Another Month in Paradise

Wednesday - Sunday, December 1-5.
Now that the Art and Craft show is over, I can concentrate on the yard again. I got more rocks so I could make a couple rock sculptures, mainly to represent Dave and me. When I finished balancing the rocks I decorated them with items I had in the yard and also each of us got an empty bottle of wine.














So basically the middle circle has been created as a focal point and past that is the BBQ pit and paths leaving the guest house to walk to the house, beach, or fire pit. I really like the way it turned out. It is sooo much better than what was there. Here is a picture of what it looked like before.


















And now.



Little by little I will get plants and cactus to plant but for now I have to stop working in the yard and do some cleaning of the guest house as Ron and Noreen are coming to visit us for Christmas. We are excited. They fly into San Diego on the 22nd and will spend the night in a Hotel. They will pick up their rental car and cross the border to Ensenada where we will meet up with them. We plan to leave our house on the 20th for a leisurely ride to Ensenada, spend the night in San Quintin and be in Ensenada the morning of the 21st. We want to shop at the Mega store across from Costco, Costco, Walmart, and Home Depot. Then we will meet Ron and Noreen in Ensenada on the 23rd and they will follow us to the house. Depending on what time we leave Ensenada and the road conditions (as there is road construction being done and depending on time of day) we will either go straight home or stop for the night and continue the next morning. Their visit is short as they have to be home before New Year’s Eve, but we will enjoy their visit that much more.

Happy Birthday to our grandson Sam!!! He is 13!!!!!

One day last week as I was going into town, I passed a place where a Mexican couple live. I noticed 3 of their trees/bushes in their yard had sparkly things hanging in them. I slowed down and looked and they were aluminum cans slit and pushed down to create an ornament. How cool was THAT!!! I thought that was really great and would like to copy the idea. So I did. I have a waste basket full of uncrushed coke cans so I will do some experimenting to see if I can create the ornament. Dave went out fishing with Phil so I stood in the kitchen and slit the sides of one can but I didn’t cut down far enough so it didn’t turn out too well. I tried another and figured out you have to make the slits starting from the top edge of the can to the bottom. Then you can push down on the top of the can which will bend out some of the sides. Once that happens, you take a small screw driver and go behind the other strips to bend them outward. Once all strips are bent out you push a little harder on the top of the can to set the strips so they stay bent out. I got some twine and attached enough to the can to hang it with. After I finished with all the cans I had I went out and hung them in a bush by our driveway. They sparkle nicely but I need a lot more cans if I’m going to cover the tree.

Thursday, I went over to our neighbor’s house to see if they had any uncrushed cans. They had a few and said I could have them. It was getting late in the afternoon and I wanted to take a walk on the beach before the sun went behind the mountain so I told them I would be back tomorrow to get them. I had a nice walk and found some interesting shells along the way. I walked to the first estuary and turned around and came back. On my way back I was still looking for unique shells and sea glass but I happened to look up over a small sand dune and noticed what looked like a turtle shell. We were told Coyotes killed two turtles a couple of weeks ago and I wondered if that might be the remains of one of them. So I walked up and took a look and sure enough it was what was left of a turtle. She had come to shore to lay her eggs and the Coyotes got her and also ate her eggs. The same fate happened to the other turtle. I was so excited to add a turtle shell to my yard! I took it home. As I was walking near Mary and George’s house, Mary hollered out that I had her turtle. I laughed and said “no—I found it first”! The shell still had a right front leg and a rear left leg barely attached. I laid it down near the rock sculptures and went upstairs to tell Dave of my find. He told me Mary and George had found it shortly after the Coyotes attacked it. I had no idea so I went over to see Mary and mentioned what Dave said. Mary said they were waiting for it to dry before getting it for their yard. She told me how they found it on the beach and drug it up on a dune to let it dry. The next day, they found the shell on the beach again so they drug it back up to the dune. That is where it stayed until I spotted it. I told her I had no idea and she could have it if she wanted. She said it was alright, I could keep it. It’s a nice size. I really did feel bad about taking the shell when they had their heart set on it. Mary also said there was another turtle and the remains are in the first estuary further up the beach that Jay and Jan laid claim to. Mary said she will have to go get it as Jay and Jan have left in their boat to go south. So for now I have the shell in my yard. Eventually the fins/feet, whatever you call them, will disintegrate and all that will remain will be the shell. Part of the upper shell is missing as the Coyote’s chewed into it to get the head. Pretty interesting stuff here!!! Nature is definitely interesting.


Friday, Creela and Phil invited us to their house for dinner. We had BBQ pork, stuffing, salad and lots of wine!!!! After dinner we sat outside next to a bon fire and talked. We had a delightful time. They will be leaving to go back to their San Diego home in a week. We are leaving for Santa Rosalia on Monday and they will probably be gone by the time we get back. They will come back down to Bahia in the spring.

Saturday I cleaned, washed clothes, and went over to Mary and George’s house to retrieve their aluminum cans. There were a few but I will still need more. I did my trick with them and hung them up and the bush is starting to get fuller. It looks festive!!! My neighbors love it and so do I. I told them that was our poor man’s Christmas tree. Simple things really are fun and add a lot of joy!!!

Sunday was a day to pack and get things ready for Santa Rosalia. Dave watched some football, and I did some cross stitching. It was a low keyed day. We had some high cloud cover today and we had to run the generator for a while. Just can’t get enough solar power when that happens. Good thing I didn’t wash clothes today. They wouldn’t have dried.

Monday - Sunday, December 6-12.
We left the house around 7:30am and traveled to town where we dropped off our laundry with Yolanda and told her we will be back on Thursday to pick it up. Then we were on our way to Santa Rosalia. We had more of those high clouds and it looked like a non solar day. I guess we are supposed to have this type of cloud cover for a few days. The ride was uneventful. When we arrived at the marina we went down to the boat to check it out and open it up. We hooked up the water and electricity and then went back to the jeep to bring down all our stuff. The weather is a little warmer here than in Bahia, but it still is cool in the morning and night.

We went to dinner at our favorite chicken place. There we met Mary, whom is a cruiser. She was eating by herself. She said she just got back from Escondido and came there to have dinner. Her husband and children were back on her boat. She invited us to join her so we did and had a nice conversation. It was good to see her again. After dinner we said goodbye and Dave and I walked to the bank and pharmacy. It was a pleasant evening and we enjoyed the walk back to the boat. We were both pretty tired so bed time wasn’t far away. I got on my computer and started searching for gifts for the grandsons.

Today, Tuesday, I was able to finish my shopping online for the grandsons, so now Christmas shopping is done. I also managed to vacuum the floor and clean the bathrooms which needed it badly. Then I went outside and rinsed the cockpit as it was covered in dirt. It is just a given that job has to be done when we come down to the boat. Arturo cleans the decks and the cockpit is not included in his job. It only takes a few minutes to rinse and then the sun dries it all. Later I go back and put everything away. I was going to walk to the hardware store this afternoon, but it was getting late so I decided not to. One of the cruising couples here in the marina invited us to a potluck gathering of the other cruisers in t he marina tonight so Dave and I went to the store and got some chips and dip.

At 5:30pm Dave and I walked up to the marina big room to join the other cruisers. There were 3 other couples beside us and we shared experiences found out where they were from and what places they had been to. It was fun. After awhile we said goodnight and went back to our own boats.

Tomorrow is laundry day, walk to town and maybe the hardware store and pack up to leave on Thursday. All systems were working just fine on the boat which is always a good thing.

Didn’t make it to the hardware store but did walk to town to get a few things. Laundry is done and the jeep is packed except for the last minute things in the morning. I am looking forward to getting back to the house to prepare for Ron and Noreen’s visit.

It is Thursday and we are back at the house. It was a non eventful trip. As we came into town, we stopped and picked up our laundry and headed to the house. After everything was unloaded from the jeep and brought upstairs, I put it away and then Dave and I relaxed. You don’t realize how much energy is taken from you after riding in a vehicle for 5 hours. Well maybe you do! Tomorrow I start cleaning the bamboo room.

Monday - Sunday, December 13-19.
Today is a cleaning day. The Honda generator was started up and I vacuumed the bamboo room. I cleaned everything so it looks really nice now. That is where Ron and Noreen are going to sleep.

They will be able to wake up and have the sun shine in the room and see the view! Next came the cleaning of the bathroom and then the trailer. Of course I didn’t do all that in one day. I like to spread out the work.

I have added more ornaments to the bush in our yard and it is looking rather festive!! I am going to save them for next year and even add to what I have so I can decorate a couple more trees/bushes.

We have 2 strands of lights which we will figure out where to put them so at least we have a little holiday cheer on the house.

The bougainvillea plant that is in the yard isn’t doing so well so Dave and I dug it up and relocated it in a less windier place. Hopefully it will flourish there. I hauled some dirt from the arroyo to plant it in which is much better soil than where it was. So we shall see. The plant I pulled up alongside the road a while back is starting to show signs of life. Yahoo!!! If I’m lucky it will bloom.

I need to get some more rocks to outline a couple areas and then I will take a break from rock hunting. My neighbor Mary asked if I wanted to rock hunt with her on Thursday and I said “sure”. So we both will be able to get the rocks we want. She is going to line her driveway with, hopefully, purple rocks. Really!! There are purple rocks here. They are awesome. She has permission from a man who happens to be a natural born Mexican, and a doctor in San Diego, who has rights to the quarry.

Dave spent the last couple of days disassembling the tower that was built next to the bamboo room. We got permission a long time ago from Larry to tear it down as it is all rotted from termite infestation. He got the roof off and I took the palm frawns off as they were all nailed down. There was nothing to be saved so I ended up with 4 full garbage bags and will end up with another 4 bags as Dave still has 2 roof sections on top of the carport. He finished getting the rest of the roof down yesterday, Tuesday, and I started to pull nails out of the boards. What a great view we now have from the house. It is nice to have that tower out of the way. Today Dave is planning on tearing down the stairs and then he will be done. He went and got water this morning, Wednesday, and when that little chore is finished we will be cleaning up our mess in the front yard. I told Dave that his ‘yard art’ wasn’t exactly what I had in mind!!!!

Dave ended up having to build a brace for the carport roof as it is sagging quite a bit. He did take the stairs down and put a railing across the end of the deck where the stairs led to the tower. He spent most of the morning taking nails out of the wood and stacking the wood out of the way to either burn or use for another project. There are some good pieces of wood.
Mary and I went to the quarry and got a bunch of purple rocks for her and I got granite rocks for me. I was able to line up the rocks in front of where I planted the bougainvillea and a couple other places as well. Now I am done in the yard for now.

Dave and I hung our two strands of Christmas lights. They look awesome and are really bright. We hung them on the posts and rafter right outside the sliding glass door from the living room. Here is a picture.


Everything is ready for Ron and Noreen’s visit. Today, Sunday, I went into town to get a couple things and fill up a gas can. Tomorrow we are leaving for Ensenada. It is suppose to rain in San Diego and Ensenada so we figured if we left tomorrow, we could have a leisure ride up and if the road isn’t good we can stop for the night and continue Tuesday morning. Then we will have all day Wednesday to shop at Costco, Walmart, Mega, and Home Depot. We will meet Ron and Noreen in Ensenada on Thursday and start our drive home. I hope the weather is nice while they are here and not too windy. Right now it is nice with very little wind so it is fairly warm. Well it is what it is and at least we are spending Christmas together!!

Monday - Sunday, December 20-26.
We left this morning for Ensenada and drove all the way. The weather was good and the roads weren’t too bad. We were really glad we didn’t stop overnight as it rained all night which would have made the roads terrible, on Tuesday, especially where construction is going on. We didn’t do anything after getting to the hotel as it was around 3:00pm. We recuperated from the long drive and then went downstairs to the restaurant to have dinner, and then back to our room.

It was cloudy all day on Tuesday, but didn’t rain much. It was cold enough to wear a turtle neck and sweatshirt. We went comparison shopping and figured out what we wanted to buy. We went to Home Depot first to look at stick on tile for the bathroom floor by the Bamboo room. Sand has gotten under the tile and every time you step on it it crackles. Today was a look day not a buying one. The next stop was Mega department store, then Walmart and finally Costco. We made comparison notes between Mega and Walmart and decided Walmart had better prices. So tomorrow we will go to Home Depot to get the tile squares then Walmart and finally Costco.

Ron and Noreen are flying into San Diego this evening and we will meet them tomorrow morning. Dave and I did our shopping and the weather has been clearing out nicely so we won’t have to worry about the roads going home tomorrow. We did call Ron and ask if they could upgrade their rental to a 4 wheel drive vehicle just in case. So they will check into it. This is just so they will have plenty of clearance under the car for rocks and if the construction roads are muddy.

Ron and Noreen couldn’t get a 4 wheel drive vehicle but they did get a nice Chrysler van so that will work. We met them Wednesday morning in front of the plaza in downtown Ensenada. After greeting them, we decided to stop at Costco to pick up some wine and cheese. Then we were on our way to the house with Ron and Noreen following us. Dave and I knew that since we got a late start leaving Ensenada we wouldn’t make it to the house before dark, so we stopped at a place called Jardin’s. It means garden in Spanish and boy does it live up to its name. We had heard a lot about the place so we thought we would try it. We stopped early enough to have a margarita and catch up on stuff, after checking in. The rooms are really nice and the owner has a garden where they grow their own vegetables and an orchard of oranges, limes, grapefruit, and apples. There were a lot of plants around the place to make it inviting and pleasant. It was beautiful. Now we understand why a lot of the gringos stop there on their way down from and back to San Diego.

We were on the road around 8:00am on Thursday, and made it all the way to the house. The weather was nice and the roads also. Upon arrival at the house, we took Ron and Noreen to where they were going to sleep and then gave them a tour of the place. Dave was tickled to show Ron his work area, the pila and the generator room. Afterwards Ron and Noreen got unpacked while I put groceries away. Later, Ron and Noreen walked on the beach and enjoyed the serene atmosphere.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! We were awakened early this morning with an earthquake. To us it sounded like something hit the house. Maybe it was Santa Claus!!!! There was a bam and then nothing. Ron said they had the bam and the ground swayed a little and then that was it.

Ron and Noreen presented us with a gift from the Brownsville Deli, back home in Bremerton, Washington. That is where Ron and Noreen have their boat, they live aboard, and where we used to moor ours. We got a good laugh from the gift. Here it is and here is a picture of them in use!!!!


HA!!! You men out there didn't think I would actually 'WEAR' them for a picture did you??? Sorry to disappoint!!!! Well not really!!! Ha!

Ron took a picture so he will have it to give to the gals at the Deli. What a hoot!! By the way---that is a sweatshirt I am wearing in case you hadn’t noticed. The north winds are blowing and it is cold!! Not as cold as Washington, but still cold.

This afternoon at 4:00pm, Joanne and her daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law are coming over for dinner. They are bringing a spiral ham and sweet potatoes and we are cooking a roast, scallop potatoes and serving a green salad.

It was fun having them join us, and Mary and George stopped by after dinner to have a drink with us. It was a nice Christmas!

The weather has been chilly, but sunny. Ron and Noreen thought it would be warmer than it was, so they didn’t have a lot of warm clothes, but they managed. It was still warmer than Washington. They got to hear the coyotes yip, and wake up to sunshine in their room, and listen to the birds.

Noreen and Ron had fun walking the beach and collected small shells and rocks. All of us went for a hike so we could show them the abandon ranch not far from the house and Noreen took some pictures of the large Cardon cacti, well she thought she did until she got back to the house and discovered there were none. That was too bad.

The wind had been blowing all day and we thought it wasn’t going to die down after the sun went down, but it did. We ended up having a bonfire in the front yard and as we watched the fire burn, we drank cappuccino with Kahlua in it. Yumm!!!!


It was a perfect evening. After that we called it a night. The Christmas lights on the deck looked bright and festive from the front yard!!

Monday - Friday, December 27-31.
Today, Monday, we took Ron and Noreen to town. We showed them the typical Mexican tiendas (stores), Ron and Noreen bought a couple shirts and we visited a tourist shop and the little craft shop. We stopped and had lunch and then headed back to the house.

Dave has been watching the weather because there was some indication it was going to rain on Wednesday. If that was the case Ron and Noreen would have to leave on Tuesday to avoid driving in mud at the construction sites. But as it turned out, Wednesday was suppose to be o.k. for travel. We hate the thought of them leaving, but are enjoying every minute of their stay.

After dinner we played Cruisers Mexican Train and had a ball. We finally ended the game at 12:00am. Good thing we don’t have to get up early in the morning!!!

This morning, Tuesday, Ron and Dave went to town to get water. When they got back Ron and Noreen witnessed our system for pumping water from the tank on the truck to the pila tank. After that was done I made breakfast and after cleanup we took off to explore Las Flores, an old mining town, south of the house. Noreen and I rode in the back of the truck and had a blast.

It was a little dusty, but not too bad. Upon arrival at Las Flores, we explored the jail which is the only building intact.




























We got some pictures of the jail birds, Ron, Noreen,













and then we walked to a cemetery which Mr. Daggett descendants were buried.




















The Daggett family now owns a lot of the La Gringa area north of where we live. We saw the remnants of homes and another building I’m not sure what it was. It probably was a home at one time.









I got a cutting of a cactus to bring back and plant in the front yard somewhere. The ride back to the house was better as the dust was blowing away from us. When we got home we had lunch and then Noreen and Ron did a little packing and getting ready to leave early tomorrow morning.

Well the time has come to say goodbye to Ron and Noreen. We enjoyed their visit very much!! There were a few clouds in the sky but the morning was nice. They left here around 6:00am. They are driving all the way to the boarder today as they have reservations in a hotel just on the other side of the boarder in San Diego. After they had been gone awhile, we noticed that the sky was getting cloudier and looking north it didn’t look pretty. We are hoping they don’t have any problems. As it turned out, we had heavy cloud cover and high winds. It is a good thing Ron and Noreen left today because it got nasty here. The wind blew about 44-45 miles an hour, sand was blowing everywhere and our windows were rattling. It was not a day to be outside. Dave and I read I took a nap and later cross stitched and watched the wind storm out the window. The wind continued into the night. We were hoping it would calm down before we went to bed. It did for awhile.

We were awakened by one of our plastic chairs getting blown on the deck. Then the back of one of the chaise lounges came off so I drug that and the chair inside. We still had the rest of one chaise lounge and another one plus a table on the deck. I moved them closer to the house and thought they would be alright. After going back to bed, a little later we heard a crash from the deck. When I looked out the sliding glass door I found the table in pieces and about ready to be blown off the deck. Not a good thing. I brought the pieces in to the house and had to retrieve the other 2 legs that blew off the deck. Dave tried to see if it was salvageable, but unfortunately, Mother Nature made it such it can’t be repaired!!! The wind blew around 45-50 miles an hour all night. We didn’t get much sleep. I ended up stacking the chaise lounge chairs on top of the other and that seemed to keep them from blowing around. The wind finally calmed enough we could sleep. About 8:30am it started up with a fury and hasn’t stopped yet. We got a few sprinkles yesterday, Wednesday, but no rain to speak of.

We received an email from Noreen saying they made it across the border at 4:30pm. They made good time. They had a 6:00am flight out of San Diego so they were up and moving really early this morning.

The wind has died and has switched out of the northwest!!! Thank goodness. The wind started in a flash and ended the same way. Whew!!! We moved all the furniture off the deck so we won’t have to worry about damaging any more stuff. We walked the yard accessing the damage and the only thing we found was one of my tall whale bones fell. No worries, I will fix that when the wind isn’t blowing so hard. What a wild day and night yesterday. That is winter in Bahia!!!

Dave and I are staying home tonight to watch T.V. and ring in the New Year. Some of the gringos that are here went into town to have dinner and celebrate early then return home. It’s been cold and we just wanted to stay where it was warm and relax. There were a few fireworks but nothing compared to what it would have been in Mazatlan!!!

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.