The church is getting a face lift -Mazatlan

Wednesday a.m.
Can’t tell what the weather will be like here today. The sun is up and there are a few wispy clouds up there. Started out like this yesterday and by afternoon it was windy, overcast and quite cool. According to the forecasts it is supposed to start getting up in the 80s.
Carnaval is over for another year, yesterday was the last day. Today everything is supposed to be open again and businesses and roads should return to normal.
Had a laugh yesterday morning. Bill went to the campground restroom. When he pushed the lever to flush – no water rushed forth…..So he lifted the lid on the tank and found out why. A big frog was sitting in the bottom of the tank stopping the water. He said he just moved him but left him in there as he seemed content. TIM. He did tell the caretaker though.
Saw on the Internet that there was an earthquake in Missouri that was felt in nine states. Wonder if our home town in southern Indiana felt it? If so that is the second since we moved east to get away from such things. 40 years in Southern Calif. We had enough of them.
We went back to the yardage store yesterday morning to return one of Bill’s bottles of glitter glue as it was cracked and the stuff inside was hard as a rock. Again the main street along the Malecón was closed so we took different side streets across town.
We’ve noticed that people have all kinds of ways to prevent other from parking in front of their homes or businesses – this was a new one. The sign on the garage door says No Parking.

Part of the way we were on a wide divided street and traffic wasn’t too heavy. Notice in both pictures how clean the streets are. Lots of signs and billboards everywhere. Lots of noise from vehicles with speakers on them selling everything imaginable to horns continually honking to music blaring from stores and autos. Kind of a sensory over load sometimes.

The streets in Centro Historico are all one way and very busy with trucks, busses, cars and pedestrians. Lights don’t mean anything to the people walking. As long as the vehicle coming towards you isn’t moving too fast it’s okay to walk out in front of them. Well not really but it seems like it. Bill usually has to grab me and drag me with him when he crosses. They walked right in front of us as we were slowly moving around a corner. Interesting outfit.

The other day I posted some pictures of the front of the church being painted. Now they are refinishing one side of it. Kind of interesting. This is what it looked like before they started and will look like again when they are finished.

A closer look – these are not blocks – it is an illusion.

First all the exterior plaster was chipped off by hand! See the piles of it laying on the ground and the raw brick that is left.

They have the front half of this side done. There is a guy up on the roof – he is replacing plaster.

There are three men up on the scaffolding replastering the building. There are ropes with pulleys that they use to pull the full buckets of plaster up to them.

A closer look. Notice it is smooth – no indentations/ lines in it. Bill says they probably use some kind of form to make the lines – then everything is painted again.

The guys mixing the plaster/cement for the workers.

We stopped for breakfast at Panama restaurant. Good food and excellent service. They even have a desert cart. The waitresses all have their hair pulled back into buns and wear green and white uniforms with white stockings.

One of the tourist trolleys – remember this Rona?

A lot of the people who come here for the winter do not bring their cars. But there is no lack of transportation. Busses every where and load of taxis and pulmineas (the golf cart looking thing.) They are inexpensive and go every where.

I spotted these Carnaval sunglasses in a store window. Just thought they were kind of cute.

Walking through Plazuela Machado we could tell Carnaval wasn’t over yet. There were stacks of beer everywhere and the inevitable blocks of ice. Though this one looks like its been there awhile – almost melted away. Bill is walking past what will be a new hotel- it was supposed to be done by Carnaval – maybe they meant next years. One of the old empty buildings is being renovated. So far it looks nice. Has a big curving stair case in the main patio inside. The front exterior of the building has to retain its original look, but the inside can be completely redone.

Back in the car heading home. Yet another side street. It is a one way street going up hill. Colorful homes and very clean neighborhood.

Stopped at the grocery store and again looked at the Chihuahua puppies in the window of the pet supply place. They are so cute and so tiny. Every once in a while we talk about getting one. But then good sense returns and we don’t. And these are so tiny I’d be afraid I’d break it.

Spent the rest of the day at home. Fixed dinner the second night in a row – we’ve got to start using up the stuff we can’t bring back across the border.

Got cold and windy last night. Had the little heater running all night and I see Bill turned his side of the blanket on.