Vamos a la playa. Y tu, Jorge?

We are still laughing about Jorge and every time I ask Terry a question now he looks at me with an exaggerated confused look on his face and dramatically shrugs his shoulders with the palms of his hands turned up...makes me laugh and want to slap him at the same time! Terry calls me Peggy Hill from "King of the Hill", referring to the episode where she was substitute teaching and being the Spanish teacher, ie, very much a Texas twang trying to speak and teach Spanish.
It all went like this -
We got on the Progreso Directo bus and headed out for a day at the beach - this was on Wednesday. We knew it was cruise day and we knew the kids still weren't back in school, but it didn't matter. Every day at the beach is a fun day. My skin is pretty dark from just being in the Mexican sun, and my hair is brown. I could pass as a Mexican, so I think. I have "Buenos Dias" and "Buenas Tardes" down pretty good. We get on the bus and before we even get out of town I notice this little boy about 8 or 9 years old in the aisle beside us, and sitting one seat behind us. He keeps eyeing me. I could tell he wanted to ask me:

"Hey, what's your story?"

I gave him and few smiles. Finally, his 10-11 year old sister nudged him and essentially gave him the go ahead to ask me....something/anything. So he asked me (in Spanish) if I was going to the puerto (port). I had to ask Terry: What did he say? Then I answered yes and that we were going to the beach. And you? I asked him his name, and gave him mine. He was JORGE. We asked each other if we had dogs? Or cats? Is that your sister? It was going pretty well. Every time I spoke, though, he would die laughing. And turn around and ask his parents in the seat behind him what I said. It was very obvious - I wasn't talking like what he was used to hearing, that was for sure. Once we got to the beach, and got set up who should we see? Jorge and family. He would run by and look at me. Every time I said something to him, he would get this totally confused look on his face, shrug his shoulders, turn his palms up and ask his parents what the hell am I saying?! It is now the reaction to any question around here.

KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD -
While we were lying on the beach drinking cervezas and eventually eating our packed lunch - we were observing the vendors and cruise ship folks. Not very far from us was a group of cruise shippers drinking tequila shots and beer. We knew where this was headed. We laughed because one of them had the infamous "Keep Austin Weird" t-shirt on, and somehow we knew they were going to live up to the t-shirt. By 2 o'clock a couple of them couldn't stand up straight any longer, and were puking in the water. I couldn't help myself. I had to take a picture! Does anybody out there recognize these two guys?!!

 

By 3 the cruise shippers were heading back to the boat. That's about the time we started seeing the "vendors by day" opening their first bottles of cerveza. The mood on the beach was definitely changing. The local Progreso folks were done with their jobs for the day and starting to kick back and unwind --- drink a few cervezas and call it a day. Here's to having a little jingle in their pockets. The irony is that there are a lot more similarities between the cruise ship folks and the local folks of Progreso...it's all about timing.

When we got back into Merida we got off the bus about 10 blocks from the house to go into the store and buy coffee. They don't sell coffee, except for instant, at our local AKI in Santiago. ...can't really figure this one out...It started raining - not a downpour but just a fine mist. By the time it hit your skin it was already evaporating. It was so refreshing and we actually enjoyed our 10 block walk home in the rain.

We stay busy doing nothing, but doing a lot. We continue to take daily walks and love going back down to La Ermita and seeing all the changes that have taken place down there. A lot of renovations have been completed since we lived there last year. This is the picture of a beautiful house that was in shambles last year, and look at it now. It was only 2 doors down from us last year and we had no idea this was what the finished project would look like. The only thing I remember about it are the large windows in front, and the fact that last year they had plastic over them.

Our La Ermita tienda buddy remembers us well. He still wants to sell us his house, and he always asks how our ninos and nietos are doing. His house is way too big for us but he keeps saying we could move the whole family down here and all live in it. Probably not going to happen!

Calle 75 casa from last year

Calle 75 now

Renovation on Calle 75

Terry cooked a fantastic meal last night. He used beef! It's the first time we have eaten beef since we've been down here. He sauted the thin slices of bistec then added papas and other vegetables along with canned salsa and put it on to stew. A few cervezas later - it was ready and -

DELICIOSO!

It reminded us both of growing up and eating our own homegrown beef that went from pasture to butcher to the table.  

I'm missing Jorge!