the 2023 Christmas Blog Card….

Posted bybrantdyer6929Posted inUncategorized
Maris did a great job on the Thanksgiving centerpieces. We have about 7 different shades of bougainvillea out in the yard.
A beautiful drive along a ridge that follows this beautiful bay
And on a different hilltop….

Still seems a bit odd to be here in Mexico for Christmas. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our daughter and boyfriend, but we are on our own for Christmas.

Perhaps I’ll have more time to study Spanish? There is a terrific 180 view of the ocean from this balcony…. It’s torture
Yup this sign sums it up for fundraising season!

Then of course “Fundraising season” began in earnest. Opening the Season with the Taste of East Cape (15 restaurants) followed by an art festival, a Christmas pageant, a pig roast, a poker rally house tour and an ATV ride. Sorry if I missed a few…. Hopefully all this hard partying will result in filling a food pantry, building some houses and parks and give scholarships to lots of kids.

Wait! I forgot to mention the margarita and ornament fundraiser for Crescent Moon. Lots of fun but I always question the wisdom of drinking mixed with use of hot glue guns.

In between all these events we had to rest up. It helps to have a nice beach to relax on. Love the SUP, but working on my strap to roof technique.

A perfect fit!
With no advance planning we suddenly had 4 umbrellas, with plenty of people and dogs in front of Mar y Sol

Didn’t get in the Christmas spirit until we went to the program put on by the high school. A great combo of over excited young ones combined with high schoolers who had worked hard to put on their program. When you poorly understand the language, you are dependent on body language and at this sort of show that is the best part.

Guess this is what happens after your older brother finishes his time as grinch on the stage
There was a long line for buñuelos (my favorite) and pan dulces that these girls are carefully choosing
See what I mean about body language? You can figure it out right?
Loved watching all the familes….Just enjoying being together
Love these decorations… did you figure it out? Yup, tires
So it was time to get the 15 foot agave bloom up on the roof top….
And the significantly smaller one out by the pool.
But some decorating takes minimal effort
… and some just takes water (croton in friends yard)

A friend visited from the US and enjoyed sharing a turtle release with her. Yup “A turtle “. Poor guy had a lot of pressure on him.

The one little guy wriggling in her fingers.
If I were a turtle I’d go the opposite direction but they do seem to know
Or maybe it’s the ten people corralling him to the water…. Yes the center of attention is the tiny turtle you can’t even see. (In other turtle releases we have seen many many more).

I always loved the end of year harvest … cutting herbs, stealing honey, and gathering apples. Now it’s harvesting different stuff.

We have a grapefruit tree that snapped off in a hurricane but it has grown back and is producing a dozen a year.
The lime tree is going crazy, this is one day’s picking….
And if you forget to pick for one day, you need more than a little basket
The Jamaica looks very Christmasy (hibiscus sabdarifa)
This is the calyx of the flower. Has a tangy slightly sweet flavor . I removed the seeds but they contain pectin….
… which helped thicken the dressing (on top of my home grown lettuce, peppers and tomatoes)
Of course I’d have much better harvests if Promagro hadn’t been out of this…. Yup that’s BIRD OFF!
And did I mention what pretty compost we have?
A little pruning had to be done. The 5 foot log weighed only about 5 lbs and inside was a bristle brush. New plant pedestal!

I would say we have missed See’s Chocolates but a friend brought us a box. I ate way too many See’s while working late at the office…. I have to say they are way tastier when I’m not eating them to reward myself for doing 4 more notes.

And the best event of the season… for me, winter solstice wins. A wonderful time to sit in the sand of the arroyo while watching the sunset, listening to jazz, followed by beautiful (Unitarian style) readings about solstice, followed by the lighting of the effigy that was filled with scribblings of what we wanted to get rid of, followed by the lighting of the effigy which prompted a change from jazz to songs like: “come on baby light my fire”. It was beautiful, and touching and fun and funny but not too sweet. We were ready to check out the beach bands, tacos and margaritas after that.

A hand pointed to the higher being….. notes bearing messages of what to get rid of are tucked in its base.
…. And there it goes. Such a cool thing to realize this celebration has been going on for thousands of years.
… and then it was time to eat, drink and dance!

We can’t do our usual San Francisco trip here very easily (a Christmas weekend in San Francisco was our tradition for … hmm 30 some odd years?) So instead we headed to Cabo. We decided to go to Costco (our most disliked but necessary at times store). It’s always annoying but today it was gridlock for 20 minutes in the parking lot. We decided we didn’t need anything that bad.

But you really can’t complain when you get to watch this from the hot tub at the end of the day!

So very happy to have found Promagro in San Jose. All kinds of unique seeds—- even cactus seeds! I was exhausted with my feeble yet persistent attempts to communicate in Spanish. Amazingly Vicky never gave up… between patient listening, Google translate and a call to a landscaper in Los Barriles I got nearly everything I needed…. Plus directions in Spanish (turn left just before the tamales stand) to where I can buy seaweed fertilizer. I would have given up on me!

Brant deserved those tacos after far too high a ratio of driving and parking to shopping.

Just saying …..it was good to get to the Westin Regina to our Christmas gift (thanks to Marriot)…. A beautiful room next to crashing surf.

Cabo is absolutely crazy but the ocean here remains mesmerizing. Especially from the confines of a hot tub. The last time we were here was 23 years ago (I know that because I was studying for boards) . The place has tripled in size and now has pickleball courts.

For example, is it me or is driving behind this truck worrisome?

It has been a good year for us. We have had much more time to relax and enjoy the space and those around us.

…. Like those calm sup mornings… even if the fish aren’t biting
… I never tire of this beauty
But even if they aren’t biting, Trafford has found ways around it

Though we recognize we are doing so while so much sadness happening in the world. We continue to feel so lucky to have more time to do things we enjoy. And have more time to be kind and thoughtful but also to have time to accept the kindness of others. So many thanks to those who hosted us this summer. I feared being bored here but truly not an issue at all. Hoping this year everyone can find a bit of time to stare at the surf or a snowy mountain or a reflection in a lake…. A good way to not think about the sadness but rather think the world may find a way to fix itself.

…like taking time out for doing toes
…or the wonderfully patient husband waiting to paddle with his wife on a calm Mar y Sol morning.
Loved the message on the board outside yoga studio….. so very very true! (Hope you can read)
Yup loving looking at a scene like this and knowing we share some molecules (most likely).

Here’s hoping everyone’s molecules stay happy and healthy for 2024.

Even our new baby iguana put on his Christmas best!

3 thoughts on “the 2023 Christmas Blog Card….”

  1. Love the Christmas blog and  beautiful photos , thank you. Although I do miss the music, tell Brant he is slacking! Hope we get to see you soon, fingers crossed!

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