Ransomware consequences

Initially got up with the thought of going to go buy me breakfast but by the time I took a shower, got dressed and put on make-up it was lunch time, lol !!!

Was puzzled that the water bill had not been deducted from mother's bank account.  Headed to the Water Billing Department only to find out that they are still struggling with the hack the City of Del Rio suffered in January.  They are only accepting checks and cash payments but since she is enrolled in ACH payments it is taking them longer but they will not be penalizing the customers that use this method.

The City is also having problems issuing birth and death certificates for the same reason.  They do not want to open up current or older files to protect them from the ransomware demanded by the hackers.

The granddaughter of a friend of ours was born at the beginning of the year and she has yet to be issued a birth certificate because apart from the City of Del Rio hacking there has also been a problem with the State of Texas new system for birth and death records.

Why is this a problem? Without a birth certificate, she can not get a passport for her newborn child.  She works at a Maquiladora in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila-Mexico where they offer free childcare for employees.

Gasoline has once again gone up, filled up at Walmart who had the cheapest price in town $2.14 a gallon for unleaded gas.

I got so much accomplished today thanks to my readers and their suggestions.  I am too cheap to buy index cards so I just cut up cereal boxes to the same size and wrote down everything I needed to do or purchase and then another list of the order in which to do them to save on gas and not to have to do return trips.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Last 2012 Trip to Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico

You would not know it from looking at my skinny cousin, but he can and does eat like a horse :-)  In a week he ate us out of groceries that last mother and I for a month. Had been wanting to go back to Mexico to re-stock for a couple of days now but I had been feeling a little under the weather until today. Been fighting a cough and sniffles with aspirin and NyQuil and hopefully I wont come down with a cold.

I get an e-mail at least once a week asking me if Ciudad Acuna is safe to visit.  I guess it all depends on what your perception of safe is.  My parents, friends and relatives were horrified when I announced 30 plus years ago that I was moving to Houston, Texas.  They considered it to be a very dangerous city and thought I had lost my mind.  Many people still wonder why I continue to live there.  Is Houston safe?  It is all a matter of perception...the same applies to Ciudad Acuna.

All I can tell you is that it is the safest border in Texas and that is not just me saying it, but many other sources, do a google search.  One thing for certain if it was not safe I would never take my mother with me or put myself in harms way.

I figured with Christmas over and done with, there would not be that many shopper out and about...but I was wrong.  There were tons of people and happy to say many American tourists in the bunch :)  Even ran into the guy that runs the computer system at the Val Verde County Library in Del Rio.  He was surprised to see me in Aurrera and asked if I shopped there often, told him I did and he said his family and him did as well.

Aurrera is located inside of Plaza Bella mall

With so many people shopping at Aurrera they were out of a lot of fruits and vegetables which are my mother's favorites so we also paid a visit to Merco.

Both Aurrera and Merco are located along Libramiento Emilio Mendoza Cisneros which is a fast growing section in Ciudad Acuna close to the Maquiladoras and to the new housing sub-divisions called Colonias for the maquiladora employees.  Even El Palacio Municipal (the equivalent of our City Hall) built state of the art installations and moved out of the central downtown area to this new location.

El Palacio Municipal de Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico.
They have free internet within their perimeters.

Guess I am so busy driving I had never noticed El Palacio Municipal had so many palm trees

If anyone is looking for a pinata for their New Year's party there are plenty to be had here.

The exchange rates have fallen some from last week.  The going rate today was 12.40 pesos to buy dollars, 12.95 pesos to sell them.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Governors Landing – Lake Amistad, Texas – Part II

Governors Landing is the only campground of the five that we have in Lake Amistad that has a separate area for non-campers and where locals can come fish, swim, cook-out and  enjoy a nice family outing.

This particular day, it was only this lady and I.

What a difference two years makes.  Back in 2010 there was so much rain in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua that it flooded the border city of Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico and to some degree but not to the same extent its American counterpart Presidio, Texas in the Chihuahuan desert of west Texas. All that water made its way to Lake Amistad and it was a beautiful sight to behold.

A local family out for a swim

Those heads in the background are people swimming

The public section was flooded and closed but that did not stop people from parking their cars and climbing to the camping section and then down the amphitheater steps to go swimming.  Many of the picnic tables were underwater and this time out I noticed that they had new roofs.

Back in 2010

Now

As I mentioned on my prior post, I was very surprised that a new Land Port of Entry was being built.  Del Rio has two ports of entry, the main one and the one at Amistad Dam.  Unless you live by the lake and work in Mexico which many American citizens do, as they are managers or hold important positions at the Maquiladoras in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico then most likely you will not be using this border crossing.

Only time most of us use this crossing is during peak tourist seasons like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas when the lines to come back to the US on the main bridge are backed up to Mexico and where you can easily be in line for an hour or two. Though it is about a 20-mile drive to this bridge it is well worth it.

Another plus is that you do not have to pay a toll to cross either coming or going.  If you are like most Americans that like to buy a bottle of your favorite Tequila or other liquor of your choice (the limit is 1 bottle per person-must be over 21 years of age) you do not have to pay a Texas Liquor Tax of $1.25 a quart.  This is because there is no Texas Tax booth at that facility but you must declare you are bringing it or you could be subject to fines and the confiscation of your liquor.

The Amistad Dam Port of Entry is situated close to the American and Mexican eagles and they allow you to walk to there since it is still US soil without having to show your US passport or US passcard.  They can do this because they can see you park your vehicle and walk the short distance.

I ask myself now that the new Port of Entry is not on the dam itself will the same apply?  In its new location you have no choice but to stop and show proof of your citizenship.  I guess the Eagles will not be visited for long without having said documentation.  So if you want to see them you better hurry up and get down here.