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 sunset on the roof I’m hooked on my roof. For one thing it is cooler up there at night, the breeze is wonderful and if I open the door to the roof it cools the bedroom quickly. For another, I’m enjoying the vantage it gives me over the city.
It’s not the upper, upper roof, I’ve not quite gotten the nerve to go up there yet.
To get up there, first you put a small ladder on the lower roof so you can get on top of the housing for the water filter. Then you haul a really high ladder up onto that narrow housing and lean it against the wall. Then you crawl up that to the top roof.
I want to go up there one of these days, it just hasn’t been the right day yet. Maybe when it is cooler, I’m sure not going up there at night!
 Tinkerbell *aka the Angel Moroni atop the Mormon Temple We had a huge storm the other night, invest something or other or perhaps it was the dregs of tropical storm Andres. When it started I put my highly accurate and scientific rain gauge in the yard (it’s also a green plastic bucket for mopping) and after about 2 ½ hours there was almost 4″ of water in it.
OK, I wasn’t really on the roof during that downpour. I was standing on the terrace and cowering in the living room with all the dogs. The thunder was deafening and instantaneous with the lightning. After most of it passed over us though, I ran up to see the sunset and the lightning flashing over the rest of the city. I even spent a long time futility trying to take a picture of the lightning.
Here’s how that goes: see beginnings of flash, eyes tell brain QUICK PUSH BUTTON!!, brain tells finger ‘ummmm, push button’, finger pushes, picture is of total blackness. Second option: stare through viewfinder at blackness, think that it’s been a long time and maybe now is a good time to push the button, push button, miss huge lightning flash because viewfinder is showing you the wonderful picture you just took of total blackness… do not respond to everyone around you that is yelling “did you see that??”
 Flooded street corner I did get some great pictures of an incredible sunset, as well as Tinkerbell* standing in her golden glory against the clouds. Then I looked down at the flooded street in front of the house and took some pics of cars careening through the water. It was a great night on the roof.
In other news, work has started on the inside pond. The offending wall in it that was precisely placed to catch the waterfall and disperse it onto the hall floor - is gone. The confusing array of pvc pipes and valves and unnecessary plumbing that stuck out into the middle of the pond - is gone. Two simple valves have been set into the wall and are invisible, there is a plug designed to be used around water installed, a space for the skimmer is forming and I’m very optimistic.
On Monday work begins on the drains in the guest bathroom and the laundry. They are below the roof drain and you know how water is, it just insists on going down. Our dry well for the front of the house is a flake, too much rock not enough cracks so the water from the roof backs up into those lower drains. A new path is in the works.
 Rain clouds at dusk It’s been a busy few weeks since we decided to stay and not head north. I often forget my camera but I’ve taken these pictures with my iPhone. Not bad for the “old” 3G model, of course I have tech lust for the newer 3GS.
You know how if you know one Lithuanian you feel the need to introduce them to any other Lithuanians that you meet? It’s human, we all do it. In our case, everyone wants to introduce us to any other gay women they meet here. It’s not like we are as common as the guys. So, I get a call the other day from my friend who says there are 2 lesbians at Las Ruinas with them and they want our address so they can meet us. Rightly, she decides to call me before giving out any info and since they are only 2 blocks away I say we will come over.
Mimi is irritated with me for that, we were just on our way out the door to go to Home Depot. I tried to get the Dodwell’s to come too but they said they only have to show up for those calls when there are other Brits to be introduced. In other words, this is your obligation, we’re not going.
 Old friends in a new place Off we went, Mimi grumbling and me trying to tell her we will only stop in for one minute and then leave. Yeah right, I love Las Ruinas.
When we walked in, I recognized both of them immediately but it took me a minute in my old age to place them. Why wouldn’t it? I knew them back in the 1980’s in San Francisco - another time and another place. It really is an amazing instance of how small the world is, they moved to Mérida last year and live nearby.
Of course, we sat and had a beer and talked and talked and I’m just thrilled to have run into them here. It was a serendipitous moment. Not to mention that Mimi loved it too and I got to feel all righteous about taking the time to go over there. Old friends and wonderful connections may turn up on one of these calls, I am so happy we got that call.
 black clouds edging out the blue I really enjoy the rainy season, it always amazes me that the sky can be blue with a few puffy clouds all day - and very hot - and as it gets close to sunset dark clouds congeal from nothing. Wind blows, rain pours, temperatures plummet and the smell is wonderful. It’s one of the greatest joys of living in the tropics, these warm and violent rains.
I’ve been going up on the roof in the afternoon and taking some pictures to share with you.
 My roof  Cathedral This is one of the gates to the city, the one in La Ermita, it’s a couple blocks from my house. Check out the palm fronds that are blowing almost sideways.
My understanding is that they would lock the gates to the city at dark and anyone arriving afterward had to take shelter outside until the morning. La Ermita (the hermitage) was a Chapel, Inn, and safe haven for those who arrived too late. The café we were at the other day is just in front of this gate. It’s a lovely neighborhood, one of my favorites.
 City Gate The sunsets are incredible at this time of year as well. I was driving home and saw this one the other day, ran in the house and up to the roof with the camera. Almost got it all.
 Sunset over the roof tops
 The New Juicer - Bigger and Better Along with stopping at the café for a frappacino, we went to the restaurant supply stores near the house.
I bought a juicer about a month ago, I thought it was so cool all stainless steel and small and shiny.
Sometimes you just make a mistake. I make a lot of juice, every day for my morning smoothie and occasionally at night for something a little more fun. The shiny one from Sam’s started warping, then one of the teeth in the gear fell out. It only squeezed part way into the orange, leaving about a quarter inch of unsqueezed orange around the edges. Mainly, it frustrated me.
Then, one day I saw the cool, solid pressed aluminum squeezers at the local restaurant supply. They come in many sizes and different colors and have that cool Mexico on the side. They are heavy weights, truly a macho juicer. They also cost about a third of what the shiny one cost at Sam’s. As I said, sometimes you make a mistake.
 I waffled, I persevered with the shiny juicer, I tried to forget the rugged beauty of the real deal. Today, while we were in the store getting some cereal bowls and a blender since we aren’t going north to pick up our kitchen stuff right away, I bought it.
I showed some restraint. They come in many sizes and the ones at the store were the #3, #4, and #6. Let me tell you, #6 is one whomping motha. That thing could crank out juice all day and night. I got the #3. Smaller but just as beefy. I’ve already saved money, it got so much more juice from the oranges that it only took 2 oranges per glass for a couple of tequila sunrises this evening. What a deal, eh?
Interesting. I am still having problems getting posts from my iPhone to include both pictures and words. If I use a picture, the words disappear.
Anyway, we had a nice time at the café. It’s a beautiful neighborhood, not far from us and just around the corner from Theresa.
 I’m from SoCal, grew up on the beach and because my mom took me to the Y as a baby, I could swim unaided before I could walk. As a talisman against my mother’s fear of the ocean, I was also sent to every kind of water safety course available.
It came in handy from the time at 9 yo that I was caught in a rip while swimming alone (something I was never supposed to do) to the many other times I felt their pull and even when overboard while white water rafting - Don’t Fight the Current - saved me.
While still in my 20’s, it dawned on me that the rules of safety for rip tides are good rules for life. If the Universe is pulling you so hard in one direction that you have to swim with all your strength just to stay in place, you’re doing it wrong! Float and re-think your plans.
That is what I decided was happening with this RV trip to the US. Nothing came easily and my unease and stress started to rise. Monday night Mimi and I talked about it and decided to cancel the trip. We may do it later, we may fly instead, we may put it off until the fall.
The immediate relief and draining away of stress told me we made the right decision. I still have to figure out how to do some things that I intended to do up there but I believe it is possible and if not, we can always make a fast plane trip.
 the pool as it should be First the good. The magical Elio has transformed our pool from murky to clear just as he said he would. The in between stages of scum on surface and moonscape below are gone and it is the beautiful color of a cenote.
The bad was actually kind of interesting and funny. At some point this morning we realized that water was dripping into the hallway again. About that time, Gaby called Mimi upstairs to show her water spraying from the water filters onto the roof.
We called Henry. Poor man, he has heard from us about these things a lot this week. We were kidding him this afternoon that we are breaking stuff just so we can see him again. I have to say though, his response has been terrific, shit happens but it isn’t often that someone steps up and takes care of it for you.
 Mimi gets sprayed So, Henry came over and the plumber came over and Mimi had a really good time with ladders and tools and figuring out how things worked. I ignored most of it, I’m not all that interested in water filter functions to tell you the truth.
It seems that at some point, “someone” moved one of the filter tanks and it wasn’t lined up correctly with the outlet pipe and thus water spraying out onto the roof.
Once the problem was identified, the solution was simple and fast. Move the filter back where it was supposed to be and re-attach the connector.
 Water dripping into the hall from the skylight A separate problem is that the replaced glass tile skylight still leaks. Henry has a solution, although I can’t tell you what it is. Remember? I wasn’t really paying attention? I’m sure it will work and the albañiles come tomorrow to do it again.
This delays our departure but not really. I’ve had a hard time working out the insurance and registration and other *stuff* that I need to get straight while I still have an internet connection.
Let me just say that there are times when the internet just fools you into thinking it is making things easier when in actual fact just calling someone up or *shock* *horror* going to their office would probably be a whole lot faster and easier. I think I figured that out today but too late to do anything about it. After navigating many pages of ‘fill in the blanks with ridiculous amounts of private information’ I got to the page where you choose which state your license plates are from. Did I mention this is all in Spanish? Anyway, it had all of the states in the USA except Alaska, Hawaii and… California! Bingo! I had to quit the whole thing and contemplate it a bit. I think I’ll start again tomorrow and just leave it on the default, which happens to be Alabama. That should be interesting.
So, who knows when we will actually leave. I need to pick a day though since I need to also pick not only a date but a god damn TIME that I will be crossing the border. Who the hell knows what time they are going to be at the border when they are 1500 miles away, not to mention what day? I’m not good at this.
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