Time Marches On

This month is starting out good. Dave and I are healthy and one of our major project is done. The painting of the house!!!

In last month’s blog I had mentioned I was making magnet angels out of shells and using glitter foam for the wings. I also made bees out of shells and the stinger is a porcupine quill. So here is what I have done so far. I am having fun creating the angels and I think I like these better than the cork ones I made. It’s all good.




I am experimenting with wire and sea glass and I want to make some sea glass and driftwood mobiles but I have to finish up with the angels and bees then I can move on to something else. I did create 2 turtles out of rock and shells. Those are really time consuming but fun.



I made a new jelly fish mobile for our grandson, David who is 5. I made him one a couple years ago but when mom and dad got divorced it got tossed so I made another one for his room at dad’s house. I think it turned out better but of course I am bias.



I have a lot of ideas but I have other things I am doing like the counted cross stitch of a dragon and wizard I started about 3 years ago for Dave. I get interrupted by projects for our newborn grandsons and then making things for the art show and whatnot that I have to spread my time between my crafting and doing other things. What a life eh????? Wow!!! If you only had those problems huh?! I enjoy being creative and can spend hours putting things together. I am going to try and practice wrapping stones and sea glass in wire. I can’t wait see what comes out of my playing!!!! Stay tuned!!!

I am hoping to take my sewing machine and some craft items up with us to Washington State so I can create up there this summer.

Now that the house is painted we are going to start on making the stairs better. Right now they are steep and everyone that visits us hates them. It’s not bad going up them but coming down------not so good!!!!!! Soooo we got 3 bags of cement, some sand and a pick-up truck load of conterra rock. It is a pretty rock and very strong. A lot of people have built walks, houses and other things out of them. Our gate guard (who helped us paint) went and got the sand and the rock. When we go to La Paz in a few days to visit the boat he will add to the rock and cement platform and stairs at the bottom of the steep wood stairs while we are gone. Here are pictures of what the stairs look like now and the platform.



These Mexican people are so amazing to me. They don’t have all the modern tools like Americans do so a lot of what they do, they do by hand. I am talking about getting the rock. They go out into the desert by the mountains in certain areas and break off the chunks of rock, load into the back of their pickup truck and then bring it to the destination. After it is off loaded, they start to shape the rocks by using a hatchet to chip off the edges and form the shape they need. It is very time consuming and a lot of manual labor. When we drive to La Paz we see road crew using machetes to cut the weeds along the edges of the highway instead of using machinery like we do in the states. They are beginning to use some weed eaters but not in many places. It is just amazing and they spend hours doing that. My back hurts just to watch them or even think about it.

The night before we were leaving to head south to La Paz we took the wood stairs down. Dave wished he had taken the steps out first before trying to take them down but we didn’t and it made it very difficult. The stairs were wedged in between the upper wood support at the top of the stairs and the cement rock fixture at the bottom. We ended up breaking a 2x12 so we will need to replace that. Our gate guard helped because we couldn’t do it without another man’s strength. When the steps were down, Dave took out some of the stairs so we could move it out of the way of Tito when he starts working on the cement and rock platform and stairs. We had a ladder to climb up and down just for the night and next day when we left for La Paz. The cement and rock job should be finished when we return from La Paz. I’m excited to see it. Then Dave will rebuild the stairs so they are shorter and less steep.

Well like I said----we took off on the 9th to head for Guerrero Negro which is 2-1/2 hours from our house. I had a dentist appointment to get my teeth cleaned and we decided we would stay the night. Now we wish we had gone to at least San Ignacio but next time we will know. I got my teeth cleaned with a noon appointment then we went to the ATM at the bank and stopped at a place that sells appliances and parts, on the way to the hotel. We had heard that the place was good and reputable and he had motors for washing machines for sale. Dave said it would be cheaper to get a motor then to buy a used machine. They cost about $50 dollars or 700 pesos. So on our way home from La Paz we will stop and buy a motor. Then Dave will have another project to do!!!! But if it solves our washing machine problem-------GREAT!!!! The next morning we had breakfast and then headed for Loreto for the night. We have good friends that have a house there and they were there this time. We couldn’t stay with them as Kristi’s mother and sister are flying in the same day we arrive, but once we got a room at our favorite hotel, we went and saw them. She was painting and Robert was just getting ready to leave and go to the hardware store when we arrived. We talked for a short time and then let them get back to work. As it turned out, her mother and sister changed plans and would arrive the next day. But we got together at a newly opened restaurant there in Loreto, named ‘Mi Loreto’ and we had the best dinner and time!!!! It was great and after dinner, Kristi and Robert were on their way to a meeting and we walked back to the hotel. It was a perfect evening for walking and dining outside.

The next morning we got up had breakfast, checked out, and were on our way to La Paz. It takes about 4 hours from Loreto so an easy trip. The weather was warm and beautiful and there wasn’t a ripple on the water which was unusual as it has been windy everywhere, everyday. Once we arrived in La Paz we had to go to the broker’s office to get the key for the boat. They had to replace the lock so they had the keys. We got to the boat but the keys wouldn’t work. They gave us the wrong keys so the broker had to come down to the marina (because they couldn’t find the correct keys) and he had to cut the lock. There is a full story here, but I won’t bore you with the details. Anyway we had a good laugh so now we are going to buy a combination lock so no keys have to be made or lost!!!! Waalaa!!!

We finally got into our boat and started opening the hatches as it was stuffy and warm below. Then we had a little snafu with the power station on the dock. A man that is moored across the dock from us was using our power station. The reason for that was he didn’t have a 50 amp electrical cord so the marina said they could plug into the one we use. Oops!!! We went to the office and got it all straightened out to where we do have a splitter electrical cord which allows us to plug into a 50 amp receptacle. So problem solved and everyone is happy. We didn’t do much on the boat as it was late but we did manage to go to the store and get dinner and water and a couple other things but I forgot to get coke for our rum. Oh bother!!!!! I didn’t want to go back to the store so I went walking the dock to see if anyone had a spare coke I could buy. Well no one had one but I was walking back to the boat and our neighbor Kiki was walking toward me from her boat and I asked her if she had some coke and she said no but we could ask the captain of a 50 foot fishing boat. So I was introduced to the captain, as her and her husband is friends with him. All he had was an opened coke bottle with enough coke in it for 2 drinks. I told him that was perfect and I offered to pay him and he said no. He said he would pick us up a couple bottles and bring them to us later. So off I went and Dave and I had our Rum and coke cocktail. We saw the captain pass our boat in his boat as he was taking someone out for a ride. The Captain’s name is Carlos. When he returned I figured he wouldn’t remember and I wasn’t worried about it. I was walking up to use the facilities at the marina when Carlos was walking toward me with a bag and in it the 2 cokes he said he would get was in it. I thanked him and told him that was sweet of him to do that and I appreciated it a lot. He didn’t want any money for them and so we shook hands and said goodnight. It is always a pleasure to meet such Mexican people. So now we have enough coke for a couple nights of cocktails!!! Yay!!!

There is a cross fit gym right across from where we Moor our boat and they were having classes up until about 10:30 last night. We went to bed around 11:00 and all was well until about midnight when someone’s car alarm went off and no one was doing anything about it. Thank goodness for ear plugs. Dave and I put some in our ears and all was well again.

It was a beautiful morning with sunshine and warm temperatures and with a slight breeze to keep cool. Dave and I went up to the marina café and had breakfast and then came back to the boat and started working on it. We had a boat brush on the boat but discovered it was broken. The guy that washes the boat broke it so now we don’t have a brush. We borrowed one from our neighbor and Dave scrubbed the top deck. Then it was my turn to clean. I rinsed the screens, bimini along with the solar panels and then the cockpit. It took a couple hours. Dave had been down below and he came up and stepped outside and slipped on the wet deck in the cockpit. He was in bare feet and just lost his footing and fell hitting his right side of his lower back hard against a step. He is a hurting unit tonight. We iced it a couple times and he is taking an inflammatory to help reduce the swelling and now he has my magnet belt on to keep that area warm so he doesn’t get stiff. We had a heating pad onboard but I must have taken it home so the magnet pad was the only warmth he has. I know he is going to be sore and stiff for a couple days. He says as long as he is walking he is fine but when he stops and tries to sit and get up again it really hurts. We will keep an eye on it and see what tomorrow brings. Bummer.

The boat looks good and it is clean and we were able to sit in the cockpit and enjoy our cocktail tonight. We had a visitor, a man that is working on another boat, helping the people get ready to sail to the Marquises (Pacific Islands). He came down to have a drink and visit as he is leaving tomorrow. He is from Australia and has his boat in Spain where he charters it. He has sailed all over the world. It was fun to talk to him and he really likes our boat but can’t afford it. When he left, Dave and I had dinner and now we are relaxing until it is time to go to bed. There are no Cross Fit classes tonight so it is quiet!!!

Tomorrow is laundry day and going to Home Depot for parts and maybe even Sam’s Club to get some food items. We will start heading back to Bahia on Tuesday.

It was a busy day today. Happy Valentine’s Day!!!! The marina café wasn’t open. We heard there was a swap meet at one of the marinas in La Paz so we decided to head that way and take a look. We didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without. When we left there we went and had breakfast near the marina. Service was slow but there were a lot of people out for breakfast. We had a good meal and relaxed. Then it was time to do some running around. We went to a grocery store to look at prices of booze and we are finding that the rum and gin we like, which is less expensive was nowhere to be found. That’s a bummer as we won’t buy the real expensive stuff. Guess we will have to give up drinking!!!! Ha!!! Where there is a will there is a way!! We have other stores to go too to check it out so who knows. Then it was off to Home Depot and we spent most of the early afternoon there looking for parts Dave needs to put our stairs back up with. He found most of the parts except one. It is a metal piece that holds a 2x4 in place to a fascia board. I can’t explain it but they are used in construction. We looked and looked for them and then asked a clerk and he even thought they had some but they didn’t. Oh well. We may find what we need maybe tomorrow. After the running around we came back to the boat and I did laundry. It seemed to take forever!!! While I waited I went upstairs to the pool and sat on the side and put my feet in. At first the water was really cold but once I got use to it, it felt good. By the time I finished with the laundry it was about 5:00pm. I was ready to sit down and relax and have a cocktail with Dave in the cockpit. After that I went down stairs and started preparing the Valentine dinner I was making for Dave. We are having steak, red potatoes cut up with lots of garlic and stir fried in butter. I didn’t have any olive oil on board. Then I sautéed crimi mushrooms while Dave was BBQing the steaks. It turned out to be a very nice dinner with red wine to boot!!! It was a busy day but turned out great!
The marina café wasn’t open again this morning and neither one of us wanted to go anywhere for breakfast and coffee so we went without coffee and had a breakfast bar. I had a lot of things to accomplish today so I got an early start. I stripped the sheets off the bed, put clean ones on, cleaned both heads; checked the water in the batteries with Dave’s help. I needed his steady hand in pouring the water in the batteries. Not to say my hand shakes or anything, he is just better at it!!! Vacuumed and then I was done with my chores. Well all except laundry. I need to do one more load. Dave and I went down to the broker’s office to give them money for the guy that is going to be washing our boat topside and to another man who is diving and cleaning the bottom of the boat. Then we left and started a hunt for a construction parts place. We stopped at one but they didn’t have the metal strips we needed so we went one more place and they did have a couple different kinds so Dave bought 3. Then it was off to the pharmacy then Home Depot.

I was going to get paint to start painting the bathroom at the house, but decided against it. We had an incident before we left for La Paz where more money was taken out of Dave’s retirement check that wasn’t expected and it was going to hurt us big time if we couldn’t take care of the problem. Well after a couple days calling about our Health Insurance plan, Dave was able to talk to someone and explain that we had no idea the plan was changing and now that it is past enrollment time, were we going to be stuck with that amount coming out of the check until November??? As it turns out the gentleman was very accommodating and said other people complained about the same thing. There wasn’t much information put out about our plan changing. So we are suppose to get that money refunded next month and the insurance plan we are going with will be much cheaper but just the same as the old one we had. The new plan just covers Dave and me, not family. So that is good and we breathed a lot better. So now we hope it happens. There is always something going on. There is always time to get the paint later.

The boat broker had told us there was a guy from San Diego who was interested in the boat. He and the broker had been e-mailing back and forth and talking on the phone. He didn’t want to pursue the boat until he returned from a whale tour in March. Well like all the other times when people said they were interested in the boat ---it never came to be so we aren’t holding our breath. Apparently the guy is interested enough to ask a bunch of questions and even talk to the Hunter people about the boat. He and his wife have sailed to faraway places so they know what it is all about. So we will just wait and see what happens. At least interest is picking up!!!!

It is time to leave La Paz and head home. We went up to the Marina Café, had breakfast and our boat neighbors Kiki and Craig joined us. We had a nice visit and then we had to take care of our bill for electricity and water and then head out. Once all that was taken care of and the boat was secured we left. Oh yeah. We didn’t get a combination lock as they were too big for what we needed so we got another lock that had 2 keys. We gave one to the boat broker. I hope they don’t lose this one!!!!! Ha!! So everything is locked and secured. We arrived in Loreto mid afternoon and got a room at our favorite hotel. They are like family to us!!! They are always happy to see us and we them!!

We had a restful night and then got up early the next morning, had breakfast and headed for Guerrero Negro where we are going to see if we can get a motor for the washing machine.

We got a motor so we will take it home and see if it works. We arrived in Bahia mid afternoon and didn’t hurry to unload everything from the truck as we still have a ladder to climb. We got what we needed for the night and we will get the rest of the stuff tomorrow. I ended up tying a rope to the overnight bags and some other things and hauled them up to the deck as I didn’t want Dave to hurt his back further in the process. Oh boy!!!! Our neighbors had fun watching the evolution. They invited us to dinner for soup and salad. That was really nice because I had no idea what we were going to eat. We had a nice visit with George and Mary and then we came back home and relaxed for the night. Tomorrow Dave will start working on the stairs.

Well it has been a working day today getting the stairs together and raised. Tito, our guard wasn’t around so he couldn’t help but Dave and I managed just fine. All I can say it is a good thing part of my exercise program is working with weights as they have made a big difference in my strength!!!! Dave and I got the 2, 2x12 boards in place. He was at the bottom where the new cement platform and stairs are and I was upstairs on the deck helping lift the board with a rope attached to it for leverage. It was a lot of back breaking work but we were successful. Now all Dave has to do is get the steps in. That is tomorrow’s project.

Thank goodness we didn’t have a lot of wind when we were lifting and placing the 2x12’s yesterday. Dave has worked with making things and replacing wood items and such but when it comes to putting in stairs he draws a blank. Our friend Ray said he would help but he is in the states so we really don’t have expert help. Thank goodness our neighbor George was available to help. So once George got Dave started in the right direction, the rest was up to him and me. I had no idea how much planning and measuring, making sure everything is level it takes to do stairs. Not as easy as it looks. So it took us a couple days to get them in but now they are finished and they are wonderful. We ended up taking about 5 steps out of the original staircase. Now that the steps are complete it is time to put the railing up. We are going to try and use the existing wood but some of it is really warped so we will have to buy a few new pieces. The next house we have will not have stairs!!!! What a pain in the royal patooti!!!! But they are done and they look and feel marvelous!!!! Finally that project is done. So now the house is looking good. Next project on the list is to replace the deck. We will do that when we can afford it. So projects never end here. But that is part of owning a house or anything for that matter.

I have been getting beach walks in and finding a few treasures here and there. I also have been working on my crafts. I want to take some of them up with me when we go to Washington this summer to possibly sell them like I did last year. It helps me replenish my craft needs.

It is the 24th and it is our grandson, Brody’s 8th birthday!!!! On the 15th our oldest grandson, Ethan turned 21!!! Congrats Ethan. His mom, Kristen had a birthday too on the 24th. So happy birthday everyone!!!

Here is a picture of my 'Don't Worry Be Hoppy' frog I made and is in a Bahia friends garden!

The New Year Brings Frustration

We made it to another year----Yay! We had a fun New Year’s Eve with our neighbors, Tom and Lynn around their bon fire. New Year’s morning they invited us and our guard and his wife to join them in their traditional breakfast of Lox and bagels. I made pumpkin bread muffins to share. Lynn and Tom and our guards don’t drink alcohol but to our surprise, Tom and Lynn brought a bottle of champagne for Dave and I while the rest had sparkling champagne. This is a nice way to ring in the New Year and it is so thoughtful and kind of Tom and Lynn to share their tradition with us.

I am still coughing and my sinus’ are clogged. I have been taking medication I brought from the states which has helped but it isn’t clearing up the congestion in my chest. I went into town to get some groceries on my normal Saturday run to town and hemmed and hawed whether to stop at the clinic to be checked out. I decided while I was in town I would so I went in and told him what was going on (he spoke good English and understood) and he listened to my chest and then gave me a couple medications, one for the congestion in my chest and the other to clear the sinus’. He wrote out the instructions for the medication and that was that. I gave him some money and he didn’t want to take it but they are allowed to take donations. I figured it would cost me much more if I had to buy the medication at the pharmacy. The clinic visit and medication is free. Most of the people in this little fishing village can’t afford medication or see the doctor so they have young doctors that have learned in the states to come here and rotate out each month. It is their hands on training. For really serious stuff they have you go to another town with a hospital.

Our grandson, Jonathan Jr. turned 3 today, the 6th. How fast they grow!!!!

Christopher, the son of our dear friend, Ruth, that died a couple years ago from cancer, is down here working on the house his mom left him. He brought a friend to help put a new roof on the house, well half of it and get some electrical work done. There is a lot that needs to be fixed and replaced so Christopher is doing it when he has the time. I am so glad he likes it here and wants to fix the house so he can live in it later. He reminds me so much of my oldest son, Ernie. We invited him and his friend over for dinner a couple of times and it was good to visit with them. He could only be here for a week as he needs to get back to his job in San Diego. He said he will be coming down again in February.

Our grandson E.J. had been in the Air Force boot camp since November and he is graduation on the 8th. Dave and I wanted to go so bad but no matter how much we looked at our finances we just couldn’t swing it with air fare and hotel plus meals. Well it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I was sick so we wouldn’t have been able to go anyway. We were sad we couldn’t be there but Brooke and Ernie posted pictures of the graduation and it was really cool. E.J. was honored with carrying the guide on (squadron flag) which is a big deal. He looks so good in his uniform. It was important to have his dad and brothers there and they got to spend some quality time with him. His mother came to the graduation which was nice.



It has been really windy at times but when the weather is nice Lynn and I walk the beach in the afternoon. Lynn and Tom will be leaving soon so now that I am over my flu/cold bug, our neighbor Mary, Lynn and I went on an arroyo hike nearby. We hiked about 2.7 miles and then came back. It was a nice day and it wasn’t windy. Here are some pictures. There are lots of arroyos to hike and I plan on trying to hike some of them as long as there aren’t huge boulders to get around. You never know what you will find. It was good to get out and get some exercise!!



With the wind we had some grey skies but when the sun came out this is what we saw. Beautiful!!!

I’ve been going through all our stuff to see what I want to get rid of for the yard sale in March. I have a few things together so we should be able to make a little money. I love these sales as I can always find something interesting. Well some of the time. Last year I didn’t buy a thing.

We finished painting the house. The pictures of the house in the last blog were only partially finished. We have finished all the painting on the house and electrical room so all is good and we really like the color as it blends in with the scenery. Here is the finished product.


All of us that were here in our community helped our gate guards wife celebrate her birthday. She was very pleased and moved that we would do that for her. We played a game of broche ball and had some appetizers and then she opened her presents and then we had cake. It was a fun time and they are such good people. We like having them as guards!!!

Tom and Lynn are leaving soon so we had them over for dinner. It is kind of a tradition for someone to have a dinner for them when they arrive and then again the night before they have to leave. This way they don’t have any clean-up to do and they can relax. They are involved with the whale tours so they won’t be back until April.

We had the Baja 200 race on the road behind our house. Dave walked out to the road to view the cars which would be a while, but he would find someone to talk to while he waited. I had chores to do like defrost the refrigerator and freezer, vacuum, and laundry. When those things were done I walked to the road and waited for the trucks to come by. I met up with some friends and visited with them and saw a few of the cars, then walked back to the house. I had had enough dust for one day. I tried to find Dave but he was in the other direction I looked. So I found out later when he got home. Ha!! As I was walking back to the house I came upon a dead and fallen cordon. It is a nice one and since it is on the property we live on we can take it and not get in trouble. But it was too heavy so I will have to come back with Dave and the truck and get it. I want to put it in the back yard. That is where we drive up to the house. If the cordon was on another person’s property, I would have to pay a Mexican to get it for me. But I lucked out. It is against the law here to dig up plants or even haul away dead cordon. If caught they can take your vehicle and you pay a large fee and maybe even spend time in jail. Everyone uses the dead cactus as yard art.

Oh yeah----the washing machine we got from a friend broke. It worked great for about 3 or 4 times then the motor died. Well that is what Dave thinks as he took it all apart and couldn’t find anything wrong with it. The agitator doesn’t rotate back and forth and it doesn’t spin dry the clothes. Matter of fact it doesn’t drain the water out either!!!!! We had to suction the water out of the machine and that was a lot of fun!!!!! NOT!! When all that was done I went back to the boat method with a bucket and plunger which actually works really well. A little detergent, water, add clothes, plunger the clothes for a few minutes, ring the clothes out and put them in another bucket, get fresh water and rinse the clothes again with the plunger then ring out and hang to dry!!!! Easy peasy!!!! Ha!!

I have played Mexican Train (dominoes) and a card game with the ladies. There aren’t that many gals down here yet to have too many games.

It has been really windy and one night it blew about 40-50 knots. The windows and screens rattled and it was cold!!!! We had to go and rescue a couple buckets that blew away and I even went to the trailer and made the beds just in case it got to wild in the house to sleep. As it turned out we slept in the house and the wind was still howling in the morning.

We had some very sad news this week. The people that we bought the house from came down in October and stayed until just before Thanksgiving and went back to their house in San Diego. They were packing up and ready to head back down to Bahia when she got a check-up. She had breast cancer and was treated last year and went through the chemo and radiation and was given a clean bill of health. That was this fall. They said she was cancer free. So her hair grew back which was grey now, and she felt good and looked good. Well she had a check-up this month and they found more cancer and it had metastasized and has gone into the bone and her brain and possibly her lungs. It was such a shock when we heard about it!!! I still can’t believe it. She felt good all through her treatments and I thought it was a miracle because no one I have known that has had cancer ever felt good during treatment. And now this!!! So needless to say she has undergone radiation treatments to shrink the tumors in the brain and now is taking medication to hopefully work on the rest of the cancer in her body. The outcome does not look good but this woman is remarkable. She is trying to keep positive and she has told us she has had a good life and she will enjoy whatever time she has left. I feel so blessed to have her as my friend and she is truly a wonderful woman. She is loved by many. I feel sorry for her, her husband and their daughter. I am praying that she will not live in pain and when it is her time she will go in peace. But mostly I pray she will have a few more months, year, to be with us. This goes to show us all how fragile life really is!!!! One minute you are healthy and then boom!!! So I hope you all take each day and live it to the fullest and cherish your families and friends!!! Life really is short!!!

I have been creating things in my art room. I have made one turtle from rock and shells and now I am making magnet angels out of shells and glitter foam for the wings. When I have enough of them made I will take pictures and share in next month blog. I also made some magnet bees. They turned out cute. Well until next month-----be happy,live your life well and thank the Lord for everyday.

The Shortest Blog Ever

Not much going on this month. It is pretty quiet here. Most of the American people have left for the states to spend the holidays with family and friends. We have been getting some pretty cold days and nights lately due to the north winds. We have had a few cloudy days and just a sprinkle of rain but most of the time it is sunny and warm when not in the wind.

We started painting the house and had to stop a couple of times due to weather like wind. But we were able to get most of the house painted and it looks really good. Instead of it sticking out like a sore thumb being white, it now blends in with the desert surroundings. Our gate guard helped us paint so it made the job a little easier as we put him on the scaffolding to do the high parts. Heheh!!! We still have the garage door and the art room and side garage door to paint, but for the most part the house is done. Dave was sanding the garage door when a piece of the sander broke so he had to order a new part and wait for it to get here before doing anymore. Here are some pictures so far.

I have been reading a lot and have gotten back to the dragon cross stitch I was working on for Dave. He is happy about that. Now that I have a visor I can wear that has a magnifier in it, it is easier for me to work on it. I can see!!!

I just didn’t have a lot of Christmas spirit this year. We were hoping to make it to our grandson, E.J.’s Air Force boot camp graduation in January, but because we had to spend money on getting the bottom painted on the boat in November, we didn’t have any to spare to spend on travel and places to stay. Bummer. I did manage to put some lights up and a small spiral tree, but that was all. It was just Dave and I--- no one else. Some years are like that!! I hope everyone had a wonderful and Blessed Christmas.

Well this I think is the shortest blog I have ever written. Just a very quiet month. It has turned cold though with the north winds blowing so the flannel sheets are on the bed along with a blanket!!

I went into town to pick up a couple of items I needed for new years day, came back and while watching TV that evening my throat started to tickle. So I took an Emergen-C drink before going to bed. Next morning I had a lot of congestion in my chest but other than that I felt o.k. I kept drinking the Emergen-C morning and night in hopes I could ward off the bugs. Everyone in town was sick and of course I got it. So from the 29th until New Years Eve I was coughing and hacking but still able to join in the festivities of a bonfire New Year’s Eve at our neighbors place. The moon was full and there was just a little breeze but it was cold as you can tell from the pictures. When it gets down to 60 and below it is time to bring out the gloves, hats, warm coats and clothes. There were only 4 of us at the bonfire. Lynn and Tom with their dogs Murphy and Maggie and Dave and I. We thought the gate guard, Tito and his wife Brenda would join us but they didn’t. We made it to midnight and then scurried home and to bed!!!! A fun way to spend the evening with friends and a warm fire!!!!

Dave took a picture of Tom taking a picture of him!!!! They are fun people and we love it when they come down to live here for a month or so. They hail from San Diego.


See you next year!!!!

Frustrating Month

Today is the first of November and Dave has caught us dinner. He caught a halibut from shore. We made sure the seagulls didn’t get any part of this one. Hahahaha! We didn’t eat it tonight as I had already planned on making BLT’s but we will have some of it tomorrow night.

It is full moon time in Bahia and I couldn’t resist taking pictures.


Well it looks like the full moon brings out all kinds of critters. Dave was in the garage and walked out to see a large spider on the driveway. He called me, as he knows how interested I am in looking at them and finding out what they are, so I came and took a look and took pictures. Then I searched the web to see what it was. Dave thought it was a Tarantula but it wasn’t really hairy like one. Well it turned out it was a Tarantula but a baby. Dave took him out a ways from the house so he could venture on. Here are a couple pictures.


Remember me talking about my friend Creela and her husband Phil who had a stroke last month? Well he has improved drastically and has been moved out of the place he was in and put in one of the best places for rehab. The Sharp facility in San Deigo. The day he arrived they assessed him A.S.A.P. to see what he could do on his own and what he needed help with. They had him walking up small portions of steps and now he can get out of bed, get into his wheel chair and walk with assistance. He has trouble still with bathroom business but they are allowing him to stay until the 13th so they can have him be able to take care of himself for the most part. I am sure they will have someone come to the house to help so Creela won’t have to worry about that but she is thrilled Phil is progressing like he is. He is talking better but will still need some speech therapy but we are thrilled he is doing so well. They are planning on coming to Bahia next year in the spring.

We are leaving for La Paz on Thursday the 5th. We need to get the boat back in the water. If all goes well we should be back to the house on Wednesday the 11th. I have a Craft and Art show coming up on the 22nd so I need to be back to make the announcements over the VHF radio to entice people to come and look and hopefully buy Christmas gifts.

We left this morning early for Loreto but made a stop in Guerrero Negro to get some money. We arrived in Loreto around 3:00pm and got checked in. I was so tired I had a hard time staying awake. I think my allergies are acting up again and that makes me sleepy. After getting settled in our room and checking emails, it was time for dinner so we walked up the street to our favorite place and had a Super Burro. It was delicious. Then we headed back to the hotel; stopping in a small store to check prices of rum and other things. We didn’t buy anything as we were just comparing prices. We left there and went back to our room to watch TV then went to bed. The next morning we had breakfast then headed for La Paz. The weather is in the 80’s so it isn’t too hot. We checked in at our favorite B&B in La Paz, named Casa Buena, to stay there until the boat gets in the water. Once we were assigned our room and settled in, we took off for Fonatur Marina where our boat is on the hard. When we got there we parked and walked to the boat and found the bottom had been pressure washed but not sanded and painted. Hmmmm!!!! The bottom was supposed to be already painted so we could splash the boat soon after we got to La Paz. Well guess again. So now we have to talk to the people in the office and in the yard to find out just what happened. We found out that Kenny, the guy who took the little boat we had that came with the house, had been fired from the boat yard at Fonatur. He paid us 3,000 pesos and took the boat back with him to La Paz and then he was going to sand and paint the bottom of the boat and wash it to work off the rest of what he owed us. Well he pressure washed the bottom; however, he and his boss had an argument and Kenny got fired. So now we have a problem. Then there was another snafu and that was when Kenny was still working at Fonatur, he had bought the bottom paint to paint the bottom of our boat and the broker from La Paz yachts showed our boat to a couple and they seemed to really like it so the broker thought it was going to sell. So the broker spoke with Kenny and made it sound like the boat was sold so Kenny stopped work and sold the paint. Then the boat didn’t sell as the people changed their minds and then Kenny was fired and our boat sat through the summer with no bottom paint. So we arrive and find no paint on the bottom and the boat is filthy dirty. We were very unhappy. So now we have to talk to the marina personnel to see what we can do about the situation and have to find Kenny to find out what he is going to do to rectify the situation for payment for the little boat we were selling him. We found Kenny and Dave and he talked and Kenny said he would try to get the paint and would try to get Fonatur to allow him to do the work on the boat. Well neither happened. Comex, the paint store here in La Paz, doesn’t carry bottom paint anymore and the only color they had left was red. Ugh!!!! Then the owner of the Comex store, whom is friends with Kenny, said he couldn’t get the paint without Kenny paying up front, which he couldn’t do. So that plan went out the window. So there was no negotiating with the Marina for him to work. So now what????? We went back to the marina and talked with Carlos, the head guy that owns the work spot in the yard who fired Kenny. He and one of his workers, Hugo(oogo), hunted for paint and got us the best price they could. So what is happening now is the boat has been moved to the work area, they will sand the bottom and apply the epoxy and when that dries put a coat of paint and let it dry for 8 hours. They were able to find blue bottom paint which I am happy about because the red would not have looked good. Anyway---so we had to pay for the paint and the work out of our pocket and now have to figure out a way for Kenny to save face but pay us for the work. Kenny is now having some healthy issues due to his liver which is causing swelling in his joints and he can barely walk and certainly can’t do boat work right now. So Dave spoke to Kenny just this morning, the 12th to try and have him figure out a way to pay us back for our costs. We said we will be back down here on the boat in February and we can see how he is doing and if he has a job to where he can pay us. If worse comes to worse, he will have to sell the boat in order for him to pay us for our boat expenses. So we will see what happens in February. We still hold the title on the little boat so it isn’t Kenny’s yet and won’t be if he can’t pay us. So things haven’t work out so smoothly this trip. We are working with the Marina to get a boat out of the slip we were promised which was the one we were in before we got hauled out in May. The guy who has his sailboat in that slip knew we were coming back and said he would move. But then he up and left to go to the states. Now the marina has a problem with moving the boat as he agreed to be out of that slip by now. We have tried to get another slip but they are telling us the slips are too big, 60 feet, for our boat and Dave brought to their attention that there are boats shorter than 60 feet in those slips. Mexico has some strange ideas on things. So we talked with one of the Mexican workers and explained our dilemma and he said he would talk to the head lady in the office and see what could be done. Soooooo!!! We wait. The boat is to be finished this afternoon and we should be back in the water tomorrow morning, the 13th. Then we can get the headsail up and wash the boat so it will be presentable to show. So that is my story and I am sticking with it!!!! So now instead of being back in Bahia on Wednesday it will be Monday the 16th. It has been very frustrating and depressing as we were not anticipating spending a bunch of money. Well hopefully in the end we will be reimbursed and things will be good. So we still remain strapped for money, but we have made it work before we will again. God is with us and I know things will work out. I will never give up thinking positive thoughts. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see that light soon!!!!

We splashed the boat this morning and all went well. She started right up without a hitch and ran smoothly to our new slip.

We ended up staying in the B&B for 7 days which also cost us a bunch, but that is the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. We were able to move our boat to the other end of the marina where we had been originally and I think I like that spot better. It is behind the marina building, which is tall and it blocks a lot of the north wind. So we won’t get too much bouncing around there as it is away from the entrance to the marina. So we are happy about that. The man who had his boat in the slip, we were promised, couldn’t be contacted and in the end it worked out better for us. After we were in our new slip, the next day that man and his wife came in. He didn’t even have a marina key to get into the gate so he surely didn’t make any arrangements with the marina before leaving. Sometimes I get so upset with gringos as sometimes they can be selfish and rude when they cruise to Mexico. They think everything should be done their way and don’t remember, or want to, they are in another country and things are handled differently and on a different time line. This isn’t the first time I have been upset with cruising gringos, but I have to say there are just a few of those kind of cruisers where most cruisers are respectful of the people here in Mexico and remember gringo rules don’t apply. I wanted so much to say something to that man, but I didn’t as it wouldn’t have done any good. It was obvious he didn’t care about anyone else.
We spent the rest of the time on the boat cleaning her and getting the head sail up. It had been windy so we didn’t think we would be able to get it up but one morning it was very calm so we did it and all is well again. The boat is back to her beautiful self. Just before we started to wash the deck and cockpit, we were up having breakfast at the marina café when our yacht broker showed up with a couple people from the B&B. We had been talking to them about the boat so they came down to look. It is just the man who is interested with living aboard a boat here but he can’t make up his mind whether he wants a sailboat or power boat. But at least he looked. When we finished breakfast we went right to work. What a job cleaning her up. After sitting in the yard all summer and 3 months in the fall, she was really dirty. We cleaned her up as best we could and at least made her look show able again. We made a contract with Hugo to wash our boat 2 times a month and we would pay him in February. We also contacted a diver clean the bottom once a month. So more money is being handed out to the broker, to have on hand, so when the diver does the cleaning for Dec, January, he comes to the broker’s office to get paid.

Now we can go home. We decided to leave on Monday as we have to pay our bill at the marina and the office isn’t open on Sunday. We don’t have to leave real early as it is only 4 hours to Loreto from La Paz.

The 13th was Creela’s birthday and one of our grandsons, David. David is 5 now. How he is growing. Creela got a great birthday gift and that was to have Phil come home from the care center. She was ecstatic!!! He still has a long road of therapy ahead but they both will be a lot happier and Phil will be more willing to get better since being home. So we are thrilled for them.

We got home on the 16th and the next day our grandson E.J. left for Air Force boot camp. We are so proud of him.

Saturday, the 21st was set up day for the Arts and Craft Show opening tomorrow and running through the 30th. I make the announcements on the VHF radio to hopefully gain attention to the show and have people come out and buy Christmas, or any occasion gifts. Opening day was good, however we didn’t have as many show up this year as there was last year. It happens like that though. The rest of the week was slow and people trickled in now and then. We had closed the show for Thanksgiving so I didn’t work on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, so I could make my apple and pumpkin pies and get the bird prepared and the giblets cooked. Dave and I had a quiet Thanksgiving and it was nice. The turkey was a gift from a friend who had come down from San Diego. That was so sweet of him. His mother was a good friend of ours before she died of cancer.

All of the artists didn’t do too badly. I made about $50.00 after paying an entry fee and giving 10% of my earnings to the Museo, as it was their facility we used. It wasn’t bad. $10.00 went toward the luncheon at the end. Sunday, the 30th came and the show was only open for ½ day and we only had one person come in so we decided to start tearing down. We got done early as lunch wasn’t scheduled until 1:00 o’clock. So we hung around for a while and talked, had a meeting then I left to get a few things at the grocery store and met everyone at the restaurant for a margarita. Then after visiting, we had lunch. After lunch we left and went our separate ways. The Mexican ladies (3) had lunch with us too. They usually have a couple tables with handmade jewelry and other things for sale. It is nice to have them there. Here is a picture of all of us artists outside the Museo with our gift to Carolina, the director of the Museo. A new garbage can!!!!

Now I can get back to my regular routine!!!! Ha!!!! I don’t even know what that is!!!! Each day I get up I decide what needs to be done. I always have cleaning to do but I only do that once a week. I’ve been doing a lot of reading which I really like, and also taking walks on the beach and sometimes finding treasures I can use for crafts. There isn’t going to be a Spring show, which I am glad about because it will give me more time to create new things for the November show next year. I have to change it up a bit.

The grandson that is in the Air Force boot camp posted a picture on Facebook and that made my day.



He looks so grown up!!!! It was funny because in the picture he is smiling and Dave said he wasn’t supposed to be. Ha! It is boot camp after all!!!! Well a lot has changed in the world of the military and it was nice to see his smile. His graduation is the 8th of January and we don’t know if we will be able to go. With what happened with the boat and having to pay for the paint and all, it depleted our bank account drastically, so even though we really want to be there at the graduation, I don’t know if we can afford to do it. That makes me really sad!!!! But things like that happen. I am praying there will be a way, so I don’t have to disappoint him, but that is life. We still have a while before we have to make a final decision and then I will write him and let him know. Bummer.

We got some very sad news from our friend Creela. Her youngest daughter, who had just turned 50 and had been battling with alcohol for years, died a few days before Thanksgiving. She was living with her sister in Oregon, and Creela thought she was doing alright, but knew the drinking was still going on when she got a call from the hospital saying Tina had died. They tried saving her but there was too much damage to the pancreas. Wow!!!! Creela has had a really rough time of it lately and now this. So arrangements had to be made to bring the body back to San Diego for services and burial. It makes me realize that the problems I am having with the boat and money is hardly anything compared to a mother losing her daughter so young. Life is so short and a lot of times we don’t embrace it. I hope and pray that all who read this will thank the Lord for everyday they have on this earth and rejoice in our life, families and friends as it could come to an end abruptly. I am very, very thankful for my husband, family and friends who have enriched my life and also for being healthy. When I am sad, discouraged and depressed, I have to stop and think that it isn’t all about me!!!! There are plenty of people hurting one way or another and a lot of their problems are far worse than mine. It brings things into perspective! Enjoy every day as if it were your last and rid yourself of anger, fear, resentfulness, jealousy, envy, and hate. Smile a lot as a smile can change not only your attitude, but someone else. Try it-----it works!!!!

Home Again In Bahia de Los Angeles

It is October 1st and we said goodbye to Creela as she was on her way to see Phil and we were on our way to the border. We crossed the border early in the morning and didn’t have to stop at all at the border which was strange. We thought because we had a truck we would have to go into secondary and be searched but they just waved us through. That was a relief because we had batteries and internet equipment which they usually want to see receipts for the purchases. The only problem we had after crossing the border was trying to get to the main highway as a lot of the side streets were blocked due to construction. We managed to get onto the main road and traveled to Ensenada. We stopped at Costco, had lunch and bought a couple things then left and headed further south to San Quintin to see my friend Penny. It has been 6 months since her husband died and she is still having a hard time. It was good to see her and she seems to be doing better but still struggling. The landlord told her he is going to advertise the house again to try and get it sold so Penny will need to live somewhere else. She has been thinking about moving back to the states, preferably Oregon. Her family is there and that is where she met Murray. She has a lot of friends up there too that can help her so that is a good thing. I figure about January she will be back in the States. It was good to see her and visit. We talked a lot about Murray and his dreams, which was the house, but it isn’t her dream and we told her that was o.k. not to make it her dream. They enjoyed the house together and now she needs to move on if she wants. She has given away most of Murray’s tools and she still is holding on to his clothes. She said she is getting closer to getting rid of them but it isn’t time yet. When she can finally get rid of his clothes, then she will be ready to move on. She is still helping with the grandpa’s and keeping busy that way, but it is hard for her in that big house by herself and her two cats. We just stayed overnight and the next morning gave huge hugs and kisses and told her to come see us now she has a car. As we were driving home, I remembered the tools Dave had picked out from Murray’s things were left behind. We had traveled too far to turn around and go back so we called Penny and told her she will have to take a road trip and come see us and bring the tools. Ha!!!! She said she would load them in the car and when she got back from Oregon she would come see us. So there ya go.

We got home on the 2nd and surprisingly there were only about 3 dead cockroaches in the house and the place was as how we left it. No leaks or anything. It is good to be home and away from riding in the car for hours. By the way----the cortisone shot has worked wonders. I am in no pain and just feel stiff from all the sitting. Now and then I do still have some tingling and a little numbness in my right leg but it is subsiding. When I called the pain center to report on how I was doing the nurse said the pain goes away first then the tingling then numbness. So that is good news. Thank goodness.

Since we had to wait for the refrigerator and freezer to get cold, Dave and I had sandwiches for dinner last night then this morning I drove into town and got gas in the truck and bought groceries. The weather hasn’t cooled down at all yet. It is hot and humid. Usually about mid October the light switch (as we call it down here) flips and it gets cooler. After I got back from town I put the groceries away and vacuum sealed the meat and then I had no more energy. The road is still bumpy with a lot of washboards so I can’t drive too fast in the old rust bucket truck or my head will hit the ceiling!!!! It could just fall apart on me too!!!! Ha! Plus it doesn’t do my back any good either.

We have taken our Vermox Plus medicine to help the good bacteria stay in our intestines. Since a cruiser friend told us about it we have been taking it every six months and it works like a charm.

We couldn’t believe that the propane truck was in our area because they aren’t on a regular schedule to come here. We got a tank filled so that was good.

When our friends, Libby and Pete got back down here she called me on the radio to see if we still wanted her washing machine. We said yes and wanted to know how much she wanted for it. They told us a 6 pack of beer. SOLD!!!! The next time I went to town I got the beer and then we went over to their house to pick up the washer. Now it is ours and we have to clean out the sand from inside and see if it still runs. She couldn’t use it because it took too much water as they only have a small storage water tank. We have a bigger tank and we usually get water about every 9 days. We cleaned up the washer and ran it and it did great. We only put it through the rinse and spin cycle. Dave was checking out what we had to do to get it into the art room and he found out Larry took the faucet that went on the pipe where the washer hooks up to. So we searched for one and couldn’t find one in town so we said we would pick one up when we went to La Paz next month. Dave went over to see our neighbor, Joanne for something and came back with a faucet. So we will replace it for her after getting back from La Paz. We got the washing machine into the art room and got it in place. Then the day for using it came. I had a small load so I put the laundry detergent in and then the clothes, went and turned the generator on, came back and opened the water faucet and it was leaking. So Dave had to do some work on it to get it not to leak. Then we turned on the washing machine and it worked. For now the rinse water comes out through the back wall of the art room and drains into a bucket. Both of us have to be there when the machine goes into the rinse cycle as the buckets fill up with the soapy water pretty quick. We dump the water on plants and it takes about 3 bucket loads of water for a small load. When we go to La Paz we are going to look for some kind of a hose to hook up to the drain pipe so we don’t have to dump the buckets of water each time I do laundry. It will just drain into the arroyo and the plants. The hose will be one we can roll up when we are finished with it so we don’t have to dig a trench and put it in it. We may have to order one online and have it delivered to the address we have our mail delivered to in the States. It was so nice to have really clean clothes. They smell fresh! I won’t have to soak my clothes overnight; rinse them the next morning and wring the water out of them by hand. So much nicer and easier and the clothes dry so much faster too!!!

I am back playing Mexican train with the ladies. It was nice to see everyone after being away for the summer. Most of these people will be going back to the States for the holidays so they won’t be here that long.

Had to go into town today for groceries. I use to go in every Saturday but since the vegetable truck is in town on Fridays I changed my day. They have some really nice produce and it is cheap so I like to get it from them and then do the rest of my shopping after that. Well there was a glitch in my morning routine this morning going to town. I was going to stop and see a friend before I went shopping but I ran out of gas on the way to town. Dave had to bring the 3 gals of gasoline we had at the house and put it in the trucks gas tank. Then we couldn’t get it started so we were thinking it was something else like the carburetor. Well eventually it started and Dave followed me to the gas station and I filled up almost all the way. I was 6 gals short. Our pesos are getting low so I didn’t want to put more than 500 pesos in the truck. Once Dave knew I had gas he left me and went back home and I went on my merry way. We are going to La Paz on the 5th or 6th of November and wanted to make our money stretch. As it turns out we will have to go to the nearest town which is 2-1/2 hours one way to get pesos from the ATM. We almost made it.

Today is the 27th and it is my youngest sons wedding anniversary. It’s been 3 years. Time does fly and they have 2 beautiful boys.

We have good friends across the bay from us who spend the winter in Rome and summer here. They are leaving soon so they wanted to have a dinner party and they invited us to come. They always cook a 3 course meal and we have such a good time. We will miss them but they will return in April. We got home from the party around 11:30pm.

The next morning I had a hangover and I had to attend a meeting in town about the Crafts and Art show coming up soon. Needless to say I wasn’t feeling all that great. Thank goodness I don’t do that a lot. The Crafts and Art show will be held from the 22nd to the 30th and closed on Thanksgiving. I still have things left over from previous shows that I want to sell. Hope they will. The only thing new I am making are angels and ornaments for the Christmas tree.

This morning after I had my coffee and something to eat, I took a short walk on the beach and came back to do laundry. It wasn’t supposed to be windy until tomorrow but it came early. I had planned to burn this morning but that didn’t happen. I got the washer ready and Dave turned on our big generator and the water started flowing into the machine------then it stopped. We had to turn off the water pump and the faucet to the machine and look at the filter in the hose. It was clogged so once that was cleaned out the washer worked again. Everything was going well but the biggest problem was the wind. It was blowing so hard from all directions I had to chase the buckets and then had to have Dave come help so he could dump the bucket when it filled with water while I put the other bucket underneath the drain hose. I made a note to self------don’t do laundry when it is really windy. It didn’t take long for the clothes to dry that is for sure but as windy as it was the sand was blowing everywhere. We had gusts up to 35 miles an hour and ended up having to close most of our windows due to the flying sand. I was able to get the wash dried in record time and saved it from the sand storm. It is still hot here and the north winds are supposed to be coming so it should cool us down a bit. The wind blew off and on all night and we had to get up and close some windows due to the gusts. At least it didn’t blow as hard last night as it did this morning and early afternoon!!!! Now the wind is quiet with a few bursts of wind now and again but much nicer. I am afraid to open all our windows as it could start up again. We are supposed to get more winds tomorrow like we had today and I get to go into town to do shopping!!! Oh well.

Tomorrow is the 30th and I have to bake Daves’ birthday cake as we are going to a Halloween party on Saturday evening but are driving to Guerro Negro to get money that morning so the cake has to be done a day early.

Saturday morning came and Dave and I got up at 6:00am to get ready for our drive to Guerro Negro as it is an hour ahead time wise so have to plan it just right to be home by 2:00pm so we can get ready for the party. As Dave and I were sitting drinking coffee, Dave said------“I don’t want to go today.” I asked him if we really had to go as I wasn’t going to be buying any more groceries until we get back from La Paz and we didn’t have to worry about gas in the truck or propane until we got back so why go????? Well he thought about it and decided we didn’t have to so problem solved!!!!! I got some more coffee and we had a relaxing day!! After all it was his Birthday and should have an easy day of it. I fixed him some pancakes with bacon for breakfast and he went down to the bamboo room to continue putting together a jigsaw puzzle together and I did some crafts. The party was at 4:30pm and Dave didn’t know what he was going to be but I dressed in our old tie die Burke Bay Sailing Association t-shirts with ragged shorts and a band around my head to be a hippie. Dave decided he would also wear his shirt the same as mine and he would go as a beach bum. All he did was put a straw hat on his head and whala!!!

I cut up some jamacia, which is a very refreshing vegetable, and sprinkled lime juice and Mexican seasoning and that was it. The cake I made for Dave and the party was a Chocolate cake with strawberry jam in it. When it baked most of the jam went to the top of the cake (bundt) and so when I got it out of the pan it looked like blood and guts. Haaa! So that is what I told the people at the party. I cut about 4 pieces of the cake to save for Dave and myself later and arranged the rest of the slices in a circle. There was plenty to go around. The party was fun and there was so much food, I couldn’t even try a lot of the dishes. We came home around 9:00pm and watched a little TV then went to bed. So Davey had a good day and birthday!!!

Heading for Home----Mexico

Summer vacation is almost over for us. We haven’t decided yet when we are leaving but it looks like toward mid September. It hasn’t been a busy summer for us this year, but a great one as we have gotten to spend time with our family. It will be interesting to see where we will be staying next year. Life is an adventure and it just keeps getting better. Ron and Noreen have gone beyond friends. They are family and they have always been there for us when we have needed them. We are very thankful and words can’t convey how we feel about having them in our lives. We have been blessed in so many ways with friends and family.

Since our time here in the NW is getting shorter we have to face the fact of how to get the stuff we bought home in the jeep. Our back seat comes out and we usually leave it here in storage as we really don’t need it where we live, but there still isn’t a whole lot of space when you have 2 computers, 2 large suitcases, two overnight bags, and a medium ice chest. I will go through all the stuff I have in storage left over from last year, like fabric and yarn, and see what I want to take with me and then I have to take the craft things I bought with me. That is a must. We are having our annual Arts and Craft show in November so when I get home I need to get busy making things.

The doctor wanted me to get an MRI to make sure nothing else was going on with my back before I scheduled an appointment for a cortisone shot. I had that done and the doctor called and said that everything was looking alright. I do have signs of stenosis which is the closing of the area inside the vertebrae around the nerve in L4 in my lower back and degeneration going on but as far as he saw I should be able to get some relief from the sciatica pain. Yay!!!! When I received that shot 9 years ago I felt immediate relief so I am looking forward to that again. I know one of these years the cortisone won’t work and back surgery will be the only thing that will make me better, but I am praying it will be a few years before I have to go through that. I am not as adamant about not having back surgery as I was years ago, as things have improved tremendously and healing time is quicker. So when it is time to have that done I will look forward to getting back on my feet and enjoying life.

My eldest sister had back surgery a few months back and she may not be totally as good as new but she can move and I am thinking she isn’t in as much pain as she was. So it is all good!!! It is all about quality of life.

Just when you think things aren’t going to change-------they do. Dave and I had discussed wanting a truck but with our finances until the boat sells just didn’t look too promising. But one day we were out and decided to go to the Toyota car dealer ship just to look to see what kind of truck we wanted to get. We were not looking to buy, just window shopping. We drove up and parked and there was a gentleman standing outside that approached us very friendly, and asked how we were and all that kind of stuff and asked what we were looking for so we said a truck. He took us to a used Toyota truck that didn’t have a lot of miles on it with a 6 foot bed. We took it for a drive just for grins and giggles and it was nice. It had a few bells and whistles on it like back up camera and blue tooth. Well we really don’t need all that stuff in Mexico but now a day that is what is included in the package. After the test drive we got out and JT (the salesman) was there and we were talking and he mentioned about maybe writing some figures down just to see if it was doable to trade the jeep for a truck. We figured it wouldn’t hurt. We told JT that we didn’t think we could afford it and explained about the boat, but we would never know unless we tried. As we were walking toward the front door to go to JT’s desk we stopped and looked at a brand new Toyota, Tacoma truck. It had a shorter bed and we liked it so JT told us to take it for a spin, so we did. It was quieter than the other truck and it had more bells and whistles on it like XM radio, navigation, Bluetooth, GPS and weather. Well we weren’t getting excited we just figured that is what we will look at when we can afford to get one. We came back and parked and then followed JT into the show room to his desk. He asked us questions and filled out some paperwork and started to run some numbers. Well I will wrap this up. Everyone was really nice and they came up with a number we thought we could manage. But we had to go home and look at the finances to make sure we could start a deal. Chuck, the guy who crunches the numbers ask Dave what price would we be comfortable with walking out the door today. They had given us a price already and Dave said it was doable but he wanted to make sure. Chuck didn’t want us to leave because he didn’t think we would be back. We had to convince him we would call to let him know. So we came back to the Condo and Dave did some number crunching. It was doable!!! However, there was a lower number they had mentioned earlier which was less than when we left so Dave called them back and said the price they came up with was doable but it would be better if we could get it for the lower price. So we went back and they had crunched more numbers and came up with the number we felt comfortable with!!!! We couldn’t believe they were that willing to work with us on that. So we made a deal and now the new truck, Toyota, Tacoma 4x4 with 6 miles on it is ours. No one can tell me God didn’t have a hand in this transaction!!!! It went all too smoothly!!! So we traded in the jeep and now have a wonderful truck to haul stuff in and it is quieter than the jeep and smoother riding. Yahoo!!!! So now I don’t have to pick and choose what to bring home!!!! That is a wonderful thing!!!! We have been praying for a truck for a long time and now the Lord has blessed us with one. We are pleased and excited to see what the next few months will bring with the boat. Miracles do happen!!!

Happy birthday to my lovely niece Sheila and our grandson Dominick.

The weather has turned cold. We have had a few cloudy rainy days and the temperatures got down to the 40’s at night and only mid 50’s to low 60’s during the day. For us that is cold. It looks as though warmer weather is coming back so summer isn’t over yet.

Labor Day came and we got to watch our two grandsons, Cameron and Jonathan Jr. for the day while mom and dad did what they wanted. Jonathan Jr. is a kick and so fun and of course Cameron is still a baby but it is fun to hold him and rock him. Just think-----next year when we see him he will be walking and talking. Time really flies. The boys were good and both of them took naps so it was pretty quiet in the afternoon. It is nice to have them around but so nice to give them back too!!!! Ha!!!

Dave left and did some errand running and when he got home he walked past me and I looked at him and he had a smile on his face and then I realized he had gotten his hair cut!!!! He said he wasn’t going to do that until the boat sold, but he figured he would get a jump on it and by cutting it might spark a sale!!!! I like the way he thinks. It is strange to see him without the pony tail but I like it.




I warned you pictures of our 10th grandson were coming so here they are!!! Enjoy!!




Friday the 11th Dave drove me to Tacoma to the Pain center to get my cortisone shot. He also wanted to stop and get one of his stamp books that he had as a kid, appraised. I didn’t have to wait long before they called me to see the doctor. The nurse asked me questions and took my blood pressure but it was really high so she had to leave so I could relax and get it down more. If it stayed high I would have to leave and my doctor would be contacted to prevent any problems. But that wasn’t the case as it did lower and the doctor came in and was very thorough explaining what was going to happen and had me look at my MRI, which was pretty cool as my back didn’t look as bad as I thought it would. Just the low back in the L4, L5 area was affected. I was happy to know that. Then he asked me questions and we talked for quite a while then he asked if I was ready and I said yes. All in all the time I spent with the doctor and nurse was about an hour and a half. Dave was beginning to worry what was going on. This time getting the cortisone shot was way different and safer than in 2006. I still was hurting pretty bad when I left the pain center but knew it would take some time for the cortisone to work. Plus they gave me an anesthesia before the cortisone. I had a hard time getting into the truck as it was high for my leg to stretch, but I made it. We then drove a few blocks away to the stamp place and found out that his stamp collection was only worth $10.00. Oh well. It was nice to know though. Then we drove back to the condo in Bremerton. By the time we were home my pain was subsiding but the tingling and numbness was still there. It was good to feel relief. I didn’t realize how much I hurt until it went away. I figured my back would be sore where they injected the anesthesia and cortisone but it wasn’t. Not like last time. I didn’t do any exercises or major walking for awhile, just to let things settle down a bit. I have started a counted cross stitch birth announcement for Jon’s little one, Cameron so I have been working on that to hopefully finish it before we go home. It will be close.

I took Judy to the new Tommy Cash’s restaurant and bar for lunch to celebrate our birthdays. He is located in old town Silverdale now instead of Port Orchard and we have heard he is packed almost every night. He has made a name for himself in this town and that makes me happy. He and his wife Ester run the restaurant and are doing a great job. They will be brewing their own beer by next year so when we come back we will have to try some. Tommy was in my Cub Scout den when he was in grade school. I also had his brother Chris a couple years later. They come from a neat family and I am really good friends with their mom!!!! I didn’t get a chance to see her before we left as she had been taking care of her husband, Charlie, after hip surgery and then were going on a road trip. So we will have to wait until next year. Timing just wasn’t right this time.

We are starting the process of going through things in storage and figuring out how we were going to pack everything and load it in the truck.

We were able to see our friends Bob and Diane and visit with them and she even bought some of my jewelry for Christmas gifts!!! That was really great. They are really great people. They are laid back like we are and enjoy similar things we do. I hope they can come and visit us one day in Mexico. They would like it. Bob
Is retiring in December so they plan on doing a lot of traveling with their travel trailer next year. Diane has been retired for awhile now. We keep telling her that since she is retired all she should do is one project a day!!!! Bob wasn’t too happy with us about that since she would remind him of what we said. Ha!!!! He laughed! His time is coming!!!!

We had one last visit with Brooke, Ernie, E.J., Eian, Brody and Conor on the 14th as Eian was playing on his school football team that evening. We took separate cars as we have to leave right after the game. Eian played well and he is now the kicker for the team. He really likes doing that. Here are some pictures.




After the game we said our farewells and gave everyone hugs and kisses. Next year when we go up E.J. will be in the Air Force and Eian will be getting ready for his Senior year of High School, Brody would have grown by leaps and bounds and Conor will be talking and maybe even walking. Time doesn’t wait for anyone that is for sure. We got to see Michael and David one more time and then it was off to Susannah and Jon’s for an afternoon with them. Jon had a salmon so Dave doctored it and cooked it on the grill and we had that and some vegetables. It was very good and we enjoyed the time we had with them. Jonathan was really tired and wanted to take a nap and his parents tried to make him wait but we told him it was alright. We gave Jonathan hugs and kisses and told him we would see him next year. We left around 2:00pm as Jon and Susannah wanted to take the kids to the Pullaup fair when Jonathan woke up. We hugged and kissed everyone and I gave Cameron an extra kiss. Until next summer!!

We have the truck packed to its fullest capacity. We got a tan lope cover for the bed which is nice and will keep rain and dirt out. We wanted to get a hard cover for it but couldn’t wait 4 weeks. So hopefully next year we can get it. It will give us more stacking room. I did have to leave a few things behind, but for the most part I got to take what I needed from storage for home.

We invited Ron and Noreen over for dinner to thank them for letting us stay in the condo. Then we saw them again on Sunday to say goodbye. We had a nice visit and they were off to watch the Seahawks play at a friend’s house. We went back to the condo to watch it. We are leaving on Tuesday the 22nd so tomorrow, Monday I will do final cleaning and laundry and last minute packing.

We are on the road again and the weather is good. First stop is to my nieces’ house in McMinville, Oregon. We will spend the night then leave the next morning to travel to my sisters’ house in Ukiah, California. We thought about staying a second night but decided it would be better to keep heading south. Sandi and us had a nice visit and caught up on what was going on in our lives. She made an adorable super hero shirt for one of the young grandsons and is in the process of making another. She does good work. We had a great dinner after Andy got home from work and after dinner we sat and watched T.V. for a little while before retiring for the night. Sandi is having problems with her computer so Dave said he would take a look at it tomorrow.

The next morning Sandi and I made breakfast while Dave was looking at her computer and then explaining to her what he had done and what she needs to do the next time. Her computer was really slow as she had over 700 pictures on her hard drive. We told her to get a thumb drive and that way she will have her pictures and not slow her computer down and also won’t lose them if something happens to her computer. After breakfast Dave finished up on the computer and Sandi and I looked at the books she has and she was telling me how good this series was and let me borrow them until next year. She also let us borrow a Clive Cussler book we hadn’t read yet. Awesome. We really didn’t have room for them but we made room. Ha!!! We said so long to Sandi as Andy had already left for work. Maybe next time we can stay an extra day.

There were some fires burning in northern California so we had to drive I-5 which we don’t like but a few of the back roads were blocked due to the smoke and fire. We ended up working our way to Eureka on the coast of California and stopping for the night. We called my sister to let her know we would be at her house tomorrow afternoon. We had a quiet and restful evening with me watching TV and working on the birth announcement for Cameron.

The next morning we started out about 7:30am and were at my sisters’ early afternoon. We actually made good time and got there earlier than we thought we would. We had a nice 2 day visit and I got to see my niece, Sheila the night before we were to leave. Even though it was a Friday night and Sheila had put in some long hours at work, she stayed and visited until about 11:00pm then went home. Larry, her husband, was volunteering to help the people who had lost their homes in the northern part of California.

The next morning when bags were stowed in the truck and we said goodbye to my sis and Hig, we headed south. We had tried calling our friends in Santa Cruz to see if they were going to be home but they had already left for Ensenada to get their visas and then on to Bahia. We stayed in Kettleman City, California, overnight and called Creela, as her husband had had a stroke and was in the hospital. We usually stop and visit with them but we wanted to know how things were going and if she was up to company. She wasn’t much up to company but she told us to come ahead anyway. They live in El Cajon, California. When we arrived she wasn’t home as she was visiting Phil, but she told us the door would be open. So we were greeted by Chiquita and Taco and we waited for her to come home. Roger, a friend of ours came to see Creela and was staying the night. When Creela got home she said we could have the spare bedroom, as her grandson was gone for the weekend. Roger slept in the trailer. Creela was drained and very depressed as she couldn’t understand anything Phil was trying to tell her. He lost his speech and the use of his right hand and leg. He could however, raise his right leg off the bed a few inches and wiggle his toes which was a great sign. We ended up staying about 3 days with her as we didn’t want to cross the border until the 1st of October as that was when we got paid and we could take money out of the bank. We helped sweep out the garage and larger garage they had just built and I pulled weeks and we both helped where we could. We had a nice visit and while we were there we went and saw Phil about 3 times. He is trying to talk and he has made it known he doesn’t like the speech therapist. He doesn’t want to do the juvenile stuff like feelings and saying what, when, where, he wants to talk. We let him know he may not have a choice in the matter and in order to get out of the care facility he will have to meet their requirements. He is a very stubborn Italian and if anyone can get back to normal------he will. He is a fighter and won’t take no for an answer. We caught him one day trying to get out of bed to close the drawer in the table that was near his bed. Ha!!! It was so good to see and talk to him and try to understand what he was trying to say. Dave figured it out and it was about the speech therapist. Ha! He looks really good and he still has his sense of humor. We tried to give Creela as much support as possible while we were there. She is really depressed and I hope and pray she seeks out a support group and see her doctor to let him/her know what is going on in her life right now. She is a strong Italian lady so I know she will get through this. We are headed for the border in the morning.