Flying for the Holidays

If you plan on flying for the holidays you might want to check the testosterone levels of male pilots before you board...

More than obedience school

Matt: Is this next on Lucy's agenda?

Biesbol - again

Stretching before minimizes injuries.
Shelly prepares to whack one.

Real motion

75° at the Fiesta Real Hotel

Dinner out on Saturday Night for "Hawaiian" fare at the Fiesta Real with Mark Mulligan playing his tunes.

R E S P E C T

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pH86fxFh8Q

Working on our Español

I may add to this from time to time, but for now these two phrases make up my list:

Phrases we have not found a use for:

¿Cómo funciona la calefacción?
(How does the heater work?)

Useful phrases:

Necesito un destapador.
(I need a plunger.)
The older plumbing in Mexcio is notoriously unreliable.

Cerveza League Biesbol

The battery on our camera was dead today, so this is not a photograph of the local playing field. SOMEONE left the camera turned on and depleted the battery.

I joined the local Biesbol League, made up of a bunch of Norte Americanos with a love of the game. When we arrived at the field today a bunch of guys were walking through the field with shovels followed by a tractor whose bucket was almost overflowing with road apples. It seems that horses like Biesbol too.

The rules are simple - everyone gets to swing until a ball is hit, no strikeouts, and there are no walks. No physical contact - everyone is already in some age related pain so there is no need to inflict more. And the best part is that at the end of a couple of horas the group drives next door to the Soggy Peso for cervezas and apetizers, or whatever. With games every Tuesday and Saturday that's a lot of cervezas!

I pulled the hamstring on my left (good) leg a few weeks ago, so I started off with some extra disability. We spent the first 30 minutes doing stretches because they said that last year they had just jumped right into it and ended up barely being able to field the two teams because of all of the pulled muscles and tendons. The stretcheing help my hamstring loosen up, but I tweeked it a bit trying to catch a fly ball that my 13 year old brain was telling me was a cinch.

It turned out I was being scouted by the previous years players, so the warm up thing to prevent injuries was only partly true. The first two gatherings are all just practice and since I have never lost my ability to hit the long ball, which I demonstrated, the old timers were eyeing the fresh meat with some interest for later when sides are chosen. Julie may get to be my designted runner, but I'm thinking that may cost a round of cervezas or something.

I did not bring any biesbol gear with me - every other thing imaginable, but not biesbol gear. But this is Biesbol country and I have been given directions to the sports store in Guaymas so all is good.

This looks like a really fun group and we have warned them that we will not be able to play all 80 games, through March.

Crossing the border at Nogales

This is a six minute border crossing tutoring session of the Mariposa Road crossing into Sonora, Mexico. A rough edit.

Luck or Intervention

Herman catches a lucky break

from jon huckby

Packing List

A complete wardrobe for 4 months.

This is part reminder to myself and a heads up to friends that you do not need a lot of clothes at lattidude 28. I really just needed to bring the brown shorts and Lahaina shirt on the left for every day wear, and the black shorts and floral shirt on the right for formal atire. Put these together with the hat and sandals and that is all that is really needed. We filled a Suburban.

Well. I do need one heavy coat, boots and Levis for the trip back home just in case I-5 passes through the Oregon is frozen over. The tire chains are under the seats.

Things back Home

Florence, Oregon -
Friday Night: SW wind 20 to 25 kt with gusts to 30 kt. windwaves 6 ft. W swell 28 ft. showers in the evening ... then rainafter midnight.

A great day to head to the beach!!!

Things here -
Tomorrow night: Mostly clear skies. Low 68F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A mainly sunny sky. High 83F. Winds light and variable.
Saturday: Sunshine. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the upper 60s.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s.

Sooooooooooo boring.

Dia de los Muertos and Pig Roast

La Familia setting up.

Last night Julie and I went to the full moon party at the Soggy Peso Bar on Catch 22 Beach, which is a monthly event - both the full moon, of course, and the party. This time the event also happened to fall on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), celebrated in this culture with sincere appreciation for those who have passed before us, coupled with some fun celebrations.
The Soggy Peso is our most favorite place for sunsets and there is usually a lively crowd there to help end the day in a celebratory mood. This time it included a pig roast and the band La Familia.

Faith - No Problema

So, this is for Sandy just a few days ahead of her arrival here with brother Chris. S/V Faith looks to be in fine condition after Hiurricane Jimena. No signs of water inside, just a few footprints made from wet sneakers by the guys checking all of the boats for damage in Marina Seca.

We were warned in advance that ladders, although much needed for loading and unloading in the yard, are a very scarce item. Well, while we again brought a lot of stuff with us this trip, I failed to realize the need for an extension ladder! What was I thinking? Que lastima!

But, we were able to just barely sneak the Suburban in between the perimeter fence and Faith's stern so that we could climb to the roof of the truck and up the swim ladder. Walking the perimeter of the boat and looking at the supports it does not appear that this area of Marina Seca received much of the water flow from the arroyo, if any at all. In other areas closer to the fow there is debris caught on the supports 3 feet up. Crews are still shoveling dried mud from under boats to the westerly end of the storage area, leveling things up for future movement.

The trip South - Photos

50,000 square feet of wine shop.

Oracle road & Limberlost, Tucson, AZ.

The long club. Nipomo.

Monarch Dunes G.C., Nipomo, CA.

The View - Sunrise

This is the morning view from inside our little casa, looking over the bay in front of La Posada. I am thinking that this is much better than the condo we rented here in the Spring. It is noticably warmer here than on the Oregon coast and I doubt that we will see any rain whatsoever.

You will have to excuse me if I have allowed misspelled words to reside here. When I hit the spell check button it highlights EVERYTHING because it is trying to check in Spanish. There is probably some preference menu that I need to reset.

San Carlos

OK, so we have been sitting on our balcony in San Carlos looking at the bay and sipping our Oso Negro gin and tonics and can't think of a good reason why we left eight months ago. Life is good.