In just over a week, I will be heading north to replace my long-lost Oregon driver's license, and to participate in the grand opening of a Salvation Army facility in Salem.
During the two weeks I will be in Oregon, I hope to catch up on lost socializing time. Most of my time for the two weeks I will be there is already booked.
But one thing I need to do is to put together a list of items to bring back to Mexico.
This is one of those perennial blog topics. What do you miss most in Mexico? After being here for only five months, I will have the luxury of schlepping some of my favorite things back to Mexico.
I am not yet done with it, but this is my first draft.
During the two weeks I will be in Oregon, I hope to catch up on lost socializing time. Most of my time for the two weeks I will be there is already booked.
But one thing I need to do is to put together a list of items to bring back to Mexico.
This is one of those perennial blog topics. What do you miss most in Mexico? After being here for only five months, I will have the luxury of schlepping some of my favorite things back to Mexico.
I am not yet done with it, but this is my first draft.
- sandals -- my good pair literally disintegrated in the heat and humidity (something from Rockport, I think -- and not like the photograph above)
- deck shoes -- my faithful pair are so torn that they collect sand and biting insects
- casual shirts -- I brought a large stack; every shirt is now torn or spotted with bleach, oil, or grime; Mexico is not kind to clothing
- head lamp -- not for the truck, for me; one of those hiker-style lights to let me read at night
- camera and associated paraphernalia -- something with a big zoom, probably a Panasonic FZ38
- Samuel Adams: A Life -- by Ira Stoll
- The Rogue's March: John Riley and the Saint Patrick's Battalion, 1846-48 -- by Peter F. Stevens (as part of my research on how the neighboring village, San Patricio, got its name)
- Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the war in the West, 1941-1945 -- by Andrew Roberts
- Eat This Book: A Conversation in Spiritual Reading -- by Eugene H. Peterson
- Driving Like Crazy -- by P.J. O'Rourke (there is no way I will miss reading another O'Rourke book -- especially after it gets an outstanding review from Florence King)
- DEET in travel size containers
- battery charger (my wireless keyboard -- thanks to the briny air -- is eating two AA batteries every 6 or 7 days)
- AA batteries (I still need them when I travel)
- FrontLine (for Jiggs -- tick and flea medicine)
- shampoo (a bow to vanity and marketing)
It is a short list. Some things I can get in Mexico -- at increased costs. The camera is an example. I can buy it here for almost 75% more than I will pay in The States. For some reason, my Polo shirts are extremely expensive, as well.
I will not find the deck shoes or sandals I want in Mexico. Simply not here. That surprises me. But I had some problem with deck shoes in Salem, as well. That is why they have not yet been replaced.
And I suspect the list is not going to grow much. I have been able to find substitutes for almost everything I need. Other wants, I have merely jettisoned.
I am taking a small carry-on north -- enough for my laptop and a change of clothes. I have a large suitcase I can bring south to carry my booty.
In October I will return with my new driver's license, and it will be as if I had never been parted from my wallet.
Even better. I will have more O'Rourke to read.
And, Jennifer. If you lived on the beach, I could lend it to you.
Even better. I will have more O'Rourke to read.
And, Jennifer. If you lived on the beach, I could lend it to you.
