The Christmas Experience

Today is Boxing day, the day after Christmas. We have endured gale-force winds for the past 4 days which caused a certain amount of

Problems for the next door Christmas display. We woke up Friday morning to discover that wind and high tide caused the star and tree display to topple over. By Friday evening it was up, anchored and lighted again; it survived that night and Christmas eve day.

Many pitched in on Christmas eve to help set out the luminaries and

Then get them all lit at dusk which was about 6 pm. At 6:30 we had

Fireworks to celebrate the birthday of the Christ Child. When we looked out at 10:30 pm the luminaries were still burning and the star and tree display was still standing. Christmas morning the star and tree were down again but were shining bright again by night!!

On Christmas day we had a potluck at 2 pm followed by a pinata

Filled with candy for the children on the beach. Afterward, I went

Along the beach looking for shells as the storm and high tides had

Thrown a lot up high on the beach.

We received sad news today on the beach as one of our favorite vendors had a 19-year-old nephew who was in a car accident last week died on Christmas day. There are many, many roadside memorials as the locals drive much too fast and often pass on curves.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody!!!!!!

Holiday Activities in Baja

Although weather and scenery do not suggest winter and the rapid approach of Christmas, we are preparing for said holiday. Bob suggested and designed a Christmas tree on the side of the palapa made from palm fronds and decorated with shells. I think it looks terrific and we have had many compliments on it More lights are going up all along our beach. Ron, the man next to us, puts up the tree and star. On New Year’s Eve, he adds the number of the new year at the top.

Potlucks are frequent here. One is planned for Tuesday, the 20th, (I don’t know of any particular holiday reason). We will also have one on Christmas day. On Christmas eve, our neighbor, Ron, lines the entire beach with luminaries. These are paper bags anchored inside with sand and a tea light. Of course, everyone helps out with setting this up and the lighting at sun down.Bob has suggested that everyone with Sirius radio tune to the holiday classics channel and

Blast it out the window. Should be very festive and we are all looking forward to it. On New Year’s eve we will set out luminaries again!!

I went to an art show recently at an artiste’s home in Mulege. I was quite taken by the shell and tile murals she had on her wall. I include a photo of one. If you can, zoom in as much as you can on the fish mosaic. I love how she has used shells and parts of shells.

You get used to seeing all kinds of watercraft downhere. But the morning I caught sight of this I first thought was a very large bird floating on the water. I understand that balance is the only issue with the paddleboard. I don’t think my balance is good enough these days to be able to stay on it.

Feliz Navidad to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving and other stories

 

Bob has been using a rocket stove to cook on besides the solar oven. The rocket stove can be used on cloudy days as it only needs twigs for fuel!! He also brought his pasta machine for making noodles. We eat very well here on the beach!!

Depending on how much wind we are getting, days are spent kayaking, sailing, or putting around in a zodiac.  Going fishing or shelling is a boating reason; following whale sharks or dolphins; or just getting exercise. On a very windy day, Bob rolled over in the sailboat in the surf! Thank goodness he wasn’t out in deep water!

I don’t know why I thought I needed to bring some Christmas decorations~~the stores in Mulege are full of them!!

Our Thanksgiving dinner at the Hotel Serenidad was very tasty, filling, and carried out well. We got there early enough to enjoy a pre-dinner drink and then filed through the well-organized buffet line.       During dinner started a very hard rain that continued through the evening and night. When we awoke in the morning we were greeted with “Coyote Lagoon” in the drive area between us and the outhouses.
This area does not drain well so some people got busy digging drainage channels.

Almost every day we have one or two whale sharks swimming back and forth in our bay. Invariably, people leap into kayaks and zodiacs to get closer to these giant fish.
It’s fascinating to get close enough to see their bodies and not just fins sticking out of the water.

P.S.  When I tried to send the above blog last week, I was including photos with a huge amount of pixels,  so obviously, it didn’t get sent. I have smallified them so I hope this gets through!!
We have just come off of a huge 4-day blow where we just hunker down on the leeward side of anything. The nights have been cold enough that we wish our Rvs were better insulated. Are you feeling sorry for us yet?