Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Pic-of-the-Week for February 25, 2014

Hola, Amigos,

Yes!  I am back in warm, sunny Baja, Mexico!  Hooray.  Yes, I did have to leave behind some really sweet kids, but I've had my annual quota of below freezing weather, thank you very much!  I'm sure that eventually, Eleanor will have as sweet a smile as her brothers.  She's doing pretty good for just 3 weeks old in this photo! 


 I had an uneventful flight home (thank goodness, since I woke that morning with an upset stomach!  That's no way to fly, especially in a window seat!)  Since I have my permanent immigrant card, I was able to go through the Mexican line at Immigration instead of standing in a long line with all the tourists, and my luggage came fairly quickly.  I had my Mexican cell phone, so I called Ben, and he was promptly to the curb to pick me up.  That worked very well!  Then, we needed to spend about 5 more hours in town while waiting for Ben's brother Greg and his wife Cherlenne to arrive at the airport from Eugene later that afternoon.  We visited the San Jose Marina, ate at a hotel restaurant there (outdoors, of course) and then parked in a shady spot and took naps!  

The next day, after getting a few necessary things done here at home, we took off for whale watching with Greg and Cherlenne and friends Sandy and Debi at Puerto San Carlos on Magdalena Bay on the Pacific side of Baja.  It is about a 4 hour trip from here, past La Paz and on northwest to Mag Bay.  We found that our guide Crispin had invited us for dinner at another hotel; he fixed Margaritas, Swordfish steaks, rice and salad.  Oh...and then he gave us steamed clams to eat as well!  What a meal!  
  
One thing about these whale watching trips, at least with Crispin... we eat way more than usual....and all seafood.  

 Here are Greg and Cherlenne ready to go whale watching the next morning.  (No they aren't going to an Oregon Duck football game!)  

I couldn't resist taking this photo of Sandy and Debi in Crispin's panga...the water was so calm, and the reflections were amazing. 
 And we saw whales.  This time, none came up to the boat, but we were able to get fairly close to several of them, including a Mama and her baby.    We also went to a beach and picked up a few shells and hiked through very soft sand (footsteps were 6" and more deep!)


 While we were beach combing, Crispin and Juan (our other guide) were back at the boats cleaning clams we'd bought off a boat earlier in the day, and making hor d'oeuvres for us of fresh clam ceviche in the half shell!  Add a little lime juice and hot salsa... perfect! 

Then, that night at dinner, Crispin fixed us lobster that we'd bought earlier in the day!  Ay ay ay!!!  We were stuffed (I didn't bother to tell you about the boiled shrimp at lunchtime!!) 

 
I've probably gone overboard on the food pictures this time, but maybe this will help convince some of you who are sitting on the fence to come visit us after all.  We DO eat well here!  ;-) 

Yesterday, Ben, Greg and Cherlenne went fishing with amigo Harold; it was a gorgeous day, and they did spot a few marlin, but there was no catching done.  Nice boat ride, though!  Yesterday was Mexican Flag Day, and there was a ceremony up at the flag monument near our house.  That is the one day of the year when they fly a flag up there.  Wish they'd do it more often!  This shot was taken from our carport balcony.

 
More photos are posted in our February 2014 Picasa Album.  I even have comments on most of them now.  Sorry if I led you astray with the album link last week.  One of the features trying to build this with a Kindle and an on-screen keyboard, I guess! 

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

Monday, February 17, 2014

Pic-of-the-Week for February 18, 2014

Hola Amigos,

I am sitting here in Rebecca's living room, typing one-handed because I am snuggling a sweet little baby girl.  We are also watching the snow come down on Monday afternoon.  We should get 3 to 6 inches today (Monday).  Tomorrow will be the first day above freezing since I've been here.  And on Wednesday, I head back to 80+ degree Baja.  I will probably faint from the heat!!  I will miss this little sweetheart and her brothers, though.



Rebecca had knee surgery last Friday for a torn meniscus, so she is appreciating having me here to fetch things for her, including a baby, once in a while!!  She is doing OK, but still hasn't been able to manage stairs yet.  Soon, we hope!  In the meantime, she is camping out in the living room, since the bedrooms are upstairs!  Tim  finished up a major paper for his Master's degree on Friday, and he is a great help with the boys and in the kitchen.  AND.... he changes dirty diapers!!  He bundled them up and took them out to play in the snow, and that is a major process...but the boys had fun sledding on the hill in their front yard.
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While they were outside, Rebecca and Eleanor rested on the sofa,and this is also becoming Eleanor's favorite place to nap, too, as you can see!

I am enjoying time with David and Aaron, too.  They are very busy guys... I am amazed at David's reading skills for a boy who just turned 4, he can read just about anything.  Aaron loves to have books read to him, especially "The Little Engine That Could".  I bought the book for them since it was his Mommy's favorite book when she was his age.  I think Aaron's goal is to have it read to him as many times as his Mom had it read to her!  He almost has every word memorized, and if you stop reading, he will happily fill in the blanks!  We have made cookies and done some other fun things


In Baja, Ben has been trying to arrange a whale watching trip, but it hasn't' t happened yet, due to wind and/or busy schedules.  Ben's brother Greg and his wife Cherlenne will be coming the same day I get back from Chicago.  It will be good to share some warm weather with them!  Cherlenne is missing the tropical fruit she used to eat in the Philippines.  We hope to supply her with enough to keep her happy for a while!  Ben did take a couple pics this week... one of our orchids is blooming again!  I guess my fertilizer regimen paid off!


It looks like Ben has visits Costco, too, because I saw some other blooms, and although ours were sending out bloom stalks, nothing would be ready in just two weeks.  I'm happy!

There are some more photos in our February 2014 Picasa album.

Next week, I promise more "warm" pics, although I've had some pretty warm hugs while I've been here!  :-)

Your amigos in Chicago and Buena Vista...
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam and Zoey (whose 3rd birthday was the 17th)

Monday, February 10, 2014

Pic-of-the-Week for February 11,2014

Hola Amigos,

Did you know that it has not been above freezing since I got here a week ago?  And the extended forecast show that maybe by next Monday the daytime high might be above freezing?  I know many of you were in the same boat  (or sled) last week, and don't feel a bit sorry for me... so I guess I had better not cry any more, but I sure will be happy to get back to temps above 70 during the day!!!  Of course, the benefits of being here are those great moments with the grandkids.  Granted, there are a few trying moments (with toddlers aged 2 and 4!), but we'll probably all survive my visit!!  I get to hold Eleanor and had to take a photo of her the other day when she was in my lap, and the sun was shining on her little head.  What do you think of this hair?

This grandma thinks it is pretty special!

I'm pretty good at multi-tasking.... crocheting a baby blanket (keeping the baby warm with it) and holding the baby in my lap!

Aaron and David are both very intelligent (and good looking) boys, and they certainly keep their parents busy with all their questions and requests and busyness.  David can spend hours playing with any kind of ABC's, and Aaron likes to watch train videos and read books (with help, of course).  This was a quiet moment when they were watching a video down in the basement.

And here, David was using his Mom's camera to take photo of the baby, then me!


And here, Aaron is using the sofa as a mountain to climb!

Of course, everything is being done indoors, since the outside temps are extremely low, especially on the clear, sunny days.  The older neighbor kids don't seem to mind, and usually are out for at least 1/2 hour in the afternoons playing in the snow.  I even saw a teenage  boy  wearing only jeans and a t-shirt shoveling snow the other day!  Good grief!  As I write this as 9:30, the temp is 4 degrees F.

We have made a few trips out and about, one morning over to Tim's parent's home so I could  use Dorthy's sewing machine to work on Eleanor's quilt (sewed on the binding).  Now I am finishing it by hand.  I'll be sure to take a photo of the final results, preferably with Eleanor lying on it!   We all went to church on Sunday morning, and Eleanor was dedicated to the Lord.


Then we went out to breakfast with Tim's folks, his Uncle, and his brother and sister-in-law.  Aaron appreciated his hot chocolate, thank you very much!

I had a special treat on Monday.  I connected with a friend from years and years ago thanks to Facebook (and a mutual friend).  She happens to live in the same town as my daughter, just a few blocks away!  We spent the morning talking and doing some major catching up. She is almost related to me, because my cousin John used to be her uncle when he was married to her Aunt Grace!   When she came over to Rebecca's house to pick me up, several ladies were cleaning the house.  One of the ladies, an African refugee, recognized her voice and called out to her!  The lady had lived with her (she has housed over 60 refugees in her home) and they were very surprised to see each other in a "strangers" home!  Small world!  I did a project while I was at her house....snow dying!  Yikes!  Yes, you use snow on top of your fabric, and sprinkle the dye on it.  I will wash it out tomorrow and see how it turns out.  (It was about 10 degrees when I was out there doing this project!  Thank goodness it didn't take too long).



She is really taller than me by quite a bit, but I'm standing on a step!  Anyhow, we had a good time together.

I have put a whole bunch of photos in my February 2014 album.  I might even put a few captions on eventually!  Lots of SNOW pictures, and KID pictures.  If Ben has taken any photos this week, I'd be surprised!

Until next week, your friend in frigid Illinois, and your warm friends in Baja,
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam  Zoey

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Pic-of-the-Week for February 4, 2014

Hola Angola.

I (Harriet) arrived in snowy Chicago on Monday; a day early due to a big snow storm that is supposed to come in here today.  I left Ben and Ryan ( and the dogs)  at home in balmy Baja.  I did not bring my computer; only my Kindle, so I am a bit hampered in downloading photos. And I am counting on Ben to send this out.

From here, life in a household with two toddlers and an infant is "normal" chaos!  I did enjoy reading a Dr Suess book (twice) to the boys this morning, and since it is a favorite of Aaron's I imagine I will be reading it a lot more times!  Looking forward to shopping in some US stores while I am here, and bringing back all the goodies we have been accumulating here. Below is a photo I took with my Kindle out their front window.  Already lots of snow and more coming.


Ben and I are happy to report that we got our permanent Immigrant cards last Friday!  That means a few more privileges (free govt health insurance) and the end of a yearly process.  It was nice they came just before my trip!

Our agave plant is just finishing blooming...it has been fun to watch!


Today's letter is short...I am still learning to type on my Kindle and correcting spell check assumptions!  Can't use any shortcuts here!

I have started a February 2014 picasa album.  It does have some sweet photos of baby Eleanor that Rebecca took last week.



Short letter this week!  Maybe next week I will use a computer to do this!

Harriet in Chicgo, and Ben, Ryan, Sam and Zoey in Baja