Monday, July 06, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
My Baby, Simon
I haven't shown you pictures of my baby all grown up for a while. And he is a big baby too. I fault myself for that. I have coddled and cooed to him his whole life.
The first thing people notice about him is his big blue eyes. When he gets scared, which is frequently, they get even bigger. Guess who he comes running to to protect him from all the big bad things that surround him?
That's ok though. I don't mind giving him hugs at all!
The first thing people notice about him is his big blue eyes. When he gets scared, which is frequently, they get even bigger. Guess who he comes running to to protect him from all the big bad things that surround him?
That's ok though. I don't mind giving him hugs at all!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Dead Drunk
While I was outside last Sunday, dealing with the electrical emergency, I noticed this guy lying on the cement slab you see here. At one point, he rolled over and ended up in the grass. That is how I knew he wasn't dead.
It's not unusual to see drunks lying in doorways on Sundays. It is unusual to see them lying someplace like this. Looking for all the world like he was dead. Tossed there like some limp rag.
While I was out there, several different Police vehicles drove by. Any guesses as to whether or not they even bothered to stop to see if he was dead or alive. Breathing or not?
If you guessed No, you win.
It's not unusual to see drunks lying in doorways on Sundays. It is unusual to see them lying someplace like this. Looking for all the world like he was dead. Tossed there like some limp rag.
While I was out there, several different Police vehicles drove by. Any guesses as to whether or not they even bothered to stop to see if he was dead or alive. Breathing or not?
If you guessed No, you win.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Trouble in Paradise
Saturday afternoon I was sitting at the dining room table, minding my own business and listening to the rain pour down. I couldn't see it because I had to close all the doors and windows to keep the water from blowing in and drowning my house.
Once the downpour had turned to a drizzle, I went to the front door and opened it. Let there be light and air flow once again! As I was standing there, looking out and watching the rivers run from the street down onto the beach and out to sea, I heard a pop and saw a flash.
The next thing I saw was a great plume of black smoke coming from somewhere over in front of the cabana. My neighbors quite often build a fire in front of their house and at first I though they were burning something. Then it dawned on me that they could not have a fire going in this rain.
That thought had just barely crossed my mind when I saw huge flames shooting out of the glass electric meter that belongs to my cabana next door! I ran through the house shouting, "Fire! Fire!", rudely waking up those amongst us who were peacefully taking a siesta. I knew it was an electric fire so I grabbed a towel from the bathroom. I guess I thought I could run over there and smother the flames.
By the time I reached it, the flames were gone and only wisps of hot, smelly smoke remained. Naturally, we have renters in the cabana right now and they came running out also, having heard the same pop and seen the smoke and flames. Amazingly, they still had power!
This is where the meter was installed in the wall.
And the meter itself. Amazing that it still functioned as well as it did!
I called my electrician, but he was away for the day, not to return until Sunday. He is such a good guy that when he got my message, he called me back and said he would be right over. Which he was.
Something about only the neutral rod had been damaged in the fire and then it overloaded the positive, causing the renters to lose all power this morning around 4AM.
Mr Electrician rewired the system into the main grid, bypassing any need for a meter. So I won't be charged for any electricity the next day or so. He is coming back tomorrow with a new meter and will install it and everything should be back to normal. I told him that if I wasn't being charged for electricity in the meantime, there was no hurry. He just laughed.
And what caused the fire? Water and salt. All that white stuff you see above on the meter is salt. Water from rains ran down the wall, got into the salt compromised seal and caused a short.
An interesting side note about Mexico and why I did not call the electric company. Although they provide the meters free of charge, it is the home owner's responsibility to install them and keep them in service. They would not have responded to my call at all, even if the thing was still burning. That sort of thing can be frustrating, to say the least.
Once the downpour had turned to a drizzle, I went to the front door and opened it. Let there be light and air flow once again! As I was standing there, looking out and watching the rivers run from the street down onto the beach and out to sea, I heard a pop and saw a flash.
The next thing I saw was a great plume of black smoke coming from somewhere over in front of the cabana. My neighbors quite often build a fire in front of their house and at first I though they were burning something. Then it dawned on me that they could not have a fire going in this rain.
That thought had just barely crossed my mind when I saw huge flames shooting out of the glass electric meter that belongs to my cabana next door! I ran through the house shouting, "Fire! Fire!", rudely waking up those amongst us who were peacefully taking a siesta. I knew it was an electric fire so I grabbed a towel from the bathroom. I guess I thought I could run over there and smother the flames.
By the time I reached it, the flames were gone and only wisps of hot, smelly smoke remained. Naturally, we have renters in the cabana right now and they came running out also, having heard the same pop and seen the smoke and flames. Amazingly, they still had power!
This is where the meter was installed in the wall.
And the meter itself. Amazing that it still functioned as well as it did!
I called my electrician, but he was away for the day, not to return until Sunday. He is such a good guy that when he got my message, he called me back and said he would be right over. Which he was.
Something about only the neutral rod had been damaged in the fire and then it overloaded the positive, causing the renters to lose all power this morning around 4AM.
Mr Electrician rewired the system into the main grid, bypassing any need for a meter. So I won't be charged for any electricity the next day or so. He is coming back tomorrow with a new meter and will install it and everything should be back to normal. I told him that if I wasn't being charged for electricity in the meantime, there was no hurry. He just laughed.
And what caused the fire? Water and salt. All that white stuff you see above on the meter is salt. Water from rains ran down the wall, got into the salt compromised seal and caused a short.
An interesting side note about Mexico and why I did not call the electric company. Although they provide the meters free of charge, it is the home owner's responsibility to install them and keep them in service. They would not have responded to my call at all, even if the thing was still burning. That sort of thing can be frustrating, to say the least.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Stormy Paradise
It has been hot here lately. Really hot. Temperatures in the high 90's with humidity to match. Heat index of 110F some days. No wind to speak of. Air so thick you feel like you can't get enough oxygen out of it.
But Saturday that all changed. Some kind of front is whipping up bad weather everywhere. When I call up the satellite image for the Caribbean, it is almost impossible to see any land masses underneath all the colored spots. It's everywhere and I fear a bad hurricane season this year. This is what was still sitting on top of us on Sunday.
It rained, nay, poured tropical torrential downpours all day Saturday. Not surprisingly, the pumps they installed underground in the new drainage system on Ave Hidalgo failed to work. The streets downtown filled with over 2 feet of water almost instantly. The new street has been constructed to direct all water to the intersections. The water had no where to go. It's sense of gravity had been changed and it no longer just flows out to sea. Needless to say, almost every business downtown was flooded and there were a lot of unhappy shopkeepers and restaurant owners.
During one of the few breaks on Saturday, I got this shot of the stormy sky and water. Our traditional blue topaz color gone.
And yet, in the evening it cleared off a little. It amazes me how such bad weather can turn around and produce such a beautiful sight.
Sunday, as I write this, the sun has come out but the skies are still a murky gray. I think there will be more to come. Thankfully it did clear up for a bit.
Tomorrow I will tell and show you how storms like this can hit close to home and cause no end of problems.
But Saturday that all changed. Some kind of front is whipping up bad weather everywhere. When I call up the satellite image for the Caribbean, it is almost impossible to see any land masses underneath all the colored spots. It's everywhere and I fear a bad hurricane season this year. This is what was still sitting on top of us on Sunday.
It rained, nay, poured tropical torrential downpours all day Saturday. Not surprisingly, the pumps they installed underground in the new drainage system on Ave Hidalgo failed to work. The streets downtown filled with over 2 feet of water almost instantly. The new street has been constructed to direct all water to the intersections. The water had no where to go. It's sense of gravity had been changed and it no longer just flows out to sea. Needless to say, almost every business downtown was flooded and there were a lot of unhappy shopkeepers and restaurant owners.
During one of the few breaks on Saturday, I got this shot of the stormy sky and water. Our traditional blue topaz color gone.
And yet, in the evening it cleared off a little. It amazes me how such bad weather can turn around and produce such a beautiful sight.
Sunday, as I write this, the sun has come out but the skies are still a murky gray. I think there will be more to come. Thankfully it did clear up for a bit.
Tomorrow I will tell and show you how storms like this can hit close to home and cause no end of problems.
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