Still here!

Yes, it's been many moons since the last post. A lot has happened, but a lot has stayed the same. In May, shortly after the last post, we were visited by an unknown burglar, presumably a Mexican, who relieved us of cameras, our computer, our wallets, cash, etc. Not pretty. However... we have some wonderful friends and neighbors who rushed over to our house clutching handfuls of pesos to save our bacon. THEN, our dear friend Robin came by with a stack of pesos from jewelry sales at his salon. Whew. Immediate problem solved. A many hour long session with the credit card companies and our bank started the process of rebuilding our lives. An emergency loan from American Express was on it's way to Merida and all we had to do was go get it. So far, so good. A call to our wonderful landlady in South Carolina started the process of getting protectores (bars on the windows) on all the ground floor windows. We we feeling very content and that's when life jumped up and bit us in the butt. Word to the wise: Always take your wallet, purse, phone, keys, etc with you when you go upstairs for the night. And don't make it too easy for them to get in. So we learned an expensive lesson, but no-one was hurt. Our dog , Tuli, never made a peep, which was also a disappointment. So, now we are much more careful and so are all our neighbors. There are very few jobs here as unemployment is rampant and the fishing bad. Add alcoholism and drugs and you get get thieves. Too bad, and sometimes even children are pulled into the web as they are small and nimble enough to squeeze in a screen which has been cut. Whatever. More later. Time to go make stuff with my friend Nancy Gerlach in her fabulous new outdoor kitchen!

Chief's Pride and Joy

Boy, do we have sunflowers! And bees to go along with them. They are busy packing on the pollen . Soon they will produce tons of seeds and the grackles will be happy.

Sound of the Sunflowers

Chief was out early this morning and heard a buzzing by the sunflower patch. He grabbed his camera and caught a bunch of busy bees packing themselves with pollen. He even got the sound on the video.

Buzz's Birthday

We went to Buzz's birthday party the other day. He lives a few kilometers down the road and is in the process of reclaiming his backyard from the scrubby brush that is everywhere in the Yucatan. So far he has put in a pool, a bodega to put yard stuff, the filter, etc in, and a really nice barbeque. The fence is getting there. I'm kind of envious of his outdoor shower. Here is Buzz getting ready to take a picture of me taking a picture of him, then Nancy Draper and Joan McBurney holding each other up and Chief making a few friends.
We all had a great time and enjoyed a Snickers birthday cake made by Buzz himself.

Small street, big truck

Our neighbors are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their household goods.
They have been shipped from the US in a container, which then was loaded onto a truck in Progreso and then driven to Chuburna. Long journey. However, backing the truck into their driveway proved to be the toughest part of the trip.They got wedged into the street for a while and even the police didn't have any ideas. Finally they got unstuck and presumably, our neighbors now have their stuff.

Take me out to the ballgame

The local kids here really want to play baseball. but many of them are too poor to even have a bat or glove. Our friend Kaye Kirkes has sponsored a team called the Chuburna Indians. People have donated equipment, uniforms, and have helped getting the dilapidated ball park gussied up. They have started practicing with a couple of coaches from Merida and are really excited about their first game in a few weeks. Chief went to one of their practices and took a few pictures and set them to that all time favorite, one that everybody knows the words to: "Take Me Out To The Ballgame". Join us in wishing these kids the joy of baseball.

Great Lakes

We had a drenching thunderstorm this morning as one can tell by the big lake in front of the house. Probably an inch of rain fell in an hour or so. We have had rain the last few days and everybody is happy including the birds. Hopefully they will eat all the bugs that will erupt in a day or two!

A big peach cloud

Finally, some interesting clouds! We watched this bank build up toward the south all afternoon. And after the sun set, it turned the incredible shade of pink and orange. When it became dark, we were treated to a great display of lightning inside this beautiful cloud. We sat on the Godfather bench and watched the lightening for about an hour.

MMMMMMMMMMMMM!

On the home from Progreso, we always pass the shrimp guy. They are 120 pesos per kilo...about 10 bucks for 2.2 lbs. Fresh, delicious and so good on the grill. We had some orange sauce from the Asian food section at the Superama in Merida and boy, was that good on everything. It also made a wonderful salad dressing mixed with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

So, how many shrimp can YOU eat?

Do something with all those shells, already!

OK, OK. But it's not my project! Our friend and neighbor, Jan, is making shell framed mirrors. She already has a gigantic one in her house. Oh why, oh why, do I not have a picture? I was there yesterday... Anyway, this one is actually 2 projects, with a separate fish underneath. I like the way the two look together, and maybe Jan will too. I think she's going to go for it. She and her husband, Larry have a property management business in Playa de Carmen and are lucky enough to have their own wood shop to take care of the business needs. Perfect if you need some fish or giant circles cut out! The shapes are painted with flat white paint and then the shells are attached with silicon glue, a favorite down here. And yes, I'm getting ready to do some myself. After all, what else am going to do with all those shells?

Mucha Gente (lots of people)

We were thinking that it wasn't as busy during Holy Week as last year. That is, until we cruised through our normally tranquil fishing village of Chuburna on the way to a reggae festival. We turned down a side street to go back around the block and instantly got stuck in a huge clot of busses, all of which were able to seat at least 50 people each. There were literally hundred of busses and the street was full of people. Apparently this is the last dayof Semana Santa and everybody in all the inland villages wanted a day at the beach. The Diario, the local Progreso newspaper estimated a crowd of 50,000
at the beach for Sunday.
The reggae fest was a great deal at 35
pesos, about $2.75 US . There was great
people watching, some really cute kids and the music was way better than you'd think for 35 pesos. I think we are spoiled by California's music festivals, but you couldn't beat the price.
The blogger gods mixed up the pictures after I scientifically down-loaded them in a specific order to tell the story. Since I am not deleting them and re-doing tis post, just use your imagination!

My Beautiful Princess

Here's Thelma reclining on her Sponge Bob blankie under the window in the spare bedroom. The breeze is billowing the curtains and there's a bit of a sunbeam lighting her up. I think she looks beautiful.

Beans, Beans...

Here is the first harvest of beans!
They were delicious steamed lightly with a bit of butter. Yum!
Hopefully there will be more down the road.

New Necklace

I'm finally doing something with the big chunky animal print beads I got from Andrea Menghetti in December. I recently found a store in Merida with lots of inexpensive crystals in great colors. Combine them with some antiqued brass beads and findings and this is what you get!

Sorry.....

I know, I know. But it's really funny! And didn't you know there was a good reason not to swallow the gum?

Choose one

Bag on the left: 50 pesos

Bag on the right: 37 pesos

What to do with all that extra money you save buying charcoal: Buy beads!

And if you get the bag on the left,a Mexican guy in Progreso is very happy, as opposed to giving the Walmart bodega 37 pesos that hardly benefits anybody!

Abuela

Our neighbor, Carmen and one of her grandkids.

Kite Surfing

We never get tired of watching this kid and his kite. He is good!

Good Dog

This German Shepherd belongs to a family down the street who is visiting for Semana Santa. He stays with the kids and goes swimming and everything else with them. This is also the dog that taught Tuli a lesson in humility the other day. She ran up to him, thinking he would back down. Well, he didn't and the next thing she knew, she was on the bottom looking up! He is a really friendly BIG dog.
She needs to get over wanting to run every dog off. He is a big friendly thing and plays well with the other German Shepherd that visits.

Ice, the Old Way

It's a precious commodity in hot weather...I wonder how long this old man has delivered ice, and how old his horse and cart are.

Girasol

It's time for sunflowers and this is the first one of the year, with lots more to come. It even matches our house number tiles.
My camera takes pretty good closeups....now to see if I can catch a hummingbird in the act. (not likely!)