Sunday, February 15, 2015

HAPPY 2015

Happy New Year!!!!! Here is hoping 2015 is a great year for us all.

New Years Day was a quiet one for us. Not much going on. We were hoping we could have a fire in the fire pit tonight but the wind didn’t lay down enough so I guess we will just wait.

Today is the 6th and it is our youngest grandson’s 2nd birthday!!!!! Oh and his parents shared they are having another baby and it is due in July!!!! Yippee!!! We will get to be there when it is born!

We got more happy news from my eldest son and his new wife……they are also expecting and due in the fall. Oh boy!!!! I guess I will be busy making baby Afghans but I want to wait and see what the sex is before I do. Same with cross stitch birth announcements. I am half done with the queen size afghan for Eian and then I will start a smaller one for Brody. All my grandboys need to have something to wrap up in when watching TV or whatever!

Dave was starting to have problems with a tooth he broke last summer. It didn’t bother him until a few days ago. He took some amoxicillin because he was afraid he was getting an infection. I emailed the dentist and asked if Dave could come in for a consultation. Dave got an appointment for the 8th. He also wants to ask the dentist about the 2 molars that are starting to be a problem. For several years the dentists have been telling him he will have a problem with it and now is the time. So he will have that checked as well.

Well today is the day for the trip to Guerrero Negro to see the dentist. After the 2-1/2 hour drive we arrived. It was cloudy and cold. Dave got in and saw the dentist and about 15 minutes later came out with not so good news for him. The tooth that is broken can’t get a cap until he has a root canal. When the root canal is done he can come back to our dentist and have a mold made for a cap and then return in a week and have it fitted. Then the 2 molars have to be pulled. So Dave wasn’t really happy to hear these things. We were instructed by our dentist to go down the street to see the other dentist that does root canals, which we did. The receptionist at the desk said the Dr. wasn’t in today but she could make an appointment for the 16th. Dave did that then we went back to our dentist to tell him about the change and our Dentist wrote out an appointment in the afternoon on that same day to get the mold made for the cap. So with all that done, we stopped at the ATM and then headed back to the house.

Today, the 10th, our good neighbors and friends arrived today from San Diego. They will be here for 3 weeks and then they will be off to do some whale watching tours. Lynn helps put them together and goes out on the boats with the people. It sounds fun and someday I would like to do that. Anyway……because Lynn and Tom weren’t here for New Years Day, they brought down all the fixings for a bagel and lox brunch. I made pumpkin bread to add to the goodies and brought a large bottle of champagne and some orange juice. Our other neighbors, Mary and George brought their champagne, orange juice, cookies and sliced tomatoes and ham. It was good and it was still early in the New Year so why not celebrate! We did this on the 13th. This is the first time since we have moved to the neighborhood that Lynn and Tom haven’t been here for New Years Eve celebrations. They usually have a bonfire at their place after we all get back from our dinner in town, so since they couldn’t make it this year we wanted to carry on the tradition but couldn’t. Such is life. Since it was a beautiful day with no wind, George and Mary said they would have a bonfire tonight and invited everyone. We told them we were having our Friend, Ray over for dinner so it would depend on what time we got done. Mary said to tell him we were having champagne and he would probably show up.

Ray showed up at 4:30pm which was early enough so he and Dave could discuss our stair dilemma. Ray use to build stairs so he knows what to do to fix them. As it turns out we don’t have to do too much to them except maybe take a couple steps out and space them further apart with more stepping space. So it is an easy and inexpensive fix. We sat around and had cocktails and then dinner. We had a nice visit. He is batching it this month as his wife is in Hawaii with family and won’t be back until the first of February. We told Ray about the bonfire and champagne at Mary and Georges (which is right next door), but he said he needed to get home to call his son. So since it was almost 7:30pm, we decided not to go to the bonfire either. I wanted to wash the dishes and by the time I would be done it would have been 8:00pm and our neighbors go to bed then. Besides I wasn’t feeling that spiffy and with the trip to La Paz coming up I didn’t want to push it. Plus we were all supposed to go on an arroyo hike the next morning and I wanted to go. So I made the decision to just stay where it was warm. Dave has a cold and it was a nasty one. His sinuses swelled up and we weren’t sure if it was from the cold or if the tooth that needs the root canal got infected. So in addition to taking cold medicine, he also took amoxicillin. We had 2 pills left, one for tonight and one in the morning so we are going to have to go into town after the hike tomorrow. Bummer!

We got up this morning and Dave wasn’t sure if he was going to hike or not. One nice thing was we were hiking at 9:00am so it gave him plenty of time to have a cup of coffee, take medicine and then see how he felt. I was feeling o.k. and ready to go. We found out that Mary wasn’t going due to not feeling well. They had champagne last night and maybe she had a little too much??????? George wasn’t going as his knee is just starting to feel better. So it is just Lynn, Tom, their dogs Maggie and Murphy and us. Dave figured he might as well get some exercise instead of sitting around. It was a hazy morning but nice and the wind hadn’t come up yet. We drove to a spot we could park off the road which isn’t far from the house and gathered our walking sticks, water, and backpacks and off we went. Tom has a disease in his legs where the nerves are dying and he has steadily gotten worse to where his legs go numb after walking awhile and if he continues to walk he falls. Before coming down to Bahia, Lynn said he had fallen 2 times at home, so he was going to try and walk as far as he could and then if he couldn’t go on, wait for us to come back to where he was resting. He now knows his limit with his legs. So all of us had our walking sticks and it was a good thing as it was helpful in climbing over some rocks. The last time we hiked this arroyo there were huge rocks and as we got closer to the mountain we couldn’t go further due to a rock slide. Since the last time we were there, there have been earthquakes and the hurricane, Odile, so there were a lot of rocks and the arroyo seemed wider. It was amazing to see how much it had changed. When we looked up to the top of the mountain we could see rocks just balanced on another rock or pinnacle waiting for the next shake to dislodge it, causing it to crash down the mountainside. Nature is awesome and scary at the same time!!!! Tom let us know he couldn’t go much further which was amazing as we were almost as far up the arroyo we could go. Tom relaxed on a flat rock with radio nearby so we could communicate with him and we went on with the dogs. It wasn’t much further and as we neared the base of the mountain we saw huge rocks that blocked the way so we couldn’t go any further. Lynn took our picture, and I took one of her and the dogs and after a snack and some water we headed back to where Tom was. He was lying down just relaxing and said he fell asleep. Lynn got a picture of him and the dogs were happy to see him. We walked back to the cars and it was a 4 mile round trip hike. That was excellent because I don’t think my knee would have taken any more climbing. As we were walking back it started getting a little windy but nothing too drastic. Lynn and Tom and the dogs went back to their house and we went into town to get some more amoxicillin. Then we came home and relaxed. Dave took a nap and I read and crocheted. My knee was sore so I put some ice on it and surprisingly enough it was fine. My back was good too. It was a good day. When Dave checked emails later that afternoon he got a cancellation notice from the dentist that is doing the root canal. They wanted to know if he could make it on Tuesday but we will be in La Paz. Dave told them he couldn’t make it then but what about on the 23rd and she said yes. The dentist was still out of town so this way it gives him plenty of time to get back to work. So we contacted our dentist and told him about the cancellation on the root canal and asked if we could keep the 12:30pm appointment but have the 2 molars pulled. He said yes. So that is taken care of.

The next morning I didn’t feel so good. I had a scratchy throat and felt as though I was getting the dreaded cold. Dave was doing better and the swelling of his sinuses were going down which told us it was just sinus and not an infection in his gum. We didn’t waste money on amoxicillin as it is always good to have some on hand in case of an emergency. Mary had invited me to play Hand and Foot, but I had already played it on Monday so I said I would pass. Today I wanted to take Lynn to the beach on the north side of Red Mountain, the one I went to on Christmas morning, because I told her there was a lot of sea glass there and she was interested. But the wind was blowing pretty well. She called and wanted to know if we were still going and discussed the wind and decided to wait until the afternoon and see what happens. It never did so we postponed it for when I get back from La Paz. I think it was good because there is no protection on the north side the mountain and the sand would have been blowing. So for me it worked out just fine. We are leaving for La Paz in the morning so I will just lay low today.

We are off to Guerrero Negro today, the 16th. The weather was cloudy starting out but shortly after getting to Guerrero Negro the sun came out. We arrived at the dentist office and Dave rang the bell to let him know he was there. In just a few minutes Dave was out. He told the doctor he was getting over a cold and the Dr. asked him to come back on the 24th. So Dave didn’t have any dental work done today. We had already booked a reservation with a hotel in Guerrero Negro as we thought it would be best to stay overnight after a root canal and teeth pulling, but that didn’t happen and since we were heading south anyway, we figured didn’t have to get up real early in the morning so we stayed the night. It is a new hotel that just opened up about 6 months ago and it was nice. It has a restaurant and later on we went and had dinner. When we got to the room I walked around the small premises to check it out and they aren’t finished building the rooms. There are about 6 more they need to finish. When I got back to the room I checked email and because I didn’t feel real good and I was cold, I sat on the bed with pillows behind me and the comforter over my legs and read my book for a while. Dave was on his computer. After reading I laid down and cat napped. Then it was time for dinner so we walked over to the restaurant. We were the only ones in the dining room. Dave ordered a coffee and I a tea. They serve small dinners like hamburgers, stuffed potatoes and sandwiches. Dave had some soup and I had a stuffed potato. After dinner we went back to the room and Dave got on his computer and I watched a weird movie called Wanted and when that was over I watched Sex in the City then we both went to bed. Dave had a restful night but I didn’t. I couldn’t get to sleep as I couldn’t get comfortable. I tossed and turned trying to sleep and then later I did fall asleep only to wake at around 3:00 am coughing. Then after my cough spell I went back to sleep. We were up at 7:00am and went over to the restaurant to have breakfast. I ordered an omelet and Dave Huevos Rancheros. I wasn’t thrilled with my omelet as it had chorizo, which I ordered, but I didn’t like it so I only ate like half of the omelet. It was food in my belly so I didn’t complain. While we were waiting for breakfast Dave got a call from Robert and he said we were welcome to visit them in Loreto. We had been trying to get a hold of them without any success and Dave left a message yesterday when he called. We went back to the room, packed up and headed to Loreto. We were going to stop there anyway for the night but this way we can save a few dollars and enjoy great company. About 4 hours later we were at Robert and Kristi’s house. They were home because the gate was open a little but Robert was on the couch taking a nap and Kristi was upstairs. We apologized for waking him and he called to Kristi to come down. We noticed they had a new Can Am 4 seater in the driveway and asked when they got that. It was a year end sale and thought it would be fun to drive it around on the back roads of Mexico. Robert asked if we wanted to take a ride and we said “of course” so we all got in and headed for the arroyo. They were going to take us to a waterfall. It was a fun ride and he didn’t get too crazy going through water, as the spray does fly. We saw an interesting sight on the way. There was a tree, don’t know what kind that was growing out of rock. This was a big tree and you could see the roots and how they tangled through and around the rock. I wished I had brought my camera but I forgot it back home. We went on and came to the spot where the waterfall was but we couldn’t get to it because there were cars in the way and a family was having a BBQ. We did see it but very quickly. We passed that and before we knew it we were in a small village where the second largest mission in Loreto is. San Javier. It was amazing that it was still standing from the 1800s. After walking through the church and grounds, we went to a palapa bar and had beer, chips and salsa. Then we headed back to the house as it would be dark soon. What a fun ride!!! Back at the house we changed clothes and went to a bar in Loreto to have dinner. There was a special for Saturday nights only for all you can eat clams, BBQ chicken and pork, corn on the cob, stuffed potatoes and about 3 or 4 different gourmet fixed clams on the shell. It was very good. We had wine and listened to the band play and then had dessert. What a fun evening. We came back to the house, watched a little TV then went to bed. We were all very tired.

Since the Championship playoff games were on today, Robert said last night that we were welcome to stay and watch it as we didn’t have to be in La Paz until the 20th. So we took him up on the offer and stayed another day. We watched a news show that Kristi and Robert watch every Sunday and drank our coffee then had breakfast. After breakfast they took us in the Can Am again and went on the arroyo again but this time we were going to a place called Doctors Point. It has a great hiking trail. We had a great ride and the day was absolutely gorgeous!!!! Sun was shining; it was warm with just a hint of breeze in the air. It was a perfect day for a hike. I guess the place they parked was a little different from the last time they were there. There was a fence erected and a home on the other side of it with a trailer alongside the house. Robert didn’t remember the trailer. When we drove up we were being watched and that made Robert a little uncomfortable. But the trail is open to the public and is a number one hiking trail in Loreto. We parked and took off up a hill and followed the trail which leads to a light on a bluff. The waves were crashing up on the rocky shore below and looking out across the Sea of Cortez you could see Isla Coronado.

What a beautiful sight. We headed back the way we came and got to the parking lot. As we were getting ready to climb in the Can Am a couple medium sized dogs came running up to us. They didn’t growl or bark they just wanted to know who was there. They seemed friendly until Robert started the engine and then they went crazy. They didn’t like the sound and definitely didn’t like the wheels turning. One male dog followed us for about a mile thinking the wheels turning was a game. It was dangerous for the dog as he was running from side to side in front of the vehicle. Finally he gave up and we were free to be on our way. We went down another road which leads to the beach. The beach is full of rocks but there were shells lodged in and amongst the rocks for our searching pleasure. After walking a little of the beach we came back to the vehicle and took off for more adventure.

We went back to the arroyo and Robert wanted to take us to the top of a mountain to see the view but he missed the turn and Kristi said she wanted to go back to the house. It was already 12:45pm and the game was starting at 1:00pm. So maybe we will be able to go another time. What fun!!!! We got back to the house and made some snacks and opened beer and sat and watched the Sea Hawks play Indiana Colts. The first 3 quarters were not looking good for the Hawks. We were losing and if they didn’t do something quick we would lose the game. I had seen more than I wanted so I left and took a shower. When I came back the Sea Hawks were ahead in the 4th quarter. Wow!!!! What a comeback. The score was tied and the 4th quarter had ended so now they were in overtime. Seattle got to start first which was a huge advantage and before long we had a touchdown and we won!!!!!! The Sea Hawks are going to the Super Bowl again!!!!!! Incredible game! After that game the next one came on that would tell us who the Sea Hawks were going to play in the Super Bowl. Kristi and Robert invited another couple over to watch the game and have dinner with us. We ordered pizza and Kristi made a large salad and the other gal, Laura made some fettuccini and brought it to share. We ate and watched the game and now the New England Patriots are playing against Seattle in the Super Bowl. That should be an exciting game!!! After the game Jupiter and Laura left and we cleaned up. Robert and Kristi said goodnight and Dave checked emails and I watched a couple programs on T.V. At 10:00pm Dave and I went to bed as we are heading to La Paz in the morning.

The cold I have is still hanging on so I still am not feeling great, but each day it gets better. We got up at 7:00am, started the coffee, stripped the bed and packed. Robert and Kristi got up after we did and we all had coffee and Dave and I grabbed a banana before heading out the door. Kristi was exercising at 8:00am and Robert was going for a bike ride with a friend. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for the fun 2 days and left. It was a beautiful sunny day and a great day for a drive. It took us about 4-1/2 hours to get to La Paz but we arrived around 1:00pm or so. We went straight to the boat and shortly after arriving the canvas man showed up. He is working on the windshield for the dodger but is having some difficulty getting everything to fit. So he put the old windshield up and studied it then took all the pieces down and took them to the shop. He said he would be back tomorrow at noon. Dave turned on the charger and noticed our house batteries were dead and we weren’t getting any solar charging and more volts were going into the start battery which didn’t make sense. Well since I don’t know anything about this stuff, I couldn’t be of any help. So I just waited a while and let him mull things over in his mind. As it turned out, he forgot to turn the battery switch to both when we left the last time and that made it so nothing would charge. He still doesn’t understand why the start battery is drawing 3 volts more than it should but for now we need to see if the house batteries (6) will charge back up. Dave disconnected the positive side of the start battery so it wouldn’t draw current. We added some water to the house batteries then ran the charger and inverter all afternoon. It was getting late so I went to Walmart to get a few things and something for dinner. Because it is quick and easy I picked up a roasted chicken and 2 cans of beans for dinner. I also needed to get some pesos from the ATM so I went there first. Walmart has one inside the store. I went ahead and started the transaction and was at the point where it said please wait for the money but no money came and then all of a sudden it said sorry try again later. WHAT??? So I went over to another ATM and went through all the selections and it came up and said I was over my limit. That’s funny as we don’t have a limit! Needless to say there wasn’t another ATM close by so I gave up on getting money and just did the shopping. When I got back to the boat I told Dave my frustrating tale about the ATM. We figured, after discussing what happened, that the first ATM must have run out of money for the amount I was asking and the other ATM just didn’t make sense. I fixed us a cocktail and Dave got on his computer and brought up our Key Bank account and found the dollar amount from the exchange rate of the ATM transaction pending. How could that be when I received no money and no receipt? So Dave got on the phone and called the international number for Key Bank and told them the story. They said we could file a fraud claim via email and when the amount that is now pending gets accepted, we have to wait 24 hours before it gets credited back into our account. So after talking to a couple people on the phone, he hung up and emailed the address the gentleman gave him to file the fraud claim. So we will see what happens. So frustrating! Dave is still eyeballing the panel which tells him how the batteries are doing and whether the amps were going down. They were going down but not very fast, but the good thing is the batteries are charging. Dave decided to turn the charger off when we went to bed to give the batteries a chance to rest. We spent the rest of the evening on our computers and I finally got my December blog posted! We have had a lot of gray days in Bahia which doesn’t do well for keeping the batteries charged up so items that draw a lot of current don’t get used unless we run the generator. Well I didn’t want to do that so I put off working on the blog until our batteries had enough solar charging in them. I lucked out by coming to La Paz where we don’t have to worry about that or using up band width.

Dave didn’t sleep soundly last night as he was up a couple times and early this morning checking on the battery situation. He turned the charger back on and is hoping for the best. The batteries are still not fully charged but they are working on it. Dave was encouraged with the results so far.

When we arrived at the boat yesterday we saw the boat was covered in bird crap! We couldn’t believe it. The birds are back!!!!! Oh no!! We don’t know if Diego came and washed it on the 15th and if he did there had to have been lots of bird action on the mast and spreaders. Yuck! Dave is going to pressure wash the deck and when he is done I will wipe down all the stainless steel.

We had our coffee and cereal for breakfast this morning and I put on my tennis shoes to go for a walk and on the way I stopped at the Marina Café and said hello and good morning to Lupita. She was very happy to see me and I gave her a wine cork angel. Then I went for a walk, came back to the boat and helped Dave with the pressure washer and wiping down the stainless steel. The boat isn’t spotless but it is cleaner than it was. When everything was put away, Dave and I went to the bank and pharmacy, so we were off and running. Our canvas guy hadn’t shown up yet but we didn’t need to be there anyway. So off we went. Dave went to the ATM while I went to the pharmacy and we met back at the jeep. Dave had no problem at the ATM which was a relief. Then we went to Sam’s Club to get some items in bulk but were disappointed as they didn’t have a couple things I wanted but at least I got most of what I needed. I wish there was a Costco here instead of a Sam’s Club. Being a big city I thought for sure they would build one but they didn’t. So it is what it is.

We were back on the boat and we heard someone call hola and then footsteps on the boat. We figured it was our canvas guy and when I went out to greet him I was surprised to see Diego standing there. He apologized for not washing the boat but he was sick. We told him we made the job easier for him as we washed off the bird crap that morning. He had another boat to wash and then he would be down to wash ours. He had a helper this time so it didn’t take him long to get the other boat done and be at ours. They did a great job and it looks so much better. Needless to say the birds know we are here and we had 3 ospreys trying to stay on our mast. We chased them off and then as it was getting dark we had 2 frigate birds try to land on the mast. We loosened the halyard so we could whip it so it reverberated to the top of the mast and they left but kept coming back. It must have been 15 or 20 minutes we stood on the bow and did everything we could to keep them from landing. They finally got the hint and left. We have never seen frigate birds here in La Paz so we were shocked. But they aren’t as bad as cormorants! Well it looks like we are back on bird watch again at dusk while we are here on the boat.

The canvas guy had been on the boat as he was getting ready to leave when we returned from our errands. He would have been gone but he received a phone call and was still on the phone when we spotted each other. He said he forgot something so he was going back to the shop and he would return in a little bit. He had left his tools on the boat. Well he never came back so something must have come up. We figure he will be back in the morning.

Well today is Wednesday and our last day here. We have to leave and head to Loreto tomorrow. We won’t see the finished windshield until we come back in March. We ran some errands again today. We went down to the brokerage office to talk to Shelly and Mike, the boat brokers, about making sure we had enough money to pay for boat cleaning on the top and bottom. We added a little more to the amount so we are good until March. We left there and headed for the Marine store as we wanted to check the price of a new water hose. The one we have now is old and it is having some issues so we need a new one. We bought one and a part for the water pump at the house and left. Next stop Home Depot. We need to get roofing paint and we wanted to check and see if they had any. They didn’t. So we left there and went to Walmart as our last stop. I got the things I had on my list and then it was back to the boat for some lunch. When we got back and as I was fixing lunch Dave noticed the batteries were floating and we were all charged up. Yahoo!!!! The batteries made a full comeback to our relief! Then he checked the bank account online and the amount that was pending now showed up as a debit. We now have to wait for 24 hours to see if they credit it back.

After lunch Dave turned off the electricity to the start battery so he could hook up the positive lead to see how it would do. When he turned the electricity back on the start battery was drawing the normal volts it should be!!!!! Yay!!! Systems are working well again. We figured the start battery was trying to compensate for not having the other batteries running. Well whatever it was it is fixed now. Whew!

Our canvas guy showed up this afternoon and the problems he was having with the windshield has been rectified so now progress is being made. We still won’t have it on by tomorrow, but we know it will be fine. I did laundry this afternoon and finished the book I was reading. As I was waiting for the clothes to dry, I heard Dave’s voice so I called to him and he said he ran the engine and all went well. He tried to start the generator and it wouldn’t start when he took his finger off the start button. He couldn’t tell if any water was coming out the back of the boat because once he let go of the button it would quit. So he was going to see Wendy in the Marina office and get another contract for 3 months made up and then head back to the boat. By then I should be done with the clothes and I can help him. We were done at the same time so we went down to the boat and Dave tried to figure out what the problem was so the process of elimination started. Well it wasn’t the oil pressure. That was fine. He did find a clump of seaweed or something in the bottom of the strainer so he figured we may have a clog. He cleaned out the hose by blowing in it and it was clear of debris. He did try to start the generator again while I went on the dock to watch for water coming from the boat and there was. So that part was o.k. Alright, now what else could the problem be? Dave was inspecting some more and found the culprit or so he thought. It made perfect sense. The impeller was falling apart and he had to take needle nose pliers to collect all the pieces. Then he took off the ruined impeller and applied a new one but the job was not an easy one so he is going to be sore and bruised in the morning. He finally got the new impeller in but it is around 8:00pm so he will wait until morning to start the generator and hopefully it will run this time. There is always something!!!!

We packed things up and all we have to do in the morning is see if the generator works and if not it will have to wait until March to see what is going on, have breakfast at the marina café and be on our way.

We tried to start the generator this morning and it ran for about 3 or 4 minutes then shut down. Not good. Well we know it isn’t the impeller or a blocked hose but we don’t have time to try and figure it out right now as we have to head to Guerrero Negro for Dave’s dental appointment on Friday, the 16th. Dave got the parts and maintenance booklets and packed them so he could do some trouble shooting when he gets a chance. Then we went to the marina café; had breakfast and I said goodbye to Lupita. We came back to the boat, off loaded our bags and such, locked up the boat and took off for Loreto. Robert and Kristi are still at their house so we will spend the night.

We arrived at their house around 2 or 2:30pm and visited, had dinner then said goodnight. Everyone was getting up early as we had to be on the road and they had a busy day ahead of them. We arrived in Guerrero Negro in time for his root canal appointment. He filled out some forms and when he went back to have the work done, I went to the second hand store 2 buildings away from the dentist office and had a look around. They had lots of furniture and interesting things but I was just looking. After leaving there I crossed the street and went to the ferreteria (hardware store) to see if they had work gloves. Dave and mine have holes in them. They did have some heavy duty gloves so I bought 2 pair and walked back to the dentist office and read my book while I waited for Dave. He said all went well and it didn’t hurt at all. Now we have to stop at our dentist office up the street to drop off whatever the dentist wanted us to deliver to him. Dave has an appointment with our dentist in the morning to talk about getting the tooth with the root canal capped. Once we dropped off the envelope to our dentist we left and drove to the hotel we stayed in when we were there last week. We got settled and just relaxed.

Dave’s dentist appointment was at 10:00am this morning and we managed to beat the doctor to the office but didn’t have to wait long before he showed up. It was a quick visit and Dave said he will need to make an appointment in 2 weeks to come back for the cap process. So we left there and headed for home. We got home around 2 or so and went straight to see our neighbors Tom and Lynn as their plans had changed for leaving. They are leaving early because the Whale Tour Company Lynn is involved with needed her help in setting up the camp. So they will leave tomorrow morning. We had a nice visit with them and we said goodbye. They will be back in April. We went home, unpacked and had a quiet evening.

We have had a lot of cloudy days and some rain. The other night it rained pretty well to where 2 of our skylights leaked. Dave needs to have someone go up on the roof and put some flange around the skylights and seal them as that was not done. Looks like that will have to be done this spring. We also need to paint the roof with sealant also. So in addition to doing the roof we also will be painting the house. It really needs it as when Odile came through it sandblasted part of the paint off the east side of the house. The other project is Dave will be adjusting the stairs so there is more room for stepping and making it safer.

The Baja 200 race is supposed to happen this Saturday. We just found out about it so that changed my schedule for going into town for groceries on Saturday. This time it isn’t a sanctioned race, no money is involved, so there aren’t going to be a lot of vehicles and motorcycles in it.

Today was grocery shopping day so I headed to town. The vegetable man that has been coming every week, selling vegetables and fruit from his van, was there and had some really nice stuff. That was my first stop, and then I went on to finish the rest of my shopping. Dave wanted me to stop at a lumber yard/hardware store to check out the price of a new kitchen faucet but I forgot. Dave asked if I stopped when I returned home and I had to tell him I forgot. So the next time I go in I will put it on my list so I won’t forget.

Today is the Baja 200 race. We expected to hear a lot of commotion on the road early this morning as the motorcycles go past, but we only heard cars coming to find a spot to watch. There were only 4 motorcycles that raced. Dave and I walked out to the road and saw some friends parked ready to watch the race so we visited and watched the last of the motorcycle race. Then the cars started when they had the go ahead that all the motorcycles had cleared the race track. There were about 30 cars in the race and it was fun to see them go by at a high rate of speed. The best place to stand to get good pictures was from the east side of the road but I eventually had to give up standing there because as the bigger trucks came through rocks flew everywhere. But I did get some nice pictures.

I love the bright race uniforms the motorcyclists wear. And they always have the ambulance there and the police. It is fun to see who comes out to watch.

Dave stayed around to the end of the race while I stayed just to see the trucks and cars pass and then I went home. I had eaten enough dust. What was nice though is it had rained last night so it was good for keeping the dust to a minimal.

Tomorrow is the Big Game between the Sea Hawks and the Patriots. It will be interesting in Jon and Susannah’s house (my son and his wife) as she is a Patriot fan and of course Jon a Sea Hawk one.
GO SEA HAWKS!!!!!!

We were invited to a friend’s house to watch the game. There were around 17 people, including us, that showed up and we all brought some food to share.

I’m sorry to say the Sea Hawks didn’t win. It was sad to see them so close to winning then loose. Well there is next year. They are a great team and it is fun to watch. I don’t really like football that much but I will watch it when our team is playing.

Well I cut my hair today. I have been thinking about it for a long time. I wear it up most of the time anyway and when I do wear it down and the wind blows I end up looking frizzy. Soooo I cut it off. After I did that I took a walk on the beach. Dave said it was short and I told him that was the plan. I asked him if he would trim it up for me when I returned. When I returned I got the scissors and he did a nice job of trimming it up for me. I really like the look. What do you think?????