Writing at the Beach

It’s overcast this morning. The top of Mt. Tetakawi is in the clouds. We actually have a few small waves crashing on the cliffs below us, with the emphasis on small.


The atmosphere almost has a hint of Monterey about it except that it’s not nearly as cold as Monterey.


For the last three days I have spent the afternoon at either Soldiers Estuary or Soggy Peso Beach. I take Frances and my binder with my Coyote manuscript. We go for a walk – half mile or so – getting our feet wet and pick up a few seashells. We have a drink of water. Then we plop ourselves down on the sand and I begin re-reading and editing these pages from “Point B” that I wrote last November.

I say I’m re-reading them because I actually don’t remember a lot of what I wrote. It’s been kind of fun, and while of course it’s far far far from a finished product, I’m pleased that I’m pleased with portions of the story.

Frances and I find a place in the sand where we have some privacy. In order to catch the many little typos in the manuscript, I find it is best to read it out loud. So I don’t want to sit too close to anyone. I think that would drive someone else crazy to hear me nearby looking at a binder and mumbling. Of course it takes much longer to read out loud, and every page has multiple red pens marks, to correction on the laptop later.

The manuscript thus far is 72 typed pages. I’m up to page 55 so I hope to finish this little task today. The story is nowhere near complete. The further I get into the manuscript, the more convoluted my story gets. I don’t have an ending yet. But there are fun scenes – I think!

Every November there is a national event called NANOWRIMO – National Novel Writing Month. It is an exercise for all level of writers, amateurs, hobbyists and professionals. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. The goal is the word count as opposed to a quality product – and to just keep writing, writing, writing. It forces you to keep writing even if you have no idea what you’re going to write about. And it develops the discipline of doing it every day. You submit it online, and get a certificate when it’s all done. I accomplished this last November. But I wrote most of mine in the last two weeks.

When Mom passed away in November, I felt like it was something she wanted me to finish. I had told her about in the hospital. I had only written 10,000 words when she passed. Mom was always pleased with awards and certificates and my creative efforts, so in spite of my many emotions, I focused and finished the last 40,000 in the last two weeks of the month and got the certificate!

Given the circumstances, I’ve been quite certain that what I wrote was probably mostly crap. How delighted I have been these past three days to find that I not only really like some of it, but I love my characters, and some of it even makes me laugh out loud. Yes, it’s a comedy. I mean – it’s about a coyote – it HAS to be a comedy!

I probably will complete this early round of editing at the house today. It’s a bit too cool to plop in the sand and read, although Frances and I will still find time for a nice windy walk. Frances will probably miss seeing the lone pelican that joins us every day and thrashes about trying to catch a fish in shallow water. Frances is usually quite amazed by this. At the end of a few hours, we walk the half mile back to the car and towel off the sand on our bodies. We drive home. I shake the sand out of my binder and rub lotion on my sun and wind tanned skin. I'm so grateful for my olive complexion. Thus far I have had no need for sunscreen.


Betsy and I are going to Yoga, then running errands. We are in charge of bringing lunch to an outing tomorrow, so we have to shop and then cook.

After today I’ll make the first round of corrections, and hope for some brilliant ideas on how to fix my story.

The Town of San Carlos

Ostensibly, the main activity I had in mind when planning my trip to San Carlos, was writing. In particular, picking up on the story I began last November about a Coyote, with the momentary working title "Point B." And although I have only this week finally begun to revisit my Coyote Story, I have indeed been writing. This blog has been an interesting exercise. On a day when I post an entry, you can be sure I have spent no less than two hours on it, and on occasion, when there are a lot of photos, up to four hours. So I think it's safe to say I've spent at least 20 hours a week writing since leaving home exactly one month ago today. Make no mistake, I'm enjoying every minute of blogging.

So, while I may feel a bit behind schedule with Point B, over the past few weeks I have at least developed the discipline of sitting down and writing on an almost daily basis. In doing so, it has gotten the creative juices going so that Tuesday when I finally opened my Point B manuscript, it suddenly felt less daunting - evening promising - although many many months and years are aheadof me on this project.

It has occurred to me that in order to continue to have things to tell you about, I have to continue to go out and DO things, and have FUN, see new sights, take pictures, research the things I'm writing about, etc. Wow. What a tough assignment - haha. But in truth it IS time consuming. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been guilty at some point of looking at a daily newspaper columnist such as Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry and others and thought "man what an easy gig. One little column a day." Now I know better. Between the actual writing, the photos, the editing, and the going and finding things - it can be a full time stint.

That being said, now that I am in fact back to working on Point B, as well as learning the mandolin, and beginning my course study for Scuba Certification, there may be days I have to put in some filler things in this blog, since I won't necessarily have anything new to write about.

So today I thought I'd tell about the history of this town I'm staying in, San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico.

San Carlos is home to several thousand American and Canadian retirees and is a relatively new resort and township. It is sometimes referred to as Guaymas Nuevo (New Guaymas) as it's history is tied to the seaport town of Guaymas about seven miles away.

In the Mid 1950's, Rafael T. Caballero purchased three large ranches and began planning and development of San Carlos. The idea of a low density, environmentally friendly resort and retirement community has been proven to be successful. He contracted the services of City planners who designed the first stages of a gradual and carefully planned tourist development that in time would become one of the first and most important tourist and recreational communities in the State.


By 1963 a "Master Plan" was in place and the infrastructure development underway. In these days of "Mega Resort" developments, San Carlos still retains a "small town" feeling with "5 star" services and amenities in a safe and secure "magical" setting. For thousands of years the energy and beauty of the mountains, desert and sea have captured the hearts and minds of all who visit here. It was at this time that it officially become a "commissarait" of Guaymas in September 1963.

In the 1960's, San Carlos caught the eye of the motion picture industry from California - going 'Hollywood' as the location site of many movies, including 'Catch 22' -starring Alan Arkin, "Lucky Lady" with Liza Minelli, and in 1998 the Antonio Banderas version of "The Mask of Zorro." In fact, the film makers for The Mask of Zorro approached the Berryhills about using their colonial style home as part of the set. It was tempting, but they gave it a pass. Visions of mass destruction of their home with sword fights and swinging from the chandelier made declining seem the wise choice. I know anyone in theatre thinks twice before loaning a personal item as a prop piece for a play. Things happen. Theatre and movie making are not necessarily gentle or kind to their surroundings.

The history of San Carlos - where the desert meets the sea - goes hand in hand with that of the Guaymas port, when the Sea of Cortez became popular for the excellent sports fishing during the 50's. The flow of visitors from the north increased considerably and there was a big demand for better tourist services and accommodations.

Since then, the area has attracted other investors and businessmen who chose San Carlos to build the first marina in Mexico , and later develop an 18-hole golf course, hotels, tourist complexes, condominiums and more.


San Carlos has unique geological and geographic conformation that seem to combine every type of Sonoran landscape in one place.


With plenty of fertile land, bays for sheltering boats and excellent underwater spots for scuba diving, San Carlos gradually became the favorite place for boat owners and for tourists with a preference for water sports and marine activities.

In some ways, the development of San Carlos reminds me a bit of what my Uncle George has done over the years at the Lake outside of Winnipeg, building marinas, cabins and developing the frozen midwest into a summer escape for Manitobans.



The lifestyle here is colorful, full of Mexican flavor with modern conveniences. The largest part of the population is American or Canadian, so the style contrasts greatly with the neighboring town and the rest of the state. There is a notable preference for colonial architecture, lush gardens, bright flowers in large clay pots, carved wood and leather furniture, ceramic vases and Mexican paintings.

Historic documents ascribe the name of San Carlos to a Spanish vessel, which found shelter in the bay during the time of the Conquistodores.

San Carlos is historically tied to the town of Guaymas, with tales of conquering, war, Indigenious inhabitants, Poncho Villa, pirates and much more. Very recently the port has been dredged to accommodate cruise ships. Would it be hypocritical of me to express dismay about something that would bring in more tourists?

I hope to visit Guaymas while here. I understand there is much to see there. Funny how I can feel the weeks here slipping away. Time goes so fast. But I'll get there. I mean - I have to! For the Blog! For the Blog! Yeah!

Beaches, Bird, Banks and the Ides of March

I woke up Sunday morning to calm winds and waters. Knowing that the winds are usually in high gear by noon, I put on my bathing suit and drove the half mile down to the Marina Terra Beach and got in a kayak. I wasn't really sure how long I would paddle around.

I went directly to the bird rock island, but there weren't many birds there this morning. They were probably fishing. I looked across the bay to a small stretch of land called Honeymoon Island. I'd read recently that you can hike across it in about half an hour, but you have to kayak to get out to it. Hmmm. I began paddling towards it, giving myself permission to turn around if I got tired.

On this morning I took a couple of ginger tablets and that is all. No sea bands. No motion sickness medicine. By now the water was getting a little choppier, but I have decided I need to overcome this lifelong problem of mine. I made it to the island in about 45 minutes. I had 6-12 inch swells for most of the ride. That's certainly not severe, but it was motion progress for me. I even sat still on the water of few times to experience the rocking motion. I had no problem for the entire two hours I was on the water. Below is a photo taken from our porch. In the upper left hand corner you can see a strip of land in the water. That's Honeymoon Island. I know the perspective from this angle doesn't make it seem very far, but it was a nice little workout for ME!


Clearly the the creatures in the estuary were making their way to open sea as the pelicans, cormorants and seagulls circled and dove in very specific spots in the water. There was certainly no doubt about where the schools of fish were.


About half way to Honeymoon Island I heard the familiar sound of exhaling! Dolphins! There was a small pod about 50 feet away from me. I saw them surface about 10 times before they moved on, following the food supply.

I chose not to dock at Honeymoon Island. I recognized that I needed my stamina for the 45 minute paddle back to Shangrila Cove. I will hike it some other time.

Shangrila is the name of the cove below our house, where the cactus and bird rocks are situated and where Marina Terra Beach is located. If I had to guess, I'd say the cove was probably named in the last few decades by a developer, as opposed to being a long standing Mexican or Indian name. The name is corny, but it IS a pretty place. Previously I have said the cactus on the island are Seguaro Cactus, but I have learned they are actually Organ Pipe Cactus. I continue learning a little about the area every day. I love it!

I paddled back to the cove, and I was pooped. I know I was only on the water for two hours, but it was solid paddling, no horsing around. For me that's pretty good. For the last 50 yards I drifted in the current and allowed it to bring me back to shore. Very enjoyable.

Home for lunch and then out to Soldiers Estuary with the big dogs, Frances, Toshi and Tipper.



The traffic was heavier on Sunday than I'd seen it before, and more people were on the beach as well. Monday, March 15, is the Ides of March. Our gym posted signs saying they would be closed for the Ides of March. Judging by the crowds, it was a three day holiday weekend.

I have serached the internet to learn why Mexico celebrates the Ides of March. It is the traditional First Day of Spring in the ancient Roman Calendar. It seems that in Mexico, it primarily celebrates the birthday of former President Benito Jaurez. The thing is though, he was born on March 21 so it's confusing why they celebrate on March 15.

Benito Jaurez was a Zapotec Amerindian who served five terms as president of Mexico from 1858 to 1872. He was the first Mexican leader who did not have a military background, and also the first full-blooded indigenous national ever to serve as President of Mexico and to lead a country in the Western Hemisphere. He resisted the French occupation, overthrowing the Empire, and restoring the Mexican Republic. He was also know for his liberal efforts to modernize the country. Juárez is often regarded as one of Mexico's greatest and most beloved leaders. The mystery remains as to why he is celebrated on March 15, the Ides of March.

This three day weekend presented a lesson for me in Mexican banking. I needed to go to the ATM for the first time since being here. More pesos please. There is only one bank in San Carlos - Banamex - which is on the main drag through town. Problem number one: on the weekend the ATM machines often run out of money. Problem number two: It seems they must have closed down the links to American Banks over the holiday weekend - or something. Locals could get money out, but neither Betsy nor I could. Lesson: Don't wait until the last minute to get cash, especially if the weekend approaches. Problem #3: The bank is ALWAYS busy - being the only bank in town. It has a small and not well designed parking lot. The parking lot is in front of the bank. The parking spaces are all at a diagnol, on both sides of the parking lot. Which is great when you drive in and pull right into a parking space. But, when you leave the bank and back our of your space, if you drive forward you will hit the bank building. So you have to back out of the parking lot onto the busy street. And usually there is a line of cars - in the street - waiting to take your parking space. So it's a little tricky.

In the last week or so, I've been good about practicing my mandolin for a half hour a day. My current goal is to learn all of the chords by playing one simple, three chord song in every key. The song I have chosen is "Colours" by Donovan. I'm about half way through the key signatures. Then I will focus on the minor chords with Donovan's song "Catch the Wind." I also try to do a bit of melodic picking each day as well, with traditional bluegrass or Celtic tunes. Once I get home, I have bunches of lady friends who are playing mandolins, guitars, upright bass, fiddles and banjos. We occasional have parties that we call "Chick Jams." Acoustic jam sessions for ladies only! I will hopefully be quite improved by the next one.

Well, since yesterday, was the Ides of March, the Ancient Roman First Day of Spring, Betsy and I did spring cleaning. Since our shopping trip to Hermosillo last week the ceiling fan, dishwasher, microwave, plumbing fixtures and countertop oven have all been installed. The new flat screen TV is mounted on the wall. The wall in my bedroom has been painted purple. We put together the shop vac, and cleaned and mopped the house from top to bottom. We fertilized the garden and were busy bees whilst waiting for the crowds and traffic to thin, and for Banamex to restock their cash.

Manana!

The Old Modesto Gang

In the 1980s and 90s, a healthy chunk of the homes on the San Carlos mountain cliffs (locally refered to as “the caricol”) were occupied by Modesto citizenry. Approximately fifteen central valley families – many from the agricultural community - built large, grand, ornate homes here on the caricol. A neighborhood away from home evolved, with many of the folks spending up to six months of the year here.

Sport fishing, boating and hunting were favorite activities, as evidenced by the large sailfish mounted on the living room wall. The potluck dinners were to die for. There was a lively social atmosphere.


The Berryhill home was of course one of these homes. Another home was owned by Betsy’s uncle. Last week Betsy and I were having dinner at Piccolo’s Restaurant. Piccolo’s serves Italian food and was a favorite of many of the old Modesto Gang. At another table two old friends ran into each other. We overheard their conversation. They were remininscing about the good old days, back when “both Berryhills” lived up on the caricol. We chuckled.

Times change, people grow old, sell their homes, move away, pass on. An era ends.

Saturday morning the phone rang and it was one of the old gang, Janice. She and her cousin Adele had just arrived in town. They noticed Betsy’s car parked in “the Berryhill house” and wondered which Berryhill was in San Carlos.

Janice and Betsy had a delightful chat on the phone, and the four of us planned to have dinner at Piccolos that evening. Betsy and I stopped by Janice’ home – five doors down – at 5:30 and visited with Janice and Adele for a bit. It’s interesting to see the inside of some of these homes. Janice’s house was grand and immaculate. They have a similar view as the Berryhill house, but sit a bit further back on the cliff, so they have room for a large fenced yard with a lawn.

Janice and her cousin Adele are just the nicest ladies! Adele is from Virginia but is in the process of moving to Modesto to live with Janice. Both ladies are recently widowed. Janice is in town to begin some of the preliminary paper work to sell the San Carlos house.

At Piccolo’s, the owner Magua was delighted to see old friends. When Janice’s husband was ill, Magua made his favorite dessert – flan - and delivered it to their home.

Much of the dinner conversation was about catching up on who was where and doing what from the old crowd. Some had passed away. Many had sold their homes, no longer having the physical ability to travel and/or maintain a large second home. The San Carlos/Modesto neighborhood has dwindled.

There were a few emotional moments during dinner. It seems that all four of us have recently lost someone close. And yet through a few tears, there were bright hopeful smiles that held the joy and knowledge that you DO get through it and go on. The “good old days” cannot be recaptured, but their sweet memories live with you forever.

I found myself thinking about m;y own “good old days.” Somehow we don’t ever seem to remember the times when there were hassles or problems. And that’s just fine.

Dinner ended on a joyous note. Janice drove us home in her large Suburban after we got the waiter to move a car that was blocking us in the makeshift dirt parking lot. Janice and Adele are planning their new lives. Betsy and I are here starting new projects of our own. Life goes on. Our memories, sorrows, and joys sustain us without weighing us down.

Life is Good!

Meet the Canines

Since today is kind of a slow news day,- with most of the day spent painting my bedroom wall purple - I’m thinking maybe you should meet the five canines who are enjoying San Carlos with us. There is Frances, who of course is with me, and then Toshi, Tipper, Teddy and Scout who are with Betsy.

I think most folks who may stumble onto this blog know Frances, but just is case you don’t, she is my twelve and a half year old shepherd mix. She’s been with me since St. Patricks Day, 1998. She even has a shamrock on her adoption papers. Names I’ve referred to as over the years include Bipolar Puppy, Bipolar Princess, Magic Diva Dog, Goofy Girl, Fanny Farkle and others. She has tons of Agility Competition Ribbons, and has done Animal Therapy Visits in Hospitals and Convalescent Homes. She’s the smartest and most difficult dog I’ve ever known. She’s my favorite animal ever. I think at last, we have an understanding of each other.


And now for Betsy’s four male dogs.

First is the grand master of them all, Toshi. Toshi is fourteen years old, three quarters yellow lab and one quarter chow. Sometimes I refer to him as Foo-Lion. His yellow color and his fierce protective trait bestowed upon his Chinese Chowness have earned him this name. He has been Betsy's guard and gatekeeper for many years, and although he knows me well - and likes me - if Betsy is not at home, not even I may enter the front yard. He is the alpha of Betsy’s all male pack, although with his advancing years and infirmities, is slowly handing over the reigns to the youngest dog, Scout. He suffers now from a vestibular gland malfunction that manifests as a condition that is similar to an inner ear disturbance. It affects his balance and is sometimes referred to as “Old Dog Disease.” Nonetheless, he is at the moment happy to be amoungst the pack and in Mexico.


Next in line is nine year old Tipper. Tipper is a noble black lab mix who I have renamed Oso Negro (Black Bear). He has the same mother as Toshi, but is four years younger and has a different, unknown, Papa. Tipper is the water dog. He is very sensitive and clings to those who he thinks are upset or distressed. On the other hand, he is the barker and the licker, and must be calmed down frequently. Over the past few days Tipper has made a few attempts with growls and snarls, to claim me and prevent Frances from getting to me. I have had to intervene and make it clear that Frances is the preferred dog in my pack. Tipper now understands that Frances is a princess, and there is not much to be done about that. He sleeps in my room once in awhile, but he is relegated to the floor.


Next up is Ted, or Teddy. Ted is a gray miniature Schnauzer. He is nicknamed Ewok, due to his almost mythological appearance when he roams through the forest at Betsy’s house, especially when he hasn’t had a recent haircut. His alternate nickname is “Rattlesnake” because he sometimes strikes without warning. Ted was Betsy’s Mom’s dog and Betsy took him in when Mer passed in 2007. Ted is elderly – 13-1/2 years - which is apparent with his stiff movement and occasional grouchiness.


Finally we have Scout. Scout is the young ‘un in the pack. He is two and a half . Our best guess is that he is a Corgi/Border Collie Mix, maybe with some terrier. He is smart, quick and very sharp. He has all the natural herding instincts and would be a great agility dog. He is quickly becoming the alpha of the pack. As leader, he not only is the boss, but also takes care of his elderly companions by letting Betsy know when one of them is in need of something. But, he is also the instigator, and if there is a fight, chances are he started it. Betsy rescued Scout the day before he was to be killed at the Merced Animal Shelter.


All of the dogs sport a red heart shaped tag with their Mexico phone number.



Here and there a few indignities must be suffered...


... but for the most part they all get along just fine.

Dogs are Welcome!

I've been in San Carlos 2-1/2 weeks now, and I'm already bumping into folks I've met when I'm out and about. Yesterday at Soggy Peso Beach I ran into Eric, the fellow whose scuba tank went overboard on the boat. I keep running into this couple and their puppy named Max. (Notice I know the dog's name but not the couples!) I went to the local produce stand and saw the gal who had been my waitress only a couple of hours earlier. And last night Betsy and I went to a local joint called Captain Jack's and ran into a lady named Tina who we met last week on the Soldier's Estuary Beach. She had been collecting sea shells and had quite an accumulation of them in a sack. She makes mirrors and things like that with the shells. On this evening, she remembered us and our names, even though she clearly had been imbibing a bit.

Betsy and I went to Captain Jacks for dinner last night. It's right at the bottom of the hill from the house.


It has a seafaring theme, with pieces of boating equipment as outside decor, and heavy nautical rope outlining the parking lot.


Fishnets, flags and pirate paraphenalia adorn Captain Jack's interior.


Argh Matey!
Dogs are welcome.


The characters sitting around the porch at Captain Jacks seemed to fit the buccaneer decor as well. In addition to Tina in her wild colored garb, there was a crusty gentlemen wearing a pair of sun glasses than only had a lens in one of the eyes. Another rough looking older man sat nearby, bald with a giant bandaid on the side of his large head. Everyone was friendly, even though not always intelligible.

We had learned that Kathy - our Yoga Instructor at the gym - is married to a musician named Omar. Omar plays piano, guitar and sings at various locales and tonight he was the musical entertainment at Captain Jacks. The food is a mix of seafood and Mexican food as are many of the restaurants here. I ordered the chile relleno special and they were the best I've had, although I hear a joint called "Tequilas" across the street has that claim to fame as well. If you've been out fishin', you can bring your catch to Captain Jacks and they'll cook it up for ya.

The place got pretty crowded after awhile and so we ended up sharing our table with a couple from Boulder, CO and a marine biologist from Chile who had been part of a 10 year research project that was just wiped out in the earthquake two weeks ago. They invited us to go sailing with them in the morning on their 44 foot sailboat. We declined as we already had our day scheduled, but may take them up on it at a later date.

This afternoon I headed out to Soggy Peso Beach with Frances. It's about five miles north of where we are. About a mile down the road is a little mud hole where a lot of pelicans and cranes hang out.



There are some ramshackle buildings, rowboats, rusty cars and vans.




A Taqueria sits at the edge of the mud pond with some metal picnic tables. I stopped and took a ton of pictures.


I know I mention from time to time the story I'm writing (if I EVER get back to it) about a coyote. I see the story set in the desert, and so when I see settings that I think Mr. Coyote may find himself in, I stop and take some snapshots for future reference. Mr. Coyote is more inclined to visit establishments that are a bit rough hewn, as opposed to places of refinery. In truth, I myself am more drawn to environments and characters found in "less classy" joints. After all, John Steinbeck has been a favorite author of mine since adolescence, and it's just - well - it's just more fun! Nothing will send me running out of a restaurant faster than the appearance of white linen table cloths!




Soggy Peso Beach is at the end of the paved road and the last part of a long sandy beach. This is the part of town that houses a few high rise hotels and condo complexes. Just before turning onto the dirt road to Soggy Peso, there is a cardon cactus forest.


As I was taking some photos of the cactus, the Bimbo Truck blew by me and headed down the dirt road in quite a hurry.


Bimbo is the name of the main brand of bread at the grocery store, like our Wonderbread. And that's all I know about THAT!

Soggy Peso Beach is named after a beach in the Virgin Islands called Soggy Dollar Beach. Supposedly it got it's name from people going swimming and forgetting that there was money in their pocket. There is a palapa bar and restaurant at Soggy Peso Beach called The Hangout. A "palapa" is an open sided building with a thatched roof made of palm leaves. The Hangout is mainly drinks and snack food like chips & salsa, guacamole and crab cakes. Lively reggae and salsa music is piped through the sound system. They have live music four evenings a week.



Dogs are Welcome.

The winds are prone to pick up in San Carlos between noon and 3:00pm. Soggy Peso Beach is one of the windier parts of town much to the delight of the kite boarders. If you're not familiar with kite boarding, here's my best shot at describing it.

You have a kite that when filled with wind, forms an arch shape like a parachute. The kite is about four feet wide and eight feet long. It has four lines attached to it that are about 70 feet in length. Two of the lines are on the outside, two on the inside. The other end of the lines are attached to a bar that you hold onto. The bar has three prongs that make it look like Neptune's trident. The two inside lines are attached to the middle prong and you pull and release these lines to increase or decrease the amount of wind in your kite. The other two lines are attached to the two outside prongs and are used for steering. You attach the bar to a belt that you wear. While still on the beach, you fill the kite with wind, put your feet on a board that's about two feet wide and four feet long and off you go. I watched a couple of kite boarders doing many antics as high as 10 feet in the air. I can see the attraction but won't be trying this sport. I know nothing about wind or sailing and I don't think I have the upper body strength. It sure is fun to watch.





The wind got stronger and created a mini sandstorm on the beach, so Frances and I moved to a small concrete patio to watch. It was right next to a restaurant called The Cotton Club. Here you can sit indoors or outdoors and enjoy fine dining, a sunset, and kite boarders. The waiter from the Cotton Club strolled over to Frances and I. He promoted the restaurant and hoped that perhaps he could be my waiter if I dined there sometime. He asked my name and I said "Lucy." I asked his name and he said "Ricardo." I think I can remember that! And even though I think I caught a glimpse of white table cloths, I may give The Cotton Club a try because as it turns out...

Dogs are Welcome!

Shopping Adventure in Hermosillo

Today, Tuesday, was designated in advance as the day Betsy and I would make a trip to the city of Hermosillo to purchase a number of items that can’t be found either here in the small town of San Carlos, or in the neighbor town of Guaymas.

Betsy continues to catch up on home repairs and improvements. Two years ago the microwave oven quit working. Last year the TV gave up the ghost, and this year the original dishwasher died with a huge rusty hole in the back. Hurricane Jimena last September trashed the ceiling fan/light fixture in the kitchen. So, those items, as well as a vaccuum cleaner, a crockpot, a bathroom sink faucet, and a partridge in a pear tree were on our list for today. I needed some double AA batteries.

You think I jest about the partridge in a pear tree? Well read on McDuff!

Several days before our drive to Hermosillo I offered to follow behind Betsy in my own car. I was concerned about getting all of those items in the back of her SUV, plus I know that Betsy is inclined to pick up a few extra items en route. I reiterated my offer this morning, but it was gratefully declined.

Hermosillo is about 80 miles away, due East. We drove through it on our way down from Arizona. It has a major airport and a population of around 700,000. It is the capitol of the State of Senora. It is inland, and the primary industry there is auto manufacturing, especially since Ford built a plant there in the 1980s.

It’s a 90 minute drive. For Betsy and I, that’s no big deal as we are used to making the drive to Sacramento from Camino and Pollock Pines, which is almost as far. For the most part it’s an easy four lane highway, although the speed limits are lower than in the U.S. The Federales were out in force today so we tended to adhere to the posted limits. In fact we had to slow down and go through two checkpoints as we approached Hermosillo, one with the Federales Policia, the other with armed soldiers carrying automatic weapons. We were waved through both checkpoints without having to stop. We don’t know what that was about. Betsy wondered if perhaps an important official was coming through. Hours later on the way home, the soldiers were still stopping traffic going into Hermosillo, but not coming out. We passed an entire truckload of soldiers on their way back to wherever they are stationed.

For our shopping, we did not have to go to the old Downtown section of Hermosillo. Rather, we drove down a long avenue that was interspersed with lots of mechanic shops, tiny tacquerias and minimarts mixed with every American superstore chain and fast food joint there is. Two Walmarts, Home Depot, Office Depot, Office Max, Sams Club, Costco, Burger King, Carls Jr, McDonalds… I think the best comparison I can come up with is either a more rundown version of Rancho Cordova or Auburn Blvd in Sacramento, with one major difference. There was not a business or billboard anywhere on these miles of road that was not covered in graffiti. No establishment was spared.

Our first stop was WalMart. This was one of the Superstores, but it seemed even bigger than the ones I’ve been in. They did sell a few things I’ve not seen in others, like refrigerators, stoves and washer/dryers. I’m not a big Walmart fan. I can best describe it by saying imagine any Walmart, put in Mexico, and you’ve bascially got it. We didn’t find much there on our list, over even not on our list. We only picked up two items, and as I had feared, neither were on our list. My concerns about how we were going to get everything in the car began to take form. Betsy found a small counter top oven. The house - by design - does not have an oven. She also picked up a small round resin patio table. Much of the patio furniture was mangled in hurricane Jimena.

We stood in the checkout line where the usual candy and chips were on display. We laughed at the scary sounding candy. There was something squishy called “Bubi Lubi.” And then there were some lollipops with a giant clown logo. Perhaps we’ll swing through on our way home to California and buy some for gifts!


Would you let your child accept candy from this clown? Well, the toddler in the shopping cart behind us informed us excitedly that the suckers were “bueno.”

We had lunch at Applebees, right next door to Costco. Betsy left her Costco card at home but they were quickly able to look up her membership and give her a one day pass. We found almost everything on our list in short order. We loaded up not only a regular shopping cart, but one of those long ones that can carry appliances. We got a 37 inch LCD TV, a dishwasher, a shop vac, and a microwave, all priced very reasonably. Here and there, a few items would be way out of line compared to back home. For instance we were not about to pay $139 for a crock pot or over $100 for kingsize sheets. Odd. I tossed in a large packet of AA batteries.

And now my anxiety level began to rise. Into the cart went another patio table – this one wrought iron – a couple of garden hoses, and last but not least, a three foot Boxwood Treeshrub. This was placed on the cart so that it was completely in front of my face. Betsy asked if I thought it would all fit in the car. My guess was “no.”

While a couple of male Costco employees helped Betsy bring her merchandise to the counter, I announced that I was headed to the food stand for a Churro to carbo-load for the impending car loading. For some reason the food stand required me to show a Costco card. It was in Betsy’s possesion so I was denied my churro. I returned to the checkout stand where there seemed to be a problem. All three of Betsy’s credit cards were being denied. A lengthy phone call to Credit Card #1 revealed that this particular Visa company blocked any purchases from the Hermosillo Costco due to a high level of fraud from that store. But they assured her it would work in any other store. There was no way they were going to approve her card for Costco.

Betsy told me I could go sit in the food area and wait, so I grabbed her Costco card and got my 86 cent churro. I was sitting quite a distance from the checkstand but I could see the boxwood tree in the shopping cart. If and when the tree moved, I’d know things were rolling.

A call to credit card #2 revealed that it had been blocked because as sometimes happens, it appeared as a suspicious purchase, being out of the country. That was cleared up and finally after about half an hour, I saw the boxwood tree had moved to the other end of checkstand. The purchases were made! We headed to the store exit and as is usual at Costco, a clerk asked to see our receipt to compare the items in our basket with what we had purchased. It seems that amidst the chaos and all of the large items, we had not been charged for the AA batteries. Neither Betsy nor I were in the mood to get back in line so we relinquished the AAs.

Two gentlemen employees escorted us to the car to assist with the loading. When they saw the size vehicle they were going to load all this stuff into, they both burst out in a guffaw. But they were good natured and went about the task of trying to fit everything in.


They began with the dishwasher, and it was only two or three minutes before they had everything – including the tree – successfully inside the car.


Betsy tipped them each $20. They assisted us in getting out of the parking lot as we now had zero visibility out of the back window.

All of the stores we went to today – including Applebees – had security in the parking lot, police whistles and all. They kept an eye on the parking lot, assisted with traffic, and anyone that needed help with any little thing. In some of the smaller establishments like Applebees, it is actually volunteer work by a group called “Vigilante Volunteers.” They were usually older gentlemen, probably retired. I guess it must be kind of like the Star volunteer sheriff program at home, where retired individuals volunteer their time in patrol cars to assist with simple civil matters.

The car was stuffed but Betsy still wanted to stop at Home Depot for a ceiling fan and a plumbing fixture. The same hassles with the credit cards occurred and were resolved, and she managed to squeeze the last two items into the car by opening the box the fan was in and disassembling it. I sat with the globe in my lap for the ride home. She also bought a small package of AA batteries. It was all they had, and it was under lock and key in the store. Kind of like Sudafed is in California I guess.

We had an uneventful drive home, even stopping at the grocery store for a few items. We arrived home to all five happy dogs looking out over the second story porch balcony.


The car sits in the garage awaiting unloading in the morning with some assistance from Ramon, the gardner.

OK – so it wasn’t a partridge in a pear tree it was a boxwood tree.

Catching up from the past couple of days… hm… well Sunday I didn’t feel well until about 3pm when the motion sickness "remedy" finally wore off. Betsy and I went to dinner at an Italian Restaurant called Piccolos. It was pretty good. Monday morning I went to Yoga and then tried to find the Trailhead to NacaPule Canyon to hike at a later date.




I walked Frances out to the end of a little peninsula across from us where there was a rainbow across the water, and a compass and sundial at the edge of the peninsula.


I have found that there are only two motion sickness remedies that nondrowsy and are Okayed by the FAA for pilots. One is called Emetrol, which is composed of soda pop syrup and phosphoric acid. The other is… bagels! If I can find any bagels down here, I’m up for it!