In the morning, I removed, cleaned, and applied Di-Electric grease to all the terminals on the golf cart. I was going to replace the 6 gauge wires that come with most golf carts, with 4 gauge wires as they conduct electricity from the batteries much better. I discovered though, that this cart already has 4 gauge wires and they were in good shape, so simply cleaning and applying the grease was all that was needed.
We left for Mexico in the afternoon for the birthday party. This is a big deal for Mexican families, and in Erika's case she has a lot of friends who are more than willing to organize and supply various things that go to making the party a success. This year it was a Leopard theme, don't ask me why, Katie and I had tried to find something Leopard to wear but couldn't find anything.
Katie and I thought it was going to start at 4 but that must be Mexican time. We helped set up decorations and cleaning tables and chairs that were set up outside.
Somewhere between 6 and 7 a truck pulled up, two guys got out and started setting up large speakers and a metal stand that was capable of having a small light show. Once set up they started the music which kept us entertained while many of Erika's friends started to arrive. We had four large tables full of friends.
All set for the party
One of Erika's names is Ivone but we always call her Erika
It's really incredible how these families help each other. One of Erika's friends Joanna has a couple of brothers who show up and start the cooking process cutting up onions, preparing the meat and the tacos on the barbeque. Joanna's husband Danny comes with some of his family and they start getting supplies like beer and drinks and ice...making more than one trip. They are all hard working and do all of this with a smile.
Erika, Karelly, Livy, and some of her other friends all had dresses or outfits with Leopard prints. They all looked great. Erika told us that there would also be a bit of carnival atmosphere later on, which as it turned out involved masks for the women and fun phony ties for the men.
Just before it got dark, another vehicle arrived and a Mexican Band with a singer who looked like he was 12, a tuba player, a couple of drum sets, two guys playing trumpets, a clarinet player, showed up and in no time set up and were playing. They were all in their band clothing, all the players in red pants with a couple of stripes on one leg, except for the singer who had white pants with the stripes. He was also wearing a black cowboy hat.
I am not going to post all the pictures Katie took as they are numerous and there are also videos...instead I will post the pictures as a slideshow if you have a mind to watch through them.
The band played a long time without a break, and there was quite a bit of dancing including Katie and I.
Once the band finished, it was time to eat. Erika's mom who comes from Monterrey, makes this delicious soup, and it is eaten out of Styrofoam coffee cup with a spoon. Then it was time for the meal which was three tacos with meat, fried onions, and cilantro. They were very good, so Jim had to have another plate as we had not had lunch, and we didn't eat until around 10PM. Joanne's brothers did a great job.
Then there was more dancing to the music man, and it was 11:30 before we decided we had better get going. We got a ride to the bridge, walked over the bridge, and at US customs there was no one there except us and the customs guys. The one that looked after us was very nice, and off we went with no problem. We went to our car in the parking lot, and our car was the only one there.
After a 20 minute drive home, we got a chance to unwind and then to bed.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
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