Dreamin' 'bout Mexico!

I have awakened the past three mornings from vivid dreams of being back in Mexico and it is making me homesick. Adding to the feeling that time is fleeing is the unavoidable realization that the weather is clearly getting colder and wetter, the trees are shedding their leaves at an alarming rate and every day is growing shorter by 4 minutes. It doesn’t sound like much but when you add those 4 minutes up into one big lump it comes out to TWO HOURS in one month! Then, in just two short weeks Daylight Saving Time comes to a screeching halt. Once that happens the days will REALLY get short. Judging by my “old life”, when the weather gets cold, wet & dark I tend to get very bear-like. Chubby, grouchy and somnolent.

The land and sea cruisers are beginning their annual migration to the south. “Follow the sun” being our motto. I am jealous. And restless. I find myself wanting to go shopping for boat parts, canned food and paper products, top off the propane, start planning a route and all the other last minute things we would normally be doing at the end of summer.

Under normal circumstances we, too, would be starting the southbound trek but this year is different. This year we have made the (possibly idiotic) decision to purchase a house in Vancouver. The offer was made in early September and we have still received no answer from the bank. This is a short sale and we were appropriately warned of the traditionally longer timeline to obtain these homes but this is getting a bit aggravating. One would think the bank could at least give you a “yes” or “no” but alas that is not the case. Our realtor has been harassing the seller’s realtor. The seller’s realtor and the seller have been harassing the bank. All to no avail. In the meantime, time is whizzing by as we wait and hope that the snow doesn’t arrive before we get some sort of resolution. Our “moorage” in this RV Park expires on Nov. 3^rd. In past years we’ve been in Mexico by then.

Suffice it to say I am clearly missing Mexico. I miss the sunshine, the heat (it is currently 90 daytime/75 nighttime in San Carlos), the traveling, the food, the beautiful sunsets and anchorages, and, especially, the people. Walking back to the boat in shorts and tank top after an evening at Philo’s. Fish tacos and a cold cerveza at a palapa on the beach. Pelicans dive bombing next to the boat while they collect their dinner. Ohhhh…CATCHING a nice big Mahi Mahi for dinner! Dinghy raft ups. Local bands providing impromptu beach concerts.

OK. I’ll stop it. I’m sure it won’t be long now. Will it????

Still Waiting

Summer is definitely over and the fall rains are beginning. Yesterday we paid for another month in the RV park. EEEK! All our cruising friends are readying to go south and here we still sit, waiting for a decision on the house. The offer we made included a deadline of 15 (we thought it was 10 but apparently that got changed) working days for the bank to either or accept or reject. We are now 7 working days beyond that deadline and still have received no response. Why is it that this bank lost 2.39 BILLION dollars due to the huge number of foreclosures they have had to do and yet they are in no hurry to sell these homes. The realtors have become quite reluctant to show short sales and repos specifically because it can take as long as six months for the sales to be completed. It is not unusual for the banks to decline a legitimate offer and counter with a request for more money than they were originally asking. We have heard plenty of these stories from folks who have purchased (or attempted to) these homes as well as from realtors. Given the fact that houses are like cars and boats, and they deteriorate when they sit vacant, one would think the banks would be happy to reduce their inventory. It appears that is not the case. The house we are interested in buying is no exception. The exception (that I am sure the bank does not realize) is that we are NOT married to this house. If they continue to dick around, we WILL withdraw the offer and go south. After all, we already have two homes so we aren't exactly going to be on the street. Besides...neither of us is terribly excited about spending the winter here!