Oregon winters may be dark and drizzly, but our summers are near picture perfect. Especially, the length of the days. At 9:30 I am sitting in the hot tub enjoying the sounds of the evening. And it is still light enough for me to read the high jinx of our national politicians.
Of course, there is plenty of light for me to see the series of jets heading south. I see evidence of three. They are gone, but they have left behind cirrus aviaticus -- contrails, as we land-bound folk say.
There is probably a lesson to be learned here. When first formed contrails are as narrow and uptight as the passengers on the flying penitentiaries -- where penance is not cheaply purchased -- that form them. But nature will have its way. In seconds the jet stream starts widening and softening the edges -- until they are less Mondrian and more Turner, especially when they shift into rose as part of the sunset.
And what does all that have to do with Mexico?
This week I have been allowing myself to start over-thinking two issues involved with my move: car insurance and banking.
John of Viva Veracruz is currently in the States trying to renew the Colorado registration on his vehicle. He has hit on the same problem that Bliss of 1st Mate discussed earlier this month. If you take a car, properly licensed in one of the States, south of the border, we all know that you need to buy Mexican insurance. That's the law. However, some bloggers are discovering to their literal cost that if you do not keep your insurance in place, your registration can be voided in some states. Of course, the insurance is of no value as long as the car is in Mexico.
One option is to merely decide not to return the car to the States. For years, foreigners have been driving cars in Mexico with expired American registrations. Now and then, in some areas of Mexico, people are stopped.
Some expatriates have started wondering whether those days may be over, as well. With the growing move to deny capital gains exclusions to foreigners, it is certainly not out of the realm of imagination that the Mexican authorities will expect vehicles to either have a valid registration in the country of origin -- or in Mexico. Scofflaw gringos will be a misty memory.
Most of us could accept this if there was some way for Canada, the States, and Mexico to have a reciprocal agreement on registrations and insurance. It would be a great NAFTA clause. Of course, in the current political environment, there will be no further liberalization of travel between the three countries.
As for my banking concerns, I keep forgetting that the ur-blogger, Michael Dickson, has given all of us great advice in that area. I just need to remember that I do not need to reinvent the wheel. And there is another great advantage of reading blogs.
Of course, there is plenty of light for me to see the series of jets heading south. I see evidence of three. They are gone, but they have left behind cirrus aviaticus -- contrails, as we land-bound folk say.
There is probably a lesson to be learned here. When first formed contrails are as narrow and uptight as the passengers on the flying penitentiaries -- where penance is not cheaply purchased -- that form them. But nature will have its way. In seconds the jet stream starts widening and softening the edges -- until they are less Mondrian and more Turner, especially when they shift into rose as part of the sunset.
And what does all that have to do with Mexico?
This week I have been allowing myself to start over-thinking two issues involved with my move: car insurance and banking.
John of Viva Veracruz is currently in the States trying to renew the Colorado registration on his vehicle. He has hit on the same problem that Bliss of 1st Mate discussed earlier this month. If you take a car, properly licensed in one of the States, south of the border, we all know that you need to buy Mexican insurance. That's the law. However, some bloggers are discovering to their literal cost that if you do not keep your insurance in place, your registration can be voided in some states. Of course, the insurance is of no value as long as the car is in Mexico.
One option is to merely decide not to return the car to the States. For years, foreigners have been driving cars in Mexico with expired American registrations. Now and then, in some areas of Mexico, people are stopped.
Some expatriates have started wondering whether those days may be over, as well. With the growing move to deny capital gains exclusions to foreigners, it is certainly not out of the realm of imagination that the Mexican authorities will expect vehicles to either have a valid registration in the country of origin -- or in Mexico. Scofflaw gringos will be a misty memory.
Most of us could accept this if there was some way for Canada, the States, and Mexico to have a reciprocal agreement on registrations and insurance. It would be a great NAFTA clause. Of course, in the current political environment, there will be no further liberalization of travel between the three countries.
As for my banking concerns, I keep forgetting that the ur-blogger, Michael Dickson, has given all of us great advice in that area. I just need to remember that I do not need to reinvent the wheel. And there is another great advantage of reading blogs.
