Back to the Cold and the Snow

Our flight aboard Old Cattle-Coach #5 ended at about 8:45 am Montreal time today. Well, maybe the airplane wasn't as bad as that but it was certainly not AeroMexico's finest to which we have become accustomed. Also, sleeping for brief periods slouched and humped over in a snug airplane seat is something one can enjoy for only so long.

We stepped out of the airport into mighty frigid temperatures, found Andrew waiting for us in his van, and soon were back unlocking the front door to a familiar place. At this point of course this much is also true: We now know parts of Mexico as a familiar place.

All right ... now what?

Quote of the Day:
“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”
- Frank Herbert

Gone

It is after 11:00 pm and Carol and I are sitting in the departure section of Terminal 2 at the Mexico City airport. We await our red-eye flight to Montreal leaving at 1:30 am. Who dreams up these absurd schedules anyway?

This morning we sat for a while on the beach and contemplated the crashing surf for the last time. As arranged, Wayne Bourdin picked us up at 11:00 am in his Volkswagen which we burdened to the maximum with our luggage. The day was filled with customary sunshine and we enjoyed a pleasant ride to the airport which included a last tour through Zihuatanejo. He and Nancy are a very kind, friendly couple and we hope to see them again next year.

On the flight from Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo to Mexico City our assigned seats were in the very last row. I said to Carol, "I hope this ride isn't as bumpy as the back seat of an Ixtapa bus." It was worse. Initially we soared smoothly but as we closed in on Mexico City we began to rock and roll, and shake, Baby, shake. We hit the runway with a bang but after the retro-jets cut off things settled down nicely. We especially enjoyed the settling down that followed debarkation.

My brother, Dan, who lives about a 2-1/2 hour bus ride away from this airport did us the honor of paying us a visit for over four hours. Heather was unable to come but the three of us had a supper together seasoned with a good, quality chat.

Carol captured the moment in Gino's Italian Restaurant.

Dan left around 8:30 pm and by the time he's home we'll still be waiting for our flight. It was exceptionally kind of him to go out of his way like that. It brought a great dose of cheer to our otherwise drab interval at this airport.

And so we continue to wait ...

Quote of the Day:

"Kindness makes a fellow feel good whether it's being done to him or by him."

- Frank A. Clark

Leaving, Leaving, ...

We're mostly packed and ready to leave. We'll tidy up a few details this evening. Naturally we reserved a few last hours of afternoon for the pool. And in the pool, today, Carol took an opportunity to give some positive food for thought to a woman who started conversing with her. The woman said she is very anxious about how badly things are going in the world. Carol mentioned how the Scriptures give us reason to be confident about the future, that the worsening situation will soon be resolved permanently.

I also learned this afternoon that we may expect to spend a number of hours, and a supper, with my brother during our extended wait at the Mexico City airport for a connecting flight to Montreal. He will take a return bus trip to make possible this visit which is a very welcome gesture indeed.

The scene from our balcony as we ate supper

outside this evening.

Wayne Bourdin has kindly offered to drive us to the airport tomorrow morning. And then it's ride the skies to the Great White North and who-knows-what.

And so it goes.

Quote of the Day:
"Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again."  
- William Shakespeare

Farewells

Last evening the Internet was down and so here is this blog's first morning post.

Yesterday we said goodbye to Jack and Linda. It was their day to return home.

First they took a last wistful look at the beach they were leaving. With their permission I post the above photo I took from the poolside restaurant where I had just finished breakfast. Below is a collage that includes, at left, the original photo from which the above was cropped ...

Then they posed for a parting shot ...

From the Montreal weather reports I've heard, there's no way I'll be wearing short pants on our return flight. Next, the condo agent asked if we'd like him to photograph the four of us ...

He did well.

Packing the taxi.

... and away they went.

Carol and I prepared for the meeting at the Kingdom Hall and on the sidewalk, as we approached the Hall, I took the photo below. Things to trip over on the streets of Zihuatanejo are more than abundant as commented on at length in last year's blog. But this assemblage of steps, angles, slopes, protrusions, and warps takes the cake. It is thoroughly unwalkable and one must take to the road where risk of injury is less.

The only missing feature is a camouflaged

pit. And I may be wrong about that.

An interview during the Service Meeting.

During the discussion of the Bible reading highlights I put my hand up repeatedly. The young brother handling that part kept calling others, undoubtedly because he didn't remember my name. After the meeting the brother behind me said, "I'm going to give you an 'A' for effort in trying to give a comment." Then he asked me to tell him what I had planned to say. I thought it was quite nice of him even to remember this an hour after the fact.

So I told him, and I'll tell you too. In Genesis 40:15 Joseph describes the unjust treatment he suffered to a man he thinks could help him. He says he was "kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews." What he does not say is that he was kidnapped *by* Hebrews and, in fact, by his own brothers. But he refrained from saying anything to dishonor his people or his family. It is an admirable example of handling injustice. Do and say what is necessary to try to remedy matters but do not needlessly dishonor people you are a part of by divulging details to strangers who do not need to know.

After the meeting we said our goodbyes to the many friends we have come to know here. Then a few of us went to a particularly good sidewalk restaurant for eats.

Wayne Bourdin started with Aztec soup. Following his lead I tried it as well. Jumpin' Jiminy, what a delicious soup! I am delighted not to have missed that! I wish I knew about this treat weeks ago.

And now our final full day in Ixtapa is unwinding. It has been a wonderful, stimulating, learning experience.

And so it goes.

Quote of the Day:

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” 

- Henry Miller

Winding Down

Just a few days left. In fact, Jack and Linda leave tomorrow. It appears that on Sunday, when we leave, we'll be returning to major snows ... and cold ... and a Mercier Bridge closed on weekends ... and a search for new living quarters. Wait a minute, what is the reason for leaving Mexico again?

Today I walked into the men's room near the pool and was impressed by sink decorations:

Wait a minute, who decorates a men's washroom like this? Not the men methinks. Hello? Hello? Anybody here?

With supplies running low and our departure approaching, some meals are now happening in the restaurant here. Linda joined Carol and I at lunch and I took the opportunity to photograph her hair, braided this morning, Mexican style. Wait a minute, aren't braids Bavarian, or Scandinavian? Aren't we four thousand miles from Braidland? Maybe I have that wrong. In any case, a neat arrangement.

Carol photographing the pastel sky of a setting sun.

We will certainly miss the sunsets we see so regularly here. It is a glorious treat that never grows old.

Carol's Photo.

And so it goes.

Wait a minute, where's the Quote of the Day?
Oh, right, here it is ...

Even if you think a Big Bang created the stars, don't you wonder who sent the flowers?
- Robert Brault.

Okay, so they're everywhere.

A Shorn Sheppard

We beetled back into the hills of Zihuatanejo this morning inside the Bourdin's VW one more time. Carol and Nancy returned to a woman who is not only studying the Bible but surprising her neighborhood by letting everyone know she is doing this. Apparently her past makes this development seem very unlikely to many.

Wayne and I re-visited a mother of two who shows interest and who today asked about the condition of the dead. I showed her Ecclesiastes 9:5, "The dead are conscious of nothing at all" and asked her how she understood that. She understood it just fine although the contrast with what she has long been wrongly taught about heaven and hell took some digesting.

This woman and her husband need a new front door on their very humble dwelling. She said they are saving up to buy wood, and have one made and installed. Wayne told them he has years experience as a carpenter and if they buy the wood, he'll make and install the door for them for free.

Later we paused for essential liquid refreshment.

You can see my choice of drink in the above photo. It is fizzy mineral water lightly flavored as lemonade and for me a cold one of those is the perfect beverage for a hot, sunny day. The large calculator is used to show English speakers the amount due. This man was amused when I asked if I could take this photo. During the moment I took out my phone/camera his face had returned to neutral.

When I alluded to my discomfort over needing a haircut the Bourdins brought me to Perla's shop. She is studying the Bible with Witnesses and is the one who decorated the toenails of Carol and Linda. As you might imagine, I had initial misgivings about having my hair cut by a toenail painter. But she is also a hairdresser, and a barber, and did excellent work.

Next Carol and Nancy had toenail decoration maintenance. 

The above photo shows Perla's shop (with curtain on the right and Wayne seated at left). As you can see it is a concrete cubicle with a metal door that comes down at closing time, same as at right.

Further to the right a dog approached closed doors, sniffed at the narrow slit at bottom, lay down on one side, and began clawing and struggling his way sideways through that tight space. It was a very tight squeeze but he made it. I caught him halfway through, hind legs wagging.

Then we all said goodbye to Perla. Below is Wayne waving to her husband ...

This evening we were invited to Jack and Linda's for supper, which was excellent, and we enjoyed the sunset from their 17th floor balcony ...

No visible sun this evening but no shortage of fireworks either.

Carol and I also took one another's picture while on the balcony ...

To give you some sense of being on the 17th floor balcony I offer the photo below ...

Alas, we became too absorbed in conversation to remember to take a photo of everyone at supper.

And so it goes.

Quote of the Day:
"Why don't you get a haircut? You look like a chrysanthemum."
- P.G. Wodehouse.

A Few Fun Photos

Business from home pressed upon me this morning and kept me at the computer, but this afternoon I took a few photos while on a walk:

Coke Bottle Through a Window.

Sun-tipped Palm Tree.

Junior Trees in the Sun.

Old Mr. Sunset Once More.

 Afterglow from the 11th Floor.

Quote of the Day:

"Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times ... I just shoot at what interests me at that moment." - Elliott Erwitt