Sound...who doesn't love sound? I have sat in my kayak in a lake on a calm day, closed my eyes and listened to the sound...of birds (oh so many different kinds) singing beautiful tunes. Or the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves on the trees. Haven't you sat by the ocean and listened to the sound of the waves come crashing, and if there are rocks the flow of water through them as it returns to the sea. The sound of music is able to bring such emotion like no other sound on earth. And who can walk past the sound of a baby cooing or children playing on the school ground. Are these not special or what?
Rick, Kayak day on the 'Crooked River'
Karen, enjoys a splash at Banderas Bay
Yet...each of these beautiful sounds can become those of pain. For a couple weeks one spring we endured the sound of the West-Mexican Chachaclaca. They are large birds that join together to create an amazing loud and ignoring chatter. Or how bout the change of wind or the ocean when found within a tropical storm. Even music that is of a genre or volume that doesn't agree with our taste can become a painful experience. And those cooing babies when they are unhappy, they surely lose the charm that we typically associate with them.
Noise Box...Closed (for a day)
The winter of 2014/15 is quite different from any that we've experienced in our thirty-five years of marriage. Simply because we find ourselves in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. And though I'm enjoying the water, the warmth, the lack of rain, still it is the sound, or lack of, that I'm missing.
Likely one of the greatest sounds that I enjoy is that of stillness. Here in PV that is nearly impossible. The traffic, the parties, the restaurants and bars that perform their musical sound at volumes that is muy loco. Oh how bout the bells that occur more than 30 times a day from the churches. Or the daily construction that is throughout this city. Then there is the whistle of the traffic police. And that's to say nothing of the dogs and roosters.
Children playing...Oh what beautiful sound
It's a big country...I'm pretty sure I will be able to find some stillness. You can count on it...I'm searching :) Actually, I have found it in the same places as in the U.S...found away from the city. Yesterday's drive to the 'Botanical Gardens' was one such place.
On this blog I'm adding two very different songs. The one by one of my all-time favorite groups 'Jars of Clay' is called 'He'. Though a sad song in many ways, I love how it ends...with children playing, as children should. The second song is from the 'Piano Guys'. Enjoy!
Might the sounds that you present to the world shout of the beauty and not the pain that only sound can bring. The Creator has provided sound for all to enjoy. Let's resonate that sound in 2015. Happy New Year!
...As a post script...I love the Mexican people and their culture. I'm writing about 'sound', not people in general.
So,
you’re in Puerto Vallarta and you lose...or someone decides that they have a
greater need of your license plate than you do. Well, you’ve come to the right
place! It happened to me in December of 2014. I’m going to tell you just what
you need to do. First make sure you have enough fuel to get around. Also,
knowing ahead of time where to get copies will be helpful as this is not a service provided for you. Last, give yourself about two to three hours. More if
you’d like to stop at Starbucks for coffee.
Here
we go…
1st)
Go to the ‘Fiscalía Central del Estado. It is pictured to the left. From Puerto
Vallarta you travel north past the airport on Francisco Medina and turn right
on Avenida Palma Real, which is the street that the ‘Corona’ plant is located.
You will travel 100 yards (meters if you prefer) to the building on your right.
The
physical address is: Avendida Palma Real 118. They will give you the form that
you will need to fill out. Then you make five copies. Go back to them, give
them a copy and they will stamp your original. Three more stops and you’re
done!
2nd)
Continue heading north like you’re going to Nayarit. Go past (or through) the
Starbucks, which sits in the middle of the highway. The ‘Policía Federal de
Caminos’ will be shortly on your right. First you’ll past the ‘Pemex’, yeh,
which one you say? And then you’ll come to the pictures shown below.
As before, go into the Police office, hand them a copy and they again will
stamp yours. Done here!
You
are so close…don’t stop now...
3rd)
Now turn yourself back around and head toward the PV Marina. Close to the
Marina you need to get into the ‘lateral’. You know the far right lanes. You’re
going to want to turn left at Politénicio Nacional. You have no idea where that
is. No worries, again you’ve come to the right place. Here’s your intersection
below…
“Oh
yeah”, you say, “I’ve seen this a couple times for sure”. You have the pier
where the cruise ships dock up on your right, of course ‘Liverpool’
ahead on your left, and one of two bull fighting rings directly to your left.
This is your intersection! Turn left onto Politénicio Nacional.
You’ll
travel about a mile (1.5 km) and come to the intersection that you see
to your right. See
the signage on the bottom ‘UMA-Maleon’. Yes, turn right here. UMA is the
building that you see to your left. Go up the steps and then
immediately turn left and take the stairs (or elevator) to the fourth floor. Again, go left
out of the elevator and you’ll run into ‘Instalaciones de UMA’. Same objective,
go in, hand them a copy and they will stamp yours.
The physical address is:
Calle Mezquital 604.
4th)
You’re going to love the last stop. You get two stamps here both on the first
floor. I’m sooooo excited for you. Can you feel it? You’re thinking, “This guy
really needs something else in his life”. And you’re right, but….If you’re
still reading then this must be helpful. OK funny guy let’s get this
done.
Continue
in the direction (which is south) that you were traveling on Calle Mezquital.
This time you’ll travel about 2/3 of a mile (1 km) and come to Prisciliano
Sanchez. You see the ‘Pemex’ and the ‘Oxxo’? Pretty standard landmarks in
Mexico I know.
Anyway,
turn left here and go about 1/3 mile (500 m) and turn right onto Avenida
Grandes Lagos. You’re looking for the physical address of Avenida Grandes Lagos
236, which is the UNIRSE State Government building. It will be on your left. Go past it turning at the first street which is
‘Villas Rios’.
The picture to the left shows what you’ll view as you approach.
In this picture the building sits ahead on the left just beyond the trees on
the left side of the picture itself. You can see a picture of the building below. The parking lot is off of Villas Rios.
After parking enter the building from the steps on the back side and take an
immediate right in which you’ll find ‘Transito del Estado’. Another stamp then
go diagonally across the room just past ‘Caja 14’. The desk is ‘Oficina
Recaudadora’. It is here that you’ll receive your last stamp, of course giving
them a copy as well.
Picture is from Tricia Lyman's blog
One
last suggestion…Directly behind your last stop you’ll see a desk that makes
copies for 1 ½ pesos. I recommend making an extra copy.
I’ll
let you know later if I ever have to actually use this paper work. Oh, one more
thing. I’m told that if you’re missing a license plate, then you need to have
one at least on the front and not the back as in the States. I’m still
pondering if I should remove the front one and place it in the front window.
Some reading this are saying, “I would have already done that”! And one last
thought…I was told at the very first stop that I probably don’t even need to
complete all of the above. The reason…because my vehicle is licensed in the
U.S. and not Mexico. My hope…that if I do get pulled over at least I will have
accomplished the requirements of Mexico. Time surely will tell. Well,
maybe! And one last, last thought…none of this may apply tomorrow. Things can
change fast, but they do apply today, Christmas of 2014.
Diligence! You say diligence? Yes, diligence. You see I’ve
been married to Karen for 35 Christmases now and every year she ‘diligently’
works her masterful hands to create Christmas Tree Ornaments for eleven. This
includes seven grandchildren, three children (with spouses) and ourselves. Some
years she is able to find some ornaments at stores and just place a few finishing touches, but most
often they are from scratch, works of her own two hands. In it I always see her
joy in crafting, but more significant is her love for her kids and grandkids.
2014 Christmas Ornaments
Currently she is finishing the last of this year’s ornaments
of angels. They are gold on red fabric, white on green fabric and light blue on
navy blue fabric. They have taken many hours…many days for completion. As she
is wrapping up this last one, the thread is giving her quite a bit of grief and
I hear her say to herself (not that she ever talks to herself you see :) ), “Probably crying
would help!”, or “This is so much fun right now. Don’t know if I’ll ever get
over it. Nobody should have this much fun in the morning.” Yet, she never
stops, never loses the desire to complete this gift of love for her kids.
I’m not sure that they’ll ever fully appreciate the amazing ‘diligence’
that their mother and grandmother year in and year out put forth in these
ornaments. On Christmas day will it become just ‘one more’ thing to unwrap, ‘one
more’ gift to set aside, perhaps ‘one more’ item to let go of as time slips by?
Though they won’t be placed on our tree this year due to being south in Puerto
Vallarta, you can be sure that if we reach 50 years of marriage there will be
fifty ornaments diligently made by Karen placed upon our Christmas tree.
The second song is the one that she is singing to herself as she finishes the last angel... :) It just seemed fitting...
A 'Smile', does not always tell it all. We took this picture of the kids
at Casa Hogar so we can remember their names. It was a tough class,
even though small, to keep their attention. Before we left for the day I
asked if anyone le gustan un abrazo? That is, would anyone like a hug.
Except for one little guy who was having an especially tough day they
jumped at the idea. Not that most kids would not do the same. With these
children I definitely sensed a great need for a hug...an
embrace! Then I looked over at their caregiver...a lady our
age who daily is part of their lives. And I cry.......Why you ask? Because she looked
so exhausted. So very, very exhausted. And I cry again. Oh she needs a
hug and more. And I pray...oh Lord, please grant the care-givers of
these children your grace. We are there only an hour or two. This is
their life. Rewarding yes, but VERY exhausting. They need more full-time
care-givers. And more part-time help as well. Will you please pray with
me? And Jesus said, "For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
I then take a second look at this picture...the resilience of children, unaware of the struggle of life. Might we as adults find the joy that abounds from the depths of their little beings. Oh we can learn a lot.
Kutless says it so well is their song 'SMILE'
"Though everything's the same inside there's something real
A faith which causes me to change. (But what's different now)
A spark is gleaming in my eye like diamond stars that fill the sky
I think a smile says it all
A smile says it all
I see what a smile can say about me
I know that words are not always what speak
Sometimes it's not what I say
That the world around me seems to understand"
I wrote this while driving through Mexico...the states of Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco...
Thursday October 23 through the 30th - The
first full week in Mexico...so much has been experienced! Leaving
Guaymas we back tracked to the town of San Carlos. A great decision as
the town and area are quite beautful. An ocean front community with
gorgeous rocks to behold both in and out of the water. A place to
consider staying on our return trip is an RV park called 'Tononaka'.
Tom & Rick at Milepost 21K
We
continued through the southern end of the state of Sonora. If there is a
least desirable part of this drive, this would be it. Passing into
Sinaloa we drove about 40 miles off the 'cuota' to the Spanish colonial
town of Alamo. Here we were able to find a RV Park called 'Dolisa' in
order to set up our tents. A walk through town brought us to the town
square where we watched as they were celebrating the life of a family
member. An excellent dinner was followed by a nights partial sleep. This
was the Mexico I so remembered from San Luis. That is...loud music,
dogs (many of them) and roosters filling the evening with more sound
than many concerts. Fortunately no night has even approached this. Even
so we awoke with sufficient sleep to continue our drive south.
Mountains around San Carlos
Oh, one other note of interest from this day...some road construction
left us on an interesting detour through a fairly large city. Trying to
be careful of children playing, traffic lights and road signs, I
suddenly looked back to the flashing of red and blue lights. Now the Police in this country often drive around with their lights on, so it does not always mean that you're being 'pulled over'. But as they continued to follow directly behind us, I decided it best to make the customary pull to the right. Out this point the heart typically
begins to race and the question of 'what did I do' flash through the
mind. And again, must I remind you...this is Mexico. Perhaps some of you
are thinking 'bribes, how long might I be in prison and will my family
ever find me'? There was none of that...no, he simply asked to see our
paperwork and gently waved us on. Have I said that we've sensed no
threat of insecurity? Thank you Lord!
The beauty of Nayarit
Mazatlan would not be considered a favorite place of mine, but
thankfully we took an exit that led to the extreme north end of town,
leaving us again in an RV Park. This time right on the beach. A swim in
the ocean, a run for Miko, a tasty dinner and conversation with a
Mexican young man, another swim in the RV Park pool and a 'quiet' nights
sleep left us very ready for the drive towards Chapala.
One of
the key reasons for driving this first time through Mexico was to
experience the vast areas of this land. Neither Tom nor I were ready for
the amazing beauty that awaited us as we journeyed the southern part of
Sinaloa, the entire state of Nayarit and into Jalisco. So luscious,
mountainous, with trees, vegetation, green and flowers that left us in
awe. Yes, the Creator has left His mark wonderfully on this land called
Mexico.
Can you say, 'One peso'?
Three very unique 'God moments' occurred on this day.
Only five minutes on the path through Mazatlan we began to hear what had
the sound of possibly a broken metal 'something'. After two stops to
view the bottom side of this 1996 Explorer the sound ended. Perhaps a
rock from the paving of a road that we traveled across for
several miles the day before. Next, while driving through Nayarit's
largest city of Tepic and after unsuccessfully looking for a banco or
cajero (money exchange), we were about to return to the cuota when the
right front brake let out with such a screech that we wondered if our
'self labored brake job' was falling apart. Again we stopped two times,
after which the sound disappeared. God wasn't finished with the leason
of faith. As I mentioned we were in need of obtaining more Pesos. This
was brought to even a greater reality when the 'cuotas' were saying, "US
dollars not accepted"! As we past through one cuota I asked the
attendant how many more until Guadalajara. "Two more", she said. And to
think that we wouldn't even be in this predicament had we not had to use
925 pesos to pay for our first fuel stop as their visa card reader
wasn't functioning. And now the final cuota, with cost ranging from 25p
to 195p, what would this one hold. I counted up 104 pesos as Tom drove
closer to the sign that would be the bearer of good or bad news. And
'Vanna' the answer please...wait for it...wait for it...our God is
amazing! The cuota was...103 pesos! You've never seen two gringos more
happy to have one peso in their possession as we were at that moment.
Now I ask, does God have a sense of humor or what. Yes, a mighty day of
faith lessons were etched into our lives.
Sunrise over Lago de Chapala
But God wasn't finished
with bringing more amazement into our lives as we settled onto Hotel
Perico. A lovely place of respite off the libramiento with a swimming
pool, a ball field and a beautiful view of Lago de Chapala. We would
make contacts with a few of my fathers friends and arrange for the
following days spreading of his ashes. Sunday morning, as suggested by
Cinthia...(a very close friend, who often would walk their dogs
together, discussing and arguing about many of lifes questions) we met
in the large park adjacent to the lake. Comments were shared by friends,
myself and then we spread his ashes. Why, you ask? For no other reason
than Ephesians chapter six which says, "Honor your father and mother".
For some reason this has become a way to honor my father, a man of whom
we were much like 'oil and water'. A man who as a father did not have
many a reason to 'honor'. But, that passage does not say if they have
been those of honor. Rather, we are to honor them. So what began as
spreading ashes in his 'favorite' place in the States, Manhattan Beach,
to Silliman Pass (a boys most precious beginning into creation), to the
Red Oak, Iowa cemetery, on the plot of his kid brother Ron, this journey is now complete. Kind of anticlimactic now, but I will always know
that I accomplished what I sensed as the 'appropriate' thing to do. And
now, it is done.
Mexico Highway 70/90
On Monday October 27th we made our journey onto
Mexico 70 and 90 toward our destination of Puerto Vallarta. Again, the
drive, which included familiar pines of Oregon, was beyond expectation.
Simply beautiful! But do beware if you ever pass this way, the road is
very mountainous with many curves. Would I drive this route again? You
bet I would!
Monday eve would have us surprisingly in the amazing home of my dive
buddy Cesar. Simply lovely hospitality! From PV we have set up for the
past three nights to the north in our own 'palapa' with the sounds of
the ocean waves crashing a hundred yards from our door. Here we have had
the privilege to work on a women's retreat center. Simply an amazing work in
itself. Might The Father bless this work and the lives that will forever
be changed because of it.
Looking over the valley at Mascota
Father please let me always remember 'Ten Shekel Shirts' song Ocean which says,
Something about the ocean
Makes me rise up and praise
Something about the heavens
Makes me stand in awe again
Something about the sunrise
Reminds me of Your faithfulness
Something about the ocean
And I'm lost in love again
P.S. I'm not ignorant of the problems that the country of Mexico is experiencing. The recent news of the students in the Acapulco area is just one more indication of the need for change. I have no intent to make light of the this need. Rather, my hope is to make known the beauty of the Mexican country, people and culture. Regardless where we lay our head at night our world has an unfortunate chaotic side. The bummer sticker says, "Visualize World Peace". I believe that peace can only be visualized by the the message of the cross. When we come to understand what occurred at Calvary, it is then that the true reality of peace on the hearts of men and women will be shown.
June 9 - Day 5...So...have you ever been delayed in traffic due to buffalo? Me neither! Today was a first for me. Around 80 to 100 head arranged about an hour delay as they showed who's 'king' in Yellowstone. I didn't think of video until afterwards.
The day began with church service provided by a
National Park Christian group. The young college folk...Josh, Josiah, Briana and Nathan did a fine job. Josh gave a message from Psalm 139, with focus on God's purpose in and through our lives, giving a fine example of his own life. A boy born in Korean with a cleft palate, adopted into a family from America in whose home town resided the world's most well known hospital for cleft palate repair. I see God's precious hands in these young people's lives.
Gary & Rick with his dog 'Buddy'
Buffalo Traffic Jam - Gotta Love It
From the service (and once past the buffalo city) I continued my venture through this absolutely magnificent park. I now see why people spend an entire vacation here. Todays sites included 'The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone'...surely a competion for beauty rights with its sister in Arizona. Definite must see! Then the 'Lamar' valley, with well over 300 head of buffalo roaming its lush terrain and a breath taking mountain backdrop. From here I enjoyed an hour 'listening' time in Soda Butte valley before exiting the park, gabbing a bite to eat at the 'Bearclaw' Cafe and concluding my day at 'Crazy Creek campground. And it is! It's here that 'Silver Spur' and 'Gear Up' Gary Callahan is camp host. Gary and I rode back to Cooke City, Montana for strawberry milkshakes and watched as my hopeful College World Series bound Oregon State Beavers were roughing up Kansas State in game two of their series. A win tomorrow and they're in! Got tickets to watch a couple CWS games a week from Monday. Yeah baby!
The winter of 2014/15 is quite different from any that we've experienced in our thirty-five years of marriage. Simply because we find ourselves in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. And though I'm enjoying the water, the warmth, the lack of rain, still it is the sound, or lack of, that I'm missing. 
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