Lat. 27° 58’ Lon. 110° 55’

A raindrop was spotted in Southern Sonora yesterday, prompting the Governor to issue an alert, while the ever enterprising merchants rushing to sell umbrellas to tourists at every corner. We are 17° latitude further south than our home in Florence and are beginning to notice that things are a little different here. For instance, we have found less Mexican food so far than we have on the Oregon coast, although one could argue that it is ALL Mexican food here given the location, but what I have sampled has been excellent compared to the poor replicas in Oregon. The other night at the La Posada concrete slab and kitchen palapa on the beach, the fare was entirely Greek, with a south of the border twist. Yesterday’s breakfast at Barracuda Bob’s was a croissant, egg, ham and cheese thingy. Eating something there substitutes for payment to B. Bob for usage of the wireless connection. I have not yet found a free internet connection – or anything else free for that matter. The person that came up with the saying “There is no free lunch”, was Mexican.

We golfed 18 holes on Friday at the San Carlos Country Club, using their discount for the afternoon special at $39 (US) per person, including cart. That sounds like a real bargain until you realize that the desert is consuming about $10 per hour of golf balls, each. I brought an old, really old, 2 iron for just this occasion. It is the go-to club for the portions of the fairway that do not have grass. Some of the greens were greens only in name and looked like they were made of lettuce, while most others would be comparable to Scottsdale – well, almost. This was the first complete round that Julie and I have played together and it was great fun, and it was also the first complete round I have played since about 1997.

We were a little pooped when we finished the 18th hole at sunset and did not feel like cooking dinner so we went to Jax instead, where Tortilla Soup, Chicken Enchiladas w/ rice & beans, plus a Corona costs a grand total of $10 (US), with a tip. (Good call, Chris) Julie and I split up this small meal and shared things, trying to keep our portions low. I have been trying to have just one real meal per day, which is noticed by my brain as various organs scream for attention to the details of survival. Being back in the desert I have also had to remember to hydrate since just breathing here does not increase the intake of water like it does on the Oregon coast.

This is all great research and we will be happy to stay and report to our friends and family in this manner for quite a while.