Tampico to Poza Rica

Hello hello! Much better day today!! After spending the night in a glorious, big bed with wonderful pillows and eating a nice breakfast we were off. Tampico is pretty big. We were trying to find an ATM because our funds were low when we spotted Wal-Mart. Tehey'r always good for a bank machine and , how do I say this deliacterly...I needed a bano. Only in Mexico a day and already having a little...dysfunction. Could have been the stress too, who knows. At any rate, I took care of things. Sorry for the over disclosure but it is part of the story. Hey! I realize we could probably get a replacement i-pod adapter while we're at it. They have everything...well, everything but that evidently, and the bank machine was out of order. So, off we went again and before long found yet another Wal Mart. John went in while I waited in the truck. Success...so now we have money and I feel OK. We're good to go. However, with all of this searching we have gotten off track a bit and found ourselves in a semi-sketchy neighborhood,. well, not really sketchy just a bit down and out. We both laughed about how we lived and worked around this crowd for years so it's familiar. We and our friends were this crowd! After a little meandering around we were back on track and finally leaving Tampico behind.
For the rest of the day John drove us through some really beautiful country. I can't get used to a "freeway" or "hiway" being a two lane road, half of which has pot holes so bad it would easily break an axle. Seriously, I kept having to yell at John "hole!" because if he glanced away from the road for a second we would be in trouble. He's basically ping ponging around the road like he's playing a video game. Now, visualize along with this....a row of traffic comprised of old retired school busses from the states towing each other, busses pulling retired u-haul trucks that contain a car in the back of the truck and it sticks out and thats towing a car. All of this is travelling in a long row, including our truck, and we are all swaying all over the road-both lanes- to miss the potholes. One last piece to add to the puzzle now- people from both directions are passing these circus trains in motion. Can you see it? A crazy cavalcade of vehicles all waving in and out of pot holes, in and out of their lanes and passing each other in the midst of oncoming traffic while I'm screaming "hole!" because John is trying to get around the two-schoolbus- u-haul- truck -sticking out- while- towing- a -car thing as a semi heads toward us in our lane. WOW! Are you visualizing it? And don't forget we are trying to make good time so we don't end up pulling into Vera Cruz at 8:00 and having a replay of last night. We've listened to all of our tapes countless times and all we can get is marriachi music on the radio. Why don't we try the adapter for the hell of it and IT WORKED!! AAHHH our music...like an old friend...We cruise along up hills, down valleys and the scenery gets more lush as we go. Banana trees everywhere, orange trees, bird of paradise flowering, it rains a bit, we pass through some really impoverished places then back into the jungle. We decide we are ready to stop for the night. We've been driving-John has been driving- for about 5 or 6 hours and we are only HALF WAY to Vera Cruz. What super human people claim to drive the whole distance in a day?! So, we find this really fabulous, deluxe place to stay (where I am definately not dressed appropriately but who cares! I've been in a truck for 8 days now...) it too is expensive but we both decide it is well worth it. The foliage is lush- more bird of paradise and other tropical flowers we have bought for peoples birthdays through the years. So dear friends, it's 7:00 PM and I am now finished with my "homework", we are settled in our sumptous room awaiting room service and will get a very lovely, long nights rest. John has indeed had a headache every single day but is being a trooper.
All of this is part of a fabulous painting. You can't just focus on one corner or shaded area, one particular brush stroke. It has to be viewed by standing back and taking in the whole picture. So far I'm happy with it's progress. It's coming together and i think when it's been completed you will all agree it has been a pleasure to behold.