“… blogging about life, travel, books, food and the outdoors”
Todos Santos music fest cloaked in controversial vibes
Music has the power to be a unifying force. It can bring people together around a common cause with lyrics that can be persuasive and provocative. Emotions can run the gamut no matter the genre. Peter Buck, former R.E.M. guitarist, in 2012 launched the inaugural Todos...
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Corn snack found on streets of Mexico a decadent treat
Street food in most countries is an experience in culinary art not found in a restaurant. It can be better, more authentic. One of my favorites in Mexico is esquites. It’s like nachos in a bag, with corn being the dominate ingredient. The name comes from the...
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It takes teamwork to get out of jury duty when living abroad
Reporting for jury duty can be difficult when you live in another country. Not reporting, though, can mean being fined $1,500 and/or being put behind bars. I am pretty sure officials in El Dorado County, my place of residence in California, would not track me down in...
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Mexico in the news: Dogs, water, fossil fuels and more
Rules for bringing a dog to Mexico from the United States changed in December 2019. Find out more from the USDA website. Baja water supplies are at a critical level, according to this San Diego Union-Tribune article. State and municipal leaders in Mexico are saying no...
read more Todos Santos music fest cloaked in controversial vibes
Music has the power to be a unifying force. It can bring people together around a common cause with lyrics that can be persuasive and provocative. Emotions can run the gamut no matter the genre. Peter Buck, former R.E.M. guitarist, in 2012 launched the inaugural Todos...
read more
Gray water becomes nourishment for plants in Todos Santos
While water should be treated like a precious resource no matter where one lives, it is even more imperative when the supply is scarce. Even though Todos Santos borders the Pacific Ocean, it is a desert community. Rain and storm runoff from the Sierra de la Laguna...
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Paying cops cash when pulled over for speeding
Lights and sirens in my rearview mirror. It was only a matter of time. That’s what happens when you have a lead foot. This time was a little different. It was the federales pulling me over. Everything I have been told and read is to not pay any officer. Make them give...
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A raw look at the reality of illegally crossing Sonoran Desert
What could be worse than confronting the drug cartel, paying to be their mule and knowing that could get you killed, walking across the desert without enough water, and entering a country illegally? Going home. That could be worse than everything else. People are...
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Book Review: ‘Becoming’ a fantastic story no matter one’s politics
When someone is in the public eye it can be easy to assume you know everything you want to know about them. Rarely, though, is that the truth. There’s the public persona, and then the private. In “Becoming” (Penguin Random House, 2018) first lady Michelle Obama...
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Lake Tahoe snowshoe guidebook to be released in 2020
There is so much to do in Lake Tahoe in winter besides downhill skiing. Snowshoeing is my favorite outdoor activity when there is snow on the ground. I say if you can walk, you can snowshoe. This winter I will be releasing "Snowshoeing Around Lake Tahoe: Must-Do...
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Dazzling kaleidoscope of fish off the coast of Los Cabos
With each gentle stroke, it was like being transported to a new aquarium. Only this was no aquarium; it was the Sea of Cortez. No need for dive equipment, several fish were at eye level, even more just feet below. Coral, sea urchins and star fish were more like...
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Tortoiseshell butterflies make mass migration to Lake Tahoe
With the desire to bring environmental news to the masses, in 2012 the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency launched the publication Tahoe In Depth. Most years it comes out in the winter and summer. A wealth of information is provided about what is going on in the...
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In Mexico gift giving doesn’t end on Christmas
Christmas is a big deal in Mexico, what with it being mostly a Catholic country. However, this is not the only day during the holiday season when gifts are given. Three Kings Day, or Día de Los Reyes, on Jan. 6 is the actual culmination of the season here. This is...
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Mexico in the news: Rabies, tourism and the president
Mexico Daily News reports, “Mexico has become the first country in the world to be certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as free from human rabies transmitted by dogs.” Expats living in Mexico beyond the 180-day limit without the proper paperwork could be...
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Mexico’s wine history older than the United States’
While Mexico may not be the first country one thinks of for wine, it was the first country in North America to make wine. Bodegas de Santo Tomás is the oldest winery in Baja California and the second oldest in Mexico. Because it is outside the main tourist corridor,...
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Padrino Foundation making a difference in children’s lives
“A community in which all children achieve their full potential for health and well-being.” Since its inception in early 2016, the nonprofit Padrino Children’s Foundation based in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, has been committed to this vision. The need continues...
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Dog walks double as opportunity to rid beach of trash
Scanning the beach, it looks pristine for miles. Looking down, that’s another story. While the beaches of Todos Santos are not full of litter, there is something to be picked up along each walk. This could probably be said of any sandy oasis in the world. People leave...
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Book Review: Serena Williams’ 10-Year-Old Book A Good Read
Tennis is just a game like any other sport. Those who play it at the professional level are just people like other athletes. Sometimes all of that can be lost on the public. Everyone has a story beyond their fame as well as what led to it. While so much has been...
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Reliable local repairman outshines corporate yahoos
When I called to see why the serviceman didn’t show up the previous day I was told he had and that the refrigerator was fixed. Not only that, my claim was closed. I was home all day. No call, no repairman, and still dealing with a refrigerator that wanted to be...
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Vintage piano collection in Baja Sur a relic from 1800s
If only all that ivory could tell stories. What sweet music did they once play? Was it mostly love songs, classics, jazz or something edgy? Whose fingers caressed them? It takes a bit of imagination to think of these relics as something more than dusty pianos in a...
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El Triunfo embraces the riches of its mining history
Note: This story has been updated since it was first published on Jan. 4, 2019. Driving through El Triunfo it’s hard to believe this was once the largest town in Baja California Sur. Today there are about 300 residents. In its heyday in the late 1800s there were more...
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Avalanche Thunders Into Tahoe's Alpine Meadows Resort; 1 Dead, 1 Injured https://t.co/eVfFnSQHBq