Day 17 - 15 Jan - Brownsville, TX

I'm not sure if it's because we are military people and used to accepting the ups and downs of what life is going to surprise you with, or because we're adventurous and just don't give a s..t--but I do know that if you don't learn to take the good with the bad, keep a sense of humour, and try to find the positive side of things, this kind of life could drive you looney.

We packed up and left the senior complex quite early and found a site in Brownsville. Before hooking everything up, we thought that because it was early, we would drive into the city/town and make arrangements or at least get some quotes on Mexican car insurance. The whole process at the border is intimidating enough (getting tourists cards, permission to take the vehicle into the country, photocopies of everything, yadda yadda) so we thought whatever we could do today would be less hassle for tomorrow. Good thought.

Along this trip I've been picking up a few goodies for Ty and after packaging it all up, have been driving Wayne crazy to 'find a post office'...then on to the insurance company. On the way to the aforementioned hidden location (the US doesn't have satellite POs like we do), we went over a speed bump...not too fast...but just fast enough to give the LuvMasheen a good jar and the 'RED LIGHT' came on...the red light that indicates your ABS brakes are now gone, kaput, finito, done! What the hell do we do now?

First thing you do is sit for a minute and absorb what's just happened. Good idea but doesn't help much. Wayne goes out in the rain....did I mention it was pouring rain and walks up a side street to find....something to help. In the end he got the phone number of the local Dodge dealer and he gave us directions to the shop. We drive it in, they survey the damage and while I'm not going to reveal the cost of repairs, let's just say you can probably get a good idea knowing the van will be worked on this afternoon and the better part of tomorrow. I think when the service manager presented Wayne with the estimate, the two of us looked so pathetic (not to mention wet and bedragled) that he gave us a bit of a deal plus a rental car for $25. We quickly got some clean clothes and sundries out of the LuvMasheen and gave instructions on how to keep the van plugged in for electricity or all the meat in the freezer will make it smell like there's a dead body in it by morning.

On the way to the insurance place to spend more money, we quantified the whole mess like this: we were both secretly ready for a night in a hotel with a bed to ourselves; the brake lines were severely rusted and if this had happened in Mexico, we'd have been up the creek without a paddle; and we've already made up our minds to spend the kids' inheritence so what's the problem? NONE.

It was kind of nice having the car to tool around in for the afternoon and we did get to the insurance company. We got the maximum coverage for everything...we are past the point of taking chances on anything...plus extras that we pray we'll never need so that's all done.

After picking up the van tomorrow, we'll spend the evening going through it and trashing all the brochures and booklets we've picked up along the way, stocking up on some of the stuff we need other than fresh veggies, get a good night sleep and head for the border first thing Thursday morning. I'm not sure what the internet service will be like once we get into Mexico but I don't expect it will be anything like we have had so daily reports may not be possible and when it is, I suspect it will from an internet cafe. All in unknown!

Until tomorrow, love and hugs to all.