April 21, 2008 – Weekend Report
Saturday started off pretty mellow. R.u.t.h, M.i.l.e.s and J.i.l.l rode around with Miriam, Alli and Sergio as Sergio delivered invoices and collected payments. Although the tour provided quality family time for the Franco family, I’m under the impression that I am very fortunate to have so many of our household and business transactions set up electronically and automatically. By the way, Sergio (Miriam’s husband, Alli’s father) and his brother own a small business that rents scaffolding and medium duty equipment like skid-steers.
By mid afternoon, M.i.l.e.s and J.i.l.l and I decided to head to the central plaza for licuados (fruit smoothies). This is a routine that M.i.l.e.s and I usually do on our own, not out of exclusivity, just because R.u.t.h and J.i.l.l are too smart to walk the 6 blocks in the afternoon heat and bus exhaust. But J.i.l.l was up for it this time, and we threw lactose intolerance to the non-existent wind, and J.i.l.l drank half of a strawberry licuado while M.i.l.e.s tried in vain to stay ahead of a quickly melting frozen watermelon bar.
And then…. J.i.l.l bent over, put her hands on her knees, and looked like she was either going to throw up or keel over after passing out. The park was full of people, and J.i.l.l was a good sport when I suggested that it would be kind of her to at least try to get closer to a big municipal garbage barrel. And bless her little 9 year old heart, J.i.l.l did saddle up to the garbage barrel which was nearly as tall as she was, and…. put her hands back on her knees and stayed bent over for several minutes. Long enough for me to start paying attention to the bees that were flying in and out of the barrel. Long enough for me to wonder where the heck my epi-pen was if I got stung. And, long enough for M.i.l.e.s to get shat upon by a pigeon. (J.i.l.l got “tagged” by a pigeon the next day, and I got nailed on a previous trip. R.u.t.h’s time is running out.)
Eventually, we worked our way across a busy intersection and J.i.l.l remained bent over strategically aiming at the gutter. It was a sad sight and certainly caught the eye of all passersby. One young lady from northern California said, “Be careful, the lettuce is awful down here.” Eventually, I scooped J.i.l.l up and carried her home on my hip like a toddler, after begging her to aim wisely should things get ugly. So, twice in two days, I had the pleasure of precious bonding time with each of my kids on Calle 62 in Merida because of gastro-intestinal adventures.
And, 15 minutes later, J.i.l.l was good to go and was bouncing off the walls at Casa Alvarez. Hummm? I suspect a similar blood sugar issue as my own. (I once passed out in a bar in Pavillion, Wyoming after moving cows all day, forgetting to eat, and then wolfing down pizza.)
J.i.l.l certainly had enough energy for our Saturday night plans: Ice skating at the mall. It was a pretty good time considering the location. The ice was a little wet, but considering it was 8:30 p.m. on an ice rink in a shopping center in southern Mexico, it wasn’t too bad. They even had a Zamboni.
And then, Burger King for a late evening meal. Burger King, complete with Play Castle and “High School Musical, II” complete with Karaoke lyrics in English on several flat screen televisions. Hoo-doggy, we never party like that in Hinesburg.
Sunday found us on a road trip/exploration of Izamal. It is an interesting small city dating back to the 1500’s with a giant monastery that the Spaniards built on top of Mayan ruins (naturally). Pope John Paul, II gave a mass there in 1993, right across the street from the “La Esquina del Prestamo” (the corner of the loan). It looks like you can hock your grandma’s crucifix to the pawn shop and get cash 7 days a week, but you won’t be able to get it back out on Sundays. (I’d love to hear the explanation for that.)
Sunday evening found us wandering the central plaza in Merida once again. Sundays in Merida are special, and the police cordon off numerous blocks for plenty of outdoor eating, entertainment, vending, etc. We walked through an interesting art installation next to a huge old cathedral. Other than the fact that Jill left the bottom half of her legs behind in Izamal, it was pretty cool. The modern art installations, next to the centuries-old cathedral, with evening hymns being sung as a young nun in full white habit tended the door. It was an interesting mix that offered a great summary of all the coexisting cultures that come together in Merida.
(FYI, I just added some photos to the bottom of the entry about M.i.l.e.s's birthday, a couple of entries down.)
Saturday started off pretty mellow. R.u.t.h, M.i.l.e.s and J.i.l.l rode around with Miriam, Alli and Sergio as Sergio delivered invoices and collected payments. Although the tour provided quality family time for the Franco family, I’m under the impression that I am very fortunate to have so many of our household and business transactions set up electronically and automatically. By the way, Sergio (Miriam’s husband, Alli’s father) and his brother own a small business that rents scaffolding and medium duty equipment like skid-steers.
By mid afternoon, M.i.l.e.s and J.i.l.l and I decided to head to the central plaza for licuados (fruit smoothies). This is a routine that M.i.l.e.s and I usually do on our own, not out of exclusivity, just because R.u.t.h and J.i.l.l are too smart to walk the 6 blocks in the afternoon heat and bus exhaust. But J.i.l.l was up for it this time, and we threw lactose intolerance to the non-existent wind, and J.i.l.l drank half of a strawberry licuado while M.i.l.e.s tried in vain to stay ahead of a quickly melting frozen watermelon bar.
And then…. J.i.l.l bent over, put her hands on her knees, and looked like she was either going to throw up or keel over after passing out. The park was full of people, and J.i.l.l was a good sport when I suggested that it would be kind of her to at least try to get closer to a big municipal garbage barrel. And bless her little 9 year old heart, J.i.l.l did saddle up to the garbage barrel which was nearly as tall as she was, and…. put her hands back on her knees and stayed bent over for several minutes. Long enough for me to start paying attention to the bees that were flying in and out of the barrel. Long enough for me to wonder where the heck my epi-pen was if I got stung. And, long enough for M.i.l.e.s to get shat upon by a pigeon. (J.i.l.l got “tagged” by a pigeon the next day, and I got nailed on a previous trip. R.u.t.h’s time is running out.)
Eventually, we worked our way across a busy intersection and J.i.l.l remained bent over strategically aiming at the gutter. It was a sad sight and certainly caught the eye of all passersby. One young lady from northern California said, “Be careful, the lettuce is awful down here.” Eventually, I scooped J.i.l.l up and carried her home on my hip like a toddler, after begging her to aim wisely should things get ugly. So, twice in two days, I had the pleasure of precious bonding time with each of my kids on Calle 62 in Merida because of gastro-intestinal adventures.
And, 15 minutes later, J.i.l.l was good to go and was bouncing off the walls at Casa Alvarez. Hummm? I suspect a similar blood sugar issue as my own. (I once passed out in a bar in Pavillion, Wyoming after moving cows all day, forgetting to eat, and then wolfing down pizza.)
J.i.l.l certainly had enough energy for our Saturday night plans: Ice skating at the mall. It was a pretty good time considering the location. The ice was a little wet, but considering it was 8:30 p.m. on an ice rink in a shopping center in southern Mexico, it wasn’t too bad. They even had a Zamboni.
And then, Burger King for a late evening meal. Burger King, complete with Play Castle and “High School Musical, II” complete with Karaoke lyrics in English on several flat screen televisions. Hoo-doggy, we never party like that in Hinesburg.
Sunday found us on a road trip/exploration of Izamal. It is an interesting small city dating back to the 1500’s with a giant monastery that the Spaniards built on top of Mayan ruins (naturally). Pope John Paul, II gave a mass there in 1993, right across the street from the “La Esquina del Prestamo” (the corner of the loan). It looks like you can hock your grandma’s crucifix to the pawn shop and get cash 7 days a week, but you won’t be able to get it back out on Sundays. (I’d love to hear the explanation for that.)
Sunday evening found us wandering the central plaza in Merida once again. Sundays in Merida are special, and the police cordon off numerous blocks for plenty of outdoor eating, entertainment, vending, etc. We walked through an interesting art installation next to a huge old cathedral. Other than the fact that Jill left the bottom half of her legs behind in Izamal, it was pretty cool. The modern art installations, next to the centuries-old cathedral, with evening hymns being sung as a young nun in full white habit tended the door. It was an interesting mix that offered a great summary of all the coexisting cultures that come together in Merida.
(FYI, I just added some photos to the bottom of the entry about M.i.l.e.s's birthday, a couple of entries down.)
posted by The Lambersons at 1:01 PM
2 Comments:
Hang in there, Ruth. I bet you can avoid those pigeons yet! It sounds like y'all are having a great time. I love that you've got your host hooked on maple syrup. Seriously, there's not much better. I'll send a longer e-mail soon, but just wanted to say "hi."
--Stephanie
Dad y do u have periods after our letters in our N.a.m.e.s.?
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