Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Conversations on the Bench

Mondays are "kaffe klatch" day. So I walk down the hill and meet up with the "girls" at 11AM.

Yesterday I had stuff to do so I headed in early to do errands. I was all over the place. Still had time before 11 so I sat on the bench with Old Joe and Pat. One never sits on the bench for long before others stop by to visit for a few minutes.

Up walked Don from Canada and his dog Greg. Greg always has his nose out for a contribution of any crumb of food. Gorgeous golden retriever and funny dog. Don admitted he is "training" his new cat and it now will roll over on command. I told him he had way too much time on his hands if he is trying to train a cat. Then voila..........First Mate's blog on the Moscow Circus of Cats.........yesterday afternoon. Made me laugh out loud and of course forward it to Don.

The subject inevitably turns to the weather on the bench. Not ours, everyone elses in other parts of the world. Ours is always nearly perfect. How can you argue with 350 days of sunshine? So, we talked about Canada's weather and the snow in Colorado. On and on. I laughed and said that one of the greatest things about living here is that the weather pretty much stays the same. Whereas in the half century I lived in the South, in heat and humidity, you never knew if a rain gusher, tornado, hurricane, flood or whatever was going to hit you. Not to mention heat and humidity. Oh, I did already.

I NEVER take this weather for granted here. It is so beautiful, cool and not humid - just perfect.

Sleeping with the windows open at night is a gift. I never knew such a place existed. Well, maybe San Diego. They have good weather too, but it's too darn expensive to live there.

Sometimes the conversations on the bench get heated. Like where are we all going to eat today? Whew that CAN start something. Or some kind of political discussion. Most of us avoid that topic altogether.........While sitting there having these conversations, we always have our eyes on the passing venue of little chubby cheeked kids, the old man who is cursing everything and is so old we will be disappointed when he is no longer around and others. Others are interesting, but not as much as the old Mexican man.

I always hate to get up and leave the bench for fear I'm going to miss something. It's like turning on the Discovery Channel.

10 comments:

Charles said...

Babs - I've been reading the Mexico blogs for some time now - I will retire to Puerto Vallarta next year. Have lived in San Diego all my life - hard to leave but it's gotten way too expensive, and like Steve, I'm ready to start my new adventure!

Babs said...

Charles - good luck on your retirement to PV. I presume you won't be right in PV as the cost of living there is SO high. Have you ever spent the summer in PV? It will be an adventure........good luck!

I think San Diego is one of the prettiest, most romantic cities in the USA. I have fond memories of being there. There used to be a wonderful restaurant in the Mission Bay area that had troughs where fish swam through the restaurant. It was so cool.

Michael Dickson said...

Babs, on behalf of all WOMEN everywhere, baby women to old near-dead women of 100, I am OFFENDED at your use of the word girl. I mean, really.

Girl is passé. Everybody is a woman.

Now, about the old Mexican man who curses everything, I am offended at that too because that old coot is me.

Charles said...

Thanks - I know the cost of living is higher than much of Mexico - but remember I'm coming from San Diego! I can live much better in retirement almost anywhere in Mexico than I would be able to here. Haven't spent the summer in PV but have friends who live there year round - so I have been forewarned about the heat and humidity! Going down next week to check out some possibilities - will probably end up living in an outlying area - Bucerias or similar. Who knows - maybe eventually will end up in your neck of the woods!

Michael Dickson said...

Charles, do you want to spend your dotage sweating and dodging hurricanes? Head inland. So much nicer. Really.

Babs said...

Felipe, in this case this is the group better known as "the girls with the grandmother faces" which is a funny, funny book I read years ago. Girls is very appropriate.
Honey, you are not even anyway near the age of that old coot. I bet he's nearly 90. If one of the charities has a sign up advertising something, he takes his cane and knocks it over.Quite a show....only in Mexico. When you get that old, we'll all tell you.....you're still in your prime.
Charles, I don't want to discourage you but you MUST spend a July/August there before you move there. I was working on a design project there about 15 years ago in August. I sweated SO much that I lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks and I didn't have 15 to lose. No way Jose.......OR you do what many of the locals of PV do - come to San Miguel for the summer! Ha. Check out LaCruz.........just a tip.

Tancho said...

If the weather is so good in SMA, why are you going to the coast for several months?
The Scenery?

Charles said...

Babs - I do appreciate your insight - by the time I make the move I plan to be fairly unencumbered - like so many others, I plan to liquidate so many of the things we think we need, but actually can do much better without so many "things." If the heat in the summer becomes too much I will just find an alternative for those months.

The restaurant you remember here in SD was called Atlantis - next door to Seaworld. The poor fishes swimming by your table had no idea they might be your entree!

Again thanks for your input - glad to get to know you and the blog - maybe someday we can spend a morning on "the bench" solving the world's problems!

P.S. What is the approximate driving time from PV to SMA?

Babs said...

Constantino, when it gets below 50, I'm outtahere for the beach and warm weather. Besides I'm a water person and need that "fix" every year, several times a year. I lived on the water south of NASA for 17 years....and sailed a lot.
Charles - it is a 10 hour drive from PV to San Miguel - I actually think it is easier to take the bus which is about 12 hours....but is like flying first class and no hassles.

picklesandroses.blogspot.com said...

Nothing has changed on the gringo bench since I was last there.