This lovely little post reminds me of our early days living in Mexico. September first was five years since our arrival. Enjoy,
DOS TORTAS
A Walk Through Wine Country
2 Sep
If you have found your way to this blog looking for tales of retirement adventures in Mexico, you’ve come to the right place. However our adventures of late have taken a detour and are temporarily located in Northern California caring for our children and premature twin granddaughters.
A tired and happy dad.
Life is good and shaken us out of our retirement routine. Nothing is predictable with newborns and their two and a half year old brother. There are middle of the night diaper changes, keeping the house in order and making sure our little team is hydrated and fed. A nursing mother consumes an extra thousand calories a day with twins!
A trip to the children’s museum with Max.
My morning walk through neighboring wine country has been saving grace. The temperature is a far cry from tropical Bacalar.
Hot air balloons overhead most weekend mornings.
Front yard orchard.
The smell of lavender everywhere.
Country roads delight the senses.
Early morning grape harvesting.
Wild geese.
We will be in California until the first of November. Please comment and share. Until next time.
DOS TORTAS
Fear vs Adventure
26 Aug
I consciously avoid most news these days as it is too depressing. Somehow this week I began to follow the disappearance of Mollie Tibbetts, a young woman out jogging in Iowa who seemingly disappeared. After endlessly reviewing security camera footage, the police reported what happened to her and what might have been her final words. After her abductor approached on the street, she clutched her cell phone telling him to leave her alone or she would call the police. She was too late I’m afraid.
Life is blooming in Northern Cali. Loving the morning walks.
It reminds me of something that happened to me, at exactly her age. I was walking early one morning to my first college summer job. I cut across a neighborhood park. It was barely light, but how dangerous could it be with all those houses just across the street? I heard footsteps behind me, but did not run, nor scream or even turn to face the intruder. Of course there was no cell phone to clutch. A man walked up behind me and thrust his hand between my legs and turned and hurried away. I was stunned. I did not think to report it, after all he didn’t “hurt” me. Calling it sexual assault was unthinkable at that time. I’m not sure I ever told anyone. I also don’t remember how I got to work from then on.
A woman and her dog.
All this was streaming through my mind as I was again on a morning walk, in another park with few people in site. A woman was walking her dog ahead of me and I motioned to the dog who happily made a beeline to have his ears scratched and his rump tickled. She laughed and said, “so much for my protector.” I struck up a conversation with her and we talked briefly about how we must be constantly vigilant. It’s exhausting in ways we’re not even aware.
If you’ve followed this blog, you know that I talk frequently about living fearlessly. After all, adventure is the antithesis of fear and safety has a high price. But what about Mollie? Was she like me, pretending there was no threat? She was 20 years old with the world by the tail. We must not let it scare us. Please, please don’t quit having adventures. It would make your life very small. Just be careful. Adiós Mollie. Go with God.
DOS TORTAS
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Off The Beaten Path – Ticul
19 Aug
For the next two months we will be visiting our children in Northern California, helping with the integration of two new family members.
Our newborn twin granddaughters Analise and Sara.
Please enjoy his earlier blog post from May 2015. September begins our sixth year of retirement in Bacalar. Life is good and we are so grateful for these babies and the chance to support their parents in getting them off to a good start. What are you grateful for?
DOS TORTAS
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A Car Chase in Bacalar Taxista #29
12 Aug
While we are preparing for the twins to come home from the hospital and chasing down a two year old, The TORTAS have been busy. Please enjoy a look back into our adventurous life in Mexico. DOS TORTAS
What You Won’t Find In Bacalar
5 Aug
I have spent over five years describing retirement life in the far reaches of the Mexican jungle. There are blog posts on murals, mercado’s, pyramids, dogs and small town living. For the next few months we are in Northern California, USA taking care of our daughter’s family as they integrate two new members.
Our granddaughters born July 11, Sara and Analise
Some things I’ve noticed that we DON’T have in Bacalar:
Hot Air Balloons
There is a local festival here every June so it’s no surprise that we’ve seen balloons overhead the last few mornings. What better way to see the wine country? Unfortunately the sky has been hazy due to the fires burning north of here. Maybe we could get some balloons over Laguna Bacalar. I’d be up for a ride. How about you? https://youtu.be/C6-mO46u9hc
Wild Geese
I’ve been seeing geese overhead and grazing on the lawns of the high school when out for an early walk. They’re so majestic and noisy.
Cherries
We might occasionally get cherries at the grocery store in Chetumal, but not like those that are available in Northern California. We’re going to the farmer’s market later today. Cherries are number one on my shopping list.
Our Kids
It’s wonderful to be retired and able to help our daughter and her family. It really does take a village.
Enjoy your life today. It’s the only day you get.
DOS TORTAS
Go For A Walk?
29 Jul
I was raised in rural New Jersey. For the most people, the Garden State evokes images of spaghetti bowl freeways, Atlantic City and miles upon miles of town after town. It’s hard to tell where one ends and another begins. (Rocks In My Head)
Our three hundred year old farmhouse. My mother wanted it because it had three fireplaces. It burned to the ground shortly after my father died and she had sold it.
When I was in fifth grade we moved “out in the country”. The road was paved from our little town of a thousand people to my family’s driveway. From there a dirt road continued a mile or so to a working dairy farm. Today those small farms are long gone and housing developments take their place.
Fourth and fifth grade in the same classroom.
It was a common occurrence, on a balmy summer’s evening for my father to stand and declare, “Go for a walk?”. It wasn’t really a question. The TV was turned off and five kids, dogs and even the cat ambled across the lawn and up the road. The best times were when there were fat juicy wild blackberries ready for picking along the way.
The trout stream that flowed behind our property.
The view from the bridge on the corner of our property the last time I visited.
These sweet memories came flooding in as the dogs and I stepped out of our gate this week and walked along our jungle road. Five years ago when we first arrived in Bacalar, there was no road. Now there are two houses that we pass on our daily jaunt. Land is being cleared all around for god knows what. The only thing we can really count on is change. Our hearts break to see the jungle cut down and the animals disappear.
Out the front gate.
We leave in the morning for California. Off to care for my daughter and her family which includes newborn twins Sara and Ana. Another summer in Bacalar will be gone when Lisa and I return. I won’t miss the mosquitoes but I do love it here.
The babies are thriving.
DOS TORTAS
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Grocery Shopping in Mexico–a bit of a quest
22 Jul
I hope you enjoy this blog from a woman I follow in northern Mexico. I am preparing my immigration papers and leaving for California soon to be with my daughter. Pictures of the twins next week. 👶🏼👶🏼😁
You can get groceries at a variety of stores. In fact, depending on what you need, you may need to stop at several stores to find all the items on your list.
The smallest corner store is usually called abarrotes or tiendita or miscelanea. There’s typically a small selection of necessities including soap, canned goods, and chips. Usually, there’s quite a large selection of chips and soda. Even with the sugar tax, these items remain best sellers and are what probably keep these little stores in business.
If it’s a store you frequent, you may be able to request certain items. For instance, peanut butter is available at some stores but not part of the Mexican diet. If you let the store owner know you’ll be buying it regularly, it just might appear on the shelves.
The next size up is the mini-super. There’s a little more selection…
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Seeing With Different Eyes
15 Jul
When we first moved to Bacalar in 2013, everything was new and exciting and a bit unsettling (Can We Go Home Now?). I remember driving under the “Bienvenidos a Bacalar” sign after a five-day drive from Texas. We pulled a trailer with everything we owned and everything we thought we needed to start our new life in Mexico. Lisa and I were thrilled with every flower, mural and festival. In the beginning we lived in Bacalar proper, walking or riding our bikes to discover shops and people. (Explore Bacalar On Foot)
New murals are popping up everywhere.
Once our house was built, the three mile ride along a busy highway to town got longer and more inconvenient. Our numerous utilitarian trips meant fewer for pleasure. Also our early to bed life means we participate very little in the day to day activities of Bacalar. (A Day In The Life)
This week we have Lisa’s brother and his partner visiting. We get to see our life through their eyes and fall in love with Bacalar all over again. It’s fun being tourists in our own village.
Visiting the Cultural Museum in Chetumal.
Learning about Mayan influence.
From our visit to Kohunlich in February.
We have lots more activities planned for the upcoming week. There is a trip to the wonders of Kohunlich and Cenote Azul. When living in paradise, it’s good not to become jaded.
DOS TORTAS
Downsize Then Downsize Some More
8 Jul
Retirement and a new life in Mexico provided a much needed opportunity to dig through our stuff and get real about what to keep and what to get rid of. As we prepared for the big move five years ago, we had many garage sales, gave memorabilia to family and the rest to Goodwill. And I thought I was already a minimalist. NOT!
Our son and his family hauled off furniture we didn’t need.
Part of the problem was that we were very unsure about what we would need. It took us two years to begin construction of our house. We also had never lived in a tropical region. People told us not to bring rugs to a humid climate. We did anyway and didn’t regret it.
A lot has changed in three years.
I bought a fancy portable sewing machine because I wanted to make my own clothes and wasn’t sure I could get one here. I was wrong, Not only are there many lovely sewing machines sold here, I have hardly touched the one I brought.
A new fence. The trees have really grown.
Other people suggested that we get a storage unit and bring things gradually as we needed them. That might work for some, but it was a “hell no” for us. We were burning bridges and wanted nothing to weigh us down, especially a storage unit.
Even our bodega got a makeover. The only thing we store is kayak equipment.
Our intention for a new life was minimalist living in a much smaller space. Packing, transporting, unpacking, storing, maintaining “stuff” takes its toll and has a price. Today, five years into living in Mexico, I find that I have had to go through my plastic bins and get realistic about the yarn, fabric, books, videos etc. that were once so important to me. On my last visit to Texas I schlepped back precious pattern books to give to friends. It was time to get real, there will be very little knitting or crocheting in my future.
Truthfully I still own too much. Here’s some websites you might find interesting. Poco a poco, little by little… DOS TORTAS
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