Through the fence -- the backyard of the house in Barrio Centroamerica
Submitted by oncidiumfan on Sun, 2012/03/25 - 18:31.
in
There's a bridle hanging over the lavadora which can be seen quite clearly in a 100% crop.
I feel very odd about the possibility of taking over a house from a Nicaraguan cowboy, actually. I don't know what he's supposed to be paying or if where I am now would work for him.
And yeah, the fence isn't all zinc. There's some wooden boards, too.
Lavandero
A lavadora is a washing machine. A lavandera is a laundry lady. A lavandero should be the male equivalent of a lanudry lady but, at least in Nicaragua, is is the word used to describe that thing with a pila on one side and a ribbed washing surface on the other.
If anyone is thinking a pila is a battery, they are right. It's also an atomic pile and more. I am also not sure why it is a pila because it is really a tank and this use of pila is closest to sink.
And, yes, I am well aware that my Nicaraguan vocabulary will make me sound like an idiot in most any other Spanish speaking country including California.
Lavandero
I was raised in New Orleans in the 50's and my mom used to wash clothes on a wash board w/the bottom legs inside a small round wash tub to catch the water. After washing she would put the wash board in the sink and rinse the clothes by using same motion w/washed clothes trying to get all the soap out. She used to make me do that part of the job. The downfall of being an only child. LOL My wife was raised in Managua in the 50's and she uses the word pila to describe the clean water pale they use to rinse out washed clothing by pouring it over the clothing as you rub it in an up and down motion on the lavandero which is placed in the cement sink. She cannot remember the word they used for sink.
Okay, I stand corrected.
My promise to myself was that if the next place didn't have a lavandero, I'd buy a washing machine (lavadora). So far, I have not gotten lucky, and if I get this place, I'll continue washing on the lavandero.
I have found that actually buying a plastic laundry basket does make getting the laundry done a bit less painful.
Rebecca Brown
Why Not Spread
the wealth a bit and let someone do your laundry?
And the ironing . . . since it never seems to dry completely if it's hung out . .
I'd rather spread the wealth in other ways
...like taking taxis from time to time. Also, I think it's sinful to ask other people to wash my drawers.
Paying for cabs to and from Supermercado Guadelupe is a better investment of my time and money. Or having dinner out. Or buying a new drill or a power saw or something.
I rather doubt that any human being likes to do laundry for other people, and my doing my own isn't going to break anyone's life. I can imagine people liking to drive cabs and buses or liking to cook or sell me some computer peripherals for the chance to be on line for several hours when the store wasn't busy.
Ideally, everyone should do their own scut work since none of us have much different times to live than anyone else, all mas o menos 80 years, and all of our time is equally valuable to the individuals living it.
Rebecca Brown
Because....
That's the sort of thing a tourist would do.
That's worse than answering on someone else's blog.
Water Basin
But originally used as a natural 'water basin', a land formation where water would gather and be stored naturally.
"The area has long carried the name of El Pilar and while the origin of this name is obscure, the numerous natural sources of water speak to the old Spanish word for watering basin or pila, whose collective would be designated in Spanish as El Pilar. Two local streams have their origins at El Pilar, one to the east, which we call El Pilar Creek, and one on the west referred to generally as El Manantial (the Spring). About 1.2 miles (or 2.3 KM) east is Chorro, a lovely delicate waterfall. Not far from this waterfall is a minor center named Chorro, after the falls. The abundance of water in the vicinity of El Pilar is rare in the Maya area; the venerable ancient city of Tikal (just 50 KM west) had no natural water sources at all. Currently the Reserve has a total of six trail systems, three archaeological and three primarily nature trails. These range in length from 1/10 of mile to a mile and a half long and are of different degrees of difficulty".
http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/mayan/mayasites.html
Man, I gotta get a life!!