the last of the last

Last night was the last dinner at Dago's. A good turn out to say farewell to this 2010-11 season. Today was the last opera enjoyed while eating a "left over shrimp from Dago's" salad. Yesterday afternoon was my last domino game and I am now in serious withdrawal. Tonight is the last margarita at sunset from our mirador up on the 3rd floor. It is also the last night we bed down in our lovely house with the sound of the surf lulling us to sleep. I must add to all of this, of course, "until next season."

The town is still hopping with weekend visitors; the streets are clogged with parked cars. But most of them are up in the north end and will be gone tomorrow as the two-week Easter holiday ends. It's quiet down here where we are. This chap in front of our house is the lone hold-out from Semana Santa.

He has shut down his taco business but he and his family are still camping. He'll probably leave tomorrow.

We are cooking the last of a lovely pork loin tonight, and will take the left-overs on the road with us to nosh on along the way. Did you know that you can smuggle arms, drugs, and people across the US border but the INS is death on bringing pork into the US from Mexico? Go figure.

what was she thinking?

This is someone's idea of a very bad joke. Isn't it? No? Oh dear. The hat looks like it's topped by some sort of arthritic antlers.

he seems like a nice boy

I didn't get up in the middle of the night to watch THE WEDDING. I fell asleep after the musical offerings last night; they turned everything off at 2:30 AM. In spite of my absence I read this morning that the show did go on.These two actually talk to one another, look each other in the eye and seem to like what they see. Blessings on them.

Tonight was the last shrimp dinner at Dago's. Good crowd was there to say adios. Seven months and we'll be back to do it all over again. Tomorrow is the last big packing push, then an early dinner, a good night's sleep, and we're off. Both of us are ready. We can take just so much of this laid-back tropical paradise life. It's time to get back to paved streets and high gas prices.

just when you thought it was safe . . .

. . . to think that the Easter crazies over and done with comes the Festival de Cana (Old Folks Night) on the malecón. Marie and I went down to El Barcel for a cocktail (she had a martini, I had a [not very good] margarita) to toast the end of the season. All the puestos, especially the ones at the southern end nearest our house are set up for tonight's celebration ~ white or colored tablecloths, flowers on tables, set-ups dragged out onto the pavement. Very festive. What else is there? A huge stage with 40 ~ I counted them ~ speakers to blast dance music all over town. Up on the stage, lots of drums and other percussion instruments, 12 guitars, various brass pieces. Since it is for "seniors" I am hoping that it will be lovely old ranchero music. It's due to start in about half an hour so I'll know soon enough. I'm hoping Fernando and his fellow negocios make a bundle tonight. It's really their last chance. Yes, people do come here over the summer, and he will stay open, probably only on the weekends or on puentes (3 or 4 day weekends). I wish them good luck.

The house is almost dismantled. Fans are down, pillows and cushions bagged, closets emptied out, garden and outdoor furniture packed away.

I think we're way ahead this year; there probably won't be a big cleaning spasm at 3 AM just before we leave on Sunday morning for Tepic and the long journey home. I have one more domino game with Marie tomorrow, then we have one more dinner at Dago's, one more Saturday opera ~ Il Trovatore ~ one more night of listening to the music of the surf, and then we're gone. But we'll be back.

music to my ears

And I don't mean the disco. The music I'm hearing right now is the clank and thunk and bang of the disco being dismantled and carted away! And this being Easter, I am happy to say that there is a God! Last night the electricity went out and stayed off for about 5 hours. That meant that the disco had to shut down 2 or 3 hours early. It's true, I wasn't here to enjoy the dead silence. I was enjoying dead silence anyway. But Mr. C woke up, saw that all the street lights were out and the disco was silent. He thinks it was around 2 AM, but Fernando reported it was earlier, and he was sleeping in his puesto right across the malecón. Both he and Chuy look completely worn out. But he said that he made enough money to cover all his expenses, pay his help, and have some left over. And the Pasqua week is just beginning. He hasn't made as big an investment for this week. It's a different kind of crowd. But he is hoping he'll realize a tidy bundle.

The campers across the street are gone, the street is almost empty of cars, the street sleepers outside our house have packed up and left. There is trash everywhere, despite cans on every corner and 4-times-daily trash pick-up. It's just easier to drop it on the ground than to walk 10 feet and put it in a dust bin. I have seen some city workers walking through the streets with big black trash bags, picking up debris. The side streets are also beginning to reek of too many people in too close proximity without regederas and other amenities. Fortunately it's not too hot and there are good stiff breezes!

We spent the day doing more close-up work, putting things in bags for summer storage. I cleaned out the kitchen shelves and put pots and pans into some sort of tidiness. I've started compiling the "Bring in 2011" list, for instance, caraway seeds, rye flour, peanut butter, horseradish, etc. We can't get any of these things here. Do without, you say? Nonsense. As long as the wheels go around on Vincent we'll bring it all down. I don't how we'd do it if we decide to fly.

Tonight ends my Lenten fast, or feast. I have managed to post every day for the past 40 days. I think I was late once due to no internet. It was a good exercise in discipline and commitment. I am in awe of people who can write every day and actually say something. It's hard. I will do my best to keep it up.

Tomorrow is the last tianguis of the season; Marie and I will stop at the Jacaranda for our traditional bean tacos and a beer after the shopping is done. Best bean tacos ever. And tonight, tacos de lengua for the last time.

We made it through another Easter season. Thank you, Helen and Linda, for giving Marie and me a quiet place to sleep. As far as I know there were no drownings this season. That's always an issue; bad surf, rip tide, non-swimmers, drunks, etc. There were enough visitors to go around but not a terrible mass as there has been in the past. All in all, a pretty mellow holiday.

ultima dia

I'm about to head down to the quiet of the colonia after what has been a remarkably quiet day. The disco never fired up (after shutting down at 4 AM this morning) and the various street bands were, I guess, sleeping it off. That meant no interruption in this afternoon's lovely opera.

When I got home this morning at 8:30 I noticed that a group had set up their camp on the sidewalk outside our house; Pops was sleeping on the sidewalk and the rest of the family, including kids, a baby, and some other adults, were sleeping in the cab and bed of the truck. They hastened to the door and asked if it was OK to stay there. Sure, why not? You want to sleep on the cement? Buenos noches.

I went down to the malecón a bit later to order some shrimp for my "opera salad"and to gauge the crowds. Not as much as there would be later in the day, but don't forget I had the opera to listen to so had to get home. A note on the shrimp: Dago does it best.

Remember the little Corona cubbies? Here's how they looked today.


Each of these little places sells exactly the same thing, but each is run by a different person. And they all look alike. I guess they depend on family and friends as patrons. Otherwise, how do you choose? Perhaps just the one that's closest when a powerful thirst comes on.

One last look at the campgrounds. Most will pack it up and be gone by tomorrow. Again, taken from the same spot as the last two.

The overall opinion of long-time residents and puesto owners is that the crowds are far less this year. Fewer people actually buy meals or drinks; they bring all their own stuff and only rent the tables, chairs and umbrellas on the beach for the day. This is a huge disappointment, of course, for these people who have worked so hard getting ready for the crowds. This is when they make their money for the entire year. Now we have the week of Pasqua. It's usually a much quieter time with fewer campers, no disco (if all goes well it will shut down tomorrow morning and be out of town by noon). By next weekend we'll have our little village back. And then we leave.

Good Friday evening

Last night was quiet and peaceful out in the colonia. The loudest noise was the pounding of the surf in front of the house, and believe me, it was loud. It's remarkable how even the short distance between the shoreline and our house muffles the really sharp "crack" and roar of the breaking waves. But there was not a hint of disco music or any other sort of disturbance. Mr. C reported that the disco finally folded at 4 AM this morning. To give them credit, they didn't start up until after mass was over ~ 3 PM. It has been going on and off since, along with mariachi bands and various street pick-up brass bands. They all seem to play the same tunes over and over so that after awhile I cease to hear any of it. We did have a car alarm out on the street that went off at 12:30 this afternoon and was still going strong when I left the house about 3 o'clock. That really WILL make you crazy.

The crowds continue to pour into town in the morning, spend the day enjoying the sea and some tasty eats in one of the puestos and then head back home in the evening. Many campers, yes, but no where near as many as in years past. Fernando said his place had been very busy for comida and cena yesterday and was doing a brisk business again today. Good for him! I hope he makes a ton of money over these next few days. He has worked very hard to make El Barcel into a spiffy restaurant. He's also astounded by the amount of work it takes to run the place.

After dinner, Marie and I will head back down to H & L's for another good night's sleep. Tomorrow's opera is Capriccio by Richard Strauss. The divine Renée Flemming is singing the role of the Countess. I hope to be able to hear it over the throbbing and pounding of the disco!