070126
Well, it's nice to hear from those of you who wrote. The hardware store item I wanted was a couple packs of fly paper tubes as a gift for my favorite local rib place.
The first of you to respond are picking them up and many thanks to you and to the others who offered on the days following. You'd think something like this would sell like hell here.
I got a note on the Kudzu that some of you may find interesting:
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Dear Denis, Matt shared todays email with me. He's just returned early from the meeting, as it was standing room only and that on the outside balcony! Loved your photos, and maybe I can help you with your "creeping vine". It has always been common here in Cozumel, but has flourished since Wilma, as you rightly point out. Matt and I have had long discussions about this phenomena and have come to the conclusion that the plant is thriving so well due to the fact that it has suddenly been offered sunlight, wheras in the past,it was largely denied this due to the canopy of trees. We have noted at least five different species, some more common than others. The vine is commonly known as morning glory,as the flowers wilt during the early afternoon. The most common are.
MORNING GLORY. Heavenly Blue. Ipomoea tricolor.
NOLANA BLUE BIRD. Nolana paradoxa.
NEMOPHILA BABY BLUE EYES. Nemophila menziesii.
Hope that you find this info useful and if you need any future info on the flora and fauna of the island, just ask Matt. He's an expert. I know this because I taught him every thing he knows!!
Maybe we can get together sometime. With best wishes. Colin.[ Dad to the lad.]
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This is the heavily air-conditioned computer lab at the library. I'll bet it is popular in the summer.
Down the block and around the corner is 'my' tailor. He made up a pair of trousers from scratch for me last year and repaired a worn out shirt I like last week. Excellent work!
In 1938 my Dad finished Navy flight training at Pensacola Fla., was commissioned and got married. His first duty assignment was to the Battleship Maryland. The guns of a battle ship throw a huge projectile (the weight of a small car), to a range well beyond the horizon. On the stern there were steam catapults that would launch single engine observer/spotter planes. That little crane would retrieve them, '. . . . if the weather was nice' (Pop's quote)
=)
Pop was part of the team that flew those planes to help aim the guns and report the consequences. The ship's home port was Long Beach but spent part of the year at Pearl Harbor. My folks were still newly married and Pop arranged for Mom to meet him in Hawaii. What fun for a South Dakota depression era farm boy to be launched off the stern of a battleship in a 1000 hp airplane and fly back to your extended honeymoon in pre-war Hawaii. What fun for Mom to be launched from the real 'Little House on the Prairie' town of De Smet S.D. to the life of a Naval Aviators Lady on a 6 month honeymoon in the Islands.
Here is the pattern on that shirt that I had mended.
This is that stripped down VW Thing again in a little better light.
With all the straight lines you can see why it is popular for shortening. (Let's give it a try in Photoshop)
After the meeting a few nites ago we went to a gourmet restaurant for a bite and they had a nice big print of this panorama, shot from the end of the ferry dock (maybe 1936)
Who's Bill?
He is a photographer, sailor, diver friend of mine who once complained that he sometimes forgets to do the scrolling, so. . . . . .
Scroll right to view, Bill >>--> >>-->
The laundromat where I got my plastic pail for the shower uses Maytag Neptune washers. This is what the 'Loneliest washer mechanic' looks like here.
Why am I not loosing weight?
(~11 Pesos to the Dollar)
A pal of mine from the meetings is from Canada.
Would you believe that Mercedes-Benz builds the Smart Car? Here is their 'in-house' counterpart, the A-190. I bet we'll see these Stateside if the SmartCar sells well.
OK, what if it became a two-door in Photoshop.
Not even close, sorry. I much prefer the Smart Car.
Back in the 60's & 70's we'd actually shorten a car to see how it looked. Love this iBook.
(Photoshop credo: "Want a portrait of you cousin. Give me a picture of your dog, all I need is the eyes!")
=)
Well, yes, I like playing with mirrors too.
'Someone' has an open WiFi network on the Central Plaza and I check mail after the meeting sometimes. While computing away I happened to look up into a tree across from me and caught this Iguana camofaged for the nite.
Here are a couple views down 10th on which Blanquita's is Hotel located. In the distance (9 mi) you can just see Playa Del Carmen and the 8 AM ferry approaching. In the foreground is a cattle type dive/snorkel boat .
While lounging around the Plaza one evening we stated talking about cars we wish we hadn't sold and more than once a Plymouth or Dodge were mentioned because of that old Slant 6 engine. Next day there was an old Dodge PU stranded with it's hood open. Aaah yes, a familiar face.
On Sunday mornings there is a meeting on the beach behind the Barracuda Hotel. If I forget what sobriety's about, all I have to do is look around.
Sunday is family day in Mexico and single guys away from home tend to pine for home and, Saturday nights are for escape. Sunday mornings are more reality oriented.
At least he got the lock and chain fastened on his Triciclo.
(does this count as a bike picture, for you HPVA guys?)
The Barracuda Hotel is a diving hotel and they provided outside locking baskets to store your dive gear. Great lock choice.
After the meeting I tapped into the hotel's WiFi for a few letters home.
Several weeks ago I mentioned that my first dive this trip was on the Atlantida wreckage reef and I just came across this Google 'Earth' picture I had edited for another post last fall.
Here is a better view of the Barracuda back yard.
Scroll right to view >>--> >>-->
Last week my cousin sent me a link to a video (huge) of a 'spray bomb' artist at work. As I walked through the Plaza here, I counted 5 of these guys set up in preparation for 'Carnival'. Because of some AA cynicism, I wonder if one of the perks of this art form is huffing the paint fumes. Their creativity is certainly unleashed.
I found this Triciclo out front of Chedraui with a Honda C-90 driving it. He steers with his feet on the basket and never gets beyond 3rd gear.
I was stuck at home on a rainy day when I hear a car alarm going off, AGAIN!! This time I went out on the deck to see who it was making the racket. It had been happening off and on for a couple weeks. As it turned out it was the reversing alarm on this cement truck. Usually its just a Beep, Beep, Beep device but this enterprising driver had it rewired to a car alarm. Now it's understandable but still a lot of noise. Note his 'spotter's' rain gear.
We may see some of these Stateside as the price of oil goes up. It's a Pontiac sub compact.
Amazing, they seem to have sold off all of those little kiddie Triciclos and now they are stocking this intermediate size.
. . . . and here we are with another Moto powered Triciclo. This one steers with the handle bars and foot assist.
Bortola is still kept busy guarding the Hotel's scooter.
I usually pick up my air tank on the way to the beach but if I'm in the neighborhood I'll just pick it up to save a trip. When I do I then have to lock it up at night.
Speaking of theft, I left my wet rain poncho hanging by the door at a restaurant during lunch a couple days ago and it disappeared while I was eating. My solution was to recall my first day of Navy boot camp when our Company Commander told us "The only thing worse than being a thief is tempting a thief. . . . . LOCK YOUR LOCKER". My reward for not loosing my temper was to go buy a better one (and put my name on the front)
=)
As long as we're talking about getting wet here are some pix from the next day.
I was kind of surprise some mammoth hermit crab hadn't moved in here. It's over 6" long and looks like it's been vacant quite a while.
Early on I noticed a small air leak in my primary regulator's hose but continued the dive after practicing switching to my auxiliary regulator a couple times. I may get to go see Javier again soon.
This Scorpionfish's eyes catch the flash like a cat.
No 'RedEye' problem with this next guy.
Boxfish
Here is a hermit crab in a shell way too big for it. I started to pry it up and rather than slip back inside he just held on tighter and kept on grazing. Check out those eye stalks.
I guess those Drum I've found in the past were juveniles with the long flowing dorsal fin. This must be an adult. A friend of mine is a Drum fancier and when I showed her this picture she said her late husband used to call them 'Stars and Stripes' fish. Note the eye coloring
For being a fish the Triggerfish has quite an expressive face.
Coral head.
Not quite ready to rip the bottom out of a boat but working on it.
I usually dive over a stretch from Villa Blanca to Blue Angel, riding the current. Here is a Hibiscus at Blue Angel.
One sees quite a few of these Stainless Steel campers in Mexico. They must cost like hell.
Thanks to those of you who responded to the filling vs crown dental question. I had my first appointment today. Her office is on the second floor of a new professional building. Lovely stairway.
There was was a guy from the phone company there working on a neighbors line and needed to pass through her office to get out on the roof through a window. Once that was done we got down to business.
She removed most of the old filling. . . . .
. . . and took an impression for an inlay.
Then she put in a medicated temporary filling in preparation for next weeks final repair. Modern Dentistry makes use of a lot of new composite materials. This is becoming very interesting.
At he end of the day, after a swell NA meeting on the 9th step I saw a light from above when I got home! All the time I've been living here they have been using a single cylinder gas generator to power the construction site across the street. It runs all day and half the night. I talked about it with the contractor last week and he said they'd try to have it shut off by 8 PM. Last night one of the units was lit and no generator! For a week now they've been dressing this power pole and it looks like it's finally functional. Excellent. The red high voltage cables go into a red tube which goes down under the ground to a refrigerator size power distribution box, nearby.
One night I was looking out the AA Clubhouse window at the great sunset colors when someone pointed out the early moon-rise and first star. (this was so grainy from the low light that I had to 'soften' it until it almost looks like a watercolor)
-Home-