My old Mazda B2500 and New Ford Focus Titanium (100 pesos to all who can read this dull post from start to finish!)
Of the three Washington DC airports I use, Regan National is the smoothest to deal with. First, it’s closest to my house. BWI and Dulles take an extra hour, and one never knows what to expect on the beltway through Virginia or the congested Highway 301 north to Baltimore. The rental car pickup is right in the airport – no damn shuttle bus to wait for. Rush hour through Alexandria can be a pain, but I arrived well after ten p.m. on this trip with just the nightlife traffic to deal with.
As I haven’t been home since January, the ninety minute drive did not bother me as it generally does after a long flight. I was tried but happy to be so close to home and out of Mexico for a time.
I rented a huge SUV that had loads of power, so had to watch my speed. I was no longer in Mexico (where speed limits are just a suggestion). The roads seemed glorious – no pot holes or topes! Once over the Roosevelt Bridge and back in Maryland, the drive was effortless.
Ironically, my buddy Raul had called just when I entered Maryland and he was just crossing the Potomac River to the south on Highway 301. He was driving my new Ford Focus from California, and also relieved that his long trip was about over.
I figured I would be arriving home just about a half hour before him. I was somewhat amazed at our timing, as I could not send him a key in advance.
Before I knew it, I was in St. Mary’s County. I stopped at the local market and picked up enough food for the evening and breakfast. A few cold beers seemed in order as well, although I expected neither of us would be up for long.
The road to Piney Point seemed as it always does. Little changes out here, but there were some signs of new housing. When I approached the colorful lights of the Old Country Inn the stress of trip dissipated. I turned right on Lighthouse Road and left on Potomac Sands Drive and I was home.
My old Mazda pickup truck stood precisely where I left it nearly nine month ago – well almost, as my neighbors had to move it when our driveways and road was resurfaced. The battery was dead making that a bit of a challenge.
I drove around Crab Pot Lane to check out my boat. The cover looked faded and one tire on the trailer was flat, but otherwise OK.
I pulled up in the driveway and shut off the SUV. I had to dig out my house keys from my laptop bag, thinking for a moment that I forgot them in Querétaro. After fumbling with the locks in the dark, I was in.
I had forgotten all the stuff that I brought from my apartment in Philadelphia just before I left for Tampa and later Sacramento. The house looked like a warehouse, not a home. What a crazy way to live!
But for now I had no cares in the world. I opened the back screen door to the porch to let in some fresh air. Then popped open a beer and sat back on my Danish recliner thinking how really comfortable life was here. I’ve been on the road ever since I bought this place in 2002, but never away for so long.
Having just enough time to relax and get a beer down, Raul pulls up in the driveway. His trip was a bit more precarious than mine – being robbed at knife point and stopped by about every state trooper from Texas to Virginia – good old Middle America.
We unloaded a few things and then I grilled some pork chops and veggies while he filled me in on the harrowing details of his trip. By two a.m. lights out, and there was no wakeup call in the morning.
There’s something about sleeping in one’s bed that makes for a restful night. And that it was.
I awoke to the sound of coffee brewing in the kitchen, thinking it odd, as I didn’t make it. Oh yes my buddy was here, and I home, and it was amazing to be out of Mexico, and free of twelve-hour work days. I rolled over and went back to sleep.
When the day did arrive, I whipped up a simple breakfast and did nothing more than clean and organize the house. The cable guy was on-time and my wireless router actually worked without any effort – TV and internet by 1:00 p.m.
After that I pulled out the battery on the old Mazda with some help from Raul, as I stripped a nut on the battery cable. Raul was too beat to do much more, so I pulled out my to-do list and drove into town. More food, paint for the porch and stain for the steps – all tasks my Home Owners Association decided I need to do. I picked up a new battery, got some cash from the ATM and managed to get a haircut just before they closed.
By sunset I was again grilling – this time some NY strip steaks, with my standard veggies to balance it out.
On Saturday we were up earlier. I still made time for breakfast. Then Raul followed me back into town driving my truck. After sitting most for the last five years it was in need of some tender loving maintenance. I took it to Jiffy Lube which tends to be a bit pricy. I had requested “the works.” No comment on what it actually cost, accept to say that Raul couldn’t believe it.
But that was just the beginning of my little spending spree. About two weeks ago I dropped my laptop while checking into Bombardier. Now there’s no reason for me to even bring in my laptop as I have a workstation onsite, except the fear of it being stolen at my home in Mexico. That fear is unfounded, but habits are had to break.
Well my trusty old Dell still functions, but the hinge to the screen is cracked. Each time I open it, it seems to get worse – even with the packing tape that I patched it together with.
So at whim I stopped at Best Buy just to see if I could find something reasonable. Laptops are sure a lot cheaper than they were some years ago. I opted for a Toshiba on the high end at the retail level – a super thin, super light model with a solid state hard drive and no DVD drive. It was $953 with taxes. I must say I really like it, even though I had no plans to buy another computer this year. I just cannot imagine being without one if/when the Dell dies.
Unfortunately that was not the end of the spending. Raul was recruited not only to drive my car across the country, but to do some major work on the house. My long back porch need to be repainted and re-screened – a task I started two years ago but never came close to finishing.
So then we are off to Lowes for more paint, fiberglass screen and plastic strips to replace the wooden ones that keep peeling paint. To make the job easier, I picked up a small compressor with both a nail gun and staple gun (something I had planned to do anyway).
With my bank account nearly depleted we headed back to my house. One more night of grilling and a few beers and my brief stay is about over. My flight left at 8 a.m. on Sunday which meant I must leave the house at 5 a.m. Crap!
The wake-up call was not pleasant, but I took a cup of hot coffee for the drive. By sunrise I was feeling OK and mildly accomplished as I completed my entire to-do list. I’d be home in Mexico by mid-afternoon with plenty of time to rest for the long week ahead.
My first class seat was waiting for me – sitting this time next to the standard grumpy old white guy wearing Bose headphones for the entire trip. Too young guys across from me ordered Screwdrivers and I thought “what the hell,” and followed suit. After a light breakfast I stretched out and dozed off. Before I knew it, we were on the final approach to Houston.
Houston is an awful airport known for its delays, especially coming through immigration on the way in. It seems I always arrive right after a jumbo jet unloads from London or Madrid. Heading out of the country is less frustrating, but always means a trip from Terminal C to B. I had about an hour, so I grabbed some fresh coffee before hopping the tram.
I was first to broad the Embraer ERJ-145 and had the single seat over the wing which offers more room in this cramped little plane. It was an easy two hour flight to Querétaro.
If entering the US through Houston is a pain, Immigration into Querétaro is a breeze – it’s always the same guy. I hand him my entry form, passport and FM3 Card and I’m in before my luggage is unloaded.
But Mexican Customs is an annoyance. It’s also acrap shoot, as one is required to push a button which “randomly” selects a green or red light. Green is pass go; red requires a luggage search.
I am four for four with the red light so far. Generally it goes fast, but this time I made a costly mistake. I had both my old and new computers in my laptop bag. Who’d guess that one is allowed to bring only one computer in the country
There was one English speaking customs guy there – a young kid. He was friendly but firm. If I wanted to bring the 2nd computer into Mexico I’d have to pay a 16% fee – in cash! Yikes.
As I had the receipt from the computer handy, so I gave it to him. He calculated 1250 pesos. Fortunately I had the cash on me as I was planning to pay the parking fee and fill up with gas before returning to the city. I paid him and was given a very official receipt. I was free to leave customs!
Fortunately this small international airport has one ATM and I was able to take out another 1000 pesos for parking and gas. Within thirty minutes I was home on a warm, sunny day – Mexican Independence Day.
