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Power to the People


It is August 20, 11:15 AM. Something (or Somebody) caused our power to go out. Not quite the whole village so it must be a transformer. It wasn’t wind or rain this time. No storms yet this season – we’re up to “J” and still no named hurricanes have swerved this far north to cause trouble on the tip of the peninsula. So it sounds like an overload – mid day, temps have been holding at close to 100º with not much of a dip at night. (70% humidity holding pretty steady)

Since our local Ejiditarios are nearly all millionaires now from the money they got for our beach, the ones on my end of town might have bought new air conditioners, microwaves, new computers and huge plasma T.V.s with Wii. That might have done it.

Soooo this afternoon and evening we’ll just get by with no fans or T.V. or music. There’s a little breeze off the ocean (91º water there) we are thankful for. My dogs don’t bother to seek out the comfort our floor fans usually provide and for a change they are living like Mexican mutts.

Luz or no Luz the village makes it’s own special noise. The big six yard dump trucks thundering down the beach road don’t know the power is out. The screaming little darlings at the Internado across the street from my house are likewise oblivious since they have no fans, play outside each summer day and evening until exhaustion overtakes them.

The bread truck, tortilla truck and the ice cream vendors are all caught in some time warp worm hole making the music sound louder and even more surreal. The birds, at least the ones in my garden, are making a ruckus about why the fountain water pump is off, why the cooling cascade they love is gone. Most of my rich gringo neighbors would be shattering this friendly village summer concerto of comparative tranquility with the terrible throbbing of their specialized emergency generating equipment but these people, right now, are all up nawth.

Even after all these years, scores of outages of every kind, Lynda and I cannot refrain from predicting, given what little we know, when power will be restored.

We know all the steps:

1. Somebody (in fact several somebodys) has to recognize the power is out.
2. They have to call the power company in San Jose, stay on the line, explain the little they might know about the extent of the outage (i.e. the whole village, just about half, a few blocks)
3. The power company has to find one or more repair crews – those guys have to get in their trucks, agree to drive the hour and a half to our village, find the failure.
4. If it’s a transformer (it’s always a transformer) they have to find one in San Jose, have it transported to the village by truck, take down the bad one, install the new one, test the system, find what blew the bad one.
5. They have to fix the problem, say a prayer, throw the switch.

My best guess today = 6 hours
Lynda’s guess = 7 hours.

We both have complex but workable contingency plans. The fans stopped spinning at 11:15. At 11:21 I put a liter of Oso Negro gin in the big freezer next to the large bottles of ice we save for the coolers for shopping or fishing.

Note: I won this time = back on 6 hours 16 minutes.

It's a story we have all lived at one time or another down here. You adjust to it and somehow life still goes on - amazing isn't it???

Seems like a darn good reminder to not lose my focus on becoming a competent renewable energy source. The timing on this is perfect because when I am buried in school I wonder if when I reach the end of this current path I am actually on the right one.

I remember when we lived in Rosarito the power would go out (frequently at times) as well as losing water pressure. It is kind of nice now to know that I don't have to worry about losing water pressure in the middle of my shower or the TV going black when watching my favorite telenovela...

This actually allows me to figure out the time lag. I've been to many places in Mexico in the past century where there just wasn't any power. Some of those places, today, are resorts. Same time. Different place. In the 70's, we lived in what is now known as Santa Clarita. For a period of almost two years, we lost power periodically for hours at a time, due to SCE failing to upgrade their infrastructure in a growing area.

power goes out for more than an hour and 9 months later : population growth :)
c

Originally Posted by xtina.r

power goes out for more than an hour and 9 months later : population growth :)
c

Originally Posted by xtina.r

power goes out for more than an hour and 9 months later : population growth :)
c

Ain't that the truth. The power of candles. We get better looking.

Gee Osprey, from the title, I was expecting a grisly tale about what happens when the women of the village usurped the power!

Originally Posted by Barbareno

Ain't that the truth. The power of candles. We get better looking.

You always look good.. just seem to have more time to play

Originally Posted by Barbareno

Ain't that the truth. The power of candles. We get better looking.

Next time I'll try not using the generator. Would need a boat load of candles, though.

The scented variety work best with some soft music in the background. Add your favorite adult beverage and it is exito garantizado!

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

The scented variety work best with some soft music in the background. Add your favorite adult beverage and it is exito garantizado!

A true romantic. Awww!