Pic-of-the-Week for March 3, 2015

Hola Amigos,

Another kind of busy, kind of quiet week has passed.  No major activities, like whale watching...just normal stuff.  I've been busy with organizing the Ladies Spring Conference our church is holding the end of this month, and with my music for the church choir and community choir (keeping my fingers active tinkling those piano keys), and some gardening.  My beans are blooming, and to the top of the wire!  Hooray!  I've planted two corn crops, and the first one has sprouted.  I have to spend a lot of time out there making sure the dogs haven't trampled through it, and to cheer it on!  I'm trying some new varieties this year that take less time to mature.  It seems like I've also been making a lot of pies lately, what with the strawberry vendor showing up at our house regularly, and the lemons being available at the veggie store.  

Ben has been spending a lot of time upgrading his web site for Martin Parry owners.  Ryan built it for him originally, and has trained Ben to do many of the updates that he requested....most of the time.  If you want to take a peak at it, it's at http://www.martin-parry.com/   He's recently been scanning some dealer catalogs that are now located under "Technical Info".  (I was wondering what he was going to do with the Martin-Parry stuff he was buying off E-Bay!  Now I know!)

He has also been working on building kitchen cabinets for a Mexican friend in El Campamento who has a tiny little house, and a tiny little kitchen with no cabinets!  I think she's going to be pleasantly surprised when she sees what he has built for her!    

These are the doors.  He has made them out of oak, and the melamine shelves help keep out the termites.  

He also just discovered termites in a shelf he made for our churches sound equipment!  It must have been in the wood when he built it, but they weren't noticeable until they sat in the church for several weeks!  Get out the bug spray!!

Things are growing fast around here, including our agave, which is now putting out side branches.  

And just to the right of the agave and cactus, we have a Neem tree stump that we are trying to eradicate!  We've been having evening "campfires" around the stump, and it's going to take a few more fires before we have it gone.  Hopefully, we'll burn enough that it will give up and not sprout any more, but we're not holding our breath!  

It's very nice to have the new brick path on which to set our chairs!  

Since we extended and improved our drain system, this stump won't be standing in water any more, so it should be not as eager to grow.  (The plywood behind the fire is to protect the little palm behind it, which we'd like to keep.  

Our dogs want you to know that it is a pretty relaxed life down here, with lots of "soft spots" to lay down and rest, in the sun or out of it.  We've had one more visitor cancellation, and we have a room available at least until April 14.  And we just got an ad from Alaska airlines that they have some special one-way fares from here (San Jose del Cabo - SJD) to LA ($178) and Portland ($219).  Check it out!!  Maybe some of my lady friends would like to come down for our church's Ladies Conference March 20 - 21???  

 This photo of the dogs is on the window seat next to my piano, where they have to be whenever I'm playing the piano!  They love their music....or they love the soft seat in the sunshine close to wherever I happen to be!  

Last week was Dia de la bandera in Mexico (flag day).  That's the only day they put up the Mexican flag on the Flag Monument near us.  They have a big celebration and speeches and a band and choir.  We can see it from our house, and always appreciate it when it's up.  It's a very impressive sight!  Here it is from the south side (the lighting was a bit better).

I've started a March 2015 Picasa album.  Not much in it yet, but there will be!  I even set it up so you can get into it and look!  

Hasta la proxima semana,

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey