BEISBOL and DOGS

BÉISBOL ( BASEBALL)   ..taking time off on January 8th              

Rodrigo, our contractor's son is a muy bien ( very good) player.. This baseball campo (field) has 12 groomed diamonds and vente quatro (24) teams ages 11-17 playing at once.

Getting advice from el padre ( dad ) . 
Doesn't matter what country, dads give advice and moms cheer, yell and chant encouragement

 Seguro ( safe)!

; 

Gord and Emmanual, tres  años ( 3 yrs.old) ,  watch the action .

A DOG'S LIFE IN MEXICO

Anyone who has traveled to Mexico has seen hungry, neglected, abused dogs.  Cats often do not fare much better. 

 In our community an amazing group of people are working hard to change all that. 

The January 2012, Third Annual Merida Spay and Neuter Event sterilized 1,975 pets. . There were six long days of clinics in four locations in Merida and Progreso.  Volunteers taught local fisherman how to catch the beach dogs, managed registration, worked alongside the veterinarians, helped the animals wake up from their anesthesia etc.   

OUR ZEUS IS ONE LUCKY BEACH DOG 

Most people who adopt a beach dog will tell you that in reality the dog adopted them.

Our Zeus chose us from  60 folks attending a local fundraiser.  He patiently sat near us, not begging but looking very handsome as he patiently waited for a handout. His coat was dull, with ribs and backbone showing.  So of course we had to bring him home!

He needed to be coaxed into the house over the course of the week. His experience had no doubt been to be shooed away from doorways with a broom accompanied by a loud voice. Even now when I am sweeping he keeps away. 

Two months later he has no problem making himself at home and in fact has started " talking to us" when it is time to go for a walk. A ride in the truck is preferred to staying at home and if he is left he quickly makes himself at home on the couch.  The fridge opens around supper time and he appears "telling us" he wants a share and of course he gets one!.. 

And yes, he was neutered after a course of antibiotics to ensure he was healthy enough for the operation.  He came home without a cone as the local vet said most male dogs don't usually lick the stitches... Zeus ended up wearing a lampshade that night when he wouldn't stop licking. Not too happy! 

One Great Dog!

Happy Valentines Day everyone... 

Dorothy and Gord 

The Jungle, Winter and the Sea

TRIP TO THE JUNGLE ; Muna Yucatan 

1.5 hrs. away from our home is PARADOR ECOTURISTICO" EL MIRADOR" ( the lookout).

                                    A cave in the jungle... who dares go down!...

 The young woman  is cleaning the Calabaza, frutos de yucatan, from which Pedro makes beautiful  bowls

                           A local resident... Iguana take on the color of the surrounding ground

                     Pedro telling us of the healing power of ALOE VERA in his medicinal botanical garden

                                   The inside of an ALOE leaf... cut and ready to eat..

                                He let the resin drip off so it would taste good and it did!

                                         The fruit of a bromeliad  to eat if lost in the jungle...

 Columns in the jungle along with carved rocks in the rubble are signs of a pyramid from the past

The trip ended with a delicious Yucatecan lunch at this restaurant in Ticul... 

Bougainvillea sheltered the entrance. 

WINTER IS HERE.....Over Xmas the weather was around 30 degrees but winter arrived on January 1st with temperatures of 13 degrees this morning and 19 degrees as I write this in the evening.

The Yucatan government has warned residents to dress warmly and to avoid making fires in their homes to keep warm.   A call is out for blankets for the poor and it is not unusual to see some folks dressed in winter coats.   Gord and I have our jeans on for the first time since arriving in September.  

That extra blanket will come in handy after all...who would have thought???

A good time to empty and clean the pool. 

Winter waves bring treasures to shore.  

Drifts of shells instead of snow 

An extra incentive to walk the beach early every morning...besides the fact that our dog Zeus loves it....and of course, it is good exercise for us... 

This Friday is Dia de Reyes ( Day of Kings) celebrating the Three Kings finding the Baby Jesus.  It is not so much a public holiday but rather a family time... 

Some Maya families hold with tradition that this is the time gifts are given instead of December 25th.... 

However, we are told that this is quickly becoming a practice of the past as Christmas is very evident in Mexico.   

Feliz Año Nuevo  ( Happy New Year)

 

Our Renovations: Mexican Style

 The progress has been amazing, we expect completion June, 2012. 

Oh...sorry.... pretty impressive heh!...but  not our renovation.....ha ha! 


This is the new Museo del Mundo Maya ( Museum of the Maya World) in Merida; 35 minutes from our home. 


OUR RENOVATION:  Not as ambitious as the Museum,  and expected to be completed by April......


Mexican construction materials:  Cement Blocks, with Rebar structures for the corners; plus 3 layers of cement, Rich ( course), Reboko (less course)  and Macilla ( smooth). 

The house has been neglected for many years so mucho reparacion ( repairing) necesario.  














Rudy is the cement mixer... he mixes and carries in buckets on his shoulder to where they are working on the property.  Here he is mixing cemento blanco... white cement. 

Our labour costs for Martine and Rudy at 8.5 hours a day for 4.5 days a week is $5,000 pesos. 


The guys live with the jefe ( boss) Don Lauro and  the $5,000 pesos goes to pay their salary, accommodation and food.  It is not unusual for workers to come in from the local pueblos ( our guys are from  Halachó  )..They work Saturday morning and then take the bus home to their family in the pueblo until Monday night when they return to Don Lauro`s.  


OUR XMAS THANKS TO THE CREW

The rest of the crew is finishing the house above while Martine and Rudy work for us, so we and Chris/Les from Sask., whose house it is, put on a mini-fiesta on Christmas Eve Day for the crew, as is the tradition. 


AQUA DE POZO ( WATER WELL)

 These cement rings are for our Well which ended up being 5 rings  or 12-15 feet deep.  Rudy dug out the sand by hand until he reached water and continued until the water is the depth of the bottom ring.  

Dig...add a ring..Dig some more...

                                                                                                                         add a ring .

Hard on the back 

Heavy, Heavy

YEAH... WE HAVE WATER !!!!!Only took a couple of hours. 

THE NEXT DAY, OUR CONTRACTOR TOLD US WE HAVE "DULCE" SWEET WATER, NOT SALT WATER. 

Estoy pintando ( I am painting) the Bodega before Gord installs the Water System.. softener, filters, ultra-violet light, pressure pumps.  


Pintura            - paint
Pintura Tienda - paint store
Pintando         -  to paint
Pintas             - you paint  
Pintan             - they paint
Pintamos        - we paint 
The challenges of learning Spanish. 


 WORK CONTINUES 

New Windows installed by Julian and Mario Lozano: It is great to have windows and screens throughout the house that slide easily, lock without difficulty and stop wind, sand and bugs from coming in. 

                       Open to the Beach Access

Closing us in for Privacy 

                                    A combination of skillful hands and paciencia ( patience)

Closing in a couple of windows  ..that's an outdoor bar you see behind Gord 

 A new wall with glass blocks along the top in our dining room instead of a window that we never opened cause it faced the beach access. .

New Bamboo Gates 

Plumbing Pipes are delivered... the car is all aluminum, and is 36 yrs. old... 

We buy as much as we can from the local tlapaleria ( hardware store).. Prices are comparative to the bigger stores in Merida and we are supporting the local economy.

     

The first of our new doors.... beautiful craftsmanship by Luis Geraldo..  At Luis's request, Gord will be showing he and his workers how to install European hinges and some other tricks of the trade.    Gord will be the  carpintería de maestro  ( carpentry teacher).                                                                                 

Now that the door is on the new bodega, Gord will set up the sistema de agua ( water system) n it.

They started on our Casita today; polished countertops, reno bathroom, new ventanas  (windows), puerta (door) and tiled floor.  In the meantime, I am collecting and breaking sea shells to add to the cement for the countertops. 

Gord and I will move into the casita when they are ready to work on inside of the house... 

OFF TO SPANISH CLASS

While the work continues, I have started Spanish Class one day a week.  

The view while waiting on the beach road for my ride outside our house.  The weather has been great.. 23-25 degress. Perfect for walks on the beach and for working outside.  

Hasta Luego till our next BLOG.