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.

 

 

 

My dear friend, Julie, is an art teacher in Maui and, with her husband, she has a home here in my neighborhood where they spend about half of every year. She reads my blog and it prompted her to express an interest in going to the orphanage with me. That’s how I got lucky enough to be a part of Julie’s water color lesson.

Last Saturday she and I worked on our lesson plan and we created some samples. I learned a lot from her about how to break it down into small steps, which is what good teaching is about. On Monday, armed with courage, water colors, markers, lots of paper, and water color pencils, brushes and some containers for water, we loaded everything in my truck.

 

On the way to the orphanage, we picked up another of my friends, Stacee, who hales from Colorado, and with her hubby, she also has a home here. And so it was that we three adults got charged up and went to have some fun. As one might imagine, we enjoyed it every bit as much as the children. Receiving blessings is normally what giving delivers, right?

 

¿Qué vive en el mar? What lives in the sea?

This was the question posed by Julie to the eight, energetic, children artists in our first group. It was exciting to watch their faces light up and see how easily they took to the project.

We were amazed as we watched them dig right in, creating their own special underwater scenes.

 

 

We managed to work with about 20 of them before our time was up, and I, for one, was exhausted at the end of two hours. It was a contented exhaustion reminiscent of my years as a teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can’t get too much of a good thing when it comes to days like this. If you are ever in need of a “pick-me-up” you must visit the Hogar del Niño in Todos Santos.

 

 

 The kids are generous with their smiles and their talents—sharing and helping each other is their norm.

 

 

 

 

We’re already gearing up for another painting session. Next time we’re going to paint birds!

 

Celebrating Day of the Dead or Halloween?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom has always done a really good witch cackle, so it is appropriate that she dress like this. However, she doesn’t really look scary enough to be a witch with that smile. I told her she should do her witch cackle for the trick or treaters, but she was afraid she would scare them. My brother and I used to beg her to do it for our friends, and later, after I had kids, my own would beg her to do it for their friends. One time she did. The little friend of my son’s said, “If you had done that when I was in the woods, I would have shit my pants.” Mom was flabbergasted with his potty mouth. (This kid was only about 10 years old). We all got a good laugh.

Personally, I am not a fan of Halloween, but I know a lot of people who are. Dressing up as a different character can be fun, I’m sure. But it’s just not what I do. I am interested in the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, though, especially now that I live in Mexico. In this culture, one celebrates those family members who have died. There are certain foods and things to prepare for the alter and it is a chance to show respect and love for the ones who have gone to the other side. Here’s a good link (short) to explain more if you are interested: http://www.celebrate-day-of-the-dead.com

 

I love the art associated with this holiday.

 

Whether you like to dress up on Halloween, go to parties, hand out treats, or celebrate the Mexican way, may you find joy cada día, each day.

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.

 

**************

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.”

---

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