Still in Alamos

Hola, we did not get very far yesterday........not even out of the driveway.
Right before I was going to load my bolsas in the truck and take the drivers seat, I decided to call the movers and let them know we were leaving to drive to Tucson and meet them on Friday or Saturday.

The man in charge of our account confessed that our furniture is still at the Seattle loading dock. Well...........i said, were you planning to call and tell me that................i was just about ready to call you, ma'am...........................and we were just about to leave for Tucson, i said.

He said the truck from Seattle to Florida, which was supposed to stop in Tucson and drop our small amount of things off, was too full. Now, they have to wait for a new truck that will be heading south again. It was an exhausting phone conversation. When we were done talking, we agreed he would call me back on Friday. I took a long nap. Senor said 'yahoo' and poured another concrete viga.

Later, in the day, we enjoyed watching some creatures as they ventured out from their hiding places.

Then we decided to skip cooking dinner and the lights under the portal. We sat in the dark, eating peanut butter and crackers, and watched a great storm come in from somewhere in the northeast, probably the Copper Canyon. The lightning was distant, but beautiful as it streaked recklessly across the sky, and with it came a good amount of rain, but very little wind. The rain was not heavy, but it continued well into the early hours of the morning.

You know, I was looking at the comments on yesterday's post and a friend said we sure go north of the border alot. I had to frown, because she is right. I also feel like we go nob alot.

I figure we have gone ten times in the year we have been here. Four trips for bringing our belongings across, three times for visiting our son and daughter, and three for other assorted reasons. I don't know if that is good or bad? I know I will never give up the family trips.

But I will be happy when we no longer make so many trips north. It will be a good day when we can cut ties with the Tucson storage unit. We were very close to doing that until we needed to take back the antique furniture set. And that sure will not come across in one trip.....

So, someday, instead of going north so often, our trips will be east to Patzcuaro and Guanajuato, and south to Oaxaca and Puerta Escondido. Maybe even further south to watch a soccer match somewhere on a south american pitch. Who knows?

There are so many places we want to see.

For now, I guess having to go north alot is what we have to do. At least it is close................

This morning I am working on my papier mache cake pan cover. I am just getting to the papier mache stage, which is what I like best, the mess. If it stays overcast like it is now, I am going to walk to town for some glue that will be added to my second papier mache of the cover (which I will do tomorrow). After I buy the glue, I will walk to the Palacio and pay the water bill, $160 pesos (well under $14) for June. There is a pretty walkway that goes from the Palacio up to Casa de la Cultura. I will go there and see if there is anything going on.............and walk back home. Adios!

Happenings in the Yard

Buen dia!

Last night we had two very different evening skies.

The photo above is the eastern sky.

Immediately after in the photo below and across the street, is the western sky.Alot has happened in the yard in the last week.

The grass and weeds grew.

There are very few brown patches of tierra in the yard now.

The amapa tree is full of leaves.

It is in the center of the photo where Umberto is shoveling sand. Last year it did not have any leaves, but it did have one lonely lavendar flower. Beneath it is the big bushy limon tree. The plumerias are on the edges of the photo. And I am standing alongside the big palm tree.

The gardenia bush bloomed.

It has had buds for two months and they just kept drying up and falling off.

It smells so wonderful.

The limon tree by the amampa has bloomed again.

It is covered with hundreds of tiny fragrant white blossoms.

There is another limon tree back by the big palm.

I wish I could send you the smells.

The rabbit garden has new ears.

Flopsy
with her new baby ear on the left

Mopsy

with her new baby ear, also on the left

Peter

standing guard at the back gate

Two butterflies were mating in the limon tree.

I took twenty-five photos and only one was in focus.

A mama quail came to visit.

Senor took these photos of the quail. Isn't she beautiful?

He took about twenty-five photos and they are all in focus.

It was hard to choose which photos to show you.

Below, the quail is watching Senor.

Senor planted three types of corn in his new garden plot on July 1st.

They are already about four inches high. In the photo he has dug little holes around the baby stalks to loosen the hard dirt.
A second, smaller plot behind this one has melon seeds in it.

So, we are off to Tucson later this morning. The furniture is supposed to arrive early or late Friday or early or late Saturday. This is the first time we have used movers for anything.

Don't they know people have things to do, schedules to keep, crops to plant, butterflies and cactus to photograph? Grass to mow? Sunsets to watch? Quail to feed?

Seems like they should be able to say.........10am Friday or 3pm Saturday. I know I am probably wrong, there are all kinds of delays on the road for a mover. But I hate to leave my gardenia plant! Senor hates to leave his corn!

What if we come back Sunday or Monday and the corn has already got corn and the quail are eating it?

So, instead we will each be running to the truck, trying to beat each other to the drivers side. This will happen each time we get out and back into the truck, all the way to the last time we get out and in before the border crossing. I want to drive across the border crossing without getting so upset at the hawkers. I will feel more in control if I am driving. Senor wants to be the driver. In my last border crossing post I said we will flip for it. I will not be happy if I lose. Senor will not be happy if I win.

I have a baby shade on my 'Tucson To Buy' list. I am still planning to write NO, GRACIAS on the outside with a big black sharpie and pull it down when we get to the hawkers. That will help for future border crossings. But for this crossing I think I will just write it on a piece of paper and tape it to the window.

When we get back I plan to show you that we only need sixteen more beams before we get the roof on. It will go fast, like the happenings in the yard, I hope.

Senor says we are leaving in fifteen minutes. Ha! He is not even packed.

YES! I will beat him to the truck!

All is Quiet Here

Buenos Dias! You can see the rain is coming late yesterday, but Bill and I took a walk anyway, certain we could beat it home. Sure enough, we got home as the first little sprinkles began and Cookies was still in his usual hide out. He thinks he is invisible in there. Whenever anyone comes over (and he can not get in the bedroom quickly enough) he jumps up in here and thinks no one can see him. When we have to return to Tucson, I will throw a sheet over the table so he can truly hide..................... of course, we hope no one comes to visit while we are gone..................

This was a big rain, but oddly enough, no thunder and no lightning. Just alot of rain coming out of the canalis and afterward, huge globs of mud all over the yard. In the middle of the photo you can see how the weeds and grass are now coming up and soon our yard will be emerald green in color.

On July 4th, I mowed the lawn. It was about four inches high and it was still about that high when I was done. I did not lower the blade enough and really was not paying any attention as I mowed. That is a huge zone out time for me. By tomorrow, the grass will be around eight or ten inches high, so I will do it again.....

We are still waiting to hear about the election outcome here in Alamos.

By Friday night, all was quiet. We thought we would be seeing huge last ditch efforts by all parties: fireworks, parties, speeches, food and balloons, but there was nothing. The liquor sale ban went into effect at 12:01am, Saturday morning and town was very quiet.

It was even more quiet on Saturday, July 4th, night, and while we celebrated and had a great dinner with friends, the rest of town seemed to be sleeping. We were told there was no more campaigning and even television ads had been discontinued. When we drove home, not a soul was on the streets. Our truck and the truck of fellow dinner guests were the only moving vehicles we saw.

On Sunday, there were long lines of people at the various election stations. I walked to town twice, once to find the store I needed to visit, closed and again, just to see what was going on.

Right before dark, we drove to our favorite video store. People were everywhere. They were milling around the alameda, drinking limonadas, eating ice cream at the plaza. There were a few new vendors around the plaza that I have not seen before. people were still in long lines to vote.

Last night was very quiet and we watched our movie out in the garden room while the water pooled around us.

This morning I walked to town and there was hardly anyone in town. All very quiet. No celebrating going on, no one jumping up and down in the streets for joy. Even the dogs were quiet. The birds, who could care less, sang all night.

If you go to the Alamos Portfolio link, on 'other sites we like', and knock on the portfolio door, click on the history club and then again, on politics, you can read a very interesting account of the PRI and PAN parties during the 1994 election in Alamos. The same two candidates who ran for those parties that year were on yesterday's ballot again, for the same positions. In 1994, this created some hostility and a huge sit-in. We wonder what it will do for this election.

We have heard from others, in their towns, about winning party declarations and celebrations already being held, but it is very quiet here.......

July 4th Tomorrow

Hola!
Here is last night's rain as it rolled across the foothills to the north. By the time I walked to the gate to photograph the rain coming from the south, both sets of rain converged right over the casa and let loose. It was a spectacular show of water and light and sound.
In the middle of it all we were trying to grill a chicken.
It finally ended up inside, half of it in the little toaster oven, the other half, back in the fridge.

The night I thought would be like the night before was.............nothing.........just a tiny drizzle, just a big fizzle. Last night made up for it in more ways than one. We got the rain and the works without the wind, so there really was minimal flooding under the doors.

While I was out on new old bike this morning I noticed some sandbagging at the doors of a few casas in the barrio, La Capilla. That sounds easy enough and I think I will look into it just for the two doors.

If you recall, Senor has major plans for collecting all this wonderful water.

There will be another large cistern at the north end of the roof and the water will drain down through pipes into that cistern. We had hoped to have it in place for this year's rain, but it will most likely be next year. So we can talk more about that later.

The elections are really in full throttle here. The voting takes place on Sunday, July 5th. We have been enjoying a variety of music and alot of great fireworks displays. Lots of parades, both large and small, like the one truck below have been cruising the barrios, singing and dancing in support of their candidates.

The great news is that when I called the moving company on Monday (my fourth call since leaving Tucson last week) to get the location of the truck, the man said it had not even left the northwest loading dock. Call back next Wednesday I was told. I reminded him that I am not in any hurry to get the furniture, I just want him to remember- i know, he said........... it will take two days for you to get there, you want a 48 hour notice, not 24, that information is on the blackboard in the main office, it is on a pad on my desk, it is on my computer screen, it is on a separate sheet attached to your account, i will not forget that, he said...................i said, sorry, i don't mean to make a nuisance of myself, but..................i know, he said, it will take you two days to get to Tucson.

I cannot help it. I still don't trust them.

In the meantime, we are excited to be here with friends for July 4th tomorrow!

Maybe the political candidates will pull out the big fireworks to help us celebrate!

Last Night

Buen Dia everyone. Here is the sky this morning. And wasn't I just telling you yesterday how quiet it was, how unusually quiet it was?









Around 5:30, Alamos came to life. First someone drove through town playing a trumpet. I did not recognize the song.









Next, one of the political parties, with a caravan of around fifty vehicles drove through the barrios, whooping and hollering and honking their horns. They did not come down our street, but they roared up Allende, and across the back yard and the yard behind us, I could see the trucks passing by and the beds filled with red shirts, the red party.









When they were done, the blue party drove through the barrios, doing the same thing.




Afterwards, there were a few fireworks and just the typical street and barrio and rooster and donkey noises.









And still, no rain. The humidity skyrocketed.









We took a short walk and looked at the new house that is going up on Allende. It looks like a hotel, but we aren't really sure. Back home we decided to open a can of oysters, slice some cheese and pickles and watch the new season three of 24, which we just bought in Tucson. Our laptop would not let us change region codes, so just sat and listened to the crickets.









Around eight, an evento began on Chihuahua. This sounded like a live male singer to us, with a very good back up band. At the beginning of each song, were the loud screams of love sick teenage girls. It reminded me of the Beatles arriving in the US in the sixties. The screams eventually would die down and then suddenly, during a particular song phrase, they would start up again. Whatever the event, it certainly sounded exciting.









Then, around nine, it started to sprinkle. Then, it started to pour. The thunder and lightning crashed and pierced the sky constantly. They battled each other, one threatening the other, one determined to outlive the other, one determined to be loudest, one to be brightest. And they fought like that for three hours.









I could not find the cats. I opened a large umbrella and stepped out of bed into several inches of water. I went out to the flooded garden room, realizing the power was out and a river was running across the floor and out to the asadero. The wind blew my pretty mexican candle lamp off the wall and when it hit the cement it sounded like a shotgun. I called again and again for the cats. Glass from the candle lamp was all over the floor. The lightning showed me a yard filled with running water. The streak lightning hovered over the backyard and I was too afraid to go back across the open floor to get into the bedroom again.









Finally I made a quick dash to the door which had locked behind me, so I rushed back to the garden room where my keys were lying on the tabletop. The streaks were back and they seemed so close, I was now even more afraid to go back across the water carrying the umbrella.




So I closed it, ditched it in a corner, and ran again to the bedroom door, hoping I would not attract any lightning. I was able to get the door open, fall soaking wet into bed and curse senor who was snoring away there, sleeping through all of this racket. Cookies crawled up on the bed and curled his dry self beside me and finally, Ashes came out from under the bed as well.









I checked my cell at 12:43am and all I could hear was a little breeze blowing, thunder losing the battle in the distance and sheet lightning quietly making her presence still known as she moved farther and farther away from Alamos.









This morning I was up early. Water covered the bedroom floor and had soaked into my bolsas of clothing and paperwork that I had yet to unpack from the trip north. In the kitchen/work room, water had flooded under the doorway as well and was reaching the refrigerator. Some boxes on the floor had soggy bottoms. I laid down as many towels as I could to begin soaking it all up, took a look at senor and the cats, all three sleeping in a pile of sheets, Ashes snoring louder than senor and went for a walk.









I was fearful for the arroyo in the Chalaton behind us. I certainly thought that was alot of rain.




As I walked back there, a truck drove by me and the man inside began playing his trumpet. Other than the sound of his horn as he drove on around to Galeana, it was very quiet. At the arroyo I was surprised to see it fairly dry. A few small puddles here and there, but already the morning heat had dried it up where it had not soaked into the soft ground.









As I stood there I saw a little white pony slowly walking up the arroyo. He came right up to me and nudged his head into my shoulder. I just stood as still as I could and looked at him. He was not much taller than I was. There was a rope around his neck and the frayed end hung to the ground. His white hair was matted and filthy with red and brown dirt. He stood so still with his head in my shoulder. I will say if there was ever a time I wished I had my camera with me, it was right then.









I was so close to taking hold of the rope and leading him home, to our stable and suddenly, he nudged me again and then, he turned and walked away, down Chihuahua.









By the time I got back home, the rivers in the yard were beginning to dry up, the water in the two rooms was almost evaporated and senor and I began a little clean up.








I swept up the glass from the beautiful candle lamp we bought years ago in Puerta Vallarta. We took out the rug and laid it across the asadero so it would dry. I laid out all the wet papers and books, including my little Alamos phone book. It really upset me at first to see it so wet, but now, it has dried and is usable again in a very crinkly state.


I began what became four loads of laundry, took our comforter which had been in a big pillow bag on the floor, down to Dolisa to have the senoras wash and dry it for me in their big machine. I swept everything, pulled out all the wet shoes from under the bed, rearranged the big shelves so I would have a safe place to put the comforter once it came home, petted the cats who would not come off the bed, laid on the bed for a brief nap. Then I loaded the back end of the truck with all the wet boxes and cement bags that had blown out of the stable and across the yard and sent senor to the dump, made myself a latte and read a magazine for awhile.

There has been no rain during the day today, but there is a feel about it. It is like yesterday felt.

I walked by the evento this morning also and through the garden gate I could see the pretty white tablecloths were still on the tables. Green and red glass ware centerpieces were still on the tables. I could only imagine that all the screaming young teens must have had to make mad, crazy dashes through the rain and thunder and lightning to their parents' cars... will they get a rain check?

And even more importantly, did the little pony make it back home? Will he have some shelter tonight? Hopefully whoever he belongs to will realize last night must have been really miserable for him.

Oops, the trumpet is playing. I can hear it farther down on Durango, but traveling away, towards the north somewhere. Over on Allende a political truck with a loud speaker just went by.
See? It is the start of last night again......

I am thinking we will have another very big rain tonight. I am very prepared if it happens.

No Gracias

Hola, what a day of rest this has been. Town was very quiet last night, which is unusual, Thursday and Saturday nights are party nights, but either we were too tired to be disturbed by it or there was no party.......

It is also very cloudy today, but not a drop of rain has fallen. There is the persistent cloud over Mt Alamos, but no rain.


In the photos below you can see how things are greening up, especially along the hillsides. A few more monsoon rains and the hills will be sparkling green and thick with jungle vines and other growth.

I cannot say thank you enough to the folks who offered to take care of our furniture for us, Chrissy and Keith, of 99 reasons we will move to mexico, offered from Phoenix and Margaret (whom I don't even know at all!) emailed me from Scottsdale. We would certainly take you up on it if we only could. But the matter of getting a storage unit key to someone is a big issue in itself.

So, we are planning to head north as soon as the moving company calls us and get there as quickly as possible and get back as quickly as possible. They say they will call and let us know twenty-four hours before they arrive in Tucson.

I don't trust them to do that. My bag is still packed. The trip will take us about ten hours if we can do it in one day. I am ready to go.......... and, by the way, my need to go is certainly being fullfilled.

Crossing the border lately, to go north, has proven an emotional challenge for me. The hawkers at the Nogales Mariposa crossing seem to grow in numbers each time we go across. The men who want to wash the windshield have gotten younger and it is alot harder for me to tell a nine year old little kid to get the heck off the hood of the truck than it is for Senor to tell them.

All he has to do is look at them and they are gone...............

Sometimes I want to just pay them to wash the windshield and get it over with, except we tried that and when you say yes to one, that means yes, to about ten and suddenly you cannot see out the window because there is an army of windshield cleaners all over the truck.

You cannot just pay the one you said yes to ...............

They seem more and more persistent and sometimes get angry when you don't oblige them, or at least open your window, neither of which we do. If you dare to open your window, the food or the little guitar or the seat cushion...........whatever it is they happen to be selling will suddenly be in your lap and it is yours..................So we do not make any friends with the hat sellers, the mop and pail sellers, the map and cd sellers, when we are crossing the border. I try to smile and say no gracias, but that is bad, because it is seen as encouragement. Then they will tap! tap! tap! on the window until you have driven far enough up the line that they become bored with you.

It raises my blood pressure if senor is driving.

It raises senor's blood pressure if I am driving.

He says I should take a dramamine before we get to the border and just sleep through it.

I say we should flip for the driver's seat before we get near the border.

Whoever wins gets to drive.

Fair is fair.....................

Maybe I will suggest that when we go back this week.......

Or maybe I need a baby shade so I can just pull it down across the window when we cross. I think I will paint on it, NO GRACIAS.........

Back Home

hola! .............we are back home........ all is well..............

the old house is not ours any longer,

sad, but sweet........

it was hot in tucson..............

it is hot in alamos..............and it is very humid.............

it rained here while we were gone................. the mountains are turning a fuzzy, brilliant green......

the cats are very mad at us.......... tomorrow i will get pictures for you...........we drove alot of distance in a short time............

i am pooped.

will you believe me if i tell you we have to go back to tucson next week..........our old antique furniture did not sell in the old antique store and the agreement was they would keep it for one year...........................suddenly it is one year and we are having the furniture shipped to tucson.................... and it will be there sometime next week....................we will have to drive back to tucson......................to use the key..................................to open the door..............to let them put the furniture in the storage unit...............and drive home again.............we need friends in tucson...................