PIc-of-the-Week for January 19, 2016

Hola Amigos,

The last two weeks has just zoomed by as we've been busy visiting with friends here from Oregon.  George and Carolyn came last Monday, and we've made an overnight trip to La Paz, enjoyed the Lord of the Winds competition here in Los Barriles, made some road trips to see the local sights, and eaten some wonderful meals.

This is a shot Ben took at the Lord of the Winds meet.  They saw some very impressive maneuvers!  

We've got a few more things to do today, and they are reluctantly heading back to rainy Oregon manana.  When we visited La Paz, they went out in the bay on a panga to swim with the whale sharks, which was a very exciting experience for them (they are certified divers, but you just need snorkel gear for this trip). I stole a couple of their photos to show you...

Ben & I, who are wimps, decided to do errands around La Paz while they had their fun!  

We had a special dinner at El Barrilito the night they arrived, and invited lots of friends (there were about 25 of us)....because, "sob", our favorite restaurant will be closing any day now.  The owner, Francisco, has some serious eye problems and will be moving to the states for some surgery, and hopes to start a restaurant up there.  We will certainly miss him!  Best seafood around, bar none!!  (That's Francisco in the background fixing us a delicious appetizer.)

And then we went to El Barrilito another night and found these critters in the back of a pickup parked out front!  Never know what you'll find in a pickup here in the neighborhood! 

We take advantage of George while he's here, because he's our "go to Computer fix-it guy".  He worked on both of our computers (he says I need a new one if I want it faster ;-)  )  and they are both working much better.  Ben isn't grumbling near as much over his PC now!  

On our touring drive yesterday, we went up the San Dionisio Canyon to see the sights.  We like to stop at this spot where we can get down to the stream and see the huge fig trees... and rocks!

Carolyn in front of one of the fig trees.

Then, when we were driving back out of the canyon, I heard a piercing cry, and spotted this guy flying along above us.  He landed in this tree, and I was able to get a few shots of him before he took off again.  We think it's an eagle or maybe a hawk.  Any other guesses?  

More photos are in our January 2016 Picasa album.

Our next guests are arriving this Saturday!  More adventures to follow.

Hasta la proxima vez,
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Week for January 5, 2016

Hola Amigos!

Feliz Año,  as they say here in Mexico.  We hope you haven't tossed aside your resolution to come visit us in Baja.  Actually, next Monday we will have our second set of company for the season; our friends George and Carolyn hope to swim with the Whale Sharks in La Paz and enjoy our sunshine.  Then we have three more sets of company coming in January, February and March!  Still "space available", if you'd like to spend some time here.  

Speaking of "space available", Ben got a really sweet deal for displaying his '28 Martin Parry at an upscale resort in Cabo San Lucas.  Check out this link for a short explanation:  New Year's Eve Party  We're hoping to take advantage of the offer in February, since they're full up in January (our anniversary month).  

While our popular car was partying in Cabo San Lucas, Ben and I spent a quiet evening at home, eating smoked ribs with friends who also appreciated a quiet New Year's evening.  

With the start of the new year, it seems like I have lots of things scheduled weekly, mostly to do with music, so I guess that's not a bad thing!  At least it's something I enjoy...playing the piano for choirs and teaching piano to an enthusiastic 10 year old!  I've also FINALLY started sewing on my quilt project again.  When I had bronchitis I just didn't feel like sewing, so I put it off.  Well, the baby was born in Guadalajara in late December, so that urged me on a bit!  It is VERY colorful and as Ben says "busy"!  The pattern is called "Belize", so I felt free to put in a lot of bright colors.  The hardest part about this quilt may be the process of getting it to my friend in Guadalajara!  The mail system isn't the most reliable in Mexico!  

We also have TWO new baby burros (burritos?) in the barrio.  They are so cute, and it is fun having their Moms bring them by to meet us.  They are so clean and fuzzy.  Don't you just want to cuddle up to this sweetie?

I haven't got a decent photo of the other baby yet, but I will!  

On our walk today to the beach I finally got a good picture of the ultra light plane that flies by regularly.  Just gotta be in the right place at the right time!

That looks like a ton of fun!  

The tide was very low this morning, and there was almost no wave action and no wind.  I love days like this, but the kite boarders and wind surfers are praying for lots of wind next week when Los Barriles will be hosting the 6th Annual "Lord of the Winds".  Here's a link if you're interested in it.  There are some pretty amazing photos in there!  Lord of the Winds   In the meantime, I'm enjoying days like this!

This debris on the beach is the remains of a caterpillar that got washed into the ocean during a hurricane, either in the 70's or 80's, I think.  I always look for it when the tides are low.  But look at those waves!  What a great day to snorkel! (Yes, the water temps are just a bit coolish, but comfortable.  I did stick a toe in to test it!)  

A few more pics are in our 2016 January album.

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos in Baja,

Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey

They are willing to share the sofa when you feel the need for a siesta!  

New Years Eve Party in Cabo!!

Yes, one of us will be spending New Years' Eve at a very upscale resort in Cabo San Lucas....our 1928 Ford / Martin-Parry!!  Zuri Guzman, Esperanza Resort's Sales Coordinator, saw our Woody at the Car Show in Cabo San Lucas several weeks ago, and asked if it could be used for the resort's New Years' Eve party, which has a Roaring 20's theme.  Ben immediately said "no" off the top of his head.  When I heard about the request, I told him to think about it, and maybe negotiate for a bit of compensation.  We negotiated through our friend Hector Manuel Amarillas, and ended up with very nice compensations for the woody spending 3 days there.

And let me assure you, this is the first time ANY of our vehicles has paid a bit for itself!!  They gave us a free lunch (really!) and they're paying us $5000 pesos per day for the three days the Woody will be there, AND two nights for two couples at the resort.  We found out from Zuri that the cost per day at the resort for a room is $1500!  I innocently asked "pesos?"  She said, "No, dollars."  Yikes! I hope we can enjoy it properly when the time comes.  
*Big Grins*  We'll go retrieve the car on Saturday and wipe off all the fingerprints and tell him "good boy!"  

Here are a few more pics of the day...

Hector Manuel Amarillas and his wife Rosa came along to "translate and negotiate" as needed.  

Pic-of-the-Week for December 22, 2015

Hola, Amigos!

Feliz Navidad!  Merry Christmas!  

We hope that our bi-weekly newsletter finds you healthy and happy and ready for the Christmas season!  And please remember the reason for the season....

Isaiah 9:6  
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

We are getting ready for 12 to 14 of us here at our little casita for Christmas dinner, and some singing afterwards.  Ben will be smoking two turkeys (we hope to have some leftovers!) and our guests are contributing food and goodies for the meal.  I'm also preparing the music and PowerPoint show for our church's Christmas Eve Service on Thursday night, so we've been busy!  Lots to do and remember.   I have also been busy toting my portable keyboard as our Community Choir group (OK Chorale) has been singing at various functions.   I think we get the next week "off"!  

Ben took the 1928 Woody to yet another Car Show on December 13, in Cabo San Lucas this time.  It was the First Annual Car Show there, so we decided to go, and since it was Sunday afternoon from 2 until dark, we spent the night at a hotel there.  There were over 120 cars registered (ours was the oldest) and lots of motorcycles showed up, too.  Surprise, surprise, Ben's car won primero lugar!!!  That's FIRST PLACE for the entire show.  Wow!  He even won a trophy cup; first time for that!  (He says he thinks it's solid gold!)

And of course, when he was awarded the trophy, he was surrounded by pretty girls (he kind of likes that part!) 

The hardest part about accepting his trophy was getting his car moved to the parking spot where they wanted it.  There were traffic jams to the front of us, traffic jams behind us, and no drivers for the "jamming" vehicles in sight!  It probably took 20 minutes or more to get half way across the parking lot where they had a generator with some spot lights.  And by that time it was dark, the parking lot lights weren't working, and neither were the Woody's headlights!  (One was, but Ben thought that wouldn't look good).  

Afterwards, everyone wanted another picture of Ben, the cup and the car.  I even got in a few of the photos (on other folks cameras).  

More photos of the Car Show are on our December 2015 Picasa album.  

We made our way out to Los Frailes where our friends Katie and Mel Crabb dry camp for about 5 months every winter.  They recently acquired a 5th wheel trailer (new to them, and barely used) so are very happy with all the space, compared to the camper they were using (which is now a guest room).  Mel is a great fisherman, and had recently caught Tuna, so we had barbecued tuna for lunch.  Muy delicioso!  We contributed a Strawberry Pie that topped off the meal perfectly.    

The road from our house to La Ribera is fine; La Ribera to Los Frailes is always questionable.  It's paved part way, and dirt part way, and we were half-way lucky this time in that the grader was there that very day working on the dirt road.  Unfortunately, the road crew repairing the paved part of the road is off until after Christmas vacation, so we had quite a few miles of detour on dirt.  We came home pretty dusty.

The birds are back in force enjoying our offerings of seed and hummingbird nectar.  I caught this cute little guy taking a bath the other day.  

We've seen Cardinals, Grossbeaks, Finches, Jays, Doves, Woodpeckers,.... you name it, they've been here or flying by.  (That includes the Turkey Buzzards who enjoy flying by on the windy days).  

Our garden is producing a few things; zucchini and cucumbers.  They're not very big yet, but I guess that's a good thing.  

Weather wise, we've had a lot of cloudy days, and it even rained a bit yesterday, but today is the kind of day I love; bright sunshine, blue sky, and a bit of a breeze.   Not bad for the first day of winter, hey?  This is taken from our roof. (If you look hard, you'll see some kite boarders there in the distance).  

We all wish you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

From your Amigos in Baja,

Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Week for December 8, 2015

Hola Amigos!

It's Tuesday, and 2 weeks has rapidly passed us by.  Can you believe we're already in the 2nd week of December?  Wow.  Thanksgiving was celebrated, another car show in La Paz was attended, and we are both finally getting healthy.  Life goes on!  We are still occasionally eating dinner on our veranda. This was the evening before Thanksgiving, and you can see by our attire that it was not in the least bit chilly!  It was a very enjoyable evening out there!

Hurricane Sandra did come by a few weeks ago (Thanksgiving weekend), but we didn't get much wind, just a lot of rain!  Things are still very green here, and we had another opportunity to see where our roof, and in Ryan's case, our walls leak!  You get enough rain for enough hours, and it's gonna get wet somewhere inside!  

Ben spent the last weekend in November in La Paz at another car show, and the Quaker State girls were again very happy to pose with him in front of his pickup (you can see the pickup, can't you?)

I went up to the car show on Sunday after church on the bus, and it was a pretty enjoyable trip, although the bus was very full.  They even showed a Disney movie (in Spanish) of Rapunzel.  I got to practice my Spanish again!!  It was a cloudy day in La Paz, and pretty windy when I got there, so we left early and skipped the prize presentation, although Ben did take home a certificate for Oldest Vehicle.  His cars are always quite popular, and he has prepared signs to put on the back to explain their history (he's owned the pickup since he was 13!) and that it was restored here in Baja.

Our garden was progressing pretty nicely; the lettuce leafing out, zucchini starting to produce, and then one morning I noticed the lettuce leaves were non-existent!  Yikes!  Turns out a pretty green lizard had made a home in there and completely stripped it!  This is a week later, and it is TRYING to send out some new leaves, but I imagine the lizard is lurking somewhere nearby waiting for just the right moment... (even though my dogs are trying their hardest to catch him and all his brothers!)

There was an Art Fair here in town this last weekend, and it was a beautiful sunny day, with lots of vendors present.  I found a pretty new skirt and some snack food.  There was also plenty of jewelry and paintings and woodwork.  

I finally got a good picture of what I call the "Fuller Brush Man".  This is the truck of the vendor who goes door to door selling all kinds of brushes and brooms and mops and buckets and chairs and pots and pans and whatever you might need for your casa.  He has a loud speaker on the front, constantly advertising his wares, so you can hear him coming and be out front waiting for him to come by!  After studying the picture, I think he has it decked out quite festively! Notice the white and yellow dusting brushes sticking out at an angle from the back!  And things don't fall off, so he knows how to tie things down.  Hmmmm... I wonder what's buried deep inside there....?

Our spindly Agave stick Christmas tree is up and decorated.  Sigh.... I had to unstring all the lights because one string wasn't working properly, and then re-string what was left!  I went easy on the decorations this year, since I seem to do it all;if the rest of the family isn't happy with it, they can put on their favorites!   More photos are in our December 2015 album.  

Hasta la proxima vez!

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Week for November 24, 2015

Hola Amigos

It has been another two weeks, so time for another update from Casa Purkey here in Baja California Sur.  It has been a rather slow two weeks, in spite of a major holiday here in Mexico, and our first company of the season!  We have been taking it slow as we tried to recover from our cold and bronchitis, and we're almost there! At least the meds are about gone... 

Our first company was our niece Chrys and her friends Gary and Albert.  Albert was kind of a last minute addition, as they decided they'd like him to come along and be their interpreter, should they need one, as he speaks fluent Spanish (he also really wanted to go fishing with them!)  Ryan took a day when it was windy here at the beach and showed them around some of his favorite places in the mountains, including the waterfalls and hot springs and Palomar Restaurant in Santiago.  They really enjoyed that expedition!  They left our place for Cabo San Lucas on Thursday, and went fishing out of there on Friday, and caught a really nice Dorado.  Hopefully, they were able to get it frozen and home to Central Oregon with them.  

As a result of my struggle with bronchitis, I haven't been getting the dogs out for a walk on the beach very often, but when we do go, they are EXCITED about it!  Just check out Zoey on our walk the other day....

The weather has been quite windy for November, but at least the kite boarders and wind surfers are happy!  (They love this stuff!)  There are fewer fishing boats in the water as the resorts and other boat owners are preparing for the really windy months of December, January and February.  And believe it or not, there is a tropical storm on the horizon that is expected to head this way.  That is REALLY late in the season for a storm.  Here's an image of the storm path from this morning.  Here's a link if you want to watch as the storm progresses: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?epac  Just click on the red storm labeled "Sandra", and it will come up with a page similar to the one below.
  






















Of course, Ben was planning to go to a car show in La Paz this next weekend!  We will definitely be watching this weather to see how much rain is involved in this storm.  

November 20 is Revolution Day in Mexico, and a major holiday.  We again took part in the parade with our Model A's, and Ryan again had the honor of having a couple princesses in the back of the pickup.  I was a bit concerned about that dress getting caught in the wheel, but it evidently did OK.  (Probably got very dirty, though!)

Ben took his position at the very end of the parade (just before the ambulance!) It was slow...and he actually coasted down most of the street with the motor off until we got to the T intersection at the entrance to Hotel Palmas de Cortez.  As usual with parades with marchers, there was a lot of time sitting and waiting to move!  The advantage of being at the end of the parade is that I got some nice pictures of everyone as they went by us!  You can see a bunch of pictures in our November Picasa Album, but here is a taste for you...

And here we are at the end of the parade.  This group of high school kids marched well...when they were able to march!  The parade had schools from all over the area.

We have been enticing more birds to our garden, and they are learning to get into the screened off bird feeder.  We even had a Cardinal in there the other day, so were pleased to see that!  And the White Wing Doves (who are greedy pigs) can't get in there.  They will sit on top and all around, but have to resort to eating the seed we spread on the ground.  

We have also been seeing a lot more Hummingbirds this year compared to last year.  It is good to see they are back and enjoying our feeders.  

And yes, we have flowers and garden plants growing!  This is a Plumeria that is getting way too big.  

And this is my zucchini squash and cucumbers, that are doing quite well so far.  No fruit yet, but soon, I hope!  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos en Baja,

Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey

Pic-of-the-Week for Nobember 11, 2015

Hola Amigos,

Can you believe that is has been OVER 2 weeks since I wrote a Pic-of-the-Week?  Did you miss us?  Well, we have our excuses.  Last week, Ben caught a horrible cold / cough...sounded like he was dying most of the time.  He went to the doctor on Friday and got some meds, and spent a lot of time in bed.  Me?  I was OK until Saturday, when I started coughing, and by Monday, I was pretty miserable.  I, too, went to the local clinic's Dr. Toledo, and he said I have bronchitis!  Ugh!  I am on meds as well, and have high hopes that I'll be getting rid of this crud quickly, since we have guests coming on Sunday!!  In the meantime, we've slowed down our projects and are spending a lot of time laying around!  

We had a beautiful full moon, super moon, blood moon, and I found a tripod and got a few good shots of it as it came up through the clouds.

Ben has managed to "almost" finish the bedroom door project.  The door latches and fits in the hole...he just needs to fill in some gaps with concrete.  The door fit so nice in the frame when it was on saw horses in the shop, but did it fit the same standing up in this opening????  No way!  So, Ben had to shave the  door a bit to get it to fit properly.  His Great-grandfather's woodworking tools came in handy!!  

We've celebrated Halloween with the local kids (they LOVE Halloween and all the candy that goes with it!)  I didn't have too many trick-of-treaters, so we're still working on the candy....slowly!!  This was our first pair of kids.  The little girl was a sweetheart!  

We have been eating very well, thank you very much, since we go to El Barrilito as often as possible!  (Not much when we've been sick!)  Francisco knows how to keep us happy!  

The dogs and I have been walking the beach (when I feel well) as often as possible.  Some days the water is so calm.....

And other days, the breakers are crashing like we're on the Pacific side!  Those are the days that Zoey walks way on the back side of the beach away from the water.  Of course, she does that most days anyhow.  She does NOT like the ocean or water.  

Last week, before we both got sick, we spent Monday and Tuesday in La Paz.  Since my oldest sister Alice died of colon cancer at age 62 in 2004, I've been trying to get regular colonoscopy exams, and I found it is much cheaper to do in Mexico, and just as professional.  I have had three done by Dr. Chiapa now, and she is very good at what she does.  I had the procedure done on Tuesday at Fidepaz Hospital, and she only found two tiny polyps this time, so I was very encouraged.  The last two times she has found 10 each time, with more that she left for later.  Ugh!  I was pleasantly surprised that she found only two this time. It is also a decent price for the procedure, about $500 US.  Ben managed to get some La Paz errands done, and did some good eating.  I, of course, managed to gulp down my liquid medications and eat a liquid diet for two days!  Sigh.... next La Paz trip I will visit more restaurants!

You never know when some of the cactus will be blooming, but I noticed a Pitahaya near our house that was setting out buds last week.  I caught a picture with our casa in the background.  I couldn't decide if this bloom was past its prime or if it was going to open some more...oh well...still pretty!  Just watch out for the "espinas"!  

We usually buy a coffee can full of Pitahaya fruit from sidewalk vendors in the little town of El Triunfo (on the way to and from La Paz) and I make a delicious jam / syrup out of them.  Ryan just picked some more cactus fruit from a Nopal (flat leaf) cactus in our yard, and he was going to juice them.  Not sure how that tasted, but he does like his juicer!  

Oh, and amidst all this coming and going, the white pickup truck refused to start, and our newest refrigerator quit working.  We had the pickup batteries tested, and one is bad, so we need to get some new ones.  In the meantime, the truck is working on one battery.  The fridge quit Friday evening, when I noticed it making more noise that usual, and noticed that the meat in it was thawing....not good!!  Since Ben was feeling punk on Saturday, I went into Los Barriles to Armando's hardware, chose a fridge and paid for it, and asked them to deliver.  They were there within 1/2 hour, and Ryan hauled out the old fridge and switched the door hinges for me while we were waiting the required hour before plugging it in.  Not my first choice for style, but you take what you can get on short notice!  We took the other one into a repairman in Los Barriles, and it is now fixed, too.  We think we'll sell the oldest fridge which is least energy efficient, although it has the most space.   (Can't have enough fridges when you live in Baja!!)  



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

PS.  I have started a November 2015 Picasa album, but not much in it yet.