Our first week at home in Tenacatita

A friend, Tia, recently asked in an email how the beach dogs are doing now that it’s three months since being spayed. Of course I’ve seen the dogs, they showed up the evening we arrived. Pup ran up first followed by Scarlet and Shy (the female that lost her 10 pups). The dogs look healthy and spry, and seem happy, although they are skinny with their ribs showing through. Sadly missing from the group is Barky, the dog with the top half of both ears cut off., which doesn’t mean she isn’t around,, after all we’ve only been here 5 days, and she is somewhat of a loner. We will wait and see. I never knew Shy, as she was feeding pups over in Tenacatita so she didn’t come over to our beach. But now that she’s hanging with Pup and Scarlet she takes part in breakfast, dinner and treats here at our house.

We didn’t have food for them when we first arrived, but we drove to Melaque on Monday and bought some dog food. When we feed them regularly, they stay around all day sleeping in the shade, and barking at anyone and anything that comes to close to their new territory, our house and yard. I’m sure after three months of two good meals a day from us and whatever they can scrounge they will be healthier and happier. After we leave, Mike, will soon be down and will take over feeding them. He has being caring for the dogs for a long time and this probably attributes to their being alive.

Our first week has been largely spent on organizing our house, which meant opening and emptying all our boxes. I can’t believe how much stuff we have already accumulated. We have kitchen stuff to stock a commercial kitchen; bathroom stuff to last a lifetime; and enough towels to dry an army; and books, books, and more books! We also needed to shop in Manzanillo, which is a 1.5 hrs drive, to find some shelving for the various rooms, and very importantly to find a cell phone and plan so we can economically call the States. On the drive back we stopped at some colorful fruit stands along the highway and bought a bunch of coconuts for 40 pesos each (40 cents). We also bought a machete to cut them open; I’ve gotten pretty good at cutting cocos with the machete.

For us shopping can be easy or difficult depending on several factors. If we need just one or two items like eggs, avocados, limes, beer, etc., they can be bought in Tenacatita, which is only a 2 min. drive or a 10 min. walk. Even in the heat of the day this is no problem. So this is easy shopping. Then there is moderately difficult shopping which involves driving 40 minis to Melaque and then spending 2-4 hours there shopping, eating lunch, and accessing the internet. In the heat of the day this can get quite tiring. Then there is the most difficult of shopping, which is the long 75 min drive to Manzanillo, where we deal with phone services, shop at Wal-Mart, and eat out. This makes for a long, hot day of shopping.

The weather is hot (85 F) and humid, with some days worse than others. This time of year the sun is high in the sky, so daytimes are scorching; and except for outdoor laborers, few people are out during the heat of day. People generally sit in groups, in shady areas talking among themselves; or they siesta, which is particularly common among the older men, which can be seen in the afternoons sitting asleep in hammocks or chairs. Getting older, I can relate and soon will be joining them in afternoon siestas. Most stores are open from 10 am to 2:00 pm, and in the evening after 6:00 pm, but between 2 pm and 6 pm most places shut down. This is not the case in the winter when the tourists are in town, when staying open all day means more business. Many stores make the bulk of their revenue in the winter months from tourists. For Mexicans the evening is the time for shopping, eating out, and general partying. It’s amazing the number of people that come out in the evenings and parade around in their fancy clothes and socialize in the Jardin (town square). Young people are out in large numbers laughing, running, eating, and of course flirting, which is a favorite pastime in Mexico. Grocery shopping besides being utilitarian, for Mexicans seems to also provides opportunities for meeting and talking with friends new and old. In the evening after work is the only time for young families with their young children do much of their shopping.

For us here on the beach, we have a wonderful breeze or wind that keeps us cool. It‘s a northwest wind that starts in the morning as a soft offshore breeze and picks up in the afternoon to a strength to create whitecaps. We also have an air conditioner in the bedroom which keeps us cool at night as well as on those hot afternoons when we want to siesta. Arturo insulated our house, so the bedroom cools quickly and stays cool. We haven’t gone in the ocean water yet. This is mostly because of being busy here at the house each day with organizing and hosting workers, friends, and their families. We are planning on boogie boarding soon. We are trying to be relaxed about everything, not rushing, and practicing letting go. Letting go is work for us Westerners, we don’t practice it much in the US, but here with the relaxed nature of the place it gets easier each day. The layers of worry and stress are melted by the sunshine and salt air and washed away by the sea breeze.

This part of Mexico during the summer lacks tourists, so one hears only Spanish spoken, which helps improve our Spanish skills. Also, the highways are less crowded, as are the restaurants and stores; and prices are lower, which happens as soon as the Americans and Canadians leave for the summer. However, many stores are closed as Mexican families take off for summer vacations. Driving through Cihuatlan today (Wednesday) we saw more closed stores than open ones. Mexicans love their holidays and vacations and love to go to the beach during these times, for example, Mother’s Day and Easter are two traditional beach days for many. School is now ending in Mexico and we will see more vacationers here in Tenacatita; often arriving in tour buses from as far away as Guadalajara for a day at the beach.

Work for Mexicans, such as building, is also slow during the summer, so it is easier to get hired help and professionals, maestros, such as plumbers and electricians. Our long distance from cities with maestros adds an extra burden for us in Tenacatita in trying to get professional help. If you find someone good, get his card and keep it handy. However, the language barrier has been somewhat of a problem in getting things done, but with some simple Spanish and sign language we have gotten understanding and things accomplished. When Sharon and I work as a team our understanding of Spanish increases a lot. But when we are really stumped we get one of our few English speaking Mexican friends to interpret.