Back To Every Day Living

Has it really been over 2 weeks since we've returned from Mexico?  It has!!  And life is back to normal after getting all that "stuff" taken care of when you've been gone for a long time!

We checked out Jaime and Brad's new house which is currently being built and caught up with them over dinner!  Next was a quick trip up to Jessi and Gary's house to see everyone and to get adjustments from Jessi!!  (yes, I missed them while we were gone!!)  This next weekend we head up to Ft. Collins to see Jill and Robby and the kids!

We've seen 4 sets of friends since we returned (dinner with a couple of them) and I sure loved getting back in my routine of a massage every other week!!  (totally missed that while I was gone!!)  I worked the food pantry, stocked the house with groceries once again and got a haircut.  Of course dealing with the mail after 2 months is always interesting but most of it was junk anyway!  Since I go on medicare in July, the amount of medicare supplement mail was amazing!

And Glenn?   He is busy finishing up the shop so he can get the certificate on it, moving all of his garden and greenhouse things back behind the shop, starting seedlings for his greenhouse and building raised beds, working on a tractor of a friend and fixed a motorcycle of another friend yesterday, and generally doing a lot of clean up around the house!

Yesterday we went to the Springs and watched Kylan play soccer - always a fun time except for the fact that we dressed way too warm!!  It was 30 degrees when we left the house and I should have known better than to wear a long sleeved black shirt!!  But it was darn cold when we left early to eat breakfast downtown and to drop off a load of heavy iron that was on the trailer that we pulled down!  Another item to cross off the list!!

We enjoyed watching Kylan and sitting with Rayna who had brought him down! (yes, she has her license now!!)

Kylan and Rayna came out to our house after the soccer game and we enjoyed "game" time!!

Are we home now for the summer?  Of course not!!  But we don't stray TOO far from Colorado during our favorite camping and ATVing time!  We'll be heading to New Mexico for a few days in early May for a fishing trip - we are excited to babysit Gwyn for a week while Gary, Jessi, Evan and Kenzie attend Globals for Destination Imagination - and we have our Iowa trip planned which includes another mini trip for Patty and I, heading to eastern Iowa and doing a 2 day riverboat cruise!

Soon it will be time to plan our Sisters Trip next fall AND another trip to Walt Disney World with Jill's!!  Life is busy!

On The Road Again

With the inside of the truck loaded pretty high and the ATV, deflated raft and motor in the back end, we said goodbye to Los Barriles and started our journey home!  Although we were both sad to bid the ocean farewell, we were excited to go back home!

Our day was great - traffic wasn't too bad and we only got lost once in LaPaz - the turn off road is not marked so of course we missed it!  The road does circle back around but takes you through a lot of traffic first - and it was rush hour - figures!

We stopped again at Loreto for a picnic lunch and walked up to the malecon and ate - it was a gorgeous day....................we drove further this time, hoping we could make the Baja drive in 2 1/2 days instead of 3 1/2 days!  I had made reservations in Mulege' as it's a cool town that sits on the only river in the Baja which flows into the ocean!

Our stay was at Clementine's Oasis - the owner Clifford is originally from Oregon and he rents out a house, a casita and 4 bedrooms in the B & B!  We just needed a room for the night so stayed in the B and B - it was really set up cute with a huge kitchen/dining/relaxing area with 4 bedrooms/baths surrounding the area!  Since we were the only ones staying that night, it was extremely quiet!

We had brought along a package of dorado fish, hoping a local restaurant could cook it for us and Clifford said just down the road about 3 houses was Junga Jim's, a bar and restaurant, and they could cook the fish!  So we walked down first and had a drink and sure enough, the cook could handle that!  Later we brought the fish and had an excellent meal - garlic fish, beans, rice, salad and fresh tortillas!  And the cost for the meal?  100 pesos which translates into $5.78!  Cheapest meal yet!

Because it was a B & B, breakfast was already in the frig waiting for us which we knew would be rolls and juice!  Actually it was 2 mini loaves of bread that we sliced and toasted and he had butter and jelly for us along with a large carafe of the best squeezed orange juice - and Glenn made coffee!!  Just enough to get us on our way!

We headed out at 7:00am (because that was first light) and knew we had a long day ahead as we were going to try and make it to San Felipe - AND we had the 21 miles of gravel to cross!  I think we had 4 federali stops during the day - twice we had to get out so they could search the truck (which consists of looking under the seats and dash, and then peeking in the back.  The other two stops they waved us on!

This time when we got on the gravel, we took a different road - it's so confusing as once you get so far, you can take one of 3 roads - apparently the first time we came we took the HORRIBLE road and it took forever - this time we took a different road and made MUCH better time!!  Until we came upon this!!

This poor trucker hit a huge pothole and not only did his tire blow, but he couldn't get out!  We wouldn't fit on the right side of the truck as there was a drop off so we had to use the left side and you can see it wasn't very wide!  And yes, that's Glenn out there with his machete chopping bushes down that would scratch the truck as we went through!!  I shut my eyes!  And the poor trucker sitting behind this truck and the other waiting behind us just have to wait until some piece of machinery can pull the truck out!  Gosh were we glad we could fit by him!

Glenn made great time during the day (which is usually an impossibility with the S curves, cows on the road, and slow traffic) and when we got to San Felipe, he made the decision to just keep on driving to cross the border!!  I was happy with that decision but NOT happy to hit Mexicali at rush hour!!

Because GPS is very limited on his navigation, we didn't know for sure which road to get over on to get in line to cross - and GPS told us wrong.  We did get turned on the street, only to discover we were on the WRONG side of the barriers - one side is the Medical Only lane and one lane was the Sentri lane (which we would later find out is paying a fee after doing an application, background check, interview and vehicle inspection so you can cross the border quickly) and the other side of the barrier is the regular lane to cross the border - which is where we were supposed to be!!  But there's no place to go once you're on that road so we drove on up and figured we were in the medical lane but we were in the Sentri lane - Glenn apologized to the officer and he scolded us but put a note on our windshield so the next officer would know what was going on!  We pulled into a space to wait and he finally came over - again, telling us we were in the wrong but since this was our first time driving back from the Baja, he would waive the $5000 fine!!!!!  ARE YOU KIDDING?????  Glenn thanked him again and we were across the border - knowing that next time WE MUST get in the right lane because now we're marked in the computer!!!

We were both exhausted after that.................checked into the same hotel in Calexico that we had stayed in on the way down, walked to Applebee's where Glenn had a stiff drink and then a good meal - which was 30% off since it was Senior Day - ha!!!

I have to admit it felt good to be back in the ole USA!!!!!!!

We headed out the next morning to drive to Prescott to stop at Jeff and Karen's home!  And look what town we went through!

We stopped in Wickenburg for lunch at Nana's Place - GREAT coffee!  Also walked around a little and stopped at The Jail Tree - a place where they used to tie criminals to because there was no building to house them in!

We arrived at Karen's place mid-afternoon and enjoyed catching up with them and also meeting their close friends who now live in Co. Springs!!  Dinner was at a local Tapas bar and we all enjoyed visiting till late that night....................Sure glad we got to stop!

Another day of driving but the scenery was pretty with lots of red rocks - I knew we were going through the 4 corners so told Glenn I wanted to stop!  He wasn't impressed with the fact that we had to pay $5 per person to get in - and as you can tell, the wind was whipping around like crazy!  But I got my picture!  And yes, my feet were cold as it was only 47 degrees out!

We drove into Durango for the night and ate at a local pizza house which was good!  There was a memory foam mattress on our bed at the hotel and gosh we slept good on it!!  HMMMMM - maybe we should think about getting one!

After a great breakfast in Pagosa Springs, we headed home -  it was great to see our home about 1:30 that afternoon - home sweet home!!

Last Minute Reflections

After 6 weeks of fun and relaxation, our time on the Baja has come to an end!  Tomorrow morning we take to the road for our 5 day journey back to the mountains!  Hopefully it will be an uneventful ride home but with us, who knows?

A few last pictures of our last couple of days here!!  Saturday afternoon we went to Eric and Hillary's next rental - they stay a couple of months here at Spa Buena Vista and then move to another rental for their next 10 days.   So we met for lunch and then went to see their place - surprisingly enough, it was our FIRST choice last year when we went to book but the dates were taken when I went to book it!  Now that we have seen it, it wouldn't have worked as well for Glenn to get his raft out to fish in the mornings as it sits higher up from the beach!  But the casita itself is beautiful and sure would have been a fun place to stay!!  We said our good-byes to Eric and Hillary.

Since the alternator is bad on the ATV (and Glenn decided not to replace it till we get home) we've just been charging it with his charger.  But I guess he forgot to charge it enough because it quit on us, about a mile or so from home...............of course that was the day I didn't have my hat or sunscreen on!  It was pretty warm making that journey home on foot during the hottest part of the day!  But luckily we could walk right by the water and at least keep our feet cool!

So we got the truck and the charger and headed back - the truck DID NOT do well on the sand which of course is where we had to drive!!  Several times I thought we were going to get stuck but Glenn is a great driver and we finally got back to the ATV - only to discover after we tried to charge it that it WASN'T going to charge!!!  Something else was wrong!!  And did we have a chain to hook it up and pull it back - of course not!!!

Back home to get the chain and then back to the ATV - VERY time consuming!!  But Glenn got it hooked up and we pulled it back to our place with me steering the ATV!  WHEW!  We were both exhausted by that point!!  And later discovered that a fuse had blown so an easy fix!

Here's a dorado that Glenn caught - we had Jose over to eat it and the guys cooked it right on top of the coals! 

Last but not least are our awesome neighbors, Colleen and Betsy!  They were in the house which sits on the same property as the casita - we all got along great and became good friends by the time we were ready to leave!

So are we coming back?  Glenn and I had already decided that we wouldn't come next year and would just stay in the states.................but plans change!!  Our other neighbor Evie found us a couple of rentals that are NOT on VRBO, just word of mouth so we checked both of them out and also another one that is on VRBO!

I told the girls about the one just down the beach from this one since the price was so reasonable - they liked it as well as we did and after finding the property manager and seeing the inside, the girls made us an offer we couldn't refuse!!  Since they come down for 4 months, they are booking the house - when Glenn and I come down, they will go stay with friends down here and we'll have the house for 5 weeks!  And if for some reason we don't end up coming, it's no problem for them - they'll just stay in the house another 5 weeks!!  So it's perfect for both parties and we're all pretty excited about it!!

And the best part - it's 1/2 price of what we paid this year!!  YUP - quite the deal!  With no internet into the house nor a TV, the price was really reasonable!  We've already figured out how to get internet there and if the girls don't get a tv when they get down here, Glenn and I will bring a small tv and DVD player with us for our use!  Problem solved!  So it looks like we'll be heading down again next year to this paradise on the beach!!

What an awesome stay!

Easter and Fish

I have to admit that Easter weekend was kind of tough on me, knowing that the kids and grand kids were all celebrating without us..............but they sent pictures and they were all having a wonderful time!

Our friends, Eric and Hillary, invited us over for dessert that afternoon where she served a lemon/blueberry icebox pie along with lemon/blueberry bread - it was all SO GOOD!

And on Monday, Glenn caught a really nice fish!  After looking at lots of pictures trying to decide what it was, we settled on a pompano!  Whatever it was, it was delicious!!  The 8 of us went into the local restaurant again and had them cook it for us - yum!!

Blue Moon

I'm not sure which I like better down by the ocean - the sunrises or the sunsets!  But I was thrilled when we arrived on a full moon and then had ANOTHER one this last week!!  Seeing that orange moon come up over the water was just amazing!!  Unfortunately my camera doesn't do it justice at all!  But it was a BRIGHT orange and just beautiful!

And later I went on top of our place and took this picture!

Ah...............I do love full moons!

Photo Shoot

It seems like I rarely get pictures of Glenn and I when we're on vacation so one evening when we looked halfway decent, I asked Colleen from next door if she would be willing to take some pictures of us and of course she said yes!!  So at least I have a few pictures to choose from when I do next years' calendar!!

This one is in front of our casita!

An Orchard Tour

Glenn talks to everybody down here!  And when his friend who lives behind our place invited us up to the next town to see his orchard, we took him up on that!  We took Eric and Hillary with us and Jose gave us quite the informative tour of his orchard!

He has a lot of fruit trees - nut trees - and lots of beautiful plants and flowers!

He has this tall stick like pole with a basket type thing on the end to get the tall fruit!

We ended up with bags of oranges, grapefruit and orangelos (a cross between an orange and a grapefruit!)  The grapefruit are so sweet they need no sugar!!

The orangelo (or tangelo) is really good also!

We all ate lunch together and sure enjoyed hearing stories from Jose!