Rough Re-entry and One Last Look Back…

I left Oaxaca on a perfect Sunday morning with the temperature gauge on its way up to the mid 80’s, and landed in DFW that night to 17 degrees. I had to wait for Super Shuttle in the wind tunnel that is the Lower Level of DFW for half an hour, wearing nothing but a pair of cotton pants, thin cotton socks, a light knit jacket, and the small gauzy blanket I had stolen off of AeroMexico. Not only was I chilled to the bone on the outside from “the cold,” but I was also chilled on the inside from “a cold.”

I got back to the Winnie at 11:00pm. I had planned to leave my gas furnace thermostat set to 55, but in my haste to depart two weeks ago, I had forgotten to turn it on. The little baseboard heater in the floor was no match for 17 degrees. My bedding must have been below 50, as I braced myself, fully clothed, to gut up and crawl in.

Thank goodness I had done a last minute ditch effort to winterize on the Saturday before I left for the bus station, blowing the water out of the lines, else my pipes would have been as frozen as the Diet Cokes in my outdoor storage compartment.

As much as I have loved the full-timing lifestyle over the past nine months, never once wavering in the feeling that the Winnie was the perfect sized cocoon for living and working full time on the road, it is sure not made for 17 degree temperatures. With the water shut off, it feels more like living in the utility shed.

Don is continuing on his way to the Yucatan for a little fun in the sun and surf. Lynne and my other blogging friends are still parked ring-side in Isla de la Piedra near Mazatlan. Meanwhile, my windows are sealed shut, my cab cordoned off with blankets, and the cracks bolstered with spare pillows. I had almost 500 emails in my work inbox, most with a little red exclamation point attached, marked “URGENT.” I watched as the molten lava of oatmeal that was meant to warm my insides but instead took an unexpected detour, now flowed down the front of the microwave, cresting over the stove below, and making its way down the front of the cabinet onto the floor. With no running water, I attempted to clean up the mess as I mouthed the words aloud to myself, “This is the last time I am the first one to leave Mexico.”

I had Quartzite in my sights for January, but Mom needs cataract surgery, so I will stay here in their driveway in Texas and see that through. For now, I am right where I need to be…

Meanwhile, here are some parting shots of Oaxaca that didn’t really “fit” into any other post, but memories I would like to preserve nonetheless. Walkabouts around town, a ride on the Tramvia, and our two hour tour of Oaxaca’s Ethnobotanical Garden…

The name looks good in lights…even if it is misspelled.

Tramvia Ride…in Español, of course, but still a fun way to see the town!

Our 2 hour tour of the tiny garden was interesting, but maybe an hour too long…

Thanks to everyone who came along for the ride…

7 thoughts on “Rough Re-entry and One Last Look Back…

  1. oh good lord, Suzanne… what a welcome home! at least your sense of humor is intact! and your declaration of not being the first to leave next time … lol

    Great pictures … love the vendor putting on mascara at her pastry? table? … so you are planning on Q … hmmm … be interesting to read your experiences there … I’ve thought about going but got near and nah… everything I’ve read about it as well as the pictures … I feel as though I’ve been and not being a desert person … just went on by.

    Hope your Mom’s surgery goes well… seems they can be in and out in a day and ready to freddy… amazing

  2. I just posted some Isla sunset shots to hopefully warm you up a bit. Yes, lets hope all of your future winters are south of the border and much warmer!

    Loved the cactus garden and market shots of Oaxaca! Don looks like continuous entertainment too!

  3. You sure packed a lot into your two week vacation and took many us along for a very entertaining and informative ride. Naturally I liked your food post best of all.

    No fun though returning to 17 degrees and a cold cold motor home. Hopefully you have warmed up today.

    I heard that when the doctors do cataract surgery that they also correct the patient’s vision at the same time. A nice bonus for sure.

  4. Yikes to the oatmeal, I could totally visualize the effect and the mess.

    Has it really only been 2 weeks!! You were in so many places that my head spins. Thanks for the tour and all your lovely photos.

    Now get to work and save up some pesos so that next year you won’t be the first to leave Mexico.

    • Oh, wow! Seriously?? Or are you humoring me? 😉 My $99 Nikon would be honored. The Santo Domingo de Guzman Church of Oaxaca would be honored. But none more honored than me!!

  5. It really does seem longer than two weeks. I can certainly understand why you didn’t want to leave. We have driven into the Big Cypress Swamp on the way to the Everglades in search of WARM but last night it was 38 degrees. Now that doesn’t compare with 17 for sure. Are you not hooked up to electricity so you can have a space heater and get some jugs of water for use inside? Sounds terrible – if I were on the west coast rather than the east as my sort of “home base”, I’d definitely spend my winters out there on the isle with all of those smart people. Best of luck to your mom, I’ve heard it’s an easy and wonderful results procedure.

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