Letter from Mexico.Otono/Autumn

Water Hyacinth on Invasion Proceedings !

 

Warning this is a long one : Are you sitting comfortably , then I`ll begin :

The Day of the Dead ( which is actually two days , the first for the dead children , angelitos ; the second for the rest of their ancestors)) has  had the local Pantheons (cemeteries) awash in orange flowers , families enmasse visiting their dead , leaving them food and eating into the night .Everyone in Catrina costumes or the male equivalent. I made a small candle homage to, among others , my first Pekingese ,Beezy Weezy and as I put my palms together found myself moved as I thought about him fully for the first time in many a moon. Gently spiritual…..

The Lake has been  plagued by a weed called water Hyacinth. Not a native to these shores.

It floats by on the currents , coming in from the rivers feeding the Lake  and collects up at Jocotepec at the West end of the shore. It  does , mind you , have a use , it is  collected , dried and cut up as a  fertilizer. But this year seems to have been too much of a bumper crop and has become an eyesore.

The  autumn /otono weather will be around Celsius:  22-24 (  F :71.6- 75) degrees in the day and around 15-18 degrees(F: 59-64) at night. Winds will be between 6-11 knots.  A chance of a shower next week , but the rainy season is winding down.

Thus gorgeous tennis , outdoor sports , fiestas etc weather. Not too hot or too chilly.

A name maybe not familiar to you is Lupita Jimenez…… A beloved Mexican singer , who really knows how to throw on a show.

For the price of 300 pesos or 12 English Pounds, //US$15.00// Canadian $ 20.00 to one of her spectaculars here in Ajijic`s Auditorium at the behest of Roro , my bestest amigo.

Lupita changed her dress at least 6 times during the show, each dress more glorious than the last . In between changes the show never stopped ; Folkloric dancers,  with candles in their hair the ladies twirled with their skirts out at full mast. ,  Chaps came on and danced in small cuban heels  sporting tight  mariachi costumes .The wonderful 12 piece  band sang and played

Lupita had several duets  , one, unforgettably , with an older chap, rather handsome in a swarthy ,mustachioed, sexy smiley  kind of way ,sporting  full mariachi get up in  bottle green .His  trousers were a bit on the tight side around his man fruits, so was having   difficulty taking in the tune . The other duet  for Lupita was late on arrival , to the mariachi bands consternation, they chatted and turned their heads looking to the wings. Finally a bedazzling, sequinned, diamante strewn  figure sashayed on ( I should think he got snagged onto to something )and with typical gay charm ( he was soooogay) , sang and threw his arms out to the crowd so everyone forgave him his late arrival. Encore we cried…Who is he ???? Encore ….!!

My bridge partner , Sonny ,from Memphis had struck on the idea we would comport ourselves in a bridge competition. At the Western Hotel , The Marina , Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Coast . Weather sunny and  hot 30 degrees and humid ( feeling  more like 33 degrees) from November 3rd to 9th .

Old Puerto Vallarta

I have never played in one so was fairly gung ho .

Thus after several months of training , playing  two sessions every Friday at the club , we were ready.

Actually we were not  .Sonny had lost his passport and money in Florence with his wife , returned stressed by the whole ordeal, only to have his permanente visa stolen a week before the tournament.

Thus the first competition on the Monday evening was  not too good , shall we say.

I awoke at 4 a.m. the next morning in a cold sweat as to what the heck were the next 5 days of competition going to be….havoc came to mind. Thus , to cool the mind , I skipped from my bed and trotted out in the buff and swam in the moonlight in the pool of my hostelry , The Royal Pacific Yacht Club .

The next morning , Sonny regaled me with the fact that he also awoke at 4a.m. , disturbed by his play and determined to pull himself together. All was back to normal that Tuesday morning. We were placed and started to find our feet.

I slept well and awoke at 6 a.m. so trotted out in the buff to once again swim under the celestial light of our satellite Moon.

Happily swimming backstroke, nipples in the air, when became aware of a gentleman . A mexican Security Guard. “Senora you are swimming in your skin , the pool is not open until 9a.m..”

I blustered in Spanish ,had just flown in and had no idea of times ,etc , blah ….. I then had to swam back to the other side of the pool , breaststroke , giving view to my globes bottom , whereupon I fell upon my towel.

But I was wearing a pink swim cap , rather like a prophylactic , on my head. Thus not totally bare .

He was charming  and smiled as I trotted away . I did notice that the gardener was very smiley whenever he saw me. .I believe the bush telegraph was to blame.

Anyway had a ghastly heat rash on my skin. Each morning religiously took antihistamines , and sloshed on baby oil and Dove body cream..

The bathroom was quite dark. On the last day I registered for the 1st time I was lubricating my tortured skin with oil and Dove shower wash , not lotion ! Good chance  that might have exacerbated the problem.

The only  locale I had felt comfortable  was  the large competition room , where the AC was on maximum blast  . Everyone was in cardigans and I was solitary in sleeveless everything’s , bathing in the cool on my bod.

Sonny and I won 2 competitions. One in particular we beat  A and B level players as well as our own level of C`.Thus finally earning ourselves  5 Gold points and around the same in Red for place points. The prizes being T shirts . Everyone was agog as to how many T shirts each person had won or not…..We were chilled….

Thought for the Day .

Loud and Proud