Land Banditos try land grab for our FMZ Concession.

Mexico is a curious country when it comes to real estate transactions. Non-Mexicans can't hold clear title to property within 12 miles of the border or within twelve miles of the coast- so Gringos must use "bank trusts" and pay middle people every year. Shuffling paperwork is an artform here. Documents are often altered- so you can't always be sure you bought the land from the actual owner.

Hundreds of Americans and Canadians have lost their homes in coastal Mexico because another person showed up a decade later claiming to be the true owner of the land-and they now want it back. People's retirement homes were stripped of everything valuable or sellable overnight while police kept the owners at bay. True story and not good. And just like stateside in New Orleans- there is no shame in Mexico for being a good crook. Alonzo is a Mexican national- so we were able to get clear title to our land with no problem. Once we had the clear "escritu" title in hand- we built, not before.

At the same time Mexico seriously encourages real estate investment by Americans. 12,000 Americans live in Rosarito Beach- a half hour drive south of San Diego.

Yet the Trump Baja investors lost $30 Million in advaace deposits on his Rosarito Beach Condotel project last year. In Mexico you put 30% down at purchase of your home or condo and the balance at delivery. There are no completion bonds- so the money you put downis building the unit for the last guy who bought. I should think The Donald would have a pretty good legal team and he got scalped. . Mortgages are few (weak foreclosure laws so few banks lend) and most transactions are cash.

Smoke, Fires and Hurricanes... oh my

The smoke from the LA and Ensenada fires has been thick in the air- becoming part of the heavy "marine layer" that's hangs over the coast in the morning. The LA fire smells like a nice wood fire- the Mexican fire smells like burning trash. Both have made for some pretty dramatic sunsets the past few days. Thuosands of firemen are fighting the CA wildfires- no one fights the rural fires in Mexico- they just let them burn out on their own.



We don't get much "weather" here in Baja norte- so anything besides 70 degrees and sunny is a welcomed change. It rained a quarter inch all last year. Yup, ALL year. My rain guage is filled with dust. All that will change the next few days as Hurricane Jimena works its way up the baja peninsula from Los Cabos to here starting tonight.

We don't expect any more than 30 MPH winds and some light rain up here from Hurrican Jimena. Nothing we can't handle in stride. The rain is our biggest concern- more out of public health than safety. There are no storm drains here and all the storm run off goes right down the streets to the ocean- a whole years worth of road oil, dirt, trash and small dead animals.

We live in the lowest area of Rosarito- so all the water comes here and then out to sea. The runoff water will pool on the beach and make for a caustic mix of chemicals for a few days until it all flushes out with the tides. Emilio and his Friends will need to stay out of the water for a few days- standard procedure after any rainfall in southern California too.

It will be much worse closer to Los Cabos and thousands of poor Mexicans will be homeless or worse. Mexico is still a third world country and no one dares leave any possessions behind because someone will likely steal them. There is an evacutation order for the 10,000 who live in the most flimsy of housing- but they are all staying put in their cardboard, plastic and blanket "houses" and just hope for the best. No one evacuates- it's a sign of weakness and they really don't have any place to go or the car or money to get there with anyways- the bravado is their cover. The foot plus of rain that is expected will literally wash them away- but at least they won't be crime victims. In 1973 hundreds of Mexicans were swept out to sea by hurricane Lisa and were eaten by sharks. Mainland Mexico has already sent 300 electricians over to baja to restore the power that will likely go out tonight.

Mexico Legalizes Drugs... 5 grams of pot OK

Well- they went overboard, but at least it's a new approach to the violent drug war. Legal now in Mexico is possession for personal use of up to 5 grams of marijuana, half a gram of coke, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams methamphetamine and 0.015 Milligrams of LSD. You can't fix stupid I guess.

All together it's quite a weekend pharma-party with plenty of ups, downs and surprises. You can bet some spring break hotel will offer a package deal: a Pot and Coke Weekend, Baja desert full moon tour on LSD, The Tweeker Ball. Actually there are very strict rules about where and what you can do outside your home. If you go beyond the law three times, you get to move into a third-world rehab center. The stated purpose of the law is to free-up the local cops to chase bigger fish and to steer drug addicts into rehab. Nothing else has worked- so it's worth an open mind for a while I guess. I'm far from convinced another generation of drug users is a good thing.

In their defense, they do have affordable live-in drug rehab centers here and I passed one just yesterday on the drive out to Rincon Tropical on the dirtbike. The "brotherhood" as they are called, comes into town and collect money at intersections and sell newspapers to support the facility. I always see the same guys at every intersection for years- so they must not graduate and move on too often.

The street price of 5 grams is $12.50. Photos: AFN Network

Below: The retail sale and on site consumption of soft drugs in the Coffeeshops of Amsterdam.

Geezer on Geezer: Woooosh and the vintage dirtbike

A Baja dirt bike ride with Art and Emilio from Rosarito Beach to Rincon Tropical.

With all the negative you hear about Mexico in the press, it's easy to think nothing is safe, simple and beautiful in Baja any more. But while the narcos fight it out with everyone else- the rest of us go about our lives and still enjoy the beauty of Baja we moved here for. Baja Norte is very beautiful, mostly undeveloped and full of surprises. One nice and affordable surprise is Rincon Tropical-a locals hangout with swimming pool, bar, overnight cabanas, midget race cars and a petting zoo. The dirt road to Rincon winds through a canyon 8 miles inland from the beach. Once away from the coast it gets hot and dusty fast- a true Mediterranean climate. Lot's of agriculture- corn, cilantro, green onions and of course cows.

It's always great when my buddy Arturito (just Art- to you gringos) is in town for one of his visits. He's part of our family and a professional travelling house guest- we really should pitch him a reality show. He is the perfect house guest though and our 13 year old lab Duke is especially perked up by his visits- lifelong friends. CostCo must text him when we stock the fridge (we buy most all our food stateside) because he always hits us when the dinner menu is long.

g.

Art's an alpha male that motivates you. Art arrived today all hyped up after a hike in the desert with his brother- so I wasn't about to try to keep up with him on a bike. Emilio loves a bike challenge so I left the mountain bike race from the house to the Rincon Tropical to Art and my nephew Emilio.

I gassed up the 1976 Harley-Aermacchi SX250. It kicked right over- so I took that as a good sign for the day. I've restored it back to original condition- but I'm not afraid to ride it and get it dusty. (I had the exact same bike while in college in Colorado and drive it pretty much the same as I did then). It's been many months since I've ridden it and Emilio has been giving me grief about that. They left first and we all met down the canyon at Rincon Tropical. They took the single track trail that drops into Rincon Tropical- I took the winding dirt road through the canyon. We enjoyed a few Pacifico's (2 pacifico's and a soda- $4) and a swim. I headed back first- I've walked this bike home more than a few times... so I liked having a chase team behind me on bikes. :) Nice relaxing afternoon- no pedaling involved. A perfect day in Baja. Thanks Art!

Donated Lifeguard towers get their legs- But it's no Baywatch.

The lifeguard tower bases got their "casitas" today. It seems strange a tourist destination city like Rosarito Beach, with over 5000 people in the water every weekend- doesn't have a lifeguard culture (think Baywatch). The Lifeguards are a division of the Rosarito Beach Fire Department and they pass the lifeguard jobs out to friends and relatives. Same thing as with any institutional job in Mexico really. Not even a swim test.

Q: Why did San Diego donate five old lifeguard towers to Rosarito Beach when the city has one certified lifeguard? A: It was going to cost $20K to legally dispose of them stateside and $17K to strip the bases off and ship them to Mexico (read "donate"). What was supposed to be good press- got ugly when the "paperwork" wasn't ready and they were stuck at the border for a while. By "paperwork", they meant the dollar bill variety. You pay everyone for everything for every service twice- even to "donate" something.

Not many tourists (18-21 college aged kids mostly) drown here. If it's not a publicity problem, it's not a problem. But many Mexicans do drown here without it hitting the San Diego news- at the northern residential end of the beach though (mine). Mexicans mostly swim or wade fully clothed and that's a problem if a big set comes in and people lose their footing. We had an 18 year old friend of the family drown here while we were out of town two years ago. The "lifeguards" told the family the body would wash back up in two or three days (it did- they camped there are waited). They puttered around on a jet ski for 20 minutes but no one went in or under the water to look for him. Stateside that wouldn't happen- anywhere, ever.

I've never seen one guard here swim distances, run or even train in the six years we've been here. Living in California we saw them training every day-they would all run in a pack carrying their rescue buoys and then swim all the way back. I'm sure that was just their warm-up drill too.

There are no tryouts and competitive contests here for the coveted job of Lifeguard. In the states hundreds try out. It's not the money- because the job doesn't pay anything- anywhere really. It's about the passion to do it. The job here basically involves driving up and down the beach on a quad or a jetski, yelling at people to get out of the water, and giving your friends rides on the back. There are no junior lifeguard development programs or even adult lifeguard training programs.

In a generous offer extended every year, the California Lifeguard Academy offers Rosarito Beach as many training spots as they want for free. This year they sent one person for the first time. Just one. Next year they hope to send more. I can actually tell which guard he is by watching how slowly he patrols onhis ATV, how he watches the water surface and how he tracks the people in the water. No one becomes a master-trainer to train others from attending a seven day Academy program- but I hope the others learn from him for now a least.

Life Guarding is taken seriously everywhere but here and tower guards need to be specifically trained and focused (no distactions, no girlies n the casita, no smoking weed with your surfer freinds all day- for a start). People will now think their kids are safer because someone is manning the tower. If they take their eyes off their kids- they could wind up being camped out waiting for their return- just like what our friends suffered through.

6.9 Quakes all around us, and we got nothing...

You'd think we would have felt something. One 6.9 and a swarm of others less strong all happening around us. Buildings swayed 20 miles north in San Diego and throughout most of Baja but we didn't feel a thing. Nothing. Not even a wave in the pool.

If not for the automated Tsunami warnings we get from NOAA by e-mail, we wouldn't have known about it until we watched the news. So what do you do once you get a tsunami warning? You watch for the water to retreat exposing the ocean floor and if that starts to happen you head for the hills quick. Maybe. This house would probably be the only one left- and even then the garage and first floor would be cleaned out. We designed the house to handle three feet of water with minimal impact but who knows what 20 feet would do? The building has six concrete caissons going down to bedrock. The wall of water that would hit us would be free of debris- which is what causes most of the damage.

There are no posted "evacuation route" signs like stateside so people would know where to go (up). It would take us traveling five miles inland before we climbed any kind of hill for safety. Most locals wouldn't have a clue of what is going on or what to do. We all watched when the people in Phuket walked out on the dry ocean bottom- not knowing all that water is coming back at once.

So- faced with a Tsunami warning do you stay or do you go? We watch and stay. We would just worry too much about the house and the animals we left behind. So we would stay until we see the ocean floor and then make the decision to evacuate or ride it out. Won't know until it happens some day.

I don't hate Mondays. Especially in summer.

Mondays Rock! You can't imagine how little sleep we get on weekends here in summer between friends, family, fireworks and parked cars with really loud sound systems. The beach is the beach- anywhere. People go there to unwind and cool off- 24/7. It's hot in the interior of Mexico so Alonzos family is used to staying indoors (and taking siestas) during the hottest hours and then everyone moves outside to cool off and relax after dark. So that schedule took some getting used to. Even the youngest are up and active until midnight.

For most people Mondays suck- for me it's a day of peace and quiet. Well, as much quiet as you can have with the five labs, falcons and squawking birds. But there's no music blaring from bad car speakers, no kids screaming and yelling. No families trying to pitch their porta-potty tents (no Mexican family beach outing is completed without a tent, shovel and rolls of TP). Ah- the good life in the third world.

The high surf it still going strong and the tractors towing the beach rake machines are out cleaning the weekends trash from the sand. Every morning I put a pot of coffee on and head out the door to walk the dog pack on the beach. I feed the falcons, read the on-line versions of the newspaper, check my e-mail, take care of business. By 10am and a pot of Dunkin Donuts coffee later- I'm ready for breakfast and to move on with the day. Men and their rituals- but it's those true little luxuries we all work hard for.

You'd think this picture was a winter shot of a long deserted beach. But this is what a hot summer morning looks like here in Baja Norte. The previous nights high tide washes everything clean and a gray marine layer hangs over the coast until noon or so. Perfect for the sun-challenged like me. The marine layer gets pulled in towards the coast to replace all the hot air rising inland. It's 115 degrees just twenty miles inland today so all this cool moist air is rushing across the beach and through our house- ahhhhh . In SoCal (and Baja Norte) people head inland for hot sun and tanning. At the coast we call it May gray and June Gloom- but now it seems to last through July too. The sun generally burns through around noon will be going strong the rest of the day and directly inside at sunset. Who needs all that UV? :) It's all about mornings....

Surf's up, new front door's not.

I can't believe it's been a week already since I lasted posted. Busy week. We had a great lunch with Michael and Luis last week up in San Diego and I kind of got lazy about the Blog. I did some Facebook catching up though- which took time.

We are having some huge surf- but my board is still in the shop (thankfully). 8 foot waves are scary when you're looking down the face of one to stand up and ride it. No thanks- not for my first (planned) venture out surfing in a few years. 3-4 feet will be just fine next week. Emilio wants to advance from body boarding to surfboard- so I can still get out there and teach him the basics. That will be interesting. The wave in the photo is about 7 feet- the speck of a guy you can barely see to the left of the center wave is on a jet ski- towing the surfers out. You can see him bettter if clickonthe pic to enlarge it. Lot's of people rescued from the strong current- and most Mexicans swim clothed, which doesn't help.

Although pretty from five feet, the current front door on the house is pathetic and actually has a mushroom growing on it. It's always wet on the inside from the pool and and dogs- and baking hot in the sun all afternoon on the outside. It was a wood stained door- but when the salt wore it away (finish, stain and wood) you could see through parts of it. My buddy Art and I installed a piece of plywood on the inside to reinforce it- and then I painted it using the house paints to make it look better. I got another three years out of it. People actually pose for photos in front of it..

The new door is here (not done) and I have some prep and paint work to do. I just wood-filled all the cracks on holes. Alonzo's cousin makes rustic wood Mexican doors and had a catalog. He made the wrong door (one picture over in the catalog) and I really really hate it. When he started routing it he sent a pic and I went- "oh no, too late already". We tried to sell it on craigslist, but had no takers. If I paint it- I can live with it. He still needs to complete the "speakeasy" metal cage, the black nail head "clavos" and was going to stain and varnish it. That would lasted about six months here in the salt he air- even being 2.25" alder wood. He dropped off the door unfinished- so I kind of took over the exterior of it on my own. I patched the holes and gaps with wood filler and will sand, paint and Spar vanish it. That should seal the exterior and give it some Mexi-color for the people to enjoy... lipstick on a pig so to speak. When it's done it will look like my old door- but stronger and without mushrooms.

I'll be happy with it when it's done. We'll still let the cousin stain and spar varnish the inside of the door though. I think it needs to breathe with it getting wet, hot, dry every day. There's no way to stop salt air- you just try to design materials around it. I use RustBullet paint on most everything metal outside. House maintenance is never ending here.

I also decided to rotate all the bedroom furniture in the house. There are three stacked master suites- so there's more than you would think. We don't really don't shuffle furniture enough- mostly because we had our 125 pound blind lab "Oso"who liked things left where they were. We moved a small bed (built on site with huge headboard though) from the guest suite up to the third floor and the Bowflex down to the guest suite. We switched out all the sofas, chairs and end tables from all the bedroom and the veranda. The furniture was the easy part. Took four of us a half hour to get it through the guest room door. Cleaned the pool, worked with two of the falcons, Pool time with all the dogs. It was hot and fairly dry so I didn't have to towel them off.

Out and about in Rosarito... well running errands at least

Yesterday Emilio and I washed the trucks and loaded my 9'6" long board into his Rodeo. It needs a "ding" repair before I venture back out into the surf. You need to fix the "dings" so water doesn't soak into the foam of the board and ruin it. We slid it through the back hatch all the way up to the windshield, and it still hung out the back. He drove and we headed over to the K38 Surf Shop- but they were closed. This repair job is easy so I took it to the next best place the surf shop at the Rosarito Beach Hotel. . The main streets in the tourist zone were deserted. This is 3pm on a peak summer afternoon in a tourist town- and no one. It was a Wednesday though. A few Mexicans doing their normal business is all. We did see more police cars than I expected and stayed away from them. The narcos don't aim their weapons- they "spray" them. They already killed their five cops for the week though, but I'm not sure when their work week starts. The police chief has not resigned.

We only encountered one military checkpoint at the normal location. Nothing additional. The soldiers were friendly and Emilio peeling all the dark window tint off them helps them stay calm. They can see what we are from their rubber tire fortress. Emilio's Isuzu is a white beater '93 with Mexican plates. Very low profile an the long board allowed us to be waved right through. I didn't take any pics but may try next time from a distance.

The house is filling up a bit- perfect for summer. It's very hot in Alonzo's hometown of Torreon so the ones that can get here do. Alonzo's sister Kika, 15 year olds son Luis and his cousin Caesar joined Alonzo's mom in the guest suite. Their timing is good- the water is warm and the Rosarito Fair is set to open and run for the next month. Good rides, junk food, concerts- they love it all and it's priced right for normal Mexicans to afford. They all need to laugh and cast their worries aside. Even the narcos will take their kids.

Kika is the reason I added a kitchen to the downstairs guest suite. That should tell you how the next few weeks will go. She's tough. Her husband electrocuted himself many years ago trying to wire his house to the pole himself- when the practice was common. Now they just run the extension cords on the street. That's what you get for being neat.

Alonzo and I are hoping to join my nephew Mike and Luis in San Diego this weekend. Maybe the violence will drive the wait times down. Yeah right. It'll be hours. With all the family here I won't need to worry about the house or the animals. We have our fingers crossed.

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Yona is doing great... Puka is held hostage... More local police killed.

Yona is recovering fine from her beach-dog attack. Emilio said he and Javier went back with a taser for the the owner but didn't find him or the dog. I don't know which one he would have tased- but I don't think they work on animals. Puka has been totally active and is leaving the stitches alone. She swam with me in the pool yesterday. I have to swim circles instead of laps in this small pool- but she stayed right next to me. So she is keeping it clean and we haven't had to use the "Elizabethan collar", that plastic neck cone thing. Guero got bit twice by beach dogs as a puppy and had the same type wound but a lot less stitches. Emilio must have felt bad that Yona was attacked on his watch. I came back from RI to find a freshly epoxied garage floor and the "Pool Angel" refinished.

(Left: The Puka Bloom Suffers)

Poor Juan and Puka. Bad enough Puka ate a rock and died (see archives), but now I think he's getting hosed by my vet. After the first surgery we gave Juan the vet's number so they could talk directly with each other. When she made a turn for the worse we let the two of them handle things and just offerred to care for her and do whatever we could to help on this side of the border. When we took her back to the vet for observation after the first surgery failed to get the results- Alonzo and I thought it would be considered the "after care" that was included in the surgery cost. I guess not. Now our vet wants another $800 from Juan for the second surgery too. IMHO if they had inspected her well during the first surgery they would have seen the dead bowel behind the rock further down the line. Maybe they could fix it or not- but they would have seen it. I think they just stopped exploring after finding the rock and closed her back up too soon. Their fault IMHO. When Puka died- we asked our pet cremation service to pick her up. Now they won't release Puka's cremains to Juan until he pays the second $800 too. I don't know if Juan approved the cost of the second surgery- we weren't in the loop then. Juan looks at it like the $1600 total was still less than the US vet wanted for the first surgery alone. I'm witholding judgement for now until I learn more. "Puka the flower bloom" wilted and parts of it died before blooming fully while we were in Rhode Island- so maybe Puka is reaching out to Juan again. Alonzo needs to swing by the vet today to take care of the bill for Yona- so he will see what's going on.

I have always worried about cremations- whether or not you really get back the right "ashes". When the cremains came back from our blind Oso- Guero was a puppy and knocked them off the memorial table Alonzo had set up. The Urn crashed and broke on the slate floor. A stainless steel screw rolled across the floor and I knew it was really our Oso. As a puppy he blew his knee out at the dog park and had a cadaver ligament transplanted to repair it (never play frisbee on hard ground with labs- it's not good if they jump up and come down on their back leg wrong and hyperextend it. Save the air for the dogs designed for it). Once we saw the mangled screw and we knew we had a reputable cremation service.

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(Below: The cremains of Oso, Guero1, My Dad & Mom, and Dutch)

I feel comfort having a loved ones remains back in the house with me. I know it creeps some people out, but it helps me mourn and I feel their presence. We have a bookshelf we keep them all together on- Oso, Guero, Dad. Mom and my first lab Dutch. We take them down on birthdays and holidays- like Mothers and Fathers Day and light candles for them. The dog collars are wrapped around the dog urns with a treat placed on top. No, I don't think my Mom and Dad would at all mind being surrounded by our labs and they all have a great ocean view.

And the narco war continues on here today. Another cop was killed here yesterday and one more nearby in TJ. "El Teo" has said his cartel will kill five cops a week until the new police chief resigns. He's an over achiever and reached his goal a few days early apparently. On to next weeks body count. There are no photos of "El Teo"- even on his wanted posters- he said he will kill whoever prints it- so no one has. When the police here are hiding for their lives there is no protection for anyone or any business- especially us ex-pats. We're not in lockdown mode- but we are keeping a watchful eye on things.

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Working the Flight home... a 30 year blast from the past.

Delta Connection: We didn't have as much excitement on our flight as the people on the SouthWest flight when a football sized hole opened up in the cabin roof and they could see the blue sky. Nor did our O2 masks didn't drop down- but we were packed in like sardines and in the air at the same time.

Shortly after takeoff, I got blocked in the lavatory by the Beverage Cart on one of those three-seat-across Delta Connection Embracer commuter jets (PVD-CVG). The door opens in and when I opened it- there the cart was. Right at the door. My seat was about 4 rows up, the plane was full, and there was no way to get past. You can barely stand up in those planes let alone pass someone. The flight attendant gave me a look that I understood to mean she wasn't pulling the cart back 5 rows with the plane still climbing just for me to get back to my seat. It could have been a look that said if I wanted to go back to my seat that badly- I'd have to push it uphill all by myself. We'll never know. I stepped out of the lav and said "Well, I was a flight attendant 30 years ago. How's about I work this end of cart back up to my seat." She smiled and told me to ice some glasses and pass out the peanuts. I did serve some beverages actually, but sadly the booze and precious boxed snacks were on her end of the cart. We talked and worked our way up the aisle and the passengers in the rear of the plane got a kick out of it. What airline did I work for..?.. what it was like to have a choice of three entrees in coach..?... They had smoking zones... ? When we got th ecart past my row, I politely opted out of working all the way up the aisle. I sat down and drank my bottled water, five years was fun- but enough. Alonzo was sleeping and when I sat down- he didn't even stir. It wasn't until the Flight Attendant thanked me for my help as we were deplaning that Alonzo asked what that was all about. Would have been a nice photo for the blog too.

I'll do a Flight Attendant flashback post soon. It was a very different experience back then. Did you know Lucille Ball taught me how to play backgammon in the upper lounge of a 747? She had a leather set with a solid gold doubling cube. I was the UL (Upper Lounge) flight attendant that flight (JFK-LAX) and I had her to myself for over an hour while Jaws played downstairs. Bourbon Manhattans, backgammon, fun conversation and I got to watch her put on that famous exagerated red lipstick from two feet away. That'll be a fun post to create. Could be a book.

Westbrook yesterday, Back to Baja today

Balducci Beach- well it may as well be named that since all the cousins have summer "cottages" there and their beach is private (the public beach is just next door). This is where and how the family spends every summer weekend. What they accept casually as their "cottage" would go for a $million or more in San Diego. They think nothing of it- well, except for the high property taxes. It's about a half hours drive from their year-round homes. They don't all go down every weekend- but usually someone from each family is there. They wheel out their carts of umbrellas and beach chairs every morning and make a day of it. These people are serious sun worshipers. They slather on the sunscreen and camp out- going back and forth from the beach to home- and house to house as well- all day long. The kids swim and play in absolute safety. There is always a watchful aunt or uncle. No need to lock or even close the cottage doors. Totally safe. How lucky and cool is that? It is so nice there are still places like this in the world, it certainly isn't like this in our world.

The itsy bitsy spider... Gavin and Chase are energetic, curious two and three year olds. Their personalities are distinct and very different. No cookie cutter kids here. They watch educational children's' programs have learned words in Spanish and Chinese. They even asked great uncle Alonzo for"help" in Spanish. It's the way children learn now- and it's very cool. They don't give it a second though.

The water in Long Island sound was a little rough- so Alonzo and I bowed out of fishing with Fred and Mike to spend more time with my sisters Linda and Lou and the boys. We didn't bow out of eating the Blue they caught though. A friend had hauled in a 250 pound Mako shark the night before and we enjoyed a grilled piece of that as well. Lou made our visit very special by having more lobsters than anyone could eat- along with some dessert "leftovers" from the wedding and "crazy corn" (corn on the cob slathered in mayonnaise and then rolled in Parmesan cheese).

(Great aunt Linda celebrating her 29th birthday with Nolan on the deck. You're welcome Lin!)

The boys are curious about lobster- but wouldn't try it. There's plenty of years left for that. Hot dogs, fresh fruit and Dunkin Donuts were the major food groups for the boys. They didn't miss the opportunity to play with the lobsters though- boys will be boys...

We made our way back to the NYLO and slept in late today. Yeah! With the three hour time change we have been sleep-deprived. It'll still take me a few days to recover. We got a late check-out from the NYLO and have one more lunch reservation before catching our plane back to San Diego late this afternoon. Yes, it has been seafood every single meal for five days and we won't miss this last opportunity.


It is so hard to leave the safety and love here. So hard that this "ice man" is weepy and melting.

While you travel- life goes on back home...

We love to travel, but always worry about the animals when we are away. If I had children I would seriously never leave the house. This trip our youngest female Lab from the December litter, Yona ("bear" in Cherokee) was attacked by a"beach dog" while we were away. Emilio and his surf-buddy Javier jog with the four younger labs most every morning. Our oldest Chocolate lab Duke- is too old at 13 for the morning runs- but he happily waits for their return in the pool. The dogs are all required to hit the pool after ever beach encounter. It's just as much a chlorine dip as a swimming pool from my perspective.

The beach dogs of Mexico are wild, plentiful and generally very timid. They eat scraps of food people toss their way and many people throw sand to shoo them away. Usually they run away with their tails tucked between their legs when they see Guero and our "pack" coming. None of our dogs are aggressive though- a total waste of dog food from a security perspective, although they do bark. Somehow a dog decided Yona, the smallest one, was a target and took a good bite out of her leg. We don't know exactly what happened but Emilio wasn't able to intervene in time. She has 22 stitches and a few drain tubes, but she will recover fully the vet says- although in this photo she is definitely still groggy from the anesthesia. The report we got today was that she was up and active on all four legs. Good news. I'm sure she is freaked out about the attack and will be a different dog psychologically though. The weak and small always get the short end of the stick in life.

Our vet is excellent, close-by and even makes house calls. By the time Alonzo's mother called us, Yona was repaired and back at home. So it is good to have people at home who can react quickly, know who to call and what to do. Emilio feels horrible and will feel a lot worse once his uncles get hold of him. He's going to have to start carrying a "dog beater"stick like everyone else who walks or jogs on the beach I guess. Another reality of Mexico.

Our vet went down a layer to make sure there wasn't any muscle damage to Yona. The drain tubes aid in the healing and just slide out when the stitches are removed. She isn't bothering them- so no Elizabethan collar for her. Good girl Yona!

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Newport...the real one.

Sorry Californians... THIS is the real Newport Beach.

After saying goodbye to most of the wedding attendees after breakfast this morning at the NYLO, we headed east to Newport Beach for the day. We'll catch up to the family at the cottage tomorrow. It's my sister Linda's 65th birthday and we plan to be very nice to her all day. It's only a number- right Lin? The men are going out fishing with Fred, tide charts and choppy waters permitting. I don't get seasick generally- but I do turn a nice shade of green when the water is rough. Alonzo is already trying to bow out gracefully- seeing that he was green the last time in calm waters. He'd love to spend the day with Dana's boys and my sisters anyway. The weather has been incredible these four days- not usual for this year. If we can make it through on more day- we'll be thankful.

Newport was better than expected. Hundreds of shops and restaurants in the tourist zone including one of our favorite stores 'The Black Dog", which got the Alonzo one man economic stimulus package. Lots of goodies and black dog things for back home. Then we took the scenic drive along the coast to enjoy the mansions. A lot of them are museums now, but many are still family estates. After more oysters, cherry stones, fried clams and calamari (once again Rhode Island style with the hot peppers)- we headed back to the NYLO- our base. The drive to the cottage is about an hour and half- so we have to be up early to make the morning tide.

(We were excited to see this wind turbine in Newport. Baja is just beginning to harness the power generated by wind. This one is huge. You can make out a spec of white below it and to the right- a house. I don't think you ever get used to the whooop-whooop-whooop sound it makes that close to your home. IMHO they don't belong close to residential areas unless you are totally off the power grid- that's what power lines are for.)

The Carbone-Balducci Wedding Event

What a beautiful wedding mass and reception. By the time you are lucky enough to be a geezer like me- you've been to dozens of weddings of every style. This wedding event was by far the most meaningful and beautiful of them all. Seriously. The service was simple and filled with anecdotes of Daron and Suzannes love and the beach glass they collect on walks, the reception was - well, stunning. Even for those that think they have been to beautful wedding events before. Even me, the iceman- cried at this wedding. It was the first time I had heard my deceased parents names mentioned and I thought of how honored and happy they would be for Daron and Suzanne. It is too bad life can be so short- and this wedding reminded us that every day with your family is meaningful and important. Every day. Time flows fast and stops for no one.


No one left this event feeling anything but priviledged to have been invited. Every single person on both sides of the family were genuinely nice- it was hard to walk past anyone without stopping to chat and share their connection to Daron and Suzanne. I was surpried how many people knew of us and our coming up from Baja- of course the Baja they think we come from is a very differnet one from the narco war dominated one we live in. But those Blog posts are still a few days away.

Alonzo was in complete awe of the reception at the Aldrich Mansion- as were we all. Going from the stress of living under seige in Baja to the pure simple elegance of this event was a shock. I've never been to a wedding event without children present and it allows everyone to be liberated and have a great time without worry- or take the focus away from the wedding couple. Everyone had the evening off to laugh, love and celebrate Daron and Suzanne- and just dance, eat and party. And that we all did. Enjoy the pics.

The site for the professional photographers is http://www.conniegrosch.com/. The login name is: guest, and the password is 071009. But here are some of our pics to hold you over until theirs are posted...

Wedding conversations and the Swine Flu...

Photo: Edgar, Swine Flu "patient zero" (the flu's originator) is shown next to his bronze statue.

There's nothing relating the wedding to the swine flu, so don't worry! The topic did come up between Nikki (one of Suzanne's bridesmaids) and me at the wedding rehearsal dinner though. As a mother of a five month old- she's rightly concerned, more about the next flu season than for right now. The Swine Flu is already mutating and showing resistance to Tamiflu- not good.

Many people know the Swine Flu originated in Mexico. It wasn't contained in time and followed the airline routes to the rest of the world- growing to become a pandemic. Not many people know about the first victim, a young boy named Edgar who lives in the stench and pollution of the pig farms. He survived it and Mexico thinks the Swine Flu Boy could be a big tourist draw. I call this another example of "Mexico SOS" - being "stuck on stupid". I seriously doubt anyone is going near his pig farm city anytime soon to spend their dollars- or even pesos. It's almost so stupid an idea to be unbelievable. I know you didn't believe me Nikki- so here is the Swine Flu boy Edgar with his statue. He's holding a frog in his left hand to represent the biblical symbol of the plague- nice touch huh?

At the same time Mexico is promoting Swine Flu Tourism, they are livid at the media for ruining their tourism business. The cruise ship lines cancelled all their Mexican ports of call for over a month during the initial Swine Flu outbreaks. The economic impact to port cities was very bad. But blaming the media? Maybe they should have re-thought claiming it as their own and making it a tourist attraction. Ya think?

Wedding Rehearsal and Dinner

A late start for us today being three hours off baja time. I love mornings. At home it's the time I spend with the dogs and falcons before hitting the computer to see what's going on in the outside world. My sister Lou arrived in town around noon so we swung by the NYLO to pick her up for lunch- at Legal Seafood. We finished off a plate of oysters, fried calamari (Rhode Island style with jalapenos and peppers), and cherrystone clams. Then we each had a lunch.. (We don't kid around when it comes to food). I love whole bellied fried clams and these did not disappoint. We hadn't eaten the night before while traveling, and it was well worth the wait. Back at the NYLO people were starting to arrive and gather on the outside deck. It's really nice when two great people marry- because the people who attend are just so diverse and nice.








(Brie and Dana on the NYLO deck)

(Nicole, Suzzane and Niki at the rehearsal dinner)

The Aldrich Mansion and wedding rehearsal were about a half hour's drive from the NYLO. The location certainly is spectacular. The only thing more beautiful than the Aldrich Mansion and chapel tomorrow will be the bride, Suzanne. I don't know how these two managed to wait so long to find each other- but it was surely meant to be. She is so sweet. Walking down the aisle for her rehearsal she spotted Alonzo and I in the pew and said hello to us by name- and we had never met. How could she even think of us while she was getting ready for her biggest day? But she did, many times. She wasn't even upset about the biological clock ticking thing I wrote in a previous post. I suppose it's because this is what these two have always wanted- a family. The priest who will conduct the mass is a long time friend and spiritual guide of Suzanne's family and is especially close to her father- so the ceremony will be a very emotional and special one.

The rehearsal dinner itself was very nice. I loved the meal but the food was a little rich and fussy for some. It's hard to please everyone- and although a grilled marinated flank steak is tasty, trendy and different- some people just prefer a simpler and more tender filet. I had the pleasure of sitting near two of Suzanne's bridesmaids Niki and Nicole(sorry if I misspelled)- who were just as sweet as Suzanne, her lifelong best friends- the real BFF). Suzanne and Daron chose the people who mean the most to them to attend their wedding- a great mix of people, seriously into baseball in general and the Yankees in specific- so it was a celebration. After dinner we all headed back to the NYLO and socialized until midnight. Except for Suzanne. She is sequestered and is staying at a different hotel and we (and Daron) won't see her again until she walks down the aisle. How's that for suspense and romance?

I got lost driving back to the NYLO, again- even with Lou and Fred in the back giving directions (sort of). I always get lost back east and hate driving around- but everyone knows that and still lets me drive. Tomorrow will be spent with the rest of my family that has arrived for the event- and then off to the evening ceremony and reception. It's so nice to see everyone, but hard because I want a whole day with each one- not just a few minutes here and there. My fault- I need to escape Mexico more often. I have a great family and they have great friends and children- which is what life is really all about. Not enough people are that lucky these days.

Curious about other things Woooosh? Our Labs, falcons, old family photos? Here's the link to our website. Bookmark it and you are most welcome to return to check on updates. A link on that page will get you back here to The Blog... http://www.woooosh.com/
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We're here in PVD, seriously jet lagged though

Alonzo and I made into Providence late last night. I had a screaming kid next to me for the last two hours on one of those tiny regional planes. I know it's hard to travel with kids- but why do they take the late night flights with them? Seems like cranky and crying are inevitable that late at night. Especially for me. Alonzo volunteered to switch seats with the mother- something about oxygen masks for the baby. After everyone deplaned I just sat and enjoyed the quiet a few moments until Alonzo came by. I got a Hertz Ford Escape with Louisiana plates. I hate getting out of state plates when I rent a car. It just make you stand out for no reason.

Driving to the hotel wasn't fun. I should have taken the Nylo shuttle. Actually I have never liked driving in CT either- RI seems the same. To this day I still can't get from one sisters house to another in under two hours. Everything is rolling hills and greenery with roads going no particular direction. I can handle MA driving and even Boston with no problem because I grew up there- it's just the rolling hills and highways that twist and turn with no visual references that mess me up. We looped around the Warwick mall a few times- made a U-eey on a rural highway and found the street and Hotel around midnight. OK- now having out of states plates doesn't seem as bad since I was driving like some retard from Louisiana anyway.

The NYLO was just as advertised. Modern, nice. Not so modern that you can't figure out how things work, but close. BTW, never pre-open the individual coffee-pods before putting it into the machine. Luckily the cement floors are easy to clean. We shared the elevator ride up with a transsexual- so we felt right at home. Not a petite woman- but she was very nice and assured us the rooms were soundproof and you can't hear anything from the next room... no, we didn't ask how she knew that.

Our clocks and bodies are three hours off. For some reason the 8 or 10 hour international time changes are easier on me. We'll skip breakfast today and jump right into lunch. The local supply of clams, oysters and Pt. Judith calamari will be severely depleted after our stay- or at least that is our culinary plan. The only problem I will have is driving from one place to another. I should have done the Hertz "never lost" navigation option this time.

So here we go... Everyone should be arriving in Providence today, little by little. The wedding rehearsal and dinner is tonight. Alonzo has all the clothes ready. He is great to travel with (although it did take over a decade to break him in).
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A great time to be getting out of Dodge...

Alonzo and I are excited about the wedding and to see the family of course. The trip east from the left coast is a day-killer. We need to leave the house by 8am to cross the border at San Ysidro by 10:30am for our 12pm flight. We arrive in PVD at 10pm- so that's pretty much a day gone. Flying and reading. wheee.


The holiday weekend was nice- hot and sunny. Alonzo's mom helped me cook and I made a chocolate "tres leches" cake for Alonzo's birthday. She always makes my favorite Tomatillo (green) Salsa for me (photo to left). The Shrimp Louie was perfect- and everyone enjoyed it. The beach was less packed than usual- which isn't a good sign for a tourist town. Sunday was Mexican Election day and the town was "dry" of alcohol- so that didn't help the clubs and tourism.

No matter- last night the next wave of police killings began and that will take care of the rest of this summer's tourist business. The Narcos took the holiday weekend off at least. This time the Narcos are threatening to kill police officers until the Tijuana Police Chief resigns. The police body count is 3. It would be higher if the cops weren't too afraid to put on their uniforms and go outside. Baja Nomads has the news links and commentary over there. I'm not shy about posting the ugly warts of the area- just not here this week. Wasn't the dead puppy bad enough?

There is no accurate real-time news here. We get our news from each other or on line. The english language paper was chased out of town and the Mayor owns the only other one. The Mayor also owns the Rosarito Beach Hotel and a half-sold condotel project. He blames the US media for the tourism decline here- not the police killings, not the kidnappings, not the extortions, not the beheadings, not the world economic slowdown. Tourism in San Diego is down 31% too- but they don't blame Mexico for it- although they well could. We call it "Mexico SOS" (stuck on stupid). No one plays the victim better than Mexico. They built a bronze statue in Mexico for the boy who was the first swine flu victim hoping to promote tourism- seriously stupid. They build a shrine to the swine flu and then complain when the cruise ships cancelled their Mexican port calls for a few months.

We are hoping for a quiet day here so we can pack and make it out of town as planned in the morning. We expect there to be a few army checkpoints we need to pass through leaving town. The house and animals will be fine while we are away. Alonzo's Mom and Emilios family will be staying here and the dogs love them. No one messes with Alonzo's mom. Emilio is on guard duty and has college-aged friends in the neighborhood- and that helps with overall security. So do the alarms, cameras, tasers, dogs and guns.

Many years ago we took my Mom and Dad down here to Tijuana and Rosarito for a day trip. We hadn't purchased this lot yet- but were already shopping for land planning to build this house. We did the touristy lobster thing at "Puerto Nuevo" and shopped the streetside shops for "chingaderas". They liked Rosarito very much actually- but I wonder how they would feel today about us living here. If I could do it over again- I wouldn't, but you have to live with the decisions you make it life.