In order to be in the loop with regard to expat goings-on around town such as fund raisers, community events, garage sales, death notices, and things for sale you need to keep an eye on the forums. I have found information on good doctors, veterinarians, restaurants, etc. – but that information comes at a cost to me!

Reading the forums does gives a glimpse into the way others perceive the world.  And I have pretty much decided that a lot of people that participate the most on these forums are defensive, argumentative, close-minded, angry, childish, and rude. Most of the reasonable people don’t even participate for fear of being jumped on.

Here’s a recent sampling from MazInfo and What’s up Maz:

Someone asked what are the taxi rates from the airport and whether there was a cash machine in the airport. Easy to answer, right?  NO!  The responses were all over the place, including outdated information from someone’s visit six months ago that then degenerated into a ridiculous message thread about cash machine charges that was totally pointless.  How anyone could glean anything helpful out of that mess would be beyond me.

Someone asked whether anyone had a rental for a specific period. A few people replied, but one of them owns a B & B so the discussion degraded into whether this is considered “advertising” (which is not allowed) or not.

People participate on the board that have businesses in town.  There has been ongoing chatter and many many messages flying around forever about what constitutes advertising and whether they can even have their business signature at the bottom of the message.  Sheesh!

Oh, and don’t even think about sharing information about someone performing music or giving Spanish lessons or something without a huge brouhaha about whether they have the proper work permits.

Even a simple newbie question about what TV service is best is answered with possibly one or two reasonable answers and a sheaf of angry missives by people who think they’ve been done wrong or that their system is best.

People are blissfully ignorant and cheap, too.  They don’t seem to understand how uninformed it makes them seem if they ask where the Art Museum is or complain when one of the stores rounds up the centavos at the cash register.  Sometimes I just want to scream,  just Google it, damn it!

People will bitch about anything.  How many pelicans are in Mazatlán.  If horseradish is available here.  What is the meaning of the word “monsoon.”  Whatever.

People also can’t spell.  I have had it up to here (I am gesturing at my neck) with people  misspelling malecón, tinaco, Plazuela Machado, Puerto Viejo, and others.  Place names especially are just that, names.  Look it up if you don’t know, people!  It is like a New Yorker writing Cintril Park instead of Central Park… you should just know place names in your community.

People seem to forget it’s a forum for Mazatlán people or people interested in Mazatlán.  Frequently when people post about a storm or quantity of rain or level of humidity, people chime in from all over the US and Canada about how hot or cold or stormy or humid it is where they are and how they can’t wait for some length of time for their next trip to Mazatlán.  Yawn.

So I feel a little better now, getting that off my chest.  I still will hang around to find out about the occasional lemon sighting at Wal-Mart or restaurant closure information, at least for the time being.  Who knows what will happen in the future?

So instead of walking that night we took the car when we went to dinner (another delicious Pizza Moreno meal!) and headed home past the Plazuela Machado.  Originally we were going to have a drink outside and listen to some music, but a drive by was going to have to do, instead.

We drove along Heriberto Frias, and when we approached Mariano Escobedo near El Faro Coffee we detoured in six inches of water around a city sign indicating they had been working there.

Thunk!  Our right front tire was in a hole about 10 inches deep!  It was raining hard, too! And of course Jess and Lourdes had a 7 am flight the next morning, meaning we had to head to the airport at 5:30!

Thank heavens for a patron and the owner of El Faro, who dialed up the city tow truck.  We bought coffee and stood under the awning to wait.

Then the Transito Police showed up.  The driver got out, waded through the calf high water and started discussing what had happened with us (and thankfully Lourdes.)  The El Faro owner came out and told what she knew – that the city had been working on the pothole but left when it started raining, putting a sign over the hole.  Some people parked and moved the sign, and when they left they didn’t put it back, and then when the rain started really piling up no one could see the hole.

The 300+ pound transit officer said that the city only has one tow truck and that it wouldn’t come.  He suggested he help us get it out of the hole, so the three of us ladies and the huge transit officer waded in again and he practically lifted the car by himself out of the hole and to safety.  We were all soaked up to our knees.

And that’s what happens all the time around here… people doing nice things for each other.  We were so lucky to have such generous people help us – and yes, the car was fine and we got to the airport without further mishaps!

The first miracle that happened is we actually connected with them!  The roads are small and the little towns just look like a couple of houses by the highway and most towns aren’t indicated with a sign.  They had a New York cell phone, we had a Sinaloa one… so at one point I ended up calling my son in Mexico City and having him call them from his vonage phone for me.  It had taken them longer than they expected to walk from the rancho to the highway where they waited for us, jumping up and down when our car came by.  We connected without too much delay!

The rancho is where Lourdes lived as a child, one of a large family.  She shared so many memories of riding donkeys, eating sugar cane, handling the livestock and carrying water from a long distance.  The house that they lived in as children is still there, but the adobe bricks have collapsed and new rooms have been added over time.  No one lives there full time now, but a sister comes from Guadalajara every week or two to water plants and a brother keeps his goats, pigs, and chickens in the farmyard but lives a few doors away.

Some family live in California, others in New York, and the rest in Guadalajara or San Nicolas.  It’s a place for them to all come home to throughout the year, and you can almost see the roots from this place still holding the family together.

We loved her family, a family of smiling people with the same twinkling eyes.  When we arrived posole was on the fire outside, and all the sisters were busy preparing a delicious comida.  Paul and I sat and visited with a brother in law, since our help wasn’t needed (ahem, wanted) in the kitchen.  The kitchen was a cinder block room with a table, a pila for washing, a clothes washer, and a tiny stove.  But wow!  The food that came out of there was amazing.  A zuchinni-tomato dish, several salsas, the posole, tortillas, quesadillas, broccoli, and much more.  The liter bottles of beer filled glass after glass.  More family arrived.  Everyone crowded around the table and everyone talked and laughed.  Our Spanish was serviceable, and we were energized with our ability to connect a bit with such nice people. Several told hair raising stories about crossing over into the US.

After the meal we took a walk down the hill to get some wood for a fire and so Lourdes could show us around.  She harvested some sugar cane that we ate right there and then took some back for later.  The light was beautiful, the sunset extraordinary.

We sat around the fire that night listening to her uncle tell the story of being in California and a woman told him she would get him working papers…. little did he know that the papers he signed meant he had married her!  The next day the same uncle came and said he was going to milk the cow if we wanted to come.  He said that he can’t sell her milk anymore, everyone wants to buy it in the store.  So if people want milk he will fill them a cup and then let the calf have the rest.  According to the 5  or 6 cousins gathered around, milk with some kind of high test alcohol in a plastic bottle is a good hangover chaser so they all lined up for their milk, too. They even added chocolate powder!

By late morning it was time for us to leave as we all wanted to stop in Tequila for a short while and then head to Mazatlán.  It was a wonderful time and I feel we were welcomed into Lourdes’s family.  We hope to see them again this summer and possibly her brother will come to our house sometime as he comes to Mazatlán occasionally.

I made a little video of clips from some of the weekend at el rancho.  It is below.  Enjoy.

Paul and I are lucky, and we know it.  Guadalupe comes to our house two mornings a week.  She cleans upstairs one day and downstairs the other.  She sweeps the floor, dusts, cleans the bathrooms, and mops.  And I am grateful for everything she does!

But… there is still plenty for us to do around the house.  Windows to wash.  Landscaping to water, mow, and  trim.  Fountain to clean.  Ceiling fans to clean.  Hardware to oil.  Oven and fridge to clean.  Patios to wash.  There’s always something!

Around here the main tool for cleaning floors is the string mop.  Guadalupe is a wizard with it, but sadly, I don’t like them much.  So when the time came around today for both downstairs patios to be washed, I used my own technique.

First, I sweep all the loose stuff.  Leaves, bird poops, and of course, Lucy’s fur.  Shedding is her favorite occupation, you know.

Next, I wash it down with water.

Then I heave hot water with vinegar and Fabuloso on the wet area using a plastic cup. (this is a Mexican technique)

Then I use a big broom to scrub away at the tile.  If you have a small patio you could use a plastic bristled regular broom.

Next rinse with the hose, and squeegee off with the foam squeegee, working your way towards the drain or the edge.

I use a hose with a trigger on it so it really doesn’t use that much water.  Water is very inexpensive here, with our household use combined with Cuahtémoc using our water for his car wash business our bill is less than 60 pesos a month. (about $5)

Why I thought this was noteworthy, I’m not sure.  I just know that if every time I needed to wash the patios I had to get out a string mop they would never get cleaned!

About a week ago there was a bit of a furor with several properties being remodeled or razed without the authority of INAH. (INAH is the historic preservation organization)

There was a building demolished in Centro.  (below)

The historic Haas home is being redone partially to become the new home of the Carnaval Museum, and they started to break a hole in a wall for a doorway without authorization.  There was a stop work order put on the property until the proper permits could be obtained.  (The Haas family has donated the space for the Museum) (Picture is below.)

The Plazuela Zaragoza has been discussed in the paper recently with regard to a planned renovation. So, when they started work on the Plazuela that included pulling up the battered sidewalks and demolishing the 1950’s kiosko, we didn’t think anything was amiss!  But there weren’t proper permits for that work, either, and a stop work order went up there, too!  After a few days things were ironed out and Paul and I walked by just as they were pulling down one of the kiosko pillars.  First one guy had been pulling on it with a rope and then two other guys ran over (one was in business clothes) and started pushing, and down it came!  (The next two pictures)

Then late Wednesday night the cement canopy over the sidewalk at the Hotel Belmar at Olas Altas fell down with a crash!  It turned out that the metal inside the concrete had severely decayed.  The canopy destruction revealed arches that we hadn’t been aware of, but unfortunately they were covered over when the repairs were made.  (Picture below)

Then, Friday night late many sirens were heard, and in the morning we found out that there had been a fire at the main mercado.  A short circuit started in a clothing store that burned the inventory and then spread, ultimately damaging 14 stores.  The mercado has been in the papers recently as the city has been trying to figure out what to do to improve circulation as there are lots of vendors around the outside that impede pedestrian traffic.  But now it seems that the whole Mercado needs an overhaul, especially the electrical systems. (Picture from the morning after, below)

But on a good note, the house I showed you a month or so ago as about to undergo renovation is going full swing, and a picture is below.  (I couldn’t resist snapping it with the guy straddling the roof!)

I have closed comments on this post because I have gotten several dozen spam comments.  Sorry!

Last Friday was the First Fridays Art Walk.  (actually the second Friday because of New Years Day) A couple of friends came over and the four of us headed out together.  There had to be several hundred people cruising around Centro clutching maps (see above) and visiting artist studios, galleries, and private homes.  We saw some wonderful art while chatting and sipping wine.  It would be impossible to visit all the studios on the tour in one evening, which means every month you have a chance to see new things.

We ate dinner in the Plazuela Machado after checking out the voting for the King of Joy (Thomas Antonio “El Centenario”), the Prince of Joy (Juan Reyes), the Child Queen (Karime de la Cruz Barrón) and Flower Queen (Adamaris Flores Cortez) that was taking place at the Plazuela Republica. (Left to right in picture, above)

Saturday there was a meeting that overflowed the meetingplace put on by Democrats Abroad Mexico.  The topic was Medicare in Mexico.  I didn’t attend the meeting, but it sounds like the new national officers of Democrats Abroad are excellent and there will be more to come on the work to promote Medicare in Mexico.

Sunday morning there was a dog walk fundraiser for the Amigos de los Animales.  It was a lot of fun.  Paul and I were amazed that when you get a group of dogs together who have never met before, they behave like a pack, just walking along together like they’d been doing it forever!  If you’re on Facebook, pictures of the Caminando are here.

Authors Stella Bell, Ethel Stockton, Marshall Mason, Ruth Clarke, PJ Reese, Susan Carnes

Sunday afternoon was a fund raiser for the Mazatlán Membership Library.  Called Write on Maz, it was held in the courtyard of the art museum.  Six published authors discussed the ins and outs of  finding inspiration, writing, publishing, and promoting their work. It was an excellent afternoon that began with great music and food, continued with the excellent talks, and finished with many nice raffle prizes being distributed.  And the fundraiser was a success, with an air conditioner to be installed in the library… sure to make browsing in the summer more pleasant!

Coming up is a chance to see a one man play called “The Power of Ignorance.”  Our friend Ken Albanese is performing the show, which is a theatrical fundraising event to benefit Friends of Mexico Scholarship Fund and Proyecto Animales de la Calle.  It is being performed on January 26 and February 3 at 8 pm at Canuck’s.  Tickets are 150 pesos.  (To reserve your e-tickets send an email to ignorance.maz (at) gmail.com)  Provde your name, date & number of tickets desired.  Payment is made at the door)  The last I heard the first show was almost sold out, so inquire soon if you are interested!

There are lots of other things going on, too.  I try to keep the calendar page updated as much as possible, but it can be a challenge sometimes… there is just so much to do here!

There are more Mazatlán urban art pictures here, taken over the last few years.

The Mexican population is  just so nice!  No one is ever impatient with my Spanish, I truly think they like to help, they are that nice. How can that be? Everyone smiles and greets each other.  People want to chat.  People inquire about our dogs and sometimes ask if their kids can pet them.  Workers putting up the colored lights for Carnaval smile shyly.  A store owner greets me and congratulates me on not buying cigarettes from him any more.  Albañils who have worked in our house wave enthusiastically when they see me.  It is like living in a small town here in Centro, but better.  A small town but with big city interests.  It’s a city that loves music, and babies, and culture, and the beach and cold beer.

The gringo population here in Centro feels the same.  Friendly, interesting, interested, warm.  A joke here is how hard it can be sometimes to keep your calendar clear!  There is always something going on in town, and before or after it is a nice excuse to meet for a walk or a beer or a sunset.  Paul and I are kind of in the middle, we like to go and do but we are also homebodies… but any evening a walk to the plaza or the malecon will find us visiting with friends, smiling, and laughing.  There is an active bi-cultural art community and lots of good works with the orphanages or the local schools to get involved with if you’re so inclined.

Right now there is a crisis as a young British man who has been living here and studying Spanish is in the hospital in serious condition from a 7 story fall.  His O- blood type is not common in Mexico, and he needs multiple surgeries so there has been a call out for blood donors in the gringo community.  Lots of people have donated, and I believe the rules have been stretched to allow donations by those who are over-60 retirees. The family has set up a Facebook page with frequently updated information here if you are a Facebook user.  I just love how everyone has pitched in to get the word out about the need to donate.  It was announced at some of the bars and restaurants and there were two announcements at the baseball game last night.

Right now I am taking a deep breath… it has been a bit of a social whirl for the last few weeks.  But the city is getting geared up for a party, Carnaval, coming February 11 to 16.