A Word From Yelapa

WEATHER REPORT: ALMOST PERFECT!

 

 
I wanted you to see some of the greens that we see - that's the raging river in the background..... 

Las Palabras:  Ensenada - inlet/cove; Hasta ahora ha hecho buen tiempo; the weather's been nice thus far; Las navidades hasta entrada el ano nuevo - the Christmas season into the new year; Zanahorias - carrots; La puntilla - the point/tambien el cabo; Entonces - so, then

Recently, after several of my electrical, water, telephone and internet connect frustrations or any two of these life threatening shortages combined, and after a calming walk through the pueblo, I spent a lovely, warm evening at dinner with good friends, sitting on their deck overlooking our little Yelapa ensenada.  Four of the six of us were serious swimmers and had been discussing the still-warm water and how perfect it is in Yelapa in November.  In fact, my pal, John, said the only word for the weather was perfect.  Hasta ahora ha hecho buen tiempo....so, the weather report is: PERFECT! 

November is my very favorite month here for all the best reasons:  green, green, green; water, water everywhere, return of the first whales, return of mis amigos, reopening of favorite restaurantes.  We share an uplifting of our spirit, our sometimes foolish optimism that "they will come," the fading memories of heat and humidity, the simple pleasure of wearing more clothes than less, long sleeves no less - a communal sigh of relief, a lot more laughing! 

We all seem to share these wonderful, warm times and feelings right through las navidades hasta entrada el ano nuevo.  When it gets crowded at Christmas we sometimes stumble over each other, all being in the same places at the same times.   But it's a pretty good-natured group and we want our comunero amigos to have a successful season in business so most of us answer endless vacation questions, give directions and gladly help translate pesos into dollars or carrots into zanahorias....

I know it's already December, this year steamrolling toward its' end the same as anywhere else and so it should not have been, but was, a tiny surprise when it began to rain on the last day of my favorite month...right through to December 1!  At Tacos y Mas down the hill we ate on the porch with the family and others unwilling to acknowledge anything out of the ordinary.  No one except Kurt thought to wear a "Yelapa poncho" - that's a large black garbage bag - but he also lives a little farther out, at la puntilla.

Although my great good humor is in no way diminished by this morning's 64 degree temperature, I have begun to air out my woolier clothes and bed covers, glad once again to have my little wonder dog snuggle up for what we think of as cold, winter nights.  Entonces, our fleeting seasons are changing once again even while the sun shines bright, butterflies zip in and out of my house, iguanas feast in the sun on fresh, green leaves and the tiniest finch yodels me to come and find him in his tree if I can.  November has past so I have quickly decided December may be my favorite month, especially as the weather report is: ALMOST PERFECT!

Como siempre, con abrazos!

Maria  

 

 

 

DOS PAISES, DOS DIAS DE FIESTAS - TWO COUNTRIES, TWO FIESTAS

Sorry everyone but I seem doomed to remain in internet/telephone/electric hell for a bit longer....this is last year's Thanksgiving post but while the kids change the spirit of Mexico remains the same! Meantime we are enjoying the absolutely best weather in the whole world so we will be running away from home to the old swimming hole...enjoy! Photos are listed under "A Little Revolution."

Las Palabras: Un desfile en la playa - A parade on the beach; Los chicitos del Kindergarten - the little ones from the kindergarten; Agua Frescas - fresh fruit drinks; Bigotes - mustaches; Fusiles - rifles; Banderas - flags; Los Ninos - the children; Revolucionarios - revolutionaries; Constitucion - constitution;  Primer vez - first down; Que barbaro! - how brutal!  Pavo - turkey; Los Manguitos - the little mangos; Ojala que si! - would that is is so!

On Tuesday, November 20, Yelapa, along with all of Mexico, celebrated Revolution Day.  The holiday marks the revolution against the government of dictator, Porfiro Diaz and the beginnings of what is now the Republic of Mexico.  The children of Yelapa are the stars of the day's festivities, putting on un desfile en la playa, complete with revolutionaries, their spouses and their children, followed by the color guard drill team and the national anthem of Mexico.  The afternoon is filled with folklorico dancers featuring the students of the telesecondary school, the Mexican hat dance staged by los chicitos del kindergarten, traditional foods and agua frescas.  Bigotes, fusiles, banderas and los ninos carried on the backs of their moms depicted the revolucionarios who travelled with their familes on their way to victory and a new constitucion.  Mexico is now a great Republic thanks in part to the daring of such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa.  The fiesta here in Yelapa began on Saturday and lasted, for some, through the official holiday on Tuesday.  A good time was had by all.

Two days later the Americans took over, celebrating Thanksgiving Day with pavo and all the trimmings.  Canadians, who celebrate in October like the idea of two celebrations and join in the festivities. Up the Rio Tuito at Los Manguitos, dinner was served on the patio next to the river, complete with Thanksgiving Day American football on television, some games in English and some in Spanish.  I've learned a lot of Spanish watching the games in Spanish - primero vez.  Even my more linguistically challenged friends have learned to say, Que barbaro, following a sack or hard tackle.

Turkey dinner seemed to be spread out this year, with April once again cooking at the Passion Garden Restaurant what used to be the community potluck at Rancho Naranjo.  We all seem to have moved away from the old pot luck which originated at the original thanksgiving - a sharing of the harvest and in thanks for help and friendship. I hope that Yelapa has not grown to such a size that we are unable to celebrate with our favorite covered dishes, salads and desserts.  I recall Ali's potato salad, a treat seldom found in Mexico, Kathryn's devilled eggs, Patsy's Waldorf salad and one turkey which seemed to somehow be sufficient.  Our local musicians tuned up after dinner and the music was as interesting and varied as the food. 

Traditionally a day marking the survival of the original pilgrims with a little/a lot of help from the local native amerinds, it is still a day when we remind ourselves to be thankful for so having so much.  Coming from a Native American family, I recall a year when I was "enlightened" and thought the original natives should not have been so helpful so why should our family be so grateful anyway....my mother, who like all mothers, always had the helm, simply said if I had nothing to be thankful for I could just stay in my room and skip dinner...no way!  But it was a lesson that even though we daily greeted the dawn and gave thanks for being, it was also special to have celebrations, to set aside days for thanks.  And so we do and so we did last Thursday.

One last note on the festivities marking Mexico's revolution.  Our schools, like schools everywhere, have needs which cannot be met by the government or by the parents alone.  The telesecondary school has been trying for several years to complete the computer lab, where the computers will have a fighting chance against the monsoons and the humidity.  Maybe we all have one last, great potluck in us for these causes.  Ojala que si!

Viva Mexico!  Viva Los Estados Unidos!

Maria

O,WOE IS ME! - !HAY DE MI!

 
Throughout this week I was hoping to share this photo, taken by our very talented amigo, Rangel.....Our cascada following a 9" downpour, tail end of Hurricane Rick. This makes the week's past problemitas seem pretty insignificant.  Gracias, amigo. 

LAS PALABRAS:  El clima mas fresco - the cooler weather; Chispas - sparks; La caja y la mufa - the power pole that houses the fuse box; Fijete! - look at it!; El telephone es muerto - the phone is dead!; Poco a Poco - little by little - My vote for our national motto; Regresare cuando tengo servicio - ojala en dos semanas! - I will return when I have service - hopefully en two weeks! 

Just when I thought we had all made it through the summer and day by day we could feel el clima mas fresco, especially early morning and through the night, everything pretty much fell apart in my little corner of paradise.

It's as though someone or something was just waiting for me to begin to feel comfortable again....I admit I was tending to neglect some of the anti-humidity chores that constantly need doing throughout most of the summer.  Entonces, things just all broke or ceased to be operational in the same week, on the same day, at the same instant.  

I went to sleep under a sheet and without the fans running and woke to chispas -flickering lights....that should be easy to handle.  Our local engineer dude came, cleaned up the caja on the mufa, offered to come back and make sure we were not intertwined with anyone else's line, etc.  Of course, this being Yelapa, we really have to expect everything to be, at the least, confusing to diagnose and resolve.  Two weeks later and too much money spent, the lights continue to flicker, the power continues to fluctuate and I have not seen engineer dude since.....

So on I went to the computer where I spent many, many, many hours trying to get to my blog site and trying to stay there or trying to get to my email or trying to stay there.  I spend the entire week trapped in my house, not wanting to miss the Telmex phone repairman who should have been there within their promised 36 hours.  Two hundred hours later and no sign of anyone I place a desperate call to Engineer Dude's mother (the best way to get a Mexican man's attention is through his mom) and here was my electric hero again, this time checking out the phone.  I totally understand that we are all under the same confusing sky (and full moon) so I am not surprised to hear that nobody in the pueblo can stay on or get on the internet except for my pal, the other Maria, who usually can never get on at all.  So the question is -is something really wrong with my apparatus or is it bigger than my own little phone and laptop?  This time my phone gets its jacks cleaned - fijete!  The phone works!  We visit for a few minutes and discuss the ongoing power problem - just long enough for the phone to go off again.....Disconnect, disconnect, disconnect!

El telefono es muerto!  I still cannot post a blog and I have that end of the world feeling I sometimes get when I realize the problem cannot be solved within the pueblo, that there is no third world solution for first world technology and there is much confusion as to what is actually the problem.  Marea alta, a very high tide is making the thought of a quick trip to Puerto Vallarta a bit dicey and I have learned to avoid anything but emergency trips...Well, a new phone certainly qualifies as an emergency, doesn't it? 

I suppose none of this seems tragic but in the meantime my work force failed to appear for a long awaited project, it continued to rain just slightly, preventing the painting crew from painting our entire house, I have a recurring dream that the house will be Halloween orange rather than the burnt amber color I love and hope for.  That old dog, Lucky fixed the hot water heater for me, I had one delicious hot shower and the water went out but was back on just in time for me to take an eight a.m. cold shower and shampoo and on and on and on!  We often say living in Yelapa requires a level of physicality not needed in most places so I am remaining tough, only weeping in private and handling everything poco a poco!

Regresare cuando hay servicios - Ojala en dos semanas!

Como siempre, con abrazos!

Maria