Happy New Year!! (But Why Florida??)

If you haven't guessed by now, we have arrived in Florida for the next 3 months. It has been a beautiful springlike day that felt like summer, with temps in the 60'sF and sharp sunlight. Only the car looked winter-weary and that was rectified pretty quick with a bucket wash in a parking lot.

People have said many times ---- "you and Florida don't match". I think that means Florida isn't very exotic or challenging like most of my past adventures. But we are still searching for a wintering place and can't rule out anywhere. And as long as we have a cat, winters in Morocco or New Zealand or Australia are not practical. Florida is a short drive away and a car makes the whole state explorable. So the next many blogs will be from the wierd and wonderful Sunshine State.

My first trip to Florida was at age 15 when I visited an aunt and cousin in Miami. Florida was a sort of promised Land as mass tourism to the rest of the globe hadn't yet begun. I was in awe of Lum's HotDogs Steamed in Beer, cool cars parked on the sand, and being able to spend the night in a sleeping bag on the beach. The Florida Welcome Station used to have a free carwash bay to hose off that northern grime. I guess too many cheap guys like me used it as a personal shower, because now they only give out free maps and a little OJ or GJ.

So the New Year is ringing in with the sound of Harleys on A1A, and a parade lap around town with the top down. That's new for me, and I hope all of you have a fun and healthy 2011, with something new to make you smile.

I-75 From Ice to Nice

To follow up on yesterday, the Blue Water Bridge from Sarnia to Port Huron was bumper-to-bumper in both directions, on a weekday! The wait was 43 minutes to get to the checkpoint but we got through in less than 2 minutes at the booth. The most challenging question was "Why are you carrying so much chocolate and jujubes?" Brandy remained silent and went unnoticed ---- DA,DT.

We had a really filling (goodies and gab) post-Christmas visit with the proprietors of the Cookson Motel (formerly Bates). Then we woke predawn today to find the car coated in ice --- freezing rain had fallen overnight. Painfully slow driving til daylight and traffic made the interstate I-75 faster. But it was a 12-hour day in transit, so we passed through 4 states and a season's worth of weather. From snow/ice to pouring rains to springtime warmth to a pretty sunset. More like March than December.

So we're spending the night south of Atlanta. Brandy came in in Pat's shoulder bag --- DA,DT at the motel desk. This must be a neighbourhood settled by ancient Scots ---- there's a Scottish restaurant named McDonald's, local cuisine called McFlurry, and even the inn is "Scottish"!

Through the Snow and Over the Border

After 2 weeks at home, we leave again today. Other than the Christmas cheer, that's enough cold and snow for me. Sure, the twice-daily climb up our snowhill is like duck-walking up a black-diamond skilhill, but there's just not enough activity in hibernation. For the last couple of days we have been making our lists and checking them twice, then bringing the load down to the car to be packed. A much harder challenge this time because the Mustang's capacity is about 1/15th the van's! That's right, this trip is by car. The plan is to be away from Frostie the Snowman to the Easter Bunny --- you do the math.

My worry is crossing the border into the U.S. because the car is full and there's a smug cat sitting in the backseat. We're allowing extra time for that inspection but hope to be at the exclusive Cookson Spa & Bakery before dark.

Then it's 3 days on the road southbound. If that doesn't tell you where we're going, check the next posting.

Home Safe, Roads Could Have Been Worse

The flight was 30 minutes late but otherwise OK --- Brandy got the usual oohs and ahhs on the plane and in customs. We retrieved the van and drove home on roads that were a lot better than we expected. Thanks for all your warnings and overnight offers, but in fact the further north we went the better the roads got. Still, we arrived at the barn at midnight and trudged up the snowhill in moonlight with just the necessities, and a cat. Great to be home, even though it was as cold as a Caribbean Corona. Woke up this morning to cold floors, snowdrifts and a long list of chores and errands. Even our Christmas turkey was waiting. No place like home!
(Next blog from on the road to Florida....)

Going Home to ??

We're packing up to leave in about an hour. It will be about 18 hours in transit via walking, ferry, collectivo, taxi or bus, airplane, shuttle, and our trusty Chevy van. But there have been massive snowstorms and brutal cold back home so our schedule is as elastic as the size of a local taco.

No matter --- home is where the heart is. Hasta luego!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Navidad

For we northeners, there's no sense of Christmas because of the warm temperatures, palm trees, and daily beach volleyball games. And no big shopping crowds because, well, there are no big shops OR big crowds. Life goes on in the taco stands and commuter ferries. How can they hang "stockings with care" when everybody wears flip-flops and there's no chimney?

But it's a traditional Catholic country so the religious processions of the past weeks were like a drum beating in the distance, reminding of the reason for the season. The town Christmas tree (plastic and wire) and other bright decorations have appeared. A surprising number of modest homes have lights, tinsel, and nativities. The tug-of-war between Jesus and Santa will likely end in a tie.

Wherever you are, and whatever the weather ---- Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Neuvo!

Rick's Quick Mix of Slick Pix

Carrying a discrete camera at all times rewards you with unexpected slices of local life. In fact, on days I forgot the Kodak I missed what would have been great memories. In one case, 10 or 12 grief-stricken mourners passed by jammed into the back of a rusty old funeral pickup truck ---- at the same hour a funeral was happening back home, for a dear family friend. Coincidence or a photographer's bad luck?

So there are many pictures that don't get posted but do become our best souvenirs. Pat's Top 5 are in an earlier posting today. Here are mine.....

Pat Posts Past Pix

We're packing up everything, including the camera chip, for the trip home in two days. Here are Pat's picks of worthy frames that didn't get posted before. She makes up for my neglect of postcard shots by going for beaches and sunset, then tops it off with typically happy Mexican kids ready to break open the Christmas pinatas. Awwwww....

A Trail of 2 Virgins

Catholic religious processions have taken over the zocalo and cathedral in the past 10 days. The schedules for these daily mini-parades are posted on the church doors, listing which neighbourhood group or organization is due and at what time and day. Usually they are sponsored by local businesses, which pay for the banners and a brassy rent-a-band in the background.

I was confused at first, because some of the processions go INTO the church but others go OUT of the church. And then the big confusion was about which Virgin was which. The first week of solemn processions was in honour of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, who is the patron saint of this island. Then the last 2 days coincided with all of Mexico celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe, who is the patron saint of the entire country. (Forgive my ignorance and for more detail look up the history of these 2 apparitions online.)

The processions for V.I.C. were small but serious, heartfelt and colourful. But the processions for V.G. didn't happen at all, at least not according to the schedule posted. Was it the occasional rainy period or just simple procession fatigue?

Dirty Secret --- The Big Dig

The day we arrived, 40 sunsets ago, crews started ripping up the north lanes of the main shore road here. But it's the start of the tourism season! That's like ripping up northbound Woodward during the Dream Cruise in Detroit. Or like ripping up northbound Yonge Street in Toronto during the Film Festival. Then the sidewalks were torn out too. With the rubble and machinery, all the shops and hotels on that side were suddenly out of business. And the sidewalks on the other side were suddenly (and still) jammed with all the mob, not just half of it.

Some locals said it would be finished in 2 weeks, or 2 months, or by April (what year?). But the construction defies logic as 5 small drain pipes are put in instead of 1 large one. And the area is graded over but then dug up again by pick and shovel, repeatedly. Connecting side streets have been torn up too. The result has been noisy traffic on formerly quiet side streets, and one-way streets becoming 3-way. What a culture clash --- tourists are shocked it's so slow, the locals shrug and say manana.

I was hoping I could post pictures of the job from start to finish, but I'd have to stay here til spring. Hmmmmm...

Pat's Guest Blog: 5 Things the Gardener Noticed!

1.Zone? What Zone??

When it comes to plants, Isla Mujeres is like most tropical areas. Walking around you see bougainvillea and hibiscus in bloom, coconut and banana trees in fruit and a variety of palm trees. If you plant it, it will grow.

2.But It Ain't Easy

The challenge here is that rain or shine, saltwater spray is in the air from the constant winds and the plants have to learn how to adapt. How would you like a lukewarm saltwater shower---everyday?! And vegetable gardens or commericial nurseries?---nada and nada due to no open spaces and limestone instead of topsoil.

3.Always Pests

Along the perimeter of the island there are small "space-ships" about 4 feet off the ground. They're actually cactus moth traps. The cactus moth eats cactus at an alarming rate. It has been destroying cacti from Alabama to Central America. The Prickly Pear Cactus (Nopal) is a food staple for Mexicans so controlling the cactus moth is serious business.

4. Container Gardening

Locals typically use anything as a plant pot. I stumbled into a private courtyard where the owner's artistry took over from where the plant left off. Is that tree real or is the vine real?

5. Native Plants

Many of the poinsettias we purchase at this time of year back home are grown in Mexico. This week it was good to see that not all of them are exported!