“Aventurero sent a text to let the Ts know that he arrived safely in Tumbes, Peru. I’m sure he’ll have stories to share with us Nilla!”
“Jackson, remember the sticker that the official-looking gentlemen placed on our door?”
“Sure do, don’t know what it’s for though.”
“I’ts the census – every ten years.”
“So we’ve been counted?”
“I’m not sure we count Jackson, nor the Ts for that matter.”
“And what about the mysterious mail service Nilla?”
“It’s not so mysterious, the instructions are on the buzon, but no one seems to know where to buy the stamps. Apparently you wait by the buzon and hop to see the mail person come along and ask them. They pick up and deliver once a week.”
“What day might that be?”
“No one knows that either.”
“Well, there you have it – a mystery!!
“What did you think about the Patriots game on Sunday Nilla?”
“That silly game, from what I could tell the Patriots didn’t do so well – they lost!”
“I’m predicting the Ravens will be in the Super Bowl and I believe they’ll be playing the 49ers…. but the Ravens will win!”
“Sure, I know why you’re picking the Ravens, – it’s their quarterback, Lamar Jackson!”
“Oh, come on Nilla, it’s not just the name, he has talent.”
“Then I’ll have to pick the 49ers – I’m a California bear after all.”
“That’s enough football talk for now. I want to talk about the green stones the Ts found – just like the ones they found in Crucita last year. I think I know what they are!”
“So, what are they?”
“It’s basalt rock, and extrusive volcanic rock – part of lava flow. It is the most common volcanic rock on earth and usually is gray or black and very hard. It may also be magnetic.”
“That’s interesting Jackson. Is it valuable?”
“No, but it is sometimes used in jewelry. The glossy ones like what we have are called tachylytes. Basalt rock is also found on the moon.”
“Did you find out what the heavy brownish stone is – the other interesting stone the Ts found last year?”
“Nope. We’ll have to check that out further when we return to the U.S. and run some tests – not sure if it is magnetic.”
“Do you think it could be a meteorite?”
“I doubt it, but you never know.”
“We never made it to Crucita yesterday.”
“It would have been messy walking around after raining all night.”
“But we had fun yesterday. We walked the beach and then went out to dinner with our new friends.”
“The ribs at the Restaurante Asadero Dona Costilla Ahumada were very tasty.”
“David, our waiter was nice too. So nice to make new friends and they are so helpful in giving recommendations and other tips about services around town.”
“AND, what about that thing the Ts picked up?”
“That thing Jackson is our ‘old year’. It used to be that the old man would be made up old clothes and placed outside one’s door sometime after Christmas – often the figure would be stuffed with hay and fireworks. Then there would be a reading of the ‘will’ – what the old year was leaving behind for others. But that custom has evolved, become more sophisticated and a bit commercial. You remember the paper mache figures in Crucita last year – well it’s the same thing here.”
“I remember. Fireworks, lanterns rising in the night sky, noise, fires on the beach.”
“Those fires were the paper mache figures burned along with those things that one wanted to rid themselves of as they start a new year.”
“We had a pretty good year this year Nilla. I think we should focus on what we want to accomplish in the new year.”
“Like resolutions Jackson?”
“No, resolutions hardly ever work out, I’m talking about looking forward, to new adventures.”
“We didn’t make any resolutions last year either. We did wear yellow though.”
“I’m not sure we will this year, no one else seemed to be particularly color conscious.”
“Well Jackson, I think your idea of looking forward – great expectations, is a wonderful way to look at 2020! I know one adventure I’d like to have, going to Sosote, the place where the artisans specialize in tagua nut carving.”
“Sounds like a good start.”
Adventures of Nilla and Jackson 