Winter in Bahia

Monday-Sunday, November 1-7.
We had a busy morning. We left the house around 7:30am. Dave had to stop at the house where the Halloween party was last night to get his sunglasses. He drove the truck and I the jeep. We left the truck with Philipe, in town and will get it on Friday on our way home from Santa Rosalia. Today is a Mexican holiday called the Day of The Dead. So one of the gas stations was closed, but there is another one in town which was open so we got our tank filled and off we went.

When we got to the boat it looked good. Arturo has done an excellent job in keeping it clean. We unloaded the jeep and got settled on the boat. Everything seemed to be in good working order.

We walked to town for dinner and Dave didn’t fall this time. Yahoo!!!! After dinner we made a stop at the bank and then went back to the boat. Some of the cruisers that were in Bahia de Los Angeles are in Cingular Marina so we got to chat with them a little. The North wind has been blowing so they are waiting until it passes. The wind is supposed to start dying down on Wednesday.

We had a great sleep last night and even with the wind still blowing we didn’t rock and roll much. I was going to scrub the grey part of the deck with Oxy Clean to try and get up the bird doo stains, but it is too windy for that so I will hopefully do that on Wednesday. I did wash out the cockpit and got rid of the dirt that blows in. So at least I did some cleaning today. I walked into town this afternoon to see if anything was open, as we were told a lot of the businesses would be closed due to “Day of The Dead”. Monday was to remember children that had died, and Tuesday is for the adults. I was surprised to see that most of the businesses were open. I walked through town and then came back to the boat. Now we just have to figure out where we are having dinner tonight. It is kind of nice when we come here as we eat dinner out. It gives me a break from cooking. The food is not expensive so we can afford to do that.

Wednesday is here and the wind is still blowing but not as much as the last couple of days. Dave got the power washer out and I mixed some oxy clean and scrubbed the port side grey strip. After letting the oxy clean sit for a few minutes Dave used the pressure washer and surprisingly the oxy clean did take up some of the stains. We will need to do it again next month and keep doing it until the stains are so light no one can see them. The majority of the cormorants that land on top of the mast seemed to have flown south. There aren’t too many of them around now. That is good because maybe we will be able to clean the boat enough that the stains will go away. So we shall see.

Dave and I walked to a hardware store to see if they had tarps. We have to replace the one our dinghy is rolled up in. Sure enough they had the size we were looking for so Dave paid for it and we started walking back toward the marina. Dave continued on to the marina and I turned and walked to town to get some groceries. My backpack was full of heavy stuff and my back didn’t appreciate the weight, but I was able to make it back to the boat. Dave was getting things ready for a lady named Laura to go up the mast. We had talked to her husband yesterday and he said she would do it as long as it wasn’t a complicated job. What we needed was for her to go to the top of the mast, take the wind indicator off and bring it down. She is much lighter than I am so she would be easy to haul up the mast. Her husband Patrick and Dave hoisted her up. She got the wind indicator off and was down in about 15-20 minutes. I gave Patrick and Laura a bottle of wine for helping us. Dave is going to rebuild the indicator and we won’t put the new one on until we have a need to move the boat. Speaking of looking at the boat, we did have a guy from the Tucson Sailing Club look at the boat. He is with another guy sailing to Conception Bay. That club comes to Mexico every year at this time for vacation. They cruise down to and around Conception Bay, which is south of Santa Rosalia, then go back home. It’s a time for several of them to travel together and have a good time. I don’t know if this guy will buy the boat, but he was interested. Like we said, time will tell.

Before going to dinner, I took a shower and watched to make sure no Cormorants landed on the mast. They didn’t. We walked to town, had dinner, and then came back to the boat. I called and talked to my youngest son, Jon, for about 20 minutes and called my oldest, Ernie, and the call was made short as I lost my internet signal. I will try to talk to him tomorrow. That was a bummer.

Well tomorrow is our last day here. I have laundry to do, go into town again and get some more groceries, and start packing up the jeep. We will be out of here early Friday morning. The weather in Santa Rosalia is absolutely perfect. It is warm during the day and pleasant at night. Don’t need a jacket or sweater when we go to dinner. We ended up running the air conditioner today as the inside of the boat got a little warm.

The jeep is loaded, clothes are washed and food has been bought. Tomorrow we will take the last minute things to the jeep, secure the boat and we will be on our way. It was a good trip this time. I even got to talk to my oldest son, Ernie, until the internet signal got weak.

We are heading back home. There was hardly anyone on the road which surprised us. But we aren’t complaining. We had a good trip and stopped for more groceries in Vizcaino then came home. As we entered Bahia, we stopped to pick up our laundry and then went and picked up the truck. Dave drove it while I drove the jeep.

After getting home we unloaded the jeep and carried things upstairs. I put some things away but will do the rest tomorrow. Just don’t feel like it today.

Today, Saturday, I put everything away and now things are back to normal again. George, Mary, Smiley and John, our neighbors just got home from a month at the Pacific Ocean. They were camping.

The propane truck came this morning so we have plenty of propane. The guys did good business since they went over to Rincon (La Mona) first where there are many gringos living there, then came to us and worked their way back to town.

I raked gravel to make a path that goes to the fire pit and the beach. Once that is done I will start lining the path with rocks.

Monday-Sunday, November 8-14.
Today, Monday, is a working day for both of us. Larry had had some rocks dumped in the yard when he use to live here so I started to dig them up as the sand had buried a lot of them. I hauled them to the front yard as I want to make paths that go around the yard, to the fire pit and then the beach. Eventually plants will be planted but for now we just want to work on the paths. The path starts at the guest house and goes out from the steps toward the fire pit. I lined one side of the path. Dave came out and took a look at it and said he had a different idea. I told him what I was thinking and planning and we discussed what Dave had in mind. We weren’t on the same page. So we talked and Dave said we should draw it out so we will know what it will look like. I decided to quit for the day as I had been at it quite a while. While I was working in the yard, Dave was draining the water out of the cement pila into two of the plastic tanks. Then he plumbed the water from the tanks to the house. Now he can work on tearing part of the pila down. After I had finished in the yard for the day I came over to help him. I made his job easier by being the gofer. I didn’t mind. Every little bit helps and we didn’t have the luxury of a lot of time since we turned the clocks back over the weekend. It would get dark sooner, plus we were supposed to go into town with a gal named Susanne. Her husband Pete had already left to go home in the states and she is planning on leaving here to go home on Wednesday. She wanted us and Maryann to join her for dinner at Costa del Sol so we said that would be fun. We did manage to finish hooking up the water from the tanks to the house in time to get cleaned up and meet Susanne at her house. She is giving us and Maryann a ride into town. She has a Hummer which is nice, but I wouldn’t want to own one. Down here it is looked upon as a drug car or belonging to a drug lord. She didn’t know that. Anyway, we went to dinner and had a nice visit. I was very disappointed in my dinner as I ordered breaded shrimp and they were over cooked. Oh well. Victoria has had a hard time getting good cooks. After dinner we came back to Susanne’s place after dropping Maryann back at her house. Dave and I said goodbye to Susanne. After we got home we relaxed and watched T.V.

Dave and I worked on drawing out the plan for the yard. I liked his plan and now I have something to work from. I tried to dig up some rocks but the wind is blowing the sand around. I did manage to get one load to the front yard and then I had to quit. I didn’t want to be breathing or eating dirt and sand. I will have to wait for the northern blow to go away. Here are a couple pictures of the waves off our beach.


It is suppose to be windy today and tomorrow. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. In the meantime, Dave and I went into town to get a sledge hammer. We don’t have one here. He is starting to tear down the pila by working from the top down. After our jaunt to town we had lunch and Dave went to work outside and I took a nap. Our water pump is going flaky. It is running more and Dave is having a heck of a time trying to find out where the leak is. He did find it and now it is a process of elimination of things. It is very frustrating!!! He wasn’t able to figure out why the pump keeps running so what we have decided to do is keep the pump off until we need it, run it long enough to do dishes and whatever else we need the water for, then turn it off overnight.

Wednesday, my neighbor Joanne and her friend Jackie and I went and played train for half a day. After lunch we came home and I tried to work outside but it was way too windy again. I did some reading. I am still trying to finish the Eisenhower book.

The wind is still blowing but I managed to haul some more rocks to the front yard and place them. Now the only rocks left in the pile that Larry had are too heavy for me to lift. I am quitting for the day. Dave worked all morning on the water pump. He has been trying all kinds of things, but in the process of trying to fix things he broke our new water pump. We have two other rebuilt ones so he is seeing if any of those will work. He was suspecting the pump may have been bad. He finally got one of the rebuilt pumps to work so the pump is not cycling all the time. We still don’t know where the leak is but at least the pump isn’t running continuously. Now he is knocking down the top of the pila. We were supposed to have a Mexican man come out to help him today, but he never showed. He was doing a project for someone else so maybe he wasn’t finished yet. While Dave is pounding on the pila, I will read a while and then work on my cross stitch.

Dave has the top of the pila knocked down and is attempting to try and find a weak part in the side wall so he won’t have to pound so much. No such luck.

I finished the first area I wanted to rock off. I still have a lot more to go. It is still windy, but I will work until the sand starts blowing then I will quit.

Rafael showed up this morning, Sunday, at 7:00am. He told Dave his truck wasn’t running and that was why he didn’t show on Friday or Saturday. He started to work right away, pounding on the wall. I made breakfast for Dave and Rafael and by noon they were finished with knocking the wall down, cutting the rebar and hauling the broken cement chunks to a gully on our property. Wow!!! We were impressed with Rafael’s work. He is a hard worker. He will be back in the morning to start cementing the existing walls of the pila.

After Rafael left, I dug up some rocks to make a circle in the yard. Then I will fill that circle with soil and decorate with the bones I have. When I get it done I will have pictures.

Monday-Sunday, November 15-21.
Rafael showed up at 6:30am ready with cement, sand, shovel and a willing spirit. Dave had just gotten out of bed when we heard Rafael drive up to the house. Dave got our wheelbarrow for him to mix cement in and a hose to hook up to the faucet to make it more convenient to get water. After an hour or so I made breakfast for the guys. Rafael was hoping to finish the job today, but he ran out of cement. Dave got another bag for him, but by this time Rafael’s back was hurting. He had been working pretty much non-stop since he got here. The cement is still wet so it needs to cure a little before he can do the opening of the pila area. So he will be back at the same time tomorrow morning to finish the job. Dave said it will take probably 2 hours and then it will be finished. After the cement cures we will move the large plastic water tank inside the pila, then Dave will connect the PVC pipes.

Things were going well and Rafael was almost finished. I was sitting at the dining room table cross stitching when I heard a distress sound from Rafael. I hollered to see if he was alright, but he didn’t hear me. I went to the window and saw that part of the entrance wall fell. Rafael was looking much discussed. On the left side of the pila, Rafael had put a lot of cement and rocks to fill the area, but it made it too heavy. So now Rafael has to make another batch of cement and fix it. I felt sorry for him but he fixed it and now everything is curing. It looks really nice. After the cement has cured, Dave will move the large black water tank inside the pila and get it ready to hook up the pipes that go from that to the house. Saturday we are having Pepito deliver water and then we will be done.

Dave talked to Rafael about getting some rocks for me and he said he would deliver a load on Wednesday morning. After those rocks are used up I will get more myself. The yard is starting to look really nice. I’m pleased. My neighbors have commented on how it looks and I guess I have inspired them to work on their yards. I’ve been offered to be paid for working in their yards, but I declined. I told them if I did it, it would be very costly to them!!! HA!! Doing the work in my yard is fun, and I can work at my own pace, but to work for someone else, not good.

The Baja Rally 1000 is happening on Thursday and there have been a lot of free runners on the road going past our house. Today, Wednesday, is a good day to go into town since most of the free runners are traveling to Ensenada where the race starts. So guess what I am doing today? I have a bit of shopping to do for Thanksgiving and I need to take our garbage in and dump it, so I have a lot of running to do. Dave is staying home to work on getting the tank into the cement pila.

Another neighbor just arrived yesterday. They brought me romaine lettuce and a turkey. Hooray!! They also brought an alternator for the truck so Dave was up early putting it in so I could drive the truck to town. After he was done, and I got some things accomplished, I took the truck and went around our little neighborhood inviting them to come to our house around 3:00pm for a neighborhood cocktail social. Of course they had to bring what they wanted to drink as no one here has a lot of alcohol to offer up. The alcohol is usually brought down from the states or Ensenada as it is cheaper there. It is too expensive here in town to replace. So we call it the Baja way and it is also the cruisers way too. When I got finished with the stuff I had to do I drove to town. Just as I was almost to town, there were several racers on quads coming at me. I pulled to the side of the road and let them pass. I waved to them and a few waved back. That was kind of neat. I was surprised to see so many as I thought they would be heading for Ensenada. Oh well. I just have to keep my eyes and ears open for them. I completed my grocery shopping, trash dumping, and then headed home. Once home I unloaded the truck and carried it all upstairs. While I was gone, Dave had moved the large black water tank into the cement pila.
Our neighbor Tom came over to help him which was nice. Dave was trying to figure out how he was going to hook the tank up to the existing house line. He needs to get more fittings to make that happen but can’t do that until Friday afternoon as the race will be going on until then.

Rafael delivered a load of nice rocks Wednesday morning so guess what I will be doing tomorrow?

I was suppose to go over and see Smiley so she could dig up part of a plant she has growing profusely in her yard, but I forgot until just before my social get together. I rushed over there, we dug it up, planted it in a pot and I was back in time to welcome my guests. I had set everything up on the deck and after everyone arrived we were sitting outside talking and the wind came up and it got cold. We moved inside to much warmer conditions. The guys sat on one side of the room and talked while the gals were on the other side. It’s funny how that works. Same thing happens when we are all together at parties. Smiley, John, Mary and George are leaving tomorrow morning to go into town to watch the race. The pit crews are already set up and ready to get to work. I guess a few people are taking their campers to town to get positioned for the race, stay overnight then come back home on Friday. It sounds like fun and I wish we could do that, but another time. The Rally 1000 happens every November so if we stay here, we will eventually get in on the excitement. For now we will just have to watch from our house or go to the road to see them pass. The motorcycles arrive first and then later on Thursday afternoon come the cars. That is what I would really like to see and get some pictures. So we shall see. There is another local Rally that happens in the spring which we have seen and it is fun so that is something to look forward to.

Anytime now, the motorcycles should be zooming at ludicrous speed and the dirt will be flying!!!!

Thursday has arrived and the first motorcycle rider didn’t come by until 1:00pm or so. Dave and I took the truck and parked on the side of the road. We had our patio chairs in the back of the truck and a cooler full of beer and our lunch. We waited a long time before the first rider whizzed by us. After that our neighbors, Joanne, Jackie and her husband John joined us as well as Phil and Creela. Phil got there just as the first rider past by so he wasn’t a happy camper he missed him. Oh well. Shortly after the first rider passed, a second and third one came by. Then nothing. After waiting for an hour or so, Dave and I decided to go back home. More riders passed by but we had decided we would stay home. We really wanted to see the cars but by the time the first car arrived it was starting to get dark so you couldn’t see them anyway or get good pictures. Oh well. The end of the race is in La Paz. There was a lot of dust kicked up and it was a good thing we had closed our windows. Friday there was just a hand full of stragglers cars that came by. Then it was quiet.

Monday-Sunday, November 22-28.
Today was set up for the art show. Creela rode in with me and we decided she would work Tuesday and Wednesday and I would work Friday and Saturday with Sunday everyone being there for breakdown. I will be there on Tuesday morning as it is opening day and I want to experience the first day. After all the artisans got set up, we went to lunch. Here are some pictures of the tables. My table is the first one.





Afterwards I had a little shopping to do and got gas.

Dave rode in with me to the art show this morning, Tuesday, and stuck around until noon as he had some errands to run after I was done with the show. Creela stayed the rest of the afternoon and so far I hadn’t sold anything. Hmmmmm!!! We got the hardware items Dave needed for the pila hookup and headed home.

After arriving home I went over to Joanne’s house to pick up the turkey Creela and Phil brought down from the States for us. I let it set out to thaw and tomorrow will be a busy day getting things ready for Thanksgiving. I have invited Phil and Creela to Thanksgiving dinner, but they won’t be able to make it as they had another invitation. I also invited Joanne and her friends, Jackie and John who are staying with her. I also invited Mary Ann. So we have a nice group for dinner. Creela and Phil will come over for dinner on Friday to have leftovers.

I was so glad to have the full day Wednesday to prepare for Thanksgiving. I didn’t think I would be as busy as I was and it worked out great. The turkey was thawed so I removed the giblets and cooked them for broth, and then I rinsed the turkey and salted it with kosher salt, then seasoned it with poultry seasoning, wrapped it in foil and put the turkey in a bag and set it in the refrigerator. After that I cut up celery, onion, and garlic to mix with the stuffing tomorrow. When all the chopping was finished I placed them in a container and put it in the refrigerator until tomorrow morning.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! The turkey is stuffed and in the oven cooking. I have set the table, using my crystal wine glasses, cloth napkins and a white table cloth. It looks festive.

I prepared the yams and potatoes so all I would have to do is cook them later. All the prep work has been done and the turkey smells really good. Mary Ann was the first to arrive and we played a game with dice called, ‘How Greedy Are You’. It was fun and it helped pass the time until the rest of the gang got there. Once Joanne and her friends arrived, I started cooking the potatoes and had already taken the turkey out of the oven about an hour before, so Dave spooned the stuffing into a dish and put it in the oven along with the yams. Mary Ann brought a raspberry/strawberry Jell-O mix salad with cream cheese, pineapple and cranberries in it. She also brought a pecan pie and Joanne brought the pumpkin pie. We had dinner and everything was really delicious. We were all stuffed and even though none of us had the room for dessert, we ate it anyway. Mary Ann left me with the leftover pecan pie, her cranberry chutney, and some salad. Yumm!!! We sat around and talked for a little bit and then everyone went home. It was a very nice Thanksgiving. By sharing the holiday with friends, it made it easier to be away from family.

I was at the museum, where the art and craft show was being held, at around 9:30am or so. I helped with putting the signs out and getting prepared for people. There were 4 of us working the show. We had a couple people come in, in the morning, but no one bought anything from me. Actually I did sell about 4 of my rock creations and 1 small purse on Wednesday so I was excited. At noon we broke for lunch. I hadn’t brought my lunch, and Lois had, so she was staying at the Museum. The other ladies, Teri and Veronica left to go home since they live closer to their homes than I do. I left and got a few groceries and something to eat and went back to the museum. When I arrived, Lois warned me there were people in the art show looking, and she was tending to the people who were in the Museum. The art show was held in a room adjacent to the museum. There must have been about 15 people looking at things and picking things out. It was one big family and they come down every year and drop a lot of money in the museum as well as the town. They bought quite a bit. I was the only one there to help them, so I got stuck trying to keep the artisans items separately documented so each one got the money that was sold. Let me explain. Each artisan is responsible for their own table and each buying customer is to pay that artisan for her things. Since no one was there to watch their table, I had to collect a total for the items, write down at each table what was sold, and then when the ciaos was over, the money was divided between the artisans that sold their items. After that there weren’t any more sales. We did have a couple people come and look but no one bought anything. When I got home, I started getting dinner ready. Dave helped and his biggest help was defrosting the freezer. It needed it badly and I was VERY happy he did that.

Phil and Creela came to dinner and we had a wonderful time. They are really nice people. They will be going back to their San Diego home around the 12th and then return here in the spring. After Phil and Creela left, I set the dishes aside to do in the morning and Dave and I watched T.V. then went to bed.

Today is the last full day of the art show. I doubt there will be many lookers, but you never know. I brought my lunch today. A turkey sandwich, yum!! When we broke for lunch, I went and picked up my laundry and went back to the museum to eat. The art show was closed from 12:00 to 1:00pm, so a few minutes before 1:00pm I opened the doors and waited for people. It was a very quiet day. There was only one artisan that sold an item today. It wasn’t me, however. Oh well. At 4:00pm the doors were locked and tomorrow we all show up to hopefully sell something before 12:00pm when we tear down.

Last day of the art show and no one came to visit. So no one made any money today. We added up our total sales and donated 10% to the museum and kept the rest. I made $147 pesos, which is $12.25 in U.S. dollars. So basically I didn’t make any money. But the experience was good and I learned not to have my table as busy as it was. They wanted it to be bright and Christmassy, but the table cloth I bought, ended up distracting from my artwork. No worries. I will do it again in April when we have the Easter, spring show. I am planning on selling what is left over from this show, add some photos framed in mats, and maybe some different rock/shell sculptures.

We had a meeting to discuss some changes to the next show, broken down the show. The museum room was put back to normal, and then we loaded our cars and trucks and closed up the room. We decided to go to lunch and the ladies went to one restaurant and the guys went to a different one. After that we said goodbye and went home.

Monday and Tuesday, November 29-30.
This morning I went over to Annie’s house to play Mexican train. I had a really good time. Most of the ladies are heading home either on Tuesday, or the weekend coming up. They are going home to do some shopping and decorating their homes for Christmas and get ready for family. Some will be back in January, others in March or April. These are a great bunch of ladies!

Fall is Here

Friday-Wednesday, October 1-6.
Happy October 1. Each Day Dave’s leg looks better. It is stinging a little and there is a dull ache, but we figured as hard as he fell against that curb, he must have bruised the shin. Poor guy. The main thing is that it is healing.

The weather is supposed to be cooling off, but so far it isn’t happening. Sailboats are starting to leave the bay and heading south. One good thing about the weather is there aren’t any tropical storms forming as that weather has moved further south toward Panama. Hooray!!! It is a good thing we didn’t get a hurricane up here with 40 boats in the bay. Not all of them would have been able to fit in Don Juan. It was close when we were in there last year for Jimana, and there were 25 boats.

Not much going on here. Yesterday, Tuesday, the weather changed and it was very comfortable. I would say it was in the 80’s. No humidity and no sweating. We even had to pull up the comforter and close some windows as it was pretty cool.

I worked on sewing tops on kitchen towels for hanging. Here are 2 of them.


Now I want to start on some small purses made from variegated Christmas color yarn.

People are starting to show up down here from California. Now that the cooler weather has come they are coming back. Larry and Lois should be here on Friday, the 7th.

Tomorrow Dave and I are going to a birthday party for a guy named Andy who is turning 80. I met his wife Sammy last year at the garage sale, Maryann had at her house. They are only down here for a short time to take a break and then will be going back to the states again. Nice people. Also tomorrow morning Dave and I will get water from town again because we are going to have to give Larry back his pump this weekend.

It is a wonderful day today. It is actually cool outside. The wind is blowing and it is a cool breeze so it is nice. I think I can now take the towels off the chairs in the living room as we aren’t sweating anymore. Fall has arrived!!!! Pretty soon I will be working outside making the yard look better and cutting back some of the bushes and lining the edges with rocks. I want to start leveling the ground by the house and go hiking for plants to add to the garden. I will be able to go for walks now that it is cooler, which is awesome.

Thursday-Sunday, October 7-10.
Larry and Lois arrived late this afternoon, Thursday. We talked to them on the radio but will see them probably tomorrow to take back the pump and Lois’ plants. Thank goodness the plant sitting is almost over.

We have heard more people on the radio that have arrived from the states. Pretty soon everyone will be down here.

Dave is taking it easy as if he is on his feet too long his booboo starts to hurt. I have been busy crocheting and trying to finish up with things for the Bazaar next month. I want to make one more wash cloth and hopefully a couple of lightweight open weave scarves for ladies. Then I have to start listing what I have and pricing the items, tagging them and figuring out how I want to display them.

Saturday, the 9th, Dave and I went and visited Larry and Lois. We stayed and talked for a while and when we left there we stopped by Maryann’s to unload batteries from her truck. Her new neighbor, Susan, was unloading boxes of tile so we helped her and then Dave unloaded the batteries and set them on wood until he can come back and hook them up for her. After that we came home and Dave propped his leg up. It was hurting.

Sunday the propane truck finally came around and everyone was busy calling everyone else to alert them. There isn’t any warning as when they will come, but it is always on a Sunday. So we were able to fill the last tall tank we had and also a couple small ones that Larry left behind. So we are good for awhile. Yea!! So that is the extent of our weekend. Pretty exciting eh?

Monday-Sunday, October 11-17.
It is a holiday today for the states. Well for some. The kids at least get a day off from school. I walked over to Ruth’s house to bring her some ceviche. Nasario, our guard brought a bag for us, our neighbors and their friends, but their friends had left so I figured Ruth and her husband Ernest would love to have some. I walked along the beach and it took about 30 minutes or so to get to her house. It was nice to be able to walk without getting over heated. I will have to do more walking now that the weather is cooler. They were thrilled to get the ceviche. Ruth and I visited and went upstairs on her deck to watch the scenery. A big semi truck got stuck trying to deliver sheetrock to Ruth’s neighbor. So there were several trucks there to help off load the truck and Dave was among them. Ruth and I walked next door and watched the action. Ruth ended up helping make sandwiches for the workers and I stayed out of the way and talked to some of the guys and met Mike, his wife Yolanda, thier two boys’ ages 6 and 4, and her mother. They came down just to receive the shipment and will head back to the states on Saturday. They are having some work done now and the rest when they return in the spring. After the work was done and the crew was fed, Ruth and I walked back to her house and Dave met us there. He came over to look at her boat. She showed it to us, but unfortunately it isn’t a boat for this water. It is more like a lake boat. Nice looking. It is a go fast boat. It has rod holders for fishing, but the bad thing is you have to stand up on a platform to fish and with the water that is here, meaning we get wind waves a lot, it would not be safe. So we aren’t going to even consider buying it from them. After that I said goodbye and Dave and I headed home. The sheetrock had been unloaded and delivered to the house, and the truck was pulled out of the hole one of the tires was in. So all worked out well. That was a busy Monday.

Ruth and Ernest will be leaving around the 20th to go back to their cabin in Big Bear, California. They like the summers here but not the winters. She is a ski instructor and she loves to ski. Since Ernest isn’t in the best of health, she is looking forward to getting him back home close to doctors. They may or may not be back in the spring. They have had their house here in Baja up for sale for a long time and even lowered the price, but I think when she finally is ready to not come back, she will lower it to where someone will be able to afford to buy it. Slowly the old timers that have been here for 25 years or longer are getting too old to maintain their places down here and they either die here or go back to the states to never return to Bahia. Plus things are changing and some of them don’t like it. If they pave the main road out to our homes, there will be a couple of people who will not return. They like the seclusion and quiet. But with everything there comes changes and Dave and I would welcome some of them. It is just one of those things.

Today, Wednesday, I transplanted a couple plants and will be crocheting a wash cloth. Tomorrow the ladies, I’m one of them, are going into town at a restaurant named Alihandras to play train and have lunch. After lunch I will come home. Philipe, the mechanic wants to finish working on the truck so he wants us to bring it in tomorrow morning. I will take it in but will need a ride to Alihandras. I can probably hitch a ride with Ruth or Maryann when they come in. I will talk to them. Then I will have to find a ride home. It all depends on when Philipe is going to be done with the truck. Man!!!! So many things to think about. HA!!!! I’m just kidding. If that is all you guys had to worry about you would trade places in a heartbeat I am sure!!!!!

Sunday, Dave and I are going to Ruth’s to teach her and Maryann how to play cruiser train and then Dave is making dinner for everyone. We wanted to make dinner to thank them for all their help when we needed it and also since her and Ernest are leaving in another week, it will be a farewell dinner as well. Dave is making carbonara. It is a pasta dish in case you didn’t know.

I drove the truck to Philipe’s and dropped it off. I will pick it up tomorrow morning. I got a ride with Maryann to the restaurant and we were the first to arrive. She had Ruth and another gal named Susan with her. We set up the tables for playing and the other ladies started to arrive. I met some new ladies and was able to talk with the ones that come down every year. We had a good time playing train and I even won a couple games. Wooohooo!! Then we had lunch and visited with everyone then I hitched a ride with a gal named Rita and Phyllis. I got home around 3 and shared my day with Dave.

Friday, Dave and I went in to town to pick up the truck. Philipe forgot to change the hoses or fix the fuel gauge so we will need to bring it back another time. After getting home, Dave went out to the beach and started casting. He managed to catch a fish. We aren’t sure what it is but it is a firm white meat fish. Dave filleted it and we are freezing it for later. He was very happy he was able to fish and not get his leg wet. He tried to get some more but they had moved away from shore.

I went into town this morning, Saturday, and bought some groceries. We are running out of our Costco supplies so we will need to go to Costco soon. We have to go to Santa Rosalia first, then around the end of November we will go to Costco. While I was gone Dave tried to catch another fish but had no luck.

I finished crocheting a scarf and now I am starting another one. This will be the last of the items I made for the bazaar as I have to start pricing them and make a list of what I have.

This afternoon Dave and I are going over to Ruth’s house. She and Ernest will be leaving to go back to Big Bear next week when their renters get here. It should be a fun afternoon.

Joanne arrived late yesterday afternoon, so another neighbor is here. She brought some friends with her.

Before going over to Ruth’s we visited with Joanne and her friends and picked up our wine. Yahoo! We aren’t wine less any more. After coming back home from Joanne’s we gathered the food and things we needed at Ruth’s for cooking and headed over to her house. Shortly after we got there Maryann showed up. We taught Ruth and Maryann how to play Cruiser Train and then it was time to cook dinner. We got a chance to visit with Ernest which was nice. Dave cooked the carbanara and Ruth heated the bread and plates on the BBQ. Then dinner was served. It was really nice to share a meal with them. After dinner I washed the dishes and then we had to say goodbye as it was starting to get dark. You don’t want to be on the road at night from Ruth’s as we don’t travel it enough to know our way back to our house when it is dark. There are tracks all over the place. I will miss Ruth. This may be the last time I see her down here as Ernest is not moving around so good any more as his health is failing. So we shall see what happens in the spring.


We found out what kind of fish Dave caught the other day. It was a White Sea Bass. The meat is really good and it is the best firm white fish around. Even better than Dorado they say. We shall see as that is what we are having for dinner tomorrow night.

Monday-Sunday, October 18-24.
There are clouds hanging above the mountains, which mean we will be getting some strong winds. It was windy today, but not as windy as I thought it would be.

I priced all my craft items for the Bazaar next month and made a spread sheet so I can keep track of what I sell. After that I worked on my cross stitch. I haven’t worked on it for a long time. When I got tired of doing that I started to crochet a scarf for Nasario, our guard. He doesn’t have much meat on his bones and gets cold quickly, so since it is starting to get cooler he could use a scarf. I was going to wait and give it to him for Christmas, but decided he might need it before then.

We ate the White Sea Bass for dinner and it was really good. Dave wants to catch more, but they have moved further away from shore where he can’t reach them just by casting off the beach. Oh well. At least we got to catch one and now know how it tastes.

This morning, Tuesday, we went into town and got water. We didn’t have to wait long as there was only one other person in front of us. After we filled the tank, we stopped at the store to buy milk and chicken breasts and then before we came home, stopped at Larry’s to pick up the pump. We had to wait a little bit as he was pumping water out of his tank into another one. He got water yesterday but didn’t empty the tank. We called him on the way to town and asked if we could borrow the pump and he said sure. We left Larry’s and went home. I put the groceries away then helped Dave with the water extraction of the tank to the pila. He will take the pump and hoses back to Larry this afternoon, as he plans on stopping by Maryann’s to start preparing the new batteries to be hooked up to the inverter. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and some breakfast when our water deed was done and Dave washed his leg and changed the bandage and put his leg up for a while.

After lunch Dave went over to Maryann’s and stopped by Larry’s to drop off the pump.

It is not a solar power day today. We will need to run the generator to charge the batteries. We woke to clouds and lots of them. Now it looks like they are starting to descend the mountains and come down to the valley. This is just one of the beauties of this area.






It is windier than yesterday and we had to close down some of the windows. One nice thing about being down here where we are, is it can be cloudy one day and sunny the next. We don’t get endless days of clouds like we did in Washington. It has cooled off so much at night now as Dave and I are wearing our flannel pants!!

The temperature is dropping as it is only suppose to be 80 today, Wednesday. We had sunshine this morning but now it is getting cloudy again. A front is moving in from Ensenada which is bringing us clouds and wind. No rain yet. San Diego sure has been getting the weather lately. They didn’t have much of a summer and now they are getting thunder and lightning storms with lots of rain.

Dave and I cleaned out the rest of the metal shed Larry left behind. Dave wants to move it so he can put the large water tank there, but he isn’t sure how we are going to do that. We have a Mexican man named Ponsonia, who would like to take it off our hands, but he won’t be able to get it for a couple weeks or so. The shed has been screwed down to a wood platform so we are thinking if we unscrew it, we might be able to move it and then move the wood bottom after that. We’ll figure it out. After we were finished with that project, I washed clothes and Dave messed around in the garage for a while. I washed the counters in the kitchen and then made lunch for us. Dave needs to go over to Maryann’s this afternoon so he can see what kind of screws she has for him putting in her new batteries. He had to put his leg up to rest it because it starts to hurt when he has been on it too long. I am getting ready to cross stitch and Dave just left for Maryann’s. He should be back soon.

Ruth called this morning to say goodbye. Her renters, Bev and Greg came in on Monday so Ruth and Ernest and their two dogs, Lucas and Prieta, are leaving today for Big Bear. She doesn’t like the cold here, but she doesn’t mind being in Big Bear in the winter as she loves to ski.

Tomorrow I am going to Maryann’s to play train for half a day. I should be able to see some more of the Baja gals I didn’t see last week.

This morning Dave noticed squid along the shore. For some reason they beach themselves and die. I wanted to get some pictures so I walked down to the beach. These squid were a lot smaller than the ones we saw last year. These look like baby Humboldt squid. I thought I would share these pictures.




Pretty interesting and the squid come to us!!! We didn’t gather any this time. Dave likes to get the tentacles for bait, but we don’t have any room in the freezer for that. Maybe next time.

Train was fun and I did get to meet some new ladies. I was the only one who played half a day and after visiting with the gals during lunch I left and stopped at Sammy and Andy’s house to visit for a while. She showed me the rock walls she is building and the unusual rocks and drift wood she has collected. After that I went home.

Friday, Dave and I went to town. He needed to get some electrical stuff to finish Maryann’s set up for batteries to the solar panel and I needed some groceries. So that was our adventure for the day.

The weather is perfect for working in the yard so that is what I did. I took all the whale bones that were lying down on the ground, surrounding 2 garden areas and moved them to create s better look. Here is what I did with them. I like it much better.


Monday-Sunday, October 25-31.
Another beautiful day to work in the yard. I started digging up the rocks that encircled the garden areas that Lois had created when she lived here. I started filling in a trench created by rain and Dave was smoothing out the dirt on the road and driveway. He was taking the bumps out of the road. When he was done with that he asked me what I was doing and I told him, and then he came over and started to rake the ground to make it slope gentler and also piled some rocks to help keep the soil in place. Then I got 2 wheel barrow loads of gravel from a pile near the house that Larry had left over from his last order, and brought them to Dave. He raked the first load and while I raked the second load, Dave got another load and dumped it. Once that was raked and smoothed over the area we had filled in, we quit. Our backs were hurting. Dave complained his right side of his back was really hurting. He strained his back somehow and now has a hard time sitting and getting up again. He took some ibuprofen and I gave him my back magnet belt to wear. We also put some pain reliever cream on it. He laid down for about an hour or so and it still hurt when he got up but at least he could sit. So now not only his leg hurts but his back too. I told him he needs to exercise and strengthen his back and walk. He hasn’t been doing much since he injured his leg. We will keep administering the ibuprofen and keep the belt on and with doing a little stretching of the lower back and walking he should feel better soon. We are supposed to get water on Wednesday, but we may have to do it later in the week. We are going Monday, November 1, to Santa Rosalia for a week, and when we get back Lois and Larry will be gone for a couple weeks, camping. We borrow the pump from Larry so that is why we have to get water before we go to Santa Rosalia.

We have found more dead squid on the beach. I’ve been using the shovel to pick them up and throw them back into the water. Don’t want them lying on the beach to stink.

Dave is taking ibuprofen on a regular bases, and it is helping. He is also wearing the magnet belt and is able to bend and sit more easily. He took a walk today which is really good and he is also stretching a little. Poor guy. He told me he wasn’t going to get roped in to working in the yard today!!! I was raking the gravel along the patio by the house since when we drive on it, it gets pushed out. After I finished that, I finished trimming the bushes that I started late yesterday afternoon, and then pulled out all the dead branches from a plant. Dave mentioned last spring he wanted to do it, but then it got too hot to work in the yard so it was put on hold until today. That has opened up a nice spot to plant something in its place. I will have to figure out what I want to put there. I dug up some plants that were growing here and there in the yard and replanted them where I want to keep the soil from eroding. Hopefully the plants will take hold and grow and keep the soil together. I am going to have to go looking for plants to dig up and plant in my yard. Now is a perfect time to do it. I have finished the yard work for today. Little by little the yard is looking better.

We were going to get water today, Tuesday, but Dave’s back still isn’t good enough to be lifting and twisting and all that kind of stuff. So we will see what Wednesday brings. I just want to give him another day of recovery. He is taking his walks, which is good, and is stretching. The muscle seems to be loosening up a bit so we are planning on getting water Wednesday.

Wednesday is here. Dave will have to be careful about lifting so to ease his pain, I went ahead and loaded the plastic water tank on the truck and secured it. It is awkward to move but not heavy. All Dave had to do is drive. We were surprised that we were next in line to get water. We didn’t have to wait long at all. That is really surprising!! Dave checked with Philipe to see if we could drop the truck off next Monday on our way to Santa Rosalia, and he said yes. The hoses need replacing and the fuel tank gauge needs to be fixed. After getting water we stopped at Pepito’s “Home Depot” and he already had the large water tank ready for delivery. We told him tomorrow, Thursday, would be good in the morning. So he will deliver it sometime tomorrow. We paid for everything already. We told him we have a metal shed we want to get rid of and asked if he was interested. He said he might be. He will look at it tomorrow when he comes. We left “Home Depot” and ended up at Larry’s to pick up the water pump. We will keep it until he gets back from camping, as we need to use it while he is gone. When we got home, we emptied the water from the tank in the back of the truck to the pila, and then put everything away. Dave called our friends Sue and Peter, and asked if Peter could come out and help him move the metal shed. Peter was getting ready to paint, but we caught him just in time, so he said if it didn’t take long he would be over. Dave and Peter were able to move the shed on a wood pallet which was hooked from there to the truck. Pete pulled it off to the side of the yard and they were done. We thanked him for his help and he went back to his house to do painting and Dave and I smoothed the ground where the shed was. Shortly thereafter, Pepito showed up and unloaded the tank and said he was interested in the shed and would be back later to get it. He needed to bring another person with him. So things are coming together. The shed will be gone and the big black tank will be in place and when we get back from Santa Roslia, Dave will drain the pila into the big tank so we can start tearing down a wall or two of the pila so we can put either the big tank or the one we take to get water in and put it inside. We will have more water this way and the walls left up of the pila will be a barrier for the water tank so it isn’t an eye sore. We will have to re-cement the existing walls of the pila so it will look nice.

After lunch, Pepito came back with his son and the 3 guys loaded the shed onto Pepitos’ flatbed truck. Here are pictures of it leaving our place. Dave told Pepito it was a Mexican camper!!! They both thought that was funny.






Friday, I went into town to double check with Philipe, the mechanic, to make sure he was going to be in town next week so we can drop off the truck on our way to Santa Rosalia. He said he would be so I told him we would bring it in early Monday morning. Then I dropped off laundry with Yolanda and told her I would pick it up on Friday, on our way back from Santa Rosalia. While I was in town, I got a call from Lois asking if I would pick her up a dozen eggs, and pick up a kilo of ground meat for Maryann. I told her sure. We all try to help each other out when someone needs something from town. I did the shopping and then delivered the goods to Maryann and Lois. Then it was time to go home and recoup from the long bouncy ride.

Sunday has arrived as it is Halloween AND Dave’s Birthday!!!! There is a Halloween Party tonight so I baked brownies to take. I will be a Pie-Rat, and Dave a Pirate!! He really wanted to be an aquarium, but couldn’t find a big cardboard box. We don’t have all our Halloween costume stuff anymore, darn. Well imagination is a wonderful thing. As a Pie-Rat, I had a picture of a pie on my chest, I was dressed like a pirate but with ears and a tail. Here is a picture in case you are having trouble picturing it.


The party was fun and I got to see some of the gals I hadn’t seen since the spring. There were more people dressed in costumes than I thought there would be. Fun! Fun! Dave had a good birthday. Here are some pictures of how Baja does Halloween.
















































Well tomorrow morning we are on our way to visit the boat in Santa Rosalia. Since it is cooler now we can work on it without sweating to death or burning up in the sun.

Not Fall Weather

Wednesday-Sunday, September 1-5.
The saga of the truck continues. We still haven’t been able to contain the leak in the radiator so there is no driving it to town. Dave talked with Jay, next door, and he said that Philipe is a good mechanic and is located by where we get water in town. Jay suggested we talk to him. So Dave went into town and did that. When he got back he said that Philipe will come out to the house to take a look at it tomorrow. Well tomorrow came and went and Philipe didn’t show. Maryann and Ruth were going into town so Dave asked if they could stop by Philipe’s shop and find out when he would be out. He finally came out mid afternoon to take a look at it. He had to wait to get a ride as his car doesn’t run right now. He is waiting for a part which is coming from Ensenada. So Francisco drove him out and they ended up taking the radiator out of the truck, drained a lot of gunk out of it. No wonder it leaked. They said they would take it to the shop and have Samalito flush it and then see what needs to be done after that. Here is a picture of Philipe, Francisco, Dave and our guard Nasario, looking under the hood.


On Sunday, Maryann picked me up and we went to Ruth’s to enjoy the water and play Train and have lunch. By the time we got home it was already around 5:00pm. We had no idea it was that late. We had a great day and Dave was able to get Larry’s dinghy that was rolled up on the shelf, down, inflate it to see if there were any leaks. He is planning on using that to get to the fishing boat Maryann is letting us borrow. His plan is to moor the boat on the buoy in front of the house.

Monday-Sunday, September 6-12.
Last night we had a visit from a herd of cows, in the wee hours of the morning. They were looking for water. We scared them off, and then they were back around 6:00am. There was a lot of mooing going on. I think Jay and Jan will tell the rancher that brings water for the horses and cows, when they go into town, that they are out of water and coming by our homes looking for some.

Philipe is suppose to come out today with the radiator, but because we have no communication with him we don’t know when he is coming. We want to leave on Wednesday for Ensenada, but it all depends on what happens with the radiator project. I have to go into town and get a few things so I will stop and talk to him. When I got there I asked to see him but Francisco said he was in Ensenada. So I asked Francisco when we could expect the radiator and he said that Samalito was waiting for water to flush the radiator and then they would bring it to us tomorrow. So that was good news. I did my shopping and went back home and told Dave the news. So we will see.

Jay and Jan are having their Net Controller party today, Tuesday. All the cruisers who were net controllers were invited. We got to see some cruisers we haven’t seen since last year, and then our favorite cruisers, Marni, Pete, Sandy and John. We were able to catch up with many of them to see where they were headed next. Most of them are still planning on staying in Mexico so there is hope we will be able to see them next year when they come up the Sea. That will be nice. We had a fun day and had our eye out for when we would get our radiator. I played darts with most of the cruisers while Dave visited with some of the guys and then he ended up watching us play. I didn’t even make it to the next round. All I could do was hit small numbers and for that game you had to hit the bull’s eye, #’s 20, 19, 15, 16, 17, and 18. Well for not being a dart player I can only say I hit the board more times than not so I was doing really well. We showed the house to people who wanted to see it and Jay grilled hot dogs wrapped in bacon for lunch, and then there was a variety of food to choose from so no one went hungry. We were still full when it came to dinner so we just had snacks like cheese, crackers, celery filled with peanut butter, and apple slices. Needless to say the radiator never showed. So we can’t go to Ensenada tomorrow. We will wait to see if they show today and if not we will go into town and talk to them about when we will have it back. We may be off for Ensenada tomorrow morning or we will wait until next week. First things first.

I am almost finished with the tote bag I have been crocheting. I sewed the lining and fitted it inside the bag last night. Now all I have to do is stitch around the top to secure the lining to the bag. That is today’s project, and then I will do some cross stitching. I am making good progress on the dragon and castle.

The last couple of nights have been cool for sleeping. It is nice. We have had south winds and Dave’s head actually got cold early morning Tuesday. I had to pull up the comforter as we got chilled. I’m not complaining, it just tells us the weather is cooling off. It is suppose to be cooler for about 10 days then go back to low 90’s then after that it will start cooling more. So it has been pleasant not to be sweating so much.

Most of the boats that were anchored off the beach have moved on, either to the village or further north to explore. The cruisers are having another full moon party soon and that will be over in La Mona at the estuary. We won’t be going to that one. After that party is over, most of the boats start to prepare to go south again and back to the mainland. Most of them leave around the middle of October. It has been nice to see the sailboats moving around out in the Bay. Next month is when the San Diego people come back down as it is cooler. Most of them will be here until December, go home for a while and be back in the spring. The VHF radio will be buzzing soon with all the chit chat of the ladies being back. Oh I can hardly wait!!!!! NOT!!!

Francisco arrived after 1:00pm with the radiator. He said that Philipe would be in Ensenada for a couple more days. The radiator has been put back in and now the truck is running to check for leaks. Dave put some stop leak in it along with antifreeze and water, so now all we have to do is run it and see what happens. So it looks like we will be going to Ensenada tomorrow and be back on Saturday. Life is good. Well life has a snag in it. The radiator is leaking in a new spot now. We won’t be leaving for Ensenada tomorrow. Looks like Thursday now. The radiator will have to wait until we get back. We need to get to Ensenada before next week as it is Mexico’s Independence Day and a lot of people will be drinking and all just like what happens on our 4th of July. So we want to avoid being on the road and in Ensenada.

Thursday has arrived and we are on our way to Ensenada. We decided to stop and see Francisco before we left town to let him know about the radiator. He offered to come to the house and pick it up while we were gone and take it to Samalito’s to see if he can repair the leak. We told him we were heading for Ensenada and be back on Saturday. So we will settle money matters when we get back. Nasario, the guard, knows Francisco so there won’t be a problem with him getting in to get the radiator.

It was a long drive to Ensenada. We ran into road construction as it is being resurfaced, so it was slow going. We had a lot of big trucks going north too. We made it to Ensenada around 3:00pm and went straight to the hotel, checked in then went to Home Depot and Wal-Mart. I got a few things there while Dave went looking for replacement parts for the pressure washer. He didn’t buy anything as we needed to talk about whether we should replace parts or buy a new unit. We decided to go back to Home Depot tomorrow and price it all out to see what to do. In the meantime we went back to the hotel and relaxed.

We decided last night that it might be cheaper to buy a new pressure washer if the parts are going to be expensive. We really can’t afford the new one, but we need to have a pressure washer for the boat. We are going to Santa Rosalia in a week and want to be able to use it then. Besides the pressure washer we bought in Santa Rosalia wasn’t an expensive one and isn’t rated very good so we are looking into getting a Kracher. So we shall see.

We got up early, had some breakfast and went to Auto Zone to get some antifreeze and a radiator cap for the truck as it is cheaper here than in Bahia de Los Angeles. Then we went to Home Depot and compared prices and ended up buying the Kracher. In was more economical to do that. I had fun looking around in the garden department, and looking at tile, rugs, blinds, wash machines, refrigerators and much more. I love going into hardware stores. Anyway, when we got finished there we went to Costco and got what we needed this trip and got out of town. We are going to try and make it home today. If all goes well we should be home around 5:30pm.

Wow!!! Not many cars or big trucks on the road today. We managed to zip through the road construction and made it home around 5:30pm. Much better trip going home than going to Ensenada. We will have to make another trip back there to get more food at Costco, but that won’t be for another month.

Our neighbors, Mary and George have returned from the states and will unload their truck, load up their Toy Hauler and then depart for the Pacific coast. Then they will be back around the first of November or so.

While we were gone to Ensenada, Francisco came and got the radiator as promised and we should be getting it back, if not Saturday, then Monday. We will see what he has to say. We know we will have to buy a new one, but if we can get a little more driving time out of this radiator long enough to where we can better afford getting a new one, that would be perfect.

Saturday came and went and we didn’t get the radiator back so we figure it will be Monday as they don’t work on Sundays.

Sunday, Maryann came and picked me up and we went to Ruth’s house to play train and visit. We had a nice time. We didn’t go swimming this time as the sting rays are laying their eggs so it won’t be safe to even shuffle out to deeper water. Actually it was a nice day, not too hot so we didn’t mind not getting wet. As Maryann drove up to Ruth’s we noticed smoke coming from under the hood. She turned it off and it was so hot we couldn’t open the hood to see what was going on. So we decided to look at it before we left. We did do that, but she wasn’t sure where water was supposed to go as there were two reservoirs. She didn’t have a book on the jeep, so I suggested we fill one of the reservoirs as it looked like the place to put water. After doing that Maryann started the jeep and decided to make a run for home. She thought we should have put water in the other reservoir, but I told her if she didn’t know if water was suppose to go there we shouldn’t do it as it could cause damage. So off we went with Maryann driving FAST trying to get to my house before it overheated again. Too late!!! We were maybe a ½ mile from Ruth’s and the gauge was already above the red. She wondered what to do. She wondered if she should try and get home or go back to Ruth’s. I told her we should go back to Ruth’s. We didn’t make it. It was already smoking so she stopped between the road to Ruth’s and the main road that goes between where we live and La Mona. We were able to call Ruth on the VHF and explain what happened, Ruth called Dave and asked if he would come out and take a look at it. So Maryann and I waited by the jeep while Dave was on his way and so was Ruth.

Ruth got to us first, of course, and we were trying to figure out how we could tow her back to Ruth’s. Unfortunately, Maryann’s jeep didn’t have anything we could hook too. So that plan was out. Dave arrived and he looked under the hood and said we needed to add water to the reservoir that is the one Maryann thought needed water but wasn’t sure. Ruth went back to her house twice to get enough water to fill the reservoir and get water to the block. After that Maryann started the jeep up and ran it for a few minutes while watching the gauge. It was reading normal now. Ruth went back home, Dave and I followed Maryann to make sure she didn’t get stuck again. We called her after enough time had lapsed to see if she make it home o.k. She had. She said when Philipe came out to put our radiator in, could we ask him to take a look at her jeep. So we said we would do that.

Monday-Sunday, September 13-19.
Just when we thought we weren’t getting the radiator, Philipe and Francisco showed up with it. They said it is really old and we will need to get a new one before too long. We knew that, but if we can get some more out of this one, to buy us time to get more money in the bank, that would be good. They put the radiator back in and ran the truck. The radiator didn’t leak but now the transmission is leaking more than it was, so that has to be repaired. Dave asked if it could be fixed and Philipe said yes. So Dave will drive the truck to town tomorrow, get the transmission leak fixed, then get the tires that Larry brought down, off the rims and put on the truck. Hopefully after that we can drive it back and forth to town and I can go to the dump as I have lots of trash. We’ll see.

Dave told Philipe about Maryann’s jeep and he said he would pick it up and drive it to his shop.

Dave left this morning for town and actually made it all the way to Philipe’s shop. I stayed home and fixed a leaky faucet, and other necessary things. Dave called me on the VHF around 11:20am to tell me everything was done and he was on his way home. Yahoo!!! I hope it all stays together for a while.

The weather has turned warm again and we are back to sweating and carrying sweat towels with us wherever we go. It won’t last long. The nights are still cool, except for last night as it was a little humid. You could smell it in the air.

We are planning on leaving next Monday, the 21st, for Santa Rosalia, and be there for a few days. That will be a nice change. No bites on the boat yet. No worries!!! Oh speaking of no worries, Mary gave me a shirt and key chain that said No Worries on it for watching her plants. That was really cool.

So far the truck hasn’t leaked anything!!!! That is GREAT!! Dave drove it to Maryann’s to put a shelf up that fell down and to see if he could launch the boat. Maryann is a widow, living by herself in a house next to Larry and Lois. She doesn’t know anything about tools, parts, or how to fix things. Her husband didn’t want her to do any of that. Her job was taking care of the kids and cooking. So now she needs help from the guys or gals who have that knowledge. Thank goodness she asks for help.

While Dave was at Maryann’s I washed out a few items and finished one crochet washcloth and starting on another. They are pretty cool. When Dave got home he was hot and tired. He put Maryann’s shelf up then took the boat out of her garage to look it over and discovered the plug in the boat was gone. Oh!!! Not a good thing!!! So Maryann is going to email her son to see what he did with it the last time he used it. In the meantime Dave is checking out making a plug from a wine cork. He will see. If that works or if Maryann finds the plug, then Dave can put the boat in the water and see if it runs.

Mary and George left this morning for the coast. They took their toy hauler and will be going to Abreojos for a month. They are really looking forward to the cool weather.

So far the truck is not leaking. Hope it stays that way. I would like to drive it to the dump on Friday. We shall see. Tomorrow, September 17, is Mexico’s Independence Day so we will probably see a lot of fireworks from town. That would be cool.

We didn’t hear or see the fireworks on Thursday night. Everyone else seemed to see and hear them. We had all our windows open too. Oh well. We slept right through it.

Thursday, Dave and I went over to Maryann’s to see about getting her aluminum boat in the water. After getting there, Dave was checking out the engine and had a question about it. Maryann either couldn’t find the manual or she didn’t have it so Dave went online to get answers. He found what he was looking for and then we filled the portable gas tank and put it in the boat. Dave had to pump up one of the tires on the trailer then he was ready to put it on the hitch and move it to the water. While Dave was searching for his engine information, Ruth had come over to use Maryann’s computer to check email. Us gals talked for a bit and then when Dave was done, we followed him to the water and after the boat was launched, held onto the boat while he backed up the truck and parked it. Dave came back, got into the boat and saw there was some water in the bottom. He had made a plug for the back of the boat and he thought that maybe it wasn’t tight enough. It would work until he got it to the beach by our house. The engine started up and because it is a 4 stroke, ran quiet. Dave was off and I walked back to the truck and said goodbye to Maryann and Ruth and started home.

When I got home Dave had the boat already on the beach. I joined him and helped try and pull the boat further up the beach away from the water. Didn’t make it very far. Dave remembered that Phil had some rollers he used to move his boat, so Dave walked over to Phil’s house and found the rollers and brought them back with him. Nasario was walking behind him as he was coming to help. That was really nice and I was glad another person was helping to move the boat. We got it far enough on the beach that the tide would not come up to it. Dave secured the boat in the sand with the anchor. He now has to figure out where the water is coming in.

Friday he took the boat out for a spin to see if he could detect where the water was coming in. He had adjusted the engine a little as it was having difficulties yesterday. That seemed to work well. So he was out running around and he saw a Dorado and a couple other fish. Didn’t catch anything though.

Marni and Pete anchored out from the house and came in to use the internet. We visited for a while and Pete helped Dave tighten the makeshift plug. After they left they went back to their boat and later pulled the anchor and headed back to the village.

Saturday morning Dave launched the boat and took it for a spin and discovered there was a small leak in the bow of the boat. While he was out running around in the boat, Marni called and asked if we could meet them earlier than noon as there is suppose to be a Norther blowing tomorrow and they have decided to leave Bahia and head south. They have had engine problems and they want to be able to use the wind to get places more times than using the engine. I called Dave on the VHF and asked when he was coming in and told him that Pete and Marni wanted to meet earlier. So we set a time of between 10:30-11:00am. They said that was perfect so we will meet them at Guillermos to take them to the gas station to get fuel.

When Dave got the boat in and secured on shore, he was talking to Jay about the hole and he said he had some stuff that would patch it. That was nice. He would give it to him tomorrow. Dave changed his clothes and I had loaded the back of the truck with garbage and two water bottles to get refilled and we were off. We met Marni and Pete and also another couple, J.C. and Harold, from s/v Sea Bear. Marni asked if we could give them a ride to Yolanda’s so they could drop off their laundry. We said sure. Then it ended up where the guys, Dave, Pete, and Harold rode in the truck and did the errands while us gals went and played. We walked across the street to a gift shop and looked around then went to the craft store. It was fun. Then we walked back to Guillermo’s and waited for the guys. Dave had to find places to dump the garbage as the bin that is normally in town had been moved. When the guys met up with us, we went and had lunch and had a nice visit. Maryann and Ruth came by and joined us for lunch. J.C. and Harold finished their beer and had to get back to their boat so we said goodbye. After lunch Dave and I said goodbye to Marni and Pete and wished them a good trip. We might see them in Santa Rosalia. We said goodbye to Maryann and Ruth too and headed home.

Since we are leaving Monday for Santa Rosalia, we have to figure out what to do with the boat. We had two ideas. One was to get the trailer from Maryann’s and bring it to the launch ramp by the house. The other was to move the boat to the arroyo to where it wasn’t in open sight of everyone. Dave decided he would get the trailer from Maryann’s in the morning, park it at the launch ramp near our house, then drive the truck back to the house.

It is Sunday and we have a bunch to do today to get ready to leave in the morning. Dave went to Maryann’s and got the trailer and parked it like he said he would. Then when he got back to the house, he parked the truck and we both went down to the boat and he turned the bow to the water and we both pushed it in to where it was floating and Dave got in and started paddling out to deeper water so he could start the engine. I picked up the rollers and put them high on the beach then walked to the truck and started heading for the boat ramp. When I got there Nasario was right there to help put the trailer on the hitch and I drove the trailer in the water. Dave was already there so I stayed in the truck while he and Nasario pulled the boat on the trailer. Then I got out of the truck to let Dave back the truck up. He had to do it slowly so the trailer wouldn’t come off the ball and I didn’t want to take a chance of messing it up since I’m not experienced in that area. We got the boat out of the water. We thanked Nasario for his help and I gave him a handshake and a kiss on the cheek. Then I got into the truck and Dave maneuvered the boat to the house. He parked it under the carport and then backed the truck up to it. Perfecto!!!! Oh I forgot. Dave used whatever Jay gave him to mend the hole in the bow of the boat and it worked great. No leaks this time. I packed and got things ready for our trip after that was done.

Monday-Sunday, September 20-26.
We were on our way to Santa Rosalia around 8:30am. Very few vehicles on the road. We were surprised as we thought everyone would be going back home or work from the long weekend. It worked out great though. The wind was blowing and there were white caps on the Sea as we got closer to Santa Rosalia. The wind had switched from the North to the Southeast. We got to the boat and hooked up the power and turned on the air conditioner. It was warm inside and hot and humid outside. After unloading the jeep and taking the stuff to the boat, we walked to the store to pick up a couple of things and came back. We sat and enjoyed the air conditioning. We did stop and talk to a couple from s/v Sea Raven. They had just come down from Bahia. They are heading for La Paz. There was another boat there as well from Bahia, but he was down below enjoying his air conditioning so we would see him probably tomorrow.

After checking emails and looking at weather, we decided to go to our favorite chicken place for dinner. We crossed the street to get to the plaza where the restaurant is across from, and Dave stepped up on the curb and the next thing I see Dave picking himself up off the curb. When he got up his left leg had a gash in it and he was bleeding pretty well. All that was on my mind was getting help for him. I blanked out where the hospital was so I asked one of the ladies just sitting at the plaza and she pointed up the street. We walked a little further and Dave was bleeding more. I wanted to get him to lie down and get his leg up to slow the bleeding but all he wanted to do was get to the hospital. We saw two gentlemen standing in the plaza looking at us. We asked if they had a car. After a few minutes one of the guys asked if we had a car and we said no. He offered his car. We walked a short distance and Dave didn’t want to get in as he was bleeding all over the place. He asked the man if he had something to put on it and the man got a rolled up piece of cloth and gave it to Dave. Dave put it on the gash to help keep blood from getting all over his car. It was a small car and there wasn’t time for me to try and get in the back seat so I said I would meet them at the hospital. I ran up the stairs along the hill that lead to the hospital and when I got to the top, out of breath; I looked to see if the car was heading up the hill. I didn’t see it so I waited a little longer, then finally decided I would walk to the hospital just a few steps away. I still didn’t see the car so I walked around to another side of the building and noticed it was parked out front. I went in but it didn’t look like a typical hospital setting. I finally noticed the blood trail up the stairs so I followed them to a second story where it looked more like hospital rooms. I couldn’t see where he went so I panicked a little and walked up to a man that had been watching me and asked where my husband was. I guess I looked like I was going to cry (but didn’t) so he took me to another flight of stairs and walked with me, and then I saw the blood trail. We got to the room where Dave was lying down and the man that walked with me happened to be the doctor that was going to sew Dave up. As they prepared his leg for stitches, I went outside and found the man that gave Dave a ride and thanked him and told him they were getting ready to sew him up. After some difficulty, I finally understood what he was trying to say. He was telling me he would wait and give us a ride to where we needed to go. I explained we were here on our boat at the marina. So he said o.k. I went back inside and by now I was a little calmer and watched the doctor and assistant clean and sew him up. They had already given him a local. The doctor spoke some English which was great. He did a very good job of explaining things and said Dave would be just fine. The cut wasn’t very deep, but like the head, when there is a cut, it bleeds profusely. Dave ended up getting 25 stitches and after the bleeding had stopped, the doctor wrapped his leg and typed out a prescription of what to get. When that was done we thanked the doctor and everyone else that was there. Get this----we didn’t have to pay for anything!!!!! The Good Samaritan was still waiting outside, ready to take us to the marina. He pulled the seat forward and I got in the back and Dave in the front. What a nice man!!!! He talked to us as he drove us to the marina. Once there, we got out and offered to pay him for gas and his time and he refused!!!! Wow!!! God Bless him. I believe his name is Raoul. So many of the Mexican people we have met are willing to help you and don’t expect anything in return. After Dave was settled on the boat, I walked to town and got all but one of the prescriptions. The antibiotic couldn’t be given out without an official doctor prescription. So I will need to go back tomorrow after we talk to Carlos at the marina, to see what he says that need to be done. After getting the prescriptions, I walked to the chicken place, ordered our dinners and brought them back to the boat. Dave was feeling no pain which was great and he was resting with his leg up. He took the medicine prescribed and went to bed around 11:00pm. The boat rolled a little from the wind wave coming in the marina, but nothing bad. We slept well. Dave got up a couple of times, but not because he couldn’t sleep. He was doing great. Thank goodness for that.

Well now that Monday’s excitement is behind us, what is in store for today? Dave took the bandage off and everything looked good. It was still bleeding a little, and we washed it like we were told to do and then Dave put a little hydrocortisone cream on the wound. The doctor said to keep it aired and there were no restrictions. We went to the office to see Carlos and he said he would be able to get the antibiotic we needed. So he took care of that for us. Of course we gave him money to get buy it.

Dave was going to pressure wash the boat today, but when he looked at the weather found that a tropical depression named Georgette was on its way up the Sea. It was due to make landfall at Cabo San Lucas and if it kept moving northeast would come up the middle of the Sea of Cortez. Something we didn’t want to happen.

Pete and Marni had arrived last night after a very rough ride from San Franciscito. They left there at 4:00am and got to the marina around 10:00pm or later. We talked to them briefly and they mentioned their lovely ride with southwest winds and green water over the dodger. It was the trip from hell. I remember our ride last year from there to Santa Rosalia. It wasn’t fun, but we didn’t have a lot of green water over the dodger. We are glad they made it in safely.

It was cleaning day for Pete and Marni and they found a tear in their main sail when they inspected the boat. They cleaned their boat and started preparing for winds that might come from the storm. We talked with the other cruisers and Dave was informing them that if we were to get the brunt of Georgette, we all needed to tie to the pilings and get off the cleats on the dock. We would know more around 5:00pm whether we needed to do that and also if we needed to strip the boat. So in the meantime we just wait and watch the weather. We decided to post pone the cleaning of the boat until after the storm passes. It could stir up a lot of mud and dust. I walked to town to get some grocery items for dinner as we decided to have dinner on the boat just in case we needed to get things ready for Georgette. As it turned out, we didn’t have to strip anything off the boat, or retie the boat as the storm was tracking to the east. We figured the most winds we would see would be no more than 35 knots and we would get rain. So we were confident Georgette was going to move away from us. No Worries. We watched the sky darken but everything was calm.

We woke to clouds and sprinkles and calm conditions. Dave was looking at the top of the mast this morning, Wednesday, and noticed our wind indicator is broken. Another causality of cormorant birds that love high places. He went on line to find a replacement, found it, ordered it and we should get it in a couple weeks when Lois and Larry come back to Bahia. The best part about all this is it was only $30.00 as opposed to $500.

The rain has arrived and our boat and jeep are getting washed. Yahoo!!!! We just made contact with another cruiser we met last year, Jesse on s/v Francis Lee. He spent the summer here in Santa Rosalia so we didn’t get to see him. We had no idea he was here anchored in the bay north of the marina we are in. We are going to get together probably tomorrow along with Pete and Marni. We are going back home Friday. Jesse said he couldn’t make it up to Bahia this year, but plans on doing so next summer. So we told him to call us when he arrives so we can visit.

Looks like we will be indoors for most of the day today. I brought crocheting with me and my book so I’m good.

The sun managed to make an appearance around 3:00pm. Dave checked the water level in the batteries and we needed some more battery water so I walked to the store and picked up some and when I came by the jeep I got the garden hose out of it so when I get back to the boat I can wash the cockpit. The rain got some of the dirt off, but of course not all. Dave finished with the batteries and I went outside to do my rinsing. When I was done I came inside and took a shower then sat and read for a while. Dave’s leg is healing nicely. We only bandage it at night to keep the covers from rubbing against the stitches and raw skin. Here is a picture of his leg. The while is medicine in case you were wondering.

Incidentally, the leg he cut is the same leg he has his varicose vein problem. The skin on that leg is very thin so it’s no wonder it split like it did. You think he was a walking pharmacy with all the drugs he is taking plus the hydrocortisone cream. As long as it keeps infection out that is the most important thing. Surprisingly enough, his leg doesn’t hurt. That is good. After the rain left it was very humid and hot. We were inside with the air conditioner on of course. Tomorrow Dave will pressure wash the boat, I will do a load of laundry, go to town and get a couple of things and then we will be ready to go home Friday morning. I also am going to have my cholesterol level checked to see if the medicine is working well.

Marni asked us today if we wanted to go for Chinese food tomorrow night with a group of the cruisers here and we said yes. It should be fun. Hopefully Jesse will be able to make it so we can see what he has been up to.

Dave pressure washed the boat and because he wore his waterproof pants, didn’t get his leg wet. We still have spots leftover from the bird crap baking on. I hope that won’t hinder the boat from selling. Next month when it is cooler, we will try Oxy clean on those spots to see if it takes them out. I sure hope so. Then we will need to wax the boat too. So we will be doing all that until the boat sells. It’s a lot of work but it will pay off in the long run. After Dave was finished with the washing, he took it easy and put his leg up. I shined the stainless steel wheel as it was showing a lot of rust. That was a quick job which was nice then I could go down and enjoy the air conditioning.

Here is it Thursday, our last day. Dave is doing well and his leg doesn’t hurt. That is good. He is taking his medication like he is supposed to and being very careful with the leg. I walked into town to pick up my cholesterol results but no one showed. So I ran errands then came back thinking someone might be there, but no one showed. So we will have to stop in the morning before we leave to pay for the test and get my results. No worries.

Ten of us cruisers walked up the malécon to the Chinese restaurant and had a fantastic meal. It was the best Chinese food we have had since we’ve been in Mexico. We all had a fun time and laughed a lot. After dinner we walked back to the marina and stood around and talked a bit and did cormorant bird watch so they didn’t land on the masts. We said goodbye to everyone and told them we were leaving in the morning and wished them all a safe journey.

Friday AM - All things are packed and loaded in the jeep and the boat is secured. We are on our way. We stopped at the clinic to pay for my test and get my results. They remembered me which was nice. My results were the best they have been in years. The medicine is working. It has gone from 289 to 175!!!! Yahoo!!! We left the clinic and headed for home. We stopped in Vizcaino at the super Mercado to get some groceries then the next stop was to a Similars pharmacy to get the last of the medication Dave needs as they were out of it in Santa Rosalia. Next stop home.

George and Mary, our neighbors are supposed to be coming back tomorrow, Saturday, to off load stuff they brought from the states, and rest for a day or two and then leave for the coast for a month.

George and Mary got home and we welcomed them back and they said they would be leaving for the ocean on Wednesday. If the fishing is good they will be at the ocean until first part of November.

We were hoping the propane truck would come today, but it didn’t. We will have to wait another month I guess. Looks like we will have to take one of our tanks in and exchange it. It costs more to do that but we don’t have a choice. I guess there are new guys delivering, so we don’t know their schedule yet. We had a quiet day today.

Monday-Thursday, September 27-30.
Dave is a little concerned about his leg as he isn’t sure what the coloring means. When he fell, several layers of skin came off so that is going to take a while to heal. So in the meantime he is washing it and putting medicine on it and airing it then covering it at night before he goes to bed.

We needed to get water so today, Monday, is the day. Last night I helped Dave load the tank into the back of the truck and secure it. All we had to do this morning is get up and go. We did that and when we got there, there was a long line. Dave said he will never come on Monday again. We had to wait about an hour, but in that time we talked with a man named Rafeal, that lives near the water place. I had met him in Xitlali shopping one day. He remembered me. We introduced ourselves and then he talked to Dave about a tire. He has the same truck we do and he needs tires and can’t get them. Same problem we have been having. We told him next month we will have a spare that he can buy. He said o.k. and said don’t forget. We finally got water and Dave went across the road and talked to Philipe about the truck. We were suppose to drop it off on our way to Santa Rosalia, but forgot. So after Dave talked to him, he said we could bring the truck in this afternoon. Ruth called this morning inviting me to go into town with her. I told her we were getting water and I would call when we got back. I usually don’t go with Dave to get water because there isn’t anything for me to do, but today I didn’t want him climbing in and out of the back of the truck and taking a chance on hitting his leg. So he handed me the water hose while I stood in the truck and filled the tank. We came home and drained the water tank into our pila and put things away. I called Ruth to see if she still wanted me to go with her and she said yes. I asked if she could pick me up at Philipe’s as I needed to drive the truck in to have him work on it. She said no problem. So I took off for town and she met me at Philipe’s. I guess you know by now he is the mechanic. He does good work. He is the one that had the radiator and our transmission leak fixed. After talking with Philipe and letting him know things that needed repair or replacing, I left with Ruth. When she was done with her chores, we went to Guillermos and Herman, the gold mine man, a sweetheart, bought Ruth and I a margarita. We sat and talked a while, and Ruth and I were going to eat lunch there, but they were not open to serve food. So we had chips and salsa for lunch. Ruth paid for 3 large cylinders of propane and would need to come back with her truck to pick them up so she took me home and left to load up her empty tanks and take them in for exchange. While she was gone, Dave said we should get one too. But we weren’t able to get a hold of Ruth on the radio to ask if she would get us one. So when she got back from getting her tanks, we talked to her and she said that Yolanda only had 3 tanks left. Ruth offered to drive back into town to exchange one of our tanks. We felt bad she had to do that, but we had no choice. The tanks were going fast. So we called Yolanda and said we were coming in. Ruth came by with her Brat Suzuki, and got our tank and I rode with her to town. We got the tank and I paid Yolanda and now it was time to go home and have Ruth relax for the day. She had been running all day. This is what the people down here do for each other. When you need help, there is always someone that will be there. She said we helped her with her trailer, so this was turnaround for that. That was so cool!!! So now we have propane and so does Ruth.

Tuesday, Jan, our neighbor came over to look at Dave’s leg. She suggested getting some saline to wet the gauze pad and then put that on top of the wound and rap it. It should help it heal faster and also help with the oozing. So Wednesday morning I drove the jeep into town, went to the clinic to see if they had saline and some gauze pads. They had the saline but not the pads. We will have to use the ones we have in our medical kit until we can get some. I stopped to see Philipe and ask when the truck would be done and he said today at 4-5:00pm. He wanted to go to Ensenada tomorrow. So I will need to come back into town later. I told Dave about the truck and figured he would want to go in with me to talk to Philipe but he didn’t, so I told him I would ask Ruth if she would take me in. She had offered anyway. Well Dave thought about it and decided he would go in so he could talk to Philipe. We left the house around 3:30pm and when we got to the shop, Philipe was still working on the truck. He said he won’t go to Ensenada until he is finished with it. He asked if we could give him another day. We said sure. He offered to bring the truck out when he gets done, but we still need to drive him back to the garage as he doesn’t have his car working yet. So we will get the truck tomorrow, Thursday. That trip wasn’t a lost one as we stopped at Xitlali’s to get limes and see if they had any gauze pads. They did so I got 12. That should last us for awhile. When we got home, Dave put some Neosporin on the wound then applied a pad soaked in saline and covered it.

Well here it is Thursday, September 30. Summer weather is still hanging on. We have had some thunder storms to the south of us, in the valley. It is cool to watch. We haven’t had much in the way of rain here but we can watch it pour in the valley. Cool!!

Dave’s leg is slowly healing much to his dismay, but with a gash like he has it is going to take a while to close and heal. At least he can walk and get around, just can’t go fishing!! Here is an updated picture of his leg.

I have been busy making things for the bazaar in November. I made 3 purses














and plan on making kitchen towels using material instead of crocheting the tops for hanging. I should have those to show in the next blog.