18 and 19 April 2010

Doug and I took a four kilometer walk along the beach toward El Nuro today. Stormy chased crabs and anything else that moved on the beach. Doug through rocks for her which she chased and sometimes returned. Often she would drop them in the surf, and they would be lost with the next wave. Stormy played hard and had a great time. We never encountered a soul on the beach; we were the only ones along this stretch. We stopped and took a swim on our way home. The water is a bit cool at first, but soon becomes very comfortable. We would swim out amongst the breakers and Stormy would try to come out to us. She has learned to be cautious of the breakers, so only goes as far as she can touch bottom.

Doug and Sanchez brought my loom back out of storage in Sanchez's quarters. It didn't take me long to be back to work on it. The last bath mat should be finished in the next day or so. Then ?, maybe I'll make some kitchen towels; some for me and some for Juana.

We met Caroline and Jay at Las Sirenas for dinner: this being a favorite restaurant for all of us . Caroline was feeling a bit under the weather, but we were thankful the opportunity to say our goodbyes.

We also went by our favorite Italian restaurant to schedule a birthday dinner for me. It turns out that Antonio will be traveling home to Italy to visit his mother, so won't be here for my birthday on the 29th. We decided that we would go ahead and celebrate on the 26th so we can have Antonio's seafood lasagne. Some friends will arrive on the 29th, so I'll be able to celebrate a second time with them!

I cut my finger with the cleaver about a week ago while trying to cut a lime. Unfortunately, it has now become infected. I have been soaking it in salt water and then applying Neosporin. So far it isn't any worse. Being vigilant is the key.

Today we went to Talara to have the 15K service done on the truck. We have had major problems with a loss of power; this being because of low quality fuel available to us here in the boondocks. We did have them replace the fuel filter and things seems to be better now. We also have a cracked windshield which we hope to have repaired soon. The insurance agency wanted the repair shop to provide an estimate; which they did. The insurance company will then approve (or not) the repairs. Things work differently here than they do in the states, which is not wonder. However, I am still having to do these negotiations in Spanish...and hopefully, I am understanding what's going on. You can't expect things to work the same as they do in the states, but that is all you are familiar with. The repair shop has provided the insurance company with an estimate of the cost for the replacement of the windshield. We are now waiting for the insurance company to approve the repairs.

While in Talara today waiting for the service on the truck, we went to the P.O. to send tax documents to the U.S., went to the bank to make a deposit, and stopped at a barber shop for Doug to get a haircut and a shave. Even after walking through the market a couple of times, we still had a couple of hours to kill. We sat in the "park"; dozing and waiting until 1:00 p.m. when we picked up the truck. They replaced the fuel filter, which helped to restore the power, the pick up and go we had when it was new. They tell us that the fuel available to us in Los Organos is not good and that this is why we have had such a loss in power. Going up the hills has been such a draggggggg. Hopefully having the fuel filter changed and buying fuel elsewhere, will work out. The nice thing about their scheduled maintance service is they will detail the car. With Stormy shedding white hair all over the back seat, this is an extremely welcome service for us.
Doug has been under the weather today. He has not been far from the toilet and has been having some rather severe cramps. He has been asleep since 3:00 this afternoon; almost 6 hours. This is so unusual for him. I did make him some chicken soup; but it has been sitting for some hours. I can only believe the sleep is doing him some good and that when he is ready, he will want some soup.
This evening, I went out and sat with Juana and Sanchez on the terrace at the edge of Georg's property. It is such a nice evening; cool breezes coming off the ocean and lower humidity than we've had for a long time. Apparantly there is a storm in the north, as we saw several flashes of lightening. And now, a couple of hours later, it is raining. And this isn't the spattering of moisture I've seen before, this is a rain. Everything smells so fresh!