Thursday, June 04, 2009

garaged steed



I have not named a vehicle since I owned a 240Z. That was the 1970s.


There were a lot of things I did then that I have abandoned -- including not naming vehicles.


If my memory serves me, my Escape is my seventh vehicle since the named 240Z. And there is nothing about the Escape that has caused me to name it.


It is a utilitarian vehicle. And, even though I have now owned it for eight years, I have never formed a personal relationship with it.


That is, until this week.


Nancy commented yesterday that "most of your recent posts have a heavily negative aspect." And she is correct. I have not been very happy over the past two weeks.


And you all know the reason why. I have been worried about El Perro Viego. His legs have turned both of us into invalids.


I walked by the Escape on Wednesday and realized that I brought it down here to give me flexibility in driving around. So, on Thursday morning, Jiggs and I will do just that.


I will pop Jiggs into the back of the truck, free the Escape from its stable confinement, and the three of us will head off for some short adventures. It may not be much, but we can enjoy ourselves to the extent of our individual limitations.


So, yes, Nancy, there is joy in Melaque -- or nearby. And we are going to prove it.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good for you! I also have an old, lame dog, and dread the day she's no longer with me. I hope the two of you have many happy adventures today!

Islagringo said...

Go get 'em Tiger!

Julian from SC said...

With this new resolution in Melague firmly underway I hereby propose a naming contest for your Escape. I now propose "Little Red" as the first suggestion. Or should it be the Spanish equivalent... Pequeño Rojo.

I await other suggestions and your supervision of the contest!!

And I hope you two have some great adventures!!

Julian

Michael Dickson said...

Sure, it has a name. Escape. Apt for you in this case.

Larry in Mazatlan said...

Outstanding! Like Nancy, I've been having the same concerns of late. Something that you're going to discover when you get out and about are all of the little hidden treasures around you. The gems are there, they just aren't always very big. And the best ones are those that don't attract the gringos.

The added advantage is that you'll have to climb down from your steed and comunicate in the local tongue.

Larry

Chrissy y Keith said...

I think Ruby fits her well.

peachland said...

A short escape is better than no escape ,good way to check out the area.Never know what you will see.
take care

Nancy said...

I'm glad you're going on an adventure. I was thinking about you and also thinking how different it is for a single person to make a move like this...you need to be way more outgoing, for sure.

You'll get the rhythm of where people go and what to do but it's too bad you moved there during the summer doldrums! Have fun today.

GlorV1 said...

You go Steve and Jiggy! Go get em! Enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy.

Tancho said...

Yes you must now fill your mind up with gibberish to make your retirement worthy of something that will allow yourself to converse with yourself. That will pass the time of day and give you a reason to live!
Just be sure that you don't start answering your own questions ....that is unhealthy.

I will have a name I would throw into the naming pool.

One simple one, worthy of your Mexican Steed!

Rocinante!

Joe S. said...

Having a hard time figuring out what I (yeah I like cars) would of named (not really a habit of naming cars) a 70's 240Z if I'd ever owned one.( read extreme jealousy) So I'm off on that tangent, are you going to share the name? If so I will be about to get back to enjoying the Mexican aspects of your life

Babs said...

Steve - cattycorner from the restaurant Maya is a "locals" hangout. They have music on the weekends and a bar. Go hang out and meet some locals -it will make all the difference in the world.
I'll try to find out the name of it when I get back to San Miguel....

Julian from SC said...

I like that one, Constantino!!

Rocinante -- kinda has a ring to it, don't it! I almost have decided to vote for it over mine, but I determined that I could never pronounce it correctly!

Beth said...

I thought its name was Ketchup?

I know what you mean though about be rendered an invalid by your dog. I've found myself in the same quandry. People ask me "what are you doing this weekend?" And I think to myself - what can I do, Gracie can't go with me. But I'm figuring out it's ok to go to Saturday Market without her. I think...maybe...what do you think?

1st Mate said...

Excellent idea!

You didn't mention it, but I wonder if missing your brother has anything to do with your sadness. After all, your time together was a very important element of this whole trip.

Have a wonderful adventure tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

Quoting from above: "I will have a name I would throw into the naming pool.
One simple one, worthy of your Mexican Steed!
Rocinante!"

Hey, wasn't that the name of John Steinbeck's car/RV on his crosscountry USA tour that were chronicled in "Travels with Charley"?
That's my vote, also. Steinbeck said no one once asked him to explain the naming of his vechicle and he thought this odd.
Charley
Houston TX

Unknown said...

I have only named one vehicle in my life: my current ride Pepe. Buen viaje, amigo con Escape.

Anonymous said...

I think you should name your car "Escape," as that's what it allows you to do. And there's a certain subtle irony in naming a car after its model name. Instead of being an escape, it simply becomes Escape. Eskep as spelled phonetically in Spanish.

Or, if you are in a particularly Mexican state of mind, you could call it Fuga, which is Spanish for the English noun "escape," the verb being another word. Fuga also has faint overtones of being a fugitive. But then it also translates to "fugue," as in "tocata and fugue."

But whatever you end up calling the darn car, you definitely need to get out and about. Mexico's a big country with lots to see and experience. No sense in just hanging around your beach house. Go to Puerto Vallarta. Head into the mountains toward Guadalajara. Go to Pátzcuaro. All those places will be cooler and drier to boot.

And write about your adventures. We are vicariously living your retirement.

Saludos,

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where there are thousands of fabulous day-trips to be had.

Steve Cotton said...

Jodancingtree -- It was a great day.

Islandgringo -- He truly was a tiger yesterday.

Julian -- I suspect the name is going to remain the generic "Escape," or merely the utilitarian "truck."

Felipe -- It came christened. I will use it.

Larry -- There are great gems. for a while, we will search for them a bit at a time. I was going to take him to La Manzanilla this morning. But he is tired and my bowels are not in a traveling mood.

Chrissy -- Too personal, I think.

Peachland -- And we saw amazing things.

Nancy -- Keep on pushing, and I will keep on moving.

Gloria -- Enjoyment was the order of the day.

Constantino -- I never limit myself to answering questions; I have entire round table discussions with myself.

Joe S. -- The name was so mundane that it would add nothing to the discussion.

Babs -- I will take a look. My experience, though, is that the local hangouts are simply closed during the summer months. And several old places will never open again. It is tough here.

Beth -- Leaving our invalid dogs is a problem. But I have discovered that Jiggs will be waiting for me patiently when I return -- from short jaunts.

1st Mate -- Darrel's departure was undoubtedly an element in my current mood. When he was here, I always had someone to talk with.

Charley -- It is not a bad name, but it simply does not fit the utilitarian role of my truck.

Laurie -- We all had a good escape.

Kim -- As long as Jiggs is restricted in his walking, I will not be taking big trips. But there is time -- I hope -- to enjoy the reason I came to Mexico.

Steve Cotton said...

Beth -- If you recall, "Ketchup" was an externally-imposed name. There is no imperialism on these libertarian pages.