We've Got Mail

Buenos dias! It is a very stormy Friday here, rainy, cloudy, windy, but very warm.

I have been going down to the Palacio every day for several weeks now and every day there is new mail in the box.

Some people in Alamos seem afraid to use the Palacio Officino de Correo and it is very possible that the mail service has only recently upgraded to its current system. I believe it is now possible to get all of the mail sent here to Alamos and possible as well, for all of the mail sent from Alamos to reach its destination.

I use the post office frequently. I have actually shipped around fifty packages or envelopes out of the Palacio office in the almost two years we have been here. I have shipped all over the world, most of it glass or jewel related items that people have purchased from one of my online shops.

Everything has reached its destination. If I need delivery confirmation, I ship first to my sister in the states and then she adds the confirmation and ships it further.

So, imagine my excitement in the last few weeks as I have gone to the Palacio and seen mail in our box.

Mail has come from Texas, Tennessee, California, Washington, Oregon, Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Idaho and Virginia.

Most of the senders we know, but a few letters came from folks who read the blog and just wanted to wish us a Merry Christmas.

Thank you to everyone who sent mail in December!

It is finally arriving!!!!!!!!!

Now, I have said we get the mail, but we do not necessarily get it in a timely manner. I once received a letter from Seattle in six days. I received another from Texas in seven days.

Most mail arrives in two to three weeks. But, I do not have any problem with that.

I am not in any hurry.

The letter below, first class from Seattle, 79 cents, mailed December 18th........... arrived 15th of January................................
Encino, California, mailed on the 19th of December.....................

routed through Mexico City and received on the 5th of January.........box full of chocolate chip cookies, $8.25 to get them here....................yum, a cookie is a cookie, and these still taste good after 16 days of travel........................senor's college found us........................mailed from Colorado Springs, December 12th, made a stop in San Carlos, received January 10th..................................

another letter from Seattle, pretty Christmas postal stamps, mailed December 22nd.......................

arrived 12th of January, after a stop in San Carlos........................

Little Rock, Arkansas, mailed December 19th.............................

San Diego, California, mailed December 28th........................

both letters, in the box, the 12th of January..............................

On the 15th of December, my sister mailed a box of chocolate stained glass window cookies............my favorite. In the month it took them to arrive the 15 cookies or so became 1....................still good.

I could go on and on about the mail we have been receiving.

When the Palacio is closed on Saturday and Sunday I go into mail withdrawal. I can hardly wait for Monday and often, I am there at 8am when the mail lady unlocks the big wooden doors. I always say good morning and ask how she is as I make a beeline for the box.

So, I was very disappointed when I went to the Palacio yesterday, a Thursday, only to find the big wooden doors to the building shut tight and under guard of not one, but two policia.

The bad news is I could not get the mail, the good news is I have never seen those beautiful doors before.

The building was closed because the FAOT festival kicked off last night with the US soprano, Jessye Norman and pianist Mark Markham. All the government offices were shut down and the doors were locked.

So instead of getting mail, I hung around the Plaza for over an hour, taking lots of photos.

There are people everywhere. There is press everywhere. There are RV tour cars everywhere.

Now, it is pouring rain, buckets and buckets and the canalis are flowing like little rivers.

I can only imagine that there is not a soul in town......................but tomorrow is another day!

Below are 2 young american musicians being interviewed by Radio Sonora. After the interview they performed while sitting on a bench at the plaza, for street money. They were quite good. I took alot of photos and I will post FAOT Day One manana.

I have to do my Spanish homework, look for my rain jacket and head to class soon............adios.