9 October 2005
It has been quite some time since I last wrote. Fortunately, there is not much to report. Kathe arrived in Antigua safely, if a little worn out from a rough trip, between the weather delays and a very rough landing or two. But she did arrive, and has settled into a routine of working with me combined with rituals of daily living.
The main issue so far is that she has not seen the Guatemalan sun since she got here. It has rained non-stop. It was raining before Stan hit, but Stan, as has been reported in the news, has brought rain to a new level. And it lingers. I have teased her that I am sending her back to the US, just to get rid of the rain. What is she, a hurricane magnet? We are definitely in the market for an ark, just in case.
The destruction around us is pretty awe-inspiring, for a hurricane no bigger than Stan was. It did not touch Antigua, but all around there have been landslides, mudslides, raging rivers and death. It makes me very grateful that all we are dealing with is the discomfort of having to bring an umbrella with us everywhere we go.
But the umbrella is not the only side effect. On consecutive days, I went into the bathroom, only to find a very large cockroach that had come in seeking refuge from the rain(along with myriad other critters) . Now mind you, I am not the sort who begrudges
animals shelter wherever they can find it.
Nor am I particularly freaked out by roaches. But there are limits. The first one I saw I quickly squooshed, then
spent some time cleaning up the very juicy remains.
The second one was the one that bothered me. I had grabbed my toothbrush, and was performing some pre-bed ritual ablutions of the mouth when I noticed the cockroach. It was in the toothbrush holder. My ablutions stopped abruptly. Suddenly, brushing my teeth had less appeal.
The cockroach began to climb up one of the other toothbrushes. I, horrified, grabbed the toothbrush and started to shake it to free it of cucaracha. The roach had other designs; it clung on and continued its way upward, to perceived safety. Very quickly, I found myself in too close proximity to an otherwise beautiful insect, and flung both toothbrush and cockroach across the bathroom.
From the other side of the door, Kathe, who had been following my activities by listening to my running commentary, suggested hairspray. I promptly applied hairspray to the critter, whereupon he froze, and I allowed him to join his mate, well squished and cleaned up after, disposed of in the garbage can.
Fortunately, we have the strongest antiseptic known to humankind. My uncle Oregon has distilled some wonderful moonshine, brought down by Kathe to replenish my supply. The toothbrushes stayed in the alcohol for 24 hours.
Kathe’s arrival has been wonderful, on a number of counts. I am working much harder on the analysis now, and am making real progress on what lithics there are here in Antigua. But in my down time, I am also rediscovering Antigua. It is a small town, and, although there is a lot to see, I tend to find myself in familiar paths when I am alone. Since she has arrived, I walk routes I had not traveled, discovering hidden treasures everywhere, including ruins, restaurants, art vendors, and antique dealers. Last night we tried out one of our finds, a lovely little one-roomed Italian restaurant called Vinoteria on the outskirts of the city, and had a wonderful meal of pizza and wine.
We took a break Friday afternoon to
look at some ruins down the street named Sta. Clara. The gardens were spectacular (see attached photos, although the photos do not do it justice) ,
and I found a couple of obsidian blades together with some majolica eroding out
of the ground. Long-term occupation
here.
We also took a night walk down to the center of Antigua to take some photos there. I have included a shot of the fountain and the cathedral at night, both of which are stunning in the twilight.
Meanwhile, back in New Orleans, life is pretty tough. We have been getting reports from friends and family alike that the damage done to houses all around us was pretty spectacular. Edna Charles, a friend with a house on Nashville Ave., sent some pictures along that were simply horrifying. Couches that had floated around in a pond of sewage in the middle of the living room, which were then left to dry in the humid heat. Mold city. Don said it was like going into a psychedelic bar – so many colors of mold growing on everything.
GianMarco said the same thing. After he went in to check his house, he came back with horror stories, as well, of truly repulsive sights within the city, and also in his house. He meets with the insurance adjuster tomorrow to discuss how much insurance will pay.
And that seems to be a prevailing theme. How much will insurance cover, and how much will they try to get away without paying. I contend that the current view of Katrina is too public - insurance companies can ill afford to fail to cover what they said they would cover. The profile is simply too high, and access to the media is shared by many. And, of course, vultures are circling - I mean, lawyers are looking for clients.
It has been quite some time since I last wrote. Fortunately, there is not much to report. Kathe arrived in Antigua safely, if a little worn out from a rough trip, between the weather delays and a very rough landing or two. But she did arrive, and has settled into a routine of working with me combined with rituals of daily living.
The main issue so far is that she has not seen the Guatemalan sun since she got here. It has rained non-stop. It was raining before Stan hit, but Stan, as has been reported in the news, has brought rain to a new level. And it lingers. I have teased her that I am sending her back to the US, just to get rid of the rain. What is she, a hurricane magnet? We are definitely in the market for an ark, just in case.
The destruction around us is pretty awe-inspiring, for a hurricane no bigger than Stan was. It did not touch Antigua, but all around there have been landslides, mudslides, raging rivers and death. It makes me very grateful that all we are dealing with is the discomfort of having to bring an umbrella with us everywhere we go.
But the umbrella is not the only side effect. On consecutive days, I went into the bathroom, only to find a very large cockroach that had come in seeking refuge from the rain
The second one was the one that bothered me. I had grabbed my toothbrush, and was performing some pre-bed ritual ablutions of the mouth when I noticed the cockroach. It was in the toothbrush holder. My ablutions stopped abruptly. Suddenly, brushing my teeth had less appeal.
The cockroach began to climb up one of the other toothbrushes. I, horrified, grabbed the toothbrush and started to shake it to free it of cucaracha. The roach had other designs; it clung on and continued its way upward, to perceived safety. Very quickly, I found myself in too close proximity to an otherwise beautiful insect, and flung both toothbrush and cockroach across the bathroom.
From the other side of the door, Kathe, who had been following my activities by listening to my running commentary, suggested hairspray. I promptly applied hairspray to the critter, whereupon he froze, and I allowed him to join his mate, well squished and cleaned up after, disposed of in the garbage can.
Fortunately, we have the strongest antiseptic known to humankind. My uncle Oregon has distilled some wonderful moonshine, brought down by Kathe to replenish my supply. The toothbrushes stayed in the alcohol for 24 hours.
Kathe’s arrival has been wonderful, on a number of counts. I am working much harder on the analysis now, and am making real progress on what lithics there are here in Antigua. But in my down time, I am also rediscovering Antigua. It is a small town, and, although there is a lot to see, I tend to find myself in familiar paths when I am alone. Since she has arrived, I walk routes I had not traveled, discovering hidden treasures everywhere, including ruins, restaurants, art vendors, and antique dealers. Last night we tried out one of our finds, a lovely little one-roomed Italian restaurant called Vinoteria on the outskirts of the city, and had a wonderful meal of pizza and wine.
We also took a night walk down to the center of Antigua to take some photos there. I have included a shot of the fountain and the cathedral at night, both of which are stunning in the twilight.
Meanwhile, back in New Orleans, life is pretty tough. We have been getting reports from friends and family alike that the damage done to houses all around us was pretty spectacular. Edna Charles, a friend with a house on Nashville Ave., sent some pictures along that were simply horrifying. Couches that had floated around in a pond of sewage in the middle of the living room, which were then left to dry in the humid heat. Mold city. Don said it was like going into a psychedelic bar – so many colors of mold growing on everything.
GianMarco said the same thing. After he went in to check his house, he came back with horror stories, as well, of truly repulsive sights within the city, and also in his house. He meets with the insurance adjuster tomorrow to discuss how much insurance will pay.
And that seems to be a prevailing theme. How much will insurance cover, and how much will they try to get away without paying. I contend that the current view of Katrina is too public - insurance companies can ill afford to fail to cover what they said they would cover. The profile is simply too high, and access to the media is shared by many. And, of course, vultures are circling - I mean, lawyers are looking for clients.
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