On a gloriously sunny and clear Monday morning, with a cooler packed with soft drinks, cheese, crackers, apple slices, peanut butter and cake, off we go with three friends and our dog into the mountains on our quad runners. Nothing could be more perfect. The water is running in the river streams now—waterfalls and pools make for a refreshing and spiritual adventure. Nature at its finest!

 

 

Tanya rides her own Harley at home in Canada, so she is comfortable on her quad here in the mountains. She goes fast. Really fast. Her free spirit and willingness to make her own adventures? Inspirational! Good on ya, Tanya.

Her husband, Eric, is all for it too. Towering over all of us at around 6’4” (maybe more), he takes life in his hands and molds it into whatever he wants. Well, almost whatever he wants—he is mortal after all. But with their guidance, our neighbor, Blaze and Greg and Isabela and I had a day to remember. The mountains of Baja Sur are spectacular, especially this time of year.

 

Our buddies are old hands at this, and provided us with a guided tour, complete with dust masks and goggles.

Nothing like a beautiful day in the mountains after the rain has poured there all summer long, not to mention the rain brought to us by Hurricane Odile. The roads are surprisingly good. Better, in fact, than the ones around town here, that’s for sure.

 

 

The first thing that happened to Tanya was a run-in (or should I say run-over?) with a rattlesnake. Yup. She didn’t see it in time and ran right over it. She and Eric put it in a bag to take home for skinning. Gee, I never would have thought of that.

 

 

If you ride in the lead, you don’t get that much dust. Anywhere else along the line is dusty, even when you leave lots of room between you and the one in front of you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabela had her first taste (literally and figuratively) of fresh mountain water. Could a dog be more happy? I don’t think so. Jumping, splashing, swimming and barreling down the road in the back of our little Polaris side-by-side made her the happiest dog in Baja.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are so glad we followed our dreams to retire in Southern Baja. Life is sweet–one adventure after another.

 

 

 

The Orphanage in Todos Santos: “Hogar del Niño” (Home of the Child)   http://www.hogardelnino-baja.org

Armed with scissors, paper, stickers, glitter tape, and pre-made pop-up book pages, we made our way through a river of happy, smiling children. My girlfriend, Tanya, introduced me to the Hogar del Niño today. We put together some craft supplies from our personal cupboards and bought more at a local papaleria–a tiny stationery/craft store. The small space in the store held so many paper products and children’s books and goodies. I’ve often thought about going to the local orphanage to volunteer some time, but didn’t want to go by myself. I’ve been here four years and finally made it. Whew!

What a wild and crazy, but wonderful time!

 

As we pulled into the parking area, the children swarmed us at Tanya’s van. They were all smiles and hugs for Tanya who has been there several times (all by herself too! She’s no sissy). It didn’t take long they were hugging me too. We also had a box from our neighbor full of clothes, candy, an old VCR/DVD player, The Lion King video, and a boom box complete with Michael Jackson and Carrie Underwood CDs. One of the girls, about 12, held up the CD next to her own pretty face and pointing to Carrie Underwood she said in English,  “This is my sister!” Then she broke into uncontrollable laughter.

The kids were eager to see what else we had and got started cutting and pasting and coloring before I could even get everything out of our bags. A mini riot of little arms and hands, getting busy–without any prodding whatsoever.

 

I’ve not been around 20-25 little kids for quite some time, and I have to say it was WILD–in a good way! a very good way! Fifteen minutes into the organized chaos, I spilled a big bottle of glue onto the table. I screamed like a good teacher would, “Oh great! I spilled the glue all over the place.” Tanya just kept on working with her little charge and told me not to worry. Oh well. I picked up the paper holding the spilled glue and started off to the restroom. Not good. The wind rattled the paper and the glue ran off onto the cement. A huge puddle of glue. Kids scurrying about without a care in the world and I’m on my hands and knees. A boy about 6 says, “Oh my God!” Laughing  I ask,”Donde está el baño?” Twelve little arms point the way.

 

I make my way there trying not to spill more glue and what do I find in the bathroom? A little girl with flour in her hair and on her face and shoulders. Huh? I guess she was seeing what she could come up with for Halloween? There weren’t any paper towels, so I took a tiny bit of toilet paper and ran back to the glue spill. Then I ran back to the bathroom to wash the glue from my hands and shirt. The little girl with flour all over her was in the shower room getting clean again.

 

 

 

 

One of the older boys, probably about 11, communicated only by pointing and making a single sound. He was content to put glitter tape in a framework around his card. That was all he wanted. Okay, good enough for me.

Happy and active, the others shared the three pair of scissors, what was left of the glue and the myriad of supplies we brought for them. Not one argument or disagreement all day. Just sweet, busy little people being creative. It was the quickest two hours of my life. Tanya and I had made 26 cards for them to make an alphabet book, and all the pages got made, but somehow I didn’t make it back with all 26–guess they squirreled them away in their spot in the dorm. Now the book I’m putting together only has about 11 pages of random letters. Ah, the beauty of it.

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving meant lots of hugs and the refrain, “Hasta Luego” (see you later). And yes, we will see each other later…maybe Monday, in fact. After all, it was so much fun.

What’s your thing? Yoga? Surfing? Painting? Fishing? Writing? Photography? Hiking? Well, you’ve come to the right place: Baja California Sur. (Southern Baja California) The Pueblo Magico, Todos Santos, and the surrounding area is rife with artists and outdoor enthusiasts. That’s what drew us here. (Well, to be completely clear, Greg did not come here for the art. Or the yoga. He came here for the surfing. I came here for all the other stuff). It’s what draws a lot of people here, mostly in the high season which is around November-May. The summers are hot and humid and there are bugs galore, so the faint of heart “go home” when it heats up. Not a bad thing really, as it is a lot more quiet and peaceful without all the part-timers and tourists. We must be getting old. We like the tranquil, serene times. Queremos que sea muy tranquilo.

Our fans have been going steady for six months. This was a particularly horrible summer if you are adverse to humidity and high heat. Los Mexicanos we know who have lived here their whole lives say it was one of the worst in recent memory. We must have consumed 25 big glasses of ice water a day. Maybe more. The sweat literally dripped from our entire bodies, so we had to keep pouring el agua down our throats. During the last six months we bought a big bag of ice every couple days, and I even made ice cubes in our freezer to keep up with our demand. Oh Lordy, it was a hot one.

But summer is officially (and realistically) over now, though the bugs have not read the memo. They are still here. I have heard of many cases of Dengue Fever too. So far we have not succumbed. At least the humidity is down and we don’t have to use our fan at night for sleeping. Whew! Still no blankets though. The lowest it’s been in the middle of the night is 71 degrees F. I know this because we have a really cool clock that projects the time and outdoor temperature onto the ceiling.

 

Art, Art, and More Art

I have no pretense of being an artist myself, but I love to play with all things art. There are lots of art galleries and artists of all types congregate here. If you are looking for pottery, jewelry, oil or water color paintings, sculpture, mosaics…you name it, it’s here. There are opportunities for classes too. I have taken two classes with the popular artist, N.E. Hayes. She is a multi-talented woman who offers two different classes, and to begin she serves Mexican coffee (with Mexican cinnamon) with homemade bread, and later she prepares an extraordinary lunch for her participants. She is an artist mostly known for paper tile mosaic works has been residing in Todos Santos for over 23 years. Besides sharing her talent for visual and culinary art, she is an interesting person who cares deeply about the earth and the community. She’s a giver. Being in her presence is a gift. Check out her website: http://www.nehayles.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don’t look at anything else, please go to her poster page. You won’t be sorry. http://www.nehayles.com/new/posters.html

“Our Mother is happy when we care for Our Planet”

–well said, don’t you agree?

We’ve been walking early in the morning on the beach in front of our house. When I say early, I mean REALLY early…stars out, still dark. It’s cooler at 5:45AM and there aren’t any bugs out yet. The breeze is delightful, not too hot, not too cold–just right.  Although these mornings the moon is merely a crescent, it still puts out some light, but we have to watch our step. We are using a “chuck-it” to throw a tennis ball for our 2 year old German shepherd, and she finds it with her super sense of hearing. We are the ones having trouble finding it after she puts it down. It’s so dark! Ha ha. You probably think we’re crazy, and maybe we are. I’ve been accused of that before. My students used to say, “You’re crazy, Mrs. F., but in a good way.”

Yesterday we found seven new turtle nests. For the last month or so, we’ve marked all of the ones we’ve found using a circle of sticks; there is an abundance of sticks now since the hurricane winds and rain and blew and washed them all down the arroyos to the beach. Handy, I’d say. We see the mom turtle tracks going up from the water and when we locate the nest, we can see her tracks going back down to the ocean. The sand is soft and disturbed where she has deposited her eggs and it is in a circular shape. We mark them so the stupid people who drive all over the beach won’t run over them.

We believe most of these nests are of the Olive Ridley variety. They are the smallest of the sea turtles and they are listed as endangered.

Yesterday we found the last four baby turtles of one of the hatchings! It is fascinating to watch the little ones on their way to the water. They are vulnerable and have a perilous journey to reach the ocean. Even though it is against the law to drive vehicles on the beach here, people do it all the time.

 

 

In the process, they may run over nests. Even if they don’t drive over the nests, they leave huge ruts from their tires. The little babies have to traverse the obstacles all the way down to the water. The tire tracks made by thoughtless humans make it harder than it needs to be. Once in the water, the shore break causes them even more trouble. They finally get into the water and next comes a big crashing wave to push them back onto the shore. Sometimes they get upside down and can’t right themselves. Of course we can’t just leave them like that, can we?

 

 

 

Holding a baby turtle in my hand is one of the biggest thrills I’ve had in my life. Oh, and don’t worry. Our dog does not bother the nests or the turtles when we come upon them. I do have to admit that we sometimes “help” the little ones into the water; sometimes wading out in between waves to give them a head start. This helps eliminate the issue of getting pushed back up onto the beach. According to what we’ve read, only about 1% make it to adulthood.

 

 

Living here affords us the pleasure of witnessing these miracles for ourselves. Not just on TV or through pictures in a book. We are blessed, to say the least. The whales are going to start showing up soon too.

 

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All of the the following is from National Geographic.com: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/olive-ridley-sea-turtle/

“Olive ridleys have nesting sites all over the world, on tropical and subtropical beaches. During nesting, they use the wind and the tide to help them reach the beach. Females lay about a hundred eggs, but may nest up to three times a year. The nesting season is from June to December…Hatchlings, most of which perish before reaching the ocean, are preyed on by crabs, raccoons, pigs, snakes, and birds, among others. Adults are often taken by sharks.”

SAD, BUT TRUE: If you want to see a  30 sec. video showing their travail to reach the water, go to: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/turtles-baby-predation?source=relatedvideo

Fast Facts

Type:

Reptile

Diet:

Omnivore

Average life span in the wild:

50 years

Size:

2 to 2.5 ft (62 to 70 cm)

Weight:

Up to 100 lbs (45 kg)

Protection status:

Endangered

Did you know?

Male olive ridleys can be distinguished from females by their tails, which stick out beyond their carapace.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

“Females aren’t sexually mature until about ten to twelve years of age. They nest every one to three years and may lay several clutches of eggs each season. Highly migratory animals, they often travel hundreds of miles (kilometers) to reach their nesting beach, usually the same beach they hatched from.”

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From National Geographic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/kemps-ridley-sea-turtle/

 

 

 

 

We are rebuilding our palapa. Or rather, we are having our palapa rebuilt. That’s more like it. I’m not doing the work. Greg’s not doing the work, unless you count the fact that he is an integral part of designing the new one. I suppose I should give him that credit; he is way more involved in the rebuild than I am. I feed the workers my homemade cookies and breads, and I make them protein shakes and keep them in ice water. Now isn’t that worth something? 🙂

 

 

It’s noisy out there–grinders are not a pleasant sound. It is the sound of progress though, so I’m good with it. I just turn up my iPod and drown them out. John Mayer is singing to me, inviting me to move with the music. I have my iPod set to shuffle my tunes, so I get a good mix. Next up: Sia. She is so cool. The way she puts her message together is uniquely intriguing, and her voice is perfection. Find her on YouTube, you won’t be sorry. But I digress.

The new palapa is going to have bigger, stronger posts. They will have diagonal bracing and beefier anchors. Go ahead wind. Blow. We’re going to be ready!!!

 

Actually, the whole neighborhood is abuzz with construction. Our neighbors behind us are building a new house. Theirs is one of those POUNDED EARTH structures. OMG! It is going to be so beautiful. What a process; it is just exactly what it says it is–pounded earth–giving it an organic look that fits right in and is so gorgeous. They add a little bit of color to sand and concrete and then literally pound it within the forms.

 

Our new neighbors are going to have a most gorgeous home. We have had the good fortune to meet and get to know them a little. It is going to be so sweet to have them here.

 

The people who have a house next door have a lot of work to do now too. All their palapas blew apart, leaving the skeletons. Not the kind you find on Halloween, but skeletons just the same.

 

The days turn into weeks and there will be new buildings and new windows going in, new palapas everywhere around here. The trees are growing new shoots and life moves on in its own way. We are learning to move on in new ways too. Resilience is the word of the day.

 

Cookie, anyone?

With big dreams, our friends, a great couple from Truckee, CA, bought this rancho up in the mountains about 35 minutes from us. I love dreamers, especially when they act on their dreams like Gene and Brenda did.

These friends aren’t here right now; they are back in Truckee working. I don’t know anyone who has gone up there recently, and Greg and I have been wondering what the rancho looks like after the hurricane. So many trees around us were stripped clean when Odile came through. We haven’t had time to go up and check because we’re so busy with our own clean-up, getting things fixed for a few of our neighbors, and now we are rebuilding our palapa.

The last time we visited their rancho, named La Cuesta Farms, it was so beautiful. (I hope it still is). The drive to the mountains was fun in our little, red Ranger.

 

They have lots of old mango trees, citrus, ciruela plums, other fruits as well as flowers and a garden. The rancho includes a couple of outbuildings, an outdoor kitchen and a well on the property that serves a few other ranchos in the vicinity.  The cacophony of sounds you hear are of the goats and cows nearby, plus the mountain breezes shaking the leaves in the trees that are always alive with chirping birds. Two little kitties greeted us with very loud meows. The neighbors were feeding them while Gene and Brenda were not there, but the kittens were happy to have some human company I guess. We brought our lunch and after a tour we sat down to eat. Funny how food tastes better in the mountains.

 

We are hoping La Cuesta Farms is okay after the hurricane. It is a sweet spot tucked in the mountains in Southern Baja.

 

Many months ago, Brenda, Greg and I went up there on another beautiful day and I took a lot of pictures. The mangoes weren’t ripe yet, but they were hanging heavy in the trees. Same with the ciruela plums. The plums are tiny, have large stones (pits) in them and are green on the tree. After you pick them, some varieties turn yellow, some red. You need a lot of plums to make jam! When the time was right, the picking began. Brenda saved a bunch for us and I had so much fun cooking them down, making agua fresco and jam. The aroma of the fruit filled the room, and it got steamy and sticky in the kitchen! That’s half the fun, right? It was all totally worth the effort (work!) it took to remove the pits and skin. I have a lot of pulp saved in my freezer for making more jam.

Baja is a lot more than desert and beaches, as you can see. The tropical storms and hurricanes may come and go, but we’re staying.