Fernando from Acapulco

I don’t have pictures so you’ll have to trust me on this. We’ve been to Mexico three, count’em, three times and still have our health and fortune. Actually we have more of both for our visits. We have drugs, of the legal kind, eyeglasses, and new dental work. All at discount prices. That plus a couple of meals and several Margaritas at the Happy Teeth Bar. As a matter of fact if you go to my posting of January 15^th 2010, you would see our dentists and the Happy Teeth Bar. So I do have pictures! Just older ones.

This trip Kat had most of the work done. So we had a few more Margaritas than last time. Neither Kat or I drink much but Kat really doesn’t like going to the dentist and needs medicinal fortification to make it bearable. And we had Greg and Jean along on one of our trips with time to kill, so the Happy Teeth seemed like a good idea. First we went to Garcia’s for lunch. I swear going to Garcia’s is like going to a set of ‘I Love Lucy’ at the Copa or wherever it was Ricky played on the show. It’s like going into a 1950’s Latin club. Sometimes they even have a small band or pianist. It’s white linen and waiters with cummerbunds and towels. All of this with us in shorts and T-shirts of course. Kind of spoils the atmosphere, but it still is very 50’s and neat. And for $7 or $8 you can get a Mexican plate or Filet-Mignon complete with a small dessert. Fun!

At the Happy Teeth, which is outside with tables and umbrellas, you are constantly confronted with all of the entrepreneurs of Nuevo Progresso. Wallets, baskets, bracelets, gum, shoe shines, bobble-head toys, artificial flowers etc. We were hardly immune. Kat came away with a couple of gold bracelets and we each got a hand-woven (don’t know a better term to describe it) name bracelet. Fernando was our guy, though there are several who do the same thing. These are woven onto a plastic strip with colored thread, all by hand. Takes about three minutes of twisting, turning, and massaging the thread into place. Very interesting and costs $3. One young entrepreneur claims 3 minutes or it’s free. Fernando may have been a little slower. But I was talking to him. He’s from Acapulco, has two kids, and comes to Progresso for the Winter Texan season every year by bus. He does 15-20 of these a day and it costs $80 bus fare. The season is about November thru March. His family stays home. And he does the same thing in the summer in Acapulco. Kat and I figure a cruise is in order to check this out. We wish !!!!! I paid $5. $2 for the kids at home. I’m a softie!

Then there was a family of five who’s husband/father shined shoes for a dollar or two while mom cared for the youngest, maybe 1 year old, and herded the two older girls, 3 and 5 around selling Chiclets. I bought a couple of bucks worth. It definitely tugs at your heartstrings. And it gives pause and thought to what we should do with the border situation. While I am in no way in favor of ‘open’ borders, it does change your perspective some. But it’s way above my pay grade. And we’ll continue to cross the border for pills and eyeglasses and drop a few coins in a hat or cup as we see fit.

Warning!!!!

Children should not read beyond this point!!!!

With just a little thought is becomes clear that begging is preferable to sitting at home on your fat ass eating Twinkies and watching Oprah and voting for some dirt bag politician to take money from the working folks and give it to the entitlement class. That’s called stealing. Or use to be !!!!

‘Nuff Said’ about that.

And here are some pictures migratory Red Wing Blackbirds at our feeder, along with a Great Tail Grackle and a Woodpecker.