Tierra de Tortugas

Construction Update 2/25/05

Bahía de Kino, Sonora, Mexico

Time for a house update! Sorry we are not more consistent in updating this information, but there is So Much To Do!

FLOORS

Yesterday and the day before, I spent most of my time working on the saltillo floor tile in the new bedroom. As taught by Bud Watson back in New Mexico when we were building the first Plaza las Casitas house, work done on the front end to properly seal the tiles means that they will stay beautiful and easy to take care of for years. Well, the method Bud taught us has caused real interest down here!

Generally, when people hear we intend to use saltillo — for those of you who have never seen it, it’s a beautiful, handmade, unglazed, terracotta color ceramic tile — they launch into a lecture about how we shouldn’t do that, it’s so much work to care for, and it gets nasty looking over time, etc. Usually takes a while to get their attention and explain that we know how to make it work. So, this week the floor is finally in place, and it looks great! The construction workers are particularly interested and ask all sorts of questions about what I use, how I do it…and they come, one by one, to check on it in the morning when they arrive. Just in case you’re considering using saltillo or a similar unfinished tile, here’s Bud’s recommendation:

• Paint the tops of each individual tile with two coats of boiled linseed oil, being careful to not drip a lot over the edges. The linseed oil will protect the tile surface from being stained with cement and grout during the tile-laying process; but if you drip a lot over the edges, the grout won’t adhere there correctly.

• After the tiles are set and grouted, and the grout is just dry, clean them thoroughly with water and a sponge, and clean off the remaining film with a soft cloth (like an old T-shirt). Allow them to dry completely.

• With a soft cloth, apply a VERY thin coat of linseed oil to each individual tile to bring up the color. (If the oil is too thick, thin it with up to an equal part of turpentine). Take care to NOT get the oil on the grout as it will greatly change the grout color!!

• Allow the oil to dry completely, then apply four to five coats of carnauba wax, buffing after each application as directed on the product label. The best we have found is Howard Citrus Shield Premium Natural Paste Wax, available at most Home Depot stores and from www.howardproducts.com. It contains no petroleum products, it’s non-toxic and it smells like oranges!

The end result is a rich color and a satiny finish that will last, Bud said, for two to three years with just damp mopping. Our floors in Albuquerque kept their shine for the TEN years we lived on them, with re-application required in only a few problem areas, such as under the dining room chairs.

THE COCHERA AND TINAJO
A “cochera” is a garage, and Perry is going to have a guy’s dream garage – largely by enclosing the existing carport! I’m ashamed to say how many square feet it covers; suffice it to say, it’s huge! It will hold our 16’ Mutineer day sailor, the Hobie Cat (oh yes, we bought a used Hobie that Perry says was unfairly parked with a For Sale sign right where he had to see it every day!), the Nissan Quest van, AND my little Nissan Sentra, with plenty of space for tools, workbenches, bicycles, kayaks, sailboards…

It’s very near to being finished. They poured the concrete driveway/sidewalk yesterday, and it’s being plastered inside. This plaster work is fantastic — you should have such nice work in your living room! And there will be a “tragaluz” (skylight) to bring in daylight. Perry tends to shy away from using skylights because they can cause such overheating problems, but his method here is to use glass block on one or two sides of a raised area in the roof, faced away from the sun as much as possible. It makes a beautiful, soft light, especially washing down a white wall. He hadn’t really planned to put one in the garage; but they had to rip out and replace some of the old roof where water had gotten in and corroded the rebar, so it made sense to take advantage of the opportunity.

In the middle of the garage, under the floor, goes the “tinajo” — the big black plastic auxiliary water tank. Water here is a precious commodity, as it is in many places; and there are some factors that make it a good idea to have additional storage. For instance, often at night, the water in New Kino (where we live) is shut off in order to fill the tanks in Old Kino, with the process reversed in the morning; so you might not have water from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. And, at best, water pressure is not great. So having a “tinajo” with a pump means that one can have good water pressure — not to mention water — consistently.

The guys had to break out the existing concrete floor and dig a huge hole for the tank; and because the soil is almost pure sand, it kept eroding into the hole. Today, finally, they put it in place and will now fill in around it with sand and bricks to make a solid foundation for the floor.

Looks like next week we’ll have a garage door and maybe even the windows and doors in the new bedroom. We have all the fixtures and cabinets for the little bathroom and kitchenette, and we’re getting very excited about painting and finishing out this space. Then we’ll move in – the garage will be our living, dining, and kitchen area for a while – and they will begin to dismantle the main house! Is this fun or what?!

We’ll take more pictures and share them when it’s nearer to being finished. In the meantime, do check out new vignettes on the blog by Perry about personal safety, the very interesting street address numbering system in Kino, liquores and chocolate, and Wilkes University!

OUR WHALE
I can’t sign off without mentioning the whale that visited us two days ago.

It was around 8:15 a.m., and we heard our neighbor, Velda, calling from her front porch. She was pointing at something large moving in the water just offshore about 50 feet from our house. It was a whale, and it was headed our way, which usually means a sick and possibly dying whale that could end up on the beach. We called Rescue One, the local VHF radio service operated for boaters by the Club Deportivo, and they called the local authorities. Of course, everyone listens to Rescue One in the morning, and soon we had half of Kino Bay walking up the beach to have a look!
The police arrived and said the Port Captain would send a boat to tow the whale back out to sea, but a half hour passed and no boat had arrived. Instead, three burly policemen appeared in T-shirts and shorts and went into the rather chilly water to give it a little shove. It appeared they never had to even touch it, however; their presence caused it to turn around and head back out. This was a good thing, because there were many very concerned people standing watch. As a matter of fact, Alana and Richard Eager were here having breakfast before taking off to drive back to Albuquerque; and Alana was so upset by the possible plight of the whale that Richard could hardly get her out the door!

I was able to e-mail her, though, that the whale did not beach. It swam over to Old Kino, where it hung out for a few hours, with guys in pangas ready to herd it back toward open water; then it swam off of its own accord. The whole episode merited a full-page spread (but not the front page) with many pictures and text in El Imparcial, the Hermosillo newspaper. Of course, it may still have a hard time; but we can hope it will recover and live on happily in the Sea of Cortez!

(A few more quick thoughts on the subject: the whale never tried to fully ‘beach’ itself as we’ve all seen where whales seemingly commit suicide by driving themselves onto a beach. This whale – a small one estimated at about 12 meters, or thirty-five to forty feet long – got itself into shallow water where it was supported on the sandy bottom yet still fully covered by water. It spouted occasionally and simply appeared to be sick. It was probably a smart move for the whale, as it may simply have needed to rest for a while to recover. In deep water, it may have sunk and drowned. – PRW)

Finally, to wrap up, here’s an unusual sunset from a few nights ago. You should come check it out! — CK

PERSONAL SAFETY

Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico

We get asked if we have many concerns about our personal safety here. The answer is: “Not many.” We don’t engage in unsafe activities here, or on the other (US) side of the border, so there’s little reason to fear for our safety.

But there are other reasons we don’t fear living here. For one, after having traveled widely in Mexico since the early 1970s, I’ve never seen a gun store in Mexico. I can’t say they don’t exist here, but we understand that the legal purchase of a weapon here requires a lot more paperwork and examination than in the US, where any mentally unstable individual can go buy a gun and kill several people before going to California to kill a few more. This actually happened a few years back in Albuq.

A friend mentioned that since several Sonoran and Chihuahuan druglords have been busted lately there’s been an increase in turfwars among the underlings and certain areas are not safe for gringos here. In fact a few gringos have been caught in the crossfire when they happened to be in an ill-advised location. He suggested that visiting the red-light district of Nogales at night may not be a wise choice at this time. We want to pass this important information on to our friends to insure that they have a safe visit. So please be aware that you’ll be much safer if you only patronize the red-light district during daylight hours. — PRW

STREET ADDRESSES IN BAHIA de KINO

Let’s discuss, for a minute, the house numbering system in Kino Bay. That is to say the addresses posted along Avenida Mar de Cortez, the main street that follows the gently curving coastline in a long graceful arc from east to west.

As you drive along admiring the stunning ocean views and some of the very nice homes that line the beach, try to pay at least some attention to the addresses. They appear here and there in a rational, descending, order. There’s the 5400 block, followed as you’d expect by the 5300 block, then the 5200 block and so on. Some homes are missing their numbers, but many are well posted and visible as you drive on toward the western end and the older part of New Kino. You have a sense of assurance that there’s a plan, that you’ll actually find the house you’re looking for. All is well with the universe.

Then, in the 3900 block, you encounter 726, 728 and 767 (with the last 7 upside down). Somehow the numbers are now completely different and they’ve reversed; they’re now ascending as you head westward. And some numbers on the other side of the street have been following a different and entirely unrecognizable logic of their own. But you’ve managed to ignore that, so far.

The situation is, or so we’ve been told, that someone laid out all the numbers starting from the western end, and someone else laid out a separate numbering system from the east. And to make things interesting, some guy came up with a third numbering system. We don’t know where this third numbering system starts and ends and we’re not sure we want to know at this time.

So the best approach is to assume nothing as you enter Bahia de Kino. At this point you’ll be well advised to dig out the copious notes your host insisted on giving you, and which you thought would be unnecessary. Simply drive onward and pay close attention until you happen to encounter the number you’re looking for. With any luck, you’ll find your destination before dark. Or maybe not.

Fortunately, our own address is very easy to find. We’re located at 2645 Avenida Mar de Cortez. It’s right next to 1505. You can’t miss it. — PRW

CHOCOLATES, ORANGES, and WINE

Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico

After living here in the State of Sonora for a little while, we’ve begun to discover surprising little pleasures. It’s time to share a few of them with you.

CHOCOLATES
There are some very good Mexican chocolates that we’ve not seen in the US.

These are in addition to the Ibarra brand of very tasty chocolate used in brewing Mexican cocoa, and available in the Specialty Section of most US supermarkets. I’m referring to bars of dark, rich “Turin Semi-Amargo.” Although it’s intended for making fine pastry, we’ve come to enjoy breaking off pieces of this wonderful chocolate to enjoy after dinner with sweet organic orange slices from local groves, accompanied by a snifter of good Mexican Don Pedro brandy. Very good Havana Club rum, from Cuba, is also available here. It’s a rich rum that’s ideal for sipping, splashed over an ice cube or two.

WINE
We’ve found some excellent Mexican wine, from vineyards in Baja California del Norte. Two brands especially, L.A.Cetto (from the Valle de Guadalupe near Ensenada) and XA (from Pedro Domecq vineyards in the Calafia Valley) produce some very savory reds and whites that go down well with the local fish and fare. They’re reasonably priced from 76 pesos (about US$6.75) to 82 pesos (about US$7.25) per bottle.

There’s a very nice “Vino Ecologico” made by Vinos de La Cruz, from La Cruz, Florida, Uruguay that we’ve enjoyed on many special occasions. The vineyard is certified organic under Dutch and Uruguayan regulations and the wine is delicious. A bottle of this very good wine costs 125 pesos (about US$11.00).
A wide variety of good Argentine and Chilean wines are also available at local stores.

BACANORA
And then there’s Bacanora. It’s strong stuff that may require a long adjustment period before you actually like it, if you ever do. How to describe it, other than something like, “...possessing the rich and unmistakable bouquet of fine young bootleg liquor...” Our daughter described the aroma as resembling “...something you’d treat wounds with!” As I recall, after one sniff, she declined to taste it. Ah yes, it’s difficult to describe.

Bacanora comes from the town of Bacanora (!) in the mountains northeast of Hermosillo. It’s a rugged land, the home of rugged people, of cattle ranches and vaqueros, of strong drink and stronger passions.

Please use with the greatest of caution.

These and other fine beverages and liqueurs are generally available at both small tiendas and the larger supermercados. They can also be found at an excellent liquor store in Hermosillo called Cubiella, near the Sanborn’s department store.

Mexico, for us, remains a land of discovery and every new day brings another delight. We’ll add these new and delicious items to the log as we can find the time. In between slurps. — PRW

Wilkes University

Yes there really is such a thing as Wilkes University. It’s in a curious place far far away – a place called Wilkes–Barre, Pennsylvania. I’ve got the hat, and the shot glass, to prove it.
My brother Steve mentioned Wilkes U. about ten years ago. He was in the area on a business trip and happened across it. Before that time, none of our family had ever been to Wilkes–Barre, although I’d long harbored a bit of curiosity about the name. Wilkes U. was still just a College back then.

My sister Joan was in the area a few years later and confirmed the existence of an actual Wilkes College. For a few more years it remained just an odd curiosity to the family. But it occupied a vacant spot on my “life list,“ and eventually I’d travel a long distance to see it for myself. It was one of the things we did on our “Retirement Odyssey, 2004.”

The towns of Wilkes–Barre and Scranton lie close together in the heart of the coal mining country of NW Pennsylvania. It’s not a place I’d call “beautiful” or “charming,” In fact the whole area looks as though it’s been dying for a very long time. Yet it’s compelling in a sad sort of way. Those who defined the “Rust Belt of America” had places like this in mind.
On the way to Wilkes-Barre, Interstate 81 passes miles of un-reclaimed mining land covered with piles of discarded rock overburden and mine slag. Rusted abandoned tractors, graders, and shovels stand idle in denuded hollows and valleys where the coal played out long ago. They’re waiting for a call that will never come, the ghosts of an outdated technology bypassed by even more massive, even more ruthless earthmoving equipment.

In addition to a declining coal economy, the historical center of Wilkes–Barre underwent the disastrous process of “urban renewal.” It was a time when most of the country seemed locked in a race to the bottom, determined to destroy its irreplaceable patrimony as quickly and profitably as possible in the short term with no realistic plan to clean up and properly develop the resulting mess of vacant land and city-killing parking lots. Like most American cities, Wilkes-Barre could not resist the lure of easy Federal money.

And then there was the flood. In 1972 the remnants of Hurricane Agnes swept through the area with torrential rains. The Susquehanna River leapt its banks, right at the point where it bends to the southwest in downtown Wilkes–Barre, and flooded much of the old part of the community – including the campus.

Wilkes-Barre has seen some rough times.

Today, just a little west of the remaining downtown core, sits the quiet tree-shaded campus of Wilkes University. We exit the freeway and follow the signs to this small urban university, that happens to be named for an eccentric ancestor of mine.


I stop at the admissions office and ask around about the history of the University. When I mention my connection to the namesake of Wilkes U, I get a nice tour from the director of the library and she takes my picture with the statue of John Wilkes that stands at the western end of the central greensward. I stare for moment at his bronze face to verify an important detail. I want to make sure they got it right and I can just make it out. Yes the statue is indeed cross-eyed.

Then it’s off to meet the Provost who’s extremely interested in Wilkesian history, and seemed to know much more about it than I did. I become even more of a minor celebrity when I give the Library a copy of the book I wrote in memory of my brother. They’re delighted to add a title from someone named Wilkes.

John Wilkes was a rakish character, strident journalist, and free speech advocate who was well known in London at the time of King George III and the American Revolution. Wilkes published scandalous broadsides that opposed certain public policies and were transparently critical of the King. He ran for Parliament from Middlesex and won several times, but each time the results were thrown out by the Government. After he was actually banned from running, he won on a write-in vote, but he was never allowed to take his seat.

Wilkes was once described by the essayist Hogarth as “...capable of a degree of abuse for which licentious seems too mild a word.” He was well known to the literati and was an acquaintance of Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, among others. It may well have been because of King George’s preoccupation with the outrageous antics and constant needling of Wilkes that he failed to pay sufficient attention to events beyond the Atlantic, and ended up losing the Thirteen Colonies. It must have been an interesting time to live in London.

Wilkes later invested in a mining venture (in partnership with Barre) in the former colonies. There are several books about this interesting individual, including one with the memorable title of “That Rascal Wilkes.” I hope to read most of them someday when we get our books unpacked. Today there’s a city and a University named for him in a distant land he never saw.

Wilkes University maintains a broad undergraduate curriculum with Colleges in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, Business and Leadership, and Pharmacy and Nursing. They offer graduate degrees in Business, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Education, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Nursing.

More information is available at: 1–800–WILKES–U or www.wilkes.edu.

Community, Diversity & Dialogue

Bahía de Kino, Sonora, Mexico

Over the past couple of weeks here in Kino, we have taken part in some activities that have made us even more content with our decision to settle here. We became enamored of Kino Bay and decided to move here because of the beautiful beach, the inviting sea, the astounding sunsets, and the relaxed pace. But many have said, and it is true, that what keeps you here is the community, the people.

THE BOMBEROS DE BAHIA DE KINO

One recent Wednesday evening, we attended a fundraiser for the “Bomberos” — the volunteer firefighters — of Kino Bay. It was held at the Club Deportivo — the operable community center, especially for the ex-pat community. But on this night, the kitchen was taken over by the local volunteer firefighters of Old Kino and their wives — mostly Mexican, with a sprinkling of “gringos.” They prepared and served beef tacos, beans, guacamole, and dessert empanadas to a very diverse group of about 200.

As we parked our van and walked up to the Club entry, we passed two old, but very functional, fire trucks that had just been brought down from the U.S. and were on display for the first time. The acquisition of these beautiful, red workhorses was made possible by the efforts and contributions of a small number of Mexican and ex-pat families here. The cost was somewhere around $7,000.00, and it had taken a bit of time to put it all together.
These fundraisers, which include raffles and auctions of donated goods, and lots of good time horsing around, are annual events. As the auction progressed on this particular night, the bidding competition was ferocious, and prices paid were generous, to say the least. Why, at least one item was purchased, donated back, and auctioned all over again! (We’ve observed this behavior at a couple of other fundraising auctions here. Seems to be a strange local practice!)

The story of the Bomberos Voluntarios de Bahía de Kino is inspiring. Just a few years ago, there was no fire department in Kino; just because you have a town doesn’t necessarily mean you will have such services here. And, as friend Al Buschorn says: “We [who have homes of concrete block and cement] don’t have to worry about fire, but our friends do. We lose two or three families every year when their homes burn down.” Many families in Old Kino, particularly, have homes “in progress” — made of scrap lumber, tar paper, and fiberboard, while they work and save to accumulate enough concrete blocks to build a more permanent structure. These people, usually quite poor, are the least able to recuperate from loss caused by a fire.

So people on all rungs of the economic ladder — gringos and Mexicans alike — got together a few years ago and started the volunteer fire department. All sizes, shapes, ages, and colors of volunteer firemen at the fundraiser wore bright red T-shirts with “Voluntario — Bomberos de Bahía de Kino” in big white letters. The fire chief is a handsome young man named Luís; and he crowned the Reina (queen) de los Bomberos 2005, after her selection was determined by a label attached to the bottom of the seat on the chair where she happened to sit!

The sense of community was powerful. I was proud to be there.

KINO YARD SALE

Right before the bomberos event, I had received a phone call from Kathy Hilkemeyer saying that our neighbor, Bob Blue, had told her I would be available to help with the annual yard sale to be held the following Saturday in Old Kino. Of course, Bob hadn’t mentioned this to me; but I got a good chuckle out of it, because he has a fine reputation for getting people to step up to the plate. I said I would be delighted. Because I can speak Spanish, I was assigned to one of the four check-out stations where we would ring up sales and take in money.

The yard sale is held by the Catholic Church in Old Kino, but the proceeds are used for needy people, regardless of their faith. People from the whole community donate things throughout the year, so that when time comes for the sale, there is literally a warehouse full of clothing, household items, tools, sports equipment — you name it! This is where all the unwanted things left in our house by the previous owners had gone, so I saw many of those items being purchased by happy people!

We arrived at 9:30 a.m. and were to work until 2:00 p.m. The crowd was into the street and pushing against the fence around the lot where the sale was being held. The gates opened at 10:00, and most of the population of Old Kino was there hoping to be the first in.

Soon we had lines of people with overflowing boxes waiting to be checked out. Everyone was polite and very happy! T-shirts, blouses, shorts, and hats were going for $1 each; really good dresses and coats might be as high as $5.00. A family could walk out with a complete school wardrobe for their kids for $10.00 to $20.00, a set of dishes for $2.00, a television for $10 — it was a shopper’s paradise.

By 11:00 a.m., we closed two of the check-out stations; most everything was sold! The organizers were tired and happy and would wait until the next day after breakfast and coffee to count the proceeds. I heard earlier today that they netted $4,600.00! That money will go to support projects for the needy, and many families in Kino have things they never could have afforded at regular prices. Things are already being accumulated for next year’s sale!

THE DIVERSITY THAT IS KINO

“A melting pot is naught but a tasteless stew.” – John Ruskin

This is a community of extremes — political affiliations, economic means (though we really have very few of those super-rich folks you find settling in fancy resort areas), background, age, religion, education — and it works. It’s not a big place; there are maybe 400 people in New Kino; and it’s hard to tell in Old Kino, but it’s just not a huge place! You soon begin to recognize faces wherever you go. We find ourselves spending quality time with people we very likely wouldn’t spend time with even if they lived on the same block with us in the U.S. “Back home,” we all have friends who look like us and think like us, whether or not we like to admit it. We spend lifetimes choosing our friends and deepening those affiliations; it’s comfortable to be with people of like mind.

Here, no one asks whether you are Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative — though it will come out sooner or later. And it’s pretty great to have fun and conversation that spans those differences. We invite people for dinner who we really enjoy, and dinner conversations can go on for hours — feisty, stimulating and often dealing with things about which we don’t agree but are eager to share. There is an openness and acceptance of differences and little apparent need on the part of most to go around proving one another wrong. This is a small town and we have to get along, or it doesn’t work.

This makes me reflect on my work with Dialogue practice back in Albuquerque — the attempts to bring people from diverse perspectives together to have meaningful and productive conversation, be together respectfully in our differences, and work through conflict. That was worthwhile work — but it wasn’t easy! Here, I find it happening as a way of life. It builds volunteer fire departments, holds fundraising yard sales, gives generously to those who need, not just at holiday time, but all year long.

I like it here. — CK