Collecting Too Many Stones

I awoke way too early again, and enjoyed lazing in the AC a bit longer.  I headed out pretty early to Guaymas (but late enough to miss all the morning traffic).  I got to the hotel and wanted to get settled in before a work meeting.  The RV lot was quite ample and sprawling, and completely empty.  I picked a spot and backed in.  I went to the office to pay, there was some weird thing I didn’t understand (the price was listed in dollars but I was paying in pesos and somehow it came out to more than they said the day before).  I just paid for the week and went to get hooked up and get the AC cranking. It was another scorcher.   Surprise! The power didn’t work.  I walked back to the reception and they promised to send a guy.  Luckily it didn’t take too long.  He was perplexed by the lack of power.  Rather than try to fix it, I suggested maybe I could just move to a spot where the power DID work.  We walked around with the testing device and found one that showed 120 volts.  I moved to that spot and got all plugged in.  The AC would beep a few times and then shut down.  After a bunch of research, I discovered I have a very sensitive AC and it needs solid, consistent power.   Unfortunately, I had a meeting and no more time to deal with this.  I had a very hot meeting.  As soon as it was over, I went back to the reception desk.  Guy came back out, we tested again and when holding the meter, saw the power jumps around a lot.  We went to a few more spots until we found one with steady power.  I moved Rita for the 3^rd time and finally got the AC cranked up. It was actually a fine spot, too, just across from the hotel entrance, pool and beach.

I started to feel quite awful though, even though Rita was cooling off.  My back was really hurting and my gut was cramping.  I laid down on the floor to try to stretch.  Within a few minutes, pain on my right side increased to a very scary level.  All I could think was that my appendix was bursting and I was going to die.  The pain passed my ‘just wait it out and see what happens’ threshold and I realized I needed to go to the hospital.  I could barely move, the pain was so bad.  Luckily, I was not out on some remote beach. I somehow had the wherewithal to shut off the AC and put a few things (phone charger, change of clothes) into my big purse, and I crawled my way to the hotel reception desk one more time.  There were several people there this time.  The look of horror on their faces when the saw me was not comforting.  I asked them to call a taxi for me.  I went to sit on the lobby couch and wait.  The pain was reaching unbearable levels and I thought I was going to throw up.  I ended up kneeling on the floor and clinging to the arm of the couch.  My nose was running for some reason, as well.

A man from the hotel came up and asked me if I was in pain.  I nodded expressively.  He asked me how bad it was…on un scalo uno a diez… I said ‘once’! (11).  He got a scared look and ran off.  Finally, I was certain I was going to throw up, so I thought I would make my way out to the front, into the scorching heat.  The scared man was there and escorted me out, just as the taxi was pulling up.  He told the taxi to take me to the Red Cross.  I said NO, I wanted to go to the fancy new hospital in San Carlos.  I knew it might be overkill, but if my appendix was exploding, I wanted my emergency surgery done there.   If it turned out to be something less, no big loss.  It was a most uncomfortable ride, but I managed not to barf on anything.    The pain was easing up a tiny bit as we arrived at the emergency entrance to the hospital.   The taxi driver waved someone over to help me in, I declined a wheel chair.  I was able to check in and sat down to wait.  A very young doctor came for me in just a couple of minutes.  He ushered me into a room with a male nurse who was taking notes.  He asked me a lot of questions.  I immediately did not like him, but did my best not to let it show.  He had a bit of a know-it-all attitude, zero compassion and he seemed to want to argue with me.  However, he quickly determined it was not my appendix, which was a relief (when I said it was my concern, he said coldly, as if I was being ridiculous “you would be dead by now”)  But to his credit he ordered tests in order of least expensive – so that I wouldn’t have to pay for an ultrasound if a blood test could sort me out.  My next suspicion was a kidney infection (since the pain was somewhat reminiscent of the last time I went to ER a few years ago, and turned out to have a terrible kidney infection). I told him of my dark colored pee and suspicion of dehydration.  He was very dismissive of both those things, claiming he was sure I wasn’t dehydrated.

This kid seemed hellbent on blaming the few bites of cottage cheese I ate earlier.  I was 100% certain it was not that, but he was having none of it.  He said “People of your race often have lactose intolerance”. And when I said I never had problems eating it before he said “well there’s a first time for everything”.  They drew blood and then gave me a cup to pee in.   My pee sample looked more like a blood sample.   I handed it to the doctor and said smugly “I’m pretty sure that’s not from cottage cheese”.  Surprisingly, the blood test came back negative for infection.  Next, I went in for an ultrasound.  There was very little wait time. The new fancy hospital was spotlessly clean, sparkling and practically empty.  The doctor who performed the ultrasound was very nice, I liked him for the brief interaction we had.  The ER doctor was also present and maybe a couple of other guys.  Most things looked OK.  There was gas in my intestines (mostly likely because I’d eaten almost nothing that day, but the boy clung to that as proof it was the cottage cheese causing my pain).  There were a couple of things the ultrasound tech didn’t like, so they next ordered me to have a CT scan.  Again, not that long of a wait time.  The CT scan techs were super nice and the machine looked like they had just unboxed it.  I was soon back to my bed to wait for the results.

I went through 2 bags of saline in my IV – I was getting super hydrated.  While all this had gone rather quickly for hospital stuff, it was still about 4 hours and I was starving.  My sweet friend Zonia said she would come and bring me some food.  Just as she arrived, so did my test results.  The ER doctor interpreted them (somewhat incorrectly) for me, and said it looked like I had kidney stones, and I was going to need to see a urologist. He also said I had diverticulitis and the pain I felt was from that, because…wait for it… I ate cottage cheese! I still wasn’t buying that one.  It turns out, upon further studying my test results later that night, I had diverticuLOSIS, which is the state of being where you could potentially have an attack of diverticulitis, but there was no evidence I had an attack of diverticulitis.

There happened to be a urologist on duty, the doctor said I could see him if I wanted to. Well, sure, of course, why not?! I wondered if I was going to have to spend the night in the hospital?  The child said “well, the final determination on that will be up to the urologist”.  At that point, I had about all I could stand of that guy and said, with a sweet smile “NO NO NO…the final decision on what happens to me, will be up to ME” …but seriously that kid had my last nerve and I may have been a little big hangry.  I talked with Zonia and while scarfing down some of the food she so kindly brought for me.    Finally, the infant with a medical degree returned and said “Good News!  You can go home, the urologist said he will see you on Saturday.”  I was given a prescription for antibiotics and pain meds.

 

The only thing left for me to do then was pay and get back to Rita.  Nearly 5 hours in the ER with all those tests, came to around $1,600 US – a bargain compared to US prices, but a whole lot of money to have to spend with zero planning.  Zonia insisted on bringing me back to Rita, but she didn’t want to drive alone at night, so we met up with a friend of hers who offered to drive.  The two of them took me to the pharmacy to get my prescription and then brought me back to Rita.  I was beyond grateful for them to take care of me like that!!  I was amped up and couldn’t sleep, so I did a bunch of research on kidney stones and analyzed all my test results.  By the time I went to the urologist on Saturday, I had a pretty good idea of what he was going to tell me.

Given the size and location of my stones (7mm and 9mm one blocking my ureter), the urologist recommended a laser procedure (laser lithotripsy) where they go up through my bladder.  He thoroughly explained everything to me.  He even tried his hand (mouth?) at explaining it in English (although I didn’t ask him to and I was grateful when he went back to Spanish).  One glitch - he recommended doing it in the hospital in Obregón – about 2 hours south.  If I were to have it done in San Carlos, they would need to rent the machine and it would cost quite a bit more.   He claimed I would be able to drive back to San Carlos myself after the procedure.  I’ve had enough “simple procedures” done to know that it was pretty unlikely I would want to drive a 7 ton bus on bumpy roads, after getting laser blasted up my pee hole.  We left it that I would think everything over and let him know what I decided to do.

The issue with my solar and figuring out what to do longer-term all got sidelined while I focused on how I was going to get through all this kidney fun.   But there was one other crisis that I could NOT sideline.  The criminal who has commandeered the US decided to accuse some Mexican banks of money laundering, and they halted money transfers from the US to those banks.  My bank was one of them. I had a transfer in progress that got cancelled due to this issue.  I needed to find a new bank ASAP!  It took a few tries and some long hours in a couple of banks, but I finally got one and got a new account set up and was able to transfer my money.  That was a relief, but also a big stress I really could’ve done without.   With all this stuff going on, I barely had time to really enjoy the beautiful place I was staying for the week. I did manage to get out and enjoy sunset each night.

 

 

Back in January, when I went to the Temescal and sound healing event at Eter, I met Wera Osete (Carmen) from Obregon.  She told me back then I should visit sometime – and I have always wanted to! But I discovered that Obregon was outside of the Zona Libre where I could travel with no temporary import permit on Rita.  When I got my special interim plates a couple months ago, they allow me to travel the entire state of Sonora.  Lucky me, I could now travel to Obregon without any issues.   I definitely was going to need to be plugged in and have the AC running. Obregon is even hotter than San Carlos (more inland).  I found an RV park that looked kind of gross but figured it would do.  I sent a message to Carmen to let her know I was coming to the area and was hoping she knew something about the area where the RV park is, or give me some ideas on other options.  She connected me with her friend Castulo, who has an Airbnb house that he said I could park in front of and we would work out something reasonable to cover the electricity use.  We messaged a bit and I described my situation and sent a picture of Rita.  He said he thought it would be better if I parked outside the house he lives in, and we agreed on a very reasonable rate. His place is also walking distance to Carmen’s house where she also has her yoga studio.  She was having a sound healing event the night before my procedure – sounded like just what I needed.  Carmen also invited me to have lunch with her that day.  It was so nice to feel like I was going someplace with friends nearby and not just launching myself into a new city and having a scary procedure all alone.

I left San Carlos on Wednesday and set off for Obregon.  There was a tiny bit of feeling like I was going on a new adventure, but it was definitely subdued by thoughts of what I was heading into.  I had left later in the day, after a work meeting and some grocery-getting.  I was hoping I would get there before dark, and also not be driving in the hottest part of the day (AC definitely doesn’t reach the front when driving).  Unfortunately, the grocery outing took longer than expected. There was also a chia seed disaster in Rita that required clean up when I arrived at the store.  Apparently, I was out of practice with drive prep, and this jar of chia leapt to its demise (well, not the jar, luckily,  just the seeds!).

Finally on the road for real and onto never-before-seen territory.  That’s always fun.  The drive was bumpier than expected (which made me even more grateful for a place to stay in Obregon for several days)!  But I did see a rainbow, and Danzante Yaqui, a huge statue of a dancer with a deer head on top of his head – in front of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's administrative headquarters. That was an exciting surprise.  It is the tallest statue in Latin America – at 33 meters tall.  Unfortunately it started getting much darker than I liked for driving. I was only about 20 minutes away, so I powered through, into the city and traffic and blinding lights.  It was a miracle I didn’t run anyone over.  There was still a dark red-orange glow as I pulled up to Catulo’s house.  He met me outside and we determined the best place for me and got the air conditioner plugged in.

The next day, I had a wonderful lunch with Carmen at a very traditional Sonoran restaurant, El Bronco.  It was far and away the best meal I’ve had in a very, very long time.  We shared a number of appetizers so I could try a lot of different things.  I was practically drinking the sauces.  When we were nearly finished, Carmen asked me if I like ice cream.  I told her “ice cream is the way to my heart!”  She took me to a little hole in the wall place with homemade ice cream.  It was perfect!  She dropped me back off at Rita so I could rest/work a bit before the evening sound healing.  I had an easy 15 minute walk there. I was staying in probably the ritziest neighborhood I’ve ever seen in Mexico. It was just mansion after mansion, very clean and tidy.  Carmen’s home was so beautiful and her integrated studio was really inviting.  It was a lovely event, although I was a little embarrassed when Carmen introduced me and t old everyone a bit about me (I’ve never been one for the spotlight, but luckily I didn’t have to speak to the group, just smiled and waived) – About 15 people filled the space and Carmen led us through a meditation followed by a beautiful sound healing session.  It was just what I needed to relax me before the next morning kidney fest.

Friday morning, I took a quick Uber ride to the hospital. While not as new as the sister facility in San Carlos, it was just clean and very well run. After the intake process, I was handed a large bag containing a pillow, a toiletries kit full of goodies and slippers that say Hospital San Jose on them.  I was then taken by wheel chair to my own large, private room, even though this was an outpatient procedure.  I was told I could leave all my things there for when I came back out of the procedure.  There was even a safe if I wanted to lock things up.

The procedure went well, they got both stones.  I had an epidural numb me from the waist down, although I cannot for the life of me recall them giving it to me.  I didn’t feel any pain at all, but I was more or less somewhat conscious throughout the procedure. It was very, very strange.  In the recovery area, we waited until I could move my legs again. It was a very festive atmosphere, with a number of people trying to speak English with me, and asking me what music I wanted to listen to on the computer.

Isabel was the head nurse during my procedure, she was very sweet.  We talked a bit when I was in recovery, but I didn’t remember what we talked about.  She put her name and phone number on some tape and taped it to me.   I messaged her later saying I wasn’t sure why she gave me her number, but wanted to thank her for making me feel less nervous during the procedure.  She said she just liked me and wanted me to know I have a friend here!

They transferred me back to my room and I was starving.  Almost immediately someone brought me lunch. It was some of the best homemade chicken soup I’ve ever had, a side of delicious rice, tortillas, some cut up pear and fresh juice! I scarfed it all down. I felt very drugged, and uncomfortable inside.  I guess I spent a couple more hours in the room.  Before they let me go, we had to work out payment. They would not remove my IV until I paid. I guess normally people are not alone and someone goes down to admin to pay for you.  Someone came up with a bill and a credit card machine, while I sat on the couch (with blood dripping out my IV for some reason…).  The bill was a bit higher than what the doctor told me it would cost for the entire procedure (including the stent removal).  I was upset and messaged the doctor. He insisted he told me a different amount and then also that the stent removal was going to be another big chunk he never mentioned.  I was quite sure I had not misheard and I had written down everything during our initial consult, but my own fault, I didn’t get anything in writing.  I was in pain, drugged up and only 99% sure I hadn’t made a mistake. But it didn’t matter, I had a huge itemized list of charges and they were not letting me go till I paid.  So I paid.  Everything had been very good up to that point and I just felt bad leaving.  I also realized, much later, that no one gave me any discharge instructions at all.   I had done enough of my own research, that I knew what to eat/not eat/what to expect etc., but I think that was a big oversight on their part. I did discover a huge bandage on my back (from the epidural I don’t remember getting). It hurt a lot and I was afraid to remove it for a couple days.

I was taken out of the hospital in a wheel chair, and I told the man pushing me I had to go to the pharmacy before getting the Uber back to Rita.  He ended up pushing me down the sidewalk and around the corner, all the way to the pharmacy!!  I was in a bit of a daze as I got my prescriptions filled.  Zonia had been checking in on me and she was in Obregon visiting her grandchildren.  She somehow showed up at the pharmacy and escorted me back to Rita.  It was super sweet (again) and I was really glad to see her.

The doctor has placed stent from my kidney to my bladder. This was to prevent swelling from closing the ureter, as it’s very sensitive and the procedure is very irritating.  I was to return in two weeks to get it removed.  It was a very painful and uncomfortable 2 weeks.  I kept to a very restricted diet to try to keep the pain and irritation at bay.  I spent a couple of days just lolling about in Rita.  Carmen came to see me and gave me a reiki session. It gave me enough energy to finally take a shower. On Sunday, Castulo invited me to come and have lunch in the house with him and his elderly mother, Lourdes. I figured I could pull it off.  Their cook had made a wonderful soup and the best gorditas I’ve had. They also gave me a huge carrot cake muffin that I couldn’t finish, so I got to take it to go.  It was so kind of them to invite me and I loved the food, and seeing their gorgeous home. I just felt pretty lousy, so I didn’t stay too long before I ambled back out to Rita.

By Tuesday, when I was well enough to drive (or so I thought), I decided to head down to Playa Huatabampito – a somewhat remote beach a couple hours south of Obregon.  There was a hotel with RV spots right on the beach. I could have water and AC while I awaited my next procedure.  It was a rough drive down there, bumpy roads and extreme heat.  But it was definitely worth it.  I loved it more and more each day there.  The rough trip and all the activity must’ve shaken my kidney up and got the remaining stone particles moving.  The night I arrived I experienced over 3 hours of the most awful pain ever, making me question if coming all that way had been a good idea.  I think I may have passed all the fragments, because I haven’t experienced pain that bad since.

Unfortunately, the several wifi options offered didn’t really work well inside Rita.  She’s like a giant Faraday cage, especially now with the steel screens.  To have work meetings or do any real work, I needed to go into the restaurant.  It wasn’t so bad.  My first day setup at a table with all my gear, a woman brought a fan over and pointed it right at me.  I also had lovely breezes and views of the sea through the windows.  I would’ve preferred to be in Rita, in the air conditioning, but the temps there were far cooler than in Obregon (and I dare say in San Carlos, too).  I loved getting up super early and floating in the water (swimming was a bit too much activity and I’d pay for it later in blood…).  I perfected the hose shower, as well.  The afternoons were mostly super windy and I would just rest in the AC, looking out at the beach.

I was planning a non-birthday birthday there.  I couldn’t eat or drink anything special and the restaurant didn’t even have desserts (or anything all that good).

The day before my birthday I was surprised by a visit from Carmen along with her boyfriend, Jesus, and his son.  They came for a beach day and treated me to lunch.  I did my best to relax, but the constant discomfort I felt made it challenging.  I was really grateful for the company though!

I did end up baking myself some coconut shortbread cookies, which satisfied a bit of my sweet tooth and was not irritating to my system (and was pretty much all I could do, seeing as I was out of eggs).

 

I really loved the peace and emptiness (mostly) of the beach and to be parked 15 feet from the water was blissful.  I really didn’t want to leave there!  But I had to get it together and make the trek back up to blisteringly hot Obregon and go through this whole procedure to get the stent removed.  I was really looking forward to having it out, but not at all looking forward to the whole hospital procedure again.  I wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, but I was definitely going into an operating room and having some sort of anesthesia.

 

The drive was somewhat brutal in the heat.  I found a less bumpy route, though.  It took me through the city of Navojoa. I was hoping it might be interesting or maybe I'd stop for something to eat.  I did stop and looked for a part for Rita, which I didn't find.  The heat was too awful and I felt so bad, I didn't want to do more.

I stopped for groceries as I got into Obregon.  It was nice to be in the cold store, but I felt awful walking around and slogging through the shopping.  I had thought about making a couple other stops to look for front springs for Rita (that’s another story) but I just didn’t have it in me. I limped back to my spot at Castulo’s.  It was like 120 degrees inside Rita.  I got plugged back in and turned the AC on.  Castulo invited me to come in and have some food.  I kind of just wanted to lie down, but I WAS starving and I knew the house was nice and cool and it was so kind of him to invite me.  Castulo’s Mom was away but his friend (sister?) Luz was there.  They had already eaten, but the cook served me up a plate of delicious food and they chatted with me while I ate.  I think it was meat or pork? Covered in a sauce and some rice. I honestly have no idea what it was, but I was super grateful to be handed a plate of food.  By the way, that is actually on of my all-time favorite things in the world, when someone just gives me food and I don’t have to make a decision or do a single thing for it. It is quite a rare occurrence in my life!  Castulo offered his guest room if I wanted to stay in the house – it was so nice, but I declined and just wanted to rest in Rita.  I didn’t realize how long it was going to take to cool down, though.  I was cooking all afternoon, but I was not delicious.

Carmen had another sound healing event scheduled.  I really wanted to go, but I felt awful after all the jostling while driving, I really did not feel like walking over there in the lingering heat, either.  But somehow I got myself together and shuffled slowly through the neighborhood.   I knew it would be nice and cool  inside, and all I had to do was sit / lie down and relax.  It was an incredible session and I felt amazing when it was over! Carmen is magical! I actually enjoyed the walk back making a short detour to farmacia to replenish my pain meds and get a forbidden snack (ice cream sandwich…I desperately needed a treat).

The removal went well and I was given a very short anesthesia that knocked me out completely. I was actually grateful for that. When I came to, I felt instantly relieved.  That stent was just an awful, constant discomfort that made me feel weak and fragile.  I was raring to get out of there! They kept me for over an hour in recovery.  I played with the continuous blood pressure sleeve on my arm.  I could control the numbers with different breathing techniques.   A deep slow inhale and a long slow exhale definitely lower your blood pressure!

Isabel was there again and we talked a bit.  They finally brought me back to my room.  Jesus was watching over me.  I hoped for a repeat lunch, and it soon arrived.  More amazing chicken soup! I was feeling so much relief, but I was also aware I might be on a lot of pain meds.  I got released, got my prescriptions (from a cheaper farmacia this time!) and headed back to Rita to rest and see what I was going to feel like when the drugs wore off.

 

 

On the drive back from Playa Huatabampito, I noticed that the DC-DC charger did not appear to be charging.  I suspected something was up on the way down, but I was not focused or paying much attention to Rita then.  I got my voltmeter out and tested both the battery under the hood and the one inside front – they are wired in series to start Rita and charge the house batteries while driving.  I tested them off and also with Rita running.  They were extremely low. I determined my alternator was working fine, but the batteries were practically dead.  The one inside was smaller and much older than the one under the hood. This was definitely pulling life out of the newer one.  Also, the extreme heat just kills batteries in general. I decided that Monday, before leaving Obregon, I would go to a nearby AutoZone and get some new batteries put in. I did not need any surprises or to get stuck anywhere.

Carmen was busy with a weekend-long reiki course, so unfortunately I didn’t get to see her again.  But I had a nice surprise visit from Zonia and Cecy, who were both in town to see their family.  It definitely cheered me up as I was recovering from the stent removal.

 

I was still feeling a bit slow, but I was ready to get back to San Carlos and see what the next few weeks would bring.  AutoZone opened at 7am and I planned to be there right then, get the new batteries and get on the road before the heat really kicked in.  Such a great plan!  I had everything ready to go by 7am.  The last thing was to unplug the AC and hit the road.  I went to start up Rita so she could warm up.  She barely would turn over. The battery did not have enough juice.  The woman who worked for Castulo came out with her car (since he was not home) so we could give Rita a jump.  I’m embarrassed to admit that it was my first time jumping a car completely on my own.  I wasn’t entirely sure where I should clamp the negative one on my side, I knew it shouldn’t be the battery pole.  I tried a metal part of the frame.  That was the wrong choice…There was a big spark and a very tiny flame started…I quickly unclamped it, blew out the flame, and acted like nothing had happened… I found a better ground and tried again.  We let it run for a while, revving the small Honda.  I tried to start Rita after a few minutes, still nothing.  After maybe 30 minutes and checking everything I could think of (with online help), I had to give up and declare the batteries COMPLETELY dead.  Time was ticking away and I was almost freaking out. I had no idea what to do, for a minute.  I decided to just take an Uber to AutoZone and see if I could beg them to bring the batteries to me.  It was less than a mile away and the batteries I was buying were not cheap, so I was hoping I had a shot at this.  Luckily the manager, Salomon, was a really nice guy and he agreed to help me out. He even gave me a discount on the batteries!  The only thing was I had to Uber back, as it was against company rules to take a customer in their van.  No big deal! I couldn’t believe it worked out.  Before too long the tech showed up and installed both batteries.  I even convinced him to install the fuse for the DC DC charger cable. I’ve had the fuse since October and hadn’t gotten around to putting it in.

It was 10am once this whole ordeal was over. Not the time I wanted to be out driving, but off I went. I made myself take 2 gulps of water with each song that came on, so I wouldn’t dehydrate.  I was heading for a small RV park in San Carlos, very near the land I was hoping to buy.  The ride was not so bad and I arrived to the lovely, if expensive, spot, to see what this week was going to bring.  I was giving myself 2 weeks max, to figure everything out – because the RV place was too expensive to stay longer!

Well, it was a short, fast roller-coaster ride before things got figured out.  I went to see the land again and met with the realtor.  I was thinking hard about the commitment and getting excited about possibilities.  We discovered the price had been lowered yet again, this time significantly.  I finally allowed myself to get truly excited, this could REALLY happen, I could see it within my grasp.  I reached out to a couple of lawyers, to see what it would take to get them to review my offer before submitting.  I was going to ask the owner to finance part of it, since I was rejected by all the banks.  The realtor and I were refining the 17 page offer letter.  I was hoping it would be ready for review the next day.  Two lawyers were super responsive and I even had a phone conversation with one.  It was starting to feel real!

 

It was like the little cart had finally click click clicked up to the tippy top…and within a few seconds, it was straight downhill. And I was screaming.  Because of the large price drop, there had been another offer. The owner rejected that offer and made clear what his lowest acceptable price was.   Even if I could convince him to finance a chunk of it, the amount I would have to ask for was just a bit out of my monthly payment comfort range.  And realizing there were going to be more offers from people who actually have all the money…was like pulling up at the end of the ride.

 

I was exhausted from all I’d just been through with my health, and I honestly probably wasn’t ready to take on the complex and stressful tasks related to purchasing land here.  I got off and walked away.  Maybe one day I’ll get another ticket and climb aboard the land-buy roller coaster, but for now, I wasn’t going for another ride.

 

While that felt final, sad, and somewhat of a relief, it also left me with “well what the hell am I going to do NOW???”.  The facts of my situation include San Carlos being 100+ degrees all day, every day until Octoberish.   Which means I can’t be here unless I can plug in my AC.  RV parks here are more expensive than the apartment was, by a lot.  Too much for an ac outlet and water. My back up plan was to go to Cananea – an old mining town up in the northeast of Sonora, where it is in the mid 80’s all day and colder at night.  I didn’t know much about it, but it seemed like I could find places to boondock and not have to be plugged in.  It was not a very appealing option, being super landlocked, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And it wouldn’t be forever.  It would involve 2 sweltering days of driving, and I began looking into the route and where I might be able to stay along the way.

 

It was great to see Mariana again, she came over to see me the day I arrived.  And the next day, too.   We went out to eat a few days after that.  I was really hoping something would work out to allow me to stay in San Carlos.  I finally biked to get some groceries and to the bank to get cash, to pay for the RV park stay (cash only!).  When I paid Jack, the owner, we got to chatting. He asked me how I liked it here. I told him I really loved it, it’s beautiful, close to town, very quiet and secure, the wifi works great.  I said I really wished I could stay, but it’s just too expensive for me.  He thought for a minute and said maybe we could work something out. It is low season and NO ONE is here but me. He offered me about half off the normal rate if I wanted to stay here through October.  I was kind of blown away, it was a very generous offer (and also to be fair, still a big profit for him - about 200X the cost of the power and water I would use).  I said I would think it over and let him know.  I kind of already knew the answer, but I still wanted to run all my numbers.

I really wanted to stay put in Rita, someplace beautiful and secure, and with no water or wifi issues, and the AC blasting 24/7.  With 3 months looming ahead of me, stripped of a number of worries, I could focus on my health -  finally get myself in shape after having fallen way off since my hiatal hernia surgery, nearly 2 years ago, and now this whole 3 weeks of complete inactivity. I was free of health issues now, but feeling far from “healthy”.  I decided to check out the San Carlos Athletic Club. I know a few of my friends go there, and I thought it might be nice to have some structure to help me really get exercise incorporated into my life again.  It has been many years since I belonged to a gym, and I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I at least wanted to see what it was all about.  I rode my bike there on Saturday, it is just over a mile away. I probably went a bit later than I should have; it was already 105 degrees out.  It’s a beautiful club, complete with all the machines, weights, classes, pool and a juice bar. Not to mention nice showers.  Cecy was coming out when I arrived.  She went in with me me and gave me a tour.  I spoke with the not-super-friendly front desk person and got all the membership options.  If I joined for 3 months, I wouldn’t have to pay an initiation fee.  Three months is the magic number!  I like doing my own thing at the gym, but also, I am considering trying out a spin class, there’s yoga and aqua aerobics, at 7 or 8 am, too.  I biked back, making a couple stops at hardware stores searching for some roof sealant for one of Rita’s many upcoming projects.  The heat was near deadly by the time I returned.  I hosed myself off and got myself back inside nice, cool Rita for the day.  Going forward, I will need to get to the gym between 7-8am to avoided dying on bike rides back. I guess I have to become a morning person for a while.

The next 3 months will likely consist of working, working out, working on Rita…maybe finding some fun in there?  I have to admit, the introvert in me isn’t super sad about being confined inside Rita most every day. So, probably nothing too exciting to write about for a while!