fly away little birdie

Jamie and Sissy are on their great adventure to pick up our friend M.  The trailer is terribly empty and it feels like we’re all missing an appendage.  Ellen seems fine but the boys and I are quite lonely.  I never imagined we’d all feel so empty without those two.  Jamie’s been gone before, but without he and Sissy, here in Mexico, it feels like an impossibility that we’ll see them again.  We travel so very slowly that it is hard to imagine that they’re in Los Angeles right now, going through customs and changing planes.

hi ho,hi ho

It rained last night. It was a soft rain; so soft and quiet that while I smelled the deep dank smell of earth and rot, there was a complete lack of rooftop chatter making me think the noise I heard from the bunkroom was the sound of boys and legos. I was surfing or checking airfares or something important on the computer and the rest of the family slept.

Sissy and Jamie in their bed; Ellen on the dinette and the boys in their room.  I kept hearing the noise and thinking legos, all the while knowing it was misting a soft rain.  I had so convinced myself of the lego theory that when I crept in to check on the lego-playing boys, I was surprised to hear the soft rain sound and find only sleeping boys.

We spent today running from one decision to another. Should we let Jamie leave tomorrow? Should he go Tuesday? Should we try to get M to pay to store his stuff so Jamie could postpone his trip until things were finalized with the Westy? Should Sissy go with Jamie?  How’d we get a UHaul to M’s motel?  By early evening, we were on our last nightmare errand but we’d just come from the Old Town and mazes of mansions falling into oblivion.  There was a spectacular sunset as we sped along the malecon; certain that they boys were frantic with worry (Pike’s tummy had been bothering him so we left the boys at the trailer).  We barely noticed the sunset for the worry over the boys and insane driving and drivers.  Course, we were one of them.

We’ve decided to fly Jamie back to the US to deal with our friend’s impending homelessness.  Not only that, but we’ve decided to send Sissy with him. She has been riding a roller coaster of emotion; one moment she’s up (going with Jamie) and the next, down; (staying here with yucky Mom). We’ve been trying to find a vehicle and decide what to do and how to do it and finally, today, made our plans. We’re hoping to use our Westy that we gave to a friend in California. The trip will end up being quite opportune; Jamie lost his prescription sunglasses in the surf in Celestino and will be able to replace them in the US.  Ellen dropped and broke my computer (ARGH!) and Jamie will hopefully get it repaired under warranty in the US and he’ll come back with loads more peanut butter as the kids seem to be going through it like water.  My budget has exploded (good thing the computer is broken and I can’t update my daily expenses) as today we spent close to $1000 on plane tickets, notarized letter to allow Jamie to take Sissy in and out of Mexico and a month of rent here on the beach.

The day before yesterday we took the kids to a balneario that is so close, we have walked to it. Last year, it was closed and this year the kids are over the moon knowing how close it is. We spent the entire day there and since we’ll be here another month, we’ll probably go back. I don’t expect Jamie and Sissy to be back before a month is up and I’m starting to think we’ll simply never get to Oaxaca. It will be lovely to see M again though, and the kids are really looking forward to it. Ellen will really miss Sissy while she’s gone but I’m hoping that Sissy will really appreciate this time with Jamie and perhaps, when she comes back, her brothers and sister also.

Sissy and Jamie leave tomorrow; we have a LOT of packing to do.

Snippety snippets

 I’m seriously considering the Mexican version of getting stuck in the sand. First, bury the back axle. Have such ultimate faith in your 4×4 Dodge diesel (purred like a little kitten, that Dodge Cummings) that you gun the thing, your pretty little accomplice next to you, continuing to spin the wheels and completely bury the axles. Get out laughing your ass off, a can of Tecate in hand. Head into the restaurant and leave the arrangements to the waiter, who calls one friend with a 4×4 pickup (about 1/2 the size of the stuck vehicle) and proceeded to stop just short of burying his axle, but now both trucks are chained together; nose to nose. Back to the restaurant with you, laughing, snogging it up with the pretty damsel, food, sunset approaching and more beer; who me? Worry? Waiter brings in his heavy duty enforcements. A guy on a bicycle and later, a gasser 4×4. This one is just as new and big as the original stuck one. They get out shovels and work on unburying the first truck. They disconnect the 2nd truck and chain the back of the first to the front of the 3rd. Now dinner is over, so you come out to watch. Finally, they’re ready and they drag you, like a little doll truck out of the deep deep sand to relative safety. The little truck is able to escape on his own. Everyone is laughing, and clapping each other on the back and enjoying themselves. They drive off and you hand over a bill to the guy on the bicycle (the truck pimp?) and almost get yourself stuck again leaving the restaurant.

A local dog had puppies. When we arrived, the kids spent most of their day waiting for the mother dog to leave (to scrounge for food) so they could peep at the puppies. The owners of the beach area/restaurant/hotel/RV park decided to take the puppies away (and give them away?) from the mother at around 3 weeks and she is now walking around, bursting with milk. The boys are incensed at the owners; that they would take her puppies and so very very soon.

We are once again with wheels! Not only did the mechanics fix the electrical short, but they washed the car and vacuumed the interior. They stopped after the front seat; I can’t imagine the hours they put in just vacuuming.

Jamie is so sick of the beach, he’s ready to pull the trailer out himself. The cycling around here leaves a LOT to be desired, in his opinion, and knowing that the mountains of Alamos are just a stone’s throw away is more frustating than he can bear. He tried to ride on day in the mountains here; took the car and drove to a pueblo area he thought could be the start of a good ride. It was a very involved tale involving a ride with a local teen on Jesse’s bike, miles or animal trails, exposure to very rural life, where absolutely no-one has a vehicle of any kind that I’ll have him tell me again so I can record it.
I am so glad Howard Stern moved to Sirius radio. Jamie then insisted on Sirius, I grudgingly gave in (I HATE spending money unecessarily) and as a result, I’m enjoying classical, symphony pops, Broadway show tunes, “Wait, Wait, Don’t Wait” (as Jamie calls it, it is actually “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me), “Prarie Home Companion” and the 60’s and 70’s music stations. It is luxurious beyond belief.
The other day, after the girls got good and sandy, I had started Yoga out on the beach as per normal. They decided to take a bath, so I was forced to come inside to finish my practice and I learned quite a bit by varying the surface. After 2 weeks on sand, my balance poses have been so incredibly shaky that I only hold them for 4 breaths. Inside, on a solid surface, I was rock-solid. I’d thought I’d been losing my ability but it turns out it was the surface. It is MUCH hotter inside and I sweated up a storm; outside the wind takes care of that and I only know I’m working hard by my heartbeat and when I’m out of breath. It was lovely in down dog to be able to stretch my shoulders and back. I normally don’t do that on the sand as I have no purchase. I am really getting stronger and starting to relate Yoga to everything. When the kids are sitting or simply being, I see so many Yoga poses in their movements. Their little bodies stretch and move so effortlessly I keep watching to see if I can pick up pointers or secrets. Unfortunately, I think it is simply the age.

I am becoming stronger and stronger and see it in simple little moves I make throughout the day. Getting off a chair, sitting on the bed, working at the computer; there is a stretch or a strength I’m finding all the time.

Tomorrow we head to El Fuerte. Jamie will ride and I will search for a new Yoga spot.

Wanted: Good mojo

Well, today I took the van Obregon (I found that the locals call it “Obregon” and not “Ciudad Obregon” so I feel like such a native calling it that) to see if we could get the ball rolling. The Ford dealership there was a very impressive, professional, meticulously clean operation. Not at all like any of the taller mechanico shops you find all over. I know that will translate to higher prices and I really hope it translates to a FIXED car. I so wish we could have taken it to a taller, but we really think it is electrical and we need some computer to reset the codes anyway, and Jamie really really wanted it taken to the dealership so off I headed this morning. It wouldn’t start for the longest time and I was glad that we’re finally able to get something going. It was about a two hour trip to Obregon with many many topes. I managed to skirt the toll booth along with about 1/4 of the road traffic. Some enterprising locals setup a road to skirt the tollbooth; much dirt and rocks and no pavement but also no deep sand, and charged only 5 pesos to traverse their road. There were big 18wheel trucks all over so I figured I could do it too and it saved us some 50 pesos.

The dealership was full up for today and he suggested I leave it there for the night and they’d get to it first thing in the morning. I was really concerned that I wouldn’t be able to make it back to the beach AND Obregon the next day; the van was running so roughly, that I decided on the spot to do just that. I took a bus to Huatabampo, got off at the supermercado and shopped and shopped. I figured it might be a while before we can get to a store again. I then found a barely running taxi; I was seriously concerned that it wouldn’t make the 15 kilometer trip to Huatabampito, but magically it did, and I’m back again, jiggety jig. Now we just need some seriously good mojo to get the van back on the road. It is weird being without any transportation AND no way to move the trailer. It is quite disconcerting.