Mexico-2020

Yesterday we invited a local couple to come over, enjoy our pool, and have supper with us. The brother is handicapped and needs a wheel chair but he is still able to make it in and out of the pool. A long time studious person, he has impressive knowledge of Bible languages, precise word meanings, word origins, history, and of course the Bible itself. It can be humbling having a conversation with him but also quite stimulating. This afternoon, around siesta time, we were 4 JW couples down by the pool, also enjoying rich conversation. When the brothers noticed my book about Quantum physics it somehow led to a discussion of dinosaurs. I never did catch the connections that ended us up there but dinosaurs make for a subject with its own interesting questions. I have no photos illustrating any of the above but I do submit the ones below of a more general nature ... Carol contemplating the ocean. Her photo of a cruise ship on its way to Zihuatanejo. At times these ships park...

Our day began waiting for a bus to take us to the service arrangement at the Hall in Zihuatanejo, then of course entering the Hall and taking our seat in the auxiliary class room. Two sisters were assigned to work with Carol and me. One was the sister with the exploding kitchen stove, and her partner was a local unbaptized publisher. We took a taxi to our territory which is far cheaper to do here than in Montreal. We could have walked it in a half hour but in the very warm sunshine we'd have arrived dragging long tongues. The photo collage below shows the territory and includes another Kingdom Hall we discovered. It is all search work of course, looking for those who might speak English.We spent a little time with one man waiting on the street for a friend. His English was perfect because he was a Canadian from Ottawa who winters here. He took a tract from Carol. Among other things he told me about an app that enables a person to send his GPS location, and directions, to a...

Not much to report today except we consulted Yelp to see what restaurants around here serve the tastiest food. We chose a taco place with enthusiastic reviews and went for a walk to give it a whirl. It takes 12 minutes to stroll from our place to the center of Ixtapa where the restaurants are, but the scenery makes for a pleasant saunter ... Not a shabby sidewalk. Here we are seated at taco heaven in eager anticipation ... They keep one's hungry stomach from growling and scaring the children by serving Nachos while one waits. The tacos arrived in bulk so to speak. It was up to us to orchestrate the components into tacos ... The menu said we'd get three but with four tortillas one makes four, and it gives me pleasure to report they lived up to the praise. Messy but delicious! Then a women's band marched into the restaurant and delivered a performance. Our seats put us at the rear of the show in strict compliance with the rule of life that decrees that, sho...

We're just back from our Sunday-Meeting-On-A-Saturday. Not only did we listen to a fine Public Talk but after the meeting our visiting speaker could be seen sweeping the floor. I thought, "What a good example he's setting. Maybe I should look for a broom and join in." Then I thought, "No, I've got a better idea. I'll take out my phone instead and snap a picture." Hey, the sweeping was almost finished. Yes, that's Carol speaking with Pat White in the background on the left. I acknowledge yesterday I may have left some readers wondering about the exterior finish on Noah's ark. Further research into available Watchtower publication illustrations has revealed the following ... Here is Noah, or perhaps one of his older sons, applying a prime coat of tar to the side of the ark. Subsequently animals were ushered into the finished ark and, as the following illustration from 'My Book of Bible Stories' shows, the ark evidently spor...

I spotted Louey out of the corner of my eye while sitting by the pool today reading my book on Quantum Physics. It's a curious book by the way. The author uses a scientific term, explains what it means, I read it twice, and understand nothing. Ready to put the book down and give up, I have an idea. Why not look up the word in a dictionary? I do that and the dictionary makes it crystal clear. It makes me suspect this author knows physics better than he knows English expression. But back to Louey. Every so often one sees a lizard or two on the grass. When you approach they panic and race away all legs flapping. Not Louey the Lizard. He seemed to understand I was harmless and allowed me to approach and video him munch on lunch as much as I wanted. I share this sample with you ... Louey the Lawn Lizard At our mid-week meeting this evening we met more brothers and sisters we hadn't seen for a year. One single Mexican brother introduced me to his fianc ée which was a ple...

This morning we hopped on a bus to the nearby town called Zihua for short and strolled through the market place. There are many JWs here. Brothers and sisters doing cart work can be found minutes from one another. We chatted briefly at three spots, the first of which was here ... The brother with the cane spoke English. In an unusual twist one person in this photo is not a Witness despite wearing a tie. He popped around the corner just as I snapped the photo. I blurred out his face as a courtesy. Then a couple of blocks further we met these sisters ... The sister in a white top told us the story of her exploding kitchen stove. ... then a couple of blocks later, we met these sisters ... A little further we stopped at a beach-side restaurant for a lemonade because the day was exceedingly warm. As we took our seats I overheard a man at a nearby table tell his friends, "I was just talking to Jehovah's Witnesses and they told me ..." Alas, I missed the re...

Clouds around here are usually modest little things that sit around the horizon like wallflowers. A few strays may show up and contribute charming puffs of orange to a sunset, but today was different. Robust fellows showed up and formed an imposing scene. Here's a sample ... The slow-motion descent of the sun, the shifting of color, the subtle changes in cloud formation, all create a spectacle that both inspires and relaxes. It is so much more pleasant than an abrupt switching off the light at day's end. Such meditation led me to think of how God's creative 'days' are described in similar terms: "And there was evening and there was morning, a first day." (Gen. 1:5) "And there was evening and there was morning, a second day." (Gen. 1:8) - etc. It seems to imply a progressive but calmly gradual creative pace. And is this not Jehovah's usual way of doing things? To illustrate, Ezekiel 10:4 says, "...and the house gradually bec...

This morning we mounted another mini-van bus to Zihuatanejo to pick up a few more needed things at the local Sam's Club. It seemed worth a go but it wasn't really. The product quantities are huge. Is it a bottle of salad oil you'd like? Well, here are two 25 gallon drums, attached together, complete with burro to carry it home for you. We did find some needed items in civilized quantities so the trip was not in vain, despite appearing possible when the cashier encountered relentless difficulties getting our membership card accepted by Sam's uncooperative electronic system. Neither did prospects look good as we approached the exit. Instead of a cheerful clerk cavalierly dashing a check mark on our receipt, a frowning, burly woman confronted us and rifled through every item in our carriage as though my face had once appeared on a wanted poster. After returning we set ourselves up by the pool to do some reading. By the way, for those who have requested a photo of the p...

We attended our Public Talk and Watchtower Study early this evening. A sister took the photo below of our arrival at the little Kingdom Hall in Zihuatanejo ... to Yes, I'm carrying my jacket. I never put it on. Temps were in the mid-80's. But I bring it out of respect for tradition. It was good to meet our friends here again. Most of them are older and have been in the truth a long time. This makes for stimulating comments reflecting their long experience. Two couples from Valleyfield are here giving us a chance to converse in French and bewilder both the English and Spanish speakers in the hall. This congregation has the agreeable custom of applauding the meeting immediately after the closing prayer. Here is a photo taken about 10 seconds after the applauding stopped ... Tomorrow is going to feel like Monday.

We learned the local English congregation now has its Sunday meeting on Saturday, at 6:30 p.m. This will feel different. The story of our first meeting here since arriving will be told tomorrow. Otherwise, today happened to be one of those days when ...

There's not much to be said about grocery shopping, but we did have to stock our empty pantry, so that was priory one today. For a good start we ate breakfast at the restaurant that is part of this complex. We were joined by our scavenger friend Charlie, a black bird that also visits us on our balcony. I'm not saying this bird is really the same one that visits our balcony, but we like to think so, and who is going to prove it's not? The bus ride from Ixtapa to Zihuatanejo is always an adventure since much driving here is done by ear. The store itself is huge and besides groceries one can buy hardware, furniture, electronics, children's toys, car tires, you get the picture.  As mundane as grocery shopping may be one never knows when a moment of amusement will pop up. I had not noticed this particular brand of Tortillas before and could only admire the name ... Yes, I looked it up right away on my cell phone. Won't you? We are on the 12th...

At 10:45 a.m. this morning we sat aboard a jet lifting away from Mexico City, soaring high over the mountains that ring this city, known for its remarkable altitude of 7400 feet. Oxygen is not as plentiful there, a reality that can quickly tire out the unaccustomed visitor. Sitting in the airport, waiting for our flight, we noticed a distinguished-looking gentleman in suit and tie sit across from us. He carried only a book with flexible leather cover and gold-edged pages. I know a Bible when I see one. I wondered what I could do. I wanted to talk with him but what if he understood only Spanish? I didn't have to wonder long. It was time to go to our flight gate. We got up to leave and I said to him, "I see you have a nice Bible there." "Si, " he said. "I am very interested in the Bible too," I said. He smiled. Carol asked him if he was Catholic. He said no. He understood some English. "Would you mind if I showed you something interesting...

Morning breakfast is served in an open terrace on the 6th floor of this hotel. We've been privileged to enjoy two breakfasts there during our short stay. Here is Carol taking in the scenery this morning ... Fueled by the fine Mexican fare we left to visit The Blue House, a museum and former home of famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo who died in 1954. We arrived to find long lines of people trailing around the building, waiting to enter. A man told us the expected wait was 90 minutes. The sun was bright and assertively warm. The prospect of standing 90 minutes in it stirred scant enthusiasm in us at the tail end of that line. The above photo gives just a little idea of the The Blue House's popularity. Carol suggested I go to the entrance and try to find out what we were really in for. This turned out to be the most brilliant suggestion she has made on this trip so far. At the gate a young lady wearing an important looking badge guarded the entrance. I asked if there ...