Tomorrow we take off for a few days of R & R in Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque. This will include staying at our favorite B&B, the Casa de las Flores, owned by a fellow from Davis. We will do some smart shopping in Tonalá, a little suburb of Guadalajara that turns into one giant market on Thursdays and Sundays. If you want ANYTHING for your Mexican (or US) house, and you can carry it away, you'll find it here.
This trip will also include a visit to the bank to pay our annual fees for the house. This is where the coconuts come in. As you may recall we are purchasing the vacant lot next door. We have been at this since December 8th, when we made our first visit to a lawyer who, we were led to believe, knew all about buying and selling property to gringos. I don't know how we could have been so misled, but there it is. We were all set to take care of the new lot's fees when we found out that several more steps that we had not been told about must be completed before we can claim ownership. So tomorrow morning not only are we going but Fernando is coming with us as the mensajero or courier for the lawyer. He is to deliver a stack of papers to the bank to be signed by the bank's lawyer, then returned to our "lawyer" in Tecoman. But before any of that can be done, a sizeable amount of money must be paid to the bank. And before that can be done, we need to get to the bank. All of this must be completed before noon tomorrow, the hour of the appointment for the signing of the final papers. We are in Cuyutlán, about a 3-hour drive away when the roads are clear; at last report, there had been a rockslide and a portion of the 2-lane road is down to one lane with long waits between directions. As for the coconuts, they are allegedly for the bank officer who handles our account. She (Josefina) asked the lawyer here to send up some coconuts with the mensajaro. Fernando will go out and scout some up, toss them in a bag and add them to our luggage.
In any event, tomorrow morning at 7:30 we will take off on what may end up being a complete folly. Or, who knows? We may actually own the lot by the time this little holiday is over! I can't wait for the scene when we walk into that mausoleum of a bank hauling a bag of coconuts. The lobby is always bristling with heavily armed guards. This will give them pause.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Saturday, March 11, 2006
A Day to Celebrate
Today is the birthday of our adored granddaughter Emily, who celebrates her 12th year. Happy birthday, dear Emily. We celebrate you, not only today but every day.
Today is the day we put Andrew on the plane in Colima to return to the care and custody of his parents. That is not what we celebrate. Instead, it is the privilege and distinct pleasure of having had him here for almost a week. Far too short. He is now 17 and is a young man of great charm, humor and gentleness. It was lovely to spend some time with him beyond the reach of the stresses of school and the pressures of family.
I am also celebrating the fact that the troublesome eye problem I have been having for about two months seems to have been solved by the laser jockey I saw up in Colima last week. In the end, I was unable to read. His partial diagnosis was that the implanted lens had become obscured and he could fix it with a few zaps. He did, and I am now happily reading the small print on the back of labels and the wonderful tale Blue Latitudes. This is a marvelous book that I recommend highly.
And of course, I celebrate being here, enjoying the reliable pleasure of Cuyutlán.
Today is the day we put Andrew on the plane in Colima to return to the care and custody of his parents. That is not what we celebrate. Instead, it is the privilege and distinct pleasure of having had him here for almost a week. Far too short. He is now 17 and is a young man of great charm, humor and gentleness. It was lovely to spend some time with him beyond the reach of the stresses of school and the pressures of family.
I am also celebrating the fact that the troublesome eye problem I have been having for about two months seems to have been solved by the laser jockey I saw up in Colima last week. In the end, I was unable to read. His partial diagnosis was that the implanted lens had become obscured and he could fix it with a few zaps. He did, and I am now happily reading the small print on the back of labels and the wonderful tale Blue Latitudes. This is a marvelous book that I recommend highly.
And of course, I celebrate being here, enjoying the reliable pleasure of Cuyutlán.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
The Primaveras and the Bauhaus Baños
First, the primaveras
The primavera trees are coming into bloom throughout the area. For most of the year they are scraggly, awkward-looking trees with nondescript foliage and a rather ugly shape. But for about a month at this time of the year they are decked out in large, dazzlingly bright yellow or pink blossoms . There is an entire avenue of these golden beauties between here and Armeria on the old highway road, and also scattered throughout the town. This is also the time of year when the jacaranda start to bloom, showing that indescribable purple3-blue color in a glorious halo. I think there is one primavera here; we may be too close to the salt air for them to thrive. After about 10 days, the petals will start to fall and by the end of their show the ground is a solid bright yellow or pale pink pool around the base of the tree. It's quite a show.
Second, the Bauhaus Baño
This imposing edifice, also known as the Taj Ma-baño, is being constructed a couple of blocks away to accommodate the needs of day-trippers, campers, and other beach denizens. Sufficient public facilities has been an ever-pressing problem here, especially at Easter when the population of Cuyutlán swells from 2500 to about 15,000. And there are only about 300 hotel rooms to be had in the entire place. Hotels and restaurants discourage "public" use if their facilities. To handle the problem, the city decided that what was needed was a really elaborate public baño right on the beach. The building looks a bit like a miniature Guggenheim Museum. I don't kn ow whether this is free or a "pay-as-you-go" operation. It will be interesting to note how popular it is with the vacationing crowds.
Cat update Three of the four females have now been fixed. We have not yet been able to catch the fourth kitten. The vet prescribed some knowk-out drops to aid in catching them, both the ones that need to go back to get stitches out and the elusive one. But at least three of them have been "done."
Andrew arrives tomorrow for an all-too-brief visit. However, five days are better than none!
The primavera trees are coming into bloom throughout the area. For most of the year they are scraggly, awkward-looking trees with nondescript foliage and a rather ugly shape. But for about a month at this time of the year they are decked out in large, dazzlingly bright yellow or pink blossoms . There is an entire avenue of these golden beauties between here and Armeria on the old highway road, and also scattered throughout the town. This is also the time of year when the jacaranda start to bloom, showing that indescribable purple3-blue color in a glorious halo. I think there is one primavera here; we may be too close to the salt air for them to thrive. After about 10 days, the petals will start to fall and by the end of their show the ground is a solid bright yellow or pale pink pool around the base of the tree. It's quite a show.
Second, the Bauhaus Baño
This imposing edifice, also known as the Taj Ma-baño, is being constructed a couple of blocks away to accommodate the needs of day-trippers, campers, and other beach denizens. Sufficient public facilities has been an ever-pressing problem here, especially at Easter when the population of Cuyutlán swells from 2500 to about 15,000. And there are only about 300 hotel rooms to be had in the entire place. Hotels and restaurants discourage "public" use if their facilities. To handle the problem, the city decided that what was needed was a really elaborate public baño right on the beach. The building looks a bit like a miniature Guggenheim Museum. I don't kn ow whether this is free or a "pay-as-you-go" operation. It will be interesting to note how popular it is with the vacationing crowds.
Cat update Three of the four females have now been fixed. We have not yet been able to catch the fourth kitten. The vet prescribed some knowk-out drops to aid in catching them, both the ones that need to go back to get stitches out and the elusive one. But at least three of them have been "done."
Andrew arrives tomorrow for an all-too-brief visit. However, five days are better than none!
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