Home - Kathryn Reed

“… blogging about life, travel, books, food and the outdoors”

An unexpected component to COVID test in Baja Sur

Dec 4, 2020 | Expat, Featured | 4 Comments

I nearly gagged. I definitely coughed. And kept coughing even after the unwanted object was removed from my mouth. This was a new take on being tested for COVID-19. When the medical person said “open wide” I’m sure my eyes got big. There was no doubt what he said; it...

Mexico in the news: Restaurants, rifles, and reefs

Dec 28, 2020 | A Great Read | 0 Comments

Check out the top rated restaurants in Mexico. The sniper rifles flowing to Mexican cartels show a decade of U.S. failure, according to the Washington Post. The New York Times writes about a coral reef in Mexico that is insured against hurricanes. U.S. tourists...

Baja Sur tightens COVID restrictions; masks mandatory outdoors

Dec 25, 2020 | Expressions | 0 Comments

Baja California Sur government officials on Dec. 19 announced that anyone not wearing a mask in public would be subject to a fine. This was after the number of coronavirus cases began to surge again. According to the BCS state government, as of Dec. 24 there...

Theater veteran creates intimate stage near Pescadero

Dec 23, 2020 | Expat | 2 Comments

When Broadway went dark, the lights came on at Teatro Pescadero. Dillon Porter calls it “theater in the intimate, but at a safe distance.” When he left New York City in March it had nothing to do with escaping. It was a planned trip to Baja California Sur to spend...

Flat trail in Sugar Pine Point an easy excursion through the forest

Dec 20, 2020 | Outside | 1 Comment

Scenic, flat, meandering and nearly empty. The unpopulated part is what Sugar Pine Point Campground is like in the fall once the overnight temperatures have dropped, students are back in school, and the tourists have gone. The beauty is always there. While I...

Purification system makes water in Mexico potable from the faucet

Dec 19, 2020 | Expat | 5 Comments

“Don’t drink the tap water” has been the mantra in Mexico for years. Water filtration companies have a much different message. They want people in private homes, at restaurants and hotels to be able turn the faucet on and imbibe without regret. Barbara Manfrediz has...

Nonprofit struggles to continue recycling program in Todos Santos

Dec 16, 2020 | Expat | 1 Comment

A mound of cardboard nearly falls over the 6-foot fence. It stretches about 75 feet into the recycling center and is several feet wide. It’s been sitting there for about three months. Punto Verde recycling center on the southern edge of Todos Santos had been a...

Book review: History of racism a lesson we should all learn

Dec 14, 2020 | A Great Read | 0 Comments

It amazes me how much I don’t know. That is the feeling I kept having as I read Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (Nation Books, 2016). It could be the one and only book that people should read to understand racism in the...

Advocate for maintaining medical visits during COVID

Dec 12, 2020 | Expressions | 1 Comment

For someone who is not fond of going to the doctor, I may have set a personal record for the number of times I interfaced with medical professionals this year. I’m OK. Nothing serious. Mostly routine stuff and then contending with aging aches. What struck me, though,...

Green skinned oranges a sweet treat

Dec 8, 2020 | Eat and Drink | 1 Comment

If an orange is not orange is it still an orange? Yes, would be the short answer. Color of the skin has to do with temperature. Oranges grown near the equator are more likely to be green than orange. While I have not seen a green orange in a store in Mexico, I was...

Castle Rock a gem of a short hike on South Shore

Dec 5, 2020 | Outside | 0 Comments

One of the great things about hiking in the Lake Tahoe area is that even short excursions can have big views and make you feel like you were out in the wilderness without clocking double-digit mileage. Such is the case with the climb to Castle Rock on the South...