February 1-2-3, 2010

The First Rainfall in Five Years (in Feb)
On the first of February, we have a wonderful, sunny, happy day at Miramar playing in the ocean. As we sit and sip our drinks and have lunch, clouds begin to roll in. Everyone half laughs at Vince, who has read the weather forecast for Manzanillo predicting rain. But when we awake the next morning – early, as Chris, Dave, Doug, Barb, Deanna, Paul, John, Bonnie and Pete plan to climb the mountain to the Cross – it is pouring rain! We are in shock. Chris, Dave, Doug and Barb take the car and go into Manzanillo to see what’s happening, while Deanna, Paul, Vince and I have breakfast, read, finally get ready, and then hop on the bus. We are at the Bar Social by eleven forty-five, which is fifteen minutes late for meeting the others (as it turned out, they had left at 11:35). So we sit and have several cold beers while the Mexican singer from last week does his magic with his beautiful voice. We meet up with the others walking down the street and poke our way through shops. Eventually we end up behind the iguana park, where Chris holds a beautiful, tame orange and green and brown medium-sized iguana. Back home, the rain is still flowing in and out, alternating between dribbling and driving. We cook a huge dinner of chicken and salad and eat by the sea. Just as we are finishing, a huge lightning storm starts up and entertains us thoroughly. It’s far out on the ocean, so distant that we can’t even hear thunder. Some of the bright orange forks hit the water. The silver electrical fingers that run from cloud to cloud light up the entire sky. We make so many oohs and aahs that the others think we are playing dice, so they come down to watch! It reminds me of watching the storms play across Georgian Bay. The storm appears to be abating when we finally go to bed. Lightning has now spread to the mountains behind us, so we assume it has moved away. Little do we know, the best is yet to come.
At one thirty, Chris awakens to the sheets of rain blowing the curtains in and sucking them back out. She stumbles out to the living room, only to sink in water up to her ankles. The entire unit, as usual, is open to the elements, so she closes the door and then tries to fasten the slanted windows. As she is struggling with the latches, her hair and nightgown are drenched by enormous waves of rain, as though the ocean has moved up to our balconies. Back inside the bedroom, Dave is snoring away and Chris is puzzled about the dryness of the floor in there. Then she notices one corner of Dave’s comforter is lying in the water, sucking it up and slowly creeping toward his toes. Still he sleeps on.
Meanwhile, Vince and I are awakened by the same wave-sound pounding on our windows. Deanna and Paul get up too. We all wade into the living room, which has several inches of water. Vince and Paul struggle to close the balcony door and the slatted windows. Once they are latched, Paul suggests that they try to sweep some of the water out of the apartment. Vince points to the broom and mop – out on the balcony. Once they retrieve those in the drenching downpour, they start to sweep a lot of the water away. Still the storm rages.
Upstairs, Pete and Bonnie are closing up their windows and sweeping the water away. Maire gets up too. Her bedroom is dry, so is the bathroom, and most of the living room, so she confidently walks toward the balcony. Suddenly, her feet find the puddle and she falls backward on her ass, bumping her head on the coffee table. Of course we worry about her all day, but she seems to be fine.
Chris, Dave, Doug and Barb take off in the car. Naturally I do not want them to go, but they are over fifty, so I have nothing to say about it! I tell them to be careful because there are a lot of people whom I love in that car! (More about their adventures when they get back…)
It rains all day. POURS. We sing, It never rains in Manzanillo, but girl don’t they warn ya, it pours, man it pours? We play dice, cards and trivial pursuit all day as we drink caesars, hot chocolate and liqueurs, or beer (or a combination of the former). There is a lot of laughter despite feeling slightly cool and damp. Another odd adventure to savour!! In all their five years of being here, this is a first for Peter and Bonnie.