Beach life

Living on the beach in Ensenada for the last 3 months has been a pleasant surprise for me.  It is totally different than the Chapala area.  Chapala is the real Mexico and Ensenada is more like California, except much cheaper.  The pleasant surprise is the weather.  It's about the same as the weather of San Diego, which is only 60 miles north.  Part of our routine is to walk the dogs on the beach daily.  Notice the lack of people along the beach or in the water.

These vultures were drying their wings. These guys were big.

Peso chasing Maya.

Cruise ships arrive several times weekly. 

Sometimes they actually listen to me.

La Bufadora in the background.

Which way are we gonna go guys?

We have this beach to ourselves.

Maya has just been for a swim.

They are not fast enough to catch the baby birds wading in the water.

Ensenada is in the background.

Punta Banda

Well, we moved from Chapala to Ensenada into a community called Puna Banda.  Wanted to share some photos of our home and the Punta Banda area, a 45 minute drive south of Ensenada.

Just steps to the beach. 

Maya doesn't like me taking a nap by myself.

Martin says this is a Zonkey, a cross between a Zebra and a Donkey.   Miguelito the dog rides all around town.

Beware of pit bulls, they might lick you to death.

Gives you an idea of how deserted these beaches are.  This is looking south.  North would be the same.

Yup, that's me going out to do some body boarding. 

Looking out from the dining room.

Fireplace redo.

Notice the painting of Peso on the left wall. 

My Grandson, the 3 year old protege.

La Bufadora

The blowhole is the result of air trapped in a sea cave exploding upwards.  Air is forced into the cave by wave action and is released when the water recedes.  This interaction not only creates the spout, but a thunderous noise as well.  La Bufadora is one of the largest blowholes in North America, often shooting upwards of 100 feet.

La Bufadora, pictured in the mountain behind me is a fifteen minute drive from our house.

Lots of vendors before you get to the blowhole.  Not many buyers early in the morning. 

Water entering cave.

Water starting to expel.  Somebody lost their hat.

Plenty of restaurants.

Community of La Bufadora. 

We live on a six mile stretch of beach, used mostly by Mexicans.  Water temperature is nice this time of year.

People camp on the beach and never have problems.  We have walked the beach many times after dark. 

We are starting to paint and fix-up the house.

For some reason, Maya is pooped out.

The Move

Well, a couple of months ago, Debbi and I were talking about how hot the weather was in the Chapala area.  The books we read before we moved down talked about the year round Spring type weather.  After 3 years of living here we decided to move.  The decision was hard to make because we had met so many wonderful friends.  We decided to move to Baja Norte as the weather is similiar to the weather in San Diego.  We would also be closer to friends and family.  Baja is going to be very different than Chapala. 

The beach house in Baja Norte.

Needs different paint on the walls.

 

This is Blondies' idea of helping us move.      

Rent horses on the beach for $8 per hour.

Beautiful Jellyfish arrive with the warm water temperature.  Look at the shoe and the shadow to get an idea of how big this guy is.

We hired a 40 foot moving van for the 2,000 mile drive.  We drove our car  and took the three dogs with us. 

Cardboard and bubble wrap just about everything.

This is the path from the house to the water. 

Our new home waiting for minor repairs. 

Maya is our special needs doggie.  She has some neurological problems, but doesn't know it.

Wedding ceremony

Six weeks ago, my son informed me that he and his fiance were getting married on June 22, 2013.  They are both in their 30's and it is the first marriage for both of them.  Needless to say, I was excited.  My future daughter in law is a great person.  I have known her for 8 years and she is a gem.  About a month before the wedding my son called me and asked  if I would perform the wedding ceremony.  I told him it would be an honor for me to officiate the wedding.  It was one of the most gratifying things that I have done in my life.

Jeff and Teri 

My daughter Kolleen, Troy and their 2 kids, Kayla and Cole

Me, Teri and Jeff

The lovely bride

Troy, Teri, Jeff and Kolleen

My four grandkids 

This is a great photo.

Cole is one of my four grandkids. 

Mary is my mother in law.  I have known her for 50 years and I am lucky to have her in my life.  She is battling lung cancer and I believe there is going to be a miracle that will save her life.

Abbeyfield and the Kentucky Derby

Vickie and I volunteer at an assisted care living facility called Abbeyfield in Ajijic.  We have a Friday Matinee where we show the seniors movies using a DVD player and a big screen TV.  They really love the movies and are very thankful of the time we spend with them.  Here at Lakeside, most of the expats volunteer for organizations that involve kids or animals.  We think the seniors here need more volunteers to organize activities for them.  Seems like people favor the kids, or the animals, instead of the older folks.  The cost of staying here is $1200 US per month.  That is for your own casita and meals.

Vickie at the entry. 

Paul just moved in.  His wife passed in November.  He is the only man here.     

Ginger has been here several years.  She is absolutely charming.  Could have been a model in her younger years.

Marge is 91 years old.  Isn't she pretty. 

The viewing deck is for everyone to enjoy.  This is a skate park with Lake Chapala in the background.

The seniors like to walk through the park or on the Ajijic Malecon.

J. C. and Vickie hosted a Kentucky Derby party at their home. Debbi and I picked Orb to win.  Oh yeah!

Vickie, Sally, Sharon (with my cigar) and Debbi.