Wandering around town

There was only a little rain last night, so I thought the road might have dried out a little by 10am or so. I wanted to do a couple of errands: drop some stuff off at the Kinder while the teacher, Julietta , is still there, leave a plant with the non-Techo Aurora, go to the tienda for TP and tomatoes and some fruit, visit with Aurora and with Concha, both of whom have been sick lately, and look at some of the current building projects.

It turned out the dirt road from the Marina gate to Trini's was a total swamp, slippy, muddy, and with lots of standing water. Had to tiptoe and watch every step. Better than last year though, when the road was a lake from Trini's to the gate. They used the dirt from the huge excavation for the new hotel up on the paved road to raise the level of the dirt road. It's not great, but it's better that last year.

On the way to the Kinder I ran into lots of people. And it took quite a lot of time to get over there. Also, I checked out Surfer Paul's new rentals/home across from Dona's Lupe (the Cundo's mom Dona Lupe who works at Casa Tortuga). Anyway, they are moving right along with the building, even with the torrential downpours several nights a week. Chuy's (don't know how that name is spelled) crew is building it and the big place up across the paved road from Gordons' and near the Marina gate. Work has stopped for a few weeks on that place. Don't know what's going on with that. The family, Angela is the mom, that used to live in Ventura's house kind of near Casa Azul is now living in Marta's old house. They have built a very large palapa roof in front of the house. Small house, lots of kids, makes sense.

Work continues on the rental units across from Casa Azul. It's starting to look nicer. I think a couple of the units are completed. The newly built (last winter) road that goes down in front of Casa Tortuga seems to be surviving the rains. At least from a distance it okays okay. I didn't look over the edge at the bottom to see what the runoff has done .

Stopped at the Kinder with some stuff. The work project there has really taken off. A septic has been dug and the bottom layer of cement installed. All the weeds have been cleared and it looked great. The kids were having recess, climbing all over the Big Play Toy and having a great time. It looks good, a great toy. It is locked up except for the three hours of school. It would be easy to sneak in but I don't think that is happening. At least I haven't noticed any kids in there during non-school hours. Some of the mothers were there. I think they talking about the work project when I arrived. The little siblings (Julio, Toni, Mariana) were at the Kinder with their moms and they were having a great time.

The cobble roads around town are mostly stripped completely free of dirt by the rain, so it's really hard to walk on them. Like balancing on rocks. The new construction kind of across from Koranay (on the lot with the dark grey house with palapa style window shades), is coming along. Still doing foundation work. It looks like two small units but it's hard to tell.

Lalo's new fish factory/shop is coming along. Very quickly. It's got a floor, roof and they are working on counter type work areas. Its around the corner from old place, uphill from the hotel above Juan's store, and I think it's in his mom's front yard. Noe, Viki's espouso, is doing the work, with a helper, Javier.

The place down on the beach road across from the restaurants is coming along but I think construction is stopped for now. The beach area looks pretty nice, mostly because grass has grown up in a lot of places , including the palm grove, and it looks clean and fresh (because the grass covers up the remaining trash). Chilango's worker, I can't remember his name, but he's very tan and very tall and wears an ID around his neck, was laid off about three months or so ago. I saw him back over there yesterday. I hope he really does have a job again. He was asking me for work and if I knew of any work, but I couldn't help him with that. Can't remember if I mentioned that Chico's new toilets are in use and looking great.

The nice looking place across from Concha's techo is almost done and it looks very nice. Juan (who keeps an eye on Ana's place) told me he has the job of painting it. They were putting in nice wood window and doors. The builder (and maybe owner?) told me it has three rental units, an office, and a tienda space facing the street. And that he plans to put a pool in. Oh no!!! No more pools! Someone told me that the tienda-looking space will be a real estate outpost office for a Sayulita realtor, Roderigo, who lives in the Marina, but I have no idea if its true.

There are four construction projects along the paved road right now. The first place is on the left, coming into town, which is being remodeled, as a two unit rental I think. Adding a second story. The left side unit of Concha's family's new rentals on the paved road across from Aurora's is plastered and the floor is in. It looks great.

The new place on the left about half up the road toward the Marina and slightly downhill from the road, looks really nice. The foundation does anyway. It's downhill from the paved road in the runoff area. The gossip is it will have another swimming pool and that the builder or owner is a rich family member of a local person. Who knows? Not me.

The Canadian house off the uphill side of the paved road is going up quickly. They did a lot of earth and rock moving and the foundation and first floor walls are going up quickly.

I think that's it for house construction. Aurora and Beto, with help from Beto's nephew Eduardo, are building a really nice cobblestone path up from the kitchen area. It looks great, kind of Y-shaped, dividing to go up to the downstairs techos units and their house.

The weather cooled off slightly, high 80's for a couple days, after a huge rainstorm. A couple of nights ago there were three sessions of maybe two hours each of torrential downpours. When it is raining I think the bugs all come inside if your lights are on. Either to dry off by the nice warm lights or to visit, don't know which. A couple of nights ago the non-see-ums and flying beetle things and god knows what else were everywhere. Everywhere inside the house. A lot of them must of gotten depressed from the rain and suicided because there were alot of bug bodies to sweep uup the next morning.

Last night after I went to bed I heard something on the front porch and went into the front room and turned on the outside light. There was a really cute little raccoon-looking animal stnading at the window screen looking in at me. Actually I think it was a she. He was going after the trash bag I had forgotten to take down to the road for the basura truck.

A couple of nights ago I noticed the sun is setting almost over the little point between Chacailia and the big beach. (Meaning the sunsets apppear to be much further to the south than maybe a month ago). (I am talking about where the sun sets when you are sitting on Gordon's veranda.) Sometime in the late Fall the sun goes down way over at the south end of the beach (looking from Las Brisas), and then until midsummer or so it gradually sets further and further to the north (out on the ocean) until its sets near the north end of the litttle Chacalila Bay. (From the point of view from Gordon's veranda ). I know from gardening that the sun rises and sets from difference places over the year, but it is so obvious here, setting over the ocean. Tonight was a spectacular sunset. So red and bright it lit up the inside of this house.

That's all for now.