Dec 22, 2015
Yesterday and a priceless guitar is made even better
It was hot and humid yesterday. By noon it was 87F inside the RV and the ocean breeze had stopped. It was not pleasant but still better than rain, snow and cold. We had unexpected visitors. Always love it when someone walks up off the beach. Bella and Carl came by and dropped off one of her very special Christmas cards. A print from one of her hand painted pictures I was enjoying the visit and didn’t think to snap a photo until after they had walked down the beach.
I discovered an oriole nibbling, well actually pecking, at my bananas. I guess the oranges I put out for them aren’t enough.
It was just after 1PM when we finally headed into Mazatlan. The plan was to get all the groceries we needed until after Christmas. The mercado was a sea of people and traffic was crazy. After our purchases and a late lunch of a shrimp burger at Tony’s we had to walk blocks before finally nabbing a taxi. Not a pulmonia but a taxi with the back windows positioned in the up position with no handles to lower them. Remember how hot I said it was. I vow to only take pulmonias from here on in. Finally we got to the embarcadero and an ocean breeze and the quiet and peace of the Isla. Sorry no photos, I was just coping, hanging onto my parcels and putting one foot in front of the other.
Earlier in the morning Michael was out there becoming one with nature.
I did manage to take this one photo as we arrived in Mazatlan. A few shrimp boats were in and unloading their catches into that waiting truck.
After a late lunch we had an even later dinner but somewhat lighter. My version of nachos with tons of chihuahua cheese, refried beans, guacamole, salsa and sour creme. Not so light a dinner after all, my stomach is full but oh so tasty.
Some of you may remember when last March Colin sent his precious guitar to a luthier in Paracho, Michoacan. If not you can read about it here. We finally found out this past October that the repairs were completed. How to get back Colin’s precious instrument? Much back and forth, a number of emails to Chris and a good deal of research on his part. For certain Colin did not want to chance having the guitar shipped back to us here in Mazatlan. It is priceless and after the repairs even more so. Someone asked the other day what made it priceless. In a word it is the sound, you might compare it to a Stradivarius violin. However it is the total package, the handmade guitar built by a master, the wood, the very high quality of the parts, but in the end it all comes down to sound. So Colin had the fine cracks on the back repaired, caused by moving from wet Vancouver to dry Kelowna ( which will now increase the sound ), the frets redone as they were worn down, caused by much playing, the finger board needed to be plained and a new finish. How to get it back without damage or losing it?
Now this is what I dislike about posting…..I just lost the same amount I have already written above. I will try to recap.
The luthier himself put the guitar in the belly of bus going to Guadalajara from Paracho. Heri ( Heribertos’ son who is studying for his Masters in Architecture in Guadalajara ) met the bus as it arrived and carried it off the bus. A few days later Heri was traveling to Culiacan for Christmas but not via Mazatlan and took the guitar with him. Last Friday I drove Colin to the panga, on the Mazatlan side he took a pulmonia to the bus station. It was only a 2.5 hour ride and he spent the night in Culiacan. On Saturday he did the reverse trip back to the Isla with his precious guitar.
I call it a guitar coffin 🙂
It was well protected.
He is very happy with it and it has hardly left his hands the last few days.
Isela did a great job decorating their tree. The Mexicans are so creative.
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This is why I didn’t ask about Colin’s trip as I knew you’d blog about it. 🙂 Glad to know his precious guitar is back not just safe, but sounding better than ever!
I really don’t get how you keep losing your posts. If it’s an internet issue, time to compose your posts in a TextEdit document and then cut and paste them into the browser when the post is done. I’ll show you how to do that in such a way that you upload your pictures first into the post, get their coding that you can paste into TextEdit, and then write your blog around them so that when you cut and paste into WordPress, all you have to do is hit publish. Add it to our list for the blog overhaul in the New Year. Make the time for it because it’s ridiculous to keep wasting time writing disappearing posts when there’s an easy workaround.
Yup it seems forever sitting and waiting to post……grrr.
So happy for Colin!
What a great story.
How many many mikes did the guitar travel?
Good question Janet but I don’t have the time to figure it out :)) Certainly a long way.
Nice that he has it back safely, how will the humid weather there by the ocean and dry weather in Kelowna effect it now ?
We really don’t know George. It was rebuild in a dry climate so that should help. Colin is limiting it’s exposure outside. He does not plan on bringing it back here to Mexico which will help over time.
I’ll bet the guitar sounds wonderful. We hope you have a Wonderful Christmas.
It does Rod and Christmas greetings to you both.
I am posting to my blog using an iPad2. I use the app “pages” for writing the text, and the app “blogsy” to compose the blogpost. Then blogsy uploads the whole deal to blogger. Problem is that while composing in blogsy, if you make a mistake you will have a devil,of a time undoing it. In my last post some of my text ended up as a picture caption, I have no idea how to undo it.
Glad to see Colin reunited with his guitar!
Oh Peter, that sounds like a painfully complicated way to post.
I hope we get to hear the guitar (and Colin of course playing) tomorrow night and on the 25th.
Of course you will Mike 🙂