Projects I forgot about around town

I forgot to mention that Aurora and Beto's new kitchen has been walled in. The floor is next. I think. Looks nice and big. I think there will be a teraza too. In the front, sort of.

Francisco, son of Chico of restaurant fame, and brother of Aurora, is working on a shop (I think it's motor/engine repair shop). They are putting stairs into it for a second floor ( I guess) right now. It's directly across from the gate into the schoolyard. This Chico also has the little market out on the road in front of Chico's parking lot and a little liquor store right across Chico's driveway.

There are some very hard working Chacaleno's. (sp?). Lots of them. Chico's closed for Christmas Eve this year (only day off) and had a huge party for friends and family.
The Joker is open 7am to 9 or 10pm seven days a week. Juan and his mom cover those hours.
Miguel Angel/Prieto, the collectivo driver, works seven days a week, 6:30am to about 6:30 or 7:00pm. Last year he had four days off and one sick day.

I walked up onto the restaurant/swimming pool level of the new hotel today. No workers around. There is definitely a largish pool with a deep and a swallow end, and a big deck. The view of the bay is very very nice. I'm sort of dreading it opening, but it really looks nice. I think there is going to be a parking problem unless they figured out a way to have a rear entrance somehow. The driveway to the right of the property that they were using for construction has been disappeared. As have two of the nicer trees in the area. Maybe they were a problem for the view. Who knows.

The new house that's further up the hill on the same side of the paved road and back one lot is really going up quickly. I like how it looks. Nice windows with rounded tops and at least one teraza. Chama is building it and using alot of workers. He is finished with the Casa Tortuga remodel except for the painting, which someone else is doing I think.

The big new house in the gully side of the paved road and kind of across from the hotel is also going up fast. People are saying it will have a pool, and I think it's true. It looks very interesting and architectural, sort of. I am going to walk around down there on Sunday. Just to look. No swimming there yet.

The water is running in Chacala, and it's very murky looking. Light brown. But there is water. I can't wait to see how all the swimming pools get filled. They could advertise them as mud baths if they used town water. I understand that's not going to happen though.

The remodel of the house three lots down from Casa Chacala is coming along. It seems to be a second story with patios. I think.

The storage area behind Juan's (the Joker) tienda is being converted into a a video rental store. They tried to have one in the empty spot next to the store on the beach road side but I guess that didn't work out. Lalo's new fish store is coming along quickly. It's right uphill from the Gloria's Posada/Hotel. Lalo's father father died a few days ago and there has been a firework shoot everyday at four, I think that' so everyone will know it's time to come sit with the family.

I like it that they is a real tradition about handling deaths and the aftermath in this town, and I suppose, in all of Mexico. And that people seem to follow it. I know that when I die it is very unlikely that fifty or sixty people will come sit somewhere to honor me, or in this case I think, the family. And certainly not for nine days in a row, and then again for some more rites a year later. And the Mass.

Maria Polila (I know that's not right, but the very little, older, lady that lives next to Laura Sura) came up to me today when I was walking by and asked for a donation for the decorations she makes every year for St. Rafael's day ( I guess he is Chacala's saint and I know it's a big big fiesta day). She also makes decorations for the Day of the Dead and for Independence Day (for cash). They are very nice. Maria came up to the house the other day looking for plant cuttings.

Trini and Clemen dropped by this morning. EBACH is having a (fund raising) fiesta at the Tres Hermano's restaurant Wednesday night. Free, with donated food, and free admission. The fund raising part will be games like bingo or lotteries or something like that. I think I have that right. I am trying to stick to Spanish even when I'm around Trini, so I miss some things. There will be music and dancing. So come on down!!! Clemen seems to be working hard at her new job with EBACH. She had Julio Caesar with her today. He is growing so fast. I have been living for here 21 months now, so I remember him being about five months old. Today he was playing (with) the dominoes at my house. Very well behaved and fun to be around.

It just occured to me that I haven't noticed any obviously pregnant women around here for quite a while. Except for Pepe's (of the hardware store) wife Claudia, who looks beautiful.
I think there were nine babies born here the first year or so I was here. All but one boys. Oh,l i just remembered Jorge (of the deposito) and his wife just had their third child, Sebastian I think. He is already sleeping in a swinging cradle in the back of the store while his mom is working. I remember his little sister, now walking, when she was just born and sleeping in the swinging bed.

Can't think of anything else. Oh, it's very very hot and humid right now. The bugs are really annoying. The last couple of days have been the most uncomfortable days of the year, at least for me.