Thanksgiving 2011

What a great time! Family, friends, cool, crisp weather with just the right mix of rain and sunshine! And the food! amazing... There were 20 around the table for dinner, 11 people staying at the house, primo among them the grandchildren, Miles (4) and Claire (2). We are truly blessed with the right kind of richness.

Today...I'm posting this December 13th...it is 26 degrees and sunny in Portland. Feels like an early midwest spring day, say late March...can't get much better than this.

Wow! It did get better...smelling the roses in the light dusting of snow!

Adventures continue

It's 63 degrees and cloudy in Portland, Oregon tonight. We moved back into the house in June and enjoyed a cool, (relatively) wet summer. The harvests are delayed at least two weeks this year, so blueberries were still around in September and tomatoes hang fat and green on the vines into late October. Vintners are concerned about losing some of their crop if cool rains bring virus or mold before the grapes fully ripen. We learned it as children: farmers are willing to take their chances. Committed to putting seeds in the earth and working with nature to foster the miracle of new life, they know that their crops are extremely fragile, vulnerable to natural forces that both support and threaten. But they also know that the miracle is worth all the risks.

The house is in good shape, but nine years of rental leaves its mark, and we are playing "catch-up" on painting, heavy yard work, leaking eaves, and a moss-covered roof. Every day brings new discoveries with boxes to open, repairs to make, projects to start and finish. We've found The Rebuilding Center and The Restore to be good spots to find used-house parts for shelves and counters (Marv has set up a brewing center in the basement), and Ardy is perfecting the process of "dumpster-diving" for lumber to be used in the outbuildings she is putting up to store tools and wood.

Remodeling the garden is a delight, planning paths, moving shrubs, refurbishing the compost pile...spring will a pleasure there.

It is good to be home.

Starting the move north

No photos with this one...we'll post them after we get back to San Diego.

Marv and his crew of two, Steve Terzian and Joe Ellerston (Bend and Portland, respectively), leave this afternoon on the first leg of their trip aboard Odyssey enroute to San Diego.

They hope to anchor tonight in Bahia Los Lobos, just 10 miles or so out of La Paz and make Cabo San Lucas by Monday morning.

Along with a number of other boats, sail and motor, they will be beating into a north-north-west wind along the Pacific coast of the Baja. Depending on the weather, they should make San Diego in 8 to 10 days.

Ardy will be driving the car, accompanied by Reginald. Tonight she will bunk with Merry and Dave Wallace in Puerto Escondido and she should be in San Diego by the 1st at the latest.

Saying goodbye to the crew here at Marina de La Paz has been bittersweet...they are phenomenal and have made our stay very pleasant. We look forward to getting re-acquainted next spring when we may come down for a visit aboard Talion. Odyssey will stay in San Diego, resting up for the trip north to Portland and (it is hoped) points further north...Canada...Alaska...

The end of one leg of our odyssey...

The little orphan house finch

In late April, the Loreto Fest finished and, on May 3rd, a group of 10 boats set sail for La Paz, beginning the Sea of Cortez Sailing Week. Among them was the catamaran, Rot Kat, and aboard were the owners, Arjan and Debra, crew, Larry, and a new addition, orphan house finch, Reginald.

Arjan and Debbie had discovered a nest that finches had built in the boom while the boat sat empty for a month or so attached to a mooring ball in Puerto Escondido. In it was this little bird, still alive and yammering for something to eat.

They fed him, kept him warm, named him Reginald (pending gender identification) and otherwise nurtured him in his early days.

He, in turn, grew, and grew, and grew.

After arriving in La Paz, Arjan and Debbie needed to return to the United States, so looked for a new home for Reginald. We've had the privilege of helping him grow even more, as these two YouTube clips show.

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Dockwise Loading

Last week, our friends, Marika and Karen, from another Peterson 44, Quoddy's Run, out of Nova Scotia, put their boat on Dockwise enroute to Nanaimo, British Columbia.

They asked us to help with the lines as they negotiated her into the tight space along with a couple dozen other boats. It was an incredible learning experience and a real pleasure to give them a hand.

The Dockwise transport pumps water into itself and sinks down into the water. Loading boats motor in (we did it [sort of] backwards), are tied to the sides of the barge and each other, and put on jack-stands under water.

Divers from La Paz go underwater to put the jack-stands in place and weld them to the deck of the boat.

Then the transport pumps the water out, rises to its full free-board, and begins its journey.

Quoddy's Run, Marika, and Karen will be living and working in British Columbia for a time, and we hope to visit them there.

Sea of Cortez Sailing Week

We really enjoyed Loreto Fest at Puerto Escondido (April 28-May 1). The volunteers from the Hidden Port Yacht Club put on a fantastic event, and the Fonatur staff from the marina (moorage field) were exceptional...ferrying cruisers from boat to docks in 25-30 knot winds, helping untie recalcitrant knots, rescuing dinghies (and their occupants) that had flipped, chasing down boats that were slipping their anchors, and carrying on the more mundane business of checking cruisers in and making sure the washing machines worked! Gracias a Constancia y su equipo!

But even though we were delayed in Puerto Escondido with a brisk north wind, it was soon time to return to La Paz, this time with a fleet of about 10 boats participating in the Sea of Cortez Sailing Week. Here we have Bill on Moontide, checking in as one of the fastest multihulls.

And Odyssey, one of the middle-fast monohulls.

We were small enough to share potlucks every night, from hors d'oeuvres on Talion to dinner on a four-catamaran-raft-up!

Nopolo Globe

Nopolo Sur is a small fishing village accessible only by sea (there is a foot-path up and across the mountains to the village of San Evaristo). Nopolo is actually three lobes in a bay that has a curved hook on the north, protecting the people who live here from severe northerly weather. The northern-most is called Alta, the center is Las Cuevas, and the far south is known as Nopolo Sur. There are two elementary schools, one in La Alta (with 6 students), one in Las Cuevas (with 5 students).

Last time we visited here, Carlos suggested the school might be able to use a globe. So we found one in San Diego and brought it down with us.

Mexico is a very small spot on the face of the earth. The Baja is even tinier.

Making it all the more important that we understand how essential the fishing families in Nopolo Sur are to the life of this world we share.

Steinbeck Canyon Hike

Oh, man! This is one of our favorite hikes on the Baja, and we were so looking forward to sharing it with Cathie and Terry.

And then a big-horn sheep just walked right into our path and elevated the hike beyond anything we could have ever planned or imagined! It was stunning!

She smelled us before she saw us (the wind was to our back), but she had no where to go but up...which she tried to do several times, finding footholds on the edge of sheer walls, sending scree shattering below, and scaring us all that she would tumble down herself...it seems as if there was no place to go! We backed down the trail, giving her the space to traverse the wall above us and skirt over the slight dip at the top.

After a couple of hot hours of some serious bouldering, we were rewarded with the cool spring at the top.

Next time, Marv vows to climb further and explore what is higher in the canyon! But we were all satisfied with the hike, and it was a fitting finish to Terry and Cathie's visit. We already miss them!

Monseratte Hike

Take Dave Wallace, add an island with a high point, give him a morning of free time, and you can be assured of a good hike!

Dave took this photo of Cathie, Terry, Marv and me at the top of the trail on Isla Monserrate.

If you could call it a trail.

Striking features of the hike were the desert flowers in bloom...this is the flower of a cardon cactus...ants busily pollinating it as they harvest its nectar.

This island probably gave us the most evidence that snakes abound in the Baja. We didn't see the real thing, but they had passed this way not too long before we did, and Terry found the dessicated skin of two molted serpents.

Ah...did you notice in that first photo that we are all wearing sandals? ...hmmmm...

Isla Monseratte

Continuing north from Los Gatos, we bypassed Agua Verde and stopped briefly at the hot springs north of Isla Cosme. Someone (foolishly) suggested we swim into shore from the boat, making it "easier" since we wouldn't have to lower (and raise) the dinghy. Ah...somehow, at 65+ years, swimming against waves and a tidal current, however slight, and even if only for a half mile, is not as easy as it was when we were 40!

But we made it, carrying trash back to the boat from the small island that harbors the hot springs pool, and reviving quickly as we hoisted the anchor and headed across the channel to Isla Monserrate. Terry was really enjoying the sail. It was some of the best wind we had, 15 to 20 knots on our beam, so we just whizzed along to the anchorage.

Where we found many old friends! And they were having a party! To which we were promptly invited!

Mark Schneider (Wendaway) enjoying the potluck dinner...a cruising tradition to which we were pleased to introduce Cathie and Terry.

As is so typical of the Sea of Cortez, the sunset was beautiful...easing us into a good night's rest after a busy day.

Los Gatos

Our next anchorage was in Bahia Los Gatos (the Cats), where we snorkeled the southern reef and hiked up onto the sandstone formations on the north end of the bay. Sculpted by wind and weather, these rocks are creations beyond belief!

Timbabiche

We have anchored every season at Timbabiche, sometimes several times, but never gone ashore. With Cathie and Terry along, we took the plunge: the first night, they kayaked over to the mangrove lagoon on the northeast side of the anchorage, portaged the kayaks across a sand bar and spent a couple of hours enjoying the exercise and the diversity of bird life.

The next morning we dinghied into the beach and walked back into the brush where we visited a small village, distinguished by its brand new school, its evidence that residents respect Semana Santa and Pascua (Easter), its rustic cattle ranch flavor, and its curious children.

There is a story behind this settlement...apparently a fisherman/diver in a local family discovered a pearl of great value and built a house worthy of a rich man. After he died, the story goes, his children fell to quarreling and the house was left to fall to ruin...a vestige of what once was...and a lesson for the future.
(If you haven't already done so, read John Steinbeck's The Pearl. If you read it when you were young, read it again)

We have a policy of not taking shells from the beach...instead, we admire them, compare, remark on how unique they are, (maybe) photograph them, leave them for others to enjoy, and for the earth to incorporate as nature requires.

Kayaking anyone?

Our trip took us north, from La Paz to Puerto Escondido, a 6 day outing, where we anchored in small bays along the way. We stopped at Nopolo Sur, to visit our friends, the Leon family. But they were not at home...this is Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and families take vacation, visiting relatives in other places, going to camp on a beach, finding a hotel in a different city. Mexicans make for great tourists, traveling far and wide across the country! The Leons had gone to La Paz!

Cathie and I kayaked into shore, explored a bit, and left a message for the family.

Bahia Los Lobos

Our next guests didn't arrive until April 19th, and they proceeded to keep us on our toes. Terry Dolan and Cathie Blosser took a bus from Cabo San Jose, via Todos Santos and arrived at our boat just as we were finishing cleaning. :)

We still had some provisioning to do, so hopped in the car and went downtown to the market, bought some fresh bread, veggies and fruit, and were back at the boat by 3:00 PM. The sun doesn't set until nearly 8:00 PM, so we left the dock and headed to a nearby anchorage in Bahia Los Lobos, bay of the sea lions.

Yep, that's Terry and Ardy running up the hill...he challenged her, she took him up on it...but, energetic as they are, they were both walking by the time they got to the top! Marv and Cathie followed at a more sedate pace.

The ridge-top gave a stunning view of Balandra Bay. We've been there often on day trips (Dave and Suzanne snorkeled and kayaked there), but this was the first time we've seen it with water covering the sand. The tide was definitely in!

As an indicator of just how exercise-filled their visit was going to be, Terry led us back to the bay where we had tied our dinghy to a mangrove bush just after the sun set...getting dark! And we were pleasantly tired by the adventure.