Merry Christmas

We are having a good time in the sun. When you come for this long it isn't really a vacation in that we don't go rushing around playing tourist. I go for a walk in the morning between 7 and 8 when it is still cool and then I just do whatever needs doing much as I would in Granisle.

Dave has volunteered his time three days a week to work with a group helping Mexicans build themselves homes in a village nearby, San Jose de Guaymas. Their homes were destroyed in September when a tropical storm blew through and at least one old lady of 80 is still living under a tree although a tent has been offered to her now. Nearly six foot of water deluged the village and there are still huge puddles there as the ground cannot absorb any more. Amazingly only one person lost his life and that is because he refused to leave his home. A lot of money has come in from different groups to buy the supplies and the Mexicans are building their own homes with help from the volunteers. Last week the Vice-Mayor of Guaymas visited the site and asked what they needed most and he was told cement so he arranged for 400 bags to be delivered, the men were very excited about that as it meant they could really get going. Mostly Dave is putting in doors and windows and some roofing or things the locals don't know how to do. It is very basic a one room brick hut with two windows and a door but it is better than nothing. Then as they can afford it the owner can build onto it. There is electricity but no plumbing so a communal bathroom has been set up for now. You can see a few tents in the pictures which were supplied by the Rotary and when each home is built the tents will be returned so they can be used again in some other emergency.

At the other extreme we toured a house that is being built in San Carlos it is huge and right on the beach. This is the palapa an outdoor room with BBQ and cooler for drinks.

That's me in the hat talking to Julio the friend we made last time we were here. We brought Spanish bibles down for his church. He said people were too poor to buy their own. He also lost some of his things during the storm but is recovering. His computer was damaged and it sounded pretty old anyway. I had brought him down a bible study program with a Spanish version which he admired on my laptop earlier this year but unfortunately he is now unable to use it. He said he makes about $28 a day and really has to work for that and he is pretty well paid as he can turn his hand to most things, speaks fluent English and is well known amongst the English speaking community. That ugly thing now on view on the beach is where a lot of the water came up. It is a water purification unit but is not working properly right now and sure spoils the view from this house but no doubt the fellow who owns the house will get it looking okay soon and working again.

Anyway I hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hardly realize it is Christmas here as no hype, no glitter and no Santa Claus. It is wonderful.

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Heads or Tails - Gone Fishing

Barb started a meme a while ago called Heads or Tails this week her theme is 'Gone Fishing"

Fishermen putting out their nets to catch mackerel in San Carlos, Sonora Mexico.

Pelicans were a lot of fun to watch

This afternoon we walked around the marina, a favourite spot with us. Fishermen had come in and were cleaning their catch. There were Mackerel and what looked like a small Grouper. The pelicans where everywhere and they were a lot of fun to watch as they caught the pieces the fishermen didn't want. One pelican was really aggressive and took another pelican in a head hold for at least 20 minutes trying to get it to give up its fish. Even seagulls were pecking at one of the pelican's pouch under its bill as it was sticking out with so much food in it. We had a real chuckle at some of their antics.

Lovely warm day 26C/79F so it is amusing to us to see some people with padded coats, scarves and hats on. We are in Tshirts and shorts. Of course it gets about 35 - 40 degrees hotter in summer so I guess they do feel it cold. We are certainly not missing our weather at home which is having a really cold spell right now  -33C/-27.4F overnight. I am ever so slowly toasting to a pale gold just by walking, so I should be making lots of the good Vitamin D which I have been sadly lacking up north. My cold is very much better but Dave has it now. I made him eat extra amounts of garlic in his dinner tonight, not that he minds, as it is a natural anti-biotic, but I might be sleeping on the couch tonight. LOL

San Jose

Dave went out with some other men today to see what is being done in a small village near here called San Jose. It experienced a lot of damage when a tropical storm came through in September. Many people were left homeless. There are people from many varied walks of life helping out. Dave was working with a lawyer from Arizona who comes down for the winter each year and likes to help with various projects. Another American is married to a Mexican woman and lives here full time giving a lot of his time to these causes. We are living across from him and he always has building materials being delivered for various projects. Apparently over $190,000 has been donated towards rebuilding the area. In San Carlos itself there is ongoing work to the roads that were damaged but it is happening slow but surely, also on the main highway where it was washed away there has been a lot of road work. Dave said he saw huge swathes of blacktop that had been swept away on the sides of the road.

We went into Guaymas today to do some shopping. Guaymas is about a 15 minute drive from San Carlos where we are staying. We tried a new store that we were told about. It was fantastic. It sold everything from vehicle tires to baby clothes. It has a large food department, restaurant, pharmacy and electronics. I did not think the fridges,stoves and other appliances where that expensive at all, cheaper than Canada and looked good. The only disappointment were the bathrooms they still were not up to our standards. We were told a Walmart store will be built by next August and that the town is growing very fast.

Cactus forest and other news

Took a short drive on the way we saw this cactus forest. We noticed on the drive down through Arizona that many of the cactus were propped up, I have heard that some are endangered.

We came to a fishing village which was badly affected by the tropical storm that came through here in September. People are slowly getting their lives back together but there is a great deal of poverty. 

We were told that many little creatures like geckos and other insect eating animals where swept out to sea and many pools of water are still drying out so the mosquitoes maybe bad this year. Also during the storm birds where dropping out of trees as their feathers where sodden. People were collecting them and putting them where they could possibly dry out. 

We also located a Mexican friend we had made last year, Julio. We had asked him what he would like us to bring him from Canada and he wanted Spanish Bibles for his church as lots of folk could not afford a bible so we brought twenty down with us. He had also taken a shine to the bible program Dave had shown him on the laptop last time we were here so I got him a copy with a Spanish edition also. It is freeware so it was no cost to me. It is a very good one called e-sword. He also wanted a special fishing hook he couldn't find here, so today we dropped them off and he was so appreciative.

Julio is going to help Dave find a place to put in his boat. The places that Dave had thought to put in the boat were destroyed in the storm and are in the process of being fixed so we have been hunting for another but Julio says we can use the one near the house he is working at as he has the key to the ramp.

Internet still iffy but I am typing offline and when it does come on briefly I am sending emails. So this post is sent to my blog via email also. I have to see if Facebook has that capability I am sure it does. 

Internet connection

Connection is on and off all the time so we are very frustrated. So not sure how much posting I will be doing until solved.

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Heads or Tails - One

Barb started a meme called Heads or Tails and the topic today is Won or One.

Today is week one in Mexico although we had one week traveling and one here already.

This is how it was the morning we left. We are happy to have left that weather behind.

Here is one character that I hope not to see again.

No internet as yet

Our landlord lost his router password so I have been unable to get online
from the apartment and today I am sending emails from a local coffee shop
so have to be quick because of laptop battery. Hopefully will be solved
soon and I can check out my feeds etc.

Trip was excellent and weather is sublime. Mexican people are very
gracious and everyone friendly. Wish you were here.