Florida

Monday February 13 I arrived in Stuart for a visit with my Aunt.  I had a day of unpacking & rest and spotted a dolphin swim by in front of the house before we were off and running.  We attended a formal function of her Yacht Club, a Soroptimist luncheon meeting, and a couple dinners & breakfasts with family & friends.

A week after arriving we headed to Fort Pierce and the St Lucie County Fair where Ev & her manager Todd had booked 3 of the food wagons.  There was the Lemonade, the Daiquiri, & the Ice Cream.  They make REALLY good ice cream!

We stayed in her motorhome while we were there.  Does this look like we had to 'rough it' too bad?!

A special treat was watchin out the front window while the Budweiser Clydesdale horses were being exercised.  One groom would be leading 3 of the big boys.  And there were 3 sets of 3 horses.  It was hard to see the groom as these horses are a minimum of 6 foot at the shoulder.  They are really beautiful.

Remember where the dog is going

  I didn't get a good picture of the teams in all their splendor during their tour around the fairgrounds but was able to catch them being unharnessed.

Another treat was watching a demonstration of the St Lucie County Sheriff's K9 units.  They had 3 dogs there that day of 3 different breeds of shepard.  Dutch, German, & another one that I never heard of & can't remember the name of.  These dogs & their handlers are remarkable.  On command the dog will attack deputy (who is acting as the bad guy),  stop immediately, or abort their attack when told.  When the dog is 'at ease' the same deputy he had just attacked can pet or hug him.  They are not vicious, just very well trained.  Lots of time and patience go into the training of these dogs and their handlers.

Sometimes I would take Rascal (a miniature sized Opal)  who is full of energy & vinegar, across the road for his duties.  A couple of nights I heard what I thought was a bullfrog croaking in the slue or drainage ditch.  A few days later, a fellow walking by asked me if I had seen the alligator laying right there with just his head showing!  Which is the ditch just in front of the motorhome where the Dalmation went down to get a drink of water.  So this was my 'bullfrog'!!  Needless to say, I was a bit more cautious from then on.

We headed back to Stuart after about 10 days.  Among other things, Ev & me attended a political cocktail fundraiser (my first) for a candidate running for Martin County sheriff.  She has known this man and his family for several years.  And from what I could tell, he is extremely well qualified and a nice man also.  The event was held at the home of one of his backers that was more of a mansion than a house.

Sunday March 11 we drove to Miami to watch the Odysseo Production.  It is a combination of well trained beautiful horses of many different breeds, trick riders, acrobats, & gymnists.  The performers were all very enthusiastic in their riding skills, most of which were done at a full gallop, the costumes were elaborately beautiful, the trick riders very daring, and the acrobats & gymnists flipped or hung breath takingly from a variety of objects.  The music and singing was done by live performers and very beautiful if sometimes a bit loud.  We were entertained and well fed and we both enjoyed it immensely.  The show was well worth the price of our VIP tickets.  We were not allowed to take pictures but I bought a video and will share it with those who are interested in watching it.

I only have a week and half left of my visit with Aunt Ev.  During the remaining time we have scheduled 2 luncheons, a dinner to attend, and a St Patricks dinner to host.  I am sure with her busy schedule she will have a few other things to attend also!

I think I have gotten all the items folks back in Baja have requested me to get.  The list wasn't very long and it helped that Richard is having his items mailed here to the house.

I have had a great time here with Aunt Ev but soon I will be back at Puerto Escondido and preparing for this year's Silent Auction & Raffle.  See you all down the road!

February Beach Happenings

The first of the month Mike, me, & 3 other couples drove the 70 or so miles across the peninsula to the Pacific side to the small village of Lopez Mateo to view Gray Whales.  We hired 2 pangas because they were limiting the boats to 6 people each plus the captain.  A very nice couple from Gig Harbor joined Mike, me, Diane, & Jay in one boat and our two other couples went in the second boat. 

We had only gone a short distance from the dock, perhaps a 1/4 mile, when we encountered our first whale. 

After  admiring this one, we went just a little further and met a mother with a month old calf.  (Our captain could tell the age by the size).

We had the experience of a lifetime with this pair!  They stayed with us and the other boats for about two hours.  Time & again Mom & Baby would come along side our boats and let us touch & rub them!!  

 











Almost everyone of us were able to do this including me!  What an honor from these tremendous creatures!!!  They also seemed to have a sense of humor as they would get close to the boats and spray us with their blows! 

We also saw a mom with a calf the captain said was a day old.  They were more bashful and we did not bother them.  To say we all had a wonderful day is putting it mildly!

Our beach seems to be the place to drop unwanted dogs & pups.  Some of the campers will see to the feeding, fattening up, and finding homes for these unwanted creatures.  Such was the case of 4 young pups.  (Who all now have loving families.)  They seemed to be friendly, smart and well proportioned good looking dogs.  One of our Canadian campers was asked if he & his wife would like to adopt one.  Emphatically he said "I do not want a dog, I do not like dogs, I do not have room for one!!"  The following picture tells all!

 

Is this the same person?   "I do not want a dog!"

 One Thursday several of us went in to Loreto to an 'All you can Eat' Pizza at one of the hotels because one of our Canadian campers will be heading north soon and Jan likes pizza very much.  (It was pretty good.)  The hotel also had some pretty good music.  She was finally able to talk her husband in to taking a turn on the dance floor!

On Super Bowl Sunday we had a Brunch potluck.  We sure have some great cooks on this beach!  No one went home hungry but I did hear a few complaints about having eaten too much!!

Then on Tuesday Joan & Henry hosted a Full Moon hotdog roast.

They had a great fire for roasting and later we enjoyed visiting with our neighbors.  Joan had some of the newcomers tell a little bit about themselves.  And then she directed a Baja version of musical chairs!  All great fun.  We were also entertained by our beach granddaughter.  She is 5 and full of energy.  She keeps us smiling.

This morning, Wednesday, we had RAIN!  Started out as a few drops, quit, but soon got real serious.  Lasted maybe an hour and then the sun returned.  This is a very dry area so I am sure the moisture was welcomed by the local farmers & ranchers.  (Our forecast is for sporadic rain the next couple days.)

Sunday I am off to Florida for a visit with my aunt & some of the cousins.  And I will have cell service again!!  Mike and Opal will take care of things here at Rattlesnake Beach.

See you down the road (or talk to you on the phone)!!

January 2012

We started 2012 with a well attended noon Brunch.  One couple cooked hotcakes and bacon, there were some delicious egg casserole dishes and I made a batch of cinnamon rolls that was better than any I have done for at least 25 years!!  We all decided we need more brunches but have not set a date.  YET, that is!

We also had a little excitement the other day.  One of our Canadian neighbors was out fishing and had an emergency.  It turned out to be minor but could have been disastrous.  He has a Zodiac boat and a valve in one of the 3 float chambers wasn't working.  He lost the air in that one.  In addition, he didn't realize that the drain plug had come loose. The boat was taking on water.  That really panicked him!  He was quite a ways from shore.  He called for help on the marine radio and Lyn from the sailboat 'Endless Summer' went to the rescue in  his dinghy and escorted    him back here to our beach.   

The fellow with the white hat is the fisherman.  What do you think everyone is telling him?

About the middle of the month we had a paella potluck here on the beach.  Several folks had not heard of Paella much less eaten it.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and they want to know when the next one will be!  That's a good sign, right?

Help from my good friend

My youngest sister finally got around to making a double wedding ring quilt for herself.  The catch was that she wanted me to hand quilt it for her.  This is a very large quilt!  So OK, I'll do my best.    There are 72 Flowers and 162 ellipticals.  I was almost done when I discovered I had the points of 3 of my flowers going the wrong way!  I thought of leaving them as is.  It was just before I went to bed so I was pretty annoyed as well as tired.  Next day I decided I couldn't leave them.  I would redo those 3 when I had finished the rest of the flowers.  WELL!  I thought I would cut the thread on the wrong ones so I could find them later.  But instead! I cut one of the flowers going the right way!!  Then I WAS annoyed!!!  But it's all mended now and all flowers are pointed the same way.  I am so glad to be done!  I will mail it off to her to finish when I go to Florida next month.

Showing one fourth of finished quilt

Now I am without a project!   I will do some reading, a small crochet project, take the dog (or she will take me) for walks, shear the dog, visit with the neighbors, bake something in the solar oven and go to Sunday farmer markets.  What do we do with all our spare time!!

On a windy day last week (we seem to have had a lot of wind this winter), Jay & Diane in their car and Mike, me, & Opal in our car decided to take a drive to San Barsillio.  None of us had ever been there before.  We drove north about 45 kilometers before turning east off Hiway One onto the WORST sandy, rocky, washboard road I have been on for at least a year!  Seemed like it went on for miles.  At the end of the road was a beautiful bay where several people were camped.  Two of the camps held people who camp here with us on our beach.  One fellow hadn't made it this far south yet and the other couple had gone there for the kayaking.  After a nice visit we headed back south and stopped in Loreto for a tasty dinner at our favorite steak house 'Domingos'.  A very nice ending to a most enjoyable day.

 A few days later, we were gathered at the camp of Bob & Susan who were getting ready to move on for a little sight seeing before heading back to the states.  Imagine our surprise when Gloria came walking into the group with a GOAT  hot on her heels.  She said it had wanted to come into her trailer!  (Not surprising if you know goats!)  The goat, a female, wasn't afraid of people or the dogs.  At least not until Opal & Abby wanted to chase her!  Our dogs were quickly tied up.  (Opal made such a nuisance of herself whining that I had to take her home.)  Several of the ladies were having quite a time feeding and watering the goat.  The next morning she was taken to the neighboring village and handed over to one of the farmers there. 

She ended up drinking over a quart of water!

Jan showed me where the lettuce patch is!

With January over, it seems that spring should not be too long in coming.  We will see!
Safe Travels.  Hugs & Love to All.

December 2011

One day I made a Bread Pudding to cook in my Solar Oven.  Earlier I had cooked the Thanksgiving dressing in the Solar.  The more I use the oven the better I like it.  The temps usually get as high as 350*.  But it doesn't seem to matter too much if the temp is lower, especially when I first put the dish into the oven.

  I have finished the quilt for the auction & raffle fund raiser which is part of the May 2012 Loreto Fest.  I hope it will interest enough people to bring in lots of donations to further the education of the students from the local village and outlying ranchos.

 Now on to my next project!  Which is to quilt a blanket my youngest sister is finally making for herself.  After a frustrating beginning, I am now over half done & mostly coming along quite nicely.  Along with help from Opal!!  As you can see, she is a tremendous asset.  (or perhaps, liability?)  I get the corner on the other side of the quilt.

 December saw us with at least one potluck or party every week and sometimes two here on the beach.  There was a Spaghetti dinner, a Windy Day Soup potluck with entertainment, a Happy Hour going away party, trips to the Sunday open air farmers market, and of course, Christmas.

During the middle of the month we had several days of strong winds.  There would sometimes be a break of a day or two, just to quiet the complaints of the fishermen & women!  The day before Christmas Eve the winds were so strong we thought we might have to postpone our festivities til after the holidays!!  But the weather cooperated (again) and all went as planned.

On Christmas Eve we gathered at the fire pit for 'Snacks & Sweets', a great roaring fire, and to enjoy visiting with our friends.  People came from both beaches, one yachtie (formerly of this beach), and two families who have houses above Juncalito village.  One of our Canadian campers has a five year old who entertained and delighted us all with her enthusiasm and Christmas Hugs!

  Christmas Dinner was well attended by those of us on this beach as well as one of our house families.  About 20 as near as I can remember.  We have some really great cooks around here!!  The next day I for one was still full and could not entertain the thoughts of food!  I heard similar complaints from a few others as well.

New Years Eve several of us from here on Rattlesnake Beach will take pots of soup (Mike will make his famous Fish Chowder) and go to Juncalito Beach where there will be MORE pots of soup for 'Soup Night Potluck'!  It is great fun to sample the different kinds.  After dark we will watch a spectacular fireworks display put on by a couple who winter in Juncalito village.  It will be a late night for us as we won't get to bed til about 9 pm!!!

This has been a great year for me but it is always exciting to look forward to the coming year and all it promises.  Prospero Año Nuevo to One & All!!!! 

November 2011

Shortly after the first of the month Mike, me, and Opal drove south to LaPaz to visit friends in the area.  Our friends live southeast of town in the small Mexican village of Aqua Amarga.  They have done a lot of work building, clearing, landscaping, gardening and their place shows the fruits of their labors.  We had a great visit as did Opal.  She, along with the resident dogs, Sophie & Sombra, made a race track of the place.  Just don't get in the way of one of them for fear of being run over!

We also had breakfast and a quick visit in LaPaz with our friend, Elizabeth, who divides her time between Mexico and Washington.

We came back to our home on the beach just in time to get ready for the Paella Competition to be held Friday November 11.  (This is a fund raiser for a few of the Loreto charities.)  Our team consists of three members, Diane, Gloria, and myself and we are known as "Team Rattlesnake"after the beach we camp on.  (It's mexican name is El Quemado which I think is a lot prettier sounding than "Rattlesnake".)  We do a lot of prep work before hand but there is always plenty to do when we get to the competition.  We find our spot and transport the equipment to our area and begin arranging burner, paella pan, ice chests full of ingredients and wait til time to start cooking.  Our dish has to be ready by 1pm for the collection of our rice to be taken to the judges.  Shortly after that we begin to feed the crowd.  While we did not 'Win, Place, or Show' we had great reviews from our guests.  It is all in fun and I enjoy it immensely, and particularly the Sangria provided by Roganta Wineries of Baja Norte!  (Wine glass in hand!!)

We now have to import (another word for registering) our boats to be able to launch at the port or to be on be on the water.  Small boats (under 15 feet or so) are exempt. Mike has been busily doing that this month.  This was another reason for our trip to LaPaz.  He received papers there from the Port Captain (for a fee of course), then had to go into the Loreto Port Captain for more papers (and another fee), put a name on his boat (letters made at a price), take pictures of the boat with name on, and eventually receive a temporary (10 year) registration.  This included numbers (made at a price) to be put on the boat also.  Isn't boat ownership grand!?  No matter what country you are in!!

Mike and friends enjoy their football days!  Games are always on Sundays AND Monday & Thursday nights and if they get really desperate, Saturdays have college games!

Thanksgiving Day will have four games!  We will be planning dinner around the half times or between games!  Sunday football sometimes has impromptu potlucks such as the one the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Mike had 3 albacore tuna loins he wanted to cook so as to free up freezer space.  We had a great turnout with even a few non-football fans!

TURKEY DAY!  (A favorite expression of my youngest brother-in-law.)  This year we tried splitting into smaller groups.  We had about 15 people at our camp.  I think our next door neighbor had about the same amount.  Some of the other campers went to dinners held elsewhere.  As always there was more food than we could eat!  Fortunately we sent plates of leftovers home with different ones.  WHAT!  No Thanksgiving leftovers for days on end!!!  YEP, That's right!

Now our thoughts turn to the December potlucks and parties.  We will have a beach wide Christmas eve fire along with Snacks & Sweets!  Of course, we will have dinner at home before we gather together!  Well, maybe!  Christmas Day will have the beach campers who want to come, joining together with different potluck dishes.  Probably around 50 people.  But more on that next month!

Enjoy Your Holidays & Stay Safe!!  See you down the road.  Hugs & Love to All.

End of October

The last couple weeks have been interesting and busy.  I enjoy reading light mystery books and one of my favorite authors is Sue Grafton.  One of our Canadian campers offered to put what Grafton books that he had onto my Kindle.  Great job and thank you very much!  He also added ‘The Winner’ by David Baldacci.  WELLL, I started reading about noon and had a hard time putting it down!  At 11:30 I figured I better go to bed.  And the next morning friends invited me to go to Sunday Farmers Market.  As soon as I returned, I started reading again until finished my book.  (About 3-4pm)  He is now a favorite author also.

Our temps are in the high 90's and the humidity isn't much better.  Along about Oct 17th I figured it was high time to give the dog a shearing.  She was very glad when the ordeal was over but looks much cooler.  

One day we had a visit from a Loreto City employee who collected our beach rent last year.  He told us our rent would now be $3600 pesos per month.  (Up from $1940 pesos we paid last year.)  We beach people had a renters meeting and decided we would go talk to the boss to see if we could negotiate a better rate.  We asked the owner of our little local tienda (store), Fernando, if he would be our spokes person.  His English is excellent and being Mexican could relay our concerns.  The official was very nice and willing to work with us!  All went well and our rent is now $2400 pesos monthly.  Our current rate of exchange is 13 to 1.  It has slowly declined from about 14 to 1 when we first arrived on the Baja.  How do you like our delegation!?  Fernando is next to the man in uniform (our rent collector).

 

Poor Mike!  After working diligently most of the day, in the heat, putting something or other together for the camp, he was enjoying his beer.  Some kind of wasp was sampling the beer also and didn't take kindly to Mike trying to swallow him!  So he stung him on the lower lip and I had to pull the stinger out.  Talk about a FAT LIP!!  Part of his jaw was swollen as well.  A couple days later, he was good as new.  He now looks before he drinks!

A very nice Mexican couple who live in Liqui, the next village south of here, came and cooked a very delicious clam dinner.  I don't know what it is called but it has bacon, chopped lunch style ham, mild peppers,tomatoes, onions, and garlic.  It is cooked in a flat pan over an open fire.  The rest of us supplied potluck salads and everything was enjoyed by all!

We have a very nice albeit YOUNG (at least to me) dentist.  I emailed him asking for an appointment to clean my teeth.  WELL, the only day he had left before leaving for two weeks to further his dental skills, was on MONDAY!  Which just happened to be my birthday!  How lucky can I get?  This picture was taken a couple years ago.

Mike made up for it by asking several of our friends to join us for dinner at Domingo's (a favorite steak house) that night.  As you can see, we had quite a turnout and Diane & Jay bought a Flan from one of the local bakeries.  (If you are not familiar with Flan it is a traditional Mexican custard type dessert.)

  

On the day of the 6th game of the World Series, we had a potluck. (Imagine that!)   Mike grilled albacore tuna loins he had caught off the Washington coast.  Diane grilled a nice piece of Wahoo their friend, Bill, had caught on the Pacific side of Baja.  The rest of us made salads and chips & dips.  I had been experimenting with baking Apple Crisps in my solar oven.  I'm glad it turned out well.  (You can tell it doesn't take us much of an excuse to have a potluck!!) 

Seems like every two or three days another one of our Canadian or American campers come in.  Always a cause for a celebration!  Funny how we become so close to people we have only met a few months ago, and each season we are so excited to see them again! 

I have made some progress on the quilt for the May raffle.  Some days I work a little bit, and other times most of the day.  I won't bore you with the step by step but will wait til it is finished!  It is actually starting to look like a quilt.

  

Today is Sunday and that means farmers market in Loreto and football on the beach with Mike.  Of course there is also football on Mondays, Thursdays and a few other days when there are Bowls or some kind of tournament!  And in a pinch there are college games on Saturday!  Mike and friends have a great time in the outdoor tent.

 

Tonight is HALLOWEEN!!  When I was in town last, I bought enough chocolate candy to make my visiting goblins sick!  And don't they just love it.  Last year we had about 20 of the young ones plus their parents.  They are all pretty cute!  And scary!  This was from two years ago.

That's all for now folks.  Safe travels and hope to see you down the road!
 

HEADING SOUTH

We left Long Beach Wed Sept 28 about noon.  (So much for an early start!)  This sunrise was taken of Claude & Connie’s new house a day or two before we left.

We stayed the first night at Yreka, CA and then headed out early the next morning.  Three plus hours later, we stopped in Corning for fuel and breakfast.  I got out of the pickup to go into the restaurant and NO PURSE!!!  No credit card or ATM plus other important stuff.  I had a few moments of extreme anxiety before I regained my wits and thinking cap.

I called the motel and the girl at the desk went and retrieved my purse.  I asked her to overnight it to Riverbank CA near Modesto where we were going to stay with friends for a couple nights.  Which she did on her own time.  Talk about above the call of duty!  Boy was I glad to see that package arrive!  And Francis & me immediately left to go shopping!

We arrived safe and sound at Puerto Escondido, BCS Mon 10/3 in the afternoon.  It is pretty warm here.  In the high 95 to 99 degree range and the humidity raises that another 5-10 degrees.  We stayed three nights at the RV park and ran the air conditioner before moving to the beach.

Two weeks later, Mike has camp pretty much set up.  We have water storage, 4 Solar panels, Potluck/TV-Sports tent, 2 Televisions, lights in the outside tent, the Toyota pickup running, VHF radio & antennae, INTERNET (Yeahhh), 13 foot aluminum boat & motor on trailer and 2 trips to go fishing.  I have no idea what else he will be working on!!  Oh yes, He has a nice mexican man who will help him clean up the 21 foot Marathon boat and paint the bottom!  He also has to get the quad running!  I just stay out of the way til he needs a hand with something.

 

Where do we put everything?

Boat waiting for it's trailer.

More or less all together!

Went swimming a few times.  It is like bath water!  The last time I was in the water a few days ago, the little stinging jellyfish were working overtime.  So that’s it for me until they disappear.

So now it’s on to the normal routine of walking the dog, hauling water, Sunday Farmers market, pot luck get togethers, dinners in town.  You know, all the important stuff!!  Having fun and enjoying life’s adventures.