The Wall, Part 2

A continuation of the wall saga...

      Right-  a recap on how they mix cement...
just pour the mix from the bag in a pile on the road, add water, & mix with a shovel to the right consistency, and then take shovelfuls to the site, (or fill a pail & take to the site) and trowel on...



see Casa Mariposa, up the hill, to right.
owned & built by a Madison couple, just here
visiting with their young daughter. 





















Below, looking through the entrada toward the casa. The porton (or gate) will be to the left.
Both are not yet decided, or selected, even though we've looked at many examples around the island. Too many choices, not enough $ for now....




 a good view here of the forms used
   plus you can see they added a layer, for 7 blocks, after some indecisiveness on our part...



This is showing that top line, where they make a ridge across the top of the last row of blocks.







This is added after the posts are poured. see the forms for a post at left, and then the top form, filled with concrete, between two posts.
This will be the 'entrada' or the entrance.

and here is the porton....     the ground is very rocky, coral.  not much soil or subsoil...
and everything has high salt content.  Only quite tolerant plants will grow in it.

And luckily, palms are some of the plants, and here again is a lineup of the palms we found on sale, as a fundraiser, at the Little Yellow Schoolhouse.
Happy to help them out.

And then, loading up those palms, requiring several trips back and forth. 





And just another lovely sunset, from the other side of the island.
But a glimpse of how looking at anything through palm trees
is always nice...   and hoping ours grow and soften the view of the wall.

The Wall, Part 1

well...the Wall....
it is a long story.   We have wall history, having all been to the Great Wall of China, as a family yrs ago.   And now we have more wall history.
It started almost when we arrived in mid Dec, as the first thing we wanted to address.
Wanting more security, more privacy, and just 'marking the territory' I suppose...  and thinking down the road, it would morph into something more enclosure like, connecting with other parts...

But, as so many things go here... it became something else, then something else, then something else again...and well, it's still a work in progress, and we are not quite sure where it's going.

We don't know if it will ever connect with other pieces; if we'll keep or sell this property; if we should 'continue' the wall; but surveys are yet to be done, & property lines in question; there were cost overruns (how could a bunch of cement cost so much, and take so long?)  It took my time, as I made lunches every day for the trabajadores...los hombres...
     so, in review....some pics of how the wall began.     Stay tuned for parts 2 and maybe 3,  pronto.

  



 This is why, perhaps, a wall was needed. The street, which is more like what we call the gravel path, is a cross-island road, acutally called
Calle Tortugas. It's very 'un-improved' & it will be a long time before the municipality decides to
improve it by adding even gravel.
So, there are big ruts and outcrops of coral rock, which cause the traffic in the area (the locals, taking shortcuts) to swerve, and veer onto our lawn, coming really close to the house.
See our lot line (above) which now the street has 'absorbed' and traffic is coming closer and closer.









Here they are putting in the 'footing'
which is cement and rocks, to provide the base support.
( I was surprised they needed to do this, as this is not Wisconsin, and there is no frost, heaving, thawing, etc, to worry about...
     but,   who knew?
they still must have to do it to get a sturdy structure, and maybe one that won't blow down in hurricanes..

Four blocks high just didn't seem high enough, although it was okay in the front, where you want a view, but on the side and back, you want privacy.

and I didn't care for the 'stepped' version of how most walls are built in sections, with a slanted piece, ramping them up to the next level, to follow the grade or slope of the land.

So, we opted to keep a straight top line, which means the wall, as it runs along the ground level, will seem and is different heights as it goes from front of lot (lower) to back of lot (higher).    So, in the front of the lot it is only four blocks high, but at the rear, and around the doorway (la entrada) & where the gate will be (el porton), it is seven blocks high

so, a look from the inside vs. the street (or should I say, the gravel path?) side...

From this viewpoint, it does make the yard feel more enclosed & private.
And if & when I have dogs here, it will allow me to let them roam and play in the the year without worry.

(and that goes for grandchildren too!)

so many forms, such a process.

I never thought that just a bunch of cement blocks would require such fine tuning.
guess these guys are very picky
and then at the end, they have to make a top line with another form of just mixed concrete.
It's a very exact science.... I guess....

The posts also seem to be necessary at intervals every so often, also seemingly very determined by wall construction culture.

 




And you'll see,
there is a rainbow at the end
of the story....

Feliz Cumpeaños, Benito Juarez

And today, March 21, is the birthday of the 'George Washington' of Mexico, Benito Juarez.
Though not the first, he is the most revered president of Mexico...a street here is named for him, probably as in every Mexican town. 

As we came downtown, we came upon a ceremony in his honor, with a wreath being placed by some dignitaries, and traffic being stopped (this is right behind the Navy base.)

So, this comemorative statue/bust of him  is on the road leading to El Centro, the downtown, Juarez Avenue.  And especially now, with some roads being repaired, one must always enter the downtown on one-ways, and the main entry (from our end, the South) goes right past Benito Juarez. So, today, being his birthday, was a 'no school' day, and therefore, I was heading downtown with Sofi, deciding to go to the beach and wear off some energy.

  They told me last Friday, when I picked up Sofia, that there would be no school today. I wasn't sure why, but figured there must be a good reason.  And now, today, I have discovered it.
It is amazing how much I am following in the pattern of a typical 'ESL parent' (now, grandparent) which I've had so much experience with from my teaching days: the parent who barely follows a school schedule, needs many visuals to figure out what's going on, (hey...I sat through a group conference last week, and let me tell you, I was struggling, and every little thing they held up as an example, really helped me understand....)
Little by little, one pieces it together...meaning comes together... but it's not easy.
But, when you finally figure it out... it feels good!
           

A day at the beach.....always good!  

Staying in Touch

One of the things we have to work at is staying in touch, since we are all so connected to our lives NOB (North of the Border...).  Señor Ruinas dreams of simplifying life, and just maintaining and living here, but at the moment we are living between two cultures, two countries.
     Luckily that is made easier with technology, which makes so many more things possible.

This shows Sofia doing a Skype call with her mother in U.S. I think Sumi is doing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' with her in this photo. We've found that the more interaction, physical movements we can work in, the better and easier for her to focus and to stay in one place and remain on the Skype screen!

 She also likes to play 'fire boy' for her mom, demonstrating and copying the actions of an entertainer who performs downtown on Hidalgo Street for tourists, with a ring of fire. For Sofi, her water float serves as her 'ring of fire' and she has a great time doing shows for us & her mom.

Here is Chiquitita doing some homework.
Looks like she is pasting in pictures of things that begin with 'A'  (almendros, arroz, arbol,








 But even better than technology, is having the real thing, and luckily we had some real family members come to Isla to join us for some limited stays.  My Aunt Joyce (Tia La Joya) came at the same as my brother, Brucito & friends from AZ and CA, all for a week. And before their week was up, our son Nat, wife Rachel & kids, Evie & Violet (Evita y Violeta) came on board. Here are myself, Sofia, & Joyce meeting them at the ferry.
It's always fun to meet people coming off the ferry boat, or see them back to the ferry after their stay.
Coming to and from the island on a ferry boat always seems like such a commemorative experience.

And then, here they are downtown, enjoying some food and company...after a full day of travel, with little kids too yet...  Rolandi's is popular with folks and makes a good place to meet up...
have a group picture of all of us (but still w/my brother...) will add it later....


So, our new schedules for the next couple weeks will be largely based around little kids' schedules.
But that is a nice change.  The odd thing is, we'll probably see them more now, than we would if we were all home, in our separate homes...

     It sure is great to get reacquainted with the chiquititas...I feel like I'm barely keeping up,...but it is so great to have visitors here... and in a way, it's easier to have some common time here, esp. on the beaches, where everyone can find something to do.   Good memories...

Chiquitita goes to school

Granddaughter Sofia (Chiquitita) has been here now for a month already. It sure doesn't seem like it (except at bedtime...which seems to take more effort)

Otherwise, the days have settled into a nice routine.  wake up and have a nice rock in the hammock swing on the patio, practicing new favorite vocabulary:  ocean, waves, bubbles, beach, golf cart, ferry boat, hammock, palm trees and coconut.    Don't  those bring to mind some great visuals? 

(And what a nice change from the cold and dreary northern Midwest--not that snow, slush, sleet and mud aren't fun for kids too....)

Anyway, after some hammock swinging and breakfast, it's off to school on the golf cart.
   A couple different golf cart photos...coming...going...

The golf cart is definitely a favorite thing.
She never gets enough of it.


 

And here we are coming to the school gate, before entering.  She just needs to be reassured that we are coming back to pick her up on the golf cart. 

And here we are coming to the school gate, before entering.  She just needs to be reassured that we are coming back to pick her up on the golf cart. 




Below is Chiquitita with her main preschool teacher, Irasema.  She is in the first year of preschool Kinder.   Kinder Uno.
After Kinder tres, you can 'graduate to 1st grade. 
The teachers are very loving and caring about each child, and give them lots of individual attention

The teachers and administration at this school, Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, were a big selling point for me in selecting this school.
(It is named for the founder --Spanish-- of the island.) I believe there is a day on the calendar here to honor him. 







Besos, coming and going.

Here is the hallway/entry where kids can play as they arrive, or get ready to be picked up.

also, last week, in the same space,  we were invited to stay and watch a performance by the 'upper class' kids who did a Yucatecan dance, La Jorona; Afterwards, we were treated to special, traditional Yucatecan foods.
It was for 'Carnaval' for  which the kids had an extra couple days off.
   The girl below, left, is Irasema's daughter. She was a proud mother (& we sent the pics to her). 

 

The other day, last Friday, I was asked to come at 1pm; I thought they'd just be getting out an hour early (school time, 9am-2pm), but it was for a group conference. Homework and projects from last several weeks were handed out; also, an evaluation, and even sort of 'exam' results for basic information they should be learning (letters, colors, numbers, sounds, etc.)  I loved that for 'P' the kids had pasted in 'Pocoyo' who is one of Sofia's favorite characters.
I like that a lot of the Pocoyo features we watch (she watches) on You Tube are in both English and Spanish, allowing her more listening practie.
Her Spanish is really coming along. Once in a while now, she'll correct me...!
(like telling me it's 'excusado' in place of baño, at times... which may be technically more correct...)

One thing that surprised me was that every day Chiquitita was coming home with a new harido.
I discovered that Lucy, a teacher assistant (I think?), fixes up, redresses, cleans up & redoes hair, etc. before kids leave for the day.
Wow.  She does a far better job than I with hair.
I need to do a post just featuring hair styles :)

And left, is Lucy.
Lucy, the favorite of Sofia, and the one who works miracles with hair and dressing, including talc powder (which is on the list of supplies I need to send...)  They all get powdered up before being sent home !
(again, this is preschool, so there is a lot of caretaking going on also...)

It helps that Lucy reminds Sofi of her mother...and also that she has hair like mommy too  :)
     Besos to Lucy...and Irasema too...

They are making her preschool experience possible, and positive.

We are going month by month, and it will be sad when we have to say 'adios' before their year is done in late June...?
     but, we will have learned a lot, and we hope this is a place we can have Sofi come back to every year for some learning and Spanish immersion in this special place. 

Fotos...Merida & Isla

Decided to simply post a few more fotos of fun times we had with Denny--
Playa Lancheros...not too far from us.
we liked to go and watch the sunset here, have guac & beers  (he now suffers from guac 'withdrawal!')

Lancheros is especially nice since they have a great play structure
where Sofi loves to climb, slide and swing.








Here's Sofi on the slide.

 

Denny and Sofi out on 2 different  beaches  flying two of the several kites he brought   Thanks!



Now, in Merida, viewing the murals
in the government building, depicting
the era when Spanish rulers used Mayan
slave labor to harvest the hennequin
(sisal) crop, for making rope
bringing great wealth to the Spanish
who built great homes in Merida.







Here is a 'Tree of Life'  (one of many)
from the Folk Art Museum in Merida.
Nice collection of things, displayed in one of the stately colonial homes of Merida.



And the Jaguars were cool too.
Especially cool that they were displayed in the bathroom.

well, guess they made good use of all their spaces!
 (I think Sofia called them  'jaguaguaguas!


Wish we'd had time for more museums... next time...

This pair of photos shows a highlight of our time in Merida...one of those serendipitous moments...
totally unplanned stop at the 'Latino Bar' meeting the owner who kept bringing us little plates of appetizers to go with our beers...the plates just kept coming and coming, as we kept sampling and sampling...probably our favorite stop of the trip!
the irony being it was all at no charge!
We over tipped bigtime...

We joked that this is where the owner ejected us for bad behavior...but no, it's just that we went back to get his picture outside the place, so we could remember to come back to the right spot.
The owner is getting ready to pose for Denny.. 





Really, it was stories like these....with a beginning, middle and end...and lots of development in between...which were so much fun...involving real people we made a connection with.
We felt we went beyond tourist, and became friends. We definitely want to go back here again.
His name is Jorge.  Gracias, Jorge, good time.

Good times with Denny too.