An inquisitive old fart with a camera
Semana de Turismo (or Semana Santa, or Pascua) gone, walk to the beach means socks and a jacket, and perhaps moving ‘firewood’ a notch higher on the to-do list. And having the beach to yourself. The waves are puny and brown, but almost iridescent with the blue they reflect from the sky, the sands blows crazy, and the channel cut by rainwater hosts mini-tsunamis. Here’s a (mercifully) short video clip, with lots of wind noise.
Always something.
House in the country not yet habitable. Workers Martín and Rafael preparing to leave Friday afternoon when Martín calls me in to see our new visitor. After some little discussion of how they weren’t dangerous, Martín said they usually kill them just to be sure. I said let it be my guest for the weekend.
It’s a small one.
Related: Itsy bitsy spider
I chuckled as I picked through the cellophane-wrapped loofah sponges at Tienda Inglesa a long while ago, thinking how in the USA most shoppers would probably take horror in seeing seeds in their bath sponge. I, on the other hand, sought out the one most laden.
They got a late start, and now–finally–I’m seeing fruit. The vines have really hit their stride: you can practically watch them growing.
The loofah sponge I bought desperately needs replacing…hope on the horizon!
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| Santi shows off his new massage table. |
You may have heard about the extreme flooding nearby in Argentina. In Uruguay, 15 people were evacuated near Montevideo. Lots and lots of rain.
And when it ended, the area surrounding us became an amazing chorus of frogs. In this short clip I kept panning, hoping to catch distant flashes of lightning, to no avail.
Rana is Spanish for frog. But you knew that 😉
Uruguayans apparently find nothing annoying, unnecessary, or unusual about waiting 15 or 20 minutes for an ATM (even where it replaces what used to be two ATMs).
You could always go into the bank to withdraw money, but that’s a minimum of 30,000 pesos (USD 1,600; 28% more than when we first arrived). Inside the bank, you would take a number, and often wait 45 minutes or more before getting to the counter.
That, of course, only if you happen to be there at the right time.
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| To serve you better, we’re now open 5/5! |
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The local phone rings, someone speaking in Spanish. Which I normally can handle sin problema. This time I’m confused.
Do you speak English? she asks. OK, this is good.
We’re calling about the two unpaid invoices we have for you. This is not good.
Who’s calling? I ask.
Logistics Services in Montevideo.
Are you saying I have an account with you?
Are you David Wilson Douglas?*
No.
Oh, sorry.
* may or may not be the actual name she said
Though I took this a few days ago, the weather has remained lovely
I find March is usually the most pleasant month in Uruguay: the heat has abated, the hordes have returned to Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and while not guaranteed, there’s a good chance of some lovely days for long walks on the beach.
Neighbors have loaded in tons of firewood for the winter. I will wait until I have to.
Daniel, our favorite mozo (waiter).