Some Goodbyes ... sniff.... Part 1

Domino... a favorite pastime here in the Dominican.

As we are reflecting on our amazing adventure here, and the ginormous blessings we have received during our stay ... we must say some very important goodbyes to some special people and things. Here they are in no particular order:

Goodbye to Junior, our taxi driver/friend/Marsia's #5 suitor. Bye to your 1987 Toyota Corolla donning the "Jesus is your jefe" (boss) decal across his windshield. Goodbye to your donut tire which flew off during our last trip to Boca Chica. Goodbye to your "poor man's mojito" (as Jill called it) which consisted of Brugal Rum, cinnamon stix, sugar and a mint cough drop. Goodbye to grocery shopping with us.... rushing us through the store. Goodbye to your shaving prowess, I've never seen such interesting designs in facial hair, including eyebrows. And goodbye to stopping by randomly to say hello and to use the hose to wash your car...almost daily, even on "no water Wednesdays". Even though no one was able to take a shower or wash the dishes as you drained the last drop out of the hose, so your wheels were never shinier. (Note to self, buy Junior some lugnuts as a goodbye gift, so each wheel can have at least 3.)

Goodbye to Pica Pollo. Although you were a tasty alternative to some of our meals here, your stale french fries and tostones left much to be desired. Chino, your culinary skills left us shaking our heads. Neither Marsia or I have ever seen garden clippers used so masterfully as you buzzed through our rotisserie chicken. We never were able to distinguish which piece of chicken you served us, but it was a delight to watch.

While on the subject of garden clippers...Goodbye to the Dominican kitchens. Goodbye to having to wash off every dish, cup, fork, and plate before using it, (you never know what happens to them when they get put away). Goodbye to the standing water in the pots and pans stored underneath the sink. Goodbye to the fish in the freezer which sat out uncooked from morning til night, then stored in the freezer and brought out again the next day for us to eat. When we declined that day, it was simply stored again. Goodbye to the food which at times was stored in the fridge, but other times was stored in the cupboard... such as is the case with mayonnaise. You just never know where it will show up!

Goodbye to the Presidente beer and all those who love it.Goodbye to the "wildlife" here in the D.R. which has lived with us for the past 3 months, afterall... they were here first. Goodbye to the giant cockroaches in our bathroom which come out to play in the middle of the night. Goodbye to the tarantulas live and dead which we have found around the outside of the house. (Note to self... google tarantulas to find out if they can actually jump.) Goodbye to the frogs that bounce all over and somehow morph into a sticky slime and plaster themselves onto the wall. Adios sweet geckos. Goodbye to the culebras (snakes) one which was found in the swimming pool. Goodbye to all the mosquitos who dined primarily on Marsia.

Goodbye to the Police Department and their state-of-the-art facilities. They actually threw one of the messed up plastic chairs "outside", to make room for us the day we went to file our report. Thanks for all your help!

Goodbye to baby bottles given to kids of ALL ages with a variety of liquids inside. A special goodbye to 10 year olds who prepare their own and lay down to watch cartoons while slurpping them down.

And finally in this Part 1 of our goodbyes..... Goodbye to "no water Wednesdays". We won't miss you most of all.