana has stationed himself to my screen door and this little boy just peed on my stool and his mother wrung the underwear out on my floor...ahhhh yes...ya gotta love it...So, anoth half hour passes and Im thinking its going to start getting dark soon. When are they leaving?? As if she telepathically registered that thought, she got up and walked out front. soon she returned with a fella. ¨Papa!¨little bird exclaims. So, after initial banter, they start to get the little guy dressed and ready to go. Here is something Ive noticed here...the child goes on the childs time. this is not the first time Ive seen this. The parents are giving the child direction like¨come here and let me put your shirt on because we have to go¨but it might be 5 min or so before the kid decides..ahhh Ok..I guess...so, as they left, thanking me, the guy got a stick and dislodged mr iguana sending him on hisway. By the time the sun started to set, it was as if nothing had ever happened. The rain had stopped, the reptile was presumably back in his hole under the back step. But there was that urine smell to deal with......

as i make crazy preperations to extricate myself from my life here in the Yucatan with harried facebook messages about reservations and friends phone calls in the evening to ground me and the internet guy graciously letting me spend three hours in the place with my dog, I feel so blessed that i got to experience all of this. The giant spiders, scorpions, iguanas, friendly people, urinating children......I wouldnt trade any of it....I´ll be keeping you posted, as of today, Im shooting for leaving a week from today flying into vegas and driving home from there..we shall see.....

tic tock .....

As if I haven´t been brief enough in the last few months.....this too will be short. As I wind down my affairs here and prepare to close up shop as it were, my computer has thrown in the moist, humid towel that it has been engulfed in for the past two years. It has made a valiant effort indeed. But alas, I am now left without contact to the outside world!! On top of that, the DVD player has stopped working as well..( or as poorly..). Now, its not that Im hooked on video viewing. I´ll admit I occasionally buy a bootleg (oh no! Ive gone public with my criminality..I could get picked up....) movie. Sometimes they are so bad I can´t watch them. For example on one the volume was so low I actually had to position myself inches from the television. Then there was one where I kept hearing the rustling of the recorder going on through out most of what little I watched. The best was one dubbed in Russian with Spanish subtitles. But I digress....What i watch DAILY is Seinfeld. I was recently discussing this with my neighbor. ¨I dont know how you do it¨she said. The other night when the DVD player decided to give it up ( this is actually the second time..it resurrected itself so Im holding out hope for a second coming) I felt so saddened that I couldnt watch i fell into a slight depression. Now, is this because I really find epesodes Ive seen many many times so hilarious I cant stand the thought of being deprived? Well, partially..but more then that, living in a remote village in another country without a computer, the cast of Seinfeld is the closest thing I have to friends. I know, it sounds crazy but think of it.I know them all so well, Ive had them in my home for years now, through thick and thin they´ve been there for me. Right now, as I wind things down here, packing away hammocks, getting the rugs washed and packed away, showing the caretaker what i need him to do, I am feeling a lot of loss. Loss of a home I love, loss of the terrain, the flamingos , loss of a dream. Thats not to say im not looking forward to and thankful for the house, the wonderful people, the love I am heading back to, but hey, loss is loss. So as I sit here cut off, for now, from everything and everybody, my Seinfeld family was a comfort to me. A rudder, something Im familiar with that makes me laugh. Nothing unexpected, safe. That is, until the DVD player breaks. There are no guarantees in life. We knew going into this that the future was unclear and thank god we did it anyway. What an adventure its been! So this isnt the first or tenth or twentieth go round of launching into something unfamiliar..its just these places in between the steps I dont care for. I am waiting, in a holding pattern until my next launch. There are many times in life we have to go through things alone. So though my friends and family are thousands of miles away, my video pals are a comfort. Until I leave, Ill keep trying to get the player to work, and though the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results, sometimes I push ¨play¨and it works...you never know if you dont try, right? 12 days and counting........

Headin' for the finish line.....

Well, I've been away (as some of you may have noticed...those with keen powers of observation...) for a while. I was trying to get some business drummed up to no avail. So, forget that and lets move on, shall we?
Where to begin...well, I can't catch you up on everything so we'll hit the highlights...John came back in May and I left ( not because he came back..). Went to Portland, from there to istanbul, back to portland and finally returned to Santa Clara. Upon my return, John informed me he couldn't stay here anymore ( not because I came back..). He can't take the heat and humidity. It wears him out so much all he can do is nap. So two weeks later he was gone. I put it out there on Facebook he needed somewhere to stay and-poof! Accomodations were offered, literally, within minutes. Tell me there aren't nice people in the world. So, off he went. Lucky and I have been holding down the proverbial fort ( or in our case, plantation) since then. We will be leaving here on August 21st, flying into Houston where another one of those nice people I previously mentioned will be picking us up and driving us to Portland. I am going to have my buddy Marsial take care of the house and yard while i'm gone, so I was thinking " how long does it take to water the yard?" He could stop by twice a week, open the gate and windows ( he comes by every weekday anyway because he works at my neighbors), let things air out, then stop by on his way home and water for an hour. one day front, one day back. So, how long would that take? I'm out there with the hose and i'm thinking "OK, I don't just stand here with the hose, I put it down, weed a bit, pick up downer palms and throw them over the fence, then move the hose, etc. So i start to do this. My first clue that perhaps i should let it go was when i grabbed the very first palm and got stung by a big 'ol ant. Now, this has happened to me before so i usually do a visual inspection of where Im going to grab ( John would be yelling at me at this point in the story-" why weren't you wearing your gloves?!"). Be that as it may, I got stung and let me tell you, it feels like a red hot needle piercing you. Well, shake it off and move on...After about an hour of weeding ( I use a metal hook attached to a wooden handle for this task), cleaning up palms and watering I think, " Ok, this can get done in an hour..". By now I am pretty darn hot and sweaty anyway and figure its time to stop. Just needed to throw this one last palm over the fence down behind the casita..oh wait- there's one more hanging off that tree...it's a low lying one about waist high and its stubborn. Doesn't come off on the first pull so i plant my feet, turn to the right and pull for all im worth...."Skkrritc" I HEAR my knee say as the palm gives up and I land on my ass. Ok..assessment time..visual check- knee is there, nothing protruding or out of place...can you bend it? "Aaah!" "OK..get up off your ass and get to the house. You're out back where nobody would see you". So, up I go with the aid of the hook, hobble my way to the back porch where my faithful dog has been laying in the shade ( so much for Lassie running for help.."whats that? Timmy's in the well?" or in this case" whats that? Jill's on her ass behind the casita?"). Lucky just about trips me as I tell him" get out of the way I hurt my knee". At last I'm in. Bag of ice, ibuprofen, ace bandage and put it up. About half hour later my neighbor Marcie comes over ( who by the way is the ONLY person who lives nearby). She was a nurse for many years and she tells me sounds/looks like I tore some cartilege. Great. So I stay off of it for the most part for the next 3-4 days. Marcie also tells me there is a place in Dzilam de Bravo ( the next village down and, literally, the end of the road) where I can get physical therapy. Thats like saying there is a place in
Estacada where you can get a heart transplant. However, shes been there and had it done. So, Monday i head on down. Now, according to Marcie, I don't need a referral. Well, this part of the story in not accurate. I do. So the lady informs me there is a doctor in Dzilam I can go see. After asking several people directions, I find it. It's not that it's such a big town, mind you, I just don't understand a lot of what they're telling me so it's sort of like a scavenger hunt. Dzilam de Bravo is known ffor two things- it;'s the burial place of Jean LaFitte the pirate and its full of alcoholics. Its a bit tumble down even by mexico standards...but i digress. So, here I am at the clinic. There are a number of women my age sitting out front. I ask them if they are waiting to see the doctor " No, no. You go ahead' they enthusiastically motion me inside where there are four other folks in chairs. I find a seat and i wait, keeping my eyes open to what this process is. There is no desk or check in point. Soon a woman emerges from down the hall and one of the ladies next to me gets up and goes there. Ok...after a while, a woman with a white top and a stethascope around her neck comes out and gets a little lady with her arm in a sling....after a bit, out comes the lady that went in before her. Ok..we're moving along. But wait, in comes a new player. A young woman with a newspaper and she walks right down the hall. maybe she came for the lady with her arm in a sling...Nobody comes out. Ok...now another newbie comes in, young woman with a baby..and SHE walks down the hall..OK, now I ask the little old lady next to me whats up. She tells me I need to go down the hall.Oh! So I do and sure eneough theres a little room down there with three people in it. The lady yells down top the girl with the baby that I've been sitting there quite a while but i just didn't know the drill ( this is all speculation on my part as I really didnt get most of what was being said) . So the girl with the babt motions that i can go ahead of her. Well, after some more waiting and jockeying around, I finally am seated across from the doctor. Nice looking, clean professionally dressed young man. I ask him if he lives in Dzilam Bravo and he looks at me like Im nuts. He informs me he lives in Mexico City but when he's working here he hs a house in Merida. Still a hell of a commute. Anyway, after we exchange words, pantomime various knee movements and recount the story of the injury, he tells me I need to stay off of it for five days,. As he's writing me a prescription, i gaze around the room. Against the wall is an exam table covered in what reminds me of a once white tablecloth after a Thanksgiving meal and next to it on the floor is a metal bucket that reminds me of something from a civil war hospital tent. i do NOT want to speculate on what is stuck on the outside of said bucket let alone look at what might be inside. The doctor hands me the paer with the prescriptions and informs me its for pain and inflammation. We shake hands and on the way out i'm given my meds. All of this, free of charge. I hobble back out to the truck and carefully stick my straightened leg in, positioning it over the gas pedal. As I drive away, i see the little old lady who gave me the heads up on going down the hall. I stop and ask her if she'd like a ride. She opens the door and gets herself in. Just a couple of gals truckin' along the streets of Dzialm de Bravo we are...after only a few blocks, she tells me this is it and turns to thank me. She also tells me as she's getting out, that she's 83 years old. Spry gal...we exchange " have a good day"s and i head out of town......Since then, I have been off my foot. i ice it twice a day and take the naproxen and wear the ace bandage. its still swollen but its getting better. Im told it will take a long time before it's actually back to normal and that, in fact, I'll be wearing this ace bandage for quite a while...I have also messaged my young doctor friend from home and she did an online quasi diagnosis of a meniscus (sp?) tear- torn cartilege. So, there you have it. I went online and read about it. Evidently as we get older, we can tear it simply by getting up out of a chair wrong! Great..something to look forward too.. So, I had told myself I was going to get out there on my windsurfing board I drug down two years ago and have never used before I left.That wont be happening.....A friend- another one of those nice people- is flying all the way down from Potland for 3 days to bring me a kennel to take Lucky home in. After that, its all about how do i close up this house? Mouse poison for sure or they will eat my cushions and nest in my mattress, talk to Marsial about coming over twice a week..Marcie needs a set of keys, she'll be driving the truck for me once a week. I only have a very small carry on bag to bring home with me which means everything will be left behind. my new sheets that folks lugged down for me, my art on the walls, things Ive acquired or made since I've been here. All the things that make this place so nice. I'll be going back to my old houe but have nothing to put in it. No pots, pans, sheets. But Ive started from scratch before. I have no aversion to Goodwill and I have lots of photos I can get enlarged to fill my walls with. My pal Lynda is giving us our couch back and the rest will come. The most important , irreplacable things are my family, those great friends I have and my memories of this wonderful experience. The house will still be here, and at some point I will make it back. I have another nearly five weeks here to continue to post this blog." As it was in the beginning, so it shall be in the end". From this blogs early beginnings when I was sorting out and getting rid of all my possessions in Portland, to stepping down from my job, along with us on the drive down and our whole time here, thank you faithful followers, for sharing this whole grand experience with me. Stay tuned.....

House for rent......

Tired of dreary weather? Don't want to get sucked into another holiday spend fest?  Well here's your answer- A perfect little retreat  in Santa Clara, Yucatan, Mexico.
 The Yucatan is the safest state in Mexico. The easiest airport to fly in/out of is Merida which was recently voted one of rthe ten safest cities in the world.

This one bedroom charmer has everything from a small pool to a two man kayak. While close to the beach ( across the street) you won't have all the sand to deal with in the house so it's very low maintenance. The most work you will have to do is blow up an air mattress to float around the pool or walk out back to the hammock.

If you want to bring friends or family with you, the guest house in back (casita) can also be rented.
$450.00 a week for the house, an additional $250.00 per week for the casita. Two couples could stay comfortably with privacy. If interested contact me at kahnerts@hotmail.com. I am in the process of listing  on VRBO or Homeaway.....

Casa Tranquilo

At long last -

You've found your own little slice of heaven.

Casa Tranquilo has been newly remodeled and is available as a guest rental.

In the little fishing village of Santa Clara, on the Yucatan peninsula, is a charming little bungalow nestled among forty two coconut trees.

Flamingos congregate across the street in the salt lagoons. Sit on the porch, put your feet up and watch them fly.

It's an easy stroll to a local restaraunt where fresh fish, shrimp, octopus and cold beverages await under a large palapa roof.

A double bed sleeps two, a hammock can also be hung for napping or for those looking for an authentic sleeping experience.

While there is much to do in the area, Casa Tranquilo is not for those looking for non stop action and fast paced activities. Nor is it a place in which to party. It is, however, the perfect, quiet spot where you can experience a genuine local flavor while being hosted by an English speaking couple who. They will be right next door to offer suggestions, answer questions, and serve you breakfast ( lunch and dinner are up to you. A refrigerator is in the casita, there is no cooking).




















The nearest airport is in Merida. Rent a car to explore the area- charter a boat, experience the mangroves, visit a Mayan ruin, a colonial city, tour an hacienda, swim in a cenote or take a dip in the pool. Stop on the way and pick up some food. Drive north from Merida a short half hour to the beach town of Progresso ( home of the worlds longest pier). From there, head east for a one hour drive along the gulf coasts blue waters passing villages and estuaries that are home to large flocks of egrets, herons and flamingos. As you enter our puebla, be looking for the Santa Clara sign - stop. You've arrived!


Unpack, settle in, grab a hammock, a good book, a cool drink and relax.

Casa Tranquilo is $50.00 (US) a night with a three night minimum ( breakfast included). If you'd like a longer stay, let's talk...

for more info or reservation- call jill.kahnert on Skype or e-mail luckykahnert@yahoo.com

We look forward to seeing you

Finally! a new post...

My, my, my....how time does fly. I can't believe it's been so long since we last chatted....

 I was just out trying to fill the cistern with water. It's one of those days when the water pressure seems to be experiencing the same lethargy as every other living thing. The sun is a seering orb that feels as though it couldn't possibly, really be capable of being that piercing when it hits you. The only thing to do is close the curtains, turn on the fans and stay indoors. The water lines though..well, they can't. I'm sure the sun has nothing to do with the water flow but when i'm standing in it's glare, bent over trying to coax a tiny stream of water, a trickle really, up an 8 inch incline into the half empty cistern, well, I can't help but think heat exhaustion has played a role in my flacid hose. The poor rubber is so warm it's actually abnormaly pliable. One has to be patient. You have to try many tactics; there's the quick pull up and thrust which theoretically gets the hose ij before the water knows the course has shifted. There is also the snake like zig zagging of the line to gradually get it up. Another option is the up and over an item prior to the up and over the lip of the cistern. You have to be ready to try all of these several times before, for no particular reason, one of them works. I believe i have discussed Santa Claras water issues before. We are OK here because we use very little water but our poor neighbor, who has a very large, modern home complete with all the water sucking bells and whistles, is in a constant frenzied state in her relentless quest for water. Lately, she has taken to hauling a large water tank in the back of her truck, back and forth to the water pump halfway between here and Dzidzantun. Some new folks are starting to build an enormous home next to hers. One of the other residents tried to give them a heads up that water was really something to consider when building. They poo-pooed her telling her their architect had a system all figured out. OOO.KKKK...let me know how that works for you. Keep it simple folks! keep it simple.......Some of us moved to a remote fishing village in search of a low key existence and it's working for us. So, my tanks are about full, so is the pool. All is well at the Kahnert hacienda...
 Saturday we went on a kayaking adventure. Some friends from Texas paddled about on a trip that took a couple of hours. We cruised to the next village down-about 8 miles. On the way, we saw a couple of really big sea turtles that stuck their heads up and checked us out. There was also an extremely large beast of a fish that rolled very near us prompting me to dig,dig,dig that oar! Thought i was going to have to turn into Spencer Tracy...
 As for the photo- that was taken in Sisal. There isn't really a direct road to get there so we ( Carol and I..my new Texas, Republican, Southern Baptist friend) had to drive to Merida and come at it from the other direction. There wasn't much to see but they have a nice pier and a great little restaurant which is where the photo was taken.
 So, after spending three and a half months alone here..well, with my faithful pal Lucky, my boyfriends back. Is there gonna be trouble? I don't think so...It makes me feel very resourceful and competent to know I can navigate another country totally alone. Not just another country, a remote spot in another country. The way I see it, I navigated a remote spot in my country for years and managed it...OK..it was pretty unmanageable but..you know what i mean...
 I'll be leaving Sunday to go back to Oregon for a few days then I'm off to Istanbul. I know...quite the jet setter eh? hardly...the king of the jet setters is a guy..well, Carols husband, who flies regularly around the world on business. Its amazing...if only I could tap into those frequent flier miles....The thing that is painful to me is that he doesn't see any of the places he goes. He flies in, goes to the hotel, goes to his meetings, back to the hotel. He could be in Pittsburg or Duluth instead of Dubai or Santaigo. Its one of lifes twists..kind of like youth being wasted on the young.
 i will leave you with two things- 1.) I am going to start a line of cards using photos I've taken here.   " Lucky Dog Productions" I've appropriately named my venture. I hope to have some sort of website, blog something to show them...remember, christmas is just around the corner....I'll be selling them in packs of 5 so its a GREAT gift idea..and 2.) I'm going to get the casita up and running as a rental. I'll be showing lots of photos and info so again, possibly a blog of its own or website. Oh! and number 3). for those who haven't heard of "Wild " yet, I'd say its a must read. I cant recommend it highly enough. I read it in two sittings.
 Guess thats it for now, better go check the hose. Remember, Easy Does It, Keep It Simple and The Dude Abides......till next time......