going down with the ship

"Okay here we go.  She hits the berg on the starboard side, right? She kind of bumps along punching holes like Morse code, dit dit dit, along the side, below the water line."

That, of course, is Lewis Bodine narrating an animated sinking of The Big Ship in Titanic.  But, he could have been talking about Steve Cotton's new Escape.

After a flight from Mexico City yesterday morning, I got back to the house in Villa Obregon around noon, dropped my suitcases in the bedroom, and jumped into the Escape to collect my mail and to have lunch at Rooster's.  At least, that was my intention.

I have mentioned several times that the gate into the courtyard where I park my truck is a tight squeeze -- I often hear echoes of "for the gate is small and the way is narrow" when I pull in and out.  The fact that I often have zero depth perception does not help.  I have nicked the right rear fender three times.

But I now have more than a nick.  For whatever reason, even though I thought I had at least six inches to spare, I slammed the left front fender into the gate post.  When I pulled away, I managed to create some additional Titanic-style scrapes.  If I had been piloting a ship, we would have been on our way to eat lunch with the fishes.

The dent is obvious.  If the impact had not pushed the panel back enough to interfere with opening the driver's door, I might have left it untended.  But, leaving it untended would simply lead to further problems.  So, on the spot, I decided it needed to be repaired -- or, probably, replaced.

One of the great things about Mexico is that good car mechanics are everywhere.  I am lucky to live a block away from a fellow who learned body work in Oregon before he moved to Villa Obregon.  So, to Cruz went my Escape.

I left $8,000 (Mx) -- about $615 (US) -- with him yesterday to order a new fender from Guadalajara.  It will most likely be in his hands when you read this.  But I will be in Manzanillo looking for a new telephone to replace the one I left in Barcelona.

My niece tells me I need an HTC One M8.  And looking at the reviews, she seems to be correct.

The problem will be finding on near here.  My Mexican source tells me that model is not available in Manzanillo.  I may need to order one from above the border.  It would certainly be less expensive.

After spending the last month in Europe, it will be interesting transitioning back to my beach life.  While walking to the store last evening to buy an onion and some garlic for a pot of chili I was making, I noticed that I did not have the same peppy step I had in Venice.

Venice is a pedestrian-only city where dawdlers are run over by locals with a purpose.  My purpose seemed to have been drained by the heat and humidity.  It almost felt as if I was pushing my way through transparent gelatin.

But that is the cycle I will need to deal with during the portion of the summer I spend here.  And that is fine with me.

I can use a slower rhythm.  For a while.