Joe's Market

From the time I was 8 years old until I left home at 18, we lived in a middle income neighborhood in So. Cal.  It was a very quiet neighborhood with little traffic.  One of the amenities was a little mom n' pop store about two blocks from our house.  It sat in the middle of the block in an almost 100% residential area.

The mom and pop were Joe and Bessie (I think) and they were great people.  The little store had all the essentials including a butcher and deli counter.  Of course, the prices were higher than at the big super markets but when you need something and don't have a car, it is neat to send your 8 year old son to the market.  I never minded as there was usually a 3 cent popsicle waiting for me for the short walk home.  Mom would make a list, give me money and send me on my way.  Many times the list included cigarettes and at Joe's Market, that was no problem  Ah, the good old days.

Here in Aticama, I have found a new Joe's Market but here it is Mini-super Mari's.  Mari's is on the highway that goes through town on the corner of the street I take up to my house.  Mari's in run by an old couple who must be well into their 70s.  While they have no fresh meat available, like Joe's, they have the essentials.  I try to buy as much of my groceries from them as possible even though I could save a few pennies by shopping in San Blas.  I enjoy the conversation and the joking around with them.  If mom is handling the counter when I arrive, pop inevitably pops out of the living area to greet me. (A lot of businesses in Mexico are attached to the family dwelling.)

At Mari's, I often see little children who can barely see over the counter hand Mari a list of items and he happily walks around the store picking up the items.  When it comes time to pay, no cash changes hands but instead an accounting ledger book is retrieved from the back counter to put it on account.

I like technology but I love it that the old ways are still practiced here in Aticama!

Another lightning story

Two nights ago we had a really neat thunderstorm.  The lightning went on for hours without stopping.  I decided to count the flashes and came up with 53 separate lightning flashes in one minute!  While most of the flashes were from far away, three of them were so close that when I tried the one-one-thousand method of determining distance, I only got out the first "one".  It was awsome!

After that, I decided to see how few minutes there were without thunder.  As you know, when lightning strikes, the thunder comes just a little later and it continues on for a few seconds.  I was lying there in Dod listening carefully and there was no break in the thunder for 5 minutes.  Before one burst of thunder was over another one had started.

I was still listening to the thunder as I drifted off to sleep.  Who needs sheep to count?

Butterfly Highway

As most of you know, my house sits atop a very high cliff facing both the ocean and the village of Aticama.  As insects travel north they are funneled across the area west of the house which is a greenbelt about 15' wide with the house on one side and the beach on the other.

I have seen probably 20 different kinds of butterflies go by.  As I sit on the dining patio taking in the great view there is constant butterfly action.   It is not unusual to see 6 or 7 different butterflies go by within a minute.  Just when I thought I had probably seen all the different kinds available, two completely new ones showed up.  They range in size from 1" to 5" wingspans and are every color of the rainbow; just beautiful!

And speaking of insects, let me describe the great dragonfly migration.  About two weeks ago as I was sitting on the patio enjoying my morning coffee, dragonflies started flying overhead.  At first there were just a few and all were headed north.  In a few minutes the sky was thick with them.  When I say thick, I am talking about 1,000 passing overhead every minute.  The migration went on for more than a hour.  Some stopped to rest on the palms below the patio and I noticed there were two different types.  I assume they were male and female as they were both the same size with the difference being that some had see through wings and some had similar wings with two large black spots on each wing.

There is always something to do here!