Pic-of-the-Month for November 12, 2020

 Hola Amigos!

I have been remiss in updating you for a whole month plus some.  I will try to be brief (haha....Harriet brief?), and hit the high points!  

We are back home in Baja.  Hooray!

We left Oregon October 6, and arrived at our home in Baja on October 12.  The trip went well.  We traveled with friends Katie and Mel, Ben drove our pickup, and I drove the new Escape to Reno.  The rest of the way, our friends Mike & Mary drove the Escape and I rode with Ben.  The picture below is east of LA on the way to Palm Springs.  There were miles of these wind turbines.  

We had no troubles crossing the border, and enjoyed our favorite hotels and restaurants on the way south.  

Our house and yard was in good shape when we arrived, and it is always great to get here, let the dogs out unleashed to run around, and to sleep in our own bed!  And it is so BIG, after living in the trailer for 3 months.  We always appreciate getting back.  And we can expect a couple of months of meals on the veranda enjoying the fresh air, and watching the birds and the ocean.  

We are still careful when we go out to the stores and banks.  Masks are required; all of the service people wear them all the time.  Covid cases in this area (La Paz and Cabo Counties) and pretty well contained, but cases are still popping up, and we all need to be cautious.  We don't go to larger gatherings of people (including church) and try to stay a good distance from folks.  A year ago at this time, we were working hard, getting ready for our Feeding the Hungry Fashion Show.  This year, (2020) we changed it to March, but it was one of the first things cancelled due to Covid.  We expect we won't be having one in March 2021, either.  We will probably send out some news soon on how we want to continue helping the poorest of the poor here in the area.  Our fund raising efforts last spring were very successful (and easier than organizing and running fashion show, I've got to tell you!!)  We believe we have sufficient funds to keep helping 20 to 30 families for 4 to 5 more months.  

So, what have we been doing?  Ben doesn't have an "old car" project, so he's "helping" with the gardening this year.  If you know him, you know he doesn't do anything half-way!  He's ordered the right kind of dirt (limo, pronounced leemo), he's gotten two orders of compost / mulch from a fellow in Santiago who creates some gorgeous stuff, he's put in a sprinkler - drip system in the little garden, he's tilled until the tiller wouldn't start, then managed to fix the tiller while waiting for parts to arrive from Oregon!  He's dug holes outside of the garden in our awful clay/rock soil and filled it with a mix of the limo and compost and planted squash and cucumbers.  (He used the Jeep to pull a very big rock from one hole, then drug it all the way to our gate.) 

 He has started tomatoes and squash and onions in starter trays.  He has built shade structures for several of our raised beds.  He keeps records of when he planted things, and has done lots of research on what kind of soil and water and fertilizer and sunlight each plant needs.   Phew!  We'll probably need another fridge to hold all of our produce before this gardening season is over!  

What do I do in the garden?  I get to plant what I want (beans, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, spinach, sunflowers and zinnias) and make sure it's watered.  I can make recommendations based on my vast gardening experience, and then watch Ben do it his way!!  😂  It has been fun watching the garden grow this year, and having more help than I've had in years.  

While he's doing his watering rounds in the mornings, Zoey and I go out for our walks.  I make sure all the burros are still around, count cactus flowers, check out the changes on the new construction in the neighborhood, find stuff (I found a workable iPhone 12 on the beach the other day...no claims on it yet.  Anyone know what the chances are to unlock and use it with one of my sim cards?)  

The other day, I noticed a committee of buzzards on some Cardon cactus, then I noticed the odor.  Something had died, and the committee was waiting to become a wake of buzzards.  (Go ahead....Google it!  "A group of vultures is called a kettle, committee or wake. The term kettle refers to vultures in flight, while committee refers to vultures resting on the ground or in trees. Wake is reserved for a group of vultures that are feeding.")  The next day, I saw the youngest baby burro (about 6 months old) without her Momma near that same spot.  Her Momma was one of the oldest of the burros, so alas, baby is without Momma.  She did join the group of other burros in a few days.  

After that cheery news, it's time for some pretty pictures!  

Here's what we ordered at La Playa the other night.  Tacos for 2?  I think more like 4!  Delicious!

Barrel cactus blooms in our yard, and a rare walk on the beach to the north towards Los Barriles.  

We have made several trips out to Cabo Pulmo to visit with Katie and Mel and enjoy Taco Tuesdays at La Palma restaurant there.  Other than the nasty road (unpaved for over 6 miles that feels like 12) it is a fun trip.  

Nice view from the restaurant, and yummy mango margaritas!

I have created two new albums.  October 2020 and November 2020, if you'd like to take a peek.  

We do have some company coming down soon.  Flights are available; just not as many.  If you want to come isolate and quarantine with us, you're welcome to come (bring your masks!)

BTW, dogs are doing fine.  Sam had some growths removed yesterday and did great on his "spa day".  The doctor was able to use just local anesthesia on him, and she said he was perfect.  She did say he might have Cushing disease, so we'll probably have more tests done on him.  He is 13 and 1/2 years old, so not doing too bad for an old guy.  Nine-year-old Zoey has been taking shorter walks.  In the hotter weather, she was really wilting, and I am NOT wanting to carry her, since she's over 20 pounds!  Ugh.  She might be able to go farther when it gets cooler...we'll see!  

Drop us a line and tell us if you still want to receive this, or just say "hi!  Good to hear from you!"  Let us know how you're doing, since we didn't get to visit with many of you this last summer.  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos en Baja

Harriet, Ben, Sam & Zoey