Loreto
We arrive in Loreto in the late afternoon of New Year's day. At our house Kirk and I need to pack up to head north in the morning, and we have lots to do. The Higueras are free to wander around. Our property is modest by any American standards. To the Higueras, however, it is opulent. I see Marisol turning on and off the various light switches - on the walls, on different lamps - buttons, pull-chains, she tries them and they all work. A few hours later she repeats the exercise. They all still work. Marisol has been to our house once before, and she learned then what a shower is. Now she takes one. She takes a second one after dinner, and another in the morning. It is hard for us to imagine that all the fresh water in her life comes only in barrels and buckets. She introduces Luis to some of her finds. Since it is Luis' first visit to Loreto and our house, he learns from his little sister. Flushing a toilet. Where does it all go? More often than not, Marisol does not flush unless she is reminded. Sister and brother bend together to feel the red Mexican tile on the bathroom floor. It feels cold. In the morning Luis awakens with a cold and he tells his parents he got it from walking on the tile in his bare feet. Marisol remembers we have ice cubes in the freezer and she asks if we still have them. She would like to suck on one, so I get her one. She asks question after question, not knowing what a birdbath is or a hummingbird feeder. Nabor motions her to him so we are not interrupted as we pack. When I find a small bright purple duffel bag, I give it to Luis to exchange with their disposable plastic grocery bag. It will last longer, I tell him.

Patty Ferrantino, our New Zealand friend and neighbor in Loreto, joins us for dinner with the Higueras on our only night in town. Patty, a trained nurse, helped with an Aeromedicos clinic last year in Mulege when Marisol's hearing was tested. Patty is excited to see Marisol again, and Marisol beams in recognition as Petty walks in the gate. They hug a long time. We take two cars the eight blocks or so to our favorite local restaurant, Mexico Qué Lindo y Rico where Ann and Jack meet us. Tonight is Luis' first experience in a restaurant and he is very shy, as much so as Delia. Our friends, Pancho and Martina, own the place, and they seat our group of nine in the private room in the back. It is beautifully decorated for the holiday season with a replica of the Loreto Mission on a long table, lighted with pink plastic roses and bubble lights. Although Luis does not know what a menu is, he can read one. From the time he was six until he was well into his teens, Luis lived with his maternal grandparents in La Purisima so he could attend primaria and secundaria, the equivalent of our grades one through nine. Hence he is the most educated of the family. After graduation, Luis moved back to San Gregorio to fish with his father. He orders quesadillas and Marisol, after much signing across the table with her father, orders beef steak. No beans. Luis tells us she doesn't eat beans.

We are all tired from our long day which began across the peninsula on the Pacific and is now ending on the Sea of Cortéz. It has been both physically and emotionally exhausting to get to this point. With full bellies, we turn in for an early night. Nabor and Delia sleep on the futon in the living room, and Luis and Marisol are assigned the twin beds in the Airstream trailer. It is not until morning we learn this was the first night of her life Marisol has slept more than a meter away from her parents.
Next Chapter: Northbound