The Golden Years: Walking to the kitchen store

One of our neighbors here in the back lot is getting his van painted. Everyone out there watching and discussing it. It is being painted a VERY bright white.

And one of the few kind of pretty sunset we’ve had. Days and days have passed without a cloud in the sky. And you need clouds for a pretty sunset or sunrise.

And I’ve been up for several sunrises. Been waking up at 5:30 and not able to go back to sleep. It doesn’t even begin to get light until after 6:30. Makes for a long day.

Yesterday was another quiet day for us. We did get out and about a little bit. Had to go to the market to get some freshly made rolls for Bill. And while there took some money out of the ATM – the exchange rate was good 17.7 to one US dollar. Then we went to a paint store.

Bill is on a quest to find automotive paint he can use with his air brush when we get home. It is about 1/3 the price here in Mexico compared to the US.

I stayed in the car while he went inside to check on something. I watched this messenger come into the automotive parts place next door. Soon he was coming out with another item to deliver. The big skinny thing between him and the box. I guess he was just going to lean on it to keep it in place as he delivered it.

Well as he was adjusting himself the item fell to the ground. The salesgirl came running out to pick it up. Then they discussed it for a while.

She went back inside and came out with a roll of tape. Ended up tapping it to the box in back.

Motorcycles with boxes on the back are used to delivery everything here from auto parts to medicine to groceries and fast food. They are forever buzzing through traffic.

Later that afternoon we went to Fat Fish with Doug and Nancy to meet Angelica for RIBS – that’s our fourth time already this year. I brought most of mine home to eat later.

Tuesday – I had to check the calendar to figure out what today was – We went into Centro to find transparent jars with screw on lids for Bill to put his paint in when he buys it. They don’t sell it by the gallon can, but rather by the ¼ or ½ liter. The store will put it in a Styrofoam cup with a lid and put masking tape on around it to hold the lid on. Bill wants something a little sturdier.

After parking we headed towards the non-tourist shopping section of Centro. Here the streets are crowded with shoppers, traffic and vendors with their food carts set up on the street.

Pictures from a couple of the shops we passed. We were headed to a kitchen supply store a few blocks away. These dresses are for little girls – 7 or 8 year olds. 299 pesos at the current exchange rate is about 17 US dollars.

This is another fancy dress store – they have dolls with matching dresses.

Looking across the street. A store that sells all things paper. Gift paper, notebooks etc. the Peluqueria is a hair salon/barber shop, one of many Chinese restaurants and not sure about the end store.

This lady is carrying a big square Piñata. I know it is a piñata because I asked her what it was. We’ll see her again later.

This store sells Xbox games.

A very small store that sells artificial flowers.

Finally the kitchen store. Every kind and size of pot or pan you’d want. Plus dishes and utensils.

The jars that Bill was looking for. Plastic, transparent and with screw on lids and just the right size. 6 pesos each. He bought a bunch. Doug and Nancy who were with us bought a tortilla press.

More customers buying necessities for the kitchen.

Another artificial flower store. These are made into arrangements.

Bill with his bag of jars watching the lady with the piñata try to fit it into her car. The block of ice sitting on the sidewalk is for the bar it is sitting in front of.

The entrance to the bar.

The sidewalk it is sitting on. There are so many sections of sidewalk that are tile. At one time they were quite beautiful. Now most are pretty worn out.