July 2009  Issue 79

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INTRODUCTION

Summer and the hurricane season are here, and the tourists are still here too.  And, there is a fair amount of “Came & Went” as well.

Interestingly enough, there are no Mexico holidays in July to report.
 

MESSAGE FROM THE STAFF

Last month The Akumalian distributed a Survey with regards to abbreviating some of the sections within The Akumalian, and the results were published in a Special Edition that went out last week.  The results of the Survey can be seen in that Special Issue.

As a result of how the respondents replied can be viewed in this issue of The Akumalian, and The Staff feels relieved that questions about “Comings & Goings” and "What's New Around Town" were not included.

The Staff hopes you enjoy this new format of The Akumalian.
 

IMPORTANT JULY FACTS

AKUMAL COUNCIL GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING

The summer Akumal Council General Assembly Meeting was held on Wednesday, June 24^th at the Lol Ha Restaurant, and, considering the time of year, there was a very interested and enthusiastic attendance, draw by the hot topic of "Legalization".  The minutes, when posted, can be viewed at Akumal Council July 24 Meeting.
 

JULY BIRTHDAYS

Birthdays and anniversaries can be found at July Birthdays.
 

ROBIN’S BEST SHIRT AWARD JULY 3rd

It’s time for another “Best Shirt Award”, which is held on the first Friday of each month during Happy Hour at the Lol Ha Beach Bar.  This is one to celebrate, because it’s on Friday, July 3^rd, the eve of July 4^th.

The June award for “best Shirt” went to Steve Clouther, who was “hot” with his birthday shirt, not suit.  See June Best Shirt for photos.
 

INDEPENDENCE DAY (U.S.) JULY 4th

Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  For "the rest of the story" go to July 4^th.
 

WHAT’S NEW AROUND TOWN?

AKUMAL

 Lol Ha Summer Hours
The Lol Ha restaurant closed on June 14, and it will remain closed untilNovember, probably opening for Thanksgiving.  In the meantime, the beach bar gets transformed into the restaurant in the evening (from 5:00 to 9:30), along with tablecloths, cloth napkins, and candle light on the tables.  Plus, there is a page from the Restaurant Menu in the beach bar menu, and there are “Chef’s Specials” each night.

            Other new features include Cappuccino, espresso and special iced frapuccinos, and on Sunday there is a gourmet all-you-can-eat dessert bar.

            And if that is not enough, there is live entertainment.  Wednesday is Flamenco dancing, and on Friday, after Happy Hour, is the Blues & Jazz Band.

 Florist in Pueblo?
There have been reports of a florist being located in the pueblo.

 Highway Signs
The highway department has gone bonkers with putting signs all over the area.  Here’s just a couple.

 Cheutmal Sign
Have you noticed this sign just outside the southbound entrance to Akumal pueblo.  How can they misspell the capital of the state??

SPORTING EVENTS IN JULY

 There are a lot of major sporting events during the month of July, and here are just a few of them, and in keeping with the context of the Survey results, there's not big deal made of any of them.

Henley Royal Regatta –
Henley Royal Regatta is one of the major events of the British Summer Season. Wednesday 1st - Sunday 5^th, July 2009

Wimbledon Finals:
July 4, Women
July 5, Men

 Tour de France 2009
Running from Saturday July 4th to Sunday July 26th 2009, the 96th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometers.

 Festival of San Fermin
The festival of San Fermin, or the Pamplona bull running as it's more commonly known outside Spain, officially begins at midday on July 6th every year.

 MLB All-Star Game
On July 14th, the 2009 MLB All-Star Game will take place in St. Louis.

 All-American Soap Box Derby
72nd All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship, July 25 in Akron, Ohio.
 

COMINGS AND GOINGS

            The pace continues unabated as we head into July.

Comings:

• Bill & Oteka Barb were back in South Akumal.
• Michael Schwartz was in town early in the month with his son.
• Alexas Schwartz was here with her mom, Lunda, and a gaggle of girl friends celebrating their high school graduation.
• Didier Jackson returned to Akumal for the June 6 Fiesta wedding.
• David & Nancy Poor have been back in town for awhile
• Pat & Cheryl Reagan were back in early June for the Best Shirt Award.
• Zoe Pargot was visiting her parents in mid-June.
• Ron & Sheri Stern were back in their La Bahia condo.
• Dave & Micelle Bliss returned in mid-June.
• Patricia Murray was back in Casa San Francisco with her son TJ, daughter in law Dena, and their 3 year old daughter, Jamie, on June 18-23.  She had some friends there too.
• Hugh Maynard is back for the summer.
• Richard & Arlene Pargot had their friend, Barbara, over from Merida for the weekend.
• Michael & Lunda Schwartz return to South Akumal with the kids on July 19.
• Paula, Neil, Ellie and Katie Humphreys return to their condo in Mi Casa del Mar on July 21, and they are here until August 14.
• Allyson & John Sheffield return on July 7 and stay until August 18.

 Goings:
·         Wendell Day returned to the US.  Did he take the Marlin?  Motorcycle?
·         Charlene made another trip back to Las Vegas in early June.
·         Lucy James was off on another European adventure, and she is back.
·         Bart & Jen Smith returned to Kentucky for a week or so in early June.
·         Maimo & Marcy Essy have returned to Iowa for a couple of months.
·         Kirsten & Horacio are also out of town right now.
 

FULL MOON JULY 7th

Full Buck Moon is on July 7th at 4:21am AST.
 

METEOR SHOWERS

Did you know Meteor Showers recur each year, in some cases for hundreds or even thousands of years?  Technically speaking, Meteor Showers are bursts of cosmic debris entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speed and thus vaporizing, leaving a streak of light that quickly disappears. 

 Normally named after the constellation from which they originate these bursts are the result of interactions between a planet and a comet in which a number of meteors are observed.  As they all travel in parallel paths and at the same velocity, to their viewer Meteor showers appear to radiate away from a single point in the sky.  This is called the "radiant" of the shower.

So, as we know you don't like spending your early mornings outside at the beach or up the roof, but still love fantastic meteor showers, there are two this month, and they are a “must see”.
 

DELTA AQUARIDS METEOR SHOWER, JULY 28-29th

The Delta Aquarids usually produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak.  The shower will peak this year on July 28 & 29, but meteors can usually be seen from July 18 - August 18.  The near first quarter moon will set early, providing an excellent viewing experience after midnight.  The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius.  Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.  Because these meteors nearly broadside the Earth, their speed is a moderate 25.5 miles per second.
 

CAPRICORNIDS METEOR SHOWER, JULY 29-30th

Though you can expect only 15 meteors per hour at best under dark sky conditions, the Capricornids are noted for producing brilliant fireballs.  Today astronomers generally seem to agree that two or three distinct maximums occur during the time the Alpha Capricornids are active.  The shower is created from the debris in the meteor stream, which becomes visible on the earth when the earth passes through the stream.  Astronomers have not identified the object responsible for producing the Alpha Capricornids.  Yet, the discovery of this meteor shower is attributed to a very cool Hungarian astronomer named Miklós von Konkoly Thege, who first plotted several meteors emanating from the region of the star Alpha Capricorni on the nights of July 28 and 29, 1871!

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