A firefighter and resident examine a fissure caused by the earthquake

Things have been slow, this Holiday Season, even for Mexicali.

It was a little after 10:30 in the morning and I was watching my favorite show on TV – Two and a Half Men.

I don’t really care much for what Charlie Sheen has been up to in real life, but, on the show he is really terrific – so good that, sometimes, even Jim will watch.

It was the calm before the storm, so to speak. One could say “Twas like the night before Christmas, when all through the house…Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” – when all hell broke loose!

There was a rumble, and the house started shaking, and swaying, and swaying, then it kept on swaying. Matthew ran screaming out of his bedroom.

Jim came out of the bathroom, and shouted, “MaryAnn, Matthew, come here – we gotta stand under the doorway!”

Matthew said, “Are we gonna die? What if the earth splits open like in the movies!”

“Just keep quiet,” said Jim with a bit of nervousness in his voice.

Our dog, Rex, and the cats, Moss and Twiggy, didn’t do anything.  We thought animals had some kind of special way of sensing earthquakes, but not our guys.

Well, nothing fell, except for the coffee pot on the stove, and the house stood up great. I guess with all the earthquakes here, they know how to build houses that can take it.

Yes, folks, it was an earthquake, and a big one, rated as 5.8 on the Richter scale, and it started at 10:28:57am. It lasted only about 30 seconds, but it seemed much longer.

The center of the earthquake was just 23 miles south of Mexicali – which is where most of our earthquakes take place.

Why? Because that’s where the volcano is.

Yes, there is a volcano south of Mexicali, and it’s called the Cerro Prieto Volcano.

No one knows when the volcano last erupted, but the experts say it was probably within the past 10,000 years – so maybe we’re safe. We’ve driven by the volcano. Nearby is a geothermal plant to generate electricity.

Jim tells me the process is simple, “They just pump water down into some kinda special wells, and the steam gushes out.”

“Well, how does that make electricity?” I asked.

Jim thought a second, and said, “Turbines, and stuff.”

I like the fact that Jim always knows a lot of technical stuff like standing under doorways.

Steak at Sonorense

So it’s on to New Year.  Since there is too much traffic and waiting time to go across the border, we will be in Mexicali.

As usual, we have planned ahead, and it is going to be a big surprise for Matthew. First we are going to our favorite restaurant, Sonorense.

Then, and it is a secret from Matthew – we are going to take him to the movies – to see Avatar – Matthew’s gonna freak!

Avatar

The smoky Mexicali border road

We hope it was a very Happy New Year for all our readers. We had a Happy New Year, too – Jim and I stayed home – safe and sound – from all the firecrackers and bombs going off. It sounded like “shock and awe” in Baghdad. For Mexicali, however, it was all in fun, and we are sure the folks outside were having a rip-roaring time.

In Mexico, there are many traditions for New Year’s. One has to do with what color of underwear you wear as the New Year begins. Red brings luck, yellow is supposed to bring work, and green is supposed to bring money. White will bring good health. Best of all is to wear underwear bearing the Mexican flag, which has all of these colors!

It is a New Year’s tradition to eat twelve grapes as the clock strikes midnight, making sure to eat each grape as you make a new wish for the New Year. If you are hoping for a future trip or travels in the New Year, you had better take your empty luggage for a walk around the block for good luck.

You should start out the New Year with a clean house – even take a bath on New Year’s Eve. It won’t hurt to wash your cars, and even pets, to start the New Year fresh and clean. Sweep out the dust from your front door for a great New Year.

The fireworks started around 10:00pm and didn’t let up until well after midnight. I guess there were public fireworks, but the neighbors were the ones really blasting the New Year in with their own private street festival.

From our bedroom window, we could see the flashes of light and hear the whistle of rockets soaring into the air. We hoped nothing landed on our house. Of course, here, the houses are made of solid concrete and are completely safe from fire (unlike some houses in the States, which are made with wood chips and paper).

This morning, we were surprised to see that it was all smoky inside the house. Jim noticed it first, as he is an early riser.

Outside, it was even smokier – and Jim was out in no time to take some photos. He went over to the border fence, and got a good shot of cars coming through the smoke with their headlights on.

Aside from just very few cars, the streets of Mexicali were silent and pretty well deserted. Our neighbor, two houses down, had a front yard full of beer cans and spent fireworks. His house was quiet – and even his maid, who usually cleans the front patio was no where to be seen. They will all wake up to a Great New Year!

Happy New Year!!!  Feliz Año Nuevo!!!