JoAnn, your brother was so very fortunate that his co-worker was there. I hope he recuperates very quickly and is home and healed in time for Christmas. I had an occasion to smile this morning: we belong to an organization called Amigos de Bucerias...it is basically a service group of mostly expatriates like ourselves (although we do have a few Mexican members) who want to do something for the community. We buy trash cans and set them out around our little town, and this morning, two of us took some to the local children's shelter so the children could paint them and make them a little prettier. As I walked in the door, a little four-year old girl ran to me with her arms outstretched for me to pick her up, which I did, happily. The few hours we spent there were full of smiles. My Spanish is not fluent, but we had little trouble communicating. Being retired, I've been looking for some way to spend my free time more productively. I guess I have found it.