Jammin’ For the Animals Fundraiser – Sunday March 30

In lieu of the now cancelled Home and Garden tour, a musical event will be held all day tomorrow at La Cañada del Diablo – tickets are 100 pesos in advance and 120 pesos at the door. It begins at 2 p.m. and goes until it is over. Musicians scheduled to appear include Jayne Cameron, Yandarra Percussion Group, Tracy Monk Durland, Doug Alms, Isabel Smyth and Raul Cavazos, Sin Rastro, Medio del Ritmo and others. Proceeds will benefit El Refugio Animal Sanctuary, the Pescadero animal rescue operation run by Mariposa and Memo.

A New Summer Festival for Todos Santos?

I was standing in the bank yesterday and happened upon my friend Jaunita Salgado and saw that she had a informational announcement about a potential new festival for Todos Santos, Festival del Mango. Hmmm….mangos. It is in the tentative planning stage but the dates are to be July 31, August 1 and 2. There will be the normal festival fair, i.e. dance, music and food but also some new ideas, like a walking race and a bicycle race. I think there were other potential events but I can’t recall them now.

Two More Early Morning Photos

These are also the result of my early to bed, early to rise routine while acting out the single parent life.

Early morning at the freshwater lagoon at La Poza.

All you have to do is be awake at 5:30 am and sometimes this is what you will see.

Single Parenting and Peace and Loaf Bakery

The week of March 10, my ex-wife who normally cares for our daughter during the week, went camping and I became a single parent. Not the easiest thing to accomplish while living in a small 24 foot trailer. My ex-wife drove her VW camper over and we set it up as sleeping space for my almost 13 year old daughter. School was on the other side of town, about 15 minutes from where I live. She had to be there at 7 am so wake up time was 5:30 am. Oh my, now that’s a lifestyle change for a late night guy like myself!

It all worked out fine though and we had a great time. I used the early wakeup as an opportunity to take photos that I normally would miss. Early morning walks on the beach, sun rising at dawn, and my friends and neighbors Gloria and George Ruenitz baking bread at Peace and Loaf. Here’s just a few of the shots.

The New Alegria Inn

Here’s the promised photo of the new Alegria Inn, a top Amerimex real estate on Calle Juarez. The building has come a long way since last summer. Not much else to say.

February 20 Total Lunar Eclipse

It wasn’t the best night for the eclipse here in Southern Baja. The sky was full of fast moving, very dark clouds. The air was full of moisture and it began dropping onto us as soon as the sun set. It was a wet night while we sat on the neighbor’s roof, waiting for the moon to rise and then eclipse. We made it all the way to total eclipse but then the clouds became nearly solid, obscuring any view at all. I was dripping wet. My camera was dripping. But the sights were wonderful.

Next full lunar eclipse is in 2010.

It’s Definitely Warmer

The title says it all really. This week the weather has taken an undeniable turn for the warmer. Nights are still cool, 55 F or so, but the days are 75-80 F. No more sweatshirts on beach walks. Lots of sun. In fact, this is the first Easter weekend I can remember for many years without cold, grey, rainy skies. The weather is wonderful for the Mexican national pastime: camping on the beach over the 2 week Easter holiday!

Now to cover some lost ground. Back in mid-February, I was checking on my plants and discovered a swarm of bees nesting in my tulip tree. Here’s the photo:

I am not a lover of bees so sadly, I killed them all. Coincidentally, later that week, my dog Fiona was stung by many bees. Her face swelled up to double its normal size. Not to worry. Two days of benadryl and a shot of steroids quickly returned her to normal. Question is, did she learn anything? No, I was so put out over her condition, I didn’t even take a photo. Imagine that!

Right down the telephone pole lined road from my lot, sits a beautiful orchid tree. It was flowering at the end of February.

Alegria Inn

This has been confusing me for a while now. If you know Todos Santos at all, then you likely know that Alegria Inn is in bario La Cachora, not far from the ocean. I believe it has 4 or 5 rooms, a huge living room area, pool and large natural pond as well as lavish landscaping. It is owned by the Moreno family who also own Amerimex Real Estate. The Inn is/was a huge building that was their home before it was converted to an inn. Beginning March 1, the family has once again made Alegria their home.

But the story isn’t finished. Over the last many months, there has been major construction above the Amerimex offices. This will become the new multi-story Alegria Inn, complete with restaurant and rooftop bar. It is located on Calle Juarez next door to the Banorte bank. It should be operational sometime next season.

I posted this photo of the construction last summer. It is a LOT further along now.

Hotel California and Weather

Okay, the warm weather bump might have been a temporary thing. It got cooler again last night and I understand colder water from the north is heading our way and will bring, well, coolness and maybe seasonal fog. This is good since the summer would have been unbearable if the change to hot began this early.

Another  Dallas Morning News story about the Hotel California can be found here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/travel/thisweek/stories/DN-hotelcalifornia_0309tra.ART.State.Edition1.4497ee7.html

It’s not a bad piece, a bit shallow perhaps, but one has to question how this line got by the editors:

All travelers seem to be gripped by nostalgia and what appears to be the faint smell of colitas (marijuana butts), or maybe it’s just my imagination.

The writer HAD to mean “buds” not “butts” – right?

It’s Getting Warmer

Last week, there was a noticeable change in the weather. Seems a bit early for it, so maybe it won’t last. But the daytime temps definitely went up 5-10 degrees F – still really pleasant but getting warmer in the sun. The night time temps stayed mostly the same until this week. Now they too seem to have risen maybe 5 degrees. The whales are definitely leaving. The shrimpers are still out there, motors and lights blazing all night long. The dead birds on the beach testify to their harmful practices.

We had a couple of very foggy mornings and blustery windy days too. That usually doesn’t come in full force until late April or early May.

No one is exactly certain when telephone service will be available on the new lines that are in the Las Tunas area. Some friends went to La Paz, put themselves on the waiting list, and were told they would get a phone and DSL internet in May. Of course they were told February when they asked in January so who can tell.

There were two home break-ins in the greater Las Tunas area on Sunday. In one case the bad guys went in through an open window. In the other, they used a crowbar or some other sort of metal bar to pry open some casement windows.  I think my new “Rent-a-Rottweiler” business will do very well indeed!