Today was a well-earned day of rest. I made a point of having no plans today except playing with Enid. Hopefully I made up a little for all my recent edginess and preoccupation. In the afternoon we all went to Parque Fundidora, which is an old steel mill site that has been mostly cleared out and turned into a park. Parts of the steel mill were left in place however, including huge smokestacks that are scattered around like hulking monuments to past industrial glory. Some of the old brick buildings have been converted to art museums, which we visited. And there is also an ice skating rink, which was our primary reason for going there. Ice skating is something we started doing as a family activity when we were living in Yountville, and now it’s a favorite of Enid’s. She’s not bad at it for a three year old. Mostly she skates holding our hands, but occasionally she’ll go for a while on her own. The rink here is nice enough, but the ice was kept a lot smoother at the place we used to go to in Vacaville. The price was about the same at both places. The skates here are newer and better than in Vacaville.

Driving in Monterrey is quite an experience. I’d describe it as lengthy periods of lucidity punctuated by brief moments of absolute madness. Although traffic lights and unambiguous lane markings are not as prevalent as in the USA, the roads basically make sense and traffic usually flows in a relatively safe and orderly fashion. But every now and then you come to a spot where things have broken down into utter chaos, either due to an accident, ongoing road repairs, or simple bad design. At these spots it’s a wild-west, every man for himself battle to the death. When you see an opening you hit the accelerator and hope for the best. Otherwise you are literally trapped, with fifty angry Mexicans stuck behind you, all honking their horns. It is not for the faint of heart.