Pic-of-the-Month for March 2023

 Hola Amigos,

Rich Malpass, a few years ago...

This month started out tough for me (Harriet).  I shared with you in last month's letter about my brother Rich being very sick.  With circumstances being what they were, and him getting worse, I traveled up to Junction City, Oregon Tuesday February 28 to be with him and help him out.  I saw him Wednesday morning, after he had been to the hospital again on Monday.  He was on oxygen, and had been assigned Hospice care, thank goodness.  Every day I was there, one or more Hospice people arrived to check him over and help him.  While they were there, I managed to get appointments with Veterans Affairs to talk about assisted living, buy him a burial plot, talk with the local mortuary, talk with neighbors who offered to help in any way, and meet with two men who had been helping him a lot in my absence, Donn D and John S.  I was able, with the help of some prayer warriors, to get an awful lot done in the time I had with him.  I found which bank he had directed his Veterans' benefit so he didn't have to worry about that, found many important papers in his "hidden" brief case, including his military dismissal papers.  Every appearance of Hospice people confirmed that he only had hours to live. Thankfully, they showed me how to administer his medications to help him be more comfortable, and he passed away peacefully Friday evening March 3.  Our sister Shelley flew in from Montana later that evening, so she didn't get to say goodbye to him, but it sure was nice to have her there to help me.  

Shelley and I spent the three days she was there cleaning out his RV, and moving his car out of the RV park where he'd been living.  We also went through 6 grocery bags full of old mail and receipts and miscellaneous papers, and got it down to one neat stack, unhooked all his computer gear and peripherals and packed it up, cleaned out the fridge and freezer and pantry and donated much of the unopened food items.  We froze two bank accounts, re-routed his mail, and talked with the mortuary.  We asked for a rush on the Death Certificates, since I hoped to leave on the 11th.  Shelley left early Tuesday morning, and that afternoon, I was able with the help of a very nice neighbor of Rich's, to get his motor home started (a new battery helped) and moved to storage.  I was able to contact the correct people at Veterans and get his Disability benefits stopped (yes, the same ones I'd just "found" for him again!)  And believe it or not, I was able to get the Death Certificates on Thursday afternoon.  I scanned them for my computer files, and they have been very helpful since then!  I'm planning on having a Memorial Service for Rich in July when we are back in Oregon.

While in Oregon, I was graciously offered the use of my cousins Tom & Karan's nice Ford pickup to get around (heated steering wheel and seats were wonderful in that weather!!), and a place to stay and to be picked up and dropped off at the airport (Ben's brother Dan and his wife Laura).  It was a crazy busy time, and the weather was unusually cold for that time of year (at least it seemed like it to my Baja bones), but I was able to get around with no problems.  I was well fed, had a comfortable bed, and had packed almost enough warm clothing!! (I did have to buy a pair of jeans and some warmer socks at Goodwill!)  

I got back to Baja Sur on the afternoon of the 11th, greeted friends and relatives at my casa, and went to a Lack Family concert that night at our favorite beach restaurant, La Playa!  I was exhausted but so happy to be back home.  And the music was wonderful. 

 While I was gone, Ben did a bang up job of keeping the beans picked, as well as tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, and whatever else needed harvesting.  He even canned two canners full of green beans after I sent him the instructions!  First time he's ever done that!!  

We have now done 4 canners full, and our normal shelf is full and overflowing, and we have beans still blooming!!  We've also got a ton of tomatoes with which Ben has been making a delicious salsa (used for Huevos Rancheros), and I canned some tomato sauce.  We've given some away and are trying to keep up; it's a real challenge, but a nice one!

We really enjoyed the times we got to spend with our friends Tony and Janet, who were staying down here at a friend's home for a couple months.  They've just recently left and are almost home to Oregon, waiting for some clear mountain passes.  We didn't get to do any boating, like we talked about with them, but maybe next time!  Janet, who owns GypsyWind Clothing in Sisters, Oregon, sold some clothing down here that was very popular with all the ladies!  (Yes, I managed to find a few new things, too!)  

Our drinks are Jamaica, a very popular (non-alcoholic) drink, Hibiscus flower tea. 

We've also been having fun with cousins Tom and Karan, who come to visit us regularly from La Paz, Centenario area, where they're building a new home.  And of course, Katie and Mel are still here; longer than normal for them, but we're taking advantage of them being here!  (Still having fun and eating good food!)  And, we have some company coming for a few days this next week from Oregon.   

I got behind on my walking while I was in Oregon, so I've been trying to catch up.  I'm pretty sure I'll manage to get my 60 miles in before month end next week, but it will be close! 

We have a new partial wall (from the road to the north about 40 feet) and Ben got it painted.  Our neighbors' new home is a-m-o-s-t done; they are waiting for a few doors and some cabinets and granite counter tops.  It is looking very, very nice. 

Photos for the month are in March 2023 album.  

We hope you are all well, and that spring is about to spring wherever you are.  We are not on Daylight time in Mexico, and not going on it, so we are now the same time as Pacific Daylight time.  

Sitting here with the door open, sun shining, and thinking about dinner.....

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Month for February 2023

 Hola Amigos,

Happy February everyone!  That includes greetings for Valentine's Day, President's Day, Flag Day and Constitution Day (here in Mexico), my brother Rich's birthday, grandson David's birthday, Rebecca (our daughter) and Tim's 15th wedding anniversary, Super Bowl and Zoey's 12th birthday.  It's been a busy month!  Flag Day was today here in Mexico, and I actually caught the huge Mexican flag up on the flag pole, evidently just as they were taking it down.  They have a celebration at the Flag Monument here in Buena Vista every year, and as I took my walk this morning said to myself, "I have to look up on my calendar and see what day Flag Day is, so I can get a picture of the flag."  Well, when I was coming home from a trip into Los Barriles later in the morning, there it was, blowing in the breeze!  I hurried on south to the entrance to Rancho Buena Vista, and got a few shots of it.  By the time I turned the pickup truck around, they were already lowering it.  Sure wish they'd keep it up there all the time!  

This has been a "stay at home and get things done" kind of month.  No special trips, other than Vet visits for Zoey and to the tax office in Santiago for us to pay our annual property taxes.  This year, we paid about $143 US for the lot with our house on it, and $870 for the lot next door with no buildings.  Yes, that's correct.  You pay less taxes when you have a house on your lot, because then you're a family contributing to society.  Our tax payment includes free garbage service by our house 2 days a week all year long.  We got the tax payment done early enough that we had time for breakfast at Palomar Restaurant in Santiago before we had to go pick Zoey up after her blood tests at the Vet's office.  It's always fun to go there, and the food was very good.  (Palomar for the food, not the Vet's office!) 

I've been working on a project for my friend Janet, who has a clothing store in Sisters, Oregon (Gypsy Winds).  When I helped her at her store during the Sisters Quilt Show last year, she saw a lady with a quilt square sewed on her top, and got the idea that that would sell really well, then turned to me and said "would you like to make quilt squares for me?"  Well...long story short, I did.  I have a few more to do, and there is a possibility of more in the works down the road.  She decided she'd like a butterfly motif, so I bought a template, then figured out I needed some fusible webbing, and these turned out to be different than any quilt squares I've ever made!  Here's a sample of some I've done of the 10" squares.  (I did the flower in the corner, which is regular cut and piece and sew, before I got the fusible webbing). 

So far, this is the only "quilting" project I've don't for a while.  And I might just make myself a small blanket with this theme.  I only have 2 packages of the fusible webbing, so I'm somewhat limited.

I've also done a much better job this month with my walking goal.  I've already reached this month's goal, so I'm adding to the yearly total and this will make up for the months in the summer when I don't always get out there.  This is a task that I enjoy doing (most of the time), and you can't beat the scenery!  I'm currently at almost 120 miles.

Ben has been making his occasional trips to La Paz.  He took our '56 Willy's Jeep up there a while ago to get the brakes re-done.  They needed a lot of work, as someone told him "You've got more engine power than brake power!"  Hopefully, that will be done soon.  He's also going to meet with our car insurance provider, who is being a lot sticky about paying out for parts to repair our pickup truck front bumper, where Ben hit a BIG PIG (he thinks) on one of his earlier trips to La Paz.  Fortunately, he's done his homework, and he will have a good Spanish translator with him who is a real go-getter.  

The garden is doing amazingly well this year.  We don't know if its the TLC that Ben gives it, or the good dirt and cow manure, or the cooler temps, but we have tomatoes coming on nicely, I've picked my first handful of green beans, we are giving away lettuce because we can't eat it as fast as it ripens.  We've been enjoying radishes, spinach, cilantro, squash, beets, cucmbers, beans, and he'll soon plant our first crop of corn.  Thank goodness, the cows have not returned to our garden since last month.  

There's at least one very interesting project going on in Los Barriles.  There has been much land moving / clearing going on the property on the street into town, just past the barrels.  However, there are two huge boulders sitting there, waiting to roll down and crush some unwary person.  They've been hovering up there on the dirt ledge since October, I believe.  Today as I drove by, I couldn't believe my eyes.  There were two men drilling holes in one of the boulders and driving rebar in it (and one jefe watching), supposedly to break off pieces a bit at a time??  Anyhow, you wouldn't catch me standing on top of that thing, not where it's perched!  Yikes!  We've all been waiting for it to roll down the hill, across the street, and into Chapitos Mercado (grocery store) for months now!  I imagine there are betting pools around town on when this thing is going to fall!  Hopefully, no one will be injured in the downsizing of this thing.

I found out that my brother Rich has been ill with Pneumonia, and that his lung cancer has returned (he had radiation and chemo last summer).  Fortunately for him, an old Junction City classmate of mine, Donn D, has been helping him by taking him to VA appointments, getting him food, and trying to straighten out his VA paperwork, and supporting him in any way he can.  Another man, retired military Chaplin John S, has also been visiting and helping him.  I may need to make a trip up to Oregon in the near future, but right now, I think these men have it under control.  Please remember Rich in your prayers, and if you're close by, I can give you his address and phone number.  He can always use some easy to fix food items, or maybe someone to get his propane water heater fixed.

Here in Baja, we're looking forward to more garden goodies, good times visiting friends, and enjoying the warmer weather, which will be coming any day now, we hope!  It has been noticeably cooler and windier here this winter.  Our little heater has been running a LOT!  Today is a nice sunny day, but the temp is only 71F.  

Look in our February 2023 album for more pictures of our activities.

Hasta el proximo mes,

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Month for January 2023

 

 

 Hola Amigos!

 

Yes, it is again the last day of the month and I am finally sitting down to write what happened in January!  Can't be too quick...I might miss something!

 

We had bananas!  Wow!  Did we have bananas!  I think this was the biggest bunch we've ever had, and they were as delicious as ever.  If you've never had ripened in your own garden bananas, you are missing something special!   We probably gave away over half of them, and still had plenty for ourselves.   It took both of us to carry it into the garage where we hang the bunches, letting them ripen. 

We celebrated New Year's Eve at La Playa Restaurant, and I couldn't believe it but we actually made it to past midnight (12am)!! We figured we'd last maybe to Baja midnight (9pm), but the music was good, the company fun, and the food great.  So we stayed, and Ben and I actually got out on the dance floor, which is an extremely rare occurrence!  We did have fun.

The weather has been coolish (for Baja!), highs usually in the low 70's, lows in the 50's or 60's.  We are glad we have our little propane fireplace; it keeps us cozy on those cold days, and friends are always happy to see it when they come visit, too! Of course, Zoey will take advantage of it any time it's on, especially if we put a rug or blanket down for her.  You can see here where she bungled up the rug to make herself a nice bed! 

 

 

 

 

We have taken two trips out to visit our friends Katie and Mel at Los Frailes with our little trailer.  The first time, we were joined by our neighbors Brian and Hope.  Being retired military, he showed us how to make a comfortable bed and cook a meal without all the extras.  They did great cooking over a fire and building a bed platform in the back of their pickup truck.  It worked pretty darn good for them, even on a windy night.  

The first trip, Ben and Mel went fishing and caught a couple fish (nice sized Dorado and another one I've forgotten).  I was planning on doing some hiking, but wasn't feeling up to par after suffering from a nasty cold, so I stayed in camp and read, relaxed and did some needle work.  

The second trip, this last weekend (which was also our 55th wedding anniversary), the fishing wasn't successful, but we had a great time watching an off-road race that came by there, the Baja300.  Ben took our shade tent, and he and Mel set it up near the road and took our camp chairs and a table.  Lots of fun!  And man, did those cars raise a lot of dust!  Fortunately, sometimes it went to the other side of the road, but we got it sometimes, too.  (See a couple videos in the January 2023 album for the race cars coming by.)  The tires and gas across the road are for the CanDoo race pit, just in case. 

Anyhow, it was another fun trip.  Ate well, (too much, usually!), and took some hikes this time since I'm feeling better. 

We had company visit us for a few days mid-month.  Our niece Chrys Purkey came down for a quick trip (a Christmas gift from her significant other who stayed home with their two boys).  She's great company, knows her way around, and loves to hike into town and back from our house.  Hopefully, next time she comes we'll be more healthy and feel like doing more with her, or at least send her in the right direction for things to do.  The picture below is Chrys passing Rancho Buena Vista, on her way to points south, maybe 3 or more miles.  I was taking my normal route, and this is where I leave the beach.

 I'm on my way to my walking goal this year of 650 miles, although the first part of January was a bust due to my cough and cold.  I managed to get out this morning and complete my January goal of 55 miles.  Hopefully, the rest of the year will be easier because I can spread it out a bit!  

One of the discouraging things that happened this month is that a rogue cow got into our yard somehow one night (our neighbor has some very suspicious fence lines), and ate most of my Hibiscus, the roses, a few bean plants, cucumbers, and some Zinnias.  To get out, she jumped over our new gate, and kind of knocked down one of the posts there.  We've asked the neighbor to fix his fences, and he has, mostly.  There are still a few very weak areas, and we'll keep an eye on it.  Surprisingly, I had a Hibiscus bloom last week.  I guess she missed that one in the dark!  

 Zoey's 12th birthday is coming up in February, and she is really showing her age.  She's also been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease ( a serious health condition in dogs that occurs when the adrenal glands overproduce cortisol (cortisone) in the animal's body.)  We are treating it, but have no idea how long she can survive with it as it is not curable.  Right now, possibly due to the Cushing's and a low immunity system, we are fighting an ear infection with her.  Ugh.  Poor thing.  She still always wants to go out walking with me in the mornings;  she goes less than a 1/2 mile, but she's still walking.....SLOWLY!  She also manages to get over to visit the builders working on our neighbor's new house.  Especially when they're having a meal!!  That's one of the symptoms of Cushing's.  Always hungry and thirsty.  

Our garden is looking wonderful.  We have huge amount of lettuce right now, and we're working on the 4th crop of radishes, hope to have more cucumbers come on, and Ben's tomato plants are loaded, but still mostly green.  We've also got beets, the green beans are climbing the wires (not blooming yet), and the peas he planted are doing very well, too.  We've got some squash that are almost ripe (they look like pumpkins, but are called Amber Cup, or Sunshine Kabocha.)  

Left to right:  Peas, two rows of lettuce, 2 rows of beets and then tomato plants.  

Believe it or not, it has been raining most of the day here.  It started sprinkling on my morning walk, and has continued most of the day.  Kind of a nice break, but I'll be ready for sunshine tomorrow or the next day!  (You probably don't want a picture of rain, so here's one from my morning walk of a fellow out paddle boarding in pretty rough water ... at least it looks rough to me!)  

Hasta la proxima mes,

Tus amigos en Baja

Harriet, Ben & Zoey

 

PS.  Again, the picture album is at 2023 January!

 

Pic-of-the-Month for December 2022

 Hola Amigos!

Happy New Year!  Feliz Año Nuevo! Were you wondering if I was going to come through with a final update for the year?  Well, I'm kind of surprised myself.  Time does fly, and things don't always get done in a timely manner.  By my clock, I have a few hours left to get this out to you all.

We have been busy, busy, busy!  Gardening, quick trip to Oregon, parades, car shows, company, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas concerts, ATV fun ride, Christmas dinner, major tree pruning, walking, multiple trips to La Paz to get things done, and at least one trip for fun (combined with the car show).  I hope I can remember the highlights but not bore you to tears! 

 

Karan and I on a morning walk.  Cousin Tom took this pic.  Nice job! 

 I took a quick trip to Oregon in early November to get two skin cancers taken care of, and expected cool, late fall weather.  Well, I got full-on winter!  Freezing temps, strong wind, snow, rain, and more snow!  The weather was bright and sunny several of those days (still very cold), but the day I left from Redmond airport, they had to de-ice the plane!  Thanks to my good friends Tony and Janet Kronemeyer, I got my appointments in Bend taken care of, (they dropped me off and picked me up!) and I managed to get a flu shot and Covid booster done, too.  And I snuck in a little bit of shopping  as well.  The Kronemeyers also hosted me at their lovely home in Sisters. 

The Three Sisters in Oregon after a nice fresh snow fall.

When I returned to Baja, there were a lot of things scheduled for the rest of November.  For the first time in 2 years, due to Covid shut downs, Mexico was ready to celebrate Revolution Day, November 20.  We have participated in the local parade here since Ben has restored his 1929 Model A pickup quite a few years ago.  That vehicle is a popular one for the Queen and princesses to ride in.  The 1928 Woody is used for the younger royalty.  I let my cousin Tom Malpass drive the pickup this year (my usual job) since they were visiting us for the week, and he just loves to double clutch!!  (Ha!)  

 

 

Tuesday of that week, the 22nd, was a

special event in town for all the Non-Profit organizations in the area, including the one Ben and I are part of, "Feeding the Hungry".  Fortunately for us, our neighbor Brian got involved and had a fun "The Price is Right - guess the cost of grocery" game, and Gordon Blackie, the FTH financial guy, invited all his neighbors from his RV park to come play the game and vote for us.  It was a great time, and believe it or not, our group won the vote for the most liked non-profit!  As a result, we won $2500 US from the local Real Estate company that put the show on.  That was a great benefit to our organization, which assists the needier people in town with regular monthly food vouchers.

 On Thursday that week the 24th, we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 of us.  Ben smoked a turkey that was delicious, as usual!  Of course we had the requisite pumpkin and apple pie and pecan bars, and all the goodies to go with it.  Cousin Tom said it was ALL good!  

That weekend was the car show in La Paz (the 26th & 27th), and the organizer, Hector Manuel Amarillas convinced Ben to bring his Woody, and Edgar Majalca, the man whose body shop restored the 1930 Roadster, asked him to bring that car to demonstrate his workmanship.  SO.... multiple trips to La Paz hauling cars on the car trailer, and figuring out where to park the trailer, and jockeying Model A's from here to there.  The show was at a different venue this year, the city Performance Theatre, and it was really quite nice, other than lack of shade and limited restrooms!  Anyhow, Ben got both cars there, parked in the "Model A" area (there were several others).  Then, as a surprise to us, Edgar Majalca proceeded to polish the Woody with his special ceramic finish.  Wow!  It was beautiful!  What a treat.  OK....it was worth it bringing both cars.  

 After the car show, Ben had to make several more trips to La Paz to haul Mel and Katie's car to a repair shop, and to get the "extra" Model A back home!  Thankfully, Hector Manuel let us store the woody at his house (which is very close to the Theater). 

Phew!  What a busy week in a busy month!

December has been slightly less busy, with a lot of work around the house, and a few fun things thrown in the mix.  Gordon Blackie, our Feeding the Hungry(FTH) financial guy, is also a great ATV trail maker, and organized another fund raiser for FTH, a 28 mile long fun ride up in the hills, down arroyos and canyons, on the beach, through areas with ditches you didn't think possible to cross, up beautiful arroyos with water running in them.  He had also set up rest stops where you could get a cold beer or soft drink or water, and even one area with a campfire where you could make a S'more!  Or have tequila shots!   You don't realize how amazing this countryside is until you can get up there and experience it in that way.  Anyhow, he did a fantastic job as usual, got lots of folks to help him with the Country Music theme, and didn't lose one rig!  Kudos to Gordon for a job very well done! 

On December 17th, I played the piano for the singing group at the Saturday Market.  We sang some good old Christmas Carols, and many folks got into the spirit and sang along.  Fun time, other than trying to keep my music pinned down with the wind blowing!  This was the view from my piano before the music started.  

The next week, I went to a Cookie exchange party (YUM!) and on Christmas Eve, to a Soup share party.  On Christmas Day, we again had a total of 10 for dinner.  Pic is of the cookie exchange.

 

 After all the celebrations, we've been very busy getting things done around here.  Ben got out his chain saw, and has been pruning (severely) some of our Mesquite trees.  He then clips all the leaves and little branches off, then uses his chop saw to cut the remaining branches into fire pit sized fire wood.  He has done an amazing amount of work, and finishes the work so it's all neat and tidy every day.  I help by dragging limbs to the pruning spot, or raking up debris, or holding a branch with a rope so we don't loose them over the bank.  We've both ended up with scratches on arms and legs, since Mesquite are very thorny.  But we have been enjoying the fires in the evenings.  

OK.  That's about it.  If you've got this far, congratulations!  You have persevered!  Oh, by the way, I managed to log 725 miles walking this year.  Hopefully, I'm a bit healthier, and can do the same next year.  

Have a great New Year, and we hope to hear from you whenever you get the chance.  

Picture albums!  November 2022   December 2022  I'm working on captions.  It may take a while! 

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey

 

 

 

 

Pic-of-the-Month for November 2022

 Hola Amigos,

This is our first bunch of bananas this season.  All either frozen or eaten!

October was a strange month for us this year!  About a week after we got back home, the pump in the city well gave out.  The entire pueblo of Buena Vista was without water.  Not just for a couple days, either!  We figure it was about 21 days before we heard water running in our pipes again.  We've never seen anything like this in our 20+ years here.  Fortunately, we have a 5000 liter tank buried in our garage to hold our water supply.  So, our house had running water and we could wash dishes, flush, shower (quickly!),  our neighbors, who didn't have a pila, came over and showered, and I did one load of laundry during that time.  We watered our outdoor plants with that pila, a bucket or watering can at a time!  Ben had started garden seedlings, so we had to pay careful attention to those babies!  All our outdoor sprinklers are from city water, not from our pila (water tank).  There was a lot of cheering going on when the water started running again.  Fortunately, there were water trucks making deliveries regularly (for free), and we were scheduled to get water the day it came back on.  The good news, our tank still had 1/4 volume left after 21 days.  

Our first guests of the year arrived October 24 (when we were on water reserves!).  My sister Shelley FINALLY made it down here, and she invited her husband's cousin, Mary.  We had a great time visiting, playing Mexican Train, touring the countryside, and eating good food every opportunity we had.  (They also sampled quite a few Margaritas from various restaurants and bars around town!)  I also made them fans of our niece, Kendra Elliot, who writes mystery novels based in the Pacific Northwest.  I have three of her books in our library, and they each read all three!  I think they're hooked!  

Shelley and Mary.  They spent a lot of time enjoying this view from our veranda.

 They're not smiling in this picture because it was almost time to go to the airport and head back home!  

I mentioned in the last P-O-T-M that I was going to do the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer walk, with a goal of walking 35 miles for the month and raising $$ for ACS.  Well, I walked 75 miles and made $$$!  I had my friend Jill walking with me many days this month, and Shelley joined me a few times, too.  AND.... My walking goal for the year (of 600 miles) was met today on my morning walk!  TA-DA!!!   The great things about my walks is I get to walk on the beautiful beach here, and until Daylight time ended last weekend, I captured some gorgeous sunrises over the Sea of Cortez. 

Ben has been very busy getting our garden ready.  He's hauled cow manure from our Rancher friend Arturo's place, ordered limo (top soil) and has tilled much of our garden space.  We have several squash that are doing very well (thanks Carolyn S. for the seed!) and now have cucumber starts in the ground.  He's also made several trips to La Paz to get some oil changes done on the truck, and fix a boo-boo on the Roadster.  We have a car show scheduled in La Paz for the weekend after Thanksgiving, the first one in a very long 2 years.  

Speaking of Model A's, Ben was asked by our friend Evelyn, manager of our favorite restaurant La Playa, if he could drive her and her Mom to the church for her wedding, and her and the groom back to the reception.  That involved getting the '28 Woody ready to run (putting the battery back in, checking tire pressure, topping off the gas tank, dusting and polishing the whole thing, and a test drive with Shelley and Mary).  Everything worked as expected, bride was delivered at the appropriate time, and bride and groom delivered back to the reception.  

The reception was at the newly remodeled La Playa restaurant, and it was amazing!  Live music (a Cuban salsa band), then a Mariachi band, then a light show and DJ music until 3 in the morning. (We went home well before that!)  The drinks were abundant, and the food was delicious.   

The October 2022 album has pics of the wedding, walks, company, and other things that tickle my fancy.

Zoey is aging, not so gracefully.  She had a nasty infection in an eye that involved several vet visits and 10 days worth of medication....again!  She's doing much better now, and occasionally will go on a short walk with me.  She really WANTS to go, but man, is she slow!  Especially heading back home!  

Friends Katie and Mel showed up last night....in the dark....tired to the bone!  They traveled the length of the Baja Peninsula in 2 long days, driving her big old dually and towing a little car.  Turns out they said they'd cross the border on the 3rd, and I told them I'm flying out to Oregon for a week on the 4th!  So they hurried on down here to visit before I left town.  Anyhow, it's another new experience for them, as they have their Chocolate Lab pup Cocoa to get used to Baja.  She's doing pretty good so far! 

Pouring the roof with a pumper truck. 

Our neighbors house is going up quickly.  The roof is poured and they are doing the finish plastering now.  They hope to move in by February....maybe!  Amazingly, this crew doesn't play loud music!  Brian told them I loved music, but they resisted!  (Thankfully!)  They have a few of the crew living on site in a little plywood shack.  That's fine, except that now Zoey loves to go over there and check for any food or bones that might be laying around.  I had to go over there one midnight in my jammies carrying a flashlight to find her and drag her back home after she told me she was just going out to go potty!  

 

Yes, I will be in Oregon for a week, and of course, the forecast is for COLD and SNOW in the Bend area.  Good grief.  Anyhow, my trip involves a couple visits to the dermatologist and whatever else I can fit in, if I can get around OK!  Thanks to my friends Tony and Janet for A) putting up with me    OR   B) putting me up!  

In the meantime, 4 out of 4 Egrets approve of the fact that we are back in Baja and that I can take photos of them.

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos en Baja, 

Harriet, Ben & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Month for October 2022

 Hola Amigos,

We are back in Baja, and in spite of all the rainstorms that the peninsula endured during hurricane season, the roads were quite passable and well marked for our trip.  All in all, a pleasant trip with stops in our favorite places, and good food to enjoy on the way.  The house and property were in very good condition.  Our house sitter, Brian Generoux, was very capable and could fix anything that broke! 

We put our trailer away in a new spot this year; on the property of our friends Katie and Mel.  We cleaned the area, put down a load of gravel, smoothed it out, and "voila"!  A nice new spot.  We appreciate having this place to park it because it is on our normal route to and from our Baja home!  

We finished out the Oregon summer in style.  We did a couple of camping trips with friends to our favorite places, attended the Pendleton Roundup after an absence of 2 years, and managed to eat at the Cowboy Dinner Tree one more time!  

We enjoyed visiting with our son Ryan's good friend Mike S who was visiting his family in Oregon; he's living in Thailand now.  He and I got in a hike in Fort Rock, and also visited Hole in the Ground.  

 We then took a trip over to the Steens and joined friends Andrea and Dave.  They had never been there before, so we got to show them the magnificence of the place.  We even managed to see lots of wild horses near the south end of the loop drive.  

Unfortunately, Ben contracted a really nasty cold while there, so he wasn't able to join us in the second day's tour to the Round Barn and Diamond (population 3?)  The Diamond Hotel is for sale there, in case anyone is interested.  It's a very neat historic building in a beautiful setting.  

After that, we did another camping trip (after a few more doctor appointments!) to Hart Mountain with good friends George and Carolyn, and John and Marilyn.  It was a great trip; we got our normal camping spot, and took advantage of the hot springs and hiking and touring around looking for Pronghorn.  When we came down from the mountain, the smoke from a California fire was pretty bad, but we spent a day in an RV park in Lakeview just getting cleaned up and dumping tanks.  

After a few busy days in Fort Rock again, getting our trailer spot ready, we headed for Pendleton and the Roundup. We took the road north from Christmas Valley, which connects with Hwy 395, one of our favorite roads.  It was good to get back to see all the action, and the parade on Friday.  It's the largest non-motorized parade in the US.  

 

 Most horses and wagons move right along, but this one decided he wasn't moving.  Nope!  It took quite a while to get him to cooperate!  We think he didn't like the band in front of him!  (No reflection on the band, of course!!)

 It was great visiting with my niece Anne and her hubby Mike. We park our trailer in their yard during the Roundup.  They are so accommodating, and their dogs are a hoot.  Zoey again had to be reminded not to chase or bark at the "BOSS", their huge orange cat. Their NewfyDoodle has grown up, and doesn't look like the Muppet Animal anymore, but he's still huge!  Just a bit intimidating to Zoey, but he is gentle with her.  He just can't understand why she doesn't want to play with him!   

We got back to the "Purkey Ranch" (Ben's brother's place) for a few critical appointments (new truck tires and the trailer wheel bearings lubed, a pedicure(!), and dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant in Bend), then a very, very quick trip to Salem without the trailer for a truck repair job at the place where we bought the truck in 2018, and a very critical purchase from our favorite jeweler in Salem (Roy John).  

We then headed back and hooked up the trailer, towed it to Fort Rock, cleaned out the freezer (and everything else!) and put it on our handy-dandy new storage spot.  The horses next door were very curious about their new neighbors.  Thankfully, they can't get to it to rub on it or make beds around it like the deer always did when we stored it at Tygh Valley! 

We left Fort Rock on Monday, a week earlier than normal, and had a fairly easy trip back home, arriving on October 2.  We are expecting our first company on October 24, when my sister Shelley and her husband's cousin Mary will come visit.  

I have created 2 albums.  2022 September and 2022 October.  I will be adding more to October, but go ahead and take a look.   

We hope that you are all healthy and enjoying the fall weather.  It is still HOT here, but starting to cool down a bit.  We should be used to it by now, but I can tell you we sure to appreciate our air conditioner in the bedroom at night.  

 

By the Way, I am still walking most days, and am still on track to get in my 600 miles this year.  The view above is from my first day back walking in Baja.  (When I also came across a turtle path and nest!)  As of today, I have just over 538 miles recorded!  I'm also dedicating some effort this month to walking 35 miles for Breast Cancer, since it is very prevalent in our family.  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos back in Baja,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Month for July and August 2022

Hello friends,

Just in case you've been wondering, Ben and I and Zoey are still alive and well, visiting family and friends in Oregon, and getting a lot of shopping done!  We've had some very hot weather, and in August it is starting to cool down nicely during the nights.  We are about 1/2 way through our summer visit, and all is going well.

Our trip up was uneventful, for us, the best kind of trip.  Ben got to enjoy his clam feed at the hotel in Loreto and a lovely dinner in San Quintin on our way north.  We do appreciate fine Baja dining and look forward to going to the same places on our way south this fall!  (We are creatures of habit!)

Our first main stop in Oregon this year was in Fort Rock, where our friends Mel and Katie have moved to live.  They are enjoying the high desert there, and all the amenities the property came with.  They added a new little building, an art studio for Katie.  Mel is working like crazy, and hopefully it will be done soon.  Ben has been helping Mel whenever we're there.  Anyhow, it's a beautiful spot, with an excellent view of Fort Rock from their deck.

This was sunset over the Rock one night.  

We spent a couple weeks in Bend visiting doctors and veterinarians (for a Zoey issue) and friends (and shopping!) and returned to Fort Rock for Ben's birthday celebration.  We were fortunate to celebrate it again with our friends Tony and Janet and Mel and Katie.  It was also Janet's birthday, and it's fun to be with them and remind her how old she really is (she and I are the same age, so I keep her straight on the math!)

Our next stop was Eagle Point Oregon, where our friend Pat lives.  The trip over was beautiful.  We've taken the road from Highway 97 to Crater Lake, but have never continued on from that junction.  It goes by Diamond Lake, then on into Medford.  We were hauling our trailer by now, so we found an RV park right on the Rogue River in Shady Cove.  It was a lovely park on those hot, hot days, so we'll keep it on our "go to" list!  Our spot was on the front row, with a lovely view of the Rogue.  The day we arrived, many people were floating by on their rafts and drift boats.  The park had installed comfy benches right beside the river to enjoy the view!  Zoey also enjoyed her walks alongside the river in the plush green grass! 

  While visiting with Pat, we did more shopping (Harry & David and Rogue Creamery for Blue Cheese), and visited a few wineries.  

Our next stop was Eugene, and the Malpass Farm, my cousin's place north of Eugene.  We have a pretty nice setup here, with power and water outlets by his new pump house, and good internet signal!  We've seen a lot of seed harvested, straw bales made and stacked, and moved to the barn.  It's a very busy place.  But the best thing about it is that Tom and Karan made room for our daughter and son-in-law and their family for their time in Oregon.  (They sure wouldn't fit in our trailer!)  Our daughter and her husband organized several get-togethers with family and friends, and are just getting ready to head back to their home across the world from us.  We've enjoyed being with them, and doing some fun things together, including game playing, visiting Enchanted Forrest, eating at Mazzi's (required!!) and taking walks together to find blackberries, which are ripe right now.  Yum!  Ben got to ride on a combine for the first time in his life, so he was very happy!  

We plan on going to Salem for a short time next week before heading back to Central Oregon on Thursday afternoon.  We will be doing some of our normal wilderness camping with friends in the next several weeks, and help Mel and Katie as needed with their projects.  We are continuing to get all our shopping (for items we NEED in Baja) and are getting things ready to go.  

If we have time, we'll write another one of these before we leave Oregon.  We hope you are all healthy and happy, and if you want to see us, give us a call or send an email.  We'll do our best!  

There are pictures in three albums, June, July and August.  I'm working on the captions for July and August, so have patience!  I've added more photos to the June album to include our Baja to Oregon travel pics.

Until the next time,

Your snow bird friends in Oregon

Harriet, Ben & Zoey