Life's Been Good To Us So Far!

I had researched a dozen places I wanted to visit on the way to Moustiers, each requiring about a one hour drive. So we picked one, which was questionable to me as it seemed a bit touristy and we hate to be associated with what we are, but we went there and it was wonderful. The sun came out, the food was great (coq au vin and trout something —lots of almonds involved), the views were stunning. It couldn’t get better than this I thought… but it did! (Best of all we had a hot goat cheese salad—even Brant loved it.)

We began driving though the Gorges —spectacular. Honestly kind of indescribable at my level of writing skill. I will just have to use lots of pics, but even these can’t capture the way the beauty surrounds you. We found our other half of our “duplex”from that I think was built in the 1700s in the middle of a pasture next to a river with donkeys circling the place. The owner got a little excited when we zipped right past her into the pasture as we didn’t know where we were going. Fortunately we don’t understand French and Brant’s Baja training has made him a pro at managing dirt roads and pastures…even when driving an Ibiza.

The next day we did further driving/hiking into the gorge. This was beauty on the Yosemite level and more—truly stunning. At times I was disappointed by the clouds but at other times it made the light even more unique. There were no crowds anywhere—-as Brant said just enough people to make you feel it was ok to be there.

While the gorge was spectacular the town of Moustiers was a surprise as well. There was little english spoken but a woman who walked by us said—this is like f**kin Disney land! I have to agree it was almost over the top. The town clung to side of the hill with a creek cutting through the middle with the prerequisite cute bridges. And the pottery was unique and so well done —next time I will go back with a piece of luggage just for the ceramics. (Don’t tell Brant).

So many pictures, so difficult to choose so just close the blog when you get bored. It is so nice when you find something that looks great on the web and it truly is…. Lots of pics because I don’t want to forget this crazy beautiful place. Would we come back? Absolutely, 3 nights was not enough.

I was sad to leave here. In fact I think Brant took this pic because he knew I made up an excuse to go back and check one more time for forgotten objects so I could actually spend another minute here. The pic is foreshadowing because sadly I left that black linen shirt in Bordeaux which I bought in Portugal—-ah well after staying at 19 places you are bound to screw up somewhere!

We really wanted to have a car in France but we also wanted to check out the rail system and avoid backtracking with the car. Also it’s just so relaxing to be on a train…most of the time. So we boarded a train from Lyon to Grenoble where we changed to a smaller rain headed to Gap. Well actually we thought we boarded a train to Gap but when it left 10 minutes early we realized we were on the wrong train and jumped off at the first stop. (This was not relaxing.) Thanks to an Uber we got back to the Grenoble station and then we were provided with a couple hours of time to work on the blog. Actually worked well, because we got better light later in day over the alps, had a drink, and we got to see a little bit of downtown Grenoble via Uber. There really is VERY little English spoken in this area so we just keep bumbling along with google translate and hand motions. Everyone has been remarkably nice and seem to kind of show pity for the 2 only English speaking tourists that aren’t attached to a tour guide. Actually on the trains there really didn’t seem to be any real tourists, very surprising to us.

We skipped Marseille and headed for Toulon.

This was an area Brant was particularly interested in because of it’s naval history and a well known maritime museum. During World War 2 when they knew the Germans were invading they scuttled their entire fleet, I can’t imagine the emotions surrounding doing that—and calling out those orders. Essentially giving up. We hopped off the train in Toulon and our hotel was just a hundred feet away. Felt pretty posh! They even had an elevator.

After finding our way “home”we wandered through the city and found an excellent Lebanese restaurant. Google translate did have difficulty translating to Lebanese foods to French then English but luckily the owner spoke English and was very helpful The waitress spoke minimal English but asked if we “come on choo choo?” I love how we find ways to communicate. All in all an interesting day though not quite as planned. In the morning I opened the NYT and saw that Lebanon had been bombed at about the same time we were eating in the resataurant. Guess we had a pretty darn good day….

The next morning we were off to Nice where we would pick up a car. I had really wanted to explore Hyeres area and the Calanques/Cap ferret etc but just couldn’t quite work it in. I guess it worked out for the best as the weather was slightly chilly and threatening rain. And this means we will need to come back to kayak in the Calanques and a nice dinner at Cap Ferrat—-not to mention a ferry out to the islands.

Brant used points to stay at a very nice Nice hotel that allowed us to check in at 10:00 in the morning. The concierge spent a great deal of time pointing out the best sites. (Though his English was good I could only understand 25 percent, and he did look a bit like Inspector Clouseau). So we decided on the best restaurant, and walked in and spoke to the man about a table that night at the restaurant —-phoning does not work well with google translate). He felt so bad that he couldn’t give me a table that he brought me his book to prove to me they had absolutely no tables all night. Honestly, it was a 3 minute apology! I personally think the book was a fake (who uses paper anymore?) though later that night we saw a line out the door but it was very nice of him. So we went to a restaurant which was good but what I wanted (a typical Nicoise meal) was only in their takeout menu. This made no sense at all to me but I lost the fight. (A ground kale gnocchi with a special a basil sauce if you wonder). I was on a mission to check off several boxes on the list of Niciose cuisine. Nice was a fun explore and we left with much more to see. Seems Nice would be a great place for a beach vacation-a beautiful beach with all the restaurants and shopping to go with it. We hiked up to the museum showing the works of Marc Chagall. (Love his use of color though not my favorite artist however the Matisse Museum was another 400 feet up the hill and we had already done a few dozen floors.) Yikes—big security to get into the exhibit which ended up being free. (We think because they made us wait in the drizzle a bit —very kind). We spoke to a woman from South Africa in line with us and she was talking about how lucky we were that English was often the default language. So true…and remarkable how Germans switch to English with a French waiter to attempt to communication. It has been fun on occasion to be able to use Spanish as the default language to communicate in France.

So then I spent 10 minutes trying to find a location that wold put us up on top of the viewpoint over Nice only to have the Lyft driver deposit us at the 300 stairs up to the top despite my efforts. (Brant thought this was very funny). On the bright side, 1. We learned that the cab driver was from Libya and had a PhD in music, he taught handicapped children music and had 3 jobs to support his 5 kids, and has lived in France for 20 years and still loves classical music best and continues to play the violin, 2. The hike up was truly not bad and it was beautiful looking out over the coast, 3. We almost got 15,000 steps on our app (On this trip we are having 10-15,000 steps every day.—-and I think about 82 floors. The floor count is inaccurate on my phone so I do my own estimations.

Happy to say after a nice Nice espresso on the balcony we picked up a nice Nice compact car and headed back to the Alps of Provence.

Another easy flight into Lyon and a taxi ride to another donkey path and stairs. The taxi cost more than doubled between here and Lisbon so we did a bit more walking. All of this was forgotten when Fran swung around the corner (very unexpectedly) with her beautiful smile, (Fran stayed with us as an exhange student from Chile about 16 years ago.) It was WONDERFUL to see her, but so sad Maris couldn’t be there for the reunion. Lyon was a perfect place for walking, talking, eating, drinking and even bicycling while we caught up with our lives. Much has happened since we last were together, and it was so good to have time to just talk together.

We had convinced Fran to go on a bike tour /food tasting trip around Lyon. The temps were a bit chillier than expected. In fact our tour guide said that the temp on the day of our ride it was the same temp as on Christmas Day last year! Thanks to Zara and Uniqlo I was able to winterize my wardrobe. I even bought gloves—-which came in handy when our apartment dropped down to 17 degrees (62F). Outside I believe it dropped into the 40s. Had I known the bike path was shared with the city bus system I might not have been so excited about doing this. Regardless it was a great way to see the city.

And just so you can better understand our confusion, here is a brief video:

In front of the basilica on a beautiful day, We were surprised how quiet it was on a weekend. (Photo credit: Fran)

Brant and Fran went in search of bread and meat.

One of the main goals I had in Lyon was of course to eat the food! This is a quenelle floating in a crayfish bisque—-it was like this floating soufflé in my creamy seafood soup—EXCELLENT! A savory version of a floating island. Brant and Fran were convinced I had ordered duck but fortunately the waiter understood my fine French!

Regardless, Lyon was a beautiful city for roaming and eating and drinking and catching up. Easily digestible if that makes sense. Next time Maris needs to be there and we need to do it sooner…rather than later as they say! Fran off to Rome and as always wishing her all the best. We are off to Provence….time to see if Peter Mayle was telling the truth…..

I really loved Lisbon. It had a great energy about it. And just a great variety. It also had a few less steps than Porto. And the Uber drivers were funny and informative. The driver bringing us in convinced us to go to Madeira Islands where he is from. He also gave us a great outline of what to in the city plus some history … very kind.

Another driver was hilarious… reminded me of the character in Catch 22…Milo I think. He was from Punjab. He told us he lived in Italy for a few years but now in Portugal for 6. I asked if he liked here or Italy better. He said he liked Italy but he couldn’t get his papers renewed after a couple of years… so now he is in Portugal and he likes that better now. Then he giggled. Another had been in Portugal for 11 years from Bengal… he seemed to have confidence and pride that Portugal was doing everything it could to improve their country. Still he prefers his own country’s spicy food. Then we had a guy who picked us up after a Fado show who was very upset we were in that part of town. He felt it was very unsafe… filled with immigrants and crime. I think he was sincerely concerned about our safety but also was angry about what he felt immigrants were doing to his city. It was a heck of a strange walk to get there but the restaurant was tucked away in a tiny ally then upstairs to a tiny room. We did get the sense we were in a “bad” part of time but it was also unique and kind of magical.

Our hotel was also unique… and thanks to credit card points we somehow got upgraded to the “boss’s room”… yup that’s what it said on plaque right next to our door. A spacious suite on the top floor, but what really made it was the wrap around deck. Pretty posh! Easy to grab a drink at the bar on the way up the elevator then enjoy them on our wrap around deck.

We had only 2 nights in Lisbon so just did a superficial tour of the city which as always includes lots of walking, searching out good food, drink and views then a bit of music and throw in a little local feel.

Would we go back? I feel most definitely, a fun city with lots to do. Like NYC so many different parts to the city—each area different. I think the Chiado area would be the best to stay in but I also read that the Moorish Quarter was terrific place to stay for a diverse mix of people and culture—-and that is exactly where the cab driver told us was very dangerous and we should not be there!

Here is my attempt to load a fado video:

Off to Lyon! We leave Portugal with a desire for further exploration and maybe a month in the Azores someday—-and we also leave behind a beautiful scarf (originally 80 bucks but bought in LB for 75 percent off) which I lost when we got in the wrong person’s car in a parking lot. We rapidly jumped out when we didn’t recognize the jacket in the car sadly leaving the scarf behind. I bet they are wondering where that scarf came from!Fortunately for me Portugal had a beautiful assortment of scarves to choose from. It’s very hard to choose but I narrowed it down to two.

So glad we got a good breakfast in Obidos because the day unfolded a bit differently than expected—-as frequently occurs with travel. Thanks to Alvaro we found a beautiful spot on the coast for a quick hike then hit the road for Sintra.

We had already circumnavigated one castle and we had advance tickets to another. Also we had learned our car rental needed to be in by ten the next day—-an impossible task. (Note to self: not only are pick up times important-see azores entry-but drop off times are equally important given the hefty fine which is of course the only reason why they would be important). So we said lets drop off in Sintra, Well Sintra drop off #1(which we sadly waited an hour to reopen after there lunch) was only for RV drop offs and Sintra #2 did not exist which was immediately apparent to me but was puzzled over by at least 5 other non English speaking (shocking I know) employees of the car dealership and the SIxt car rental that was mysteriously there instead. I finally convinced the staff to give me my phone back (sil vous plait mi teléfono is apparently not French enough) and instead we proceeded to the traffic zoo of Cais Cais where Brant suddenly learned how to be rental car employee and just drove that alpha romero right up and over the sidewalk—no parking space needed.

It would have been funnier but we had a ticket to the castle and BNB check in. So we grabbed a cab after dragging our luggage over to the rail station (the first guy turned us down and this should have been a clue) but the second guy was kind and happily took us as he knew where the place was. Unfortunately this man knew the name double of our place but not actually ours. He was so upset—he insisted on getting an English speaking man from inside the swanky hotel where we were not staying to explain the predicament that he could not turn the corner as it became “cab illegal” for his particular cab. We tried to reassure him it was ok—I truly think he was more upset than us. It was only another 5 minutes of luggage dragging so no big deal—-took longer to explain than walk there!

SO check in, no time for an aperitif, OTD for another castle. Now we are tired and can’t seem to find the right castle (which is kind of a weird problem if you think about it and is a much longer story that I will spare my memory bank). I tell Brant everyone has said just take a cab—very easy. So we do. The castle is 5 minutes away—BUT as it turns out we must take the cab about 45 minutes out of town on a one way loop in order to get back to the castle. At last we get there—we are feeling a bit smug. BUT then we realized its another 30 minute slog up the hill to enter the grounds. Okay so it’s a nice place, but I think I’d rather live closer to town. By the way, they seem to call everything a castle around here so specific names are important. Just saying hope they had drivers to take each other to the various castle parties back in the day….

Actually the trail down through the gardens of the castle was the best, because there were really packed; wild gardens all going down the side of the mini mountain. About 8 of us all speaking different languages trying to figure out which fork in what path to take before we got locked in for the night. We didn’t really worry as long as we had a downhill course. (To be honest, we just don’t like crowds except at music festivals so it was great to lose the crowds as we wondered through the gardens).

It didn’t matter where we ate that night—anything would have tasted good. I was thrilled when the waiter said, “ Pick it up, here is ok, not in France ok”—-I had a plate full of lambchops and he did not have to repeat himself!

That night I kept thinking why do we have tickets to Moorish castle—-I thought we had tickets to some weird mansion with a well whose name I don’t recall? (6 weeks of travel is filled with many details not always written down).Oddly enough googling mansion with well in Sintra yielded no results. But then I found the name under the 10 best things to see and alas we then we found we had tickets but had not been able to print. Hmmm but now we had tickets to 2 places in the morning? We can do it! And thanks to extraordinarily cheap Ubers we got to that strange mansion with the well, and the Moorish Castle in one morning then a delicious lunch followed by yet another Uber. Why take a train when the Uber costs only 30 euros and takes you right to your hotel in Lisbon?

Would we come back? Probably not. A definite been there, done that sort of place. Unless of course Adele was giving a private concert at the Pena Castle and we were in invited……

And just to be clear, it’s a beautiful place, it’s actually quite organized and the people of the town were incredibly nice. I do think they have been a victim of their own success and they struggle trying to figure out what to do with all these visitors and traffic. (And I will say first thing in the morning was very pleasant). Also it seems slightly strange to have a town that is built around ogling at the tremendous wealth of a small number of people. Hah but I guess that is so many tourist locations.

Great roads in Portugal, but I can say that because Brant is driving. We had a hard time sorting out our stops on the way to Lisbon but opted against Coimbra (the former Capital) downtown as we felt we had enough city and downtowns are no fun to drive in. But we did make a stop at the Roman ruins on the outskirts. Once again we were amazed with the absense of tourists. These ruins were unique because of many intact mosaic floors which were left in place. Made it easy to imagine the home that went with it. And unlike the US the food served at the restaurants at the parks is very good and cheap.

We also wanted to check out a surfer town so we stopped in Peniche. Unfortunately the fog had rolled in so it was not too photogenic, We decided to try for sun in the morning.

We had heard that Obidos might be underwhelming—-a bit too touristy and crowded others had told us. We had a plan though, to arrive at about 5 to our BnB just outside the city walls then walk the town, admire its lighting, and have a late dinner. It worked perfectly. Without people (or very few) it was easy to imagine the town in medieval times. At one point at about 6 or 7 I think? A large bus load of tourists suddenly walked into town together. It was very odd—-they were there for about 15 minutes then left! Just that one bus load destroyed the ambiance (for 20 minutes), I can’t imagine what more would do. There are very few people who live in Obidos so it makes for a remarkably peaceful place after bus tour hours.

The real gem was our BNB. It was in a home from the early 1600s. The owner greeted us with a shot of the traditional cherry liquer and said his wife had kidnapped him when they were in college together. He had been imprisoned their ever since. I think that was over 40 years ago. I believe the home had been passed down to her and previously owned by military doctors. (I hope I have this correct). All was reported to us with a bit of a grin. I don’t think he plans to request parole. We also learned that during his imprisonment, they had 2 children now out of college. And he also had his own business here helping businesses with computer set up and design—-thus explaining the excellent internet at Casa Picva. )

After a huge breakfast the next morning—homemade muesli, jams, lemon curd, fruits, breads, yogurt etc. We headed back to the coast. And the imprisoned host gave us and excellent suggestion for a coastal stop.

And the closing question: Would I go back? Maybe. I would like to see Coimbra and explore the surfer towns a bit more. There are also islands I’d like to take a boat out to. We really enjoyed talking with Alvaro and would like to talk more. He said he felt it was good that US people were moving to Portugal. Though he agrees it is likely to increase prices. Finally I think its very cool that you can hop off the highway, pull over next to the castle wall and do quick walk around…an unusual and beautiful hike. And it is all free.

An easy flight next to to a young “portanite”who took my phone and amended and added to our list of stops. He seemed to have enjoyed climbing the bridge. And he definitely enjoyed eating!

A cab driver dropped us off at the top of what he called a donkey path to our lodging . The German couple trying to turn around in the donkey path as we arrived likely had less complimentary terms . (The wife wisely got out of the car while a Portuguese guy kept coaching him along saying… “ have no worry, your car is strong!”. Not sure how that helped?) Regardless after a 10 minutes of entertainment he was off the sidewalk and we were at the beautiful guesthouse Dan and Linda stayed. A well renovated spacious place that was perfectly positioned near all the tourist high points. (Have no idea why it went to bold and too hard to change—don’t puzzle over this).

Loved the walk from our room down to the river and across the footbridge that is the oldest bridge in Portugal. And because one of those tiny tables perched on the sidewalk by the river was empty we grabbed it for wine, beer and snacks. A little of the flavor of the piers in San Francisco with lots of English and tourist tempting stuff, but a fun place to people/river watch. Decided to get the port tasting over right away as Brant is convinced it tastes like cough medicine. I think he was impressed by the very old ports and we enjoyed talking with the young Canadian who had escaped his Canadian cubicle.

The thought of walking up those steps was unpleasant and possibly dangerous after lots of port but we noticed a gondola that appeared to take us up to the taller bridge. We met a nice French Canadian couple trying to sort it out as well(who spoke a little English) and learned she had same name as our other friends in Quebec. Then we ended up watching same Irish band. Later, a good 20 minute walk from the band in a tiny restaurant, the same couple walked out while we were eating…. Very odd. Bet they thought we were stalking them!

Porto is difficult to describe. I heard someone say that all cities are the same, only the people that are different. Personally i think that is a ridiculous statement with only a speck of truth in it. I believe that every city is a process. The geography combined with people and their history determine the architecture and then begins all the layering of a city. In Porto there was a lot of dark gothic and baroque architecture. I think the people decided it was all getting a bit too serious so they put brightly colored tiles all over the place to cheer it up. I think its that combination that makes it truly unique, not exactly like any other city I have been in. But then I feel like every city is unique…

We only had 3 nights in Porto and easily you could fill a week exploring. We opted against the Douro Valley but could definitely come back another time to enjoy a river cruise. (We decided to get to the truly beautiful part of the valley was 2 hours by train, and to really appreciate we thought it deserved an overnight—with more time we would have done this).

And the question: would we come back? Absolutely! In fact we actually talked about living here. And the stairs would keep us fit!

Surprises? It was a youthful city . It was an easy city to figure out, to me the historic part seemed a bit small. It was easy to get around. There seemed to be a few too many tourists but not terribly crowded. Lots of English spoken and when that didn’t work Spanish did come in handy a few times. After a couple days of walking around cathedrals and beautiful streets and even a museum that served wine—we decided to check out a regular neighborhood. Of course we picked a very nice neighborhood—-THE FOZ.

Brant is back in the drivers seat and we are off to our next destination…..

I am a bit reluctant to write this blog because I have a hard time not being honest. This is an extraordinarily beautiful really sort of magical place but I hate to encourage more tourism that might spoil it.

We arrived after a great visit with Maris and Gabe filled with food, music, drink and lots and lots of walking (good prep for Europe) in Brooklyn. Always wonderful to wander around and get to catch up with their busy lives. Maris put together a terrific itinerary and Gabe arranged for us to see the Cults at Warsaw. We have been missing getting pierogis at Ukrainian Christmas in SHingle Springs—-nice to get a plateful here (a former Polish Community Center now a concert/events venue). Check out the Cults on spotify—good music.

We arrived in Sao Miguel, the largest of the Azore Islands, at about 6 AM, just a 5 hour butt bruising flight from Brooklyn . After 3 hours of tumultuous sleep, we got in line for our car —only to learn that it would not be available until 12. The best option seemed a cab ride to the city center where we wandered around for 5 hours until we were able to get a rental car. I was impressed by Brant’s ability to stay awake while driving to the other end of the island to our hotel. We hoped for an early check in but sadly no…..

This is just a remarkably beautiful place. It is a bit like Big Sur mixed with beautiful villages like those in the Greek Islands and Ireland so with varied architecture, Best of all was the vegetation that had the lush green of Kauai and Ireland….and my favorite: New England style hydrangeas everywhere.

While this is certainly an area of tourism it did not feel like it. No signs, no hawkers, but there were free National parks and hot springs at the beach. Easy to navigate but curvy roads. We spent 2 nights in a hotel at the north end of the hotel then 2 nights in the south. It seems most folks stayed in the center and did day trips but I always like places best when everyone leaves for the day.

I TOOK WAY TOO MANY HYDRANGEA PICTURES—YOU ARE LUCKY THAT I’M INCLUDING JUST A FEW… I learned that the reason for all the hydrangeas in New England, is because the mariner’s wives brought seeds across the pond many years ago to remind them of their home. So glad they did….

And finally what we loved the best…the peaceful beauty of this place. Can’t wait to come back and explore the other islands. They say that Faisal is the blue island because it has the most hydrangeas. What?? More hydrangeas than Sao MIguel? Hard to imagine…we better fo check it out.

When I was about 8 or 10 I read about the Azores in my garage sale stack of National Geographic’s and have wanted to see them ever since—-a bucket list started at a young age, it was even better than I imagined.

People always ask what we do here in the summer. How do we cope with the heat, what is left to do? It’s a good question. We wondered too but we have kind of established a bit of a rhythm which seems pleasant though still a bit odd.

This year we worked on lots of maintainence projects —which I try to think of as an immersion Spanish course though I think the recipients feel a little tortured. (I’m probably causing Mexicans to go out and learn English they so won’t have to struggle through a Spanish conversation with me anymore.)

The desert changes. It gets drier and drier and just when you think the plants are going to keel over, there is rain and the cactus blooms and everything turns green…overnight. Love watching the surprises out there… mangos, sapodillas, beautiful cactus blooms… as well as iguanas eating the jamacica, goats and cows looking mournfully into our less assessable yard.

There are fewer people and you start recognizing everyone everywhere. And despite the very hot midday heat there are new restaurants and homes popping up. It is very difficult to just stand in the sun at 3 PM, yet everyday we see people carrying 100 lb bags of cement to a wall they are building with some Mexican music blaring and often with lots of laughter…truly it’s amazing.

And finally there is time to read a book, do a solid hour of Duolingo, start up some knitting projects, plan that summer trip,watch the rays, swim along the coast in incredibly warm water, get back to scrabble and of course, lots of pickleball for those who don’t mind getting sweat showers from their partner.

This is our third summer, the first seemed the hottest (and bizarrely with a deluge of flies) but since then we seem to have figured it out a bit. Walk out to the beach for a swim or pickleball in the morning followed by AC and desayuno followed by pool and indoor chores, then gardening or the beach once it cools down. And of course, rooftop sunsets. Not a bad way to spend a few weeks (especially when you can enjoy Chinese dinner nights with friends or rotary socials or baked potato beach dinners or poolside scrabble) as long as you have some AC in the afternoon for trip planning.

And always my favorite…. When the ocean’s horizon blends into the sky so that it becomes one. A beautiful illusion…

The house is closed down, time for travel! Get ready for lots of BOT pics.

I love Cabo Pulmo! (A big marine preserve). When we first went there about 20 years ago it was just a handful of homes and some beautiful wind sculpted beaches. There was one restaurant with a lot of stray cats and a dirt road often disappearing off a cliff or into the ocean. So nice to have a quick ride home after a day of snorkeling and hiking rather than an hour of bone jarring. (Sorry these 2 paragraphs got out of order)

When we returned from Jazzfest, the population of LB had further decreased. After spending the night in LB we headed out to Cabo Pulmo. My overfilled bucket list about to be a little less full—-because the owner allowed us to cash in our “Hurricane check (not a measly rain check)” from last October. (And so glad Ken and Joan could make it back to enjoy Cabo Pulmo with us after helping us with our rapid storm prep last October)

Maryanne organized a women’s only fishing trip. And WE CAUGGT NINE TUNA!!Now, why we didn’t think to bring an ice chest for the nine tuna we caught is another question…. (Thanks, Brant).

As always I begin to fear boredom when so many leave, yet look forward to having time to do all those things you never have time to get done during the “busy season”. I no longer fear boredom, but instead keep wondering when it will happen.

And if I ever do get bored I can get those mosaic projects done…

Rather than boredom, fatigue seemed to be a frequent problem. Other causes: Pickleball in 90 degree heat for 3 hours followed by bicycling and multiple painting projects, we learned was a bit much. Much smarter to read, sketch , knit and nap in the afternoon then head out for dinner on the beach.

And then if you get too tired (happens with aging), you can head to Todos Santos for a birthday celebration. We had a perfect weekend of cooler temps, excellent food and beautiful beach walks at a unique “boutiquish” hotel.

Then we thought we would test our energy levels out on 4 terrific kids. So happy to have our Shingle Springs friends (and former colleague) here for the second visit with their children. (It’s hard not to come back!). Seriously, there is nothing much better then spending a few days watching kids collecting and caring for hermit crabs (did you know they eat watermelon?), kayaking, SUPing, fishing and just bobbing in the waves. We loved it… but honey, why am I so tired?

Their visit helped get us trained for the upcoming Curso de Verano. About 100 kids are accepted into a 3 week program that includes football (yup soccer), basketball, literature, a new English class, art and SWIMMING! Lots of swimming. The program is free, but despite having some volunteers (who work for the joy of being with these kids), this is a program requiring an extraordinary amount of planning, driving, coaching, pinch hitting and fund driving (recycling, movie night and kind donations) etc etc. So impressive to see the leadership that makes this happen. Faced with 6 hours on a very hot day to be in the pool with kids that are not always happy to be told what to do (not that they understand what I am saying 65 percent of the time)…but that leader (Theresa…who likely has resolved 4 camp crisises before I even woke up) shows up and dutifully begins her very perky coaching spiel…..and I think…I am not that tired! Of course, upon arriving home at 3pm, the perkiness fades fast and find a very cold drink….followed by an adult beverage while lying on the couch…and not our pool! (Brant taught at a different pool).

So wonderful that Maris was able to work in a quick visit (not easy in those wedding attendee years) after stopping in Mexico City to visit with an author she is working with. (I don’t think she reads this so I can end my sentence with with—-all grammar is out the window in this blog).

Maris came looking for a place to relax and rehab after busy workdays and an exciting Mexico trip, but then a truck arrived…..(pitaya margaritas)

I think we made up for it with plenty of good food and beach time and pedicures and massages. And we would have taken her to the airport but duty at the pool called….

The goal of the swimming portion is to prepare the kids for a snorkel in the sea. And that is why we ended up here in LB 30 years ago—because we love this amazing beach and Sea of Cortez. While saddened to see more fishing boats, more big houses/condos etc, just more and more with no more infrastructure to support it—-we are so hoping we can continue to find ways to keep our precious resource out there …. precious. I really do sense there is some effort to make this all work. And despite all these folks the beach remains clean and pretty empty most days. Maybe thinking about this makes me tired….

But about that snorkeling…..

First about 100 kids demonstrated their proficiency in the pool (or lack thereof) ….including handstands and cannonballs for the oldest (something for the young ones to strive for in subsequent years). Afterwards we headed down the beach in ATVs piled high with squirming squealing kids. Then one by one (one adult/one kid), walked into the water with mascarilla y snorkel. The water was clear and remarkably more cool since a day ago (which means it was 82 instead of 88). I assume that was secondary to the presence of 4 storms just below LB hopefully heading to Hawaii. Unfortunately the offspring of those storms slammed into the shore in the middle of our snorkeling excursions. But fortunately before that happened, we had time to show off some beautiful tropical fish. I tried very hard to explain the name of rainbow wrass (pescado de arcoiris) and how the baby fish have stripes going one way and the mama has stripes going the other way (in spanish). She looked so bewildered…I wonder what I actually said? Well, after Brant and I did our doctorly best to get people inside and out of the ocean and pool after 2 very nearby cracks of lightening (because doing cpr in the rain is just no fun at all), we once again began to feel just a little tired….

But….a really good tired! We always say we came here because of the beautiful very usable beach, ocean and mountains. And we stay here because of that but now we also love the people here. People are remarkably supportive here. I loved watching the children help each other. And there always seems to be lots of laughter—-of course half the time I’m not sure what we are laughing about. One of the kids recommended we have sushi instead of pizza next year—-I laughed but I believe he was serious. My spanish (despite mucho studying) remains rudimentary. I hate it when those little kids chatter and I have only a foggy idea of what they are saying. I hate it so much that when we come home exhausted from hot humid pickleball I climb onto a float in the pool with my phone and do my Duolingo (max). Honestly I think I know why we are tired some days….. and usually it’s a “good tired”.

(Time to start closing the place down—furniture in, batteries out, shutters on, fans down, sandbags placed…..and a big bag of food for Buffy… thinking this won’t be a good tired).

So lucky we are to have an international airport about an hour a way with a great park and fly that changes your oil and washes your car. And lucky Brant bought the Jazz Fest tickets as soon as he saw that The Rolling Stones would be there. And lucky once again that Charlotte is a quick flight away for visiting family. Sarah and EB once again got us a great room at the Pines that they fully stocked. And wonderful to get to visit Brant’s brothers family. Nothing is better when your family and friends are happy and well—-and most of all enjoying life. And very best of all is getting to see the grand nephew, happy, health and very humorous. We wore ourselves out just watching him.

New Orleans is a special place for us because we went there 41 years ago for part our honeymoon. Like everywhere it has changed, Bourbon street is no longer quaint, but the food remains excellent. And with the Jazz Fest in town music was everywhere (usually its just all over the place). Seriously I mean EVERYWHERE…lobbies, airports, sidewalks, stores and of course every bar and restaurant. Lots of people, lots of music, food and did I mention drink/ but not one problem with pickpockets, fights, crowd pushing, violence of any type—-not even vomiting! Just 500,000 folks listening to music and eating and drinking….and lots of walking about 14,000 steps a day.

This is a difficult blog to do because New Orleans is so diverse and it’s really more about the sounds and smells and the conversations …and of course the history that stands out in contrast to much of the south and yet is enmeshed in southern tradition as well… a French Cajun southern blue city. My favorite conversation was with an Uber driver who told us about her experience with Katrina—-a 2 year ordeal for those who got through it successfully. She spoke of the night of the hurricane and not realizing there was extensive flooding until she put her foot down on the floor next to her second story bed and realized the floor was flooded. A helicopter rescue was followed by multiple shuffles around to various centers. She spoke about the beautiful kindness of people in the hill country of Texas (where one hotelier let them stay for free)—-so many stories of the community coming forward to supply them with what they needed. And funny stories about missing the music and food of New Orleans (she describe New Orleanians as being a little fussy and demanding in that category) —-and really missing that drink as they all began to realize how much (and how many) they had lost. Seriously one glass of wine would not even scratch the surface would it? And she spoke of some of the racism encountered —-especially when they were referred to as “refugees”—-even when she was simply trying to book a room in a hotel. A year (or perhaps it was 2 ) when she returned to reestablish her life in New Orleans—- there were still no hotel rooms available any where. Nonetheless she was shocked when I intimated that Katrina was worse then COVID. No, no no—-they can not be compared! She said. COVID was far worse ….it took down the whole world—-and so many with it.

Maris and Gabe had travelled to New Orleans the year before and did an excellent job of scoping out unique spots with excellent food. (And gifting us with visits there). At one place, they let you grab a bottle of wine and everything needed for a perfect charcuterie cheese board that they plated for you and brought out to their well-umbrellaed back yard where a band was playing. The other spot was the “Country Club”… a beautifully renovated home with a pool you could soak in while sipping a drink, or you could sip on the veranda overlooking the street or you could sip while enjoying a crab filled beignet. Or wait … you could sip in the bar while playing trivia with a drag queen (but that’s only on Wednesdays). I love that the food here is a wonder combination of complex dishes like shrimp etoufee and simple oyster po boys.

My only complaint about New Orleans is that as much as you want to relax, you 4 want to see, hear, eat and drink more. Until finally all you can do is stretch out on a blanket and with an mango freeze while you listen to jazz or gospel or blues or rock or folk or zydeco or reggae …. (But not rap we pretty much skipped that). The festival lasted 4 days…. And every day we gained a pound or two… soft shell crab po boys, crawfish etoufee, and beignets. The list is endless (nearly) but the frozen espresso martinis were helpful.

I am driving myself crazy trying to find the perfect video to end this on. So much great music. I can send a list of our favorites that are lesser known if you wish but this is a song that runs through my head every week. I wanted a straight shot but I got some bald heads instead (intermittently). I’d say Mick and I share this: we both got most (and oftentimes far more) of what we want… and most definitely everything I need. I loved how he sang with Irma Thompson…. He showed so much love and respect and clearly doing everything he could to make her comfortable on stage. I think you tube would have better video of that. We left New Orleans at about 5 am…. Shocking how crowded the airport was but I guess that’s what happens when everyone leaves at once.

And here is the way a ukelele should be played! Jimmy Buffett helped introduce him to the world by having him play with him. We heard these kinds of stories all week. Sadly a well known performer in the area died a couple days (mva)before his slot … another band of his friends jumped in and through tears they played in his honor. They gave a beautiful eulogy —- followed by crazy wild Cajun music. So very sad, so very kind. We saw lots of that at Jazzfest. Maybe that’s why people come back every year for 30 years



Eight months ago, Brant starting hunting for a house in Mazatlan. He finally found one where it appeared the owner was not aware of the eclipse (or he is just a nice guy). In other words, the price had not been “eclipse adjusted “. We were worried that he might cancel as so many other owners did, or try to change the cost.

So from Los Barriles we drove to La Paz with 3 other friends where we were relieved to find that TAR was an actual airline that flies direct to Mazatlan out of the tiny international airport of La Paz. We had three different times for departures, but they put us all on the same plane and get us there in an hour or so.

We were also pleasantly surprised to find our rental car waiting for us. And 3 other friends were able to get to our house at Playa Cerritos first so that we arrived to a home with chilled wine and beer .

First day was spent scoping out the area for the best viewing. So many factors to consider: possible crowding, avoidance of lights, seating, shade v no shade….etc etc.

We expected hordes of people but it was surprisingly easy. On the first morning there, a man was selling shrimp out of his ice chest and while we took a walk he cleaned a kilo for us. Our group of 8 had all been traveling quite a bit, so all of us enjoyed fixing dinner at home. The kitchen was adequate … a bit tight for cooking for eight but we pulled off several great meals… pasta with shrimp /roasted veggies and rotisserie chicken and salad.

Our friends who had been traveling through mainland Mexico for a couple months equipped us with an excellent cutting knife and an expresso pot. Smart travelers!

The day of the eclipse Donna and Brant lugged our place holder chairs and towels out to the beach. They watched dolphins swim by while they waited for the rest of the contingent to show up with an ice chest full of champagne and an assortment of food. I thought it might be a bit boring but between walks along the beach to visit drum circles and check out various telescopes, the day zoomed by. And no need to worry about space… the beach was pleasantly uncrowded.

Lots of people in the infamous chat groups said it was a life changing experience. It was eery, and beautiful and a bit exciting but not exactly life changing. and it was just a great excuse to hang out with a fun group of friends and catch up on our lives and get to know each other better.

Once the eclipse was over it was time to explore Mazatlan. We visited here over 20 years ago. Oddly there was little we recognized. I do remember exploring the district surrounding the catedral and saying what a shame it was unpainted and in shambles given all the beautiful architecture. It’s no longer shambling… it looked like a cross between New Orleans and a flat Guanajuato. A crazy mix of architecture explained by the past occupation of Spanish, German and French. And as in all refurbished historic districts, coffee shops, wine bars, art studios and gourmet restaurants proliferated in the former zapaterías , panaderías and Carnicerías… and whatever prior industry supported the town. Now was yet another beautifully restored historic downtown…. With its own unique take on it. (I know it sounds like I’m bashing historic centros but I really did love that we care enough to preserve these places, but strange how these are places for the wealthy to visit, whereas 20 years ago the city’s poorest lived here. Where did they go?)

We enjoyed the aquarium. Some beautiful giant aquariums and just hard not to enjoy watching children giggle when a sea Lion claps for himself. A Mexican family We befriended here 20 years ago took us to the aquarium… 20 years ago. There were just tiny rectangular fish tanks that held specimens I suspect they’d grabbed from the neighboring beach. And the girls got their pics standing next to the sea Lion . It was the tiniest most unimpressive aquarium I had ever seen, but clearly the people of Mazatlán were very proud of it and the girls loved it as it was hands on everything … including the sea lion. Clearly the new aquarium is larger and far better stocked, but have to say there is something special about a teeny tiny aquarium that 2 little girls can run around in giggling and holding hands.

It seemed weird to go on a trip and not see any whales. But it seemed nice to enjoy the sights with Mexicans and people from all over the world. I heard German and French in many places. in the past, it did not seem we saw many Mexicans when we traveled, but I think, as the economy improves here more and more are enjoying the same restaurants, hotels and sites. It’s very nice to see.

Seeing the eclipse was pretty amazing but I have to say having a parrot jump on your head twice is right up there too. On our last day we went to the observatory. We thought initially it had something to do with watching the eclipse, but actually, it had more to do with observing the comings and goings at the port, and watching for pirates and others, trying to enter. I’m not sure it worked that well given that the city has been occupied by Germany, France, and the US, not to mention lots of pirate stories here..

I think it would be nice to take the ferry from La Paz then stay at the historic District for a few days then take the ferry home. Maybe someday but perhaps we should not wait 20 more years.

Finally, does anyone know why this condominium complex is famous? Or infamous?

Semana Santa is a holiday that is either dreaded or kind of excitedly anticipated by Gringos. As the beer towers stack up, volley ball nets are installed and families begin staking out their encampments, everyone starts talking about their strategy for doing Semana Santa ( the Holy Week leading up to Easter).

Our strategy is to go to Mar Y Sol for a couple nights. (Has never seemed wise to rent to someone expecting a peaceful beach and instead they get a mariachi band that sounds like it’s on the deck). The stage was bigger than last year, but seemed like fewer encampments. The waves got pretty choppy but we paddled out to listen to music. Some advanced paddling especially when holding up the phone… hence why video is brief.

Once we were told that sometimes strangers come in to town and break ins can occur. We really haven’t heard about anyone getting broken into but it finally happened to us.

It would have been worse but we we left Mar Y Sol early when friends told us their was a HUGE stage on beach. Obviously there was going to be some great music.

Hope we will be able to open the videos but especially the atv one is worth the download wait. We always talk about globalization should be about collecting all the good stuff from all the countries around the world….and this one’s a keeper. (Now free range cows and dogs are for another discussion)

Then does some beautiful dances… nice.

Ok must get this done so we can move on to the ECLIPSE!!!!

A father daughter dance…. Definitely a time to think about time passing by and to try our best to grab the fun out of every moment whenever you can. It all flys by so fast and how lucky we are to have each other…. Yup a little tear in all of our eyes!

The journey to “Mag Bay” is not a short one (about 5.5-6 hours) so stopping in La Paz (just an hour away) shaved off a bit of time. Plus, it gave us a chance to show off to Keith and Tammy what a great spot it is for walking, eating, etc etc. That’s right… arrive and leave the next day! Time to explore the Baja for our visitors.

To get to Mag Bay you drive through Ciudad Constitucion and lots and lots of farms. Not a beautiful town or countryside (in my eyes)—-think Midwest ag areas (ag by the way is playable scrabble word), but there are some good taquerias and paleta shops. Unfortunately these were closed for Benito Juarez’s Birthday (or death—I always get these confused) so fortunately we ended up in a nice little indoor air conditioned restaurant. Tammy and Keith had no idea how unique this was.

Mag Bay seemed much unchanged (except there were more dogs) from the last time we were there in August in order to avoid a possible hurricane that threatened our return to the US. This time though we were here for the whales and it did not disappoint.

Brant kindly and carefully as always drove us home. Already looking forward to a return for a glamping experience and a chance to cuddle the whale.

Many thanks to our friends for their adventurous spirit! (And their trust in our trip planning skills).

We feel so fortunate to live in a place people enjoy visiting, but it was also a nice treat when friends offered to share their timeshare time with us. Cabo continues to expand at an exponential rate, but it continues to have a spectacular oceanfront. Thirty seven years ago, when we first visited, I thought it was one of the most uniquely beautiful landscapes I had ever seen. Several hundred resorts later, they have been unable to completely obscure its beauty. It’s a little trickier to access these days, thus why were thankful to have very Cabo knowledgeable and generous friends to help us out.

My favorite moment was watching the whales from the balcony. I was surprised to see so many jumping around out there. And have to say the music is far better here than it was 37 years ago—-(actually I think nonexistent then.) Would be nice to hear more Latino music but I bet that wouldn’t be difficult to find. We heard 2 terrific bands, had some unique tacos and even got to watch bachelorette parties compete on the beach. A much more fun trip than our usual shopping errands!

In February for Brant’s “welcome to medicare”birthday we headed up to Loreto. For decades, Brant has wanted to see the Blue Whales in the Loreto Bay. They come every year to breed in Loreto Bay. (Only 4 places in the world where they breed, said our guide).They estimate 5,000-15,000 mature blue whales in the world. There was 10 x that number in the 1920s but they have come a long way from near extinction.

Loreto is about a 6 hour drive from Los Barriles so we broke it up with an overnight stop in La Paz. It has become such a fun place to visit. Drinks with friends, a walk on the malecón and an outstanding Asian dinner. (The prices of the food at the restaurant had increased by 35 percent but was still delicious). . Reminds me of our quick San Francisco trips for so many years!

It’s a good road to Loreto but there is a lot of creative passing. A good time to focus on knitting! It’s also reassuring to see the agriculture—hundreds of acres of all types of vegetables.

The last time we stayed in Loreto we stayed at a high end hotel—-I felt awful as we rolled our 4 mud caked Ebikes across their marble floor, but this time we got a cozy little hotel a quick walk from the malecón and the zocalo.

The food was good in Loreto but the trek to one restaurant was pretty amazing. It was about an hours drive to a cool beach restaurant. If we could have driven straight there on an easement it would be 5 only minutes. Sadly the landowner has put up large fences and dug moats… yes moats. And most recently an 18 wheeler across the road adds another detour. Kind of adds to the charm….

Best of all we got a perfect flat ocean for Blue Whale Day! At times we could see 3 blue whales at a time… while eagle rays went under us and turtles crossed in front of the boat. Mesmerizing for sure! The mountains come straight up from the ocean so it makes for a spectacular setting. They say when the Orcas show up for a blue whale buffet they disappear. They did show up a couple weeks later so our timing was great.

We also drove up into the mountains (on a PAVED ROAD) about an hour into the mountains to see a mission built in the 1600s—-when there was no road at all. After an hour up this twisty beautiful road we popped out into a tiny town where Mission San Javier stands against a mountain back drop. It was here that the very first olive trees were planted (thanks to those Spanish explorers).

So what were the surprises? 1. Not too many tourists. Suspect there was no need to reserve a seat on the whale tour. I think there was only one other couple staying at the hotel and we had the mission museum to ourselves. And seems this should be their high season. Seemed strange. 2. Not cheap. We thought the restaurants might be a bit cheaper or the shopping but it was not. I guess you need to pay for the gas that it took to get it there. 3. More paved roads, 4. A more Mexican feel (we believe caused by expats living more outside the town) 4. I finally found seed for my finch feeder at a mini super near the mission….alpista. It’s going to be a long drive back for more.

Would we go back? Yes, would love to Ebike to the mission, kayak in the bay or do a bit of hiking or catch the blues jazz fest. I do think the tourists might have been more concentrated in the golf course resorts nearby but if so that was a great strategy to keep it muy tranquilo!

….and who was so happy the whales came out to celebrate! Last year was a megaladon hike and this year was blue whales…. Next year??????…. Stay tuned.

Too many beautiful pics to choose from….

When we got back in October the big fundraiser for rotary seemed far away, but of course it showed up quickly! I was impressed by the expertise and hard work of the rotarians who brought together 15 restaurants, great music, and one of those irresistible silent auctions.

I was even more impressed by the “tastes”. Sashimi, Ceviche, empanadas, tamales, brisket tacos, homemade pasta plus 6 desserts… all of which I tried. I am proud to say I missed only one restaurant. Had I been capable of walking after eating all those tastes, I would have had it too!

The best part of the silent auction are all the great trips… kayaking to Espíritu Santo, golf packages, fishing… even a week at Mar y Sol.

BUT Of course the best part OF ALL is when the club gets to use that money for the area. One of their annual projects is a big toy drive. For the past 2 days they have been delivering toys for King’s Day. (Holiday is celebrated here on January 6… think “We Three Kings” to understand the day). This is the traditional day that gifts are exchanged.

On Day one, a group delivered gifts to 3 communities (El Cardonal, San Bartolo and Boca de Alamo). On Day two, I joined the fun. Another 3 communities with lots of gifts and piñatas to be delivered! The first town was El Coro. It was a 30 minute drive up into the mountains with our caravan. Surprising to find that a group had already gathered after seeing very few homes along the way. Apparently there are many large ranches tucked away in this mountainous oasis and so they arrived a bit early to await our arrival. And so the routine begins: tables set up, toys and blankets arranged on tables, piñata tied to tree. Toys chosen (not easily), piñata smacked open, pack up car… next place!

To get to this small town, we drove through the dump. Santa made a quick stop to drop off a couple gifts because his assistants tipped him off there were a couple of kids there. Santa’s helpers did lots of research!

We began our journey at 9am but it was lunchtime by the time we got to Santa Cruz. Lucky for us we found some barbecue ribs, coke, tortillas, rice and macaroni salad. We were now carb loaded for the next stop.

The next town had a much larger park. The mayor was there to greet us and assist. Same well organized routine. Same fun of watching the kids pick toys. Amazing how often the coloring book is chosen above all else. Brant was working the piñata again…and Santa was busy dodging the piñata stick. I believe this was Brant’s fourth piñata raising in 24 hours. He took gloves on day 2.

The next community, Campamento, was the largest. The group was a little nervous about this one because they were expecting about 250 kids. As we had an hour to spare we found a nice bar to have a cold drink.

They were right to be nervous! There was a long line when we arrived and it was cold and windy. The ten of us plus Santa, set up tables, gifts and 2 piñatas then proceeded to hand out what we estimate to have been 300 children. Oh my! My job was to put a smiley face on every hand that went through….not easy when they want to get that toy ripped open. Honestly I did not think this one would work out, no one did, but it did!

Lots of moms got purses and some older girls loved getting makeup. We could only give one blanket to each family. It was so very sad when other kids in the family asked for blankets but there was not enough for everyone.

Rotary has many more projects but I’m glad I got to be a tiny part of one that has such instant feedback. The spontaneous hugs by little ones are a pretty wonderful reward for a long day . One day one, a young boy ran to grab his shell collection, then came back and gave each volunteer a shell to thank them. Brant proudly brought his home to show me.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

We arrived back in los Barilles after a truly wonderful trip through Canada … and some great visits with friends in the states as well. Because of the early arrival of a hurricane just as we were leaving, we had tossed everything in the house and shut her up over the course of a couple of days rather than the organized week we had planned. While it ended up being just a tropical storm pulling wet sandy furniture into the house is a poor idea (unless you like black mold).

So when we arrived home, it was all intact, but not very organized. We quickly got those shutters off, the fans back on the pergola, and all the furniture etc. out into the yard. We wanted it to look beautiful for our soon to arrive guests in a few days.

We were enjoying catching up with our friends, Ken and Joan when very sadly, we noticed the approach of a hurricane. We tried our best to ignore it, but when one of the forecasts said a possible category four hurricane we sprung into action. We had envisioned snorkeling at Cabo Pulmo, but instead our friends helped re-shutter, re-pack, and take those fans down. We felt bad that they were trapped but glad they made us spaghetti sauce and bought fried chicken to enjoy as we listened to the palm fronds smacking into the house. They were incredibly good sports, even as they mopped up and helped sandbag the doors.

I lived in South Florida, and it was very different, watching people stock up with food and supplies before storms. People took what they needed here…a couple jugs of water, some canned goods, etc. In Florida they would often take every single paper towel. They loaded up their carts with every canned good they could find. I remember thinking it was bizarre. It was so nice to have people here calmly and kindly preparing.

It was actually fun to watch the storm clouds roll in. Not fun to hear things bashing against the shutters, but so glad we had them up. And then walking out to the arroyos was startling. It looked like class four rapids one day, and a few days later the arroyos looked like small creeks. When we bought our home we worried about being here during a storm as we knew the flood filled arroyos (which our powerlines and water pipes must cross ) might be impossible to cross for several days. Actually, I have to say it was sort of exciting to watch people attempt to cross the river. One A TV did get washed away but we have heard there were no injuries and eventually the ATV was recovered. It was sad to find turtles and turtle eggs along the beach but again, amazing to see how fast everything was cleaned up…. By many people working very hard on hot humid days.

And we were thankful that the condominiums did just fine. We were so impressed that our renters at Mar y Sol were gracious and helpful and approached it as being an adventure. I am sure after a couple of days without power it did not feel quite as much like an adventure, but we do appreciate their patience.

A fast clean up was a good thing, because our friends from college arrived just a couple days after water was restored. A nice warm shower before that airport pick up was wonderful …. and I have to say a little bit nerve-racking, but all was good by the time they got here.

I am pondering how to cover the last bit of our trip. We packed an amazing number of things into 2 weeks. Which was made feasible because of so many kind friends. We were a little nervous because we hated the idea of tampering with peoples schedules or adding a hassle to their life and the truth is we are just not the neatest most organized travelers. Fortunately most of our friends know that and just tell us to close our door. Even more so I pondered about how much to post on an open site about all these great folks. Hate waiting for that picture permission but hate even more not to ask. Regardless from our side all went incredibly smoothly except I felt guilty about being so spoiled by all our hosts.

The flight from Port Hardie to Vancouver was much shorter than the drive from Vancouver to Abbotsford. Lots of intense interstate sphaghetti masterfully navigated by sheryl. Good to be with pickleball and Baja friends, Brian and Sheryl who quickly got us on to the courts. Have loved learning how Canadians deal with the long winters…. Lots of indoor activities! I remember being so cold on skate ponds in Mass but plenty of indoor scating rinks here…. And all other sports. I want to come back to curl and ice fish.

We got to see the birthplace of Sasquatch at Harrison Hot springs . A beautiful lake for sure but with sense of small community and homieness. I am so happy we moved to California but there is something really special about meeting someone who grew up in the area.

After gaining a couple of pounds in Abbotsford (despite pickleball and hiking) , we moved to downtown Vancouver. More kind friends (Landon and Donald) who not only gave us a place to stay but took us on an unforgettable tour of Vancouver. We always look for the “art scene “ in big cities which is not always easy to do, but we even got to go behind the the art scene. For me, truly the best possible way to tour the city…. Through the eyes of its art. (And a little daydreaming for me of what it might be like to be an art student).

Loved learning of bicycle travels through city with Francie… though we opted for her compact car zipping around the city we want to come back for bicycling. We were there on Truth and Reconciliation Day. (Google for more info). It was good to have lot of open discussion about the history, the treaties (or lack thereof), and simply acknowledging the sadness of what happened to the First Nations people.

Vancouver is a great city, definitely a place we could live. At least in the summer! One of the things I loved about Victoria is that it was so close to its natural surroundings. Mountains towered over us, the ocean surrounded us, and gardens filled in the rest.

Our departure from Vancouver was very slick… friends dropped us off at bus station, then onto bus which drove right on to the ferry 20 minutes away, then the bus drove off the ferry and to within 200 yards of our hotel. Mass transit at its best!

The last time we were in Victoria we stayed at the Empress splurged on tea (which now costs 90 per person) and got upgraded to the presidential suite. Hope Maris has fond memories. Hard to ever beat that but our room was very nice (Chateau Victoria). We had dinner at our friends’ home…. Such a warm and wonderful dinner with their family.

From Victoria it was back to the USA where friends picked us up at the ferry terminal in Port Angeles and drove us another 2 hours out to a beautiful spot on the Washington coast. (Sekui). So very lucky we were to get a combo of foggy, chilly drizzly weather mixed with brilliant sunny blue weather. A perfect place to relax, gain more weight and take a walk on the beach. Once again, nice to hear about Jay and Vicky growing up here in this area. Seems like we have met so many with generations of family living in the same place.

Another theme of trip has been remodels…. Seems everyone had just finished or was in the midst of a major remodel. Jay and Vicky’s wins the prize for biggest remodel and greatest calmness in the face of it. Maybe that’s because they are headed to LB. Or maybe it’s because Vicky can already envision baking Christmas cookies with the Grandkids in the kitchen.

Another drop off, this time in an abandoned JC Penney parking lot. A few hours on a fairly comfy bus with free drinks and snacks that once again drove onto a ferry then onto the airport to drop us off. Clever us grabbed that hotel shuttle that dropped us off our Marriot about a half hour before friends picked us up for dinner. David, Brant and I (as well as assorted other characters) were housemates back in about 1984. In Memphis we shared a home… along with Huey, our cat. So great to be together with David and Karen (remembered by Maris as the woman who saved her from a goose attack on the American river). And so interesting to talk about kids and college and our lives.

Seriously do not book early flights. Waking at 3 am is not good for you (we know this from many years of call). But we did it, and arrived in Sacramento early enough to attend a celebration of life. (Thanks once again for friends who drive to airports). So special to be included in this remembrance of this woman. We enjoyed our time with Sally who allowed us to stay in her home in Placerville (amongst her beautiful paintings and intricate baskets) it was held at our former home… the perfect spot for a big party. So happy to see it being loved and used and enjoyed. Sad to see some things changed but that is all okay …. And they certainly had some great bands playing on those decks. And my bee hive was still buzzing.

Coming back to Shingle Springs is always a mix of happy and sad. These friends are truly a part of our family. It is also like we stepped out of a movie that kept running and then we suddenly step back in for a bit. In the meantime we started our own spinoff miniseries in Los Barriles. We packed in book club (the wine/gourmet club), dinners with friends and of course pickleball. It is wonderful we can tease, laugh, even argue with each other… but we always finish by talking about what’s next? New years? Whale watching? Pickleball workshops? Mainland exploration?

We have met and reunited with so many people on this trip. It’s the beautiful scenery that imprints on my brain, but it’s the long conversations over coffee, or the adult beverages around the fire pit… and many other special spots that made it feel full of warmth and love. We have terrific friends in LB who So often they talk about their other home and now so much easier to visualize.

This is the patio Brant and I put down at our old house… piece by piece. On our anniversary we went to the rock store and found these pieces of seagull shaped pieces of rock to put amongst the others. (Hard to explain to those rock guys what we were doing). We put these 2 big seagulls into the patio plus a little one for Maris. Ok so they do look a little like butterflies…. But it’s a good memory!

Taking a chance and publishing without checking with anyone. Haha not many folks read my blog and I usually take pics of people’s backs so I think it should all be good.

Now back to LB…. And time for that hurricane report!