Riding backwards

My friend Randy is here to visit, and since he gets car-sick sitting on the back seat of the golf cart (also facing backwards), he gets to sit upfront with Miguel. So I get to watch the island go by from the back seat, and the other night I saw two things I'd never seen before...

Behind us were two women on a moped. First the woman on the back of the moped nuzzled and kissed the neck of the woman driving. Then she reached out and gave her boob a firm squeeze. I swear she was looking at me as she did it - I think she wanted to see my reaction. I don't think my mouth dropped, I'm pretty careful on the golf cart because I know bugs can fly in if you open your mouth. Before it really hit me what I'd just seen they whizzed past us.

Shortly after that we passed two women walking hand in hand along the sidewalk. They were sort of giggling and swerving a bit, like they might have been a bit drunk. Then the bigger woman swerved a bit too much, and the action of her hips caused her shorts to fall right down to the ground. It happened in slow motion - she tried to stop them from sliding down, but wasn't fast enough. There she was in her panties, on the sidewalk of the busiest road on the island, looking for her shorts. I didn't get to see how it ended...

Options

We've been tossing around different ideas for the future. Where do we really want to live? We love the island, but not everything associated with living here. Miguel has land in Oaxaca, where he was born and raised until coming to Isla at the tender age of 14.

I dream of more land, a bigger yard where Loco can run and jump and act like the idiot he is without worrying about road traffic. A walled-in space where our cats can be free to explore and climb and lay in the sun without venturing outside the boundaries into the cruel world beyond.

I would like grass under my feet, and more space between neighbors so I don't hear the echo when they move a chair in their living room. Even with 3 feet separating us, the noise moves through concrete.

Our road is a miniature garbage dump. We keep the road from the house to the west corner cleaned up, but the lots to the left of us are absolutely disgusting with trash that has been tossed by the people who live and work there, and dogs who survive by tearing through garbage bags looking for morsels to eat.

I would like to walk to the store without weaving around boats that are parked along the side of the road. I feel like we're living in the dry docks, not a neighborhood. Thankfully this week one of the two boat shops was forced to move out, but that meant they left a mother dog and her two pups behind. As tempting as it is to feed them, their owner has plenty of resources to take care of his dogs, and no excuse not to spay/neuter them. I'm tired of worrying about other people's neglected animals.

So one option that was considered was selling the house and moving elsewhere, off the island. A meeting with an honest real estate agent who told it like it is made me realize that is not an option. The real estate market is soft, too many homes for sale and not enough buyers. It will be at least two years before the market will possibly give me the return I think I should get if I were to sell. So the option to sell is off the table.

We live each day as it comes. Life is dynamic, and it's always important to know your options. I guess a hacienda home, with a tall wall, a center fountain, and a lawn, are out of the picture. For now...

Ok

So selling the house isn't a good option. Good to know...

Life in Snippets

I have not blogged in weeks, and I finally figured out why. I don't have one complete story to write about, right now life is all in bits and pieces. Snippets. More suited to Facebook or Twitter, although Twitter doesn't quite allow me enough characters to post a quick blurb.

Later today I hope to blog some snippets...