One Blue Flower

1,095 or Rant #34, Stuck on Stupid?

THIS — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:19:57 GMT

I'm on a tear folks, don't stop me now, I'm just getting warmed up. After being without power for 21 hours and 10 minutes as partially documented in my last little epistle, I'd like to note that while it was totally incompetent of the cable crew to break the poles, the job the CFE did in replacing them wasn't all that spiffy either - and as I predicted, they finished at 4:40pm, just in time to clean up and head back to the time clock to go home for the weekend.

Now, where NOB would there not have been work crews out there with work lights and probably had the poles in by midnight? - so, waiting until morning and their hangovers subsided was likely predictable. All that being said and ruffling my feather anew, I have a new subject, a new rant which really started two days ago, so it's been "fermenting" in my subconscious for a few days now - well, actually much longer, but this is the latest aggravation.

Ok, you gotta help me with this one, apparently either I'm stuck on stupid or the Chapala government is. So, I come down from Guad the other afternoon on the Libramiento and at the light in front of WalMart the RED bulb is out, and this is a major intersection of two highways. Having guessed correctly and with caution I survived and I drive east and both green bulbs in the San Antonio lights are out, but going west, both red bulbs are out in the San Antonio lights. Now, how the heck am I supposed to remember which way the bulbs are out and the one at the Libramiento? - wow, a disaster just waiting to happen. But, there is hidden Mexican logic in all this, it's a "jobs program". When the bulbs are out the cops hang around and ticket people running the "red bulb out" lights. It's a way of raising revenue to create their jobs and their paychecks, plus whatever they might get in mordida is the bonus - now come on, would I kid you about this?

I remember howling with laughter a few years ago when I saw someone commandeer a big Coke truck and stop it under a stoplight with a burned out red bulb. He climbed up on top of it and took the one out of the green side and put it in the red - now, is that doing your civic duty or what?

Back to 1095 and rant #39; while we here in Riberas buy our own street lights, bump, bang, wrench and choke as we drive down the lovely streets to our homes, I see however the "beautification" over in the merry little hamlet of Chapala is moving right along, all 1,095 of the stupid hitching posts, or as they're called in Spanish "bolardos" (it's been documented that bolardos cost more than hitching posts, so that's why chose them - but they got cheated, they don't even have a ring to tie the reins to?) are in place - how do I know there are 1,095 of them? - because this very morning I walked the entire length of downtown Chapala both ways counting each and every one. I measured their height, their diameter, their circumference and general spacing in between each. I kicked a couple to ascertain their structure and carefully inspected what appears to be a 3" wide band of yellow tape, I hope reflective, near the upper part - maybe that's where you tie the reins?

Wondering who is stuck on stupid, I'm now informed by the Guadalajara Reporter they are meant to (hang on, let me look up the quote) "add a visual effect that delineates and sets off the sidewalk area, as well as giving protection to pedestrians from preventing vehicles from jumping the curb" - - - OMG did someone actually say that out loud? "Delineate the sidewalk area" - it has been real easy in the past, the sidewalks end where the cars and the car washers begin because the town is always full and now they need "bolardos" to do the job?

The only two times I ever heard of anyone "jumping" the curb was the unfortunate accident when the lady apparently hit the gas and a person was killed and when three suicide jockeys in a cartel truck took out the street light and crashed into the restaurant during a shootout. Now, seriously, you're going to tell me that these, these over priced hitching posts would have stopped either vehicle? - to be blunt "in your dreams".

Let's do a bit of speculative economics here, having kicked a couple they are substantial, likely steel pipe with frufra near the top, although the top little dome appears to be cast, the point being, even bought cheaper by the dozen - or make that cheaper by the gross, they have got to cost $1,000 each or $1,095,000MXD (in todays dollars, about $75USD or $82, 125) but, lets assume they got a heck of a deal or like the guy on TV says "a SCREAMMMMMINNNNNG DEAL" and they only cost $500MXD each (which ain't likely) - by my rough calculation that's $547,500MXD or $41,062.50USD for a bunch of uneeded, unwanted hitching posts without rings? Of course they had to be installed so add that on top.

Why does that frost me? - because the cost of a tractor with grader blade is $350 an hour and you could do the whole street from my place N to the next good street in let's say 2 days, or 16 hours, that's $5,600MXD or about 11 "bolardos". But no, we have all 1,095 of them lined up like little soldiers, spaced every 59" apart, or down here that would be every 150cm.

So, how about NOT putting in 8,430 more bolardos all the way to Soriana and E to the train station and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PUT IN SOME TRAFFIC LIGHT BULBS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED, like me for instance. Oh, I nearly forgot, it's not enough to spend the people's money extracted through taxes etc, I see also in the same story they have selected a "predetermined pallet of pastel earth tones" which they intend to force on business owners? Yes, the bright greens, reds, oranges and my gosh, YELLOWS so quintessentially Mexican - are just so, so, well, you know, so Mexican? - we want to force the people to spend money making the place look like Tucson or Phoenix where entire square miles of houses are all exactly the same bland color - now, that's what I call progress, and I've even stopped praying and lighting candles for a road grader to come once a year, just do the bulbs and we'll call it even.

With all the mess in the US and Europe, it's easy to see how stupid elected officials are about spending other people's money, the world is in near financial collapse - but nothing, let me emphasize NOTHING compares to Mexico and their apparent suicidal pursuit to outspend, overspend, stupidly spend, then raid the treasury on the way out of office - these people are truly accomplished at accomplishing nada, again NADA!

I guess I'll start ending these little rants with the following: "Mexico, a country and culture of adolescents, populated, run and managed by adolescents." And yes, I do feel better now, thanks for asking.

What's it like living in MX?

THIS — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:58:32 GMT

What's it like living in Mexico people ask me. I tell them it's like nothing else they've ever done, I can't explain it, I can't justify it, all I can say is "try it, you might like it - or you may hate it".

Let's jump back 24 hours and I'll give you a day in my life in MX. I had finished taking a chain saw to a clump of pampas grass earlier and when cleaning up I noticed a lug nut on my front wheel was missing? - maybe it just loosened up and fell off - not likely, I've driven something over 1.5 million miles in my life and never had one fall off yet. And, I was the last guy to tighten them and the other 4 are still tight with 105 ft/lbs of torque. So, someone recently tried to steal that wheel. All the others have locks, I put the 4th on the spare and so that right front was "exposed" to the obvious.

Well, nothing to do but find some other locking nuts - yes, in MX? I hit several parts stores locally and nada and decided to go to Guad - again, after being there the day before, but maybe Autozone has them. So, drive 40 miles and no, they don't have a size the fits. Drive to another Autozone, they don't have any at all. So, I drove nearly 100 miles to get zip, welcome to Mexico. But, the right wheel is exposed no longer, the lock came off the spare and it's now chained and locked and all 4 wheels are locked.

Back at the casa afternoon blends into evening and I'm enjoying the nice weather and at about 7:30 my world goes dark - well, the TV, it was still light outside and my gardeners are working, cleaning up the pampas grass mess and watering with my precious filtered (which I pay for) water that is then pressure pumped (which I pay for at a confiscatory rate) to a bunch of plants which could care less.

I check all ends of the estate and no power anywhere, so I go back to the gardeners and tell them "no electro" - which is their clue to call it a day as I'm watching the stream of water from a hose one is holding slowly dribbling off to nada. Now, that means the pressure tank has been drained, so I have no water to flush, no water to wash my face, no water to do anything with?

They pack up and head off and I return to the control room and shut down the weather station after posting that the CFE power is "OFF". later I light some candles and prepare for a quiet time - I just had no idea how long and how quiet? As Max and I are enjoying the ambience of Mexico by candlelight I nod off in my chair only to be jolted awake by something - yes, an earthquake, a 4.5 centered about 10 miles from here. Finally about midnight I gave up and went to bed - what else could happen?

Of course Max doesn't need an alarm clock and so he was purring in my ear at about the regular time, 6:30am. I finally get up, put on my miners cap with light (it's still dark outside) and brush my teeth etc. with no running water because the pressure tank is empty, but the plants are happy. Then feed the cats and I opted out of a cup of coffee and headed out to the Jeep to see if the inverter would run the pressure pump - of course not, why would that work? I connect it to the PC and boot the weather station etc. and do an update.

Now that I'm online I check the forum and lots of chatter about the quake, but nothing about power being out, looks like we're special again - and my freezer it warming by the hour. Finally I check next door and the guy says the CFE is working 3 blocks up, so I put on my shoes and hike up there. Sure enough, turns out the idiots stringing fiber cable for Telecable put too much stress on a pole and it broke taking two more with it. By now it's mid morning and I can see it's going to take a time to get the new poles and wires strung.

But, nothing is like a disaster to get people out in the street to meet. I talked with two fellows and a couple others just passing by and we all agree that it's hard to beat the CFE, Telecable and Mexico in general for incompetence - I think this is where is was invented, if not, it was certainly well refined here, it's an "art".

Back home for another couple hours and dying of boredom I decide to take another hike to see what's going on. So, I head a block E and then N and they're still working on pole #3, no wires, just the pole. Somewhere along the way a German Shepherd decides I'm a nice guy and takes up with me as we walk. While I'm standing watching the work she sits by me like she knows me? Finally after talking to another gringo lady I head back home and the dog is right there with me as we walk down the dusty streets of Riberas (not quite as romantic as the dusty streets of Laredo, but close).

So, we're walking down the "street" or calle, pronounced more like "kiyea" that was once a cobble stone street. It's still there, but of course floods over the years has covered it with several inches of dirt which is now dusty and will soon become muddy when the rains start. As I approach the intersection of the streets just N of the casa, a big cow, I mean BIG, ambles into the intersection, stops and over her shoulder lets out a bellow like "follow me"? So, as my new friend and I approach the intersection I look both ways, but no cows or cars. (now be honest, does this sound like any place you ever lived NOB? - I don't think so)

As I get to my neighbors he knows the dog and gets her some water and I head home to wait, it's now been 17 hours with no juice, so, who knows? - and you wonder what it's like living in MX? - it's like nothing you've ever experienced N of the border.

Now comes the real question you're wanting to ask "then WHY do you live like that?" - the answer: "I have no earthly idea, let me know if you figure it out".

Oh, you wonder also how I'm writing this and posting it? Well, of course with my generator. It's a very expensive one, cost $15K when I bought it, it's a "Jeep" brand V6. Yes, I have a small inverter which converts battery power to house power, enough for the PC etc. So, while I sit here and type it's idling out side charging the battery. I love Mexico?

Who's got spare time? - I'm retired

THIS — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:54:34 GMT

So, what do you do with all your spare time now that you're retired comes the question often asked for several years now. You'd think people would get tired of me making up silly answers to try to satisfy their curiosity - but no. So, for one thing I write dumb things in this blog, inane things that mostly no one cares about, sometimes I'm heavily involved in local forums, sometimes I work on the weather station, although with the new equipment it's almost boring, I may have to change all the colors of the web page any day now - that always keeps me busy.

But, this is the time of year when I begin to clean, I hate to clean but it's time for "Spring cleaning" - not that there is an actual Spring here, in fact we call it the land of "eternal Spring" so by that standard I should clean year round? - NOT LIKELY, I powerwash the living room only when absolutely necessary, the bathrooms get cleaned periodically by throwing in a quart of kerosene and a match! But eventually propriety steps in and I relent to taking up the cloth, no, not that one, the cleaning cloth and I sort of ease into it a bit at a time working up to the really big things like powerwashing the entire outside of the house, some of it while on a tall ladder, running off all the black widow spiders who have taken up residence - well, I actually kill them, but no matter, the end result is what counts - they're gone.

Then there is spraying that needs to be done - for spiders et al, ceilings, floors, decks, you name it, it gets sprayed, we become a level 6 toxic area to everything that creeps, crawls and jumps not to mention builds webs nightly that I walk through every morning. What is it with MXN spiders? - they can string webs across the darndest wide spread places and of course always at face level so you're half awake and you hit one of those suckers and you get an instant case of the jimjams trying to shake it off - boy I hate that.

Then there is the yard work, yes, I have a gardener, but he's not much of a second story man, more ground level chop, whack and flood water - after he's fogged the place with his leaf blower that we bought him? - big mistake. I look out the front upstairs windows at some palms in the island in the middle of the circle drive below (gosh, ain't palatial great?) that have grown tall enough he doesn't want to get up there - but I got tired of the seed pods, last years husks etc. and I got out the 7.3 meter ladder (I have no idea how tall that is, but it's nose bleed country?) and I'm up in the trees with a power saw and I'm hacking and whacking. Then there's this huge mound of pampas grass that has razor sharp saw edges on the grass, he won't touch that either, but I will, in fact, brought down a genuine $35 hedge trimmer and tested it the other day, works great so this is the week the whole thing gets whacked - and he gets to haul if off, that's not my job.

But, today was fountain cleaning time plus replacing Damp-Rid containers placed in various places etc. The big fuente (fountain) up on the deck was overdue and so I let it evaporate down and pulled the plug this morning and began to take it apart. Of course it was all green and slimy and I lifted out the main "tower" in the center exposing an almost unrecognizable bomba (pump - yes, bet you always wondered about the song "La Bomba") and lifted the main bowl off the pedestal to expose an immediately recognizable black widow egg pod and of course she was close by. No problema, not that unusual. I hauled the big dish and tower downstairs and on the way back up brought the insecto aerosal to end the widows motherhood and homestead.

I got out the powerwasher and plugged in the hose and electricity and started blasting away while the bomba was soaking in a container of Clorox water. Of course during the power washing, the tower while laying on it's side so I could do the inside and it rolled over and broke off a small part of one cup - oh well. I set the pieces in the sun to dry and headed back up to the deck to finish spraying, then to blow off the deck, powerwashing will come later, it's about a 5 hours job, so I delay delay delay as long as possible on that one.

Today there were lots of emails etc. and that took time. After waiting I brought the tower back in, mixed some epoxy and repaired it and brought it and the dish back upstairs. You'll have to picture this, there is a 3' tall hollow pedestal, I have a power cord with plug going under the edge and inside that area, so you then plug in the bomba, let it hang over the top, set the dish on top of that, then feed the long tube the water squirts out up through a hole in the tower and it's assembled. But, because I was waiting for the epoxy to dry I didn't fill it with water. Of course I had completely cleaned the bomba down in the kitchen and tested it so I knew it was ok.

The word has been out for several years that Estaban's Fuente IS absolutely THE place to drink, so I get all sorts; tiny little wren size guys, oriels, wood peckers, even humming birds. They love it and the top of the tower has a sort of dish the water gushes up into the then flows bank down through several cups to the dish. Well, some of the guys love to take a bath up top and they splash and splatter and have a great time while others are down at the lower level drinking the top birds bath water? - well, who ever said they were smart?

More emails, some online banking and I headed out to fill the fuente. I filled the dish up with about a bucket of water, walked over to the timer that powers it and plugged it in - nada? - NADA? - you have to be kidding and at that point I was literally laughing hysterically out loud, apparently the darn plug down inside the now full-of-water fountain wasn't making contact somehow? Ok, I got my patience, I got my tolerance and I got time (and you wonder what I do?). I go downstairs, get a little spare pump, a bucket, extension cord and head back up to pump out the full fountain. Once that was done I disassemble it and reach down in (former) black widow country and plug it into a different socket - nada? Now, how is that possible, it was all working earlier, and I tested the bomba in the kitchen, again, add semi-hysterical laughter because that can only mean one thing - the problem was at the wall, not under the fuente that I just pumped out and disassembled - Chihuahua.

Back over to the timer on the wall and unplugged and plugged directly into the wall bypassing the timer - what's that noise, it works? Now, that's weird, but it's working, so reassemble all the stuff, pour water back in and startup - ah, nervana, we have flowing, bubbling water. Earlier when it was assembled but dry a few regular "paying" customers came by and they land and look and look and can't figure out what's happening. I usually just yell out the door "patience, we'll be open soon, come back in an hour" - and they do.

So, now it's flowing and the afternoon crowd is beginning to arrive and enjoy. We also have a small "ball" shaped fuente on a stump up by the casita, the cats love to jump up there and drink from the flowing water - odd though, we don't get many birds at that one, only the slow dumb ones and they only come once? Maybe it should be called "la fuente del almuerzo" (the lunch fountain)?

Ok, must be the timer failed so I clean up everything, take all the buckers, cords etc. downstairs and store the powerwasher and just for grins try the timer - oh, NOW it works? Back upstairs and plug it in, we'll see if it holds up, this is the second one in 2 years, here's hoping.

It's now 2 in the afternoon, I've had essentially nothing to eat but a breakfast bar and I get a picture of come gorgeous BBQ chicken from a friend who is trying to kill me with food pics I can almost taste it! He got a new BBQ and is doing some great stuff and I'd go over and beat on his door, but he's in Albuquerque. So, have another Ritz cracker and smile. There's actually lots of time for more projects today, but then it's getting warm so maybe manana, there's always manana. I'm always busy, even if it's only busy thinking about being busy?

Countries are like jigsaw puzzles

THIS — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:01:41 GMT

I often talk in "word pictures", a technique I suppose I first became acquainted with as a kid sitting in a Baptist church. The ministers are good at leaving lasting images in our minds of what they want us to remember. I grew up in the radio days when we listened to mystery shows on radio and our imaginations filled in the "video" - still better than any video ever produced. Then came video and more and more movies have tried to recreate what we used to do in our minds. Now the iWhatever things people are addicted to are very visual because the industry has learned what every Baptist minister always knew. Today I'm going to try to create a word picture for you as an analogy to what is happening in Mexico, in the US and in much of the world.

I see countries as jigsaw puzzles. When you open a box with a puzzle in it you have the challenge of arranging the pieces to create a picture. Countries are like that, when they start they are a bunch of pieces and the challenge is to get them all arranged into a picture, except country puzzle pieces are people, land, resources, language, spirit, beliefs etc.

When they shook up and opened the box containing the American puzzle, it was all new and many pieces were upside down so you couldn't see what they were. But, over the last 200+ years they've been arranged and interlocked together to make a picture, although unlike a hard piece puzzle, country pieces are malleable, they can change, reshape to alter the picture from time to time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Some country puzzles remain just that, puzzles, there are not enough pieces, they're dysfunctional, they never really come together to make a recognizable picture. Sometimes pieces of the puzzle are stolen, appropriated by other puzzles and so the damage is done and the picture will never be complete, many countries in Africa are like that.

I see successful countries with a core center piece, without it the other pieces can not form around it, they can't coalesce to form the strength necessary to bond the greater picture together. I see the single large center piece of a country puzzle as its "moral" and its "ethical" core. Those are intangible things you can't lay on a table, but absolutely critical so that all other pieces form around them. They are the tie that binds, the one thing you absolutely must have, without that core, all the other pieces are "orphans" they don't belong and will never bond to form a "more perfect union".

The Founding Fathers of the US knew that and wrote the founding documents with that in mind - they were the core center piece of moral and ethical values in the great puzzle we call America.

In the 50's and 60's there was an effort to redefine these terms. A fight was waged to keep religion out of the schools. During that fight those opposing managed to connect "morals/ethics" to "religion" and make them synonymous - they are not - but when they were successful in making the connection they then said "ok, you can't teach religion in school and you can't teach morals or ethics either because that's religion". When that happened, America lost a huge chunk of it's core piece - huge. And of course that attack continues today, mostly unabated.

Morals and ethics are the code of conduct that make civilizations and societies possible. They are laws, some written, some assumed; a laws says you cannot kill, the moral component of it is that you wouldn't even if you can get away with it. Character, something also vilified as unnecessary - but it's said that "character is doing the right thing even when no one is watching." None of these are religion based, they are rules of civilized conduct - but, they, the "moral fabric" of our society, have become shredded, torn, worn and discarded by many. The very cohesive core is under attack.

I believe you can trace almost any problem, any failure back, at some point, to a lapse, or collapse of moral values. Think about the financial mess we're in, as is much of the world, it's a failure of epic moral proportions. Is there anything moral or ethical about the movements that would shred society and strip away from it the foundations we have spent over 200 years building? - and replace it with what? - something more ethical or moral? - of course not, quite the opposite, it's a collapse of moral values

When I became a salesman some 40 years ago, I quickly learned that people who would never lie to your face when you are eye to eye have zero problem doing it on the phone where you are just a voice, a faceless noise in the distance. As an experiment I created two sets of clients, one face-to-face and one by phone only, the results weren't surprising, the personal contact group were loyal, the others were not and had no problem lying to me, yet I'm sure if you confronted them they wouldn't have seen it as a breach of ethics or lack of morals, it's just the way it is, no harm, no foul, the drip, drip, drip of societal decline.

Now, let's take Mexico, a total paradox, for everything good, I can show you something negative or bad. Their box contains all the pieces, but they seem unable, or unwilling to put them together. It was born in the fire of religious conquerors and has been shaped, and continues to be shaped, by it's religious foundations. So, they have the components, the moral and ethical core, but like so many other places it's becoming worn and in Mexico's case torn, rent asunder by the violence that is killing it from within. At times I say that Mexico is losing it's soul. As moral as many, probably most, of it's people are, corruption is rampant at every level and growing, violence, crime, drugs, brutal murders are almost commonplace. Families fear for their members and we gringos are essentially helpless to do anything for them.

When you buy something in a store most often the box, or container is taped shut, if it could be opened and something stolen. Armed guards are so common we don't really notice them, at Office depot, Autozone, malls etc. they are there with uniforms and automatic weapons to remind those who would transgress there will be a price to pay. As we drive it's common to see military, federal, state and local police in trucks, all with well armed members riding in the back and always, always at least one of those men looking forward just in case. The military normally have a 50 caliber machine with ammo belt in the breach and bullet proof vests are uniform of the day.

All that being said, you might imagine, or would hope, the level of illegal activity would be low - obviously it is not low and is escalating. Because the local police are corrupt, related to the bad guys or both, Mexicans generally don't report crimes. If a member of a wealthy family is kidnapped, the family negotiates with the kidnappers directly, not the police. Locally we go through cycles with new "Transitos" (traffic police, usually on motorcycles) who are deployed from Guadalajara and stop gringos for real or imagined traffic violations and expect to be paid "mordida" (the bite) it's their way of doing business, to them it's not immoral, not unethical, just a way to supplement a low wage, after all, gringos are all rich, they can afford it.

So, how do you pull back from the abyss? Not only in the US, but here. Both countries were born in revolutions, but what kind of a revolution reclaims a country's soul? You can't legislate morals and ethics, we should know, we've tried it far too often with failure almost every time. In the US, we can't teach ethics/morals in schools and I suspect that little is being done at home, the parents are a product of the same moral decline that grew out of the 60's.

At least America still has some functioning fundamental pieces; law enforcement that will capture or kill the bad guys, a judicial system that will sentence bad guys and prison systems that will hold them. Although when you look at these components they are under attack by the same forces that would deny the need for the core values we were built on.

Mexico? - Mexico has none of these pieces in its box. The local police are corrupt or inept or not interested or all the above. The State police are suspect as well. The Federal police seem somewhat more competent and capable, but there are only so many of them for a sizable country with limited resources. The military appear to be the best hope, but again there are limitations and the pride and fierce national pride prevents Mexico from accepting much help from the outside. The judicial system still operates in an antiquated model almost guaranteeing inefficiency and corruption. Even if finally convicted the prison system holds few and is rife with corruption. Recently guards released members of one gang to kill something like 30-40 members of another gang incarcerated at the same facility - and the warden? - of course he was well paid and long gone by the time the military or Feds arrived.

Many large questions and no easy answers. Now after nearly 5 years here I am convinced that only the Mexican people can take back their country. They are the only ones who can invoke the moral and ethical imperatives to return to a lawful and productive society. If that can't happen, and soon, then the country will collapse and it's not too hard to imagine it like the tribal areas of Afghanistan where warlords rule, in some areas of Mexico today it's not all the far from happening.

I suppose to put it on a bumper sticker as I did earlier "Mexico has lost it's soul".

A diamond and a rock don't compare

THIS — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:00:16 GMT

A bit of expansion of the last trip home and a review of some differences between our two countries is probably in order, I skimmed over some things due to all the other events happening, so this will take us back to my normal "say what?" sort of adventure. While I've touched on a few things, I'll "touch them up" a bit.

The drive to the border, as well documented, is 700 miles, long and grueling and mind numbingly boring. Along the way you encounter 12 toll booths, 4 military checkpoints and 2 sizable Federale checkpoints with some kind of big scanners you drive under which drive my radar detector nuts. Also flocks of goats being grazed in the center median, numerous dusty little "settlements" along the roadside and little scenery worthy of description.

For the most part these are not adventures, merely topes (speed bumps) to cut into your overall time vs miles traveled progress. I suppose 63mph average for all these eventos and a stop for gas isn't really all that bad and I don't push all the much, generally about 75mph, only slightly over the posted speed limit - as through there are actually any limits on MXN cuotas (toll roads). There were times when someone blew by me doing at least 100mph, so we just motor along, secure in the knowledge that eventually we'll shoot out the other end of the tube and land in Laredo. And, sure enough, I was in the middle of International Bridge #2 at 5:05pm with about a 20 minute wait getting to Customs, all of which allows time to eat, check in and unwind before the next days 300 miles on glass smooth highways - a total snooze.

I always reward myself with a couple of double decker tacos from Taco Bell and was parked in an empty lot just enjoying the glow of evening in a country where I could actually read the signs on stores - although I am getting better. I looked across the way and they were building a new store and the workers were gone, a light burned inside, sheet metal ducting was stacked, sheetrock, other building materials out in the open and no security? - here the place would have been stripped 15 minutes after the workers left. Often when a new house is built, the first thing they do is build the compound walls, then bring in a load of small cement blocks and construct a maybe 6' X 8' "room" with a makeshift roof. It might have a door, but often just an old piece of tarp or blanket etc. and someone lives there starting day one, he's a worker and security for the project - in Laredo? - nada, what a place.

The second day I drove to Austin to catch the flight. I parked off site and took a shuttle in, last year the AUS bandits charged me $93 for 3 days - ain't gonna fool this fool twice, got my boarding pass and prepared both physically and mentally to be dragged through the TSA knothole backwards - and I just knew I wasn't going to be disappointed - sure enough, GOTCHA.

As I approached the initial gauntlet a single person ahead of me had already been intimidated, humiliated, treated like a terrorist and was through the TSA "house of horrors" and was in the "redressing area", I approached the entry maze all alone except for a grim, short, pudgy, balding TSA agent - with an expression on his face like he was having a mental root canal? Of course he was standing guard over his little domain - and guess who was - NEXT.

The maze was laid out in 4 segments to accommodate at least 40 people, I hesitated as I approached looking directly at the agent thinking he might slip off the link and let me proceed directly to the "undressing area" - but no, he never flinched, the little jack-booted Nazi-TSA thug made me walk through the entire 4 segment maze, I stared at him as I walked, he stared back, we never broke eye contact - he loved every moment of it, I was being broken down into a submissive state to assure my compliance with whatever stupid new dance they wanted me to do.

I proceeded to the "undressing" area to pile everything in tubs, then haul myself through "los arcos de la tormento" (the arches of torment) and out the far side apparently receiving the blessing from all the little minions of darkness along the way - and where eventually I was reunited with my computer, case, change, money clip, keys, shoes, coat and belt - all those evil things I sneak around with? - and yes, I looked so untrustworthy they even made me remove a small dress belt buckle. I proceeded to the "redressing" area to reacquire a level of decorum worthy of pubic display and continue the journey, what a bunch of jerks. Although I will say that Denver was considerably more pleasant, their interpretation of the "dance of innocence" is accompanied by a smile on occasion - not Austin.

One big difference I noticed is that American road workers are considerably less brave and significantly more spooky than their MXN counterparts. Here we hardly slow down, you may whiz within a few feet workers while going 70, they don't even flinch. Up there they have road warning signs out vs. the usual sacrificial flag man down here, the signs threaten you with double fines and they get all hysterical if you don't immediately cram on the binders with both feet? - I mean like really, do you think I'd actually hit someone? - can you imagine the paperwork? - and I was one a tight schedule for gosh sakes.

And yes, the road warning signs? - I literally howled out loud when I saw one that said something like "WARNING, Right Shoulder Closed in 1,000 Ft"? - and of course there were some cones up there, here there would have been NO sign, more than likely NO shoulder to be closed and I've seen places with sheer dropoffs at the edge of the lane, not the shoulder, but the lane, drops of several feet and maybe at best you might get some melon size rocks painted white for warning - or maybe not. Hey, driving here is an adventure - a thrill a kilometer all its own.

Even though I've said it many times, the wealth and differences in the two countries cannot be over stated and Mexico is one of the richer third world countries. I remember my neighbor telling me that when they drove down down from Canada and crossed into Texas on I35, they encountered the TXDOT Welcome to Texas station and their eyes got real big. Well, there's one just N of Laredo that says a lot about the US and especially about Texas, it's a land of almost unimaginable wealth.

I guess the longer I live here the more I feel it when I go home. I've come to accept life here as it is and am fortunate to live relatively comfortably compared to the average native person - and even the local folks live better than many areas of Mexico due to we gringos who pour significant wealth into this area.

Don't ever take your life NOB for granted, look around you and at what you have, where you are, where you live and enjoy life, it may not always be so - and for gosh sakes, stay away from TSA agents whenever possible, they are the trolls of life, totally humorless and minions of the dark domain.

PS: in the middle of this the power went out for 3 hours, they're practicing for the rainy season - I guess?

Adventure isn't what we do, it's whom we know

THIS — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:33:43 GMT

Often we don't recognize life's great adventures until we view them in our rear view mirror of life. A few of the people you meet in life are truly the great treasure and adventure when we think back. Oh, they're most often not the "pop culture" icons we might chance to meet, or a famous person you might shake hands with.

I remember a young fellow whom I worked with had just returned from a celebrity golf tournament totally taken by the fact he had actually shaken hands with Arnold Palmer. I listened to him for a few minutes and interrupted him to ask "well, that's great, but do you think touching him improved your golf swing"? I went on to tell him I once shook hands with Werhner Von Braun, somehow I doubt either of us came away more enriched by that moment. The chance encounters with these people is not what life's great adventures are about, more often the great adventures are simply people we grow to know over a time who enrich us and leave us with an intangible, but precious legacy.

Today being Good Friday I thought it appropriate to remember two such men whom I consider giants in my life's adventure. Both have passed now, one 7 years ago and one only recently, one I knew very well and one not nearly well enough, but they will always be among the few who have impressed me in this life.

I will begin with the Reverand Canon Lewis Sandison Dixon who passed March 27th of this year. I knew him simply as "Lew". One day in 2008 I happened to look out my front window into the compound to see this man strolling hand in hand with his life's mate Norma, they always held hands as they walked together. This surprised me a bit as the front gate is normally closed, but as it turned out, fortuitously, that day it was open. I went down and greeted them asking if I could help them. They said they were looking for my neighbor, who was out at the time, I invited them in and we chatted and they rested from their walk.

Later as my neighbor arrived she joined us and they shared the story of how they had met. He was a retired Canon and they loved Mexico and for many years came down here for a few months in the winter to escape the cold of London, Ontario their home. One year my neighbor came down and entered a local hotel requesting a room, she gave her last name and the desk clerk said "yes, they had her reservation" which was puzzling as she hadn't made one, but she took the room anyway. As it turned out, the reservation was for Dixon, but the Reverand and Norma Dixon. All worked out well and they became fast friends, and now by my life's chain of events, I call them friends as well adding to my wealth of wonderful people I've met in this life.

Lew's life was interesting, he joined the RCAF in 1942, remaining in service until 1953 when he entered a career in construction but eventually felt his calling and completed his formal education and was ordained in 1964 serving in the church until his retirement.

Over that season and two more they came to share our garden at times. They didn't have a car, so sometimes we took them places. On one of the following years their Son, also an Anglican Priest, visited and we all went to the S side of the lake to see the white pelicans who winter here, the true Canadian snowbirds. In 2009 we had one of our famous "dinners in the drive" where my neighbor cooks like crazy, I clean up a few chairs and table and enjoy the guests while she works. That evening we also had 3 ladies from Canada as well and it was a lifetime memorable evening.

Why do I tell you all of this about a man I only knew a short time? - because he was the kind of man whom you seemed to have known a lifetime - or maybe it was just that you wish you had known that long. He was short in stature, but bigger than life in personality, a man whom embodied a rich sense of humor and a zest for life that was wonderful, he and Norma walked the Great Wall of China when he was 87, his eyes had a twinkle that will be missed by many, he leaves a wealth of family, friends and people like me who didn't know him nearly long enough. He will be missed, Heaven is surely richer by his presence there today.

The second man I knew much better, for twenty years he was my neighbor, my advisor and my wife Chris and I considered him our adopted Father. We met Carl Lutz in 1985 when we bought a lot across the street to build our home in Lakeway. Carl had retired at that time from an international career in consulting preceded by a military career. He and his wife Marge (our adopted Mother) had married mid life during his consulting career and traveled the world not only in business but for 10 years after his retirement. Carl was in many ways much like Lew, a rich dry sense of humor, a man whom you trusted from the moment you met him.

Carl was very good at investment which took much of his time in retirement, he tried his best to advise me how to make money rather than spend it (which I had mastered) but to my great loss his attempts were, for the most part, unsuccessful - but he never gave up. At first he had an old Apple 2e computer, I finally gave him one of my newer PC's and taught him how to use it, but only for spreadsheets, he still used a Selectric typewriter to write letters to folks all over the world whom he had met and worked with. He would not go online and so I would lookup and copy stock reports etc. for him. Also we'd discuss politics and events in our country around our growing city and their impact. We always did an annual Christmas newsletter and I convinced him to do one as well and I put it on the PC and printed copies, some years a hundred and fifty to be shared with family and friends all over the world.

Carl was never interested in mechanics or fixing things, his approach was to make money and hire someone. I, on the other hand, enjoyed building, fixing etc. and so for those twenty years and two after he passed I helped keep their house repaired and maintained.

Carl and Marge also volunteered at a thrift store run by their church to assist kids in going to a private school. Marge continues to work there even now.

We began building on July 4th and the house was ready, mostly, to move into new years eve 1986. I was bone tired from moving stuff, it was a bit chilly and misty that day and my mood would sour a cube of sugar, but they insisted we come over for their annual celebration and I finally relented which was, of course, exactly what I needed. That began a long history of sharing dinners at their house and ours, of taking care of each other in the ways we complimented each other and to this day when I go to Texas, one of the primary things I do is spend an evening with Marge.

During those last 10 years they were in the "downsizing" part of their lives, they had brought home things from all over the world and as they traveled they brought things to us as well. But we learned to be careful and not admire anything too much or you'd end up going home with it. I have several things here with me now that are precious, a handmade ornamental copper canteen from Afghanistan, a carving set from Morroco and other things that are of great value to me - as they were to us.

Carl had a sweet tooth that was legendary but, Marge would limit him. Giving them anything for a birthday or Christmas was impossible, so Chris would bake cookies or something sweet that she knew Marge couldn't refuse. We got a dehydrator and she would do cinnamon apple slices and she decorated a square glass jar and would fill it and give it to them. When it was empty, Carl, with a sly grin would return it to be refilled - it is with me here today in the kitchen, the vessel of years of memories money could never buy.

They took care of me and Chris the nine months she was sick and the morning in December when she passed I made the necessary phone calls and went home and across the street to be with them. It was "home". Only 3 months later in early April I was there for Sunday dinner and afterwards went home. It was a warm April day so Carl took a slice of cherry cheesecake with him to eat while he sat by the pool. When Marge went out to check on him she found him in the pool, apparently a heart attack had caused him to fall into the pool, he was a good swimmer, but it was his time. In only a span of 3 months I had lost two of the most important people in my life, but they live within me always.

I've lived in many in many places around the US and now in Mexico and I've always said "you don't know a place until you know the people" - and to that I would add, you don't know life's great adventure until you look back on some of the people who have shaped you. The other day I found a scrap of paper in an old billfold, yellowed and fragile, but I know the words, they say "We are, all of us, molded and remolded by those who have loved us; No love, no friendship, can ever cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark upon it forever".

Trip #6 to the homeland

THIS — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:05:33 GMT

The recent events required a hasty trip which ultimately worked out, but nearly turned into a disaster. My neighbor is returning to the Great Frozen North after Easter, so I decided to do a quick trip to TX and get the new weather station this week before Easter while she was still here to watch the house and take care of Max. I ordered the station and some other things and they were on their way to the warehouse in TX when I got the call on Sunday March 4th that Mom had passed and her funeral was to be the following Saturday, so the planning suddenly took on a new dimension.

I jumped on the PC and started searching for flights from Austin to Denver for Friday which meant paying an arm and a leg due to short booking, but even at confiscatory rates nothing was available? - seems that was Spring Break week. I was up until 1am and finally gave up and went to bed thinking I'd just drive the whole trip starting Tuesday. The following morning I tried again and did find a flight on Thurs, but I could not for the life of me get a Friday flight, so that meant driving to Laredo on Weds, then on to Austin Thurs and fly to Denver.

Besides the obvious need to be at her service we had a discussion about a year ago when she asked if I was going to be at her service. I asked if she was figuring on going somewhere, she said that eventually she would and laughed. She said she didn't want my sisters there alone. I chuckled and said that when I moved here I brought my pin stripe suit, a white shirt and my Chicago coat because it might be during the winter, so not to worry, of course I secretly worried because you know how clothes shrink in Mexican closets, it's a well documented phenomena.

Providence and a bit of help from someone "up there" who is apparently looking out for me because once I promised to mortgage my future if Frontier would just let me ride inside the big brid on Thurs I got word from my sister they had moved the services to Friday and had I booked on Friday of course I'd have missed the whole thing and broken a promise to Mom. Last Oct I made the same trip and Frontier and I got crossways on seating and I was in the last row propped up against the galley bulkhead, this time I got seat 1A - of course I paid over twice as much for the same trip?

I also made a car reservation with Avis for a full size car. I started booking all the hotels etc. and the night before I was leaving I happened to look at the Frontier reservation and it said they were having trouble with my car reservation "a 24' truck was not available" - and here I thought I rented an Impala (or similar as they say)? I got on the phone with a guy at Avis and he claimed he was in Puerto Rico, but with that accent, he sure wasn't born there. He must have been getting a kickback of some kind because he was determined to get me into an Impala and with a free day and a coupon the whole 4 days was only going to be $100 - wow, that's a deal.

So I loaded up all my clothes, shorts for TX, suite for CO and headed off on the road trip where I let the Jeep beat me up for 11 hours and then I get a Taco Bell double decker in Laredo as a reward to myself. At the American entry the agent asked if I had a new car? - I said no, why did he ask, he said because of my front plate, I have a Mexican flag front plate. Down here is you're from NOB they basically don't care if you even have a plate, but I told the guy I have a Texas plate on the back, and the front flag buys me a bit of goodwill down here, he laughed. Although I have noticed that when I pull up to American checkpoints they greet me in Spanish seeing the front plate, guess I have enough tan I'm beginning to look "native"?

Of course when you cross the river into TX, you immediately see and feel the difference in the two countries. If you have any doubt as the wealth and opulence of the States, all you have to do is go into a big grocery super store like HEB, it's probably 4 times the size of our big ones here and products of every kind you could imagine. Down here were happy having maybe a choice of two brands and often they aren't regularly stocked. And the roads? - wow, modern miracles, silky smooth wide and well marked - now, that's luxury for sure. I emailed my neighbor the first night in Laredo to tell her I dodged the cartels and that I was staying in a real luxury hotel - how nice was it? - well, it was so nice you could drink the water right out of the faucet, now that IS luxury.

When I got into Avis in Denver I asked what she had that would be fun, she said for $100 not much, I said well, forget the cost, that might be my last trip to Denver for a long time and so I wanted something nice. Oh well now, in that case - - - and she came up with keys, or the little transmitters, for a keyless Infiniti G37 that still smelled new - definitely more fun than an Impala and considerably more expensive, but why not?

I did make a couple of casual observations though, in Colorado, even Texas, people actually observe the posted speed limits? - that's different, plus I noticed I was driving with only one foot unlike Guadalajara where you definitely use both feet, navigating and negotiating in Guad is a true test of courage and reflexes.

Friday morning came the real test, trying to get myself into the suit which had obviously shrunk while hanging in the closet in Mexico. I mean really, would I make up something like that. So, there I was stuffed into my suit and of course the neck of the shirt shrunk as well, but we kept it all together long enough to fulfill my promise to Mom. I told someone that was probably the last time I'd wear that suit, I've buried my Father, my Mother and my Wife and I'm not doing any more funerals and there is sure no reason to wear it down here although I did bring it back and it hangs forlorn and unneeded in the closet.

In Denver, all went well and I was able to see some friends before leaving so while a sad trip, it was a good one with good weather. One neat thing the Infiniti has is a camera looking back so when you back up you see on a screen on the dash what's behind you, that is great. In fact, when I got back to Austin I climbed "up" into the Jeep rather than sitting "down" into the Infiniti and as I started to back up I realized I was looking at the dash like I expected to see a screen showing what was behind me? - I adapt easily.

Fortunately it was an uneventful trip, even at the Customs entering Mexico. I had taken the new weather station apart and dispersed pieces among boxes and the base of the outside unit is made of black plastic with two silver rain buckets and a white solar panel on the end, it's about 12" long overall and I had it sitting face down in a box. The agent pulled it out and was staring at it with a puzzled look, I laughed (I always laugh a lot when I go through Customs) and said it was part of a weather station and showed him my business card and explained the lluvia (rain) falls on the silver buckets and is measured - now he was really puzzled, but he just shrugged and waved me on and a mere 11 hours later I was back here once again, tired and a bit more stressed than I realized I guess because it took several days and then I suddenly felt totally drained.

I have some additional observations I'll talk about in another thread, things you see NOB you would never see here.

The Long Last Journey Home

THIS — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:13:56 GMT

One of life's adventures is the one that none of us look forward to taking; the last long journey home to bury a parent, in this case my Mother. She was an extraordinary person and it would take a book to chronicle her life, from her birth to a farm family in Nebraska in 1915, the Great Depression years, the war years and to a full life in Denver, she saw changes in the world, in technology and history few of us can imagine. So, if you will allow me a last remembrance.

She was a gentle soul who never raised her voice and wasn't much on idle chit chat, except with family. I called her every Monday and Friday for many years and she didn't have much to say, especially in these later years, but she liked to hear my voice I guess, so I would talk telling her about Mexico etc and she would chuckle when I kidded her about being out jogging or partying. While her health was really pretty good considering she was 97, her short term memory slipped away in the last couple of years and she moved from the assisted care side of the retirement center to the "Reflections area" where memory loss residents lived. To be honest, for the last 10 years she was bored and ready to go "home" to be with the family who preceded her including my Father who passed 55 years ago as a young man.

She was buried beside my Father at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver; a place had been reserved for her in 1957, waiting for her arrival. When I went home to see her each year I would take her out to Ft. Logan to put red carnations on my Father's grave and one of the last times I pulled up to the row where I knew he was buried and she said "no, I think it's more over there" pointing a different direction. I chuckled and said "no Mom, he's right over here in row N. Then I said to her "you know Mom, one day you're going to be there next to him, so you need to remember where this is because you're going to be there for a long time" - she just laughed, it was her way.

Five of her siblings still survive; she was the oldest of eight children by two wives, her Mother tragically died in a fire when Mom was only twelve. One brother, who just recently lost his wife, had been in the hospital and wasn't able to travel, but a number of other family from Nebraska came to share this last time, and in typical family tradition it was a time of sadness, but happiness as well because our family is deeply religious. It's a hard concept for some to understand how we could be happy and sad all at the same time, but it's our tradition.

In fact, the night before at the Viewing at the funeral home it was very much a family reunion, certainly not a wailing wake. I was the last to pull out of the parking lot and the funeral director was standing outside and I pulled up to him and said something like "I apologize for our family, it's just the way we are" - he smiled and said "I much prefer your family traditions compared to some".

I've lived away for so long that I sometimes forget how wonderful my family is, just good honest hard working people that will take anyone in and call them "family" as they did for my wife Chris.

The memorial service was performed by one of my uncles who is a retired minister. My sisters and I followed with a few words. I started by saying in Texas we say that to keep things brief you put it on a bumper sticker, I held up a business cards with a few notes saying I would be brief.

I said that she lived a long and full life, and for most in the room we had known her all our lives because she was the eldest. She was known by many names, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother, she was a friend, neighbor, and teacher - but to me and my sisters she was just "Mom".

Mom set the bar high, not only in years but in moral and ethical standards, you never had to wonder what she would say about something, but if you did ask, she'd be glad to tell you and to this day - and I'm sure for the rest of my life - when I'm faced with those kinds of decisions I will always think of her and what she would say.

I went on to say that as I was driving across Mexico, and I had plenty of time to think about her life, I wondered how many times I used the word "mom" in my life. Mom was always there for us, to support us, to love and care for us and give us guidance when needed - and at times when needed, in my case, a lecture was applied.

I concluded by saying that in the last years I sometimes wondered why the Lord had left her here so long, but as I was driving I decided that probably He wanted to give her the years to finally see her son "grown up" - but when that didn't work out even He grew tired of waiting and finally gave up and called her home.

Another tradition of our family get-togethers is food, we always eat, it must be a Nebraska thing? - so, after Mom's service, we all went to a restaurant for lunch and "Mom bought", I'm sure she approved to see her family gathered together, they were the most important things to her, she cared little for material things, maybe a product of growing up in the Great Depression, but more likely a tenant of her Faith.

In conclusion: some of you folks may be new to the blog due to the article about the weather station, welcome and please be assured this is not the usual tenor of topics, only something that needed to be said. Additionally we lost a wonderful man a week ago, a retired Canadian Anglican Canon whom I will remember in the next few days, but first I’ll try to lay out a few notes from my travels to the “homeland” which constitute the "adventure" part of recent events.

Point it North and hit the gas?

THIS — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:04:05 GMT

Just a couple of notes to let y'all know Max and I are still alive and well in deep central Mexico. I've been remiss in not keeping up to date with "adventures" although there have been few since our last meeting that would qualify as genuine white knuckle "hold my coke and watch this" events.

I've been preoccupied with deciding if I want to stay in this house, if I can afford to stay in the house, and all those types of things. As I mentioned, the owners were here for a brief visit in December and asked me to stay which caught me by surprise as I had pretty much decided to leave in July. So, I double crunched the numbers and told them what I could afford and was willing to pay. In return they essentially agreed and will not rent the casita as my neighbor is leaving in April and won't be coming back to MX next year. That is a bonus as it assures the cats and I of our own little private "gated" community.

However, there are still some questions about the areas around me. I have talked to the owners of the vacant lot next to me and they are keeping it, so it won't fall into a developers hands, that's one down, but a big one to go. They've pretty much finished the reconstruction next door taking 11 loooong months and making life miserable for us, especially my neighbor. Now I need to see who they are going to rent the units to, if old gringos, ok, if the cartel for weekend parties etc - I'm outta here!

Looking into this year I had planned on making my annual trip NOB in Sept this year so my neighbor could come back down and house sit and then move her car back NOB. Then I decided I'd go the day after Easter before she leaves and ordered a new weather station etc. so I could go up April 2nd and pick up everything.

Then came the call Sunday afternoon, one I'd expected for years, my Mother in Denver had passed away at age 97. The services will be this Friday, so I scrambled to find airline reservations out of Austin and I'll start driving tomorrow, catch the flight on Thurs and be there this weekend. She lived a long and good life and yet, she was bored these last years having outlived all her friends, two of her siblings and of course my Father passed 55 years ago. Living distant, my Sisters and I didn't get to see her often, so tomorrow I'll begin the long last trip home to say goodbye.

On a positive note, my Niece Katie should be on her way home as I write this, she was scheduled to leave Afghanistan last weekend and we're so thankful for her safety and the service she, and all the others, have give to our country.

Next time around I promise there will be more adventure and we'll get back to life as we've grown to know it here in deep central Mexico.

Good things come to those who wait - and in MX, that's a common malady!

THIS — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:46:40 GMT

Not to leave y'all hanging with regards to my banking fiasco, I have good news and darn well earned I might add, but good news - I'm not broke, well not rich, but not broke which I realize is only good news to me, but being the warm little fuzzball I am (normally) I just wanted to "share"?

It only took 3 trips to the Village to see my personal banker Beto, 2 trips to my vice-personal banker Phoebe (whom you may recall I hollered at last week) and 2 phone calls to 1-800- Inglish-HelpLine to get it all resolved and this time I didn't holler at anyone, not once.

To cut to the chase my ATM card which is a key to all things great and peso here in MX was old, passe etc - which I thought was perfect, fit me to a tee? But no, when they came up with this stupid new cheezy calculator number thingy they also whacked all the old cards, you now need a new ATM card with, of course, a new number to memorize and then there is the little RFID embedded chip (which was why I didn't want a new card). Then, new security agreements, signoffs on cancelling the old cards etc. (Mexicans absolutely LOVE paperwork, makes them feel muy importante don't you know?).

One of the problems when I was talking to HELP ME POR FAVOR was that 4 years ago when I opened the account they asked a question which was ID'd as "home"? I have no idea what I said at that time, was it Texas, or Riberas, or? - and turns out it had to be 8 letters or more long, I told Beto I never lived in any place big enough to have 8 letters in it's name for gosh sakes. But now I have a new question, a new answer and I wrote it on the inside of my arm so no one can steal it - hope it's in water proof ink?

I asked Beto if my old money was still in there or if I had to fill it with new money - he was mildly amused. But, that's how things go in Mexico, just takes time, perseverance, patience, tolerance and it does help if you don't yell at the local folk.

I was so excited to be "in the chips" again I went straight out to the ATM and got a wad of pesos and paid my annual mailbox rent, so my address is good for another year - whether I am or not.

And, I've been in and out of the account several times, I can transfer money, what more could an old gringo hope for?

DON'T HOLLER AT THE LOCAL FOLKS IT'S DUMB!

THIS — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:03:02 GMT

Today's adventure contains all the elements of a real adventure. I define "real" adventure as having two parts, one when you do something really stupid and two, when you get away with it and your life remains intact. So it is with today, we have a problema, travel to a distant place by Jeep and by foot, disillusionment, yelling at a banker, yelling at a local folk, running a red light, the ensuing chase by a motocop and being told I look like the Governor of Jalisco? And finally acquiring a super secret "token" or ingenious number generator that allows only me to get into my - and I stress MY - bank account? What more could you ask from a day in paradise?

So, the day dawned at about 7:32 right on cue, muy frio (very cold) at about 51 degrees (well, that's muy frio here?) with some clouds, days with clouds always start out wrong - as this one would prove to be. I did the usual, get the coffee, feed the gatos (cats) and head for the weather command center (my PC desk - and NO it's not politically correct) to check on the new weather station and see if it was getting a grip on the local conditions.

The "adventure" actually started yesterday when I tried to sign into my Bancomer online account and was told it was "locked" - that will send a tingle up your leg (as Chris Mathews says) but, I blew it off as a techno goof and we headed to Tonala to meet our friends visiting from NM. BTW, we had a great time in Tonala, then Tlaquepaque where they were staying. We visited a B&B a block from downtown that is absolutely fabulous. Wow, the things you find "behind the walls".

Today my account is still "locked" and now I'm annoyed (if not a tinge concerned). So, I printed out the screen which is of course is in Spanish and reads "CERRRADO", headed down to the Village to see my "personal banker" Beto. That's a nuisance because driving into the village is several miles and parking and walking 4 blocks, which I have to do every month when I deposit my check. Seems one time in the far distant past in a distant galaxy - well, here in MX and that's alien? a Canuck deposited a sizable check and it was credited in US Dollars which at the time was a biggie loss and it took forever and a divine act of the Virgin of the Bankers Unanimous to get it untangled and so now, when a gringo (I qualify) needs to deposit a check we have to stand/sit in line to see Beto who scratches something on it and then they know it US or Canuck funds?

Well today in my "mood" I drove into the village, parked, walked 4 blocks only to find myself #5 in line to see Beto. You could overhear the guy already in his cubicle relating a long history of zero interest to me and so I waited 10 minutes and stalked out to find someone else to browbeat (I was in that kind of mood). I decided to go see my other "Personal Banker" at an office (no actual banking services) on the Libramiento. By that time I had worked up a sizable head of steam and after listening to a lady already in her office describing something about having a needle stuck into her spine? - it was my turn.

Trying to be somewhat civil and diplomatic (well, at least for a start) I opened by saying "Phoebe (that's really her name) I'm in a hostile mood today so don't take this personal" - she said she wouldn't which was her first mistake, that gave me a license to unload on Bancomer via her ears. I said I didn't presume to tell them how to run their customer relations, but something had to be done and I related the locked acct and my futile trip into the village.

She said we now need a "token"??? to get into our account - like huh you say? Yes, seems there was an email in Dec? - well, that just stoked my fire, I said I never got an email. She said it would have been in Spanish and I said any email from Bancomer I take serious and translate if I need to. She then made her second mistake by saying some other people said they didn't get the email either and I jumped with both feet saying "well, didn't that run up a few red flags?" - she remained calm and explained they now have a new security system that is tighter than bark on a tree and no one (and at the moment, not even me) can get into an account because the "token" is actually a dinky, cheezy little 5 centavo calculator that you press to get a security number? - so, now I have to carry that with me when I travel just to get into my account? - as usual, someone in MX didn't think this one through. And besides, the problem isn't getting into my account, it's the ATM which are being ripped off??????????? - and this does nothing, nada, for the real problem, but someone's brother-in-law sold a boat load of cheezy calculators.

Undeterred, and still with significant venom flowing, I said "Phoebe, you know there are other banks" and she said "yes, and they'll charge your for deposits etc." - I cut her short and said "Phoebe, I'll bet as soon as you said that you realized it wasn't a good thing to say" - and she flinched a bit but kept a stiff spine (she's from Dallas so I can talk to her and she understands). I ended the dissertation by saying "I don't care about the cost if it works!" and stalked out.

That would bring me to the next "eventos" in my misspent day. As I went out the front door, I could see a car was parked so close to mine I couldn't squeeze between the two much less open the door and I was in no mood to be gracious and crawl over the console. The older MXN gentleman was just getting out and I said in a loud voice "THANKS". He looked as me and said something in semi-Inglish I didn't understand and I replied "THANKS FOR PARKING SO CLOSE I CAN'T EVEN OPEN MY DOOR"!

Now, I've made this stupid mistake a time or two before and so in the back on my mind major red flags and alarm bells are going off saying "DONT YELL AT THE LOCAL FOLK - IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA". But, it was too late at that point, so, making sure I compounded the error I glanced down at the yellow lines for parking spaces which clearly showed I was actually on the far side of my space away from him and he was on MY yellow line, so for good visual followup, I kicked his right tire and pointed down at the line. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another car on the other side with a gringo who was taking it all in until I started yelling and quickly rolled up his window and pretended to have dropped his paperwork on the floor of his car and dived to retrieve it - and stayed there until I left? Fortunately the fellow moved, I remounted the Jeep and headed off to the next segment of the adventure.

This would take us to the next exciting thing we'll call "the great chase" and impending clash with the law. Having vented significant levels of steam at my banker I careened (will actually drove) down and onto the Carretera (main road) and headed home, I'd had enough for the day, or so I thought. There are two stop lights in the village of San Antonio between me and safe haven and often one or more of the bulbs are burned out, generally the green one, so if there aren't any lights, we assume (at our risk) that it's the green and not the red. I glanced up at the light as I approached and it was dark as the inside of the loan sharks heart, but an instant later it turned red? - well, I was essentially at the intersection, so I rolled on through, no harm, no foul (well, for a MXN, not a gringo).

This is where fate intervened in a continued effort to screw up my day. If you look at the sequence of lights, there is a pause from green to red of a few milli-seconds and that was what I saw, that fractional time and then it went red. Well, within a couple of blocks I had more red lights by my left door and these were attached to a moto cops bike and yes, he did want me to stop so we could compare rice cooker recipes (I assumed).

Still being in an absolutely abhorrent mood I did some mental calculations, could I outrun him - probably not, was he armed - yes, does he have a radio? - yes, which brought into memory the last guys who were headed this way trying to outrun the cops and it ended in a gun fight in Chapala at the main street where you turn left, they went across the island, took out the traffic light and took out part of the front of a restaurant straight ahead and apparently one of them in the cab had pulled the pin of a grenade so with all the thrashing around he dropped it and it was the final mistake of 3 bad guys.

It's amazing how fast the mind can calculate things, so with all the calculations completed, including the fact I could never show my face or drive my recognizable Jeep at the lake again, I checked the bottom line and decided to pull over and give the guy a break. Ok, so I fudged a bit about "the great chase".

As I stopped, now really upset with myself, I dug in my pocket and pulled out my money clip with drivers license and was getting that out when he appeared at my door and was jabbering something in a foreign language which I eventually realized was probably Spanish. I hadn't looked at him yet, but when I did he was holding his ID badge for me to see, name, pic etc. and that goes a ways as lately we've had some problems, not so much here, but in Guad with rogue cops looking for mordida (bribes) and hiding their badges to prevent ID. I said just give me the boleto (ticket) and again he was jabbering and I wasn't listening. He wanted to see my paperwork, so I pulled out the big Aduana package and handed it to him, he thumbed down and bit and I think I again said "just give me the ticket" - and he asked something, and again I wasn't listening, but finally realized he was asking if I was having a bad day? - HA - a bad day, or a "mal dia" to which I answered si, muy feo (very ugly) he began to laugh and said "no ticket today" and then went on to ask if I knew who the Governor of Jalisco was and if I had seen his picture, I said si, he said I looked like him and we both laughed. So, a pleasant ending to what I was trying to make a bad encounter.

I thanked the cop and went home to think about going back down into the village to my bank and decided I was going to have to do it sooner or later and now might as well be the time, so I headed into the village. When I got there I was almost next in line to see my banker and presented him with my original problem and he said "oh, you need a token" - well, the duh was all over me!

Regress a moment: at present we have a credit card with a 10 X 10 grid on the back, each with a 3 digit number and when you go online you put in a debit card number and your normal password, you are then asked to enter (randomly) what is in grid H7 etc. and also what is at the bottom of the card (10 letters with corresponding numbers) and then you get into your account. Well, I can appreciate their attempt at security, but now the card is passe, void, out of here and now I have to have my little "token" calculator to give me security numbers to enter. I can't wait to try it, but of course it will take at least 24 hours which probably means Monday as this is Friday and this is MX?

I trundled back home, carefully, watching every stoplight and retreated behind my gate to contemplate my navel in the security and privacy of Casa Abuelo.

All in all this day qualifies as an adventure, I managed to do stupid things, hollering at people I did and didn't know, I ran a red light and got away with it and turns out I look like the Gov of Jalisco. This qualifies as a certified adventure, I did stupid things and survived to tell about it - now, come Lunes (Monday) we'll see if I still have money in the bank or not.

Don't miss life's little blessings

THIS — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:10:28 GMT

This being year end I thought I'd take a few minutes to be thankful (while I'm waiting for enough water to take a shower when I'll be seriously thankful). So often these days when there is little good news anywhere you look, we forget to be thankful for the multitude of blessings of small things we take for granted each day.

Max and I are lucky and fortunate in so many ways beginning with having each other to look out for. When I lost Chris I didn't think I could take care of him, but of course that was exactly why he was there to give me some focus and responsibility. Today he's the one single responsibility I have each day, to make sure he has enough food, fresh water and a clean litter box, being an inside cat it's important. Oh, the weather station is probably the most visible thing we do, but if it disappeared today everyone would get along just fine, afterall, weather is weather.

Often, more and more in our old age, Max will insist on sitting on my lap when I'm here at the PC, or laying on me while I watch TV, I think he senses some distress in me and he's there to make it better. And in return, when he's sleeping on the big chair by the windows I walk over and pet him a bit and tell him I love him, so it's a mutual exchange of caring we've developed through the years.

We're fortunate to be able to live in a nice house in a nice warm climate and pay our bills on time. Of course the main trick to this point has been breaking old spending habits and learning not to create bills that exceed our income - the process is slow and painful, but it's coming along. I've learned to live by the spreadsheet where I track all my spending to make sure I'm not over driving my headlights.

One big thing has been concerning me for a time now and that's the cost of living in this house. Oh, we're thankful to have found such a wonderful (for the most part) house and to have lived here 4 years going into 5. So, looking ahead at the lease I made the decision to find a new casa next July and to be very honest, we're spoiled and the thought of searching for, and moving to, a new casa has been weighing heavily on me.

The owners of this place are teachers in Taiwan and have been on long term contract and only come to visit for a few days once or twice a year. They have another new house they will eventually retire to. A couple of weeks ago they were here and Paul called me to have a cup of coffee, so we were just enjoying the afternoon, but I put a bit of a dent in it when I told him I was leaving after June as I needed to tighten up the budget a bit and Margaret, the lady from Canada who rents the casita won't be coming back next year. We discussed the satellite TV system I've installed and for him to consider buying it etc. He said they hated to lose me as I've treated the place like it my own.

A few days later before they left, he and Karen came over to see how nice Pedro the gardener keeps the place and out of nowhere he asked "so, what will it take to keep you here?" - that caught me off guard, I really didn't expect it and at first brushed it aside as we talked and walked around the place. Finally he delivered what may be our Christmas present and our heartburn all in one. He said they understood how much I value my privacy and they would just not rent the casita and drop my rent accordingly. Well, that is certainly tempting and as I said, an unexpected Christmas present, but now comes the heartburn, I have to decide if that's what I want to do and a big part of it isn't on the spreadsheet - it's things that are intangible, some are simply inherent in Mexico, some more specifically relate to the neighborhood, the roads(?), water and electricity and simply the noise from the "park" a couple blocks away where they party at night and sometimes all night.

So, we're blessed and thankful for this option which may save Max and I from having to pack and haul, (Max isn't a lot of help in either case) we'll see.

Of course we're thankful for our good health and only relatively minor signs of aging to deal with from time to time. We're thankful and blessed by family and our special friend and neighbor Margaret for putting up with us these 5 Winters and will miss her and the laughs and great cooking she shares with us.

Now, let me remind y'all of a few things you should be thankful for, things you probably don't think much about starting with the simple thing like turning on a light, or plugging in an appliance and it works. Electriciy, it's so common we don't think much about it, well, up there NOB we don't think much about it. There was always power, all we wanted and could use and it was relatively inexpensive. Here we thankful each day to have the power available, it's erratic, it's "dirty" so we have to buy expensive regulators, it surges and browns out and for the blessings of all those things we pay about 4X what I did in TX.

Need a drink of water? - sure, just turn on the faucet and you have clean, safe potable water available day or night, it's nothing special, it's just there when you need it, be thankful and don't assume anything. This morning about 6:15 as I was waking I heard the water heater outside gurgling? - but it does that from time to time. When I got up and brushed my teeth, no water, not a drop? - when's the last time that happened to you?

I went down to feed the cats and make coffee and as I stepped outside I heard the pressure pump running, I went out and unplugged it and came back up to wait for daylight to see where the problem was, even though I had a pretty good idea what had happened - you see, I know more about this property than anyone, the owners only lived here about a year, I've been here 4 years plus and have learned to deal with the quirks, the twists and turns of daily life here which will be a significant part of the decision process, do I really need or want more of this?

The water here is miserable, lots of sand and mud so it is filtered as it comes in from the street. Then, it fills an aljibe (cistern to us from NE) from which it is pumped through more filters into the house - or onto the vegetation by the gardener, which was what was happening last evening. Yes, paying to pump filtered water onto the ground is dumb, but? - well, let's leave it at "dumb".

The water from SIMAPA (our amateur water company) isn't always flowing, if the pump is down, the electricity is down, they're working on the system or it's one of the Holy Days of St. Aguas, the patron saint of water systems, you don't get any water, that's why we have aljibes to tide us over until it flows again.

At first light I opened the hatch and sure enough we apparently hadn't received water for some period of days probably, and Pedro had pumped the aljibe dry watering last evening and turning on a street tap nearby confirmed, no agua. I got out the ladder and headed for the roof of the casita, it's water supply is in big tanks, or tinacos, on the roof - fortunately they were full. Now all I had to do was wait until 9am when the Rentals officina opens and call to have them send a water truck - yes, this happens so often they have water trucks that come out and "fill 'er up".

To add insult to injury, the pressure pump had run all night blowing bubbles in the water heater (instead of water) and that ran up another 7KWH of electricity or about $2.80 and hopefully didn't burn itself out. And of course when we do get water in the aljibe the pump will need to be primed to get the house back up to pressure (which at best is about half what most of you are used to).

One curse that is a blessing is the pool which I never use. It requires 2KWH a day to run the filter, it collects leaves etc. and while pretty to look at - right after the pool guys skims it - it's a curse. However, this morning it's a blessing, it contains 15,000 gallons of chlorinated water that can be dipped a bucket at a time to flush the convenience - now, there's a blessing, we have indoor plumbing and even in the most stressed times we have water to flush them.

Half an hour later I went out to get a second bucket and noticed the little frog on my homemade pool filler (yes, another curse, the pool leaks) was squirting, meaning the water was coming in from the street again, so no water truck will be needed after all. I'll let it run a while and then prime the pump, bleed air out of the faucets and hopefully take a nice warm shower, another blessing I used to take for granted - no mas.

Here's one more for the stack of stuff; just got a note from my friend in Albuquerque, he ordered something from Amazon last night after 6pm and already has a note this morning it has shipped. Now friends, that IS convenience, we don't even attempt to ship things down here for the most part and if we do, we don't expect it for weeks, we do expect the contents may have been pilfered by Customs as it comes into the country and we do expect it may have a ridiculously high import fee accessed by the same folks that pilfered it?

The Mexico experience has generally been a good one, but, as noted it makes you appreciate small things we normally take for granted. And, also as noted, a decision will have to be made about staying or leaving this casa at some point, but fortunately that's something that I can put off until next year. For now I'm just thankful I have a wrench and the knowledge of how to use it to prime the pressure pump and if all goes well we'll be thankful to have water again and a nice warm shower.

Don't miss the small things in life, they are some of the biggest blessings.

Feliz ano nuevo from Max and Steve somewhere in Mexico.

It's 19.6 degrees with light snow?

THIS — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:54:58 GMT

Well, got your attention didn't it? But of course not here in paradise, we're 64 and climbing, sunny, toasty warm and blue skies and I'm in shorts as usual. However, the previous conditions are what will greet my neighbor when she gets to her home in Elliot Lake, Ontario - and yes, that is in Canuckland, Great Frozen North etc.

I chucked her on a plane yesterday morning to MX City where she takes the great Air Canuck snowbird flight N to Toronto to spend a night with her daughter and family, then to another flight to Sudbury, or "Suds" as they call it where her son will meet her with the family mule and that's transportation for the final 150 miles where it will be 19.6 F and light snow? - who can live like that , or better, who wants to live like that?

Actually having spent 5 "seasons" with my friend who migrates here for the winters, I've become somewhat knowledgeable about the Great Frozen North (let's just cut that to GFN and save keystrokes). From our sunny afternoons in the garden I know more about Air Canada whom she worked for over 30 years than some who actually worked for them, I know about life in tiny northern Ontario villages she grew up in and most of all, I've been forcibly indoctrinated by Canuck satellite TV (all I can get here). I get 10 channels of hockey - seriously, I get History channel etc. but they're always talking in meters and Celsius? Even the American channels I get are from the far N, you think I could see a Texas football game? - fat chance, I get the Rustbelt Chubbies vs. the Eastern Rustbelt Skinnies? Give me a break!

And, while I have unprogrammed the 10 channels of hockey and curling? - they still manage to slip it in under me like a stealth wedge of unwanted info and suddenly you realize you've been jacked and are watching Daily Planet and they drooling on about an 1840's hockey stick someone found - really, I couldn't make stuff like this up.

I'm a rabid fan now of Ice Pilots Northwest Territory, so I know about places like Yellowknife and remote Eskimo villages where they're still flying DC3's into? These guys are nuts, trying to start a plane at 60 below etc does make me appreciate our place here.

So, the rhythm of life bumps along, Max and I are alone for 3 weeks while my friend does her Canuck thing, I sent an Email to her daughter telling her she was on the way and to send her back when she freezes up and we'd take her in for the residual of the "winter". Actually this will be her last winter here at least for another year etc. and Max and I will be house hunting next year for a new weather station. We throw a wide net, I'm currently researching Lake Atitlan Guatemala - well, who knows, that could be a great place?

All in all, the years have slipped by quickly and so we're having one last great one here at the estate, we had a great Thanksgiving and I put out Christmas lights for the first time and we'll enjoy the new year and all it has to offer.

Peace and Love to all from Max and me.

Honey, I almost blew the end off the house?

THIS — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:45:33 GMT

Life in Mexico is just one "eventos" after another, like a long chain of things, some great, some good, some bad, some just plain stupid and/or ugly, but it's rarely boring. In fact, I'd go so far as to proffer that Alzheimers in MX is almost unheard of, with all the mental exercise you get daily, challenging your most extreme imaginations, how could your brain go lame?

So, a bit of a continuing story from the recent trip time. As mentioned, the pilot light at the casita went out, turned out the flex hose from the propane tank was leaking and the tank was empty, so $300 pesos of recently filled propane was gone into thin air.

I decided to check my heater and sure enough, mine was beginning to leak as well so I had Chuy the maintenance guy replace it. When he finished he had trouble getting the pilot light to stay on and the main burner wouldn't fire up. But, after a time and some tinkering it fired up and he went on his merry way as did I, secure in the knowledge that my world was right again - or so I assumed.

About 3 hours later I was out on the upper deck watering my bougainvilleas and filling the fountain etc. and on the second pot I noticed what seemed to be mist or smoke or something coming off the stream of water? - well, being the astute guy I am I figured something was wrong, so I shot the water stream out over and into the pool and it was steaming like crazy? Like a dummy I stuck my hand in the water (NOT astute) and it was scalding hot - now, that's odd? - it's not often you get scalding hot water from your garden hose?

I thought for a few seconds and took off running for the main propane tank and shut it off - I was definitely NOT going near the water heater if what I suspected had happened. I went back in the house and turned on the kitchen cold water faucet and it was hissing and spitting like a wild cat. I went upstairs and opened the shower and the sink and it was almost pure steam coming out of them for at least 10 - 15 minutes. Finally it all calmed down and I let it all set for a couple hours and started back into the mystery.

First I had a guy plumb the hose outlet on the upper deck about 3 years ago and he connected to the cold water pipe next to the water heater. In MX, all water heaters are outside, I assumed it was less efficient that way (duh) during the winter you heat the great outside - must be a MXN thing because they also don't have much insulation in them? They replaced that heater about 2 years ago and I had poked around it and discovered that MXN water heaters do NOT have an emergency popoff valve on them like NOB, so they're a ticking pressure bomb waiting to explode. Hmm, now that might be why they're outside, so when they blow, or leak, it's not inside, I suppose there is a twisted logic somewhere in there?

Turns out that when Chuy put the control back together something stuck and the burner had been running full "steam" (pardon the pun) and was so hot it was heating the incoming cold water pipes and that was what backed up into the hose, so the hose and I became the "emergency popoff valve". I'd bet we were within a gnats hair of blowing the whole thing, and probably the end of the house in the process. Fortunately St. Ed, the patron saint of water heaters (named after a plumber in ancient Rome, sainted by an exploding water heater) spared us the calamity. So, another call to Chuy and more tinkering and he got it all back to normal (whatever that is?) and I've had hot agua for a week with no disasters.

The only casualties seem to be the plastic shower head which was partially melted and had enough "junk", boiled out of the pipes, deposited in it to choke a chicken, so I pitched it and most sadly, one of my prettiest bougainvilleas, an orange one puckered and deflowered within days, so now here on the "dia de los muertos" (day of the dead) my boggy is muerto.

In Mexico, you just never know how much fun you're going to have each day until you open it up like a big surprise package and see what is waiting for you, I guess that's why I call it "The Great Adventure".

The long trip back home

THIS — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:22:45 GMT

The second half will be shorter and less complaints - I promise. It deals in part with the "game" we play at the border when coming back into MX with all the goodies we purchased NOB, and if I described the drive across central MX, it would be a very loooooong paragraph with nothing in it.

Different folks have different opinions of the best places to cross, after spending a night in Laredo I always use the #2 International Bridge connecting Laredo to Neuvo Laredo, I know how to get there and so I stick with what works.

It goes without saying that variation and "personal initiative" with regards to regulations is a finely honed Mexican custom, so you can never be totally sure of what might have changed yesterday, last week, or just specially for you that day only. The actual Customs laws seem like many here, more "suggested guidelines" rather than rock hard enforced laws. So, the law says that you can bring in $300 in merchandise if you fly, but only $75 if you drive? - who knows why. Generally they are looking for big ticket items and electronics although your PC etc. is allowed without question.

And, sorry to interject this tiny political note, but how the heck did people drive in with something over 1,000 automatic rifles in their original boxes without being noticed when they were poking through my suitcase looking for who knows what?

I always pull a couple of boxes from storage with cookware etc. I leave the boxes dusty and mangy looking, then unbox all my new purchases and distribute them around the car in different boxes and suitcases. When you come across the bridge you immediately enter the Customs or Aduana station, they're only interested in what you have in the car and/or trailer. You have the option to "Declare" something, or you can "No Declare" and just sort of "fake it". I always try to get there about 5:30am while there is no traffic and they're still sleepy.

One year I did Declare as I had a new weather station in the original box, I had paperwork indicating a "sale" price, but Declaring was a mistake because it immediately threw me into a line of pickups loaded to the hilt with Mexicans moving back home. It also runs you through a secondary process because they want a list of what you have and you pay 16% of the Declared value and then you push a button and either get a red or green light, if you get red, they dig deeper through all your stuff looking more seriously. Needless to say I don't Declare any more.

Last year I had a new lawn blower for the gardener for Christmas in the original box, they didn't care, this year I got him an electric reciprocating saw, again they were totally uninterested. So after lifting a few box flaps the young lady said it was ok for me to go and I hit the road. The funny thing is that I had a rather sizable model RC helicopter sitting on the passenger side floor covered with white packing paper and she didn't even notice?

This is first of two potential knotholes you are dragged through backwards. Now, if you are entering the country for the first time at this point you're in MX, but you don't have a visa or an import sticker for your car yet. So you drive about a mile to a white building under the bridge and jump through their hoops and pay your dues.

When you bring a car into MX you get an import sticker which now costs about $40 plus a $300USD deposit (no pesos, USD only) which they say you get back when you take the car out of the country - uh huh, sure you will. By law you are supposed to turn in the sticker each time you leave and get a new one when you come back in, I never do, I just drive out and back in and they don't ask, but this time with the new $300 deposit thing I wasn't sure I'd get away with it. When I came in 4 years ago I gave them my credit card number, later the card was stolen and replaced, so they basically have no deposit from me. But this time I held out $300 in cash just in case.

It's common to get stopped from time to time, twice on the way up at checkpoints where they asked for my papers, now I'm sure I wasn't "profiled" - I mean really, an old gray haired gringo driving a car with TX plates? They don't care about your US plates being out of date, only your drivers license, your visa and the muy importante import sticker.

So as I proceeded out into the early morning darkness and glanced over at the white building, I have my visa and I didn't turn in my import sticker, so I just drove by and smiled with the $300 firmly jammed in my pocket.

You drive around Nuevo Laredo on an eastern loop and then head south. At exactly 9.7 miles at dark:30 traffic stopped dead? - traffic was coming north, but we were going nowhere and we proceeded to go nowhere for an hour and 15 minutes while inhaling diesel fumes from trucks next to me. Federales and military were running up and down the other side of the highway, who knows why? Finally the road opened and we headed for the 20 mile Aduana station, the second potential knothole in your progress.

There is a small booth in the middle of the road and a person asks for your visa and then you get a red or green light (yes, they do love those). Last year I got a red, all the inspection bays were full so I pulled up next to two other cars, and a guy peeked in and told me to "jale" (pull). This year there was no one in the booth, no red/green lights, no cars being inspected, no Aduana at all, only two Federales with flashlights glancing at the import stickers. Apparently something had happened, but who knows what, so I headed into MX toward Monterey smiling, from there it's nothing but 700 miles of open road - well, the 13 toll booths of course, they're the modern day banditos relieving you of about $80 on the way home, however the toll roads are generally good.

There were a lot of military convoys running both directions and one checkpoint. At Matehuala I was flagged by a Federale who shook hands, asked where I was going and smiled and said to have a safe trip. At one point I was driving about 80mph and 3 military pickups blew by me doing at least 95, all loaded with armed guys, and as usual, always one standing up in the back leaning into the wind? Generally there is at least one vehicle with a 50 caliber machine gun mounted up top and they always have an ammunition belt loaded in the breach to remind you that the gun isn't there just because it looks neat.

Most of the coutas (toll roads) are divided highway, but some are not and then things get a bit tense with hills and trucks and impatient old gringos wanting to pass. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere I met with a rather large stone kicked up, or falling off, a truck and the windshield took a hit dead center leaving a nice crescent fracture about the size of a half quarter. Once home I took it to a fellow and for $60 we hope to save the windshield, otherwise I have to worry about getting the TX inspection and license stickers and most important, the import sticker off, getting a new one of those would require a trip to the border and $340 as noted, but hey, stuff happens.

All in all the trip had a lot of nuisance factors this year, I guess I wasn't in the proper spirit - or maybe I'm just getting too darn old to do this kind of trip in only 8 days. So even through the nuisance things were small, they irritated me to no end. There is also the cooling off period which lasts several days while I readjust to life in MX as compared to the States. While most of the aggravation was NOB this year, it's a pretty nice place by comparison. It's not hard to see why Mexicans coming to the States think they've gone to heaven and didn't even have to die.

I'm now settling back into my life here in Tortillaville as I enjoy the nice sunny weather compared to Denver which got several inches of snow the other day. (what I expected to happen to me and my new jacket?)

Seems hard to imagine I've been here 4 years now, only yesterday Max and I set out on the great adventure and now it's just our normal life.

Welcome gringo to the land of inconvenience and gouge

THIS — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:19:41 GMT

Ok, this part is fairly obvious, not that you're not aware of it, but America has become expensive and darn inconvienient, something I accept down here, but I expect more from the home planet. Most of you have become numbed by the ever increasing costs of some things and hassles at every twist and turn, but my nerve ending are still in full sensitivity bloom and every once in a while I got a real jolt.

In sales we use to do a Ben Franklin close where you have the customer makes up a list of the good things vs the bad things and when the good exceeds then he sells himself. I decided to put together a small list off the top of my head of good and bad, it follows:

The Bad:
Rain gauge failed right before hurricane rains, so none recorded
PC needed rebooting (thanks to neighbor for assistance)
Pilot light went out at casita (sorry neighbor)
Propane tank was leaking so was empty (sorry again, that cost me $30 in wasted propane)
Forgot my knife that is always in the car (bought new ones at Home Depot)
Couldn't find sourdough starter mix in TX
New TX flag $28? (see hack and gouge)
Airline reservations, no seat assignment to Denver (even though I requested months ago)
Car reservation hassle + $96 extra for 3 days insurance?
Bought new $200 leather jacket for Denver - it was 85 degrees?
Parking in Austin $69 for 3 days?
1.5 hours on phone with travel agency to assure seat on return flight
Forgot to give my sister the manual for the camera I gave her
Missed my second sister completely because of my "too tight" scheduling
Paid extra $25 to Frontier Airlines to assure a seat in the screaming baby section
Stopped dead in traffic for over 1 hour at 6am in Neuvo Laredo, MX
Large rock hit windshield at 80mph somewhere in MX ($60 to fix - hopefully)

The Good:
Got home in one piece, older and I hope wiser if that's possible?

I told my neighbor before I left the trip didn't feel right, there was something niggling in the back of my mind raising little red flags, but hey, what can you do but press on with the plan.

I headed out early the morning of the 10th and it began raining as I drove out the gate. Any more I don't really like driving in the dark, or even in the rain and really not in the dark, in the rain in MX, just too many things to go wrong. Eventually the sun came up and out as the miles rolled off. I was getting great gas mileage and gas down here is still only about $2.85 a gallon. There are 13 toll stations along the route so those expenses were expected and built into the plan.

At the border I stay in Laredo, after 11 hours of driving I need the rest. I used to stay at a Comfort Inn, but they jacked the price up to nearly $100 a day by the time you pay tax etc., so I found a Red Roof for $60 which was just fine, clean, quiet and safe, but no hair dryer (I was so disappointed).

I always carry a knife/box cutter under the back seat of the Jeep. I picked up all my new stuff from George and took it to the motel where I unbox it, cut the boxes down and pitch them - but this time I had no knife, I thought it might have been stolen at the car wash, but no, I took it out of the car and forgot? - so went over to Home Depot the next morning and bought a package of 3 new ones for only $10, not bad, but not planned.

Food wasn't too much more, of course gas was about $3.25 a gallon as expected.The following day I did some shopping and bought Christmas lights, yes, this being the last year in this house we're going big time. I also wanted a new TX flag, I finally found one for $28???? - I picked it up, started to walk away and instead turned and put it back - only to finally say "ok, you only live once" - and friends, you know why you only live once? - BECAUSE YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE TWICE, I'll be lucky to get out of this life break even. I had dinner with friends that evening and that was fun but a bit more than we pay down here for a big meal.

Then the real fun began as I prepared to fly from Austin to Denver, I made 3 near fatal mistakes. I parked at the Austin airport like I did last year, like I have for years, headed for Frontier airlines and handed over $20 for my suitcase, the same suitcase that has traveled over 100,000 miles and until recently went for "free"? - come on people, if you need to charge more for the ticket, do it, but don't nickel, dime and $20 me to death - and no, I DO NOT carry-on a bag, airplanes are specifically purpose designed, but apparently airline companies don't ever read the manuals. Planes all have cargo or "baggage" compartments where you put "baggage" - stick with me here - and they all have overhead compartments where you put kids, this isn't hard folks, jam the bags underneath and the kids overhead and all would be perfect, but no, they charge $20 which forces people to carry on bags big enough to live in and try to stuff them in the overheads forcing the kids down to our level?

Back to the agent, I was handed a seat assignment for 28F? - I told the agent I already had requested seat 10A going up and 10F coming back - he told me that actually I didn't have a seat assignment, I handed him a printout of my reservation and pointed to "10A" - he said "oh, that's the problem, we eliminated row 10 to make more room". I said it was darn sure on the website when I booked my flight - he was unmoved. And of course, you know exactly where 28F is, the last row, the corner seat directly in front of the lavatory so you sit bolt upright and listen to the toilets on the other side of the bulkhead flush all the way to Denver.

The reservation problem was actually the second problem, the first was my parking at the Austin airport, that surprise was percolating while I was in Denver, more later.

In Denver, I called what turned out to be a travel agency that night and spent and hour and a half and got nowhere. Somehow, and I'm still trying to unravel how, I ended up booking through a travel agency and not Frontier direct, once I figure that out a letter to the BBB of Nashville WILL be mailed. Eventually I gave up being on hold and I did get to Frontier direct and she said the isle seats are reserved for one of their frequent flier groups and not available to me. Which is another stupid thing, they board them first so when the rest of us low life's trundle onto the plane, the isle seats are already full and you have to climb over them - really a bad plan.

Frontier assured me I hadn't booked the flight with them, but I could fly "stretch" which put me in seat 2A going back - oh, that will be an extra $25, no apology offered, just a thumb in the eye thank you. I told the lady that when I got to the airport there had better be a "reserved" sign on seat 2A or she would read about a guy going "postal" at the Denver airport!

We need to jump back to my arrival at Denver, I walked all the way from the A concourse and still beat the bags (which I paid extra to ship as you'll remember) and still beat them by 10 minutes. The overhead monitors said carousel #2, we all waited like sheep until someone noticed they were actually on carousel #1. Next I headed to my rental car with Avis. My travel itinerary from the mystery travel agency said "walk to the car" which I thought was maybe a new thing, it was never like that before? - and of course, still isn't, you "walk to a bus" and ride half way to Denver before being ejected at the real Avis "walk to your car" office.

I was sitting (actually pouting) on the bus and the lady driver had just put my bag in the rack (no extra charge) and asked me if I was "preferred" meaning Avis Preferred, I thought a moment and said no, I'm not preferred, no one prefers me anymore, when I was younger, better looking and had more money I used to be preferred, but now I'm old, ugly and broke and no one cares. She said "that will do it" and headed for the front of the bus.

When I got to the Avis counter I asked if they had a CTS Cadillac, that was what I wanted, well, they didn't have one, she went back looking for one, took at least 10 minutes, came back and said no Caddy, but they had a neat Lincoln, I told her I already had one. So, she said what about an Infiniti? - I said, I don't even know what that is, she assured me it was nice, a premium car, I finally said ok, again she headed out back and eventually came back and said they'd bring it to the Red Carpet area out front. In the mean time another one of my near fatal mistakes reared its ugly head. I have MXN insurance here for the Jeep, when I come to the States, I pay $50 for 30 days of liability on the Jeep while NOB. When I rent with my American Express it covers everything but liability so I said I needed that coverage for the 3 days I'd have the car - $98 thank you? - man, talk about hack and gouge, I was already paying a premium price for the car and didn't get what I wanted anyway, and now this? (next year WILL be different).

I went out and waited, a guy pulled up in a something look-alike car and walked away, the plate didn't match, so I waited, pretty soon he came back, got in it and drove off, I waited, he drove up in something else and the plate matched, so I figured it must be "my" Infiniti.

He left it running so I tossed my bags in the back and settled in to see what buttons make things work, this thing was kind of neat, the control panel makes the space shuttle look tacky. I headed into town to the motel and noticed it was one of the new ones without a key, just a little fob with buttons on it, when it's inside the car, in your pocket etc, you start it by pushing a big button on the dash that says "START" - much like my '50 Chevy, it had a starter button, remember? - we've come full circle.

It had a TV screen on the dash with a backup camera and when you played the radio it put great big numbers on the screen, even old folks can read them. When I got to the motel I got ready to turn it off, but how, no key? Finally I realized that in smaller letters on the START button it also said "stop" - now, realizing that this wasn't likely the brake to stop the car, I reached with some trepidation to push it, all the time remembering that like most of us I had hit the starter when the car was running and the noise was ugly - this time the car just stopped - wow, what a concept.

So, I had a nice car to impress Mom, we went for a drive out to my Father's grave and put out flowers and toured the city a bit and enjoyed it, but as I said earlier, it's hard to see your Mother becoming a tiny old lady, still sharp in many ways, but her short term memory is pretty much gone and so we've had to move her into the "Reflections" section which is basically a lockup area for Alzheimers people even though she doesn't have it.

The following day we went for another drive and enjoyed beautiful weather, yes, 85 degrees and me with a gorgeous new leather jacket? Today the 26th it's already snowed 5" which was what I fully expected, but dodged that bullet.

Due to my stupid short scheduling, I saw one sister for all of 30 minutes, and swapped cameras with her, forgot to give her the manual, had to mail it out of MX and totally missed the other sister.

I was able to visit one uncle just recovering from heart surgery and friends were great as always and all too soon it was time to head back to Texas

Of course at Denver return I couldn't wait to hand over another $20 to store my bag in "baggage" before I was molested by the TSA in the cattle chutes. So, the good deal $157 ticket was now up to $222 and $25 of that wasn't in the plan. As it turned out about 30 seconds after I sat down the baby directly behind me kicked the seat and let out a wail that would curdle milk? - turned out I paid extra to sit in the screaming baby section in seat 2A, such a privilege. In retrospect, I should have asked how much for me to ride in the baggage compartment?

Back in Austin I got the biggie mistake, the real gouge. The new Austin airport was built in the late 90's, opened in 2000 and they charged $10 a day for parking in the garage. Immediately off site lots opened and charged $6 or $7 and shuttled you directly to the terminal, so Austin dropped to $7 a day. Last year I parked in an open lot for 4 days and it was $30, so I figured it would be a bit more in the garage, but for only 3 days, it would probably be $40. I rolled up to the booth and the lady said $69!!!!!!!!! WHAT? - my hearing must be going, $69 AMERICAN DOLLARS? (no pesos) yes, that was correct, actually $24 a day and I wasn't there 3 full days, boy was I glad.

Now, that's insane, the airport was built with bonds in the 90's, so it's a known cost, there is essentially NO maintenance, NO personnel except for the lady at the exit and yet they've gone from $7 a day to $24? - see hack & gouge BIGGIE TIME! - I told the lady to enjoy the $69, it's the last dime they'll ever see from me.

I got things in storage ready that afternoon and loaded and headed to San Antonio Monday to have lunch with a friend and a visit with another whom I met down here and now lives in San Antonio, then on down to Laredo to rest up for the trip home, more on the trip home into MX later.

I realize times have changed and I haven't, I know most of the problems, especially the $$$ ones were self inflicted, but America isn't the place I left only 4 years ago and more and more when people ask when I'm coming back I ask "why"?

A trip to the home planet

THIS — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:57:33 GMT

Just home from a trip to the "home planet" - and when it takes as long to "get over" the trip as the trip itself actually took, you know something isn't right.

Actually this is a bit of a preface to what will be two or three threads, but I wanted to get me started and this is the way to force something to happen I guess? - must be getting old.

Just as a precursor, the trip each October celebrates my move here 4 years ago, arriving Oct. 5th. It is primarily focused on getting to Denver to see my Mother who is now approaching 97 and from that standpoint the trip was good. I say good, but it's increasingly hard to see the person you have known for a lifetime slowly becoming smaller and smaller and frail and simply living out her days from one meal to the next.

This year I wasn't even going to Texas, but of course that changed and I made a visit to the home planet, and to see friends both there and in Colorado was the high point of my year. Everything else seemed to be a nuisance, plane reservations, cars, traffic, you name it. I always wait until my neighbor comes down from Canada so she can take care of the cats and keep an eye on the place for which I'm grateful beyond measure.

But everything started falling apart the day I left, the rain gauge on the weather station stopped recording and the passing hurricane sumped 4" of needed rain and we didn't record a drop so people were emailing me asking what the problem was. The pilot light on the water heater at the casita went out which ended up being a leak in the propane pipe so the tank was empty and so I was concerned day and night for things far distant that I couldn't control or fix.

At every turn it was a thumb in the eye it seemed, including this perfect example; I figured being October in CO is would be chilly at least and maybe darn cold, so my old leather jacket is getting a bit worn (although I only wear it once a year when I go to CO) and I invested $200 in a new jacket to wear home - it was 85 degrees? - yes, 85 degrees.

Fortunately there was nothing serious during the trip, other than me totally blowing my budget, I must think I'm still living in 1970?

Stay tuned, I'll try to get settled down in the next few days enough to write more on "the great adventure".

Why do I live in Mexico? - here's the perfect answer!

THIS — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:26:44 GMT

It's been some time and while most days are an adventure, or at least recurring adventures, I haven't found anything to really generate an update - that is, until last night when my netbook boinged letting me know "you have mail" (loved that movie).

A note from a friend referenced an article that is now being repeated on other sites and I replied "great, I'm going to save this and print it out and when people ask me why I live in Mexico I'll hand it to them" - so, consider this as me handing you a printed article that is the quintessential essence of why I, and probably a lot of other people, live in Mexico.

The article is titled "FDA: Ozone-Unfriendly Asthma Inhalers Won't Be Available After 2011" Yes, seems that those of us who suffer Asthma and other breathing difficulties and use the common epinephrine puffers are a huge danger to the whole world and the environment. The article stated:

"The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday patients who use the epinephrine inhalers to treat mild asthma will need to switch by Dec. 31 to other types that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons, an aerosol substance once found in a variety of spray products."

It continued: "But the switch to a greener inhaler will cost consumers more. Epinephrine inhalers are available via online retailers for around $20, whereas the alternatives, which contain the drug albuterol, range from $30 to $60."

Yes, seems I've been a huge hazard to the planet (much more than China or India) and didn't even know it and so now, in the name of saving the planet, they're going to force me to pay more for a prescription inhaler which means getting a doctor involved, which will increase the cost to me and countless others for our already overpriced healthcare, and will ripple through the system because it will increase the cost of Medicare, Medicaid etc - thank you nanny state government intervention yet again.

And, silly me, I thought we saved the world (and the hole in the ozone - yes, when's the last time you heard anyone whine about that? - well, it's because that wasn't making them any money) when we were forced to change to more expensive refrigerants in our cars, refrigerators, when we stopped using killer spray cans of paint, hair spray etc.? You can just about guarantee that some company (with appropriate resident lobbyists) is about to release a fabulous new GREEN INHALER for only twice the price and has already got $500M in stimulus money - funny? - I don't think so, and I may be joking, but are you so sure that the joke isn't on us?

My solution? - actually in this case it's easy, I live in Mexico, I buy my inhalers from the Express Pharmacia cheap and legal and no one hassles me. This is just a continuing, and endless, chain of things DC does to impose themselves in every part of our lives - but not on me, and not in Mexico - ha.

Did you know that 95% of the lawyers in the world live in the US? - and the US only has 5% of the worlds population. If you're going to be a "trial lawyer" in MX, you better have a day job, oh, it's not that there aren't some issues that could use some help, but it's ain't going to happen any time soon and surely not by pressure from a trial lawyer and some do gooder bureaucrat.

Why do I live here? - I've documented in the past that traffic laws are more "suggested guidelines" and if and when you get a ticket, it's not a revenue generator for the city (although it might be for the cop). So I live today like the place I grew up, Nebraska in the 50's. It wasn't so bad, I've made it for 68 years, my Mother for 96, couldn't have been all bad, I'm sure we did and ate all the wrong things, but it didn't kill us. But now, when you enter the US it's a place I don't know anymore, when I drive they want to control every aspect of me, my driving habits, my car and where I'm going, not to mention gouging me in both eyes every time I pull up to the pump.

They want to tell me where, how and how big I can build my house and of course I have to dutifully bow and scrape (and pay through the nose) before a local municipality for a building permit that forces me to install overpriceded toilets that takes at least two flushes to do what my MXN one does without hesitation. Once completed they will tax me severely to support the exorbitant retirement of the employees who work their fingers to the bone (right?) for me while I'm out working trying to pay for the little slice of heaven I've contrived.

Of course I've not even begun to scratch the surface of the condition the country I used to call home, and how it has degenerated, but I'm sure I'm boring you. Me? - well, I think I'll go over to the pharmacia and buy a dozen inhalers, I have a feeling they may be a nice investment for sale NOB one day soon.

So, why do I live in Mexico? - to put it on a bumper sticker:

"My life is mine to live - no help required or appreciated"!

Bits & Pieces from a Wandering Mind

THIS — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:33:36 GMT

Some days the mind wanders, one thing leads to another. I originally started to write a response to a forum topic and it became a bit lengthily and I decided it was better here than there. Someone had asked about bringing in a rental trailer and the general answer is no, but of course there are always ways around the rules and I posted the following:

When you cross the bridge in Laredo, or wherever, you cross an international border, but you actually enter and exit a wormhole into a whole other universe, a whole other existence where you live by their laws, their rules and by their interpretation of those (which means if they don't know the laws or rules, or they're not convenient, they make up their own version - but by-darn, you will live by them). American companies simply don't need the hassle of trying to rent and trust equipment in MX. Example: if you come here and want to rent a car, be prepared to have them insist on selling you very expensive insurance, no, they won't recognize American Express coverage and if you decline all but liability they will tag your credit card for the full replacement value of the car should it not be returned for whatever reason.

The Mexican experience is great, wonderful (most of the time) but you must accept it is a whole other country that is fully justified in playing by their rules and American rental companies don't need the business - so, you want to come here, those are the rules.

On further reflection this morning I continued:

My comments and observations are, at times, caustic or perceived to be. They sound like complaints, but a complaint is something issued in hope of causing change and in Mexico that isn't going to happen because one or two gringos are unhappy. If there is a complaint, it's that, at times, I don't accept the obvious, primarily that it is the way it is and I'm not going to cause much change and of course that's not why I'm here.

The Mexican people are magnificent children, proud adolescents in almost all they do. If you view them through that prism you will understand, and when you begin to understand you will begin to accept and develop the patience and tolerance necessary to make this experience rewarding - no, not all the time, but often enough to enjoy the years you spend here.

In many ways life here isn't all that different, we eat, we sleep we enjoy our lives much as we did wherever we lived before. The weather is more pleasant but varies from season to season. Inside my walls the technology is familiar, XM Radio plays, Canadian satellite TV will bring me NASCAR this afternoon. The appliances and gringo comforts of home are the same as my life NOB. This morning the weather site is having problems so I picked up the phone and talked to a person in Iowa just as if I were I still in Texas. Down the block I hear a barking dog and in the distance a crowing rooster, neither of which would have been in TX, but you get used to it and don't notice unless you stop and think of it.

Every place I've ever lived has been different, sometimes pleasantly different, sometimes unpleasantly different, but always driven by the people living there, when you know the people, you know the place. I lived in Louisiana in 1965, right after civil rights, we were a large contingent from California who invaded the area. The black and white folks didn't get along, but both sides disliked us? -it seems life's great experience is a learning exercise in being a chameleon and blending in, not being the nail sticking up that needs to be pounded down.

On another forum recently I told the story of how one blue flower started. I said the in my younger years I was proud to "stand out", but now I'm quietly trying to "blend in" - my my my, how life and the years has changed us.

Some days I wish I had been born Mexican - Really!

THIS — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:29:07 GMT

And yesterday was one of those days; it was a day that separated the gringos from the Mexicans. In some ways they live a more idyllic life, far less encumbered by the things gringos think they need in life.

The day started about 5:45am with the sound of rain on the deck. I had closed up everything else expecting it, but left the bedroom doors open. So, I got up, closed the doors and laid back down thinking I'd snooze until 6:30 when the clock radio goes off. About 10 minutes later I saw/heard a flash/crash even though my eyes were closed. It was one of those lightening strikes that you see and hear simultaneously - not a good sign, waaay too close for comfort.

Of course everything went dark, so I got up, flashlight in hand, and came in to shut down the computer which was now running on battery power, returned to bed and snoozed off. A single precision surgical lightening strike had taken out my end of town, it was the first last and only strike? - so no reason to get up at dark:30. Later as it became light I got up and started my day.

Fortunately you can brush your teeth with bottled water, so no problem, there are about 4 flushes before the pressure tank goes empty, no problem. I headed down to feed the cats by flashlight, that doesn't require any electricity. But the coffee pot was offline, so heated water on the gas stove and poured it through the filter and promptly burned my tongue, guess the stove heats it a bit hotter? Breakfast for me is a Bimbo breakfast bar, again no problem - but at that point my day was on hold, no electricity, no computer, no radio, no TV etc. so I sat down by the window to consider options - which were limited, no shower, can't open the front gate to get the car out etc.

Now, let's visit the parallel universe where I was born Mexican, Estaban Sanchez and I was born a bit later, so I'm younger. I live on the N shore of a lake with my chubby wife Carmello and my 4 hijos (kids). I learned to lay bricks and do concrete work as little more than a child. When the lightening struck I just roll over and went back to sleep because no Mexican gets up this time of day and I have no computer, don't need one, and a weather station? - stick your head out the window, that's weather. So, no reason for concern, and if it rains in Carmello will mop it up later.

My brother-in-law Juan and his wife Galena and their two hijos also live with us, so we don't need telephones to catch up on family things and mi Madre and mi Padre live just down the block so we see them every day.

Later Carmello and Galena get up to fix desayuno (breakfast) for the kids and I head to the bathroom. Our water supply is on the roof in a tinaco and water runs downhill so, no need for a pressure pump, I take a shower and get ready for the day. We're lucky, our casa has off street parking with gates we can close. Of course they're not electric powered so I open them and Juan and I drive out, Carmello closes them behind me.

At work, we're rebuilding a rest home, the day begins with mixing concrete by shoveling a pile of sand on the ground, pouring some lime and cement and a pail of water into the middle and mixing it with a shovel until it's ready, and then I shovel it into a bucket and carry it to my work area and start laying bricks. We don't have a radio this morning, but my amigo Carlos sings some and another whistles while my brother-in-law is hammering to break up some old tile and cement floors. We really don't need electricity to work, everything we do is manual as it has been for centuries.

Steve, the old gringo next door, is doing nothing, his water supply is in the ground in an aljibe, so he has no water, no electricity means he can't get out of his electric gate. His telephones don't work because they're electronic and he can't call his Mother in Colorado because the computer telephone isn't working.

It is nice and quiet without electricity, like it was when I was young.

Gringos eat lunch at noon, but there is no power so Steve can't heat anything in the microwave (we don't have one, who needs them? - I have Carmello) so he has some potato chips. Juan and I eat our comida later, at 2pm, it was fixed for us by our esposas and we both have big bottles of Coke, we love sweet things.

At about noon the CFE had restored electricity although we hardly noticed, so the gringo was able to take a shower and check his computer, reset all the timers for his fountains etc. and update his weather station. But, just as we're eating comida the electricity goes off again, no problema, after siesta we'll go back to work as usual. The gringo once again has nothing to do and can't even go shopping because his gate won't open.

Finally at about 5 o'clock the CFE restores part of the power to the front of the property which means the gringos casita has electricity, but the casa grande power is only 94 volts, and will burn out his pump motors and refrigerator if they're not unplugged. For us it's not a problema.

The gringo finally runs 200' of extension cords from the casita to the casa grande, then one to his pump, one to his computers, another to his TV and so the entire house is running on a single extension cord plugged into the casita and powers all the things he considers essential.

We Mexicans work until 7pm and go home to be with our families and a good evening meal, the gringo still has limited power, so he'll have to heat something on the stove. Finally at 9pm power is restored to lower Riberas but we don't care because we've been sitting in the yard singing and playing our guitars. For the gringo there may have been a casualty, the frig was off for an extended time and didn't restart so the food in the freezer may be no bueno, of course we Mexicans don't have that problem, our esposas buy fresh food and fruits and vegetables so we don't need anything frozen.

Yes, many days I wonder if their way of life isn't better and it is definitely far less stressful.