Monday, October 28, 2013

Makeup Pic-of-the-Week for September, posted October 29, 2013



Ler’er Buck!
Remember, I did promise you that I would tell you about the Pendleton Round-up.  After attending the parade on Friday, we had lunch, and then went to the round-up.  We went both Friday, and Saturday.  Saturday was the “finals”, or the best of the best of each of the previous days.

Some events are easier to photograph than others, and some are best shown as movies, either are a challenge!

Bareback riding



Calf Roping

Click this link to see a Calf roping video 


Saddle Bronc Riding

Oops!!

Steer Wrestling

Click on this to see the Steer wrestling video


Bull Riding

The 2 guys in this picture are the “bullfighters”.  They distract the bull if/when the rider gets thrown off the bull.  These guys are very important, and very good at what they do!

Just before “dismount”!


Notice the “fence for the bull riding.  It is PVC pipe.  Not something that I would want to be sitting behind as the cowboys are doing watching the event!

Clink on this link to see a Bull riding video 
(Almost) Naked Indian for our friend Dalia, as promised.

That was just a very small sample of some of the events.  Until next year, 

“Let’er Buck!”

...... 
 
Meanwhile, back at the rancho...

It wasn't a very busy week, and we had time to do some chores around here, including some weeding and planting of garden seeds and fixing this and that.  Ben has a long list of things to do around the house this fall, including some that I suggested and requested!  The list is hanging on the fridge, and things are getting checked off!  

Our friend Pat took us to Santiago the other day.  Dalia went, too, to help her straighten out her water bill.  Pat and I had gone together this spring to pay our bills in advance, and when she got back, her bills showed that she owed money!  Got that straight, then she took us next door to Palomar, one of our favorite little "remote" restaurants.  We were the only guests, and the service was amazingly SLOW!!!  It's a good thing we didn't have anything else to do or anywhere to go!  It took forever just to get the chips and salsa on the table, then the soup, then the main course.  Wow.  The food was excellent, but it was another lesson in patience!  

On the way home Ben drove on the back roads,

 and spotted some ripe Pitahiya cactus fruit along the way, so he stopped to retrieve one.  They have serious spines on them, and after cleaning this one he decided that the $100 pesos we pay for a bucket full of cleaned ones (about $8US) is well worth it!


 
We spent some time the other day buying new pots and transplanting some plants in broken or out-grown pots.  Our Mandavilla vine ended up in a really cute pot shaped like burro!  


And this is what the burro is holding...this pretty vine with the red flowers!

  
It's looking good here...time to consider coming for a visit!  We'll treat you to some meals on our veranda! 


Ben's Rodeo photos are from our September 2013 album, and more Mexico photos are in our October 2013 album.

Hasta la proxima semana,
Tus amigos de Baja,
Ben, Harriet, Ryan, Sam and Zoey


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Pic-of-the-Week for October 22, 2013


Hola Amigos,

Life in Baja is getting back to "normal";  up before the sun (at least until Daylight Savings time ends this next Sunday), checking e-mails and news, puttering around the house, visiting with friends we haven't seen for 3 months!  We had Marco over to do some weeding on the lot next door,
and Dalia over to do some house cleaning.  Ben took on a new project; cutting off the old stem ends on our biggest palm tree and smoothing up the trunk.  He says it got easier the further up he went, but it started pretty slow!  He says the part he's doing below is like giving it a hair cut!  Anyhow, it looks very nice now.


This palm tree is a volunteer...it started from seed about 5 years ago, and it looked like it was in a good spot so we just left it there.  We hope we can keep getting the boat around it as it grows!  

Ryan returned from his quick Oregon vacation, and Sam and Zoey were thrilled to see him back (oh...we were, too!)  He got to attend the Oregon / Washington football game, which the Oregon Ducks won handily.   

Remember when we left Baja this summer, the burros came to tell us goodbye?  Well, they showed up the other evening to tell us "bienvenidos" and get a few gumdrops.  There is a new baby, so it was good to see them!  They make a cute little family!


Hasta Luego!
 I've been squeezing limes when I get a chance.  Ryan managed to keep up with our lime tree (at least picking them up!) and I had a nice big dish tub full when we got back.  It makes wonderful juice, so I've been squeezing it by hand.  I did find a nice recipe for limonada the other day, but it doesn't use very many limes, and I need a recipe for something that uses a LOT of them!!  I tried and like the recipe.  Just in case you find some lemonds or limes, here is the recipe:



Limonada, Lemonade or Limeade

Yield: For 6-8 people
Quick and easy recipe for making fresh homemade limonada, lemonade or limeade
Ingredients
  • 2 limes or lemons, quartered and any seeds removed  (Use 6 to 8 small Mexican Limes)
  • 8 cups of cold water
  • Approximately ½ cup of sugar, more or less based on your preference
  • Ice cubes as desired and lemon/lime slices to garnish
  •  
Instructions
  1. Place the quartered limes or lemons in the blender with 4 cups of water and sugar.
  2. Blend until the limes or lemon is completely pulverized, the mixture should be slightly foamy with a whitish color.
  3. Strain the lemonade and add the remaining 4 cups of water.(Would also be good with sparkling water!)
  4. Serve with or without ice based on individual preference.
Notes
Yes, you blend the whole limes/lemons, skin and all. It does get bitter quickly, so drink it the same day you make it.
 

 

Sam and Zoey love being back home.  They appreciate being able to find a nice sunny spot to lay down in, and they really appreciate being off of a leash.  Sam is doing pretty well getting around.  He has been off his pain meds and steroids for about a week, and is doing OK with it.  Ryan thinks he needs physical therapy, so is working with him on that!  


Our friend Pat C is in town, and she offered to take me on a "girls only" shopping trip today in San Jose and Cabo San Lucas.  How could I refuse!  I've got a long list of fun stuff like fluorescent bug lights, paper towels, etc.

So, that's it for this week.  A few more photos are in our October 2013 album.

Hasta la proxima semana,
Tus amigos de Baja
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey


Saturday, October 12, 2013

Pic-of-the-Week for October 15, 2013 and another make up for September


Hola, Amigos! 

Ben wrote another make-up blog for September.  I added a few photos and what's happening in Baja at the end, so don't miss anything!  

Here's Ben's efforts.  Enjoy the parade!

Rodeo!!  Let’er Buck!
YOU MISSED THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP?  Tsk, Tsk!

We went for you this year, and the “Do not miss” event is the free parade down through the heart of Pendleton on Friday morning.  This parade has NO motorized vehicles in the parade.

The parade was lead off by a white horse in memory of Umatilla County’s fallen military heroes.

When the Pendleton Round-Up celebrated its 100th birthday in 2010, they started a tradition of leading off the parade with 100 USA flags held by people on horseback.  The tradition continues with 103 flags this year.  Big cowboys and cowgirls (hopefully they will never be called “cowpersons”)!


Even little cowgirls


Lots of American flags!


With any Pendleton Round-up parade there are pretty Horses …….


Whoa, Who said you could take my picture?


Pretty girls ……….

Pretty Indian girls ………


Tough guys with tougher oxen ……….


And, tough parade fans!


Every parade needs wagons …………





Stage Coaches ……..


Buggies ……..


And, a horse-drawn High Wheel for logging!


Have you ever wondered where all these people stay?  Well I don’t know either, but maybe some of the girls stay at the hotel!


That was just a small sample of the many things seen at the parade.  For a history of the Pendleton Round-Up, there is an interesting U-tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx7BJBNW7ew

OK!  Wasn't that fun?  We think so...that's why we keep going back every year!

Tropical Storm Octave blew through here this last weekend, and we got hours of rain, thunder and lightening!  The road department had just dumped dirt on our side roads in preparation for grading out this summer's storm damages, but it's a good thing they waited for the grading part...the storm damage just got worse.  I think the storms have passed by now,  and things are looking better (and greener!)



As the storms blew by from the south, my new windsock danced in the wind!

And last night's sunset filled the sky with oranges and yellows!  Beautiful! 

Oh!!!  I almost forgot this little guy that Ben found at the bottom of our stairs... it is so wet the crabs are coming out!  His shell is about 1" across.  Cute, huh?
 

More photos are in our October 2013 album.  

Until the next time (I never know when Ben will get creative with his writing again!)

Ben, Harriet, Sam & Zoey