"Storm Coming"

During the summer, which is now, on Friday and Saturday nights the air is filled with music from three different concert locations. Two on the beach and one at the military recreational complex up the hill behind me. It must be because the streets all run into the beach and are lined with apartments and hotels and such, that we hear the concerts as though we were right there. We are like in "building canyons". I tell you this because each concert begins at 11 p.m. with the loudest fireworks you've ever heard. It is traditional for concerts and other public events to begin this way. The loud booms are not only heard but felt inside you clear to your toes. I've grown accustomed. . .but in the beginning my heart stopped. It is so loud it blows your socks off. The concerts last 'til 3 sometimes 4 in the a.m.

When I moved to Brasil, I had to make a lot of hard choices about what I could take with me and what I had to leave behind in storage. My thoughts were that I would be able to buy my art supplies when I got settled so I left them behind in storage. Well, that was a terrible mistake. There is an office supply store that sells student grade watercolor paper (some of the time). The store carries a good supply for oil painters, but not watercolorists. The store carried 3 different sizes of water color brushes. None, of course, the size I wanted. The only paint available was Pentel, also student grade colors. Had I known how frustrating this would be, I would have left clothes behind in order to have room for my art supplies. Watercolor paintings are almost unknown here where I live. Oils are quite popular and many artists sell their paintings in the open air market on the beach.

"Mexican Corn Grinder"

On the one hand I've hadto make adjustments and make do for certain things. Art supplies are high on my wish list. I'd give my kingdom for Jiff Extra Creamy peanut butter. There is no sour cream and no green chilis. Absolutely every other kind of chilis, but not a good fat thick Anaheim or a good jalapeno. However, there are so many things here to delight me and make my life easy. For instance, I can have just about anything delivered right to my door, from aspirn from the farmacia to a hammer from the hardware store to groceries from the supermarket. In fact, I can call in my list of groceries, a store employee with shop for me and then it will be delivered. I love to hear the vendors singing and calling their wares. Living here has also been extraordinarily good for my health. I walk almost every day, to the store, the beach or on other shopping errands. If something is too far away, we take a taxi which is incredibly reasonable.