The Holidays Are Fast Approaching

The weather has cooled down and it is really nice. I love sitting on the deck in the afternoons reading. The water has been so calm and the tides are just right for launching our little boat. Dave decided to go fishing one morning early. He had invited our neighbor Phil to go along but he couldn't go. Tito, our gate guard usually goes with him but he was busy working for another neighbor. So Dave ended up going alone. The morning didn't start out well. First let me back up. The night before, Dave pulled the boat out of our big garage and with it still hooked up to our little black truck, put his fishing gear, cooler and such in the boat so all he had to do was get up and go. Unfortunately it didn't go well. The back rear tire on the driver side was flat!! So Dave, after a few choice words, got the jack out and started pumping up the truck to take the flat tire off and put the spare on. I was down helping as it is hard for one person to do sometimes. Dave tried to pry the lug nuts off but they were really on tight. I told Dave to just unhook the black truck and hook the new truck up to the boat and go fishing. We would deal with the flat later. So once the black truck was out of the way and the good truck was hooked up to the boat, he was off and running. After that it went well because he was gone for about 4 hours and came back with 3 bonita and 4 yellow tail. Tito was there to greet Dave when he came in and we gave Tito a choice to take the fish he wanted. He took one bonita. He doesn't have a lot of refrigeration so he is limited. We told him we would freeze some yellow tail for him and he can get it later. I was there at the ramp to help Dave and then helped rinse off the boat and fishing rods and tackle. Then the boat was put inside the garage along with the good truck and it was time to clean fish. We got quite a bit of fish for our freezer. Once all that was finished and cleaned up we were done. Dave said he would tackle the small truck tire the next day. It isn't good to have it sit flat too long.

The next day Dave managed to get the tire off the small truck and it didn't have a hole in it. All it needed was to be pumped up and put back on again. Dave said that with the weight of the boat and trailer overnight, forced the air out. Just too much pressure. We watched the tire for a couple days and it held the pressure so all is good. We have driven to town and around and it is still good. We have to get new tires for it, but every time we check at Costco, they are out. But hopefully next year we can get new tires. They are really old and worn.

Another one of our friends for the San Diego area have arrived here in our neighborhood. The day after they arrived I had a dinner for them and our other friends, Phil and Creela. I made chicken enchiladas and a salad. It is good to have them back in the neighborhood. All of them are planning on staying here awhile.

As usual I am playing Mexican Train with the ladies in town. We meet every Tuesday at 9:30am, play a few games, break for lunch and play about an hour after. It is always fun. My luck hasn't been too great lately and hardly won one game, but suddenly it was turned around and I ended up winning the pot one day. A quarter goes in after each game is played and at the end whomever has the lowest score wins the pot. That be ME!! It was about $4.00. Hey---it keeps me in quarters! Ha!

We were invited to Phil and Creela's for dinner. She made oven baked chicken and rice. It was delicious. Creela's 81^st birthday is on the 13^th and they invited us to join them for dinner in town. Recently they lost a childhood friend. He had cancer but he died in his sleep from a heart attack. He owned a hotel and restaurant here in Bahia, so the owner's significant other wanted to throw Creela a nice party. It was free to all who went.

Today, being the 13^th is our grandson David's birthday and our dear friend Creela. We met them at the restaurant around 4 and visited with Jean, the bereaved significant other then went to dinner. All on the same property. Roger, the owner, in his will, left the hotel and restaurant to their dear friend and worker, Chava. His real name is Salvador. He has been working for Roger for years and is so very happy he now owns the place. What Roger didn't or wouldn't fix, Chava is on it and the place will be wonderfully managed and kept up. Jean has always been the book keeper. She lives at the hotel and Chava's family waits on her hand and foot and takes her to the doctor and treats her like family. Jean is in her 80's and not in good health. We had a great time at the party and the food was absolutely delicious!! We had shrimp wrapped in bacon, baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and stuffed zucchini. Then they had a wonderful chocolate cake for desert. Creela had a wonderful time and cherished it all. We were glad they wanted us to be there!!

The month is winding down and everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving. This year we are entertaining. We will have Phil and Creela plus one of my best friends from San Quintin, Mexico, our good friend who died several years ago that used to live at the end of the bay, her son, Christopher and his girlfriend. It will be a great get together. So now I am planning the menu. We are having the turkey of course, with all the fixins. Mashed potatoes, yams, broccoli in butter and lemon juice, and of course, apple and pumpkin pie. I will also have deviled eggs for an appetizer.

Today, Sunday, I had a small group of girls over to play Mexican Train. One of the ladies is having difficulty with the dominoes as far as remembering the denomination of each one, so some of us have been having small groups together so she can play and maybe be ready to play with all of us on Tuesdays. She had been having memory problems for a couple years and she was tested this year and unfortunately got her driver's license taken away because she didn't pass the tests. I really felt bad for her. But after seeing her play today, I understand why it was done. I love her and she is the sweetest lady, but she is struggling with the dominoes and other memory things. We had tried to encourage her to play with us on Tuesday and have lunch and then she could go home, but I don't think she will play as she gets really nervous and is afraid she will hold everyone up. She is only here for another week and then will be home for Thanksgiving. When she returns in the spring I will continue to have her over with 4 or 5 other people just so she can play. It is hell to get old. We usually keep score but we didn't today. We did play with quarters but when someone won, they left a quarter in and took the rest back for their stash. It was fun and it was nice to get together!

Creela and Phil invited us along with the rest of our neighborhood to dinner at a restaurant in town. Their treat. They were thankful for everyone's help in getting them situated in their house down here. When you are gone for a few months, things don't quite work as they should. So we all helped in different ways to make it comfortable for them. Phil is 79 and Creela is 81. We had a great dinner and conversation. It was so nice of them to treat us all to dinner.

Today, Saturday, my best Bahia friend, Penny and Christopher are due here. Can't wait to see her and catch up on all our news.

Haven't heard from Penny and Christopher yet but we know they are here as we can see the house lights on. I know they don't have many batteries so sometimes running a radio is hard to keep charged. I'm sure I will hear from them soon.

What a beautiful rainbow off our deck. It was complete and bright. It is so beautiful here after it has rained, not just the rainbow but the dessert gets green and flower bloom. Pretty remarkable!!

Our other neighbors, Tom and Lynn invited everyone over for Chili. Everyone brought something to share and we had a nice time getting together again. Found out at this dinner that Phil and Creela are leaving soon to go back to their San Diego home. Phil is having a problem with his tooth so he wants to go home and get it fixed. Soooo my plans for Thanksgiving just changed. At least we will have Penny and Christopher. Penny brought down canned yams so we will have them, and instead of Broccoli I will serve green beans. I also thought it would be nice to invite our gate guard Tito and his wife Brenda. They were happy to be included.

Now is the time to start internet Christmas shopping for the grandson's. It seems if I wait until December, what I want to get becomes unavailable. So the shopping is happening!! We only buy for the grandsons as it is too costly to buy for everyone. I remember everyone on their birthday.

It took a couple days to find what I wanted for the grandson's but my shopping is done!!! I don't have to worry about Black Friday or Cyber Monday!!! Sometimes it is nice to be away from all the hub bub of holiday shopping and gatherings. Most everyone here goes to family in the states so Christmas is quiet and warm. I do miss my family but even if we went up to Washington for Christmas, everyone would be running around like chickens with their heads cut off to get everything done. So I don't miss that part of the holidays. Summer is our quality time with family!

Penny showed up at our house around 7:30am, and she said they had been trying to get a hold of us via radio all yesterday. We didn't hear them at all. Everyone else did though. They were calling at night when we had the TV on, and Penny's voice is soft over the radio, so that is probably why we didn't hear her. It was so great to give her hugs and see her. She has been going through a lot of surgeries so she hasn't been able to visit before this. Unfortunately she is due to have her surgeries re-done again to clear the plaque from her carotid arteries. Then the cholesterol medicine she has been prescribed should start working better. I'm glad she could make it here as her first surgery is on December 9^th. She was going to go with me to train, but she said she changed her mind. She needed to rest after her trip down from San Quintin. She asked me to call her on the radio when I got home and she would come over so we could visit. So she left and I got dressed and headed into town for train. When I got home it was about 2:30pm so I called her, and called and called with no answer. I was getting frustrated as I know she is only down here for a short time and we want to see each other as much as possible. So into the night I still called until about 8:00pm. I was wondering if they were getting back at me for not answering them the other night???? Ha!!

Today is pumpkin and apple pie making. One of each. I tried to call again this morning but no answer so I figured sooner or later I would see her. The clouds were coming in and it looked like rain. I got the pies put together and baked the pumpkin one, and set it out to cool. Then the apple went in. Penny showed up shortly after I put the apple pie in the over. I joked with her about not answering her radio and we laughed. Christopher forgot to turn the radio on so that is why they didn't hear me. She no sooner got to my house when it started to rain. I told her she needed to leave and get home before the road turned to mud and she could get stuck. Bummer. Oh well. I was able to get get the apple pie baked and the turkey prepared. While I was at train on Tuesday, Dave went over to Christopher's place to pick up the turkey so I was prepping it for Thanksgiving. I then chopped up celery, onion, and peppers; sauteed them and put them in a container overnight in which to add to the dressing tomorrow morning. That way all I have to do is warm up the broth from the giblets to wet the bread and vegetables and stuff the turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! The turkey is in the oven and our guests are to arrive around 3:00pm. It rained hard last night so I was concerned whether Christopher and Penny would be able to make it. They did but they drove on the beach at low tide as the road from Christopher's is really slippery mud!!! Tito and Brenda arrived and we sat down to dinner. Even though Tito and Brenda speak very little english, they understand a little bit. It was a great dinner and I thanked Christopher for bringing down the turkey and Penny the yams and cranberry sauce.

The sky was getting darker and the weather report said it was going to rain around 5:00pm. Everyone had their fill of turkey and all the fixin's and pie and left around 5:00pm. It hadn't started raining yet so everyone made it home dry. I told Penny I would ride the quad to see her on Friday and we would spend the day together.

It didn't start raining until about 10:00pm and unfortunately last night there was a car that got stuck in the mud going across the flats to Rincon. Christopher called Rincon on the radio to announce one of their friends or neighbors were stuck and needed help. Well unfortunately no one wanted to attempt a rescue in the dark. Not good.

I was nervous about riding the quad on the beach as I had never attempted it before. The Mexican ecology people don't like quads on the beach as they tear it up and especially when the turtles are laying eggs. I knew the turtles weren't laying eggs as it isn't the time of year for that so I felt confident I wasn't going to run over any. Plus the tide was out and the sand was firm as long as I stayed away from the bushes. I thought about walking to see her, but it is a long walk and I would have been able to make it there, not sure I would make it home. The last time I walked to Christopher's house and back, my back hurt really bad. So looks like I am going to have to suck it up and ride the quad. It was cloudy but warm and it wasn't supposed to rain anymore. So I got on the quad and headed to the beach. As long as I went slow, 2^nd gear, I would be alright. I did feel a couple places where I skidded a little due to soft sand, but I made it. Penny and I visited for several hours and I got to see what Christopher has been doing to the house. He made another room upstairs which is Penny's room when she visits, and put a new roof on, fixed the bathroom downstairs, put a stove and refrigerator in and finished the bathroom upstairs. It is coming along nicely!! Around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, I decided it was time to go home while the tide was still out. So I said goodbye to Penny and Christopher as I wouldn't see them again until the next time they came down. Rode the quad safely back to my house and felt good I accomplished that.

The car that was stuck in the mud on the flats, was rescued by someone in Rincon. One of the ladies that live in Rincon had put out the word after it had rained, to take the high high road which is near the mountain range as it was dry. Apparently this person didn't get the word. Christopher said he thought the people had to sleep in their car overnight. At least they are safe and where they are supposed to be.

Always something going on here, and the locals all know never to cross the flats after it has rained. A lesson learned by those people that got stuck.

My friend Connie, who lives with her husband by Rogue River, Oregon, was able to get away for 11 days from caring for her ailing mother. It has been hard on the family and not everyone wants to share the load. Connie's husband came down early November to take care of some things at their house here in Bahia and do some fishing. Connie was so happy to be down here again with her husband and their cute dog, Cubbie. It was great to see her and have her back at train. We bantered with each other like no time had gone by. It was fun and we had a lot of laughs. Her and her husband, Brett and their dog Cubbie are leaving on December 4^th to be home on the 5^th. I hope they can return early next year. 

Just a note to let you know that the cancer therapy cream worked great.  No more sores and my nose looks healthy now.  My right ear is still a little sore but I will have that checked this coming summer in the states.