AN UNPLEASANT WRINKLE

As usual, up before the sun. From the casino parking lot, we catch the gold. A day well planned we head for Algodones, Mexico to finish my dental work. Denny Salinas has a new office from our previous visit for major work, in December/Jan. 2008/09.

Dentists here (not all)   have shabby offices, as I understand it. And as many have studied and gotten their credentials in the U.S.  Salinas guarantees his work, and did just that. An hour and one half the first visit, 3 ex-rays, a diagnosis and solution- no charge. Then over two hours today, and I was on my way with a cost of 200 dollars for two special made mouth guards, some cosmetic work and a prescription. RVers we have talked to claim the dentists here are very honest and Jim and I found that to be true.

We stopped for lunch at Birrieria, basically the same menu as a couple days ago, in a different place.  Live musicians wander in with their tip cups,  the kitchen out front. Same economical price as well.

You see everything being made in front of the shop. Notice the ceiling to floor string of garlic on the right.

This bashful lady kind of ducked when I took the picture. But, she made flour tortillas so fast it made my head swim.  I saw her forming  perfect size dough balls by hand and  using a press to flatten them.  The end product counts. Ah,  fresh and delicious.

On the way home, the march of the insects appeared on the sidewalk, made of wrought iron and stones.

Clever  soldier ants with a couple of “dead soldiers”, an American euphemism for an empty drink bottle or can.

Attractive chickens…

…and all the desert creatures like scorpions, turtles, lizards, snakes and road runners. It’s a pleasure to check out the street wares even though we have no room in the motor home to bring stuff home.

Back in Yuma, on the way to get the vehicles washed and waxed, I got a ticket for running a stop sign. It isn’t in my nature to plow through a stop sign in mid-day in full view of a policewoman. I’ve had four tickets in my life and I know it sounds ingenuous to blame my mishap on the intersection. The intersection was also an approach to a bridge and had two sets of double stop lines. It confused me. I started to stop, perceived the double lines an extra ten feet in front of me as the proper stop, and pulled forward. Realized my mistake instantly and stepped on the brakes-too late.  Oh, well. Payback for those U turns I made when I shouldn’t have. I’m asking for a trial in absentia. I’ll keep you posted.

SAN LUIS, MEXICO

Yesterday, we drove over the border to San Luis, Mexico for me to have a mouth guard made. My dentist charges $235 for this bit of plastic formed to the shape of your mouth. Sergio Bernal charged me $30. It took 3 hours-fifteen minutes in the chair and the rest of the time for the clay mold to dry. We walked a good 3 miles around town, just looking around . We found a restaurant, no hard task since there are many. Sergio says most all of them serve good food and that has been our experience. The place we chose had an itinerant singer come in while we were eating. He played and sang for a few pesos.

“Hard life” was etched into his face. Half blind, and limping, everyone in the place dug into their pockets. For an old man, his voice was surprisingly strong.

The bougainvillea was in bloom, a cheerful sight in the middle of winter. The day was sunny and warm and enjoyable.
But, not all is paradise. My bike was stolen in the night from off the back of the Bronco. We heard the kids attempting to steal the bikes. Jim scared them off, thinking they wouldn’t come back. Jim has them tightly secured with commercial cable into every part, the wheels, the seat, the sprocket. But, they waited and returned with a set of heavy duty cable cutters and removed mine. The cable was cut on Jim’s bike, as well. He heard a noise and woke up-they ran. He had to move the bike into the motor home for the night.