Wearing Down

Dear Family and Friends, Our previous day of shopping, mostly unsuccessfully, has apparently worn us out. So, that meant that yesterday we gnerally stayed very close to home and did very little. I did get a good walk in and came across a couple of interesting sights as I proceeded along the Malécon. I do live my iphone! I walk along and listen to music or my Spanish lessons, and then, suddenly, see a sight, turn of the sound and it is my camera! Very nifty A day or so ago, I shared with ou the "Sand Men," the young entrepreneurs who glue sand to their clothes, skin, and props and sit frozen, encouraging people to take photos of them, for a donation, of course. In fact, they have now added a third, empty chair, inviting a visitor to sit at the table with them for the photo-op. Yesterday, on the south end of the Malécon, I came across their outfits and props, sitting all alone. There was something rather comical in the simple isolation of their clothes and props, minus the owners. It felt a little like the Wicked Witch as she melted away Further down at the north end of the Malécon, I came across a secnd unique sight. It was apparently some sort of outing for little Mexican kids who were interested in a career in the medical field. They were so cute, dressed in their little nurses outfit and lab coats, with stethoscopes and little doctor's bags. Later when I was coming back, there were ambulances and other medical services, giving guided tours of the equipment and letting the kids run the sirens and flash the lights. Big Day! More or less (mas o menos) that was the day. We were able to pull our sorry selves out of the apartment and down the hill for a margarita, but that was it. We were soon back up the hill for lunch and a siesta. Our one big outing for the day, was taking our waiter friend, José and his wife, Esparanza, to dinner. (pictured here from a party at their home last year (because Ed, last night forgot to take any photos! We had done this last year and had so enjoyed the evening, that we wanted another time with them. Also, José is just a very special friend. Esparanza had very little English, so José was busy all evening as our translator, but it was fun. I think we had a bit more Spanish this year than before and Esparanza seems to have a little better grasp of English. We took them to Miel and they enjoyed the food very much. As a waiter, José, not surprisingly, keeps a careful eye on the service. He is so good at what he does, and takes a real pride in his job, that many places would not do themselves a disservice in following his lead. He was not very impressed with our spiked-hair, tattooed Roberto. Roberto tends to be a little caught up in himself (perhaps tattoos and spiked hair might lead one to that conclusion) and doesn't listen carefully. So, naturally, he got our order wrong. Polley and I ordered the Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry. He brought us Shrimp Fajitas! They, or course, started to correct the mistake, but Polley and I, not minding their fajitas, just took what they gave us. In fact, we came to realize that there was little difference between the two dishes: just a few warmed tortillas! Anyway, it was a nice evening and we really value our opportunities to get to know the Mexican people. Lst year, Jose and Esparanza had us into their home for a family gathering and we felt very honored to be included. It was, again, fun to return the favor. We also became aware that given how hard they work and how little, by our standards, they have, that an evening out to dinner is something very special and very rare. We were pleased to share the night with them. Sadly, at the end of the evening, they were off to console a friend whose sister-in-law hd died the day before. We bid them goodnight and caught a cab for El Patio for "dos cervazas," and then up the hill. tomorrow, we have all to ourselves. Stay tuned to see what trouble we might be able to get into!