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

OK Here's the Deal

Report from the front lines.

1st - Pat, 7 of the trees are still alive and doing well. I watered them several times.


2nd - Pat, the McGyvered solar sprinkler timer did not work out. My friend Lisa Marie fixed it and it is now working great! (You can't see it well but there green light is on)



3rd - we found 5 dead mice but I think they were killed right after we left last time. There was no recent evidence. We set new traps. I'm thinking there are none left in the house. We shall see.

The weather was awesome. Full moon, little wind, and hot actually. It was perfect.

We ate some gourmet food - check out Saturday's breakfast:


On Sunday, we took a walk and came upon the wild horses:


The water was on and there were no problems there.

The propane ran out about 30 seconds after we turned it. We hooked up a little propane tank and the big one will have to be refilled next time.

The rope system to help with the grates was great. Made it very easy to bring them up, take off the boards, and then lower then down.

It's official - I'm going to LB tomorrow

My friend agreed to go with me so I am leaving mid day Friday and will be back on Sunday.

I will check and report back on:
-Tobacco trees
-Power
-Mice

I will bring down:
-coffee maker
-candles
-binoculars
-firewood (only as much as I have room for)
-mixing/serving bowls

I think that is it. I'll report back on Sunday evening.

Have a great halloween everyone!

Sharon

The Tobacco Tree - The latest addition (hopefully) to the yard in LB

Tree TobaccoNicotiana glauca, Nightshade Or Potato Family ( Solanaceae ), Tree Tobacco. Also called: Mustard Tree, Wild Tobacco, Wildetabak, Mexican Tobacco, Coneton, San Juan Tree, Tobacco Plant, Akkue Musa, Cestrum, Corneton, Jantwak, Le Tabaque Glauque, Mahasatpurush, Masseyss, Palau Pazau, Satpurush, Tabaco Cimarron, Taba, Don Juan, Isil Pivat, Brazillian Tree Tobacco, and Yellow Tree Tobacco.
Nicotiana glauca is an annual, biannual, or sometimes a short-lived perennial shrub or tree. It stands up to 25 feet in height. Large plants have numerous multi-branched stems arising from their bases. The large leaves are oblong, green, and clasp the stem. They become smaller as they near the end of the branches’ flowering top. The small, tubular, cream-colored, greenish white flowers form at branch ends. The seed capsules contain many small brown seeds. The entire plant is sticky and covered with small hairs.
It is commonly found in Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Look for this native plant in disturbed soils, vacant lots, trail and roadsides, flood plains, and along washes and drainages.
The oval to lance-shaped leaves are up to 7 inches long and covered with soft, short hairs. They grow opposite each other on the stem, attached directly at the base. The five-lobed, yellowish, trumpet-shaped flowers are about 1.5 to 3 inches long.
The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies).
Tree tobacco, while related to tobacco, is said not to contain nicotine. Instead, Nicotiana glauca's active ingredient is anabasine--an alkaloid similar to nicotine.
Parts of this plant are considered poisonous.
Height: From 2 to 25 Feet Tall.Flowers: The yellow flowers are 1 ¾ inches long by ½ inches wide. The flower has a long, tubular 5-lobed greenish-yellow corolla only slightly flared at the apex and a 5-cleft, unequally-toothed calyx.Blooming Time: Mid March - November.Leaves: Leaves simple, smooth-edged, spade-shaped to 7" long. They are alternate, entire, ovate to ovate-lanceolate on long petioles. Seeds & Seed Pods: The seed capsules contain many small brown seeds.Found: Throughout Arizona and New Mexico. It is native to South Bolivia and North Argentina.Elevation: 0 to 4000 Feet.Habitat: Found in gravelly-sandy washes and river edges.

We will never take you for granted

Now that we know what it is like to be in La Bocana without a respectable way to make coffee, we will truly appreciate and cherish the new coffee pot generously gifted to the house by recent guest Sheila O'Connor.

It's a beaut!
And when we get the lock box, this is going in it!

Interesting reading about La Bocana, fishing, and ... Sam's Plans

Check it out!

Abel & Cain

Abel: "You repair the water!"

Cain: "Like hell I do ... I work on the houses!"

Secure Storage

I have been trying to think of an easy way to have a small, secure area there. These Knack locking cabinet would do the trick - the thing could be virtually cemented or bolted to the ground and I think they are nearly impossible to break into. Plus, look like they are easy to find on Craig's List. The post title is a link to a picture of one.

Home Depot

Has anyone been to the Home Depot in Ensenada? K-2 has approved the bunkhouse idea but thinks we might be subject to import taxes if we bring a bunch of supplies from California. The Home Depot is certainly on the way, I just can't figure out if it is equipped the same as the stores up here.

Treasure Hunt

Tom & Sheri - we had a fun time this weekend with the kids. Incredibly, they found a pirate map in a bottle and then proceeded to find buried tesora from Las Piratas del Puerto de Santo Tomas. Good time had by all - us in making it and them in finding it, but we were thinking that this would be even more fuin with someone like Nolan ... he's older and would "get" the map more. Of course, we'd have to make a more detailed map, but it could all be done. It was really a gas ... see the pics Sharon posted.

Keep your fingers crossed for the trees!

Thanks to my two assitants, the 4 year old arborists Auggie and Caroline, we have eight new trees (bushes?) on the bluff to the east of the house. They are a local "tobacco plant" that we transplanted from around the neighborhood. We did our best to water them, plus used Sharon's special compost, so hopefully they'll make it. Next project: the citrus and avocado grove on the north side of the house!

Workweek next spring?

Sharon and I were at the house this weekend and we were thinking about a couple of big projects that would require significant coordination and time, plus a little money, to pull off. I was thinking that if each of us could find four or five days next spring we could probably have "Home Makeover - La Bocana Style". The idea is that we would plan in nauseating detail everything we wanted to do, load up a couple of trucks with material and tools, and head down for a working vacation. Shelly and Auggie are going to DC the week of Easter, and while I am not saying that this should be a kidless trip, that week would be a good one for me. Here are the projects we talked about:
1)Install a lift system for the bars so that one person of any height can easily open up the house. Repair or replace the bars at the garage. Scrape & paint all bars with rust inhibitor and paint. Replace chains and hooks as needed.
2)Pull out the range, fix the oven if possible, clean behind it and plug holes to the outside, then reinstall.
3)Scrape and paint the eaves.
4)Divide the garage (a 12 x 24 room) into two rooms, a bunkhouse and a storage room. This includes removing and reorganizing (or tossing)the existing stuff and storage system, installing divider wall (with Mexican mural), installing flooring, installing bunkbeds, installing lights, installing a door, installing new storage racks in the storage room, installing cabinets/storage in the bunkhouse.
5) install a secure storage locker. This can be hidden and should probably be designed into the new storage area or bunkhouse.
6)Plant some more trees and either hire Kiko to water until the trees are established or design an irrigation system.

What do you think and what projects would you like to add that week?