Saturday 14th March 2015 …..this is nasty!!!!!

Yes this is Mexico!!!

It's going to be hard on the snow removal budget.

 

Mexico News Daily | Friday, March 13, 2015

The Mexico City-Puebla freeway was reopened to traffic yesterday about 2:00pm after crews finished clearing snow and fallen trees, but another storm front is on the way.

The highway was closed at 4:30am between the San Marcos toll booth and Río Frío after heavy rains turned to snow. It was an unusual snowfall, but it broke no records, according to the National Meteorological Service.

 

It was a phenomenon linked to a period of transition between winter and spring, said a spokesman, in which cold air meets warm air from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

While authorities were busy trying to reopen one of Mexico’s busiest highways, where as much as half a meter of snow fell, stranded motorists and bus passengers made the most of the event, engaging in snowball fights and building snowmen.

Things weren’t so good for residents, however. Many businesses in Llano Grande and Río Frío had to deal with roofs that collapsed under the weight of the snow, while at least 220 homes were damaged by the effects of snow and strong winds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The winter conditions are being brought on by cold front #41, which threatens to deliver more inclement weather this weekend in the form of heavy rains from a Pacific front. The meteorological service is also warning of the potential for snow at elevations above 3,000 meters in the north of the country.

Accuweather today forecast drenching rains and possible flooding over the weekend, the result of a front moving from north to south and a storm developing in the Pacific off Colima and Michoacán. It said the heaviest rain will begin Saturday and run into Monday in a weather system that is unusual for March.

Some areas are expected to get more than 100 millimeters. “We expect between 75 mm to 125 mm of rain between Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo,” said Accuweather meteorologist Rob Miller. As much as 200 mm could be seen in the mountains, he said.

 

So the rain woke me up at around 4am that really heavy pounding rain and I knew that tennis this morning was a joke…….I was up at 7.30am and settled down with tea and toast to watch a live soccer game from England but not just any game but the one of the teams involved is my Brother’s home team and I knew he and the family would also be watching….

So everything is going great breakfast is good 5 minutes into the game the rain still falling hard outside when the power goes out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This happens a few times every couple of months but comes back on almost right away but not this morning.

I worry about my friend Rita when the power goes out as she is on oxygen 24 hours a day and so needs to get her battery pack changed over but with the phones out, no internet and I cannot get cell service here at the house I decided I should drive over there and check on her.

So I get dressed and go out to the car start her up and press the switch for the electric gate opener and nothing…of course with the power off no open gate…first time this has happened to me and I now realize I need to find out if when this happens again if there is a by pass switch or some other way for me to open the gate to get the car out….so went to plan B got out my Camino rain jacket gloves hat and umbrella and started the walk to the big grocery store where I got a taxi to Rita’s house……the streets were like rivers just not made and designed for all this torrential rain…

Thankfully the power at Rita’s house was on and she was fine so I stayed and we chatted and then took a taxi back home…still no electricity.

I did some of my Spanish homework and then decided to do some sorting out of my stuff and cleaning a few things in the house…..I obviously could not get the kids today as I could not get the car out but the power did come back on around 4 o clock and I went to the grocery store and bought some food and then stopped at the chicken restaurant and bought two full and whole chicken dinners and went out to Paola's place and gave them the food…it is so sad to see how they are living and especially in this weather…….

I was home by 5 o clock and the rain  continues  and a little while ago the thunder cracked so loud so close that all the windows shook…….tonight it is a soccer game and then the night cap a hockey game…..

I found these photos in my archives earlier today…

Resting after a hike on Salt Spring Island..

I had this make and color of car in Bermuda!!!

I love this game!!!

Croatia!!!

My Baby!!!!

 

Serena Williams won the Indian Wells title twice before boycotting the event after 2001

 

 

Serena Williams: Indian Wells return evokes spirit of Mandela

It was to her mother that a nervous Serena Williams turned to see what she would think of her youngest daughter competing in Indian Wells for the first time in 14 years.

Oracene said she would be in California to support her.

Serena's sister Venus also offered her encouragement, and even her father Richard - who has been so outspoken about the booing and jeering aimed at his daughter before the final of 2001 that prompted the boycott - told her that it would be a big mistake if she never returned.

Serena Williams beat Kim Clijsters in the final in 2001

The verbal abuse directed at Williams before that final against Kim Clijsters stemmed from Venus' decision to withdraw from a semi-final between the siblings because of tendinitis.

In an essay composed for Time magazine, as she announced her return to Indian Wells last month, Williams made clear that she thought some of the vitriol was racist in nature. She felt she had won the match, but lost a much bigger fight: the fight for equality.

"The false allegations - that our matches were fixed - hurt, cut and ripped into us deeply. The undercurrent of racism was painful, confusing and unfair," she wrote.

Her father Richard was even more direct when his book "Black and White: The Way I See It" was published last year.

Williams defeated Clijsters 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

"It was a message from the past," he wrote, "one that America tries to put behind it but can never forget. It was a snapshot from the days when the open humiliation of the black race was accepted without question. Accusations and racial epithets flew through the stadium."

The tournament had previously held some very happy memories for the Williams family. They may seem poles apart, but Indian Wells is only 125 miles east of Compton, where Serena spent her formative years.

She won her first ever professional match here as a 15-year-old (partnering Venus in the doubles) and made a major breakthrough two years later when beating Steffi Graf to take the title.

Williams considered returning to Indian Wells last year, but was still anxious about the reception she might receive. Even this week, with the die cast, she suffered a late bout of stage fright and opted to spend an unscheduled extra night in Los Angeles.

The world number one has not forgotten spending so long in the locker room in tears after winning the title in 2001, but she is ready to forgive, and at 19:00 west coast time on Friday evening will walk out into the second-largest tennis stadium in the world to play Romania's Monica Niculescu.

Serena Williams was congratulated by father Richard and sister Venus (left) after winning the 2001 final at Indian Wells

"I think there will be added nerves," she said in a tightly packed news conference, which played out to the constant soundtrack of camera shutters.

"I'm looking forward to stepping out and letting the whole world know that it doesn't matter what you faced - whether it's something that hurt you or hurt your family - you can just come out and be strong and say I'm still going to survive and I'm still going to be the best person that I can be."

She cited former South Africa president Nelson Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom as having significant bearing on her decision to return.

"I read the book about two years ago," she said. "That hit me hard because I met Mr Mandela a couple of times and we had some interesting conversations. He made such an impact on my life, and then reading his story it really hit me in an interesting way."

Williams regularly gives the impression that she would rather be anywhere else than the interview room. But on the eve of her playing return in the Californian desert, she was thoughtful, engaging and almost statesmanlike.

"I think it's a great opportunity, if you are in a position where you can stand up and speak and be a role model, then why not do it?

"And I feel like this is the perfect opportunity for me to do that

 

Yashi Kochi!!!