Pic-of-the-Week for April 26, 2016

Hola Amigos,

It's another beautiful day in the neighborhood...temps in the low 80's, a few clouds in the sky, and a gentle breeze blowing.  Doors are open and most of the ceiling fans are on full time.  

We are enjoying our Nopal Cactus blooms now.  They are so pretty, and we have several of these cactus throughout the yard, so we'll see lots more of these!

Many of you have been wondering how Zoey is doing, and sorry to say, not a whole lot better...yet.  You can see in this photo where she sticks her rear legs straight out instead of tucking them under herself.   We have been making regular weekly trips to visit Dr. Felipe Martinez in San Jose, who has a very good reputation.  (He cleaned out a bad infection and stitched up Sam's rear end when he got bit by a German Shepherd 8 years ago).  He was hoping to see more activity in her rear legs by now, but she hasn't been improving much there.  Yesterday, we finally got a TEMS machine that works well on her, and have started electrical stimulation to her rear legs and back.  It takes about an hour to do, two times a day.  We have 7 to 8 positions to place the pads, and 8 minutes for each place.  You can tell it's working when you see her legs jerking in time to the impulses!   We have seen some improvements, including a wagging tail, and using the squat impulse when she needed to pee outside.  In the meantime, I've been doing a LOT of laundry, but I've come up with methods to save myself some work.  I use plastic shopping bags for her to lay her rear end on in her dog bed, topped with a pieces of flannel scraps that I had left over from making diapers for the grandkids.  We also wrapped her dog beds in big black garbage bags, then cover that with old beach towels.  We take her for walks with her rear end in a sling, and she can move pretty fast!  The challenge is to keep her from going through the dog door (we don't fit!!) or under a desk or chair.  We're hoping for more improvement soon.  She can scoot around pretty well, and if she wants to get somewhere, she can.  She is also on diet dog food, with the goal to lose some weight so she doesn't have so much to carry around.  Ryan really wants to get a wheeled contraption made for her, but I'm hoping she'll start using her legs and not depend on a wheelchair.

In other news, we've been going to some pretty neat birthday parties.  Peter always has a great birthday party at his parents home at Lighthouse Estates.  I think he liked us singing Happy Birthday to him!

Last night we were invited to a surprise birthday party for our friends Babe and John.  And they really were surprised, which is a major accomplishment in this small town!  We had great music; a singer / guitar player throughout much of the night, and a top-notch Mariachi group from Cabo San Lucas.  They had four violinists, a trumpet player, a bass player and a guitarist.  And they could project their voices just fine, thank you very much!  (Birthday girl Babe is at the table wearing the black top with the white yoke.)   I don't have a picture of John, but he turned 90 yesterday!  

You know that we enjoy bird watching in our yard.  A few weeks ago, we saw a bird like we've never seen before!  Unfortunately, we didn't have our good camera outside with us.  A few weeks later, it returned; I slipped inside and got my camera, and we were able to take photos of it.  We sent these off to our local bird expert, and he and others identified it as a European Starling with a deformed beak.  Hmmmmmm...  maybe.  I'd like to think it's a more exotic tropical bird that we've discovered!!  What do you think?

There is progress in our little town!  Two dirt streets have been paved with a decent amount of concrete...they even put in curbs, and they meet Highway one with nary a bump or dip!  We're trying to figure out who has money or political influence that lives up there on the hill!  We are impressed, but we're wondering what will happen with the first good rain storm.  Where is that water going to go?  You're right...it's going to go downhill.  What is going to get washed out?  (No storm drains or sewers here).  We wait with anticipation for this big event!!!  

Not the best photo, but that is a nice concrete street running up the hill, and there are curbs.  

Ben has been working hard on getting our boat ready for some fishing in May, but guess what?  The engine needs to be pulled to repair something beneath it.  Sigh.... guess we should have sold it a couple years ago.  He hopes to figure out what he needs and buy it in the US when we're up there this summer.  (Then we can fix it in the fall......and SELL it!!!!  Ha!)

More photos (will be) in our 2016 April album, including a video of the Mariachi band (I hope).

Hasta mayo!
Tus amigos en Baja,
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam and Zoey 

Pic-of-the-Week for April 12, 2016

Hola, Amigos,

April 12!  I remember that day in 1975 very well when our daughter Rebecca was born on a beautiful, sunny spring morning in Eugene, Oregon.  Happy Birthday, Rebecca!!!  

Another two weeks have gone by since our last post, and it has been fairly quiet.  No parades or car shows, no special excursions, no guests.  We are actually getting some things done around here!

We did have a gorgeous sunset last night, so I'll start out with a picture of that.

Our Amaryllis plants are blooming now.  We enjoy these yearly...this is one type of bulb plant that does very well here in Baja, unlike Daffodils and Tulips (not cold enough).

We did go to a birthday party for our friend Pat!  She had a great time.  

 The Quail are back in our yard.  They have been around, just not visiting up here on the bluff.  Now, we just need to see some little fluff-ball babies visiting with them!  

I posted a picture of a box Ben has made this year, and asked you to guess what he used it for.  We had quite a few guesses, but none correct.  Many of you thought we'd store wine in it, which makes a lot of sense to me!  Another guess was something to use with our Woody (another brilliant guess, but wrong), a place to store his "contraband", and even "storing guitars"???  I guess I'll never figure out why he made such a beautiful box for what he ultimately uses it for, and neither did you!  Ta-da..... grease guns!  He must have the highest class grease gun storage IN THE WORLD.  

The bad news this week is that Zoey injured her back when we were away at church on Sunday, and Ben found her immobile when we got back.  Of course being on a Sunday, non of the vets nearby were open, so we found one in La Paz who was available to see her, and took her in there Sunday afternoon.  He's pretty sure it is a pinched nerve in her spinal column, and gave her a prednisone shot and some pills to take.  So far, it hasn't made any difference.  She still has no use of her hind legs.  If we don't see improvement soon, we'll take her into a vet in San Jose for an x-ray to see how bad it is.  :-(  It's pretty quiet around here right now, and we're praying for the best for her.

The good news is that my bean crop is doing great!  I have now canned 16 - 1 1/2 pint jars, and expect to have a couple more batches.  It always feels great to see those jars lined up on a shelf!  (And they taste delicious next season)!  We still have enough right now to eat fresh ones as well as doing all the canning.

  
 I have started an April 2016 Picasa album, and there are a few more pictures there.

We are enjoying the balmy weather and looking forward to more sunshine and lovely days here.  

Hasta la proxima vez,
Tus amigos in Baja,
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Week for March 29, 2016

Hola, Amigos,

Two weeks have sped by, and it's already time for another posting from Casa Purkey in Baja California Sur!

Spring has sprung, we celebrated Easter Sunrise service on the beach once again, and we are anticipating starting Daylight Savings time here in Mexico next Sunday.  The weather is warming up, the wind has quit blowing regularly and has changed directions, so we're starting to get winds from the east and southeast, the normal summer directions.  

The Easter Service went well.  We were up at 4AM, on the beach with all the sound equipment in the truck ready to set up at 4:30.  Ben and Ryan had all of it ready to go at 5:30AM.  The service went very well, other than our Spanish interpreter didn't show up until just before 6, and since he didn't say the Spanish part, the English portion was done just before sunrise at 6:15!  

You can listen to the service AND our singing from our church web site at http://www.eastcapecf.com/sermon-archive/ .  Yes, that's me on the piano, hitting a few wrong notes here and there!  (It's pretty dark at 5:30 in the morning, ya know!!)  I don't have any pictures yet from this year (I was kinda busy), but this is a lovely one from last year.  

Easter time is the most popular time of the year for Mexicans to vacation, especially here on the beach.  The weather is not too hot, the water is swim-able, and the music can go all. night. long!!!  In fact, when we got to the beach at 4:30, there was a group of people still playing their music loudly, and it continued at least part-way through our service.  They did eventually quit, and we enjoyed our time on the beach anyway!

Here's a picture of a camp set up where the dogs and I usually approach the beach.  There were actually 3 big groups right here; Dad and Mom and all the kids and aunts and uncles and lots of dogs!  

  
This is the more remote, quieter area.  There were volleyball courts and beer tents and so forth set up in the Los Barriles area.  That was the most crowded I think I've ever seen those beaches!  

All is back to normal now, and there was a contest for the kids...each one who delivered a full bag of garbage (and there was plenty) received a toy!  Not sure if that's encouraging people to toss their garbage or not....??

Ben has been busy working on his boat, trying to get it ready for fishing by late April or early May.  We had the upholstery re-done in La Paz, and we did the "bumpers" ourselves, and installed them last week.  (Padded boards that go around the interior so you don't "bump" your knees and legs against the side of the boat when you're fighting that big fish).  

He's also finished a woodworking project, pictured below.  It's a beautiful box that he made for a specific purpose.  If you can guess what he stores in this box, you get a week's free stay at our casa here in Baja!  (No big deal, all your stays here are free!!)  But give it your best shot!

Our Bottle-Brush tree is going gang-busters this year.  It is blooming like crazy.  You may remember when we had three blooms the first year, and were so excited!  This year, It's hard to even count the buds and blooms!  We are still thrilled with this tree, and are happy that it seems to be happy, too.  The top picture shows one flower blooming, and lots of buds.  The next is a close up of several blooms.

What is even more fun is taking a picture of these at night, where they look like fireworks!  Amazingly beautiful.  

Easter afternoon, (after naps!) we took a drive north with our friend Alexandra to show her the cave paintings in a remote area.  We stopped in El Cardonal for lunch at a new hotel / restaurant there, and discovered that the cook is the daughter of Mama Fuentes, who, with her husband Arturo, ran the Baja Beach Club restaurant that we used to frequent in our early years here.  It was just north of Punta Pescadero, and had the most wonderful Mexican food...very authentic and delicious!  The oldest Fuentes son, Arturo Junior, was the contractor who built our home here.  The restaurant has been closed several years since Arturo senior passed away.  Fortunately, Senora Fuentes taught her daughters how to cook, and we had a lovely meal there.  We're hoping to go back, in spite of the miserable roads!  

Oh, and we did manage to find our way to the cave paintings.  We took the dogs so they got some exercise, too.  

   
Going backwards in time, the week before Easter we decided we had time to take the Woody to San Jose Days for a parade and mini car show.  Going to these is always an adventure, especially when the car battery was dead the day before!!!  Yikes!  Ben charged it, and we managed to get it started and on the trailer the day before.  It barely started Saturday morning when he was driving it off the trailer, so we drove around a little bit to charge it up, then had breakfast.  It started again after breakfast, and we lined up for the parade  (they wanted us 1st in line, right behind all the floats)!!! We made it all the way through the parade, and to the car show, but needed a push when the car show was over!  Turns out the battery is bad, so we'll need to get a new one this summer in the States.  6-volt batteries are hard to find here in Mexico.  

As usual, our very photograph-able car had lots of pictures take of it.  I caught these two little boys admiring it!    Each car received this flag to use as they wished.  Ben insisted I have my picture taken with it.  Translation:  "I'm not old, I'm a Classic!"

We enjoy the parade route through San Jose...skinny streets and lots of folks waiting to see the sights. 

Our garden is doing well (besides the blooming tree!).  I am now harvesting green beans (yum), and am hoping I'll get enough to can a few batches.  We have also enjoyed lettuce and cucumbers lately, and are looking forward to much more!  

More photos are in our 2016 March Picasa album.  

Hasta Abril,

Tus amigos en Baja,

Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam and Zoey, who like to explore old petroglyphs

Pic-of-the-Week for March 15, 2016

Hola Amigos,

"Beware, the Ides of March".  Just sayin', since today is the 15th of March, after all.  Wishing the best for you all as you enjoy the day!

We said "adios" this morning to our last company of the year; Ben's brother Greg and his wife Cherlene and their baby girl Georgina.  They had a nice time here, in spite of some strange weather and a lack of whales when they went whale watching.  They did get to our beach and had a nice time using one of the few kids' toys we have here, a sand castle tool kit, and built some impressive sand castles.  They also did the requisite tourist shopping in Los Barriles, so the economy is thriving!  

We did the normal "fun" stuff; eating out a lot and going places and doing things.  I let Ben take them to San Carlos for whale watching, as I had some previous commitments here.  

Now we're getting ready for our church's Easter Sunrise service on March 27th. That always means lots of preparation and a very early wake-up alarm, since the service will start at 5:30am.  Ben & Ryan need to get the sound system set up and working before then....on the beach... in the dark!  I'll let you know how it went when we send out our next letter!  

Our garden is growing well; I did have some wind damage to the green beans when we had a very strong wind from the northwest (the bean row is on the west side of the house).  It really whipped the beans and burned the leaves, but they are starting to bloom, and we'll have some beans before too long.

Our current method of using bags of Miracle Grow potting mix to plant our lettuce and cucumbers in is going well.  The cucumbers really like it, and I've got a bunch setting on.  And when we're done growing things, I'll add the bags of soil to my planting beds.  

My Cattleya orchid, which I've just about given up on several times, continues to bloom for me.  Three buds this time!  The plant doesn't look so hot, but the flowers are beautiful.  So I guess I'll keep fertilizing and watering it, and otherwise I'll ignore the silly thing!  (It is outdoor all year, next to my Cymbidium orchids, which are also doing quite well out-of-doors). 

For those of you who hadn't heard, I made and sent a baby quilt to my friend in Guadalajara for her new baby.  And, it FINALLY got there.  We saw in the news that the government quit the requirement to have Aduana (customs) value the packages before they are sent from Baja to the mainland... about 2 or 3 days after the quilt was sent.  And then, once it got over to Guadalajara, the delivery company kept giving excuses for not delivering (bad address, no one home, etc.)  When she got it, she graciously took a picture of her baby on it and posted it on Facebook for me.  I love it!  This is why I make them.  Isn't he sweet?

Okay....I said that Greg and Cherlene and Georgie were our last company for the year, but if you get the urge to come visit, just let us know.  We'll be here until mid-June, and the weather is getting better all the time.  The Purkey casa is OPEN! 

We've got a March 2016 Picasa album you are welcome to review.

Hasta la proxima vez,
Tus amigos de Baja
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Zoey & Sam (whose pointy nose has been in the dirt somewhere) 

Pic-of-the-Week for March 1, 2016

Hola Amigos,

Phew!  We've had a busy couple of weeks and had a great time with cousins Tom & Karan, who sure didn't want to go back home very badly!  This place can grow on you.  

We took them whale watching (yes!  we stayed healthy this time and got out there), bought fresh shrimp, enjoyed some top-notch music here in town, and got to stay at a luxury resort near Cabo San Lucas for a couple nights.  Wow.... now we're back to "normal", until Ben's brother Greg and his wife Cherlene and daughter Georgie come next Monday for a one-week visit.  

In all the years that we've visited and lived here in Baja California, this is the first time we've taken a boat tour in the Cabo San Lucas Harbor and saw the famous arch up close.  Pretty impressive looking, and we even went around and got to see it from the other side, too!

Here's another boat that is similar to the one we were on.... We were on a sunset dinner cruise at a great price (thanks to Ryan's friend), otherwise, us cheap (thrifty?) Purkeys probably wouldn't take a cruise like this.  Now we can say, "been there, done that"!  And it was fun and enjoyable.

The whale watching trip started out with us finding an honest shrimp fisherman, who wouldn't sell us a couple kilos of his catch, but was willing to have his boss sell it to us after proper weighing.  So, we ended up with his entire catch for the night 10.5 kilos (about 22 pounds!!!)  All for $300 pesos per kilo! ($16.75 US for a kilo).  We have managed to sell some to friends, and are enjoying the rest very much.  Yum!  

Here's Polo in the mangroves, de-heading his shrimp catch.  

We didn't see a large number of whales, but one particular Mom and baby stayed with the boats for quite a while.  Crispin, our captain, said that she was born there about 15 years ago.  She came back to have her baby here, too!  He recognizes her from her white patch birthmark.  Her baby is just on the other side of her right at the white patch.  

And we always eat well when we go whale watching with Crispin.  He had prepared Chocolate clams the way Ben likes them (raw, with soy sauce, lime juice and Salsa Huichol), and boiled fresh shrimp in sea water (heads and all).  That was before our Lobster and Halibut lunch on Magdalena Island!  Man, were we stuffed!

What a great way to spend a day!  















When we got back to Los Barriles, we had reservations for dinner and music.  Miguel de Hoyos and Alex DePue were in town after a 3 or 4 year absence!  Hooray!  And they are just as good as ever....maybe even better!  It was fantastic to hear them live.

The best part is that they promise to come back regularly.  

The last two days of Tom and Karan's vacation, we stayed at a luxury resort, the Esperanza https://esperanza.aubergeresorts.com/.  This was part of our reward for letting them use our 1928 Model A Woody for their New Year's Eve party.  What an amazing place!  Not only is it in a beautiful setting, but they've thought of everything that you might need to be comfortable.  

The pool was beautiful, and the attendants kept bringing by sample drinks for us, or water, or moving our shade umbrella.  It's a rough life.... 

Our private patio was pretty comfy, too!  (That hammock was a bit difficult to get in and out of, but nice once you were in it!)  Below is the maid turning down our bed for us (and stowing the 5 or 6 extra pillows!)  

We enjoyed breakfast there each morning, and could watch from our table to see whales spouting out in the Sea of Cortez.  

Alas, all vacations must come to an end, and Tom & Karan had to leave, and we had to return to our "real life" of maintaining a home and garden here in Baja.  We did have one last "hurrah" (translated: Margarita) with our lunch at Tropicana Hotel in San Jose del Cabo before they had to go wait for their airplane. 

More photos are in our 2016 February album, including a couple of cool videos.  Hope they work for you!  (I'll also try to get captions on so you know what you're looking at!)

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos in Baja

Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey