Pic-of-the-Week for May 23, 2018

Hola Amigos!  

Wow!  I'm almost on time....just one day late.  I guess I've turned over a new leaf....maybe!  

Since the last post, we have had some delightful company (they played Pinochle AND Mexican Train with us, and enjoyed our wine selections!  They also brought a nice selection of NW wines to share with us!)  Lori and Jack will most likely be back, as they seemed to have a great time here, relaxing and enjoying the area.  Lori used to work with Ben at ODOT, and we were very pleased when she called on the spur of the moment and asked if we had space for them.  We did, so they came! 

We took them to Rancho Buena Vista (we went for a walk on the beach with the dogs, and somehow ended up there!  Go figure?!) 

And we took them to El Viejo for tacos....  they really got into the spirit of the vacation!  They also loved La Playa for beach location and food, and we got to listen to Miguel de Hoyos on guitar one night, too!  

 The day before they were scheduled to leave, we took them to San Jose del Cabo for a look around town and some requisite shopping (at least on Lori's part!)  We went to Jasmine's again for dinner, which is the same restaurant we went to on my birthday a week before.  As then, the food was excellent.  

On the day that they left, Ryan and Charlotte arrived!  Hooray!  It is great to have them here, and right now, they are working hard on spoiling me.  They do all the dishes (and empty the dishwasher), and last night they fixed a nice "home style" Chinese meal for us.  They did a great job.  It's hard for Ben to relax when someone "inexperienced" is cooking his dinner, but even he was pleasantly surprised that Ryan can cook!  

We had a "Meet and Greet" party for them last Saturday, and invited friends and neighbors to say hello.  Of course, we had to have a nice Carrot Cake and some munchies.  

 Since being here for a week now, they are pretty much over their jet lag after traveling from Shanghai to Vancouver, BC, to here (they did take two days to do that, with a night in Vancouver).  

Charlotte and Ryan will be going in to Hospital H+ this Friday to meet the Obstetrician and get set up for delivery of their baby in August.  And yes, this Grandma will be coming back to Baja this summer to help them out for a bit.  

In the meantime, our daughter Rebecca and her family have traveled to the East Coast of the United States from the Mid East, and are visiting friends there for a couple weeks before they go to Chicago for a month.  We won't be able to see them this summer, as they will be heading back to the Mid East before we leave Mexico this year.  Hopefully, they will definitely plan on an Oregon summer NEXT year! (And after we get there).   

I have been busy finishing up the quilt I'm making for Grand baby #4.  I plan to add more border fabric (I'll buy it in the US, since I don't have what I want here in my stash), and have it quilted by our friends at Quiltmasters in Brownsville.  Then I'll finish it up with the binding.  That hand sewing always takes some time!  Hopefully, it will be finished by the time I need to come back.  

Ben has dozens of projects that he is working on, or it seems that way.  We added Air Conditioning to the bedroom upstairs that Ryan uses, so that is available for them this summer.  We actually got it done in a timely manner, especially for Mexico!  We bought the unit at Costco the day we picked up Lori and Jack; Ben called Carlitos, our favorite electrician, and he made a special trip over to check it out, and another special trip back here that night to splice into a 220 line in the shop, with a neat conduit up to where the AC unit was located.  He recommended another fellow to install the mini-split unit, and he came the day after Lori and Jack arrived.  He spoke no English, so Ben asked Dalia to come over and clean up after the workers, as well as let them know where we wanted it and to pay them (since we were out for breakfast!)  They installed the drain line, but Ben and Ryan have reconfigured it so it doesn't show as much.  That turned out very nice.  The AC in that room will be great this summer.

Another project we did was some front porch / veranda improvements.  We took down the shade cloth curtains and threw away the clunky plastic grips we have been using.  Ben put a bunch of grommets in them, then we used carabiners to attach the curtain to the guy wire we have strung between the posts.  The next job was to stretch out the curtains and wash all the dirt and dust off of them.  Now, they look nice and neat AND clean and they are very easy to open and close!  This time of year, that sun goes down in the northwest, and the veranda gets too hot and sunny without them when we're having dinner or playing games out there.  Finally, Ryan strung a string of LED rope lights on the underside of the palapa which really improved the lighting out there for our game times.  It's so nice out there now, it's hard to come in at night!!  

I saw a fox running by on my walk the other day (no time for a picture), and the burros are reaping the rewards of our corn growing adventure this year.  (Isn't that fluffy baby a cutie?)

Our cactus garden is looking nice, especially with our Cochemiea  blooming (that Latin name was for my sister Sharon's benefit!)  The first picture is one Ryan took from laying on the sidewalk.  The second is one I took bending over!  (It's hard enough to get up from bed, let alone a hard surface on the ground!)  

 I love when this cactus blooms!  

I have added more pictures in our 2018 May album.  Enjoy!  

Weather report:  We've had an unusually warm May this year, several times in the 90's already, and it may be an indication of hotter weather to come this summer.  Glad we have AC in our bedrooms to sleep with! 

At this point in time, we are not sure when we will be leaving Baja to go north.  The 30 Model A is taking longer than the body shop expected, even though they are adding more people to work on it.  They are doing a fantastic job, and are very meticulous.  Ben then has a bunch of work to do on it, so he's thinking about doing as much as he can here before we leave, and finishing it up as needed when we get to Oregon. (We'll probably need shop space, Ken!)  That also means we won't be going to the Model A National Meet in Reno, most likely.  I told Ben that I have doctor appointments starting July 9, so we have to be there before then!  We will keep you informed!  

Hasta la proxima vez,
Tus amigos en Baja,
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Charlotte, Sam & Zoey  (phew!)

 

Pic-of-the-Week for May 9, 2018

Hola Amigos,

I think this is becoming a habit.... it's been almost a month again since my last post, and I really haven't been that busy.  Oh well.  I at least have a few pictures and things to report.  

The burros are happy that we are harvesting our corn.  They get to eat the stalk and any other left-overs.  Even baby was chewing on a leaf the other day!  

We get this part of it!  We had a pretty good crop, but it wasn't as sweet as I'd hoped.  That may be due to lack of water or good fertilizer, or just the variety of corn.  But it was fun to have and share with friends.  

Zoey and I are still doing daily walks (except Sunday, when I don't have time in the early morning).  I love making discoveries either in the desert, or the arroyo, or on the beach.  It seems like there is always something blooming!  This is the bloom from a Pitaya Agria, which produces a very tasty fruit.  The indigenous Indian population here staved off hunger by eating this fruit, and it's more popular cousin, Pitaya Dulce.  

The next picture is a Cardon cactus in bloom.  The tennis ball sized fruit are popular with lots of birds and iguanas, and animals who live on the ground when the fruits drop.  

I spotted this blooming plant close to the beach.  It is actually a reed of some kind.  I really liked the interconnecting star shape blooms and the buds waiting to bloom at the bottom.  

This is the bloom from a Palo de Arco, very common here in Baja.  The long straight sticks from this tree are used for many things; shade covers, fences, decorative arches (it bends easily).  This was growing in the arroyo.  

On the beach, I pick up beach glass, pretty rocks, and most of the garbage I see.  I usually have a plastic bag with me to pick up plastic bottles, bottle caps, old fishing line, etc.  Most people are good about picking up after themselves, but there is often evidence of parties on the beach with empty beer cans strewn everywhere, and sometimes the plastic bag they brought the goodies down to the beach is available!  I used one of those to pick up the "dead soldiers" from someone's party, and the next weekend, there was another batch of empties in the same (evidently popular) spot!  Grrrr!   The other day I picked up a Pacifico beer bottle, and didn't realize until I got home that it had tar all over it.  I didn't have a plastic bag that day, so just stuck it in my little fanny pack.  Was that ever a mistake!  Sometimes, though, I come across interesting things like this little star fish!

We have company coming later today, and they will be here until Ryan and Charlotte arrive next week, so we will be busy, busy!  The weather has heated up for May, and everyone is saying how hot it is already for early in the season.  It may portend a hotter summer.... or it may just stay like this the rest of the summer.  Hard to say, but our bedroom AC is very nice at night!  

Ben is making weekly trips to La Paz to check on our 1930 Model A Roadster.  It's coming along nicely, and they are doing great work.  They promise that it will be done by the end of May.  Then Ben has a bunch of work to do in June to get it ready for the show in Reno the end of June!  
















I managed to survive another year, and we went to San Jose del Cabo with friends to celebrate my birthday on May 4.  Had a lovely relaxing day and a delicious dinner.  It was low key and perfect!  

I have started a 2018 May photo album, so you can check that out if you'd like.  

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

Pic-of-the-MONTH for April 13, 2018

Hola Amigos,

Did you notice the title of this one?  Pic-of-the-MONTH?  It has been a month since I wrote the last one, and I'm getting as slow as Ben about getting these out!  I guess that means we're busy..... or something.  

We are enjoying watching our "bottle brush" tree bloom right now.  It certainly makes a brilliant display, especially from the roof deck looking down on it.  In this picture you can see the buds getting ready to bloom, as well as the poofy pink flower in bloom.  

This was taken from the roof.  The blooms only last one day, so we are happy that it is more mature now and has more than the 5 blooms it had that first year!  It flowers for up to 3 or 4 weeks now.  Scientific name is Pseudobombax ellipticum.  

Ben is making weekly trips up to La Paz to check on his Model A progress at the body shop there.  It is coming along nicely.  He rarely takes pictures with his phone, so we'll just have to believe him on that!  He will probably take up the chassis next week so they can start putting it together.   

Ben has been working hard clearing our new property, mostly pruning trees and shrubs, but also raking up all the twigs and stickery things. He isn't getting too many scratches!  (He wears a hat and leather gloves at all times). It seems like every tree here has thorns.  We've also found a few neat cactus tucked away under all the brush.  Ben cuts the brush into short lengths, and after it dries a couple days, we have "campfires" in the evening instead of hauling it off to the dump.  We've made S'mores several times!  Our friend Pat found some Marshmallows at Chapito's Express, and I found Graham Crackers at Joe's Deli, and Hershey bars at Chapito's regular grocery store!  Ben made a roasting stick (broom stick with some stainless steel wire on the end), so we're set!    I am helping, too, by the way, especially with the raking and cleaning up, and sometimes moving a cactus.  After we're done, we go in and pull all the thorns and sticks out of the bottom of our shoes!  We were kind of surprised to find all the rocks under those trees, too.  

Our house is casting the shadow you see in this picture.  

The garden has been doing great this year.  Our corn is almost ready to start harvesting!  It isn't very tall, but it's green and healthy looking, and the cobs are filling out nicely....the second crop is doing even starting to form cobs. I've canned one batch of green beans, we've had them multiple times fresh, have eaten an abundance of lettuce and spinach, and our cucumbers have produced quite nicely.  I just pulled out all the remaining lettuce yesterday as it was starting to go to seed.

  

  
By the way, that little fence around the corn patch was very necessary!  I planted a few sunflower seeds outside the fence the other day, and as soon as they were sprouted, they were gone!  We do have bunnys in the neighborhood!  They are appreciating the leaves on all the pruning piles that Ben has piled up.  I have also noticed the burros and cows hanging around our place lately.  I'm sure they can smell this corn.... just hope the fence and cattle guard keep working.

We had company this last week!  Our nephew Ariel and his girlfriend Darling came to visit for a week.  They mostly stayed around here and had some great beach time, as the weather and water were warm, and the wind didn't blow!  They spent a lot of time snorkeling and swimming.  (Darling was impressed that I convinced Ariel to put on sun screen!)  They were lucky enough to spend a couple evenings dancing because a great Cuban band was in town for two of the nights they were here!  They were also able to spend a day in La Paz, and while there, Ariel swam with the Whale Sharks.  I think they'll be back!  

Zoey and I have been taking our daily walks first thing in the morning.  There is always something interesting to see and appreciate; the sunrise, rocks, flowers, cactus, shells, beach glass.... I have even taken a plastic bag several times to pick up garbage on the beach.  Last weekend was the second  "Easter vacation" weekend for Mexicans this year, and although they're much better about picking up their own garbage after camping on the beach, there is always something left behind.  I  pick up little bits of plastic, such as bottle caps, old toys, bottles and cans that end up on the beach.  Zoey is a real trooper and we manage over 2 kilometers every day.  (She then spends the rest of the day napping!)  Sam has decided he's too old to go on our long walks (he turned 11 on April 4), so he stays home and guards the house.  In this photo, Zoey is checking out all the campers on "HER" beach!  We didn't walk the beach that day, since she is so friendly she'd be walking through the middle of everyone's camp, checking for leftovers and making friends with everyone.   

These are the blooms from a Palo Verde tree I saw on my walk.  

And here's a sunrise when I got out REAL early one morning.  Actually, the sun was up, but it was making some neat colors behind those low clouds.

With that, I leave you to think about Baja and wish you were here to see this stuff!  I haven't started an album, and don't know if I will, so just enjoy these few pictures.

Hasta la proxima vez, whenever that will be!
Tus amigos de Baja,
Harriet, Ben, Sam & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Week for March 13, 2018

Hola Amigos,

I could be doing a lot of things right now.  I could be weeding my garden. I could be pruning brush on our new lot.  I could be canning a batch of green beans.  I could be working on a new quilt that is almost started (I do have the pattern picked out).  But instead, you lucky people, I forced myself to sit down at my computer and write to you!  Doesn't that make you feel special?  

This is a little flower I spotted on my morning walk with Zoey today.  Notice the bug on the left side.

Here's the update on our red truck, that was in the shop during the last writing...and in the shop all last week as well!  Turns out the problem was more complicated than we originally thought.  A turbo hose had been hooked up incorrectly, and the turbo was getting dirt and dust and "stuff" sucked into it, and was destroying itself!  Ugh!  So of course, our labor bill was higher than we thought, but the more expensive thing was all the parts, that had to be ordered from Guadalajara.  We are so happy that Ben found this diesel shop in La Paz (with the help of our car savvy friend Hector Manuel).  Not sure what we'd do without him (the mechanic and Hector Manuel!!)  Ben has used this mechanic previously for both of our trucks, but when we tried to find him a few months ago for another problem, the phone wouldn't connect.  So Ben sicced HM on the fellow, and thankfully, he found his new shop.  (Most private citizens don't have diesel vehicles, due to some old Mexican laws...therefore, not many mechanics know how to work on them.  The majority of diesel vehicles here are Mexican delivery trucks, buses, and the pickups Americans and Canadians bring down). 

Ben took the bus up to La Paz on Saturday and picked up the truck AND checked on the progress of the Model A Roadster.  Most of the parts of the Model A were still at the sand blaster, so he's going back today to see if there is anything left after all the rust was blown off!  (Hope so!)  

The garden is doing very well.  Cousin Tom would be proud of our little corn patch!  Ben keeps adding nitrogen as Tom suggested, so we should have a nice crop.  The first crop is now taller than our 2' fence, and the second crop isn't too far behind.  It's not a big patch of corn, but it will be plenty for us!  (The plywood leaning against the fence is to protect it from the stiff winds we've been having).  We are also getting cucumbers, and wonderful lettuce and spinach.  

There have been some absolutely gorgeous sunrises and sunsets lately.  One morning, the water was purple and pink from the reflections!  Wow!  You can see more sunrises and sunsets in the 2018 March album.

And the evenings are just as nice!

We are enjoying "campfires" in the new fire pit I built on the lot.  We will be burning a lot of brush, and since trash burning fires are illegal (except at the dump....go figure?) we do it at night as a recreational fire.  We'll burn it poco a poco!  We get out our lawn chairs and a little table, a glass of wine or two, and watch the stars come out.  Lovely!

If we get low on wood to burn from our lot, I have noticed all kinds of downed wood on my walks not far from the casa.  




The weather has warmed up quickly, and I no longer need a sweatshirt on my morning walk.  In fact, yesterday it was up to 90F.  The morning temps are high 60's and low 70's.  The only downside is that the winds are still blowing.  The winds are making their last gasp effort to make the kite boarders and wind surfers happy!  March is when it is supposed to be slowing down. 


Anyhow...it has been nice enough that we are spending more time on our front veranda watching the birds and bees and other wildlife that comes by.  The other day, a Jack Rabbit was pretty close (and where in the world were our lazy dogs?)  He was eating the Cholla cactus there, or some of it's fruit.  They must have really tough mouths to get around those thorns! 



  
Speaking of dogs, poor old Sam got kicked by a burro the other day on our morning walk.  Fortunately, it wasn't serious, but he's still a bit sore.  I took him to the vet to make sure nothing was broken and that he didn't have internal bleeding, and he's fine.  He is on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds for a week.  For some reason, he hasn't wanted to go on our walks with us since then.  Hmmmmm....  

Anyone want some bananas?  Another bunch got ripe, and we are eating them as fast as we can!  They are small, but sweet and good.  

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

Pic-of-the-Week for February 27, 2018

Hola Amigos!

It has been a busy 2 weeks since the last post, and it has turned "wintery" for Baja.  Wind, cool temperatures, and lots of cloudy days.  We're looking forward to warmer temps next week, and more sunshine!  (Low temps have been in the 50's, and that's really cold here near the tropics!  Highs have been low 70's.) 

We had our sofa reupholstered by a little shop in a garage in La Paz, and I am quite happy with the fabric I picked out in Oregon last summer!  They did a great job with it.  It cost $1,500MX, which equals $80US.  Not bad!

We closed on our property, and the corn crop planted on that piece of ground is doing great!  The first crop is about a foot tall, and the second crop (you can see it through the wire, is about 4" tall.    Not quite "knee high" yet!  It is doing quite well in spite of the cooler weather.

The bean crop is keeping me busy every day picking what's ripe.  We've been enjoying fresh beans very much.  

Our 2006 Ford truck decided to not start the other day.  😬  Of course, Ben had just washed it and we were ready to go to Cabo San Lucas to have lunch with friends who arrived on a cruise ship.  Fortunately, the 2001 truck still runs, so we did our day trip in that one, and met Patti & Tom at Solomon's Landing at the Marina.  

We arranged for a tow truck from La Paz to haul the truck to our diesel mechanic in La Paz.  When he came on Saturday morning, we decided we needed to pull it out of it's parking spot in the carport in order to load it on the hauler.  We hooked it up to the white truck, and when Ben turned the key to put it in neutral so we could tow it, he decided to go ahead and turn the key further "just in case"...... and it started!!!  Well... we still didn't know why it didn't start all day the day before, so we loaded it up and sent it off anyhow.  Here's a little tidbit for you on the price of things in Mexico.  Diesel is currently about $3.72 US per gallon.  Labor, to work on our pickup for two days, is $45 US!!!!  That's the total cost.  Really!  Hopefully, the truck will be ready by tomorrow.  Ben will take the bus up to La Paz to get it.  

On Monday, we used the white truck (old reliable!) to haul the 1930 Model A body and various parts to a body shop in La Paz.  They promise that they can have it done in 2 months, and we're hoping they're correct!  They are doing some nice work in that shop, and they're excited to work on the "A".  By the way, it took Ben and I 3 or 4 hours to get it loaded on the trailer.  It took 4 hombres at the shop less than 1 minute to get it from the trailer to the setup in their shop!  Sigh.... only so much muscle...but lots of time (at home!)  

FYI, there is a minimal amount of work being done on the 56 Jeep.  It seems like the Model A has taken precedence, and maybe NEXT year, we can get the Jeep done and start using it.  Sigh.... only so much time and money!

We had a solid day of rain a few weeks ago, so the Ocotillo is blooming.  Here's a couple blooms from my morning walk today.  Most of the time, the plant looks dead, but it almost always sends out blooms after a rain.  It makes a striking red splash in the desert! 

I have added a few more photos to the

2018 February album.  Take a peek.  

Ben is off today paying our property taxes in Santiago.  I'm hoping it doesn't rain because I'm doing some laundry!  (No dryer here...only my eco-friendly clothes line!).  I'm also waiting for the propane truck to show up.  Soon I hope, since we're very low right now.  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos en Baja

Harriet, Ben, Sam & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Week for February 13, 2018

Hola Amigos!

Feliz dia del Amor y Amistad!  (Manaña!)  



We are still remembering our 50 year anniversary celebration with fond memories!  Thank you for all your good wishes sent our way!  

Sad news.... Cousins Tom & Karan Malpass are leaving the neighborhood tomorrow.  The time has come to return to the duties at the farm in Oregon.  Sigh.... of course they are planning to return next winter, and we look forward to that!  We've enjoyed having them here for dinners and exciting games of Mexican Train.  Last night, we even had some fresh strawberry pie (and we all thought of Ryan and his love for Mom's homemade pie), so we took and sent him a picture.  😁  The good news about this.... I won the Mexican Train battle last night, after starting off with a horrible score!  Oh....and I haven't lost my ability to make a delicious pie.  

Good news ... the closing for our new property purchase is happening tomorrow here in Los Barriles.   And more good news; our corn crop is doing well on our new property.  I even planted the second crop, now that the first one is 6" high!  We put a fence around the little plot, since it looked like something (probably some local Jack Rabbits) had been nibbling on the tender little plants.  

Tom checks on the corn every day he comes over.  He's very pleased with the results so far!   He's just sorry he won't be here for harvest!  

I'm sure I will be picking beans in a few days as they are blooming and growing little beans quite nicely. and I've planted the second crop a few days ago; they are also ready to be strung today or tomorrow.  (Good thing I don't have to bend all the way to the ground to string these things!)

I have been continuing my daily walks with the dogs (except Sam didn't want to go today).  I get great opportunity to take pictures early in the morning with my i-phone (which also tracks how far I've walked).  Here are a few examples:

There are some BIG old cactus to the southwest of our casa (you can see our casa in the middle of this picture, behind that other cactus).  This is a gradual slope up as I hike towards Highway 1, and I've had to take a leash to PULL Sam up!  He looks at me like "you've got to be kidding!"  Today, he opted to not go with us on the hike!  He stayed home with Ben.

I don't seem to get up and at 'em quite soon enough for the early sunrise, but when there are clouds, I still get some good colors.  

And some days, when we have bigger waves, I can get shots like this!  Whoosh!  Of course, Zoey barks when I'm walking next to the water, or when I stop to pick up some glass or a shell, or when I stop to take a picture!  She only barks when I'm going south.  When I turn around and head back home, she quits barking!  Silly dog!!  

Friends Katie and Mel headed north a few days ago, too.  They are going to another fishing hole (the Umpqua River in Oregon), and were anxious to head out.  We went out and visited them at their camp last week before they left, and admired what they had done with the "Purkey Fish Gate" that we donated to the cause.  They are doing something that we dream about, but never accomplish...they're taking their time going north, visiting lots of friends along the way.  Someday!  

And finally, Rebecca sent a drawing that our grandson David had done of a dachshund, and in one look, I decided it was Zoey!  Great job, David!  (I especially liked the caption "Do not wash", as Zoey does NOT like water!)

Don't you think it looks just like her?  

I have started a 2018 February album.  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos de Baja
Harriet, Ben, Sam & Zoey