Visiting friends

Today I took a cab to visit my friend Ana and her kids in Los Pinos.

I have to take a cab now because the only place where my car was safe is no longer accessible. The day that it rained really hard and I thought I was going to get washed away in Los Pinos, the rain took out a bridge on the road above her house. Nobody can drive up there anymore.

In the end we decided it was better anyway. I have a cab driver who is reliable and kind.  He is the only taxi I was allowed to ride in when I first moved here. He parks outside the gates of my neighborhood where the cabs gather, so I have kept in touch with him over the years.

Today he came and picked me up at my house at 1 p.m.  Then we headed into Los Pinos where the kids were all waiting for me at the bridge. I paid him for the return trip in advance, so that I wasn't walking around with cash in Los Pinos.

I got lots of good hugs.  Misael and Meylin were there too.  Meylin has always had problems with her hair. It is sparse and very coarse.  I haven't seen her in a while and I was shocked to see how tall she is and how wonderful her hair looks! It's longer and more thick. I am very happy for her.

Ana cooked rice, beans and chicken for us. I wondered how she had all of the money for that. Her mother brought her freshly cut beans from their land in the country. Later Jired asked for 20 Lempiras (one dollar) and Ana had to tell him that she didn't have any money. I felt horrible. But I was asked not to bring them food, so there is not much I can do. She would have been hurt if I had turned down the meal.

Everyone seems to be doing well. Isa has this new attachment thing going on with me. Last week when I saw her she bawled when I left.  Ana said Isa cried until she went to bed that night, about 3 hours later. Then she woke up in the night and started crying again. Isa's only two, but she keeps saying that she wants to come and stay with me. I don't really understand why she is acting this way.

David, Samuel and I played cards for a while. Then David helped Samuel get dressed in his cadet uniform. Tomorrow Samuel will march with his classmates in a parade. He was adorable in his uniform, with a tie, a beret and even white gloves. Ana has been saving the white shirt since Jired wore it 10 years ago. It's still perfectly white. Everything was ironed and sharp. Samuel was proud of himself.

Samuel and Isa

New stairway up to Ana's house!
Railing coming soon

A new rain gutter to keep the rain from
washing the houses, cars and bridges away.
You can see Ana's nice house in the background.

More rain on its way!

The clouds are rolling in, wind is picking up and rain is on its way again.  I hear thunder!

Oh, I forgot something funny that happened in Los Pinos. The cab had just dropped me off. Samuel, David and I were standing down by the road talking before we headed up to the house. I heard the sound of brakes and looked up to see a pickup truck coming down the hill toward us backwards. The brakes were making an odd sound, but the truck wasn't coming toward us that quickly.

I didn't realize the pickup was out of control until it slowly turned and ran into the side of a wooden building. The people got out of the truck and the woman came out of the building, but nobody seemed too upset. It seems to happen quite often in that spot. I remember not long ago a VW Bug came down the same hill out of control and ended up in the water under the bridge. This pick up was much luckier. Never a dull day in Los Pinos.

I hear rain drops on the palm leaves of the platano tree outside my window. On of my favorite sounds.