Mon, Nov 23

busy day ahead -

I want to go to Punta Abreojos and get them involved in the recycling

I need some estimates on how much a landfill will cost - and their ideas on the best design for us here in the desert -some from States/some from Mexico

here are some pics of the guests as they took off this morning for their adventures in the ocean. Really, really nice guys

I also want to get to Santa Rosalia this week and pick up the metal drums to be used for trashcans !!  I am soooooooo excited to get them and put them strategically around town. Gary is going today and staying for a couple days - if he and we and Pancho all go one day, we can bring them back. No extra cost to anyone.

I have also decided to just jump start the recycling at the dump. I will  hire 2 people and have them start separating the colors of bottles and putting them in piles. That is what I saw in BOLA (Bahia de Los Angeles). This way, we are ahead of the game ...  we can also recycle plastics #1 and #2 right here in Mexico. and cardboad.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we need to start preparing the menu - seems like Patty and Susan are so on top of it and we are ... well......not really ready BUT - the turkey is in the fridge and defrosting. Les and I will have to talk menu today ....  it is usually his wonderful turkey which makes the meal stupendous. It is a welsh recipe - you encircle the turkey in bacon, all over the top and just leave it in the oven. No danger of drying out and no need to baste. Start out with foil on it and unfoil it about 2 hours before it is cooked. I hae never had a more delicious tureky.

I am watching the news and there is a spacewalk being shown live. Breathtaking. I remember our maid in Brazil thought it was all fake ... it is made up, she said !!!!  she had about a 3rd grade education and she definitely did NOT believe anyone had ever walked on any moon. too funny.

Nov 26, HAPPY THANKSGIVING

IT IS THANKSGIVING -THE TURKEY IS IN THE OVEN AND GUESTS WILL ARRIVE AT 2

THANKSGIVING IS NOT A MEXICAN TRADITION, SO, FOR SOME IT WILL BE A FIRST !!  AND FOR OTHERS, THEY KNOW THEY ARE INVITED EVERY YEAR AUTOMATICALLY !!

my amore and me

me and my amore

linda and nacho and the gang

Sara Martin (Lily) Pancho Gerardo

Joaquin and Leo

Les

Romero Marta and friend Linda

off to put up signs on the fisherman's beach for the special Christmas garage sale I will have for them, right there on the beach, tomorrow ... then I have one English class from 1:30 to 2:00 and then skedaddle home for Welsh turkey made with bacon and stuffing, homemade applesauce, cranberries, mashed potatoes, Mexican cream rice, potato salad a la Blanca, veggies with a  Polish sauce, tons of chili which Les made, 3 homemade Blanca pumpkin pies, fruit, brownies = dessert.  Not all traditional but ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so delicious.

Joaquin and Leo

On a personal note, I had so many nicknames for my son Marc- sweetie, honey, munchkin, cutee, and one of them was pumpkin. It was very HARD to realize, when my sister Chris called my attention to it, that he was 16 and I was still calling him pumpkin. I had to stop. To this day, when I eat or think of pumpkin, I remember that feeling - "your kid is no longer a kid".  If I could, I would call him pumpkin forever ....

Now, get this, yesterday Les peeks out the window and sees whales literally propelling themselves out of the water !!  Whacking their tales to make big splashes. Breaching all over the place. They did this for about 30 minutes !!  They were so close to shore and played and played.  I have never seen anything like this, except at Seaworld !!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU !!!

Edith and Valentin

Nov 27, Beach garage sale a huge success

Linda showed up to help

the lady sells food to the guys as they come back

the coop let the guys wriite up the amount and get it discounted off their cash on payday.....made all the difference in the world

boats boats and more

boats

people who had seen the sign in the store came by

busy busy busy

The BlancaMobile with a pidgeon on top

yellowtail yellowtail yellowtail

the seagulls are really spoiled

done for the day !!! 

all the fishermen enjoyed the sale on the beach today. i had two helpers and they were great.  we made a lot of money and the guys bought Christmas gifts for their wives and daughters and sisters ... that was the idea. I sold earrings for 20 pesos (13 = $1) and women's purses - really pretty ones, for 30 pesos. Thenthe expensive items were orchids we got on a super sale in San Diego, and I sold them for 50 pesos. I also sold a wine rack (ours, we have 2) and 2 buck chuck wine for 50 pesos .

then Cotty was scheduled to sell on Sunday, so Linda and I went to her house to drop off the table and the rest of the stuff. Well, she decided to start selling today and called to say she was on a roll selling already. So, I will take her more goods tomorrow. Amazing !!  I need more stuff and wrote to at least 5 people to see who can go to the coop in Ensenada and drop off stuff for me.

the local architect, ane xtremely talented man, made a wonderful project for the elementary school - they need and want a theater area and cafeteria. there is NO shade for them anywhere. So, Cotty and I agreed that all her sales, which she wantys to do every weekend, will go towards the school's dream. now i need the parents to get involved - i suggested bake sales and artsy craftsy sales. they must jump on the wagon. the school director finally got my message about cooperating and he is even studying English with me now. last Friday the school gournds were left a mess on a Friday afternoon. helloooooooooooooooooo ... with all the wind we have in the aternoons, that is just disaster waiting tohit the ocean. they have 4 people and i said - please have them clean at the end of the day. and guess wht - today when i went by, the school was spotless

i also talked to our neighbor Gary about recycling . he has had 2 girlfriends who got into the business and did extremely well for themselves. OK. that is the green light for me. we will start, i will be the catalyst. i will get a squasher (why is there no local Harbor Freight ???!!!). i thought i would organize and let someone else do it, but if i can, i will indeed do it myself. working for n omoney has it's limits - the biggest one being that it is NOT fair to Les....who, by the way, goes down as being one of them most supportive people around ....and he is not naturally generous, ever, not even with his kids.  He is such a good guy and he is so lucky to have me as his wife !!!  hahaha 

when I used to tell him he was lucky, he says his first thought was that i was secretly wealthy !!! soooooooooooooooooooo far from the truth and soooooooooooo funny.  I am sooooooooooooo lucky as well.

I think it is time to call the governor, little does he know that he took so long to offer the bulldozer that i now want a bulldozer and backhoe and fence built all around and trucks and balers. as well as money to get it all up and running.

time for bed. i have a huge list of things to do tomorrow. and tomorrow is rapidly snaking up on me.