Volume 15 - Day 181/184, 2023 - Friday

It's a four day weekend, peeps! There were five of us walking this morning, me, Carlos, Paul, Jack and Peter. Quite a crew. Newbies are surprised that we walk EVERY day. Okay, we are scheduled to walk every day, but sometimes there are scheduling conflicts. We know that Jack will not be walking for the next four days, he is participating in a bocce ball tournament, so he will be otherwise occupied. We will see who all walks in the morning. The office was a little bit hectic today, but everything worked out just fine. It is a four day Holiday weekend, so everyone will be well rested when we get back in the office on Wednesday. Who am I kidding? I will be in the office to make deposits on Monday and (probably) Tuesday. I went to see Indiana Jones latest installment tonight, a guest of Paulina, Val and Oliver. It was great, there were a couple confusing moments, but I figured it all out by the end. Very interesting, and I would probably go see it again if I was given the opportunity. So far I have six things to get accomplished over the weekend, and I have already finished three of them. I'll see what else I can add, but I have NO INTENTIONS of being really busy over the weekend/

Volume 15 - Day 180/185, 2023 - Thursday

My drive to and from Bryan/College Station (yes, I went to both today) was kind of nostalgic. I was in parts of Texas that I used to frequent , but haven't been in those areas in several years. It was fun and interesting, and I thought about things I had not thought about in a while. There was no walk for me this morning, I needed to leave the house at 7 o'clock to make sure I got to the meeting by 9:30. I got there in plenty of time and had extra time to visit with friends and colleagues that I have not seen for a while. I learned lots of interesting things and I got two hours of CE credit to boot! I stopped by College Station on the way home, I have followed a watch repair man from Austin to College Station. I had one of my watches cleaned and checked out a while back, and it never did run right since that time. I was in the 'hood, and called in advance, and got the watch looked at. It seems there was a 'loose screw' which was causing the problem, and it is all fixed now and ticking itself as intended. No charge! I did finish my latest book, Someone Else's Shoes, and I'm happy to recommend it if you are looking for a fun read. I'm still happy with the results I have seen with the hummingbird feeders in the last week, and I hope you enjoy this quick pic. No, I am not going to mention the fact that it is hotter than hell here in central Texas, if you want to know, turn on the tv. 

Volume 15 - Day 179/186, 2023 - Wednesday

It's book club night, and it was a lot of fun. The book this month was Dear Edward, about a young man that is the only survivor of a commercial airplane crash. I liked the book a lot, and it was really interesting to me. Judy and Bob hosted the book club, and Pam will be hosting next months gathering. In the photo is me, Judy, Bob, Pam and Diane. Diane is holding her iPad, and Dick and Marge joined us by zoom. It is still hot, no relief in sight. All was good in the office today, and we had a good walk this morning. Four of us walking right now, me, Carlos, Paul and Jack. We think Peter will be joining us in the next day or two. I am headed to Bryan tomorrow for a meeting, which means I will need to leave the house at about 7 o'clock to get there for a 9:30 meeting start. On the way home tomorrow afternoon, I need to make a stop in College Station, and hopefully I will be back home by about 5. Then a day in the office on Friday, and then the long Holiday weekend, at which time I intend to do NOTHING! We shall see...

Volume 15 - Day 178/187, 2023 - Tuesday

If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium. Or, maybe it's just the ROMEOs at First Watch. Our walk this morning had a couple high spots: Leisa let her pup off its' leash when she saw me, and the pup (Thor?) ran a block for her treat! That was very fun to see. Later in the walk, I saw Teri (a different Teri) walking that I have not seen in months. This Teri's house burned down last year, and they are just getting ready to start their re-build. Fingers crossed, that will start this week. The ROMEOs also have (apparently) very low standards for breakfast. Cold food, poor service, but we continue to go, because it is convenient, and it is not about the food, it is the ROMEOs. There has been no change in the weather, and the news folks say the electrical grid is on the verge of collapse, but if you go to the ERCOT site, it looks like it is keeping up (just barely) with demand. My solar panels continue to produce about a third more than I am using, and the system is on 'storm alert,' which means there is a possibility of grid failure. I think we will be okay, though, and we just need to keep going forward. The hummers are taking advantage of the feeders, even though I have not seen any in a couple days. I plan to clean and re-fill the feeders tomorrow, to make sure they are taken care of. So far this week, there have been no real challenges, as always, I profess to be a very lucky man, and let's just see if I can keep that up!

Volume 15 - Day 177/188, 2023 - Monday

I'm getting a little bit tired of complaining about the heat, but I don't think it will end soon; not the heat, and certainly not the complaining. The current time is 6:03PM, and the current temperature is 101. Heat index in Georgetown is 109. There were four of us on our walk this morning, Carlos, Jack, Paul and me. It is a good group, and we do our very best to solve all the problems of the world. We usually get everything accomplished within the first 15 minutes, then we just bullshit our way through the rest of the walk. It may have been my imagination, or perhaps traffic was really not terrible today, either way. All was good in the office today, and I think we all had a productive day. I got some things done that I had been postponing for the last couple days; sometimes I do not always 'do the worst, first.' I think very little, if anything, has to be done immediately. Okay, there may be an exception or two, if you include taking a nap in the scenario. Tomorrow is our ROMEO breakfast, and Thursday I have a meeting in Bryan, so that will be an early day for me. Now it's time to go pile up.

Volume 15 - Day 176/189, 2023 - Sunday

I did a few things today, and at the same time, I did nothing. We had a good walk this morning, four of us. I had brunch late morning with Terry and Christy, and then I stopped at a new Mexican Grocery Store I found out about last night. La Plaza Market, on Austin Avenue. I just did a walk about, and bought a bunch of bananas. I nice store, too bad I am not much of a cook, the meats looked very nice. I made a stop at Home Depot and bought a 15 foot hose section that goes from the spigot to the hose reel. I cut the other one in half last week when I was pruning the crepe myrtle by the garage. I did another load of laundry, and a few other things, and took a series of naps. I had considered going to a movie, but thought better of it. I am looking forward to the upcoming long Holiday weekend. Once it cools off a little bit, I will venture outside and water plants in the front and back patios. I have noticed hummers almost every day since I changed the syrup, but I have only seen one at a time. It is a start, anyway. I have not been able to capture their presence with my phone, but today I was ready for it. Hopefully, this one will spread the word and guide others to this feeding spot.

Volume 15 - Day 175/190, 2023 - Saturday

I am feeling very accomplished today, I had a good day, got a lot of things done, and that was good. Good walk, but the two estate sales we went to average at best. I spent three dollars. I did laundry, re-hung the bird strips at the front door...I think I may have thwarted the swallows for now, but I can't let me guard down. I tried to get in a couple naps, but that was not successful. Tomorrow I am going to do a little bit more laundry, trim some suckers off the oak tree in the back, vacuum a little bit, and maybe go to a movie. I am going to do brunch early, and then spend the rest of the day putzing around. It is still hot. It is supposed to be hotter next week. So far this year, we have had nine days over 100 degrees, and there are predictions of a couple days next week at 107. Tonight was house concert night, and I though many people would not come since it was so warm. There was a good breeze, and it was not terribly uncomfortable at all. We had seventeen neighbors show up, and I think that was a pretty good turnout. We will lay off for a while, the next house concert will be in September. Maybe it won't be quite as warm then. There were certainly no corduroys or wool sweaters tonight!

Volume 15 - Day 173/192, 2023 - Friday

Okay, my apologies. This is last nights post, I just forgot about it. Bottom line, I went out to dinner with Paulina, Val and Oliver. We went to Jimmy Vegas' down on 29, on the east side of the highway. I got the 'What's Good Here Mega Plate,' and there was a lot of food on that plate. Plus sweet potato fries. After dinner, we went and had ice cream, and that is alway a worthwhile effort. The new bypass is open, so I showed them how to navigate that, and then I was back home. Of course, I brought some of my dinner home, and I gathered bones off the table to give to the girls. They were in dog heaven, and they kept trying to sneak the bones back into the house. The earlier parts of the days were less noteworthy, not a bad day, some of this and some of that. I will try to be better about NOT forgetting to do the journal, but in the past (almost) fifteen years, I have only missed a few deadlines. Cut me some slack!

Volume 15 - Day 173/192, 2023 - Thursday

Not much rain last night, I was so hopeful, too. 0.04", hardly worth talking about. There were higher readings in Austin, but I don't live in Austin, so who cares? There were a few more drops during our walk this morning, but that will only count as a trace. I took off in to Austin about 8:30, I had an appointment to give blood this morning at 9:30. I enjoy giving blood, there is just a air of happiness at the place, everybody likes everybody there, so it is like a little refuge for me. I got in to the office, did all the stuff I had to do, then left at about 1:30. And now, for something completely different: I had a blow-out while driving down IH-35. That was the first time in my long life that I have had a tire blow-out. It was the rear passenger side tire. I fish-tailed a little bit, thought just maybe I might lose control, but I made it to a safe place to see what in the hell had happened. Honestly, I thought I ran over something, not sure what I thought I ran over, but that is what I thought. It was really LOUD, like an explosion almost. Apparently, the tires were 'drive flat' tires, so I made it about 12 miles to a Discount Tire store, and gave blood again. There are (apparently) no more 'drive flat' tires in the city of Austin or its' surrounds, so I got just plain old tires. But, I think it could have been a lot worse. Overall, all is good, I'm home, the dogs and I have been fed, and it is time to take a break!

Volume 15 - Day 172/193, 2023 - Wednesday

At four o'clock this afternoon, the heat index in Austin was 117 degrees. That is too damn hot. No, really. Right now, the Curious House in Georgetown is reporting 98 degrees, and we are hoping that the weather radar holds up, and we get a little bit of rain in just a little while. The prognosticators say we could get up to 2.25" of rain, that would be nice, but we will take anything we can get. If we get any rain at all, I will turn off the sprinklers for the immediate future. Walking this morning was really warm, and Dick did not join us because he and Marge headed back north, they spend the summers in Chicago. Carlos did join us, and then, surprise, SURPRISE...Jack joined us! So there were four walkers, and then we hooked up with Marian and her husband, so we were a force to be reckoned with this morning. The office was good, and we got through our weekly meeting, and I had a 1:30 in Buda, then back to the office for a few minutes. I finished (possibly) the WORST book I have ever listened to. I am honestly embarrassed to have finished it, but you never know, it might get interesting. Nope. I am now on the hunt for a new book to listen to...let me know if you have any suggestions, I prefer long books...lots of hours to listen.

Volume 15 - Day 171/194, 2023 - Tuesday

I am not complaining. Yet. Tomorrow is the first day of summer, and the temperatures here in central Texas are breaking all-time records. It's hot! No sign of relief in the near term forecasts, but I expect this trend will break sooner or later. I just hope it doesn't wait until October. Interestingly, the weather in Playa del Carmen is running ten to fifteen degrees cooler. I would not have expected that, but I get that is from the sea breezes. I need to investigate that more! Richard and Marge head back to the Chicago area tomorrow, and they will be back in late October. I will miss Richard on our morning walks, and we are soliciting replacements. I made it into the office after the ROMEO breakfast. The office was a little bit busy, it is summer, which is the peak leasing season, and we are nearing the end of one month and the beginning of another month! Kind of a crazy time. I made it home with not too much trouble, and had some naan bread and cheese for dinner. Then I had something frozen for another dinner. I have no idea what I might have for another dinner, but I will probably find something. 

Volume 15 - Day 170/195, 2023 - Monday

Happy Juneteenth! Sadly, I have determined that I get some weird kind of satisfaction from pulling weeds. I think I need to expand my activities, and this could well be a warning signal! I don't know what kind of weeds they are, maybe nutgrass, but the have really long root systems, and it is especially rewarding when I get a couple with really long runner roots. I will be calling for psychological counseling in the next day or so. Whatever. I had my follow up visit with the cardiologist this morning, and all is seemingly well. No issues to report, everything seems to be fine, no signs of blockage, even though they just did a treadmill test. I did not think there was any issue, I did what they told me, and did not really even start breathing hard. I credit it with our morning walks, and I just did a 30 mile bike ride a month or so ago. It was a quiet day in the office, and I left about 1:30 so I could be home in time for a 3 o'clock zoom call, an update about the last legislative session and all the infighting within the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and a couple more. The Governor is angry because there has been no real action on his main priority, so he vetoed a total of 73 bills, and said they could take another look at them when/if they pass property tax issues that nobody can agree on. Life goes on. Even though I was not ready for a photo, I was happy to see a hummer out at the feeders this afternoon. I hope that is the start of more coming to visit, after I cleaned and refreshed the feeders yesterday. Fingers crosses.

Volume 15 - Day 169/196, 2023 - Sunday (Father's Day)

Happy Father's Day, y'all. I paced myself pretty well today, finished our walk and then did some Sunday things around the house. I did get some weeds pulled in the front, and I intend to go back out later this evening, when it cools down a little bit (hahaha), and pull some more. I give myself a twenty minute limit on weed pulling. I'm surprised how many weeds I can get pulled in twenty minutes. I may get all the front bed done tonight, maybe not. It's a ride, not a race. I met Candy, Mike and Alisha for brunch later this morning, it has been a long time since we have all been together in the same city at the same time for brunch. I also cleaned the hummingbird feeders and replaced the syrup. I have been really disappointed with the hummer sightings this year, maybe the fresh juice will help. I also got a couple really nice naps in today, and watched a couple movies. To Kill a Mockingbird was one that I have not seen in a LONG time, and I don't remember crying when I have seen it in the past. It seems I cry a lot these days, just sayin'.

Volume 15 - Day 168/197, 2023 - Saturday

Today was an oddly interesting kind of day. Our walk was good, and when I got home, I had a couple bursts of energy. I took off to Home Depot early to try and beat the heat, and found a couple small bougainvilleas to replace something (not sure what) did not make the winter in a pot outside the garage. I had gone to a local, home grown nursery earlier in the week, and the bougainvillea there were $50, and I did not spring for that. I got two small ones for $15 each, so I got the plants, but am sad I could not support the small local nursery. I got those planted, and a small pot of zinnias that I did buy locally, and then it was into Austin for the Oddities and Curiosities show. There was nothing particularly odd or curious about it, and all I bought was a t-shirt. After that, I made a stop at Costco, and then back home where I went down for a nap. I woke up, and then we had our neighbors monthly dinner tonight. There were ten of us in attendance, and we all had a good time.

Volume 15 - Day 167/198, 2023 - Friday

Friday, my second favorite F-word. It was not as hot on our walk this morning, but it got up to 103 degrees today, which is plenty hot enough. It was a calm day, I made it in to the office about 9:30...there was one wreck going in and one wreck going out of Austin today. I left the office about 1:30, I had an appointment to get my hair cut, and after that, I stopped at a Bed, Bath and Beyond just to see if they had anything left. I bought a couple pillows (I had no need for more pillows), and I bought a travel neck pillow, which I did have a need for. We will see now if I remember to take the neck pillow with me the next time I fly somewhere. I started a new book today, How to Sell a Haunted House, interesting, but, as far as I know so far, the house is not really haunted. It is kind of haunted with past memories of the narrator, but not by ghosts. Real ghosts. But, I am only about four chapters in, so there is no telling what can happen. So far, so good. I have a few things on my list for the weekend, and it should be pretty fun. Who knows.

Volume 15 - Day 166/199, 2023 - Thursday

I'm busy planning my weekend right now...there are no estate sales for the weekend, but I have a few interesting things up my sleeve. I'll let you know if it pans out or not. It is so hot in central Texas...HOW HOT IS IT? It's so hot, I saw a funeral procession in the drive thru at Dairy Queen! Whatever... The heat will not abate for at least the next seven to ten days, and we are supposed to still be in spring. We may actually get a little bit of rain in an hour or so. I got the little white car washed this afternoon, so I have done my part. The days start out hot already, making our walks really a bit difficult, but we make it. The office was not bad today, and I left about 2 o'clock. I had a couple stops to make, and all is good now. I have not yet received the results from my stress test, but maybe tomorrow. There are several thousand customers without power right now in Austin, and nothing really happened except the heat. That does not bode well for the rest of the summer.

Volume 15 - Day 165/200, 2023 - Wednesday

The conversation started with a short woman in a uniform asked me if I had any reservations about her shaving a few spots on my chest. When I responded that I did indeed, there was not even a pause before I was on my back with her performing some woman scraping on what would normally be a man-scaping exercise. Whatever. About a dozen blood pressure checks and the treadmill shutting down, I was back on the road and on my way to the office. I think I did fine, I should have the results in a couple days. Since I walk almost every day, the treadmill was not that much different. I don't think my heart rate gets up to 127 bpm on a walk, but I was not really too worked up with it, and not really even breathing extraordinarily hard. So, time will tell. All was okay in the office, I left about 2 o'clock. I stopped at the new HEB on the way home, just to take another look at it. I went in the wrong door, so now I will know which door to go in to do vegetables, bakery, deli and then work my way to the furthest corner in the back where the dairy stuff is. I bought a pint of milk and a slice of key lime pie. four bucks and change, not bad for a field trip to gather information. The next seven or eight days should be 100 degrees or more, so I will do my best to stay calm in the late days. No heavy breathing for me.

Volume 15 - Day 164/201, 2023 - Tuesday

It has been a minute since I have posted a photo of the ROMEOs at breakfast, mainly because I do not remember to take the ussie. Apparently, the Prevagen is not working as intended (when I remember to take it). We had a good walk this morning, then breakfast (more solving of the worlds problems). After that, I headed in to the office, and it was a pretty darned good day. More problem solving, and more getting stuff done. It is HOT here, and there does not look like there is any relief on the horizon. I had a couple errands to run on my way home this afternoon; I stopped at HEB to get a few things, one of the things was a new bottle of Glucosamine/Chondroitin. I was in the pharmacy area, and could not find it. There was a lady stocking, so I asked her. She directed me to Aisle 1, across from the beer and wine. WHY? She said that was the 'Better Health' area, and that is where it was. I walked off, turned around, and asked her again. Yep, she heard me right, and I heard her right. Makes no sense to me, but I guess they know what they are doing. Then I cruised down the dog food aisle, and bought the girls a 5.5 pound back of FreshPet. I'm not gonna tell you how much that cost, just know it was plenty, and the girls each got a cup of that for their dinner tonight. They seemed to like it!

Volume 15 - Day 163/202, 2023 - Monday

I did half our walk this morning because I was to be in a series of meetings in Austin starting at 10 o'clock. I got into the office about 8:30, and gout my disk cleaned off, and tied up some loose ends from over the weekend. I got downtown just on time and attended all the meetings and had lunch with a whole bunch of my TREPAC peeps. Always good to hang out and share information and today was no exception. We were briefed on what the Texas Legislature has been up to, and what they have left to do, and some predictions of how many special sessions will be necessary to get the peoples work done, as they promised. I had a series of phone calls that needed to be made before the meetings and after the meetings, some of which depended on time zones. From Britain to points west, everybody that needed to hear from me, heard from me. I think the rest of the week will be more calm, and tomorrow is the ROMEO breakfast. I have been absent for the last two breakfasts, so I am looking forward to a pancake tomorrow.

Volume 15 - Day 162/203, 2023 - Sunday

Well, well, well. Another weekend is coming to an end. I did get a bunch of stuff done today; I am still participating in a battle of wits against the swallows that insist on perching under the front porch. We never worried about them at the farm, but here, at the Curious House, the mess they make is much more obvious and less than hygienic. I believe the swallows may win this year, but I will ready for them next year. I did get the car washed, too. And after that, I did some pointless driving around, just to continue listening to the book I am 'reading.' I have a couple hours left, so I may be able to finish it tomorrow. If I don't finish it during my commutes, I will listen to the end of it in the house. I finished doing laundry today, too. I started Friday, and did two last loads this afternoon. There is no reason to be in any particular hurry, the way I see it. I'm not sure if we hit 100 degrees today or not, I kind of think we did not. I am not in a hurry to reach the 100 degree mark, but we are forecast to hit 105 a couple days this week. Hopefully, the power grid will be ready for the demand. I have a full day of meetings tomorrow, a less busy day on Tuesday, and my stress test on Wednesday. If that is the worst that happens, I have no challenges with any of it. I am trying to remember if I have eaten anything of any nutritional value today, and I think the answer is no.

Volume 15 - Day 161/204, 2023 - Saturday

On our walk this morning, it was cool and much less humid. That did not last, however, and by the time we headed for the estate sales, the temperature was climbing. We ht three estate sales today, and the housekeeper arrived as we were leaving, and she was heading out as we were getting back. Nice, clean house, perfect for a quick nap. I got a few chores done last night and this morning, and I still have laundry to do, but I may as well wait until tomorrow now. Later this afternoon, I was on a mission to buy some standard size pillow cases. I have plenty of pillow cases for king size pillows, but the pillows I actually sleep upon are just the standard size. I did not know if you could buy 'just' pillow cases, but you can, and a pair range in price from five dollars to twenty five dollars. I got three pairs that averaged seven dollars in price. They are just for sleeping. Whatever. I may also get the car washed tomorrow, I have been threatening that for about a week now. If we are lucky, we will get some rain overnight, and there is not much rain in the forecast. But...it's gonna be hot!

Volume 15 - Day 160/205, 2023 - Friday

Okay, it is the weekend! Austin recorded its' first 100 degree day today, and we are expecting a record high low temperature overnight. Next week is forecasting at least five days over 100, one at 102. It is apparently summertime in central Texas. I was in the office about 9:30, and I left about 2 this afternoon. It was a good day for making accomplishments, and that was a good thing. I got my electricity bill this afternoon. $4. I had a $1 credit balance last month, and I was expecting another credit balance this month, but I guess not. On my way home this afternoon, I had to make a stop at one of our listings, and this is the view of downtown Austin from the driveway. Not too shabby. It looks a little bit hazy, but nothing as bad as what has been experienced in the northeast. Estate sales and laundry is what I have on my agenda for the weekend, so at least one of those things will be fun.

Volume 15 - Day 159/206, 2023 - Thursday

I have a couple photos of clouds that I thought about sharing, but I don't think they were that interesting. I did not feel like going outside to find something photo-worthy, so I decided I would see what photos I had on my phone from a year ago today. Apparently I was attending a meeting at Texas REALTORS® and somebody (me?) brought clown noses, so that meant photo op! Today was a good day, still playing catch up a little bit in the office, but I did start for home at about 2:30. There were threats of rain, but nope, nothing. I got home, did a few things, and tried to take a quick nap. Nope. I watched the news, and decided to go get some groceries. I did not go to the new HEB, but the one on Williams Drive was remarkably easy to navigate. I may need to make that one my new HEB of choice. Maybe. I know I have only been back in the office a couple days, but I am already ready for the weekend. Estate sales, here we come!

Volume 15 - Day 158/207, 2023 - Wednesday

It only took me 23 minutes of driving this morning, and I shot somebody the bird driving down IH-35. I don't remember what the other driver did, but it was finger worthy. Twenty three minutes and I was out of the happy place I had been in for the last ten days. Nothing much lasts forever, I guess. The big news, and it is REALLY BIG news, is that HEB opened their new store in Georgetown this morning. I was not there for the opening, but Linda and Jimmie and I went this afternoon for dinner and just to look around. We stood in line for an hour and fifteen minutes to place our order, and then it was another thirty minutes before the bbq was ready. I was not overwhelmed with it, probably next time I should not opt for 'lean.' Live and learn. After we ate, we walked around the store for a while. It is absolutely huge. There are now three HUGE HEBs within five miles of the Curious House. There was not a single parking space in the parking lot, and I have no idea where all those people came from. We will see what it is like after the 'new' wears off of it.

Volume 15 - Day 157/208, 2023 - Tuesday

Okay, I'm home. I think the girls were pretty happy to see me. I'm not too sure that they are still happy to see me, but maybe they are. We are all ready to go to sleep, I think. It has been a long day. Mike and I were up at about 5:30, we had to pack, we had stuff to do. The transfer agent got to the contact right on time at 10AM, no issue. It took us 45 minutes to get to the airport, Mike went through the ticketing process and then went through security. I had to first go and report to immigration to show my Mexican Documents, and THEN I went through the ticketing and security process. Mike was at Gate 64, and I met him probably 30 minutes after he got there. The immigration process was not a big deal, it just took about 15 minutes.We had lunch at the airport. I was looking for a Senor Frogs when I should have been looking for AirMargaritaville. The make the guacamole at the table at AirMargaritaville, and the first time I ever had it was at AirMargaritaville. Now, I am becoming a kind of an expert on table made guacamole an chips, so maybe I will become a guacamole snob. It could be worse. I have to go back to PDC within 60 days to finish my immigration process, gee darn... I could not be happier having taken the plunge to buy the condo that I have. Lots of friends have seen it, and everyone thinks it is a great piece of property. I honestly agree with them. It kind of has the best of everything at PDC, and I am happy with it. I can't wait for a bunch of peeps to hea down there with me and explore all of it, and there is LOTS of stuff to eplore,

Time to play, but now I'm back in Texas, and I am happy that the clouds showed out for me while I was driving home. I expect I will be somewhat more coherent tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Volume 15 - Day 156/209, 2023 - Monday

So, I learned a few things today, one of which is, Playa del Carmen is entering its' rainy season. No one can really define when the rainy season begins or ends, but there is some agreement that it is beginning. I can also tell you that, the lightning and thunder is absolutely incredible. You really need to experience it. The climate is much like that of New Orleans, and Mike says this is the same thing that happens in Florida where he lives. I like it. We got up this morning, and didn't do much of anything. I had an appointment at 11 o'clock, and it was somewhat anti-climactic. I have another appointment in the morning, but I am not really sure what time that will happen. The transport company is scheduled to pick us up at 10 in the morning to deliver us to the airport. We had a really good dinner tonight, I had chicken parmesan, very good. We have not really had any bad food, and there has only been one instance of poor service. I do need to be back here within sixty days to finish my immigration stuff, and that will be just fine. I will probably plan to stay just three or four days when I do that. 

 

Volume 15 - Day 155/210, 2023 - Sunday

Today was a pretty good day to do nothing much of anything. We got up this morning, Mike went to 7-11 for coffee, we had a banana and maybe a pastry from Selecta. I really don't remember as far back as this morning. Then, I went out and got in the pool, then the hot tub, and Mike joined me a little while later. I came really close to falling asleep at the pool, but I didn't. It was almost nap time when we came back inside, then we watched a couple movies, and then we headed off to an ex-pats meet-up that is held on Sunday evenings. We met some really nice and welcoming people, in all stages of living and/or moving to Playa del Carmen. We left after an hour and a half, and went and had some dinner. I am not sure how long it might take to get used to doing things 'slowly,' but it will probably take a while. Tomorrow will be a day that will require a few things to be accomplished, and we leave on Tuesday. 

Volume 15 - Day 154/211, 2023 - Saturday

Today was kind of another chore day. We got up this morning and went to Chez Celine (half a block away) for breakfast. We had an appointment to get the refrigerator fixed (the freezer part is freezing up?), and while they were here, they fixed the bed in the primary bedroom. Then we hired a cab for a while, the cab drivers name Candelaria (he goes by Candy Crush), and headed to Home Depot to buy new shower heads. Nope, nothing that would work at Home Depot. Candy knew or a plumbing place, so we went there and got what we needed. Then we were off to Walmart to buy two television sets. There was one small (ish) tv in the living room, and now there will be a bigger one in the living room, and one in each of the bedrooms. Spoiled Americans! We thought it would be easy to hook up the tv in the living room, but that was not the case, so I expect they will all be hooked up sometime next week. Then it was time for a nap. We woke up, took a walk, then came back and watched the news. We left for dinner about 8 o'clock, walked onto the beach for full moon photos, then had dinner. I feel very cosmopolitan having dinner an 8:30. After dinner, we went to the grocery for sweet stuff, and now we are back at the condo, and I am finishing this journal entry.

Volume 15 - Day 153/212, 2023 - Friday

In my humble opinion, this is the proper way to foster better international relations. Just buy the Policia Municipal some ice cream, and everything will be fine. I understand the difference between the Policia and a bunch of South Korean Generals, but the idea and the follow through is all the same. It was kind of a busy day today, most of it was spent at Immigration, where I received my official exit permission, and my official entrance permission. If my residency is not completed by Monday, I will need to come back within sixty days to complete the process. Oh darn. I'll probably stay four or five days this first time coming back, but it will all be okay. Steve, Silvia, Mike and I went to a joint (Steve's words) to listen to some local music this afternoon. A place called Alive, and it was a lot of fun. We got back to the condo about six o'clock, watched the news, then headed out on an ice cream mission. We have seen the same cops on the corner almost every day since we have been here, and we always speak to them. We don't really know if they are there because this is a nice area, or because it is a bad area. I'm gonna go with the first one. Either way, tomorrow will be a less busy day.

Volume 15 - Day 152/213, 2023 - Thursday

One Fish. Two Fish. Three Fish. Toe Fish! I swore to this guy that this photo would be solely (get it) for my own private use, and no one would ever see it. I lied. Mike told him it would be all over the Internet within the hour, and so here it is. I have wanted to experience this ever since the first time I saw it, but never have dared to do it. I may do it before I go back to Austin, I still have four days. Today was a day for some accomplishments, and some no-so-much accomplishments. Overall, it was a good day. We had power most of the day, only lost power for about thirty seconds this morning. There was a noon appointment, then a couple other things to get done, and again, it was a good day. We had rain for about a half-hour, and there is no rain forecast for the rest of our visit. We have a couple things on the list to do tomorrow, and then we will join Steve and Silvia to listen to some music tomorrow afternoon.