Water Heater Project

Photos of the current set up for planning purposes:

Report on the rain from Dallas and Emily

Hola you all,

Rain, Rain, rain the entire week. Down down came the rushing water and brought with it tree trunks and debris all the way to the ocean. Farms and houses of poor farmhands were washed away . Oh by the way, the foot bridge was wrap around one of the big trees, the river bank is now right next to the road and the camping ground by Senora Delia's and Don Juan's is gone.

The sand on the beach is all gone so now the waves run all the way to where the foot bridge use to be. The river finally reclaimed what rightfully belonged to it. The ocean water and the big waves were all chocolate brown as far as the eye could see.

Dallas and I are planning on going to San Diego this Monday. I don't know if we will be able to make it. Our lower dirt road is impassable and the upper road as always is iffy. We will take lots of pictures on our way out and try to post in on the La Bocana Blog.

I hope you are well and take care.

Love Always,

Dallas and Emily

Pat - here are the tree pics

The trees are thriving - I think. No, nolan is not holding the tree up - he is leaning on it. OK - that's a lie.

OK - click here for all the photos

The one above is just a tease

http://gallery.me.com/tomzo#100199

By the way you can upload your pics there too!

The Full Report (sans photos)

Tom took most of the photos and even a little video so I will give the narrative and he can add the photos.

Wednesday:
First, the trip down was a piece of cake. Tom had walkie talkies so we were able to be in contact the whole way. That was great. I got sent to the Mexican secondary (2nd time in 3 months) but with a quick inspection, we were on our way.

We tried to have fish tacos in my favorite place but alas, there was no parking available and we were forced to try a new place down the street. Fish tacos for the adults and quesadillas for the kids. I was duly impressed with the knowing palate of Amanda and Nolan who declared their quesadillas the best they have ever had and immediately ordered more.

After lunch, we moved on to Commercial Mexicana, also known as the Pelican Place, and proceeded to buy far more tortillas than humanly possible for 5 people to eat in 3 days but we didn't want to risk running out. We also got some queso "Perfecto para quesadillas", pastries, carne asada, and other various and sundry items. We bought a hose to replace the one that was stolen. A successful shopping adventure.

We got to the house and it was sparkly shiny thanks to the efforts of the ladies of La Bocana (Cathy, Emily, and Elaine) who offered to mop the floor for me. We explored the house, put away the food, made the beds, and settled in for an evening dinner and fire. Tom and Sheri brought a bbq and we had a wonderful dinner.

Thursday:
The next morning brought a fire, coffee, pancakes, a walk to rock beach, rock collecting, greeting and meeting of labocanans, and people hungry for lunch. We ate lunch, rested, and spotted some whales (that turned out to be orcas! Go to http://www.labocana.org/ to see the photos).

We prepared for the party that was to be at our house that evening. We brought in tables and chairs, set up the belly bar (aka the old water tank), and turned on the music. In all, there were 19 of us socializing and eating the potluck dinner. The weather was so nice, we adjourned outside to the patio where we lit a fire.

Around 8 pm, we set out for the firework show. We walked by the two story house, went down the hill, and were greeted at the next house by those we have aptly named the Tequila Sirens. They lured us in with their flashlights and calls and when we entered the house, they had lime, salt, and tequila at the ready. Then they joined our merry gang and we all walked to the house of Art and Jen Smith. All together, we were about 40 people. We ate desserts and watched the firework show. Amanda and Nolan quickly became best pals with some of the other kids. After the firework show, we walked back home.

Friday:
We woke, started another fire, enjoyed egg/bagel sandwiches (thank you Sheri), and had a mellow morning. At 10 am, Sheri, Nolan, and Amanda went to the beach to meet some other families. Sharon picked up the lobster we ordered the day before.

And Tom got busy. He fixed the door to the propane, he fixed the light in the bathroom, and then he set up the windmill and got it working. This was important as we were really stretching the limits of our power system. Some of our 12 Volt Compact Fluorescent light bulbs had gone out so I replaced them with normal 12 Volt lightbulbs. This, coupled with it being near the shortest day of the year and only having two batteries (before the thieves, we had 5), meant that we were keeping a keen eye on the power system. So the wind generator really helped.

That afternoon, we lounged around, did a little laundry, even a few naps were taken. I did take this one photo of Tom enjoying the patio. For dinner, we enjoyed a most excellent lobster /carne asada taco night. Wow! What a great way to start the year. We lit a fire and played a really fun game of Guesstures. Amanda was the best: she won the prize and even gave a speech.

Saturday:
We enjoyed a nice morning of breakfast near the fire.

Then we went into high gear of packing, burying things, making sandwiches, setting mice traps, and putting the boards on, etc. We left La Bocana at noon.

We drove home by way of the free road from Rosarito to Tijuana. Sharon crossed in 2 minutes and Tom/Sheri and kids crossed in about 25 minutes. Not too shabby.

Oh, Pat, did I forget to mention the trees? The trees were doing great. Tom took some photos and I'm sure he'll post them.

What else? The weather was perfect. Warm days, little wind, and cool but not cold nights. We were able to eat lunch outside on the patio. Full moon so bright that you could see shadows at night. Amanda and I got up early to watch the moon set just as the sun was rising. It was amazing. Tom and Sheri met a lot of the other families since so many people were down for the holiday week.

All in all, an excellent trip.

This is probably way more than you ever wanted to know about our trip but... too bad.

The Laundry System is Complete!

An old umbrella has been re-purposed into a clothesline, making the La Bocana laundry system complete! Small items can easily be washed and dried in La Bocana now.

Our trip was great. Tom was the unofficial photographer and I managed only to take a few shots. Full report to come later.

Con ayuda de la composta!

This is the garden at the house we stay in for Christmas. Note the tomatoes and the cherimoia tree. This is about 100' from the ocean and the soil was sand ... until, that is, Juan (caretaker) started adding compost from his table. Now, he has chaya, tomatoes, several cactus species, corn, epazote, and I think squash. So, if we want more plants and trees, we need to keep on Sharon's composting program!!!!!!!

Heading down tomorrow!

For our inaugural trip as a family, Auntie Sharon has graciously offered to guide us down from her house in La Mesa. The kids are excited and we are too! We have a list of things to accomplish:

- Arrive safely
- Fix BBQ (if possible)
- Set up my little portable BBQ with a connection to the big tanks
- Have fun
- Do the New Year's gig with the whole group potluck thing
- Come home safely

I will post may pictures and video upon our return. We are really looking forward to this adventure. I got a good omen today in a fortune cookie at lunch which said "Your adventurous spirit will lead you to a great vacation". You can't ask for much more than that!

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Tom

Romulo the Patriarch

These photos of Romulo Gomez, Sr., were sent by his granddaughter Thania.

Looks just like Romulo jr!

With Jack Smith

Treeku

Eight stolen seedlings
Some worried they wouldn't thrive
Now seven proud trees


Green, leafy, blooming

Thriving in La Bocana

Pat and Auggie's dream

Growing in the sand

Soon to become an orchard

Can't wait until then

Report

Great trip to La Bocana!

Travel: no problem
Mice: none
Power: fine
Water: plentiful
Trees: healthy and growing
Weather: warm enough to eat outside for lunch, need a fire in the evenings and mornings
Things missing: hose from outside (someone stole it)
Projects accomplished: kitchen totally cleaned and re-organized, rooms vacuumed with new shop vac,
Propane: out. Romulo will get new big tank by December 26 and Sharon has the two small empty tanks with her - will be bought back filled

Here are other details of the trip:

We saw the wild horses right from our house - they are above the road. 2 babies.

We watched the fishermen dive to gather sea urchins all morning right in front of the house. They are very brave.


We hiked to the other side of the lagoon and found some great coves with tide pools. Tons of sea life!

A storm was on the way and the sky was incredible.
This is Kiko - he works for Sergio and he collects arrowheads from La Bocana. He showed us his collection:

Quite impressive.



My friend Lisa Marie spent about two hours scrubbing the stove, cleaning the knobs and making that old thing shine:
Here's a photo of the bbq if anyone has the notion to buy new guts for it:

Going Down Again this Weekend

I'll be down in LB for a long weekend - leaving Thursday and coming back on Sunday. While there, I'll check on:

• power
• propane (will get a filled tank if possible)
• mice
• trees (don't worry, Pat, I didn't forget)

Any other suggestions?

My friend and I will do some cleaning & organizing and will fix what ever we are able to repair.

I'll also take some walks, enjoy the fire, eat dinner with friends, read a book, and watch the sunset! Maybe I'll see some whales!

Full report on my return.

Naranja Agria

Naranja agria, amarga
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Botanical nameCitrus aurantium ssp. amaraMayan nameSu’uts’ pak’áalCommon English names Seville orange, sour orange, bitter orangeEtymology• Naranja, like most words for “orange” in European languages, originated from the Sanskrit nagaruka or naranga which was subsequently transmitted via Arabic naranjah and Persian narenj. Agria and amarga both derive from amara, the Latin word for “bitter”. • Citrus aurantium ssp. amara derives from Greek and Latin words. Citrus comes from the Greek kedromelon (κεδρομῆλον) “apple of cedar”. The Romans shortened the Greek name to citrus. Aurantium derives from aurum, the Latin word for “gold” and is an obvious reference to the fruit’s color when ripe. Amara is the Latin word for "bitter".• Su’uts’ (sour) is an ancient Mayan word that describes a universal human taste sensation, whereas pak’áal (orange) is a contrived word to signify the fruit that only arrived in the New World relatively recently. Many ingredients in Yucatán have only Spanish names, not Mayan ones, implying that the food arrived after the Maya had been assimilated. That there is a Mayan word for “orange” would confirm the fact that the fruit arrived shortly after the conquest. • Seville refers to the fruit’s early cultivation in Sevilla, Spain, by the dominant Arabic culture. Orange is both a shortening of the original Sanskrit (n)aranga and a phonic reference to the Latin word for “gold” – aurum. History and heritageThe sour or bitter orange is indigenous to southeastern Asia. Arabs are believed to have carried the bitter orange to Arabia in the 9th century. By the 12th century, they had introduced it into Arabic realms in Sicily and Andalucia (southern Spain), particularly Sevilla, which was the center of Arabic culture on the Iberic peninsular and where it was widely cultivated. For 500 years, until the Portuguese introduced the sweet orange, it was the only orange in Europe. It was the first orange to reach the New World, and by 1568, it had become naturalized in tropical Mexico and Yucatán. Not long thereafter it spread throughout the Caribbean. Culinary usesIn Yucatán, naranja agria is an indispensable part of the regional cuisine. Mixed with water and sugar, sour orange juice becomes a refreshing beverage called naranjada. Unsweetened, it is used like vinegar, the juice quickly pickling onions and other vegetables served as condiments. The juice is also employed in several table sauces, dips, and as a primary ingredient in various meat marinades, particularly the famous pibil dishes when mixed with achiote, or on its own in the wood-grilled pork dish, poc chuc. On a worldwide industrial scale, the essential oil derived from the dried peel of unripe sour orange – particularly from selected varieties “Jacmel” from Jamaica and the aromatic “Curacao” (var. curassaviensis) – gives a distinctive flavor to certain liqueurs. And oils distilled from the flower of the sour orange, such as "Neroli” and “Petitgrain” are used in flavorings for candy, baked goods, soft drinks and various condiments. But perhaps the greatest use of sour oranges as a food is in the form of marmalade, with thousands of tons of the fruit exported annually to England and Scotland for that purpose.

Broken leg

I think it's time to scrape and paint the eaves around the house, but I am a little worried about a)getting a tall enough ladder down there. It would need to be pretty tall, but it would be nice to get one tha we can use for other stuff too. b) falling off of it;

Also, wondering if we can we buy better paint in Mexico than we can here?

Photos of the Stove

The oven doesn't work and Pat thinks we may be able to get some new parts for this beauty.

Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies would really add to the magic of La Bocana!


It's a Magic Chef