Our captain, Israel, can maneuver without hands apparently!

March 11, 2015

Our excursion on this wonderful day was my husband’s idea. He knows how much I love to do things like this (even if I am a little bit of a chicken). I’m ecstatic when he suggests it and we went on a hunt for two more passengers for the boat. We settled on two of our adorable friends who have never met one another–Katie, a local surfer girl, and Blaze, our next door neighbor–both of whom are single. It wasn’t a set-up though, honest.

Greg, Blaze (on the bow), me & Katie

Our guide was Paula, from the Todos Santos Surf Shop. She and Carlos own the store, are both surfers, and we know them to be super good people. Carlos had to work at the shop, but we are in good hands with Paula, who has a degree in marine biology, and has taken lots of people on this trip. See them at: https://www.facebook.com/explorabaja?fref=ts

Paula, who is originally from Uruguay

Say adios to La Paz, we’re heading for the whale sharks.

The cormorants know the way as well.

Both of these photos are from online, because I don’t have mine yet.

Our guide, Paula, took some with a go-pro, but she hasn’t sent them to me yet.

First things first: I was a little nervous about getting in the water with these behemoths. I always experience a bit of anxiety the first five minutes I’m out snorkeling. I don’t have mucho experience, and it is a wee bit of a stretch for me. Throw in a GIGANTIC fish, and my adrenaline reaches its peak.

I am intellectually aware of the facts: these creatures are filter feeders. But the me, whose stomach is churning, is a little afraid of swimming with an animal that can reach 40 ft. in length and weigh up 20+ tons. Might they just like a retired teacher for breakfast? It doesn’t seem to matter to me that I am not plankton, which is this fish’s diet.

Soon I settle down, and though the visibility isn’t all that great, I can see them. And they can see me.

Can I just say, “Oh my God! What a thrill.”

Here are some facts from See the Wild Wildlife Conservation Travel. You can find them at http://www.seethewild.org/shark-facts

Whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet. These gentle giants are filter-feeders and are harmless to humans. The enormous whale shark, which can reach lengths of 40 feet or more, feeds on the tiniest of ocean organisms, plankton. 

Whale sharks are striking in their appearance not only for their size but also for their unique pattern of spots and bars covering its gray body.

More facts found at http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/whale-shark/

The whale shark’s flattened head sports a blunt snout above its mouth with short barbels protruding from its nostrils. Its back and sides are gray to brown with white spots among pale vertical and horizontal stripes, and its belly is white. Its two dorsal fins are set rearward on its body, which ends in a large dual-lobbed caudal fin (or tail).

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That was exhilarating, but we have other places to go. Off to a sweet, almost secluded spot to have lunch. But first, we swim with sea lions about 20 minutes from where we swam with the whale sharks. Now I honestly think I have died and gone to heaven. This is beyond a wonderful experience. I have been around sea lions my entire life, living in San Diego, CA and then in Western Washington, but I have never been in the water with them. These particular sea lions don’t mind people at all, which is not the case in the other places where I have encountered them, so I’ve never been swimming with them before.

I couldn’t get over how effortlessly they moved through the water, like a ballet. You can’t tell me they weren’t having fun while they are swimming with us. Maybe it’s just me projecting my own understanding of what it’s like, but I swear they were having fun, all the while showing off their water ballet skills. Fascinating to observe.

 

 These guys were taking a nap.

The sea lions share this spot with lots of birds.

After a satisfying swim with these guys, we headed to an almost deserted beach for a lunch.

Put out the anchor, we’re going ashore!

There we are, all set up on the whitest beach I’ve ever seen.

Oh, not just any lunch. No. This was gourmet!

Ceviche and delicious burritos:

some with beans and cheese and some with beef, beans, and cheese.

I’ve had a lot of ceviche, but this was the best I’ve ever had. I think it was the mango and pineapple addition to the raw fish, chopped tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.

What would you like to drink?

Complete with tablecloth!

We spent about an hour wandering around on shore before packing everything back into the boat and heading back to the marina.

Blaze, me, and Greg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can mark this off my bucket list. I swam with the whale sharks and enjoyed a beautiful day with all sorts of creatures and some of my favorite people. What could be better?

El Pescadero as seen from the highway

Our little piece of paradise where we live is all we need on most days. Pescadero is a fishing and farming community with lots of ex-pats of the American and Canadian persuasion.

Most of us foreigners live closer to the beach, but the Mexicans have the right idea. They live inland where the pueblo action is, and they can walk to just about anywhere they need or want to go. We, on the other hand, have great views and proximity to the ocean, but the salt air is eating our house.

Who knew it would be so rusty around here. (Apparently I’m not the only thing that is getting rusty.) Daily I probably sweep more sand out of my house and from our cement walkways than most people see in a year. Okay, that’s hyperbole, but we do more cleaning and maintenance here than we ever did on Whidbey Island. Whew!  Retirement is not supposed to include so much manual labor, is it? But for the most part, it’s worth it.

We get most of our produce from Fidel, who has a roadside stand in Pescadero. He’s the one in the sunglasses and stripped shirt. Fidel is a very cool guy and he knows his produce. I can pick out a cantaloupe and he will tell me when it will be ripe. He’s always right.

Our pup, Isabela, loves the sweet potatoes.

The farmers grow a lot of chili peppers and onions, but it is the basil that graces us with its heavenly scent. Hmmm. I’m walking on the beach in the morning and it wafts in from the nearby fields.

Can you smell it too?

This is Danito, one of our neighborhood farmers. His cherry tomatoes are to die for. He lets us have them for free. We get our eggs from his sister Bianca’s chickens.

Another one of our friends, Pepe, brought me a basil start about 6 weeks ago. I had to harvest my plant this morning. It did so well I made enough pesto to last us two years.

I used almonds instead of pine nuts, as I don’t have any pine nuts. I added lots of garlic and parmesan cheese to the blender with the basil, olive oil and almonds–presto pesto!

Here’s a dollop!

I cut a large roll in half lengthwise and slathered a heap of pesto onto it. Then I added tomato slices, avocado slices, and crowned all of that with cheese. Then I put the creation into the oven at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes. Oh my! So tasty. You ought to try it.

I would suggest some toasted sunflower seeds after the pesto, but I didn’t have any, so we had to do without. I know how good it is with them though, as my son and his wife made me this sandwich with sunflower seeds when I was visiting them in San Diego recently.

Stay tuned. I’ll have more pictures around El Pescadero soon. Thanks for stopping by.

 

As it turns out, baking a Red Velvet Cake in Baja presents a challenge for

Susie Homemaker.

The recipe calls for two cups of cake flour. Can’t find any around here or in Todos Santos. What is cake flour anyway? How does it differ from regular flour? I go to the best cookbook ever, The Joy of Cooking, for the answer.

 

Apparently, cake flour is made of soft wheats with less expansive gluten. It is not making me happy when I find out that the flour I have is in no way going to give me the results I’m after. But hey! You do what you can, so I followed the substitution directions to use one cup, minus 2 tablespoons of flour to equal one cup of the real thing.

There is no buttermilk to be found around here either. The substitution for this is to use milk and add vinegar to it. Okay, I’ve used this before with satisfactory results. It is clear I will not be working for perfection here. 3/4 cup of buttermilk coming up.

Oh no! The recipe calls for three tablespoons of Dutch processed cocoa and all I have is Hershey’s (that I brought from the USA). I’m three for three.

The rest of the ingredients are in my pantry or refrigerator, so I’m going to give this a go and make the best of it. It’s only a cake after all.

Ingredients:

3 medium beets

3/4 cup unsalted butter

juice of one lemon

2 tsp. of white vinegar

1-1/8 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1-3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

Rather than using a bottle of red food coloring (yuck), I am using three medium beets. Yep! That’s what I said. I roasted the beets yesterday and after they cooled, I peeled them and put them in the refrigerator.

Beats are tasty, but I never thought of putting them in a cake. They have a pretty earthy flavor. Wow! These guys (the beets) are super red. Deep purple—almost. This reminds me of a rock band from Great Britain back in the 70s. I can’t name any of their hits, but I remember the group—Deep Purple, and that they played hard rock.

I hope my cake isn’t hard as a rock.

This cake is a challenge for me here in Baja. I do not have all the key ingredients, or a food processor, and I don’t have any round cake pans (or any cake pans at all). I will be substituting square pans that aren’t even the same size as each other. And I’ll be using a blender instead of a food processor. Oh well.

I will call this a Deep Purple Substitute for a Red Velvet Cake. It is making me happy to merely “go with the flow” like this. It shows that I’m not a perfectionist, which, if you know me, is not news. I have been known to be picky about some things, but I am not seeking perfection in anything. In fact, the older I get the more I tolerate imperfection in my life. I like that saying, “It is what it is.”

Lest you start believing I am a Polly Anna, I want to set the record straight: I used to be a Polly Anna, but no more. I have seen what evil lurks in the hearts of men (and women), and I am a realist now, or as close to that as I can get. You might say I am a recovering Polly Anna.

Enough of that. Let’s whip up this (substitute) cake. First, wash your hands. Prepare the cake pans (or whatever you’re using) and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Blend (because remember, I don’t have a food processor either) the beets, buttermilk (my substitute), juice of a lemon, vanilla, and (two more teaspoons) vinegar. Set this aside.

 

Sift the dry ingredients and the cocoa into another bowl. That means I’ll be using two ingredients in this part that are posing as the real things—reg. flour and Hershey’s cocoa. This also means there is yet another bowl to wash.

Beat the butter and sugar together and add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between each addition of egg. This part is my favorite because it comes out so creamy and pretty. I like the sound of the beater fluffing everything up.

You start with a little of the dry ingredients in the mixer, then add a little of the beet mixture and lastly the fluffy part: eggs, butter and sugar. After alternating like this, adding a little of each, you end with the dry ingredients.

Once it is all mixed together, you pour half into each of your cake pans (my two square pans that aren’t the same size). I put parchment paper in the pans first and the cake will be easy to remove this way.

 

 

Lovingly place these into the preheated oven and bake for 20 + or – minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. I had to bake mine for 30 minutes.

 

These did not rise very well and the cake is spongy and dense, not crumbly, which is because I didn’t have cake flour I suppose. However, I am moving forward, letting the cake cool in the pans completely before frosting.

Cream cheese frosting is so decadent.

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp.

1 lb of cream cheese, also at room temp.

6 cups (I used 3) of powdered sugar (In Mexico they call it azucar glass.)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla–here I am proud to say I have the real thing.

Mexicans cook with real vainilla (Spanish spelling–pronounced vah ee nee’ ya) instead of that horrible bourbon vanilla from Costco I used when I lived in the States. Believe me, the difference is amazing.

After you cream the butter and cream cheese together, you add the vainilla and azucar glass. I used my mixer to do this and the icing is divine. Plenty of sugar even cut in half. Next time, however, I am going to use some lemon peel in it. I think it would be even better with the lemon flavor added.

 

 

My husband said that after all the trouble HE went through to get the powdered sugar (it isn’t easily found here), he wanted a piece of cake BEFORE dinner. Not a chance, Gregorio! You have to eat your dinner first: Shredded beef with horseradish sour cream, garlic mashers, cherry tomatoes, and picked beens and asparagus (thanks to our next door neighbor’s “Blaze’s pickled veggies.”) Not a tough thing for him to swallow, so he didn’t protest. I, however, do not eat meat, except fish, so I had left-over tequila lime sauce on fish, instead of beef. Yum. BTW, when you heat something with alcohol in it, you lose all the alcohol. Not to worry–I remain sober! (36 years in April)

*****

 

Here’s the cake with some pieces out of it. It’s pretty. It’s tasty, but I’m not as happy about it as I could be. It’s too dense (I relate) and I think it’s “the flour business,” plus the fact that I think I used too much of the blended beets. I was supposed to blend them first and measure out a cup. I didn’t do that. Shame on me. Because I just threw in all three medium beets with the rest of the liquid ingredients, I probably ended up with 2 cups of beets. That’s my guess. I also have a feeling that my baking powder is old. I bought it here in Mexico and it isn’t labeled with an expiration date that I can find.

 

It’s definitely not the worst cake in the world, but it’s not the greatest one either. Will I make it again? Probably, but not for awhile. Maybe I’ll make one for Mom when I visit her in San Diego for her 99th birthday. She was born March 16, 1916. Wow! It will make a nice birthday cake with all the correct ingredients, and I’ll measure the beets next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me in my sombrero.

Beautiful sights around here. Morning, afternoon and night.

So many things to do and places to relax. (RELAXING IS MY JOB).

The day begins!

The moon is still showing its face.

We’re in the grey house on the right. So close to the Pacific Ocean! Yay!

Blaze, from Canada, lives in the orange house.

(He’s a great neighbor.)

Afternoon ride in Little Red! Whoopee!

Farmland, Desert, Ocean and San Pedrito Point

…on the way to Los Cerritos!

The waves at the point at Los Cerritos!

Little Red can make us high!

We know how.

 

****

Mr. Wind is dancing on my deck.

Tables and Chairs team up

and jiggy on over with

lanky legs to tap a racy rhythm.

Surprise! Chair does a pirouette

before it topples to the ground.

****

It cannot right itself. Poor Chair.

I’ll save you, Chair!

My hair joins the dance. It

lifts and twirls and slaps my

face. I shiver in my socks.

Wind whips, and Clouds swoop

****

They’re a traveling exhibition meant to

shock and squeeze a fancy fiesta for us.

Come on, Chair. Stand up!

There now. That’s better.

Señor Wind craves more movers

Leaves whip in–it’s a salsa recital!

****

Hair and Leaves and Chairs

and Tables and Wind choose

partners. Wait! Rain explodes

with its own jiggy rock-bottom

snazzy jazz. Thunder now,

and Lightning too. Get boogie!

****

Would somebody turn that music down?

 

Salty, sandy shore 

Ocean brings a liquid gift

Tumble, toss, and spray 

*

Moon at daybreak shines 

Sparkling on the water’s edge

Light through window glass

*

Catch one tiny beam

For dancing in its shadow

Won’t you come and play? 

 

 

 

And the earth’s holiness created a savory marinade for the lovers’ solitary winter dream.

If a painter chose these colors to paint a sunset, would you believe in its realness? Go ahead…believe.

Far from the usual and suspected is the place fused with sensual force.

Allowing an impulse, a sweet whim to overtake us in moments of fancy is to live

fully formed, radiant and crystalline.

Sing the song of today that has been carved from your pains and passions.

Embrace the welcoming reflections of the morning sun.

Do not waste your days on the insignificant.

Take instead some Baja painted, silken sky and wrap yourself in today.

The pungent smell of dead fish on the beach mixed with salt air and the aroma of basil from the nearby farmer’s field is what greeted Isabela, my German shepherd, and me this morning on our day-break walk. We passed fisherman on the shoring casting and reeling (not catching yet) as we continued on the sandy shore to our destination.

 

 

What’s fun about Isabela is that she is so excited to do this and her enthusiasm turns on the excitement in me. Somedays she is the one who decides when we’ve gone far enough and need to head back. On those days I am just letting the day happen to me–no plans, no hurry. Today is one of those.

The sight of waves is always a joy. The sound of them too. The salty spray that reaches me is a spiritual blessing–a kind of baptism, without the religious aspect.

All my senses are smiling and my heart is full of gratitude for the goodness that surrounds me. I’m thinking of my dear friend who just left this life less than a month ago, after a long and graceful dance with cancer. I imagine holding her hand, laughing with her.

And I let the day begin.

 

In loving memory of Susan Swisher whose 64 years on this planet were a blessing to all who knew her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On your mark, get set, go! Oh my…The Baja is an incredible part of Mexico. It’s almost an island; and resembles little of mainland Mexico they tell me (I’ve never been). The highway (if you can call it that) is treacherous, scary, spooky, and is nothing like a highway in the States or Canada. Our neighbor refers to it as a suicide run.

Mostly there are two lanes and no shoulder. The Baja gets all its goods by truck or boat, so we meet many of those trucks on the road. We cringe and literally lean our bodies away from the trucks as we pass by each other going opposite directions. They are so close that we’re sure they’ll take our side-view mirrors–or worse. Believe me this drive is not for the feint of heart.

Much of it is beautiful scenery if you are the passenger. The driver’s eyes are glued to the road and its hazards. This trip found me behind the wheel for only one-half hour. Seriously. I lucked out. Greg is my hero, driving all that way up and down.

The reason for the trip was to visit family in San Diego County. It’s always nice to see the ones you love.

 

We got to be with our son and his wife and my mom too. All so good for our hearts and the reason for taking the long and winding road trip.

 

 

 

 

Here are some essentials for the road trip:

Money for gas: in our case about 400 bucks.

Snacks that are easily eaten while you drive: peanuts, m & m’s, hard boiled eggs, toasted pumpkin seeds, cheese and crackers, peanut butter and apple slices, cookies, lots of water, coffee, and soda!

Dog food and dog treats for Isabela

A sense of humor–a necessity for life in general, right?

Tunes on the iPod

Tunes on Sirius radio

Sunglasses are a must

Comfy clothes for the drive–loose fitting and cool, as it’s hot during the day. Jeans and sweat shirts are for the wee hours and for nighttime.

Maps with all the road distances between places and the military check points marked, also notes regarding gas stations, hotels and places to grab a bite to eat.

Cell phones for when there is cell service and you want to call and make reservations at a hotel or for emergency

Patience for lots of potholes, lousy drivers, cows or horses in the road, and fog outside of Guerrero Negro for miles!

More patience for windy roads up in the mountains and the monotonous stretches of nothing in the low lands

You have to stop to let the dog run around and do her business. You can do your business too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We camped on the beach in between Mulege and Loreto. Beautiful evening.

Isabela, our dog, loved being close to the water again. She did not like the city life very much.

Everybody out! Gotta move around a bit.

 

All in all a nice trip, but we are so happy to be home.

 

 

What wakes you up in the morning? El gallo!

My friend Julie’s lesson with the orphans was to draw and paint a rooster. It amazes us how good these kids are at just jumping right in and making art. All the roosters came out differently because each child makes it his/her own.

I am always so encouraged working with these children.

 

 

Dori, my friend from Davis, CA, and her daughter, Lilly, came with us this time. Lilly speaks excellent Spanish and loves to do artistic things herself. They were both a big help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re ever in town, you should stop by and see the place. It’s awesome–filled with love.

(and some really cool rooster paintings!)

 

 

Rise and shine! The sun comes up pretty early, so we get an early start these days. Our pup can hardly stand it till we start moving toward the door. “I have to get my shoes on, Isabela.” That sets her off to the bench in the outdoor shower where we keep her ball and the chuck-it. All her days start like this. We walk across the street onto the trail Greg made for us, and we’re down on the beach in under a minute. Happiness is a dog on the beach with a ball.

 

Today’s happiness, besides throwing the ball for Isabela, was Greg casting his fishing line, me finding beach glass and newly hatched turtles.

 

 

That’s right! BABY TURTLES TODAY.

Oh how happy! I yelled to Greg down the beach where he was fishing, and he came a running! Two of our neighbors and a Mexican worker, whose part of a crew building a house down the street, also came to be part of the thrilling spectacle.

 

I’ve mentioned this before, but I get so upset about the tire tracks the turtles get stuck in. This is the time of year when the gringos all show up to live in their second homes. Some ride their 4-wheelers on the beach. It’s not all gringos though. Many Mexicans start bringing their big 4X4 trucks and drive up and down the beach as they fish on the shore.

 

 

There were about thirty babies. They were slow and seemingly exhausted, so we figure they were hatched in the night and tired out from their arduous journey to the water’s edge.

 

 

Oh what a beautiful morning!

Wow! Lots of bait fish in the water this morning. Teeming in fact and close to shore. Some of them were washed up and left to…well…die. They look like infant ballyhoo, but I don’t know for sure if they are.

 

 

 

 

Our neighbors were having a great time casting and catching this morning. Our dog had a ball too—literally and figuratively. She loves to chase and catch the ball as much as the guys love tossing in their lines and catching fish.

 

 

No baby turtles today, but there have been many trucks and 4-Wheelers on the beach. I’m so glad we were able to mark out nests with sticks; at least they won’t drive over them.

 

 

I’m happy and thankful to be alive to enjoy the richness that life has to offer. As you can see, the fishermen were happy and thankful today too.