Sound...The Contrast of Beauty and Pain

Chachalaca...oh the screams it makes :)

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.

- In Puerto Vallarta...And You've Lost Your License Plate -

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…

1^st) 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!

2^nd) 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...

 

 3^rd) 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. 

4^th) 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.

Good night and Merry Christmas!

It’s Christmas Time…What does that mean?

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...