Author: Rudy

And the LORD appeared unto them in the plains of La Ceiba: and they played golf in the heat of the day Genesis 18:1

After breakfast we decided to go golfing. MaryLou was going to join us for nine holes — her first time out on the course. The morning temperature was perfect. But by the time we passed a group of VERY SLOW old-timers on hole number 5 it was really starting to warm up. MaryLou quit after nine holes but Dave and I carried on.

We made good time around the back nine. As we’d arranged before MaryLou went home, we would call her when we got to the eighteen tee — so she could come join us for lunch at the clubhouse. By the time we called her we were VERY hot, VERY hungry, and VERY thirsty. And when we finished the hole and wheeled our pull carts back to the storage room MaryLou was sitting at a table on the outdoor patio, and the cold beers were being delivered. Perfect.

We were joined for lunch by our old friends from Ontario, Michel and his wife Angela. When they heard that Dave and MaryLou wanted to go grocery shopping after lunch, they offered to take them to the grocery store, since they were planning on going there after lunch, too. So while the others shopped, I went back to the house.

The Driedgers returned, carrying in bags of groceries. The Ontario couple had even given them a ride back home. We had happy hour and sat around for a while. Then MaryLou got busy in the little kitchen, cutting up veggies and making spaghetti and meat sauce for our supper. Considering that we really don’t have much in the way of pots and pans, she managed to make a terrific meal for the three of us.

After the dishes were washed and put away we sat down for our evening movie. My turn to choose. We watched “Beautiful Boy”, a sad but true story about a father and his addict son. During the movie we realized we had missed texts and phone calls from Ken and Kaaren, who had arrived in Merida at around 6pm. Well, we connected with them and discussed plans for tomorrow.

By 11:00pm it was game over. To bed. The heat had taken a lot out of us and the forecast for tomorrow is even hotter! Yikes!

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. Amos 9:11

Another ‘cool’ day in Merida. Cool here means that the locals all wear jackets and the snowbirds have a couple of hours after the morning shower where they’re not bathed in sweat. Twenty-six degrees. A good day for a long walk. That was the plan.

After our visit to the Mayan ruins at Xchabel I thought we might as well visit another archeological site just down the road from our golf course. On google maps it looked to be about a 3km walk to Dzibilchaltún. There we could see the ruins and maybe go for a swim in the ‘cenote’ (sink hole). One of my new neighbour friends said the museum at the site was pretty good too — well worth the price of admission. And so we got all ready to hike out there. But just then Pepe, the neighbour, comes walking by. I tell him what our plan is and he immediately offers to take us there in his car. We oblige.

When we get there the ‘parking lot’ is empty. We are told the museum is closed on Mondays. The admission is about $15 CAD. Really? Is it worth it? Oh well, we’re here now. Might as well go in.

We enter the ‘park’ and the first thing we see is a big pyramid to our right and a long ‘step-wall’ across the big rectangular courtyard. And Dave sees colourful birds. He requisitions MaryLou’s ‘real’ Canon camera with the zoom lens and starts sneaking up on the birds. I climb up the big pyramid for a look from on high.

From there we walk through the site. Apparently the Spanish invaders broke down many of the ancient Mayan structures and used the stone to build a big fancy chapel in the middle of the site.

An ornately carved stone gate leads to the sacred pool that is the cenote — used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings. I walk through the gate and there it is: a stunning blue and green pool with crystal-clear water and beautiful lily-pads in the middle. Tiny fish come to nibble on my toes when I did them in the water. There are two people swimming in the pool. MaryLou quickly changes into her swimsuit and joins them.

Next I climb up the big long wall that looks like ‘bleachers’ for the audience to sit on and watch a Mayan soccer game.

I wandered around the complex for a while. There were many smaller ruins and platforms scattered around. Presumably these were the foundations for homes of the lesser citizens of this Mayan ‘village’.

And at the far end of the park, about a kilometre down a white limestone road, is the famous Temple of the Seven Dolls, so named because of seven small effigies found at the site when the temple was discovered in the 1950s. Supposedly on the day of the vernal equinox the morning sun rises and shines through it directly to the pyramid at the other end of the road.

It was around eleven o’clock by the time we were ready to leave. And by then there were quite a few more visitors to the site. I wanted to make a little side trip to the village of Chablekal — maybe have lunch at a cafe there. It was in the opposite direction from home, but only a kilometre or two. We started walking. Luckily for us, a ‘moto taxi’ came along and we took a ride. A moto taxi is like a ‘tuk-tuk’ in Thailand — a motorcycle that’s been converted so that there is a little carriage behind the driver with a bench seat for two or three people.

We were dropped off in the centre of the village. We started looking for a cafe. We asked a few locals for directions. But we found no suitable place for lunch. Little grocery shops, and even a guy frying chicken, but no place to have a taco or tortilla and a beer. So we took another moto-taxi back to our country club.

The back entrance to our country club is quite a long way from our apartment. By now the ‘coolish’ day wasn’t so cool anymore. It was a long hot walk back. It was 12 o’clock and we had certainly earned our cold cerveza!

We hadn’t seen quite enough devastation and destruction for one day so Dave and I decided to golf nine holes and make it a complete disaster. Which we did. Right off the first tee we lost a ball and when we started looking for it the guys at the tee box behind us sent the marshal after us! So now we had to golf under pressure! By the end of nine holes I was out of all the nice new Titleist balls I brought from home. I have one faded orange Volvik and two scarred found TopFlights — I will have to buy a bag of used balls from one of the Mexicans who’s fishing them out of the quicksand in the water hazards before my next round.

After golf I had a quick shower and then it was time for supper. We Ubered to the Altabrisa neighbourhood and got dropped off at the big Plaza mall. It turned out to be the WRONG place — not the place Dave had in mind when we set off. But there were a bunch of chain restaurants and we were hungry. We got a table in a ‘Mexican’ restaurant — where a lovely young waitress who didn’t know a word of English smiled and nodded at us as we asked about each of the items pictured in the menu. I wasn’t sure what I ordered but I ate it all and it wasn’t half bad. After supper we walked to the end of the mall where there was a big supermarket. We needed a pot so Dave can make his morning porridge. Found one. Bought it. Ubered back to our place. Picked up another bag of ice at the mini-super at the front gate and walked back to our apartment in the cool of the evening by the light of a full moon.

My turn to pick the movie tonight. But here we sit, each of us busy on our own device. So many photos of ruins to look through. (If you think there are too many in today’s blog post, be thankful that I did not include all my blurry flower pictures or any of Dave’s 230 blurry bird pictures!) It was still early but evidently the activities of the day had taken their toll on each of us. Dave was snoring quietly on the couch. MaryLou’s MacBook was in danger of sliding off her lap onto the floor. I gave up and surrendered to the inevitable. I would write my journal entry tomorrow. Which I did.

The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; Genesis 8:2

I think the high temperature here in Merida today was 24 degrees. (it was 34 degrees yesterday and it’s been in the 30s for most of our days here.) The locals here are all wearing jackets and long pants. The usually very busy Sunday at the golf course didn’t happen today — most golfers will have thought it too cold to golf. The sky was a bit grey and cloudy most of the day. All very unusual for what we’ve come to expect here. But for us Canadians, it was still a fine ‘summer’ day and we sure wouldn’t trade it for the MINUS 25 that it is in Steinbach right now.

I was up at 7:30 and downstairs just before 8, just in time for “my Sunday shows”. We had coffee and watched CBS Sunday Morning and a bit of Face the Nation. Then we walked over to the golf course clubhouse for breakfast. That’s when we realized that there were no golfers out today! We had sort of decided that our golf days would be Monday to Friday, leaving the weekends for Meridians. But since there was no one here, and the coolish temperature was ideal, a refreshing change from the usual heat, we should golf today. And since our clubs and shoes are stored at the course we didn’t even have to go back home after brunch. The boys dug our clubs out of storage and fixed us up with pull carts and off we were.

We had a very fine afternoon of golf. When we finished putting out on Hole #2 we felt a few raindrops. As we pulled our carts to the tee boxes on the third hole it actually felt like we might get a bit wet! The wind had picked up and tiny drops were pelting us. We weren’t far from home — should we make a run for it? Dave noted that we were not made of sugar, and argued that we should just play golf — the rain might easily go away as quickly as it appeared. So that’s what we did. And that’s what the rain did. Gone. Just like that. “The rain from heaven was restrained.” And it didn’t come back for the rest of our game, or even for the rest of our day.

We were wasting no time on the course — making good time. Twice we caught up with golfers ahead of us and both times they let us play through. We were back at the clubhouse for aprés golf Modelos by 3pm.

I FaceTimed with Alex and Tim and Max for a while from there. The are doing well and staying warm. It was good to see them and talk to them.

Back at the house I did a load of laundry as we watched the last quarter of the NFL semi-final between the Saints and the Rams. Rams won in overtime. Then it was time for supper. We took an Uber back to the Texas Roadhouse, which is near our place. We figured we could watch the Patriots/Chiefs game there while we had supper. Which we did, sort of. We ended up NOT sitting in the bar so the TVs were a bit far away. No big deal. It looked like the Patriots had the game well in hand and we were busy enjoying our meals.

When we returned to our apartment MaryLou headed up to her room to work on her computer while Dave and I finished watching the game. It turned out quite a bit more interesting than we expected, with the Patriots winning in overtime.

After the game Dave watched one of his shows and I wrote my journal. And then it was time for bed. All that walking on the golf course and the fresh (cool) air makes a person good and tired — and perhaps that is why all three of us have had good sleeps here. (My headaches which bothered me for most of the week went away yesterday and I am feeling great.) Tomorrow it’s supposed to be another ‘cool’ day before we go back to the ‘normal’ warm temperatures here. I think we might take a bit of a walk out to Dzibilchaltún, another archeological site with Mayan ruins and temples and even a museum. Google maps says it’s just outside the northern entrance to our country club, a 4km walk from our apartment. A day with a projected high of 27 degrees and a heaven that is ‘restrained of rain’ should be just about PERFECT for another interesting walk.

And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward Joshua 15:2

Saturday. MaryLou organized a day trip to Progreso, a port city 30kms north of us. So after breakfast we were ready to go. I heard Pepe the neighbour outside and went out to ask him about taking the bus. He wasn’t keen on it. He offered to take us to the highway and we could either wait for a combi or bus from there or just call an Uber. When we got to the highway we decided to just get an Uber.

The Uber taxi dropped us off at the town square in Progreso. We started walking towards the beach. It was VERY ‘touristy’ — with small shops along both sides of the road and hucksters beckoning and inviting us in at each one. And there were LOTS of tour operators selling ‘packages’ that would take us to any or all of the places that were on MaryLou’s list — and most offered even more stops than we were interested in. After enquiring at a couple of them we settled on a ‘private’ car with a driver to take us to see the flamingos, the salt flats, and the mayan ruins at Xcambo. It would be about a 3-hour excursion.

Our ‘salesman’ took us into his office where another guy ‘sold’ us the tickets. He then summoned a car and driver. While we waited for the car to arrive I scouted out the large indoor market we were in. There were many little food stalls and most looked to be quite busy. I bought a pork taco and a coke and finished it just as the car and driver appeared.

Our driver spoke VERY limited English. But with the help of our translator apps on our phones we managed to get a few questions answered. Our first stop was to see the flamingos. We drove along a narrow bumpy road that led into a huge marshland. We found some flamingos, but they were WAY out there — too far for my phone camera to get a good photo. But MaryLou had her SLR camera with a telephoto lens and was able to zoom in quite close. After a few minutes we got back into the car and drove back to the main coastal highway. As we drove east we saw many large and beautiful homes along the coast. Our driver said there were many Americans and Canadians who owned properties here.

After driving for about 40kms we turned off the highway and went inland. Just a mile or two in we saw lots of flamingos standing in a row — and this time they were MUCH closer to us and we were able to get good photos. We continued for another kilometre and came to the “La Rosada” pink lagoon salt flats. The driver parked the car and we wandered around the shores of the small square salt mining lakes. Many of the little lakes are filled with red plankton and shrimp which gives them a red and pink colour. We spotted a few more flamingos out in the distance. There was a little cantina selling drinks and oranges. Peeled oranges with a sprinkle of chilis on them — not bad, according to Dave and MaryLou.

One more stop on this tour: the Mayan ruins at Xcambo. We stopped to pay the National Park entrance fee (75 pesos — about 5 bucks) and drove in. The site is actually a relatively small archeological site. A couple of pyramids, a large courtyard, and some surrounding walls. We climbed the tallest pyramid. I chased a couple of big iguanas around. Then I bought an ice cream cone from a little ice cream wagon in the parking lot and we got back into our taxi and headed back to Progreso.

Back in town we headed right back to the beach. The Driedgers went to the massage tent out near the water and I wandered around for a while. I walked to the long pier. The pier in Progreso is the longest pier in the world, jutting out into the Gulf of Mexico for a distance of 6.5 km. It needs to be that long because the coastline here is so shallow. I saw the big cruise ships parked way out there at the end of the pier. I watched semi-trucks and trailers and cement mixers going back and forth out to the end of the pier. I saw the malécon, the long boardwalk that follows the coastline and beach. I heard lots of loud Americans (and probably some Canadians, too) making fools of themselves on the street. I’m sure the prices at the shops were at least triple the regular rate because the cruise people were spending a day in town.

I finally sat down at a table in a restaurant near the massage tents. I ordered shrimp ceviche and a lime margarita and watched people on the beach. After about an hour the Driedgers were all limbered up and rejuvenated from their massages and they joined me at the restaurant. An early supper, but enough food that we would not be very hungry later in the evening.

After we paid the bill we walked back along the main road looking for a grocery store. We stopped at one and bought some supplies, and then kept walking until we got to another (larger) supermarket and bought a few more things, items that weren’t available at the first store. MaryLou ordered an Uber car and we got a ride back to our home in La Ceiba. Some fresh bread and a small container of ice cream from our corner superette and then back to our place.

We had a little happy hour and got on our devices. Dave found the Jets game on his iPad and watched that until things were looking so bad for the Jets he closed up his iPad and invited MaryLou to pick a movie to watch on TV tonight. They settled on an Icelandic film with English subtitles. I was sure I’d seen it before so I went upstairs and showered. I had some leftover pizza and a cold beer, not because I needed it, or because I was hungry, but because it was just sitting there in the fridge and I needed something to do.

After the movie I wrote my journal and looked at all the photos we took on our ‘field trip’ today. By 10:30 it was getting pretty tough to keep my eyes open.

Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: Ecclesiastes 8:15

Friday. A ‘lazy’ Friday in Merida. No golf this morning. No tour this morning. No agenda. I like that. Things are getting better here every day. We’re getting quite comfortable with our apartment and with our surroundings. There are still a few things that need a bit of help in here but now that I have a new (working) toilet, life is pretty good! And the Uber thing is so good we’ve more-or-less given up on checking out a cheap car rental.

We had breakfast and then settled into our respective places. Reading a book or a short story. Working on the computer. Checking out Colbert and the sports highlights from last night. Looking up the best place to eat and what to do on the weekend. We’ll likely not golf Saturday and Sunday because the course is so busy with Meridians on the weekend.

MaryLou went to the gym for an hour. When she returned we made sandwiches and had lunch.

Dave had suggested that we try golfing in the AFTERNOON for a change. Maybe the temperature would be a little cooler. Maybe the course would be virtually empty and we could finish 18 holes in 3 hours. And that’s what we did and it turned out to be a GREAT idea. We both had some good holes, but in the end I was nowhere near breaking a hundred and Dave ended his round with an atypical string of mis-hits. It’s a good thing we are so easy-going. It’s a good thing that the waiters working the patio bar are so friendly and quick with their service. “Man hath no better thing under the sun, than … to drink…”

Speaking of which, it’s Friday. And after far too many missed opportunities, tonight we were going to have Friday Night Pizza Night. I wasn’t quite sure that my very limited Spanish would be enough to order in a pizza, but it turned out that Domino’s has an online ordering site that works just like it does at home. And 30 minutes later a delivery guy on a motorcycle roared up to our apartment. And a ‘grande’-size turned out to be just about exactly two times as much pizza as we would eat tonight. “Man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink…”

Movie time. MaryLou’s turn to pick. But MaryLou was down for the count! Feeling poorly. A bit of a sore throat. Oh, oh. Hope she’s not getting a miserable cold. She opted to head upstairs and go to bed early. Dave and I would have to “be merry” on our own. Dave suggested a violent but highly acclaimed movie — MaryLou wouldn’t want to watch this anyway, so maybe it would be the perfect time for us to watch it. “Mandy”, starring Nicolas Cage. We watched for nearly an hour. The movie was far more BORING than violent! Not only was there no bloody action; there was NO BLOODY ACTION! Skip it. What else can we watch?

We settled on “Fahrenheit 11/9”, the latest Michael Moore documentary. Well THAT movie WAS scary! Scary what has happened to politics in the USA! Scary how much the Trump phenomenon has parallels to Nazism in 1930s Germany.

Time to call it a night. I went upstairs and brushed my teeth. I watched the CBC National while I wrote my journal. Tomorrow’s plan was to take a trip up to Progresso, the beach town about 25 minutes north of here — but we’ll see how everyone feels in the morning.

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23

I slept in this morning. By the time I was downstairs drinking my coffee Dave had already been up for over an hour and had finished his breakfast. MaryLou had already written several long articles and read a couple of books on her kindle.

As soon as I had put away my breakfast dishes we were off to the golf course. We got the caddies to get our bags out of storage for us and checked in with the starter. And just like that, we were off!

Today I played with one of those deep fluorescent red balls for most of the day. It’s actually a bit harder to ‘find’ it in the grass, but once I’d started I thought I might as well continue. It didn’t help my game, and it didn’t survive 18 holes, but it IS something I can say about the game today.

On about the 12th hole we caught up with golfers ahead of us. And we slowed down. And then the two guys on our tail starting posturing their impatience. And then Dave asked them if they’d like to join us. And they did. And they were fun to golf with — both were hitting the ball well, and the one guy was 81-years-old and hit the ball as far as we did and wasted no time on the course.

I was trying to break 100, but scoring a ten on hole 11 pretty much kiboshed that idea. And then I donated that nice red ball to someone’s swimming pool on about the 16th hole.

At the seventeenth par 3, Jerry, the 81-year-old took a couple of nice photos of Dave and me on the green.

After the game we went to the clubhouse for a cool refreshing cervesa. Then I went back to the house to shower and do a load of laundry. Dave is all gaga about showering at the country club. MaryLou was riding the stationary bike at the country club gym. Man, we are living the good life here!

I spent most of the afternoon working on the computer. Just before six we called an Uber and went into town for Mexican food. The restaurant that Dave had chosen didn’t work out for us — they told us their kitchen was closing shortly so only drinks there. We walked across the parking lot to the Italian restaurant. They were waiting for us. Many waiters hovering over us, just itching to take away an empty plate or bring us another drink. My food was very good.

We got back to the corner store (where the Uber picks us up and drops us off) and walked back to our place (about 800 metres). It was MaryLou’s turn to pick a movie. But the Raptors and the Jets were playing tonight (not each other, but each in their own sport). So MaryLou soon headed upstairs to do her own thing. And I was working on my computer and listening to the play-by-play on Dave’s iPad.

I was too tired to continue. I actually had a little nap downstairs on the couch until about 10:30. Then I went upstairs and got ready for bed. I wrote my journal, tried to watch the CBC News, and was asleep by 11:30.

Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide… Micah 7:5

This morning after breakfast we went on a “Free Walking Tour of Merida.” We got an Uber to pick us up at the front gate and drive us smack dab into the middle of the city. He dropped us off at the Santa Lucia park, where we joined about 10 others to wait for our tour guide.

These “free” city walks are very popular in many of the major cities around the world. The Driedgers and the Nikkel have been on many of them. Most of them are VERY good. Many of the walking tours I’ve been part of feature a tour guide that is knowledgable and entertaining and easily worth the suggested ‘tip’ you pay at the end of the tour. “Merida Walks” is new in Merida. There are other city tours, but our free walking tour was a new business.

Our tour guide strolled into the park carrying a big pink umbrella. He gathered us around him at a few minutes after 10 and we all introduced ourselves to each other. He began by pulling out his picture book and giving us a short history lecture about the square we were starting from. And then we were off to the next ‘highlight’.

The group consisted mostly of German university students who were on a little furlough or holiday from school. A couple of them turned out to be more knowledgable than our guide, who came from Mexico City and had been in Merida for just over a month. Our guide seemed to enjoy giving us the history of the ‘fathers’ of the city of Merida. Well, it wasn’t the most interesting or entertaining city tour, but it DID get us into the heart of Merida and gave us an excuse to walk around a bit, and to enjoy a nice lunch in one of the city squares.

After lunch we looked for a Telcel phone outlet that would help install SIM cards and configure them for Dave and MaryLou. We got that done. Then we “Ubered” up to the big Chedraui grocery store and picked up some supplies. Mario, our landlord phoned, saying he was at the house with some plumbers to install the new toilet. Great!

When we got to our apartment Mario was gone and the toilet was still in the box in the garage. Oh, oh. But he texted, saying the plumbers needed some more parts and would be back soon. And they were. And they installed the new toilet. And it works. And they still need to fix the water dripping below the kitchen sink. Maybe tomorrow.

We had the fixings we needed for supper in. MaryLou made salads for each of us. Dave and I made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.

After supper Dave watched some of the Raptors’ basketball game. MaryLou and I worked on our respective computers. Then it was movie time. Dave’s choice was “Leave No Trace”. It’s the story of a father with PTSD and his 13-year-old daughter. They are living off the grid, trying to survive in the woods. The movie was pretty good.

“Night snack” was a brownie with ice cream and a small glass of Baileys. By midnight it was time for bed. Tomorrow: back to the golf course.

He that hitteth the ball into the long grass doth suffer to take a penalty stroke; but he who maketh many putts shall rejoice with delight. Hezekiah 17:2

Had a cup of coffee at the house before Dave and I walked down to the clubhouse for a breakfast of toast and jam. And soon we were on the first tee. We’d played about 4 holes when someone on the fairway beside ours called out to us. It was Michel, the retired fighter pilot from Ottawa whom we’d golfed with yesterday. He was by himself today — his wife Angela was busy doing some accounting — and so he hooked up with us for the rest of the round.

It is a LONG course. And with the sun shining down on us, it was a LONG walk around that course. Hard on the old Plantar fasciitis! There will be ice packs on some aching feet tonight! And we actually skipped hole #6 which was getting a bit of a do-over on the tee-box. And sure, there was a nice breeze by the time we’d made it to the back nine, but the wind was warm. And it isn’t a very ‘easy’ course either — I’ll be happy to break a hundred golfing here.

It was around 1:00 by the time we were back at the clubhouse. Time for lunch — hotdog for me, cheeseburger for Dave. And some cold Modelo Especials.

Back at the house I was expecting our friend Mario, the landlord, to come by. I’d sent him a text in the morning, reminding him that we still needed some ‘repairs’ and supplies here — and he’d replied that he was going to look after those things today. Well, I think we’re learning that in Mexico ‘today’ doesn’t necessarily mean that it will happen on THIS day. Mario never showed up.

I showered and did a load of laundry. The Driedgers went to the minimarket to see if they could straighten out their phone card business. When they got back things were not much better than when they’d left an hour ago — the guy at the store spoke no English and the phones still couldn’t phone me or each other. Manana.

We went back to the clubhouse for the third straight evening, hoping to get supper there. Today it was open, and so was the kitchen. Fish tacos and salad. Not bad.

Then back to our place to watch the hockey game. Again, that super-cool TV thingy we have gets us access to EVERY NHL game in the universe, EXCEPT the one going on at the BellMTS Centre in Winnipeg. Thank goodness that a guy can still find a couple of decent streaming sites on the web. And so we watched and listened to the Jets beat Las Vegas.

After the game it was time for our nightly movie. My turn to pick. We have so many great new movies available, how could I go wrong? How about if we watch “The Favourite” tonight — it’s getting a lot of Oscar buzz and I’ve only heard good reviews. Hmmm… I’m not sure what the Driedgers thought of it, but I’d say this movie missed the fairway by quite a bit. Out of bounds! Two stroke penalty.

It was midnight by the time I found the appropriate Bible verse for today’s devotional and summarized the day’s events. Tomorrow we’re going to the city centre; we’re signed up for a historical (hysterical?) walking tour of Merida. I’d better head on upstairs and rest up my weary feet.

How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman. Song of Solomon 7:1

Other than the fact that both Dave and MaryLou now suffer from Plantar fasciitis and are either sitting with an ice pack under their feet or hobbling down the road like a couple of wounded Canada geese, we are off to a great start! And things will get better. Dave, who should have brought his ‘newer’ sandals, is doing his best to ‘walk different’, and MaryLou intends to set up that brand new rowing machine that is just taking up space in our apartment — and the rehabilitation should take no time at all. And don’t even get me started about their jewelled thighs…

We had a morning coffee at the house and then went to the clubhouse for breakfast. “Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day. And I’ve got a beautiful feeling…” sitting outside on the large patio and having bacon and eggs with a cup of coffee while watching early morning golfers duff balls on the driving range.

After breakfast we went to see the boss lady who would sell us our monthly club memberships. Well actually, the boss lady no speaky no English, but she got the very attractivo Maria who hablar Anglaise muy bueno to sell us the memberships. Great. And with each membership the spouse gets to use all the facilities (and even golf) for free. Excellente! MaryLou mucho pleased!

So after those formalities were over Marylou headed to the gym (included) and Dave and I went to the first tee. Although both of us hadn’t hit a golf ball for a number of weeks, no one was killed or injured when we teed off — so we were off to a good start. And by the time we reached the second tee we’d caught up with the group ahead. That is how we hooked up with a couple (from Ottawa) and made it a foursome. We played a very enjoyable nine holes. Nine, because the back nine apparently gets a little maintenance treatment on Mondays. Oh well, we were okay only golfing nine on our first day. Although the weather was fantastic, there were a few times when the sun came out from behind the clouds and that warmed us up good and proper. It was time to cool off on the clubhouse patio with a beer.

Back at the house we sat around and visited for a while. After a little happy hour and a shower we walked to the minimarket. We bought some snacks and got a couple of SIM cards installed in the Driedgers’ phones. Then back to the house to put our groceries away.

Shortly before 6:00 we left for the clubhouse again — this time for supper. Because the kitchen closed at 6pm yesterday we thought we’d make sure to be there a bit before six tonight. And we were. Unfortunately, when we got there we were informed that the cocina (kitchen) was closed on Mondays! What? Again?

It’s a good thing we are so relaxed and patient and easy to please. No problema. But what to do? Well, the neighbour lady drove by in her van and when her boys told here that we were looking for a restaurant suggestion she recommended one not far from our place. Hermana República. That gave Dave a chance to see if his new phone card and Uber account worked. It did. The restaurant was just down the road from our country club. And it was fine! Great local beers on tap, burgers and sandwiches and stuffed peppers. Followed by a short Uber ride back to our place.

Just before we’d left home Dave, who was checking out the big TV discovered that our fancy TV thingy gave us access to MANY brand new movies — movies that in many cases are still showing in the cinema. Now, as we walked back from the taxi drop-off to our house, Dave suggested one of his trademark ‘who-will-pick-tonight’s-movie’ selection system. Okay, how about alphabetical, suggests MaryLou. That would mean Dave first, followed by MaryLou, and then Rudy. Great idea.

Tonight MaryLou chose to watch the movie “The Wife”. It was a fine movie, and we all enjoyed the evening. Our TV is great. Our food and drink is great. Our weather is great. Our golf is great. Our feet — well, they are beautiful with shoes. Let the good times roll.

[Three] are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head it didn’t hurt.
And the coffee I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt,
Then I washed my face and combed my hair and stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

I’m telling you, this journal almost writes itself! Especially if you let Ecclesiastes (was that really a person? or was it a tribe of Israel?) and Kris Kristofferson write it for you.

But I DID wake up with a bad headache again. And I did make coffee and hold my hurting head and watch my Sunday morning shows on TV. And after a couple of hours the headache subsided a bit and then the first NFL playoff game of the day started and I was back in the groove. I’ll tell you who WASN’T in the groove: Philip Rivers and the Chargers. Yowsers! Losers!

Well I’d eaten almost everything edible in the fridge and what with the Driedgers expected to arrive late afternoon by bus from Cancun I thought I should really stop at a grocery store on the way to the bus station and get some provisions for a couple of meals. I was nearly out the door when the phone DINGS!! We’ve arrived! We’re at the bus station. Shoot! How did they make it to Merida so fast?

So I ran to catch my Uber and we drove down to the bus station. And there they were, hack en pack, patiently waiting for me to show up. MAN it was good to see them! My friends are here! Let the party begin! But first we gotta get those HUGE bags into the little Uber car. No chance that would work with the car I came down with. I sent him away and called another Uber, specified “Necesito un auto grande para mucho equipaje”. But when José arrived his car was no bigger than the first one. Well, we didn’t have all day! And José was determined to get this fare. In the end we jammed the big suitcase and the golf bag into the trunk and José took the laces out of his brand new boat shoes and tied them together and then tied the trunk lid down on the bags that were sticking out the back. Vamos!

No passports had to be shown and no one was frisked by the over-zealous security at our gate. We unloaded the Uber at the house. Dave and MaryLou were both all positive about the place. Well THAT’S what I need — someone to pick me up when I falleth. Stop being such a negative-ninny and adjust your attitude!

Okay, nothing in the fridge. How about we go to the clubhouse for supper. Good idea, except that after a bit of unpacking, by the time we got to the clubhouse it was 6:15. The good news was that they were open until 7. The bad news was the kitchen closed at 6:00. “No problem,” say the Driedgers. “We’ll come back tomorrow. We’ll go somewhere else tonight.”

And so it came to be that we flagged down another Uber and got a ride into town. We got a table at the Texas Roadhouse, the first restaurant that I could identify as a restaurant on the road in. We ordered and had a fine time talking and eating for the rest of the evening.

When we got back to the house it was time for the Driedgers to rest their weary bodies — they’d gotten up at 2:00am to go to the airport. I think that’s about when I went to bed last night! They had had a very L-O-N-G day. As they went off to bed I sat down and wrote my journal.

I took my last antibiotic pills tonight. I still have another box to go, but now I suspect that it is the pills that are causing my headaches. We’ll see. Surely a great game of golf will make all things right. I’m looking forward to it.