Saturday, December 29, 2012

All in a Day's Work...Not

Here is how the day, pick just about any day, went by or goes here...
Each morning starts out with bed coffee...the stronger the better. Sometimes I set the timer and prepare it the night before, sometimes Terry does, sometimes neither of us does/then we have to draw straws to see who makes it in the morning, and I have even been known to prepare it, set the timer, and forget to put the coffee in the little basket. No matter how it shakes - every day starts out with coffee in bed. Otherwise, I don't get out of bed.


This morning I washed a load of clothes and hung them out on the line to dry. Of course, it looked like it may rain and that meant it was my wash day/my clothes. Somehow it is always bright and sunny when Terry washes his clothes. Well, it didn't rain and now that I think about it...it's dark and my clothes are still on the line!

Then there is always sweeping to do. I have swept so much that I no longer get blisters from holding a broom. But, sweeping the front patio usually leads to somebody stopping and talking. I don't care whether they are selling something I want or don't want, or wanting to spread the word, or clean my house...I always talk to them because I walk away learning something.


After washing clothes I did my yoga moves/stretching exercises. I think Terry was studying guitar or doing his Spanish at the time. Some days we do Spanish together and some days we do it independently. Terry studies his Spanish todos los dias...I study mine todos los dias mas o menes.
Oops! Time for cocktails so I'll finish this tomorrow. Cocktails and music followed by dinner on the patio is how we end the day so I won't pick up until manana.

I worked on my painting of nothing in particular...it's the colors in the painting that I like and not really the painting itself. I just like the paint!

I read, I paint, I surf the net, I write emails, I procrastinate about finishing Dad and Gary's website, I blog, I think about how lucky I am, I watch the weather, I listen to the sounds, I practice the art of doing nothing. I daydream about writing my steamy novel and picture my vodka cut crystal shot glass as the front jacket cover, except the glass is shattered on the front. But, that could change if I ever actually start writing it.

And we have worries. Each day we worry about if it's going to be a good internet service day or not. Our internet service comes to us from the proximity to the park, and it's gratis. So I guess we shouldn't worry nor complain too much. But on a good internet service day we worry because we are totally reliant on the internet for our news source. On a good internet day we get too much news and then worry - because news is never good.
We always have at least one errand to run, or I should say errand to walk, and if we don't we just go for a walk to see what we can see. The other day we went walking and I can't help but look inside the houses when the doors/windows are open...which they almost always are....and I saw a lady sewing. I have been wanting to find a costurera for quite some time. In fact, for so long that I can't remember what I originally wanted sewn...I think it was cushions for the dining chairs. She said she would make almohadas for me. I wrote down her address and kept it for the future as it was south and east of us which is a direction we don't normally travel. So glad her window was open!



It may not sound like it, but the days seem to go by quickly. I love getting plenty of sleep which we do these days...and nights.

Late afternoons are more of the same. Preparing dinner is always a production....another one-dish meal usually. In other words - we continue a Mexican version of boat food. Then, it's time for cocktails, music and we eat dinner, read, and fall asleep.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Not the Usual

We had a different, but nice Christmas Day. Family and long-time friends were replaced with meeting new friends at a Christmas Day Open House. We were invited by friends we hadn't met yet. To explain, we had made contact by way of blogging and once you start following somebody's blog you start to feel you know them. Upon meeting eye-to-eye, I felt we had known each other for quite some time. We met other people living here in Merida both full-time and part-time and it was a very fun and interesting time for us. We were grateful for the invitation. Everybody gathered in the open spaces of the brightly-painted patio...warm, sunny, very nice.

We came home, opened up a bottle of  "cooking wine" (and the cooking beer) and prepared a fairly traditional meal, replacing turkey/ham with a beautiful (and big!) pork roast served with all the trimmings. We ate sometime around 4pm. No gifts for us. We are planning a trip to ruins in the jungles and mountains of Mexico after New Year's in lieu of spending money on gifts.

We chatted online with family members, and made phone calls. Merida was eerily quiet yesterday...didn't know it could be that quiet. In La Ermita there were very few cars or buses passing through. Only occasionally did somebody walk down the street. I think there was a lot of siestas taking place after the Eve's festivities of midnight mass and staying up all night partying with family and shooting off fireworks. We saw one little boy riding around the park, followed by his mom and abuela, as he rode his shiny new battery-powered red jeep...he hit pay dirt!

When every day is like a holiday in your life, you kind of start wondering what you should do differently on a holiday. Yes, we missed family but still managed to have a nice Christmas Day.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad - Then and Now

It's Christmas Eve and here we are in Merida, Yucatan establishing new holiday traditions. We have been busy partially preparing for our small, intimate Christmas dinner planned for tomorrow . This is the first Christmas ever we have spent away from friends and family. All in all, we are handling it fairly well.

We Wish All of Our Family and Friends a Merry Christmas!!!

We baked cookies this morning. I haven't baked cookies, or anything else for that matter at all, since we  moved aboard S/V Cool Change back in 2007. I just could never bring myself to light the propane oven aboard a boat. But, we had one of the most memorable Christmases ever aboard Cool Change with Kate and Bret, Hugh, Ashley, and Maggie, and Kim all aboard with us. We had prepared our entire meal aboard utilizing a crockpot, electric skillet, microwave, and stove top. The weather was a mess but we did our usual eating, drinking, playing music, laughing, opening gifts, and just being grateful that all of us were together.

So many Christmas carols and Christmas cards depict a white Christmas, but never living north of Central Texas, a White Christmas was unheard of in our world. At least it was until 2004. We had flown to Las Vegas and met Kate and Bret there the week before Christmas. With them living in California it was a nice "meeting place". Kim had asked us prior to the trip if we would see snow and we had told her "Unfortunately..no, Darling." We were back home at Cape Carancahua before Christmas. And the strangest thing ever happened. It started snowing Christmas Eve...right on the water...in South Texas! At first we thought it was going to be just a few flurries, but it turned out to be a 13" freak snow phenomenon...real, powdery, snowman-building snow. I remember walking along the waterside and feeling sorry for the brown pelicans out on the piers. They looked so cold and confused. We didn't even care about opening Christmas gifts on Christmas morning. All we wanted to do was play in the snow. It stayed on the ground until the day after Christmas when almost all of it melted away and became a great memory. This is like a once in a century type event.
It was Kim's Christmas wish come true of all time.

Christmas Morning 2004


The One and Only Snowman...Ever!
 
Going further back in time, there was the year of the big Christmas present mix-up. Terry and I still laugh about this one. It was while we were living in Tangerine. We asked the kids' babysitter to put gifts under the tree while we went looking at Christmas lights. It was our way of tricking them since they were on to the whole Christmas gift/Santa thing. The only problem was that Julia didn't know exactly which of the gifts were for Kate and which were for Hugh. She did the best she could in figuring it out and made a "location of gifts" for each of them. Anyway, a music cassette Kate had requested went into Hugh's pile of loot. I think it was Def Leopard. They ended up getting in a tugging match over the cassette (yes, I said cassette). And they fought and fought over that damn cassette.

Terry and I will never forget the year his mom and dad, and my mom and dad all came to the Cape for Christmas. Everybody enjoyed the time spent together so much his mom and dad spent the night as well as Mom and Dad. They all loaded up and went on a road trip and had one heck of a road trip from what Terry said - laughing and joking. Unfortunately, I missed the road trip because of friend Mike's death when I went to be with Debbie.
And there were the big family meals in the Tanglewood house, then later at Cape Carancahua where we got the older generation of aunts and uncles to join us.

Each of us can go back even further to being kids and getting together with grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins.

I still believe in the spirit of Santa and "Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus" was taped to the side of the refrigerator for years. We each remember midnight masses and have talked about going to church at La Ermita this evening or tomorrow...not sure we will but we can hear mass from here in the house.

So - all of family - we are thinking about you.....Kate, Piper, Ritchie, Hugh, Maggie, Jack, Ashley, Kim, Craig, Rory, Kilo, Mom, Dad, Randy, Bernice, James, Sara, Wesley, Kayla, Tanner, Hayley, Logan, Hayley, Alyson, Kevin, Marcella, Angie, Cole, Gracie, Gary, Sandra, Scott, Dana, Katherine, Gabriel, Leslie, Leo, Sara, Ethan, Joanne, Larry, Gaye Lynn, Larry, Zackery, Paden, Ramsie, Holly, Jason, Britney, Megan, Jacob, Cody, Mika, Justus, Colton, Corrie, and Jacie, Larry Joe, Matney, Katelynn, Karli, Landen, Lexi, Neal, Alline, Joseph, Chelsea, Dillon, Rachel, and  Erin.
Then there is Mom and Dad, Tim, Pat, Kathy, Avery, Candace, and Fernando.
 
We love you all and are thinking about all of you.
And all of our aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends back home too!!!
Our Merida Christmas Tree
As far the new traditions. It includes baking cookies! We received a swell Christmas present from our friends Gaspar and Lupita at the local Cerve Frio and we will be taking a walk over to the CF shortly to pass out homemade cookies and buy a case of cold Sols. Feliz Navidad!



The Eve of Christmas Eve ...aka 12/23

We slept in this morning...maybe too much wine followed by crema de tequilla shots.

But got up feeling rested so we made a walk to the Chedraui to get things we couldn't find yesterday at WalMart. I am beginning to feel the same way about WalMart here as I do in the US....just not a Wal-Mart fan for shopping.
I got a cookie sheet to make cookies this morning...kinda scared to do it because I haven't used a horno in over 5 years!!! We never fired up the oven all the time we lived on Cool Change. Everything is in centigrade, measurements are in kilograms,and the horno only has numbers 1-5 for temperature control....I thought we needed to buy a thermometer. But, when all else fails read the directions and I found out that each setting is a certain C of heat! We'll see how these galletas turn out. If they don't turn out I can blame them on so many things - I haven't made cookies in over 5 years, it was the oven temperature, I had too many kg. of butter, etc., etc.
Later on we walked down to the plaza and then over to the park where Lobo displays his art to give him pictures we had taken and actually had developed...they were of him, Terry and one of the paintings we had purchased. We had previously promised him we would get pictures to him.
We had a long conversation with him...about life, the meaning of success, and what the future holds for him and us.
Gentleman playing Christmas carols on a saw...quite remarkable






 


 


 

Friday, December 21, 2012

I Don't Think the World Ended, But How Would I Know


The media around the world, excluding the more local media, are making a big deal out of 12/21/12. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57560400/mayan-calendar-reaches-its-end-world-doesnt-follow-suit/ Don't believe what they say about it being chaotic, etc., etc. It's not at all! Here - life has gone on as usual. I don't think the end of the world happened, but I'm not sure because I question how I would know. It did rain rather hard last night and for a split second I thought that might be a sign of something greater - right before I fell back to sleep. It's the first time it has rained since our arrival --- thank goodness for the dry season. It is much cooler this morning and if this keeps up it will make me feel like it's the end of the world (Coming from the person who hates winter!). It's 73 right now, but feels like 43 to me!

Wednesday we took our weekly trip to Progreso. Every time we go, we come back feeling invigorated from the saltwater and salty air. We truly do have saltwater souls. I took some stones to the necklace vendor...the one the girls and I had bought from the week before. I had found them on the beach in Celestun and I don't know what they were, but they resembled little skeleton heads to me. He was excited to get them, and I can't wait to see how he uses them. The water was still very warm and we swam and got our beach fix.

Yesterday Terry and I went out to Home Depot to look at ceiling fans and dimmer switches for the ceiling fan lighting. We were so excited when we found ceiling fans that were regularly $1,699 marked down to $999 each! We decided to go ahead and buy two as it was such a markdown and that would complete our need for more ceiling fans. It also meant we had to catch a taxi home since there was no way we could get on the bus and then walk the rest of the way home trying to carry two ceiling fans. The taxi fare was a whopping $80 pesos. lol
Terry installed one fan yesterday when we got home, and is installing the second one today. I think the installation is what lead to the cold weather. Brrrrr! Take the ceiling fan back down, please. None of the fans are even on right now.
Last visit to Home Depot we had bought lumber for the picture framing project and Terry cut it up in the Home Depot parking lot so we could get on the bus with it. Used his little hacksaw blade. Gotta do what works!



The next Home Depot project is going to be buying wood and materials for some kite making. We got inspired from the small boys in Celestun that had made kites of sticks and garbage bags. Some of them were aerodynamically correct and one poor little boy couldn't get his off the ground. I hope Terry took note of "how NOT to make a kite" from him!
Still no "official correo" in the mailbox, except for the "pago immediato" water bill, but we had gotten a flyer inviting us to the Ano de Cultura Maya festivities in Parque de La Ermita. The festivities at our park were last night. We sat on the front porch drinking our cocktails, and watched and listened. It actually appeared to be a smaller crowd in the park than on just a norml night ---- as we say, you can never second guess. They played some of the salsa tunes we listen to regularly so that was nice..

Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

On the Iglesia de Santa Isabel de La Ermita
This will be the first time ever to be away from family, friends, and Texas during Christmas. It will be different, no doubt about it. We still don't really know what to expect Christmas Eve or Christmas Day in our neighborhood. I have made my Christmas dinner list and will do grocery shopping today. Henry, our water boy, informed us this past week he will be delivering water to us on Christmas Day! I hope he makes lots of tips. Terry gave him extra tip money this past week along with a "Feliz Navidad". I am getting the ingredients to make Christmas treats today so I can pass them out to Henry and some of the neighbors.
Across the Street in Parque de La Ermita

 


 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Two Early Christmas Presents

IAH TO MID

It is only natural to want to be with family at holidays. We regretted that Hugh couldn't make the trip but were overjoyed to have Kate and Kim visit us for a week. Here is a recap of how we spent our week.

We spent Tuesday, 12/11 getting the house all spiffy and washing clothes, mopping floors, and making a big dish of chicken and rice. The last thing we did was go buy two hamaca chairs to add color and comfort to the house. We were ready for Kate's and Kim's arrival from IAH scheduled to get here around 9:30pm. Both were traveling lightly so they got through customs and security rather quickly ---- two beautiful, smiling faces and a couple of overnight bags.
 
We caught a taxi back to the house and noticed several processions of young people following trucks that had religious statues of what we thought were the Virgen Mary in them. We later learned that 12/12 is when the the apparition of the Virgen de Guadalupe occurred back 1531. The eve of 12/12 and 12/12 is a very celebrated day in Mexico. Terry asked his mom about it later since she is a wealth of information on Catholicism, and she was very familiar with it and had actually traveled to Mexico City to view the site where the Virgen de Guadalupe had appeared. 

Virgen de Guadalupe (from Wikipedia.org)
We witnessed two pilgramages in front of the house later on in the night with floats, people walking, bands playing, and the statue of the Virgen as the focal point. It was very moving.  

A La Playa de Progreso 



 
Wednesday morning Terry and I woke up, drank coffee and watched the girls getting their beauty sleep. It was nice to know they could come to Casa Kahanek and get some kick-back time. We didn't have anything formally scheduled for their visit, but had decided to spend Wednesday in Progreso on the beach unwinding, and then we would just wing it from there....so we hopped the bus and headed to Progreso for the day. The weather was beautiful and it was a relaxing day with cervezas on the beach, botanas and more cervezas under the palapa, and buying necklaces from one of our favorite beach vendors....funny because the three of us picked out our necklaces and they definitely fit our personalities --- mine had blue on it (sodalite stone in it), Kim's was the floral vista doble, and Kate's was the large Mayan figure. Came home and sat on the patio listening to music, relaxing and talking. Terry, Kim and I took the ladder up to the unfishished rooftop mirador. This is on Terry's "future project" list. Kate spent most of the evening relaxing in the hamaca.  I think we were all in bed by 10!

Off to the Mercado We Go! 

The next morning of course Terry and I got up early and drank morning coffee. After the four of us had a rib-sticking breakfast of eggs, chorizo, onions, peppers, cheese and tortillas the girls and I headed out to see and hear Merida. Every chance I got I told the neighborhood "Son mis hijas. Estan aqui para un visitar para una semana y de Tejas." We spent the morning at the mercado and all of us were in awe at the amount of spices in bulk, the vegetables, seafood and poultry galore. But we had the most laughs in the shop with the ladies where they had the anatomically correct figurines and body parts. The girls took pictures but I guess I won't post any. Kim did some of her Christmas shopping. We bought purses and Kate landed a new straw fedora with the elastic band inside similar to a Scala....quite a steal at a final deal of a whopping 100 pesos!
We headed to the Gran Plaza and walked around....met Terry for a late lunch at La Chaya Maya. We knew Kim would go for it, but not sure about Kate. Kate loves TexMex with chips n salsa. She was up for it and enjoyed her meal --- Kate ordered something we had never tried before and I can't remember what it was called. Was a type of sausage that was lightly breaded and served in a deep red, rich sauce. All was good, then we headed to Parque de Santiago for heladoes. Headed home talking about what was in store for manana. Kim was wanting somebody to go party with her...we had gotten her all fired up when we had talked earlier about taking a nap and heading out to El Cubanchera for a late night of salsa dancing. But, we all played out, and she was not in the partying mood later on either. Will skip the details but there were some tears shed, and lots of hurting hearts after she took a phone call from C. Just having a bump in the road, and like any relationship theirs requires work as well. Wish them the best. We all went to sleep with heavy hearts, but had decided maybe a trip to Celestun for some flamingo sightings would be in order for the next day.
 

Necesita Pagar Hoy Entonces Celestun

We decided to make it a leisurely day and get in no hurry to Celestun. We would spend the night and take the boat to see the flamingoes the following morning. It was a good decision since around 10am we got a tap, tap, tap on the front gate and it was the worker from CFE. I can only assume he came by to turn off our electricity, but maybe he had come by to read the meter and since we were here decided to light a fire under us to pay our electricity bill. I don't know but I did understand that we needed to pay our electricity bill TODAY. Terry went online and was able to call it up and sure enough it needed to be paid....it was overdue! There had been a mix-up in it not getting paid which doesn't really matter---we needed to pay it. All four of us hiked out of here and headed to the general vicinity of where we thought the CFE office was located. We had seen it but couldn't recall the exact location. We only had to ask for directions twice. Upon our arrival it only took a couple of minutes to get it paid using one of the auto-pay machines located on premises.
We went straight to the Noreste bus station from CFE and arrived at 12:35...the next bus to Celestun was at 12:45. Perfect timing!
At the Noreste Bus Station
Kicked Back Kate
It takes a little over 2 hours to get there by bus...I can never sleep bec. I'm afraid I might miss something but the other 3 did some sleeping. We got to Celestun and were so excited! They have done a lot to beautify the town. We went to Gutierrez's and checked in...upgraded to a vista playa room for 450 pesos (LOL). We were back at the beach! Kate and Kim love Celestun as much as Terry and I do. Headed to one of the little beachfront restaurants for cervezas and cerviche after explaining to Hector that we wouldn't go see flamingoes until manana.
While on the beach some handsome caballeros came by on their white horses trying to impress the girls. For a few minutes there, I thought they would be hopping on the back and riding into the sunset with the handsome Mexican boys.
 
Spent the rest of the afternoon chilling at the beach, beach combing, picture taking, and sat at the quaint little outside restaurant at Gutierrez's where we met Gary, talked with Peter, Collin, Canadians, and a woman from Belgium. We ended up eating dinner right there. After dinner Terry and Kim did some father/daughter bonding while Kate and I chilled and laughed as we listened to the very intelligent conversation taking place on the veranda outside our room. 

 

Two Blue-Eyed Beauties!
 
First time to spot starfish on the beach! This photo was NOT staged

We got up the next morning, all ate a large breakfast, did some beachcombing, then went to get on the panga for the trip back in the river and mangroves to see the flamingoes.
Kate took a walk into town where a local Mexican boy asked her if she was from Texas. How did he figure that one out? She told him 'yes' and he said he had lived in Port Lavaca where he worked to build swimming pools. He was quite surprised when she said she also had lived in Port Lavaca. It truly is a small world! ....six degrees of separation!
We shared a boat with a couple from New Mexico that were on their way home from Columbia, a couple from Mexico City, and a woman from Belgium. We were not prepared for what we saw. There were literally 1000s of flamingoes in Celestun! We just didn't anticipate seeing flamingoes in those numbers. It was awesome! and we were speechless at times.
 
Gracias Ramon! He was our panga Capitan 
 
At first sight the flamingo flock looked like orange caution tape across the river


 
 
Catch of the Day



 
 
It was a unanimous decision to stay a second night in Celestun. Gary had told Terry we should go over to Lobo's for dinner, but they don't serve alcohol since he had troubles in the past with rowdy, inebriated guests from other parts of Mexico. But, we could take our own bottle. We bought a bottle of cabernet from the licoria and boutdoor screen set up. It was in Spanish, but all three really got into it except for being starved. Shortly after 7 we ate pizza, drank wine out of coffee cups, and enjoyed our rooftop table. To bed early for all of us!
 
When we woke up Sunday morning Terry, Kim and Kate were having some minor stomach issues. Me...I had already had my bout. Hopped the bus for the return trip to Merida and Kate and Kim kept little 8 year old Miguel entertained with taking his picture and using an app. to change it. He was in love with both of them!
 
 

El Fin

Monday the girls were scheduled to fly back to IAH. Originally they were to leave at 7ish, but United had made a change and the plane is now leaving MID at 9 something. We all caught a taxi to the airport and Terry and I had decided to hang around and see their plane take off. Good-byes are always so hard and unwelcome, but we had all had such a nice visit that is made it a little bit easier to tolerate. Sure hope this Mayan end of the calendar means New Beginnings instead of El Fin.
 
Find this Countdown to the End electronic sign at the airport to be humorous.....and just a tad frightening!!!
We watched the airport guys unchock the wheels and get ready to move the plane away from the tarmac for take off...then they did everything in reverse. Uh oh. We had to laugh when "Tim and his crew" pulled up to the rescue in their green Ford truck we have come to know so well in and around Merida!!!
Tim and his crew to the rescue! LOL
Terry texted with Kim and they had an issue with one of the doors not closing properly. Luckily they let passengers disembark. Terry and I decided to take the hike to the corner and catch the #79 bus back to LaErmita. Sorry Girls! for your delay. If the plane can't leave catch a taxi back to Casa Kahanek! We later learned they took off a couple of hours late, but made it back to IAH.
 

THANK YOU TO KATE AND KIM FOR OUR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS! Your presence here was the greatest gift ever!

El Fin!!!