Lunch fiesta with Sal and Barb, Tioga George ......

Tuesday 3/26/13

I don’t know why I didn’t write yesterday but I kind of vegged out, watched movies and read all day long. I intend to talk with Ruth and Kevin about returning north possibilities; I didn’t talk with Renate yesterday and don’t know if she’s made any definite plans yet – maybe we’ll talk today.

There’s a lunch at a relative’s restaurant today at one o’clock; I paid Barb 50 pesos for it yesterday.  Not sure how many are attending.  Nancy and Doug should have returned from Guadalajara and Diane’s farewell last night – not sure if they did.  Lincoln was calmer last night and wasn’t clawing at the door to get out after his 24- hour outdoor adventure.

I’ve done a little morning clean and straighten up – so nice to have the little Mexican vac.  Oh, no! The hand-held shower tube just broke off the faucet and I think that means no more showers in the house ‘cause I’m sure I won’t find a part to repair it.  Well, I just use the new shower room almost right next door to my RV.  Everybody raves about the facilities for showers so it’s my turn to try it out.

I watched “Lincoln” with D.D. Lewis again yesterday and am so glad I did; I got so much more out of the dialog the second time around.  I also watched “Red Eye” with Rachel McAdams and the costume designer was Mary Clare Hannon, my neighbor in San Rafael’s daughter!  Yeah for her – she’s making her way in Hollywood!

Tuesday afternoon – Right now there’s thunder and lightening and a minuscule number of drops of rain; the electricity has gone off so I retrieved my Coleman lantern and am writing on my laptop via battery.  Only without power for an hour.

The lunch today was very very good – at the restaurant owned by Chema (Sal’s cousin) only a few feet from the entrance to the RV Park.  Chema – Jose Maria - and his wife, Irma, who I’ve mentioned before, hosted a lovely barbecue almuerzo for a large group of us from the RV park.  It seems that every year about this time Sal and Barb host a fiesta at the end of the winter RV season; this year has been difficult since Barb’s dad died in November 2012 and their daughter died this January so Barb hasn’t been capable of planning and carrying out some of their normal entertainment!  Amazing to me, since this is the most “user-friendly” park I’ve ever been in!  What more could they do to make us all feel welcomed and happy?

Anyway, I rode over with Nancy and Doug and when we arrived they’d decided to move  the party indoors because the tent-awnings  they’d rented didn’t arrive and the sun was very hot.  We moved furniture together to make one very long table seating about 24 people.  I kind of sidled up to “Tioga George,” a 75-year-old single man – the one I mentioned earlier as being the only male single traveler I recall having met on this trip, put my hand on his shoulder and said something like, “You’ll be my date for lunch!”  Yuck, Mary-Pat, what an intro to conversation – and I wonder why people sometimes shy / move away from me!!!!   Well, George Lehrer turned out to be the most interesting person I’ve met in a very long time.  I really can’t even say how long it’s been since I was so impressed at a first conversation.  I could describe our conversation as easy going, flowing from subject to subject, non-boastful, honest, thoughtful, thought provoking, non-threatening.  I could go on and on with adjectives.  We have lots in common.  Don’t we always say that when we meet somebody interesting?  “We have so much in common!”  But, in fact, it’s true of the two of us: 

• Bucket lists and life goals - lots of travel plans
• “Don’t make the grave the goal of your life” 
• Recognizing and correcting psychological / personality flaws and just plain bad habits, untoward negative effects of parenting on children
• flute playing
• ability to listen and hear others’ thoughts / truths WITHOUT having to express disagreement or negativity
• overcoming fear and looking for adventure
• Snickers

We talked and talked during and after lunch and; when we arrived back at the RV park, he invited me in to his motor home and we talked for at least another hour. 

He shared that he’s been married and has two sons – unfortunately, the elder has passed away.  He permanently lives in Mexico in his RV, travels from place to place – often simply dry camping on streets and in neighborhoods of pueblos. 

He previously lived in the Walnut Creek / Concord area before his adventure started 10 years ago.  He writes a well-known blog called “Adventures of Tioga and George.”  I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting and getting to know him and would like to keep a dialog going with him.  Who knows what the future might bring?