Sweet San Isidro

A Sunday candy walk through the streets of San Isidro was a sweet beginning to the day. It has become our semi-regular route, and I noticed yesterday that many of the kids seemed to be waiting for us to arrive. That’s nice in some ways, but it also makes me feel guilty on the occasions we elect to change things up and visit different neighborhoods. So much goodness to share, so little time! The other limiting factor is capacity. We start with a large bag filled with various candies, and we stuff our backpacks with enough to refill the candy bag twice. It never seems to be enough. Still, we turn what candy we have into smiles, and that makes the effort worthwhile.

Bags of candy
Candy in the bag
The quest begins
Some of our regulars waiting for our arrival
On the quiet streets of Marian Hills
Another regular stop
Pour a little sugar on it
Now this cracked me up. We heard shouts from across this field, and then we spotted three kids running towards us. I guess Swan’s fame is spreading.
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder
There it is!
Kids hanging around
And waiting for some chocolate
Come and get it!
Goodness gracious
See you next time, San Isidro
I love this big old tree. I wish I had the photographic skill to capture it properly.
You can see it’s huge top from my patio
Just shy of 5K

And the feeding continued later at Hideaway.

Only four girls working yesterday, but they look ready to eat. Hmm, that sounds a tad Hannibal Lectorish, doesn’t it?
In Joy

With my weekly good deed complete, I headed for the beach.

Looking to my right
And to the left
And here comes my ride
Overcast skies blocked any visible sunset yesterday. Oh well, at least the girls enjoyed my brownies.

Swan was hungry and said she was craving a pulled pork sandwich. Luckily, the best one in town was right up the street at John’s place.

A hungry girl passing the time until her food arrives
Time to pig out
I had the birria tacos and they hit the spot. Here’s how Kevin makes them.

We did our nightcap at It Doesn’t Matter. We were the only customers sitting outside. The music was crap rap bullshit, but at least it wasn’t being played overly loud. We left after one drink anyway.

I made smoothies when we got home, which was a sweet ending to a sweet day.

Sometimes, the memories hurt. Like this one:

Thirteen years ago, I bought this house in Columbia, SC, where I thought I would spend my retirement years with Jee Yeun (when we weren’t in Korea). I put a lot of time, effort, and money into making it our dream home. Then, the dream became a nightmare.

Seven years ago, I was finding my way around after moving to Pyeongtaek.

Whatever you say…

Today’s YouTube is from Reekay, who does the Life Beyond The Sea vlog. Prior to making the move to the PI, I was a regular viewer and learned a lot of useful tips about do’s and don’ts. I don’t follow many vlogs now as an expat, but Reekay almost always has good advice for those willing to listen.

And now for today’s dose of so-called humor:

Without the machine it would be a hand job I suppose
That does not compute
He might need to prune his expectations

Another Hash Monday lies ahead. I’ve already got my shortcuts plotted out. I did an elongated dog walk this morning, and it seemed to go well, so hopefully, I’m on the road to recovery from whatever has been ailing me. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

I Googled Frankie Valli, and he is still performing at 89 years old.

6 thoughts on “Sweet San Isidro

  1. Bags of candy

    Do you ever worry about all of that chocolate melting in the PI’s heat?

    Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

    That could well be a yellow Mandevilla flower. I love my browser’s “search image with Google” function. It’s how I try to identify plants these days.

    You can see it’s huge top from my patio

    Spot the error!

    Hmm, that sounds a tad Hannibal Lectorish, doesn’t it?

    Ah… it’s Lecter, with an “-er.”

    Thirteen years ago, I bought this house in Columbia, SC

    And thus did you avoid an alternate future in which you’d have retired and become just another lawn-mowing suburbanite. You’ve repeatedly said you’re happy with not following that path, so… good for you.

    Whatever you say…

    Horrible English translation. It really says, “Pedestrian, bicycle, farm machinery combined-use path.” So it’s a path where you can encounter all of those things. It’s interesting that there’s a “no cars” icon, but nothing in the Korean text says that cars aren’t allowed. I’ve seen cars on bike paths all over the place. Strikes me as illegal, but maybe the locals know something I don’t.

    so hopefully, I’m on the road to recovery from whatever has been ailing me. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

    You’d had breathing issues before, then those got treated, but I’m worried the treatment’s effectiveness is fading, and you’re returning to Square One. Anyway, good luck with the truncated Hash, and good luck with blood work, etc.

  2. Oh, yeah: that guy in the video really seems to be speaking to your situation, especially when he talks about alcoholism. On the romantic front, you may be evolving now that you’re with Swan (mainly thanks to Swan herself), but when it comes to bar culture, evolution is, shall we say, harder to see. Keep at it, though: self-control can be yours!

  3. Actually, I’m in control of my drinking. I’m not one of those guys who drink morning, noon, and night. I have a specific window for imbibing (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.), and I pace myself to avoid getting shitfaced drunk. On rare occasions, I will over-indulge, but they serve as a reminder to drink responsibly. The bar scene has been part of my life for many, many years (even as a kid, my dad took me with him to the beer joints he frequented), and I don’t see anything wrong with it. Bar culture is part of my life but certainly doesn’t dominate it.

  4. I also wondered about melting chocolate, but the types Swan buys hold up well. They are not pure chocolate, more of a chocolate coating, so that seems to help.

    I didn’t know about that image search function. Cool!

    Damn, it’s easy to spot that error. It’s something I know better than to do, but sometimes I still add an unneeded apostrophe to “its.”

    Yeah, that path was through farm country, and I’d often encounter those rice harvesters on my walks. I don’t recall seeing any cars, though.

    The phlegm is back, along with some snot. In a way, it’s a relief that it may not be heart-related. Not nearly as bad as it was before, but I am struggling with hills again. I’ll talk to Dr. Jo about another prescription.

  5. Also resist the temptation to say anything just because you’re on a dry spell. Don’t bother telling people you’re a recovering alcoholic, you’re in the process of quitting for good, you’re on the “straight and narrow” for now etc. mfckers will always be watching you, looking for you to slip up. You being seen shitfaced at a company party is one thing; you being seen shitfaced at a company party after telling some blabbermouth you’re supposed to be sober is another.

    If you get caught out at a work function, on a date, hanging out with friends/family etc. just say you’re not drinking right now for one vaguely legitimate reason or another; you’re driving later, these particular dick pills don’t work as well with alcohol and she charges by the minute, your girlfriend/wife (real or imagined) gets triggered by the smell of booze on your breath yada yada yada…

  6. Thanks for sharing your insights, Thompson. I don’t have a drinking problem, and I’m not trying to quit, so your advice doesn’t apply to me.

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