Plantas Y Maderas - Garden Benches

Today June 1st is the 68th Anniversary Celebration of Dia de la Marina.  It kicked off at 8:30 with the many folks through the San Jose del Cabo and La Playita communities gathering to listen to several speakers about the imoprtance of our waters and protecting them.  The Port Captain as well as Puerto Los Cabos representative were a few of the several to speak during this joyful occasion.  The kinder of La Choya and La Playita were great entertainment, no doubt putting smiles on all of our faces.  The children that participated in envents throughout the week were also congratulated and honored .....it was also great for us all to get a chance to see folks that we haven't seen for a while...beautiful.

The oil continues to leak out of the Gulf of Mexico uncontrollably...meanwhile folks are pointing fingers as to who is accountable...the life in the sea and on the coast lines continues to diminish....phew, too much to take..! Perhaps too little too late, but that will be up to our Great Grandchildren to voice....... When will we us/US AS A HUMAN RACE/ start to be accountable for our own actions, and once we see those folks that are responsible aren't accountable...when by God do we realize it is up to us to Do Something.  My head shakes with frustration and sorrow....bring home the troops

Meanwhile here at the homefront we have not only have a mother horse/Abuelita...which I have recently renamed her Milagro...aka...en english...Miracle if she can pull thru...comig our way with a 1 1/2 week old fillie and her young mare (pregnant) of all things..."Be carefull of what you wish for, you just might get it"  I have not yet had a horse here in Mexico since I arrived... we are now looking at 4....

In La Playita...The inspector of all schools of the area managed to find a new teacher (maestro) for the 3 rd grade...just goes to show what  a few good folks can do, when they/we put our foot down.  It doesn't take money, just a solid foundation.

The fair is setting up for the Dia de La Marina/La Playita festivities.  Tomorrow Ellie will be joining with the chosen few to be a part of a collage painting starting around 8:30 am at Puerto Los Cabos's Marina.....Preparing for the big day... 1 Junio 2010.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the tranquillity is abundant.  With Paciencia..Disfruta...nuestra espacio...*with a little patience, you are invited to enjoy our space... fyi, the best video is toooo big to post here :) what can I say, come by for a short visit and see for yourself !

T

It's pretty classic here no doubt...always something to celebrate or a special event.  As my children's Great Grandmother Hazel put it recently.  "Ya'll sure do celebrate a lot"  Yes we do.  Given that our summer session out of school in La Playita is  July 1 through August 18th....I for one am grateful for all of the celebrations and holidays during the school year.  Somehow it keeps up the momentum through the heat of the summer and the daily momentum of loadin up and hauling ourselves up and down the coast road...perhaps only a few miles, but the rugged roads optuire 2 hours a day...there and back.  In addition it is an 1 1/2 waiting in La Playita from Primeria (1st thru 6th grade) and the kinder.....such is life...We all have our endurances...For our Family going to the Public School System in La Playita is priceless. 

On the 16th of May we celebrated Dia de la Maestro...Teachers Day.  This involved a day out of School at La Primeria and a few festivities on the following Monday. 

Coming up June 1st...A special event celebrated annually in La Playita.  ...This year should be something spectacular...given that the bridge to no where is finally complete...From Puerto Los Cabos the new development/ Marina in La Playita connecting high over the arroyo to San Jose Del Cabo.  This bridge has been in the making for years.  The grand opening was Monday the 17th....

Things are sure to change......

This is such a classic celebration here in Mexico.  It has taken me 3 years going to kindergarten in La Playita with my children to start to get it...how classic is that, one year to go and I may even graduate from kinder ...  if I'm lucky  :)

The schools have a big fiesta para los ninos. This has been building up for weeks, they choose a king and queen maybe even a month ahead of time, these chosen children dress up and are escorted in the back of decorated trucks on thrones, throwing out candy on the streets of La Playita...somewhat like a parade.  For this day each parent has donated a small amount 20 pesos/50 pesos equivalent of a few usd for   ......pinatas, pastels (cakes) balloons, pizzas, hot dogs, whatever that classroom decided to use the money for....each classroom  (ages 6 to 12 at the primeria) has it's own separate fiesta...but all together it is one big party!   At the kinder they have a hot dog cart a clown, music and other festivities.  At both schools each classroom has two pinatas...one for the girls (girls first) then one for the boys.  What a classic event.

We went to McDonalds after school to treat Fort and Ellie...what a worldwide concept, every kid loves Micky D's!  While in San Jose I caught myself saying feliz dia de los ninos to various ages of folks, even the 60 year old woman lit up...yes, we are all children.  "That's Right!"  Disfruta!...Enjoy...Happy Children's day to all  :)

Here we are in Mexico, coming on Dia de los Ninos. ....It is a celebration for the children, like one big birthday party that goes on for all of the children for a good week and a half.  Today at Ellie's school the students (age 4 to 6) had a field trip to a soccer field, where the coach let them have at it...and play soccer for real, on a beautiful outdoor turf field.  When I picked up my daughter, her coach said she is very athletic, which no doubt makes me proud.  Ellie showed me her ribbon and said she won...then I asked "are you the only one that got a ribbon"  she reply's  "No Mom, everyone got a ribbon, we all won"  : )  I love that.  That is a great lesson, and builds such confidence and respect amongst all those playing.  Nicely done coach. 

On the other hand, our Son Fort is taking his monthly exams.  Yesterday was Spanish, tomorrow Math...thank goodness Math is universal.  Although he is the only one in his school that speaks English, I must say he is doing exceptionally well with his spanish...he is confident and glowing.  I couldn't be prouder of him.

My husband Gene continues to build amazing pieces of art into wood with his CNC Shopbot Machine.  The only limitations I forsee is our mind...anything is possible. 

Just tonight I find myself chatting with one of his friends he has gained from his newfound art CNC MACHINING.  I have never had a conversation with this individual before, but Gene has spoke highly of him.  Technology is amazing...here we are 12 hours difference typing in words which instantly appear on the screen infront of me.....purely amazing.

He designs incredible programs and is only 18 years of age... and here I am sharing with him one of my favorite quotes, half a world away.... "Whatever you dream you can do, do it...boldness has genius power and magic"  Goethe

And Santosh Raja types back "I have nothing new to teach the world, truth and non violence are as old as the hills."  M.K. Ghandiji

IT//////////////is a small world.

It seems to me there are always some things worth celebrating here.  These children are so raw and beautiful along with patience and guidance of their teachers, parents and community traditions.  On the 22nd of March here in Mexico we celebrated Dia de Agua del Mundo 2010.  The Children of the Primaria grades 1st thru 6th gave a display of their art work of the importance of our water on the planet and how to respect and protect what we have for us and future generations to come.  Today in the kinder the children  ages 4 to 6 and parents gathered to create their own parade.  They were police escorted with parents, teachers and children dressed up to resemble something representing the spring.  They were butterflies, bees, little chickens, flowers...you name it, very creative...even buz light year !  These children have also been involved in creating their own garden, the first of many to come.  The educators are incredible and this is a public school...we are very thankful to be a part of this community.  Fort and Ellie meanwhile are in the works of building their swing set...works in progress, where there's a will there's a way. 

 

I remember well when my husband Gene asked me to stay a few weeks longer the night before heading back to Jackson after my two week vacation here in the Baja...I couldn't help saying "What's a few weeks gonna do?"  Wow

What can happen in a few weeks can change your life...for us, we decided to get married, and did 5 weeks after we met..."Imagine that"  Love at first site..

In the past few weeks here I have seen a red fox cross my path while coming down from my early morning walk up punta gorda.... A fence and big gate days later separates me as well as many others from our backyard wonder Punta Gorda...meaning Fat Point...it too is up for sale....if I had that extra 4 million I would buy it and preserve it like it is and tear down the gate.  What's that Jonnie Mitchell tune "Pave Paridise and put up a parking lot"...."seems ya don't know what ya got till it's gone" ............... Fort Ellie and I saw a snake I have yet to identity cruise straight up a 4' embankment after crossing the coast road on our way home from school...any input, it looks like a rattle snake without the rattles.  We have had a Tsunami warning. According to NASA the planet has shifted it's orbit after the Earthquake in Chili......ya know the normal stuff, yep...never a dull moment.  Oh, Yes...and a sighting of a semi with recyclables halfway up the Baja Peninsula...Progress in Motion!  This could even be a Miracle in Motion!!!  Thanks for the photo Mario and Michelle! see www.desertsoaps.com As Michelle puts it "Amazing.  Pass it on if some people are in doubt of the recycling program, cuz this is proof!"  Andale...!

This week at the La Playita schools we have been celebrating Dia De La Familia, it is officially celebrated the first Sunday of March....Yesterday we experienced  a 2 1/2 hour seminar to encourage parents to have a healthy family lifestyle....a discussion every family could partake in. On Sunday the Families get together to celebrate one another....Happy Familia Day to you all.  Disfruta/ Enjoy One Another to the fullest.

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"  Anthony Brandt

I have missed several occasions to share, so this is a little attempt to fill in the gaps. 
 
El Dia de La Bandera was celebrated last Monday in La Playita, where all of the school children in the community show up...along with the municple police to raise and honor the Mexican flag.  The official celebration for Mexico is 24 Febrero.  It is a big to do and an admirable way to celebrate their Mexican pride.  Unfortunately, this year of all years we missed the ceremony.  The munchkins were getting their vaccinations at the Centro de Salud, because both of our children they are able to take advantage of being Mexican citizens, with free health care and vaccinations, and then some.

We have had numerous rains, it's been out of the ordinary to say the least, this is my 8th winter here, and my first to see some of the foilage flower so abundantly this early in our spring.  The Lupine are back as well as the San Diego Sunflower, and needless to say, several I cannot identify by name. Unbelievable to my eyes, I passed by a cotton plant  in La Playita with it's flower bloom open, producing cotton.  This I haven't seen since my childhood youth in Oklahoma...classic! 

Although the flowers are flourishing, it seems around here the birds are not, but I may be getting ahead of myself. Usually, we have so many birds, cardinals, blue jays, oriels, woodpeckers, cactus wren and hummingbirds...Perhaps there is so much to feed off of throughout the blooming desert they don't need to come by the Crain residence as in the dry years in the past. 

We celebrated a wedding with ou favorite family here in Los Zacatitos, the Lains...and just days ago Fort and Ellie were invited over to make valentines cookies and cupcakes. This community is where people come and go, the summers here can be like a ghost town in comparison to the winter season.  We are thankful to make great friends and it's always a nice feeling to have them as our neighbors.

 It's a diverse community for us between Los Zacatitos and La Playita, where the traditions vary from the United States and Mexico and find their unique ways into our lives...what's that word, eclectic?...taking a little of the best from everything.  What could be better than that.

Fort and Ellie are just like all the children throughout the world counting down the days remaining until Christmas.  We have already seen Santa Claus, and Ellie is sure she knows who it is.   We have enjoyed celebrations at the La Playita schools with pinatas and oh yes...mucho dulces para los ninos! Tis the season. That's one thing our children thought candy was a healthy cookie, then came fiestas with all the local children...there is a pinata for every occasion, it's hard not to introduce them to candy...such is life. 

We also have been in the process of search for that one special christmas tree that will be in our home this holiday season.  Here we use the stalk of a century plant, unfortunately this year the choices are far and few between...the stalks are just now shooting up, yet they are a month away from being ready,....perhaps an old stalk will be selected...we will keep on searching throughout the desert, that's part of the fun anyway.

We continue to consider ourselves very fortunate to live where we are.  This morning while overlooking the Sea of Cortez, while feeling the off shore winds...I saw a few boats out there trolling, thinking to myself how cold those folks are while waiting for the sun to rise.  Just then a whale's back was slowing coming out of the water, they are enormous and at the same time incredibly graceful.  What a beautiful site.  We are presently preparing our boat and rig for our annual Christmas celebrated fishing in our panga, perhaps whale watching and enjoying the gifts the Sea have to offer....With a little luck and skill we hope to bring home a wahoo, tuna, dorado..."Chicken tonight"

Not only is today Mexican Revolultion Day but it is also our son Fort's 6th birthday.  How did that happen...it's hard to believe.  Every year there is a parade in La Playita to celebrate the Dia de Revolution these past 3 years Fort has participated in the parade, this was our daughter Ellie's first year at 4 years old. Afterwards the entire community gathers to celebrate with food, song and dance.  Tonight we had our traditional pinata, cake and presents.   Feliz Cumpleanos mi hijo!  Felizidades!  Con mucho amor y respecto.... su Mama.