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description
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Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar
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Free / Gratis
Festival de Artes
The 22nd Annual Festi-
val de Artes to be held at the
beautiful "Hotel Palmas de Cor-
tez" from 10:00 am to
4:00 pm on Sunday, March 29, 2015. This
popular event sponsored by the
Asociación de Artes on the East
Cape, is known as the premier
showcase for local artists who
display and sell their original
art.
The FOOD COURT will fea-
ture the famous Palmas Carne
Asada Taco Stand, Baja Bis-
cuits, Seth’s Panaderia, just to
name a few. We will have all of
your favorite cold beverages and
a bar that is second to none.
On the main stage, the great mu-
sic of Bluz Expolsion from La-
Paz. This is a toe tapin‘ dance
inspiring group that are always a
favorite around here. There will
be other great music to entertain
you all day long.
Funds from the Festival de Artes
go to support the community
activities of the Asociación de
Artes which include: Arts and
education supplies for East Cape
schools, Sponsorship and par-
ticipation in the Los Barriles
"Cursos de Verano" summer
Continued on page 3 SEE PAGE 3 FOR MORE FESTIVAL INFORMATION
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Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 2 35
Advertising in East Capers
Advertising in the East Capers gets the word out about your business AND your ad money supports the 3 week 'Cursos de Verano' summer school, for over 120 local children and provides art supplies for 18 East Cape public schools.
In addition to space in the printed version, your color ad appears in the online version at no addi-tional cost. You can download the 2014/15 Advertis-ing Kit by v is it ing our website at: www.eastcapearts.com.
Tax-deductable Contributions to the Asociación de Artes
The Asociación de Artes del Mar de Cortez A.C., Los Barriles, B.C. Sur, Mexico is a legal non-profit Mexican corporation not affiliated with any other or-ganization, association, club or business.
The Asociación is in full compliance with the terms of the NAFTA agreement of January 1, 1994. As such, contributions made to the Asociación de Artes are tax-deductable in the United States, Mexico and Canada. For more information visit: www.eastcapearts.com or the NAFTA Website at: http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/north -american-free-trade-agreement-nafta.
Volunteers Needed!
The Asociación de Artes needs volunteers to help support their programs that bring the arts to the lo-cal communities and the schools. To learn more about these programs, visit: www.eastcapearts.com.
If you would like to volunteer, send an email to: eastcapearts@gmail.com.
Call for Articles
East Capers is looking for fiction and true stories about our region and items that affect our residents. If you are interested in submitting articles, recipes, stories or your personal experiences in Baja, email your 1,000-words or less article to: eastcapersmagazine@gmail.com
Thank You! This publication is possible with the help of the board members of the Asociación de Artes and members of the community.
East Capers Periódico
Publisher Asociación de Artes del Mar de Cortez A.C.,
Los Barriles, BCS, Mexico
Editor Christine Kenck-Courtright
Copy Editor Pako Ford
Circulation Brian Cummings
Advertising Kathy Obenshain
Denise Linnet
Contributors
Jerry Justice Pako Ford
Connie M. Heinen Russ Hyslop Sefi Held Chris and Heather Hartridge Ann Hazard Renee Lagloire Emma Nicholson Jorge Bergin
Larry Epstein Holly Burgin
Alexandra Delis-Abrams Chris Courtright Theda Bassett
and Rosalyn Ostler Theresa Comber
Lynn Mirasson
Printer Imprenta Ciudad Los Niños,
La Paz, BCS, Mexico To learn about Ciudad Los Niños, visit their website at:
http://ciudadninoslapaz.org/english/home.htm
———————————
The opinions expressed within the articles in East Capers are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Asocia-
ción de Artes del Mar de Cortez A.C.
Newsletter Email Address eastcapersmagazine@gmail.com
WAKE UP with
MAKEUP!
By: Connie M. Heinen
Permanent makeup dates back at least to the start of
the 20th century. The tattooist George Burchett, was a
major developer of the technique when it became fash-
ionable in the 1930s, he described in his memoirs how
beauty salons tattooed many women without their
knowledge, offering it as complexion treatment, inject-
ing dyes underneath the skin.
Permanent Makeup has come a long way since the
1930's. The pigments are safer and more stable, the
machines are better and more efficient and the needles
safer and less painful, the techniques have improved
also.
Permanent makeup has found its way to the main-
stream market and appeals to women of all nationali-
ties from all walks of life. In our hectic, stress-fill
world, permanent makeup provides that ability to
wear a fresh, “always ready” look without the ef-
fort. It’s perfect for those who find themselves in a
hurry every morning and don’t have time for applying
makeup on a daily basis. It's waterproof and won't
smudge or smear, it won’t come off in the shower or
the pool. In fact, it will last for years before you may
need a touch-up. Lips can be made to look fuller, eye-
brows can be even and symmetrical. Eyes can be lined
to add definition and enhancement.
There are several methods of implanting the pigment
into the skin. Some being a rotary, coil, or digital ma-
chine or a hand tool soft tap or the newest and latest
manual method called Microblading or Microstroking.
The Microstroking technique originated in Asia and is
very popular in Europe. This technique is quickly be-
coming the must have beauty treatment for that glam-
orous, tidy brow. Microblade uses a hand tool which
holds several needles to deposit pigment into the epi-
dermis. Because the color is closer to the surface the
strokes appear crisp and very fine, you can hardly dis-
tinguish it from a real hair. These 3D or HD eyebrows
do not appear as a tattoo. The results are natural look-
ing hair strokes, regardless of the amount of hair pre-
sent.
I feel very fortunate that I was able to learn the Micro-
blade technique from one of the leading instructors
from Russia who teaches this method and be on the
cutting edge of the latest techniques in permanent
makeup. In my 16 years as a permanent makeup artist
we have tried to simulate hair strokes with some suc-
cess but nothing compared to this revolutionary micro-
blading technique. The hair strokes are crisp and fine
just like real hair.
I have been performing the art of Permanent Makeup
since 1998 and have had training from some of the
leading instructors in the industry. I use state of the art
digital machine and Organic pigments. I am Master
Certified and hold numerous certificates. If you would
like more information about Permanent Makeup or
other services that I provide please visit my website
www.solutionsdebellesa.com. For an appointment
please call 141-0422 or email: permsolutions@aol.com
“Seriously, who would want to be energetic for five hours?”
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Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 3 34
Los Barriles, How Did it Get
its Name? By: Chris Courtright
With excerpts from Research by Theda Bassett
and Rosalyn Ostler (Printed in Eastcapers Magazine Dec 2002)
I have wondered from the time I first came to Los Barri-
les what the origin of the name was. For some reason it
is important to me: why ‘Los Barriles’? Los Barriles,
meaning ‘the barrels’ has a few stories of the name ori-
gin.
One good one I heard was that in the late 1800’s the
Ranchers would bring their cattle to the shores of what is
now known as Los Barriles, to meet the ships to get their
cattle to market. The ships were anchored off shore, and
since you could not use your row boat to take cattle out to
the ship, they tied barrels to the cows, and they would
float out to the ship. Now, I was impressed with this
idea, you know when there is the will there is a way. I
even like that image of the entire process, but really, it all
sounded pretty tough. So, I have asked many history buffs
who have been around for years, and they say no, that is
not the right story – but they did think it was an
‘imaginative’ story.
Now interesting as the above story may be, it is agreed
that
Festival de Artes Continued from pg 1
vacation program, Local Artist Studio tours and our ever
popular Saturday Arts and Crafts at the DIF for the local
children.
Special discounted room rates are available at Hotel Pal-
mas De Cortez or Hotel Playa Del Sol. Call 624-141-0044
or US 877-777-8862 for reservations.
If you are a vendor please come by 7am, unload and move
your car down past the Palmas de Cortez condos as to not
interfere with the guest parking.
Booth fees are $400 mxn/$30 usd paid in advance or $500
mxn/$35 usd, the day of event from 9am – 1pm.
Pre Pay locations are as follows:
1. Baja Beach Company in Los Barriles at Plaza del
Pueblo. Open Mon -Fri, 9 - 5 and Sat 9 - 3.
2. Baja Books & Maps, San Jose del Cabo, Open Mon-Fri
10-6, Sat at Organic Market, 624-142-5596
For complete vendor information and applications,
go to www.eastcapearts.com
Any questions email:
festivaldeartes22@gmail.com
History of the Festival
In February of 1992, a small group of residents in the
Est Cape region of BCS, Mexico formed a committee
to organize a spring “Festival de Artes.” The pur-
pose of the event was to give local artists an opportu-
nity to show and sell their original work and to raise
money to support art programs in the schools.
Twenty four artists attended with their original work.
Then 250 members of the community came to enjoy
the event. At the end of the day, $2500 pesos had
been raised to purchase art supplies for the Los Barri-
les Elementary School. It was a modest but encour-aging beginning. The spring “Festival de Artes” has
grown over the years, attracting artists and visitors
from Los Cabos , La Paz and beyond
By 1998, the number of artists had tripled and the
number of visitors had climbed to over 1500. Funds
earned by the event were now able to buy more art
supplies for the schools. In 1999 the committee de-
cided to form a private Mexican non-profit organiza-
tion (an Asociacion Civil) and establish a formal
Board of Directors. The Asociacion de Artes del Mar
de Cortez A.C. Has been developing programs for
the benefit of East Cape communities along the Sea of
Cortez ever since.
the name came from the story of the Legend of the Pi-
rate Tree a story which was originally printed in the
Eastcapers Magazine, Dec 2002. One of the most sig-
nificant stories in Los Barriles history is that of visiting
pirates and The Pirate Tree. Most of us have heard the
story of pirate ships that anchored in the Bahia de Pal-
mas in early 1800’s. Legend has it that one time, during
a hurricane, a pirate crew needed to remove excess
weight for the safety off their ship and brought barrels of
gold treasure ashore. They were buried just off shore, to
be retrieved later. This story has special significance
since the original name of the village, Las Palmas, was
later changed to Los Barriles.
To mark the place of the burial, a carving of the pirate’s
ship was made on a sturdy Palo San Juan tree standing
on a beach berm near the water. Martin Verdugo, a
member of one of the founding families of Los Barriles
and owner of Martin Verdugo’s R.V. Park, reports that
the Pirate Tree was situated on the Verdugo family prop-
erty just north of where the R.V. Park stands today. He
heard the story of the pirates and the carving on The Pi-
rate Tree from his grandfather when he was a young
boy. “It is assumed,” Senor Verdugo recalls, “that the
ship was wrecked. Neither the ship nor any of its crew
was ever found”. The barrels are still buried, if the story
is true.
As part of the research regarding the history of Los
Barriles, we inquired about The Pirate Tree. We discov-
ered that it had remained on the lot due north of the R.V.
Park until late 1990’s. We were told by the owners that
it had become diseased and was removed. The section
containing the carving was stored for a while and later
discarded.
Kinda makes you want to set up camp at Verdugo’s
doesn’t it?! Making sure you bring a shovel or two and
maybe a metal detector!
Asociacion de Artes
Happenings By: Chris Courtright
February has been a busy month for Asociacion de Artes.
We started off on the 13th with the Artist Studio Tour,
which showcased 22 local artists at 17 different studios!
Even the date, Friday the 13th or the mean looking clouds
and gusts of wind, could not dampen the great time that
was had by all – and the wind actually kept us all cool as
we walked between studios. The talent displayed that lives
right here in our little community is just amazing. I am
sure I am not the only one that came home with some
really beautiful works of art!
The next day the 14th, Valentines Day, we had our first of
the year “Saturday Crafts” at the concha by the DIF. We
made Valentines Day cards, explaining to the children the
reasoning behind the special day. They had a great time
making cards for their Mom’s or Grandmas – not quite the
group ready for the girl/boy friend yet! The volunteers
also enjoyed themselves working with the kids and seeing
their enthusiasm for learning a new project. If you want to
get involved, try the Saturday Crafts. It is only a 2 hour
commitment, once a month. No ‘crafting’ skill or lan-
guage needed! Just a desire to make a difference!
March brings the Asociacion head on into the Festival de
Artes Show season (see pg 1), and we hope to see all you
out to sell and buy – yes, vendors do buy too! We are also
working on doing a baseball spring training/ Sawyers
Camp for the Los Barriles area kids. We are in the process
of firming up our date. It is tentatively set for the March
21st. Volunteers are greatly needed for the 4 hour camp.
We have found a person to house the equipment and that
person will also continue working with the kids in the LB
area. Watch for details on the LB camp!
Coach Lael, from the fall camp, came back this month and
went down to work with the kids in Campamento. Every
day at 4:15, the kids go to the field, someone goes and gets
the equipment, and they practice. They have even found a
local ‘amateur’ player, and these kids work to collect
money for his gas so he can come and work with them on
their skills. Lael and this young man worked on skills, and
then they split into two teams and played. There is some
talent in the kids! The only thing that stopped them was it
got dark! The way the kids of Campamento have embraced
baseball, gives us great ambition for the game of baseball
in the Baja Sur. Keep up on the details of the camp on our
facebook page – facebook.com/beisbolcampoeneastcape
I will also keep everyone informed with BPE also. See, I
did say I would shamelessly promote the camp, as only the
editor can!!
For more information on either Saturday Crafts
or the baseball camps, contact me at jonand-
chris@juno.com.
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Feb/Mar 4 33
“Come here, boy”, “Come here, boy”...and it
did! Right up to the boat
A Rare & Awesome Sighting
An ‘Elefante Marino’ or
‘Elephant Seal’ By: Theresa Comber
We never want magical days on the sea to end, yet we
know when Captain Luis gives the nod of the head to
the south and we know that we’d better head back.
And this is when Mother Nature really gave us a rare
treat.
It was Sunday on the sea. Dawn had begun with a te-
quila sunrise morning and clouds coursed the deep,
grenadine sky. The water’s surface was glassy calm,
in large contrast to the excitement of us on board.
“Awesome” & “Too Awesome” had just floated on
Friday after a new motor for “Awesome” and a deep
maintenance massage for “Too Awesome”. Our shake
down day of fun aboard “Awesome” had whales at the
top of the list; any sort of meat fish we might find on a
winter day; and a snorkel at Cardonal’s shallow, abun-
dant reef. “Too Awesome” was also cruising, out
with guests hailing from Saskatchewan in Canada’s
frozen north, clearly folks who were well deserving of
a warm, beautiful day on the Sea of Cortez.
Within ten minutes heading southeast to the area outside
La Ribera, we joined a small group of local boats hand
lining for bottom fish and others trolling for the coveted
yellow tail or a dorado that might be searching for their
own morning breakfast. It was not to be for them or us, as
the Captain’s had been radioing that little luck was hap-
pening.
We pulled up our lines and pulled off with whales on our
minds and all eyes shifted to the horizon. Another short
ten minutes and shouts greeted Captain Luis - there they
are, off to the right! No, there they are, off the left! No,
there they are, off our stern! And of course our keen eyed
Captain & crew had spotted whales dead ahead. Once
again in the Cortez aquarium whales were in sight all
around. A Momma and her baby were closest and the
baby started showing off its jumping abilities. Again and
again the baby flew into the air around its momma,
splashing and frolicking and showing off its new found
skills. Within five minutes in all directions we were
treated to the immense joy and privilege of watching
school-bus-sized humpback whales and their soccer-mom
-van-sized babies breaking the water’s surface. Lulled
from our calm delight, Captain Adan had found an enor-
mous school of bottle nose dolphin to our north. We
headed to them and beyond to Cardonal. The dolphins
stretched for miles, joining along and cruising our bow
wake while dolphins were breaking the surface as far as
we could see.
Continued on Page 5
Motorcycle Cont from page 32
We repaired our third flat of the day and continued riding
the 25 miles on up the cliff ridden road out of Ague
Verde to highway 1 and on to our motel, arriving at 9:30
pm. We had left La Paz at 7:00 am which means we were
on the road fourteen and one half hours that day. Thank-
fully all of the bikes, except mine, had very powerful
lighting systems.
The hotel where we stayed (Villa Del Palma) is a new 4
or 5 star hotel about 20 miles south of Loreto on the Sea
of Cortez. When we arrived to check in, all the staff and
other guests were staring at us like we had the plague or
something. I asked the girl at the counter if she had ever
had customers who looked as tired and dirty as we
looked. She answered “No sir, I haven’t seen anyone like
your group before.” Then she quickly added, “But neither
have I ever seen any other guests that were obviously
having so much fun. Can I go with you?”
On our third day we had another incident that added to
the adventure side of our trip. As we departed San Jose
Comondu, one rider noticed that his rear wheel bearing
had failed rendering his bike un-ride able. We had the
necessary tools and parts to make repairs but lost two
hours of daylight in the process. We were not prepared
for the condition of the 14 mile stretch of road between
San Jose Comondu and San Isidro. The road was totally
washed out during the last hurricane. Once again we were
forced to ride with our headlights and helmet lights on
before arriving very late in La Purisima.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip with no injuries -- that
required medical attention. The beauty was breathtaking,
the mountains were vast and green, miles of riding
through cactus forests or mile after mile of riding along
the crashing waves of the blue Pacific, finding gas at
ranches along the way, not to mention the adrenalin rush
of wicking the throttle and flying down a straight narrow
sandy two track road. . In our 900 miles we actually had
less than 20 miles of roads that were problematic.
I earned the name of “The Flying Fossil” 15 years or so
ago by a riding friend (Jamie Young.) I was 60 years old
at the time. I guess I should change my name to “The
Petrified Fossil.” A lot of my riding companions have
stopped riding, have sold their bikes, or just had to give
up the sport for a variety of reasons. But each year, new
riders find their way down here to the Baja. I have
greatly enjoyed teaching riding skills to younger riders…
now all riders are younger than I am. I enjoy helping
riders pick the right bike for them and I enjoy solving
some of the mechanical issues that we all face. Today,
many of the areas that we have ridden in past years have
been closed off. Fences have gone up, gates installed,
locks put on. Part of that is due to careless riders who
haven’t always respected the local ranchers, or who tear
up roads
or spook the cattle. There is much more riding pressure
now than there was 20 years ago. Back then, I often
would ride into a ranch and the ranchers had never seen
anyone in full riding gear, with heavy boots and full hel-
met. Those ranchers all know me now, and I enjoy inter-
acting with them. Many have given me keys to their
gates.
The back country of Baja is still no place for an inexperi-
enced rider. Never go out riding alone. Always have
plenty of water. Know your gas range and don’t take a
chance of being stranded someplace in the back country.
Luckily, we now have a local experienced motorcycle
tour guide, Kurt Russell. His company, Captain Baja
Tours, is located here in Los Barriles. You can contact
him at kirk@captainbajaadventures.com. You can check
his company out on line as well. This is giving even more
new riders a chance to experience this magnificent penin-
sula from the seat of a motorcycle.
I don’t know how many more years I will get to enjoy
being “The Flying Fossil” down here, but I am very
grateful for every mile I have ridden, for every rider I
have ridden with, and for every day I have been able to
ride with my family and friends. Baja has been very
good to me and my time down here has been greatly en-
riched because I ride.
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Feb/Mar 5 32
Motorcycle continued from page 31
very strong. The boys often make multiple trips down
during the winter, to get out of the cold north for a few
days and to “turn the throttle” out in the desert sun with
me.
Over the years, with GPS and SPOT Satellite Tracker, I
have expanded my “scouting” trips and ventured farther
north. With a computer, my wife can see where I am and
how I am progressing -- in real time. In December 2014,
with my son Kellsey and a couple of local riders, we did
a 500 mile, 3 day unsupported ride going up to San Ever-
isto, west to Puento Conejo and down the Pacific to To-
dos Santos, and back to Los Barriles. We had a wonder-
ful time and the trip was so much fun, Ronnie Verduego
and I started planning an even bigger adventure.
On February 8th of this year, five of us left Los Barriles
to do a 900 mile, 5 day unsupported ride. The group in-
cluded Ronnie Verdugo, Jason Russ, David Thornton,
my son Ken and myself. Our planned route was to use
back roads and stay off the pavement as much as possi-
ble. We again went north of La Paz, up the Sea of Cortez
to the end of the road near San Evaristo, then west
through the mountain ranges to Constitution and then
east to Agua Verde. From there we headed north to the
Mission San Javier, continuing north west to the
Comondus and La Purisima before starting south to To-
dos Santos and then home. The trip was relatively prob-
lem free, and it was a true adventure with amazing scen-
ery, great companionship, and the thrill of facing the
unknown, the unexpected, and sometimes, the im-
possible. In my 20 years of riding in Baja I don’t
remember the mountains ever being so green and
beautiful.
On our ride we had three flat tires and one wheel
bearing failure, which, for a ride like this and with
five bikes, was only a minor inconvenience. We
had everything necessary to make repairs and get
back on the trail. With the current day GPS systems
it is easy to navigate and stay on the route. With-
out good maps and a GPS route it would be almost
impossible to find your way, and the desert can be
a very hostile environment to those who enter un-
prepared.
The biggest adventure part of our trip came about
on the 2nd day. Severe hurricane damage had taken
place in a couple of the most critical sections of our
route. The first big challenge was the 1000 foot, 2
mile decent into Agua Verde. We had been told by
a person we believed to be reliable (who lives at the
top of the mountain) that the road was passable by
motorcycle. We arrived at the top of the pass, after
already riding over 200 miles that day, only to find
treacherous vertical drops and huge water erosion
with boulders strewn about everywhere. One of our
sayings is “How hard can it really be?” After all, it
was only a thousand feet downhill. less than 20
miles of roads that were problematic. Since all 5 of
us were experienced riders we felt confident that
we should be able to get to the
bottom, one way or another. We
did make it, but that 2 miles took
us close to 2 hours. That tells you
something!! In some places we
were helping each other push our
bikes through the rocks. About
1/3 of the way down I had the
thought “what if we get almost to
the bottom and there is a 100 foot
sheer cliff?” I knew we couldn’t
ride our bikes back to the top. By
now the sun had gone down. I was
finally able to find my way
through to the bottom. Eventually
everyone made it safely down. By
then it was getting really dark and
one bike had a flat rear tire.
Continued on page 33
Continued from page 4
Splashing in to snorkel at Cardonal, the water was
warming and clear. The fish were plentiful, big, and
abundant coral heads appeared to have been power
washed clean during Hurricane Odile and their colors
clear and striking. As a shallow reef, sadly some of the
coral had been completely uprooted and knocked over
during the havoc of the storm, with much coral debris
now gathering on the sea floor.
Having gotten the nod from Captain Luis and facing the
day’s end, we were underway. We were just off Las
Tinas north of Punta Pescadero when we spotted some-
thing floating on the surface that was…bizarre, other
worldly. Sticking about three feet from the water, it
looked like the top of a craggy, miniature, vanilla cov-
ered iceberg. Captain Luis began shouting ‘Elefante
Marino, Elefante Marino’! He was awestruck as he
powered down, careful not to disturb the top of the ice-
berg. Closing in, the iceberg opened up…
Known in Spanish as the ‘Marin Elephant’ and in Eng-
lish as the ‘Elephant Seal’, Captain Luis was exclaim-
ing what a rare site it was; he’d only seen one before in
his 30 years on the water; Deckhand Joel, in his 15
years, also only one. And then Luis, as if somehow con-
nected to this marine mammal, started calling to it – in
English nonetheless – “Come here, boy”, “Come here,
boy”...and it did! Right up to the boat. The site of it in
the water is beyond belief. So beguilingly ugly, and yet
the eyes are sweet and its actions doglike. We tossed it
bait fish and it was even more engaging. Measuring half
the size of the boat, through the clear water we could
see that it was at least 15 feet long and with a huge girth,
weighing thousands of pounds. At one point it had us all
on the bow and as if to show off, it turned over and swam
off with the smooth ease of a mermaid! Then right back
for more fish. It was a good model as we snapped count-
less pictures. We couldn’t take our eyes off it.
The Elephant Seal was hunted to near extinction in the
early part of the 19th Century. Since then, their populations
have grown to approximately 150,000 worldwide, and
they are found throughout the globe. The species are sepa-
rated into ‘Northern’ and ‘Southern’, and the big bulls can
weigh more than 5,000 pounds. Like turtles, they navigate
the oceans until they reach maturity after 5 - 6 years. Some
big males have been known to travel as many as 13,000
miles a year, exceeding even the Gray Whale's migration.
The Sea of Cortez is slightly beyond their normal scope,
although they come to sandy sides on the Pacific side
twice a year to breed and to molt.
The bizarre snout is a sort of ‘rebreather’, making a lot of
noise when it dips in and out of the water but plays an es-
sential role in hydrating the animal when it is out of the
water. Males can live up to 14 years and females up to 22
years. Similar to the Sperm whale, Elephant seals attain
incredibly deep dives – up to 7,500 feet down and can
hold their breath for more than 100 minutes while they are
searching for their favorite foods – rays, squid, eels, octo-
pus, small sharks and big fish.
We were concerned about our new friend’s right eye,
which seemed milky blue. It must have been an old injury
and it was obviously blind in that eye, but faring well in
life. A new friend, right here in the fathomless deep blue
sea, and for more than 30 minutes we hung out together.
What an awesome gift, what a once-in-a-lifetime chance
and it was ours to share!
“Come here, boy, Come here boy!”
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Feb/Mar 6 31
The Fun of Motorcycle
Riding in Baja By Jerry Justus
Riding off-road dirt bikes in Baja is an adventure enjoyed
by many riders who come to Baja to enjoy the warm win-
ter months. I am one of those riders. To date, I have rid-
den well over 30,000 miles in Baja with almost all of that
on unpaved, backcountry roads and trails.
20 years ago I was introduced to the Baja peninsula by
Malcolm Smith, a famous dirt bike racer - won the Baja
1000 race 6 times and the Baja 500 race 4 times. In 1995
Malcolm invited me to join him and a small group to ride
from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas, riding mostly on the
Baja 1000 race course. My youngest son and I did that
ride, being the first time I had ever been south of San
Diego. It was a trip that impressed me so much that it
wasn’t long before my wife and I made a trip down the
Baja peninsula in our motor home, ending up at Ver-
dugo’s RV Park. That same spring we bought a small
place on the beach, here in Los Barriles.
Motorcycle riding soon became one of my favorite activi-
ties down here. My wife and I had a Jeep and we started
exploring the southern tip of Baja, plotting out routes that
would be fun to do on the bikes- long before the GPS.
We had a lot of success and soon I had a nice list of
places to ride. It wasn’t long and I had a good sized
group of riders who wanted to ride with me. It was not
unusual for a group of us to ride two or three days a
week. I was a wind surfer (kite surfing now) so the
wind often kept us close to the water, but windless
days or any time it rained, we could be found out in the
back country, enjoying the freedom of riding in the
Baja.
My interest in riding in Baja has continued to grow and
several years ago, I started leading groups of riders on
excursions across the peninsula. I would get a group of
people together, with similar riding skills, my wife
would drive a support vehicle, and we would ride from
Los Barriles over to Todos Santos and spend the night.
The riders would arrive at the hotel where their bags
were in their rooms and snacks and cold drinks would
be waiting,, I have a great wife! After a rest, story
sharing, a hot shower, and clean clothes we would go
out to dinner. Then the next morning the riders would
suit up and enjoy riding back across the mountains on a
completely different route, making our way back
home.
My two sons, a son in law and a grandson, all love to
ride motorcycles, so I always keep an extra motorcycle
or two ready for them. During these past 20 years I
have really enjoyed having them come down and ride
with me. The bond we have because of the riding is Continued on pg 32
On Whale Watch
By: Alexandra Delis-Abrams
A whale, I hear as many abandon their serious sun-
basking for binoculars.
Exuberance cannot be contained as I plead, my turn, and vie for the glasses that will bring this miracle closer
to view.
Nature at its best! I’m in gratitude to be in the right spot
at the right time.
But then, aren’t we always, I muse.
A life lesson taught before our very eyes.
Mama humpback is teaching her student what her spe-
cies has done for eons.
Could the force of mama’s tail be saying... this is how
it’s done?
A splash dispersing an enormous amount of water is the
result.
It’s powerfully staggering.
Pay attention now...let’s practice...watch me…
Over and over and over again, her tail slams down on
the surface of the sea.
Moments after baby replicates the behavior.
Like this? I'm getting the idea.
But what does it mean,
I ponder as each cell of my being overflows with sheer
joy.
Who really cares, I hear.
Does knowing deepen the awe you feel of this moment
of Now?
In the midst of the class baby thrusts her mega body
straight up out of the water,
like the Apollo spaceship.
Maybe in an expression of pure exhilara-
tion...and...maybe not.
Cheers are spontaneously heard from those who feel Our
magnificent planet is school for those who are conscious
of the lessons offered.
The ebb and flow of the sea, like the in and outflow of
breath, giving and receiving.
The precise cycle of the moon, offering the gift of Di-
vine timing versus forcing life.
The wisdom of the salmon following its smell to its
birthplace, natural knowing.
The miraculous moment has passed, mama and baby are on their way.
Briefly my heart goes heavy, legs weaken, and tears
dampen my eyes.
When will we stop destroying our planet? I scream.
I choose to send light to the captured baby elephants,
imprisoned as they await their destiny to a zoo in China
and Thailand.
I choose to drench my beloved wolves in a loving en-
ergy as the monsters rip them from protection.
I choose to stay receptive to my next course of activism
I trust
I trust
I trust
The lesson offered: let go of grasping, struggle, resis-
tance.
Although often challenging, I choose to focus on that
which choreographs my life and conspires for my high-
est good.
It is my true north.
The anchor I cling to
My lifeline.
Off they go. Thank you for the
gift my friends, as the aborigines
say, I love you and
support you on your journey.
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THE EARTH UNDER
OUR FEET BY RUSS HYSLOP
Let’s talk about volcanos…
The humans have lived and died and have been disrupted
by volcanoes throughout history. In ancient times the
natural phenomenon merged with myth, drawing its name
from a Roman God, Vulcan, ruler of fire, forge and
hearth.
The first well-recorded eruption was that of Vesuvius in
A.D. 79. It buried the Roman towns of Pompeii and Her-
culaneum on the Bay of Naples, killing 16,000 people.
The deadliest in historic times appears to have been Tam-
bora in Indonesia: its 1815 eruption claimed 92,000 lives.
Twelve thousand died in the blast; the remainder, their
crops and livestock destroyed, starved to death. Tam-
bora’s aerosol cloud lowered temperatures so much that
snow fell in the United States in June, July and August of
the following year; it is remembered as “the year without
a summer”.
Other notable killers:
Krakatoa, 1883, the Sunda Strait between Java and
Sumatra . Created a tsunami a hundred feet high that
drowned 36,000 people. The detonation was heard 3,000
miles away.
Pelee, 1902, Martinique. Sent a hurricane of hot gases
into the town of St. Pierre, killing 30,000. Only two in-
habitants survived – One of whom was safely imprisoned
in a thick walled jail cell!
Nevado Del Ruiz, 1905, Colombia. A Tidal wave of mud
swept down from the volcano, smothering and crushing
23,000 people.
There are some 550 known active volcanos on earth and
some 500 million people living close to them. A dozen or
two of these volcanos can be erupting at any moment.
We have on the Baja Peninsula 12 known volcano sites.
The most prominent, Tres Virgenes, which we pass while
traveling Mexico 1 between Santa Rosalia and San Igna-
cio. The last eruption of this volcano, according to the
Jesuits, occurred in the 1600’s.
This area remains active as it supports a thermal/electric
facility that utilizes heated waters located under the
ground surface around this volcano.
Next Issue: I will discuss the other volcanic areas of our
beautiful Peninsula.
Tattooed Man
by Renée Lagloire
Javier, my neighbor’s twenty year old nephew
came to the gate of the property the other day. He’d been
working and wasn’t wearing a shirt. I noticed that he had
what looked like a sentence tattooed across his chest, or
maybe more like a title? There were three words, written
in an ornate Gothic font, with each word capitalized.
Because I find the permanence of tattoos intimi-
dating, I am fascinated by them. So naturally, I ap-
proached, saying: “Let’s see what you’ve got here,” point-
ing to his chest.
I read each scrolled letter, saying the words as I
deciphered them: “Te … Amo …. Esmeralda” (I love you
Esmeralda).
I looked into his eyes, and teasingly asked: “Ex-
girlfriend?”
He looked away, saying: “Yeah.”
“So”, I said, “you still like the tattoo?”
“No, not anymore,” he answered.
“Hmm,” I said, “any options?”
“Not really, I have no money, and that’s what
it would take to make it into a different design, or to
have it removed.”
I thought about it, and suggested, “Or, you
can look for a girlfriend named Esmeralda. You can
put the word out that only Esmeraldas will be consid-
ered!”
“Yes,” he answered, “but Maria would have
been better. There are more girls named Maria than
Esmeralda.”
We looked at each other for a brief instant,
and nodded our heads in silent agreement. Indeed,
Maria might have been better.
Bits of Early History of the California Baja
Before the Spaniards arrived, the peninsula of Baja California was inhabited by three major ethnic groups: the
Cochimí in the north, the Guaycura in the central section and the Pericú on the southern cape. Archaeological arti-
facts suggest that these tribes inhabited the peninsula and Cedros Island as early as 9,000-10,000 years ago. The
Cochimí, who lived on the mainland, were hunters and gatherers, but an isolated group of Cochimí living on Cedros
Island developed a fairly complex agricultural system. The Guaycura and the Pericú lived by hunting, gathering and
fishing. Their descendants still live in Baja California, primarily on the northernmost part of the peninsula. From the History Channel web site.
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When was Back in the Day? By: Jorge Bergin
My fishin’ buddy in the states, Tony, is a verifiable ata-
vist, born 100 years (or more) too late. We had some
wild fireside differences about the subject behind some
limes and Gusano Rojo mescal.
He described the wild western part of the U.S. like a
hunter’s heaven, a fishermen’s Nirvana. He kept drag-
ging me back to the 1600 and 1700s to show me the
grandeur, the empty majesty of a place yet untouched.
He wasn’t talking to the Princess of New York City be-
cause I was drinking out of hoof prints and eating trout
on a stick at times myself so, it wasn’t city boy against
country boy.
So, I had to nudge him, between shots, back to reality
when his picture got too Bambi-like and on we went. I
think I would enjoy such chats with some Nomads out
there who, like Tony, would be willing to endure some
discomfort for real adventure, a life worth living.
I reminded him that beyond the Great Basin to the west
at that time, he was more likely to have the full time job
of just staying alive. Not much opportunity to travel –
the Western Amerindians moved south and east at the
rate of 100 miles per generation (30 years). I have to
leave out the boat people because they could travel
much farther and faster by water but it was more ardu-
ous and dangerous than most land travel by foot. So
unless he painted himself into a picture with a horse, the
majesty, the grandeur he would enjoy would just be
mostly his valley, the foothills and the mountains
around him. He, like many new to the life of the west,
might live out his life and not travel over a hundred
miles from his brush hut.
In one of our fireside sessions I suggested it might be a
“How you gonna keep em down on the farm after they’ve
seen Paree” kinda thing. Something about knowing what
the west looks like in the movies, TV, google earth or visit-
ing the Tetons, Yellowstone and Yosemite in modern times
by bike or car or bus seems as easy as planning the trip,
jumping in the van and you’re there. That’s now. You
wanna go back, it’s a very big deal.
How about a trip from California to what is now Baja before
there were cars? Try doing the pilgrim thing from north to
south in your mind (apologies to Graham and Mike, The Burro
Man).
In a pinch, unless I was too drunk to make an argument, I
would bring up some trade-offs:
Tony would make a face when I told him I would live now,
give up some personal freedom for the Beach Boys. Trade
off the gift of solitude for some things like toilet paper, den-
tists, bug spray, a new jeep, my 6mm Remington, cold Bud,
a passport and a credit card and the time to use them.
We were both born in the 1930s and had all the freedom
that era could give us and we lived it to the hilt. As a kid I
roamed the Everglades of south Florida while Tony walked
the mounds of the famous Mississippians at Cahokia but, he
is very hard to convince – he says he’d rather be a loner, a
hunter-gatherer than do his life over in these times.
Must be just our dreams, his of his first bison kill with a
spear, mine of memory of my first vanilla milk shake, the
hum of the engine in my 49 Chevy and Surfin’ U.S.A. in the
background. In the main, wouldn’t trade a minute of it.
Maybe all those talks led me down the path to be a writer, to
preserve, for a while, the ideal opportunity to live in the
here and now, let my mind and my pen wander all over the
universe being amazed at what each era held for one with a
different kind of free and easy travel pass.
Two Bajas By: Jorge Bergin
Writing is a great hobby for me because when I write
things down I often find out just how I feel about them.
In my last little think piece about Baja, “Why Wait”, I
learned that there are two kinds of Bajas; one for vaca-
tioners, one for settlers.
On a week’s vacation here or anywhere in the tropics
near a beach, we want clear water, white sand, no people
and tranquility. After a couple of days camped on this
wonderful strand we want food and showers and hospi-
tals and auto repair places and dentists and air-
conditioning and big box stores and TV and lobster
bisque. Then, after six months we need more and better
hospitals, cadres of doctors, quick, cheap access to our
far-flung friends and family, special food stores, opera
theaters and bowling alleys, skating rinks and raves.
We want what we want when we want it. The point is we
wouldn’t have been happy very long as settlers on that
first deserted beach. We know it won’t stay that way for-
ever but we can’t stand it there for very long anyway; it
will turn into a quaint and quiet development for a while
to give the campers creature comforts for a price. We
should view those special places as our private free wa-
terparks which we hope will stay pristine and free.
It turns out that your “Wants Lists” might be a lot closer
to most other Bajaphiles and your worries get scrunched
down a bit when you see that you can’t really live where
you play. It’s the reason I’ve said that if I had it to do all
over again after the last 20 years I would have bought a
nice little Mexican house in a small village I liked and
followed the motto “Live in our world, play in yours.”.
It’s the very old cry of suburbia all over this lovely planet
and is truer here than most places I’ve been. It works.
You can live in Orlando but it is always packed with peo-
ple who get in your way. You can live in La Purisima but
you will miss your kids and be miserable when you run
out of your special meds.
So, in the real world the saying should not be “I just
adore Rome but I wouldn’t want to live there.” More like
“I love living near Rome and don’t mind the trips there
where we go to get everything else we need.”
In Baja you can have your cake and eat it too but you
have to have a car, money for gas, good planning and a
laid back attitude. The timeshare sales people will not
agree. They have other plans for you and your hard
earned yankee dollars but, the great glowing irony is that
their credo is exactly the same as mine.
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Do dogs wag their tail only when they are happy?
Dogs wag their tail for many reasons and the most common occurrence is that they are either happy or nervous. Learning to
read what your dog is telling you, whether they are large or small, will go a long way in helping build your relation-
ship!
Los Barriles Dog Show
Would you like to see how Badger got on with his agil-
ity training? Then come along to The Los Barriles Dog
Show on Sunday March 15th at the Hotel Palmas de
Cortez in the center of Los Barriles. Badger and his four-
legged friends will be demonstrating just how much they
learnt in six weeks as they strut their stuff around the
agility course. You can also see other events on the day
including best looking dog (over & under 40 lbs), best
costume, cutest pair and best trick or skill. The doors
open at 10.30am, and if you’re coming to watch, please
bring a chair, picnic rug or something to sit on, and some
shade such as an umbrella. There will be music, face
painting, 50/50 raffle, a bar and food vendors including
Lighthouse Pizza, La Fogata and Carmen’s Smoothies.
Local veterinarians will be available to offer advice, and
Cristobal will be giving free rabies shots. Other vendors
include Copper River Designs (jewelry), The Baja Ken-
nel Club stand and ALMA’s stand. All monies raised go
towards spaying and neutering locally. For further infor-
mation, please seewww.bajakennelclub.com.
Thank you to all of our sponsors without who this would
never have happened: Annex Brands, Van Wormer Re-
sorts, Quad Man, NuEra, Copper River Designs, EPB,
Baja’s Awesome Sportfishing, Bahia Real Estate, Salon
de Cortez, The supPOCKET, LB Property Services,
Playa Norte RV Park, Seven Seas Property Management,
Joe’s Deli, Hill’s Science Diet and Lighthouse Pizza.
Thank you for having the faith in us!!
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A Different Day in the
life of Badger, the dog
By: Emma Nicholson
My normal morning goes something like this…
Wake up and stare at my parents until they sense my gaze
and start to stir.
Thump my tail furiously to ensure they are fully woken,
lick their feet/hands or whatever part of them is sticking
out of the comforter, and then do an exaggerated loud
yawn coupled with a vigorous shake. This is guaranteed
to ensure they don’t fall back to sleep.
A five minute pee break is always followed by my morn-
ing snack, and then a wonderful hour-long romp down
the arroyo with my fairly annoying sister Honey. (She
got the looks and I got the brains in the family). But this
morning, Wednesday 4th February to be exact, was differ-
ent. Following my snack, my sister Honey and I were
separated and I was led from the house ON A LEASH….
I say that with a fairly shouty voice because a leash is
only for times when we’re in a town, on a sidewalk or in
a foreign country. In my mind, a leash attaches my
Daddy to me. This therefore gives me the right to pull
him wherever I want to go (rather than where he wants to
go).
Anyway, we set off in our car – I like to sit in the middle
where I can be helpful navigating. My parents can some-
times be slow when it comes to directions. But today, we
didn’t go towards the arroyo; we went in the other direc-
tion. I furiously licked my Daddy to let him know about
his mistake, but we drove on.
After five minutes, we arrived at what I can only de-
scribe as heaven on earth…. A field of real green grass
that stretched for miles and miles… what a treat! I be-
lieve, (or so I hear) that it’s the same experience as par-
ents have when they roll around in silk sheets.
There on the grass were other dogs on leashes with their
parents. Having spotted a good friend of mine Peso, I
was desperate to get out of car to join the gang and find
out what the jeepers was going on. Hauling Daddy by his
leash, I joined the throng and we discussed quite loudly
what was happening. No-one had a clue. All we could
see was a bunch of plastic gate things, a hill made out of
wood, and some tunnel-like contraption that looked great
for peeing on. A more sensible mature dog called Kiwi
thought we might be at something called ‘agility training’
but she wasn’t sure.
Then we were moving. Daddy and I were directed to
what looked like a gate. And that’s where the fun be-
gan…. Daddy produced from nowhere a bag of my
favorite Barkery liver treats. Oh yes! This was starting
to get good! I have to admit that I was a little confused to
start with, and wasn’t quite sure why I couldn’t just walk
through the gate thing, or spend my time sniffing inside
the tunnel. But once I realized that I could get a treat if I
simply jumped over it, or speeded up slightly; I was sold!
Before I knew it, I was leaping over those gates, running
up the wooden hill and dashing through the black tunnel-
thing. Granted, there were a couple of moments I had to
stifle an inward laugh. The first was when Peso ran so
fast through the tunnel that he knocked his parent over.
(That’s because Peso doesn’t know his own strength).
The second was when a young pup called Amy ran
through the tunnel-thing and then carried on running out
of the field and towards her home. Hilarious.
Seriously? Could this get any better? A morning spent
with some of my best four-legged friends, eating as many
treats as I could get my paws on, and hanging out with
my Daddy doing fun, jumping and running stuff. Just as
I was beginning to perfect my run up the wooden hill,
Daddy shouted a chorus of goodbyes, and we were head-
ing back to the car. I was getting a little tired by now, but
I had had a fantastic time.
On arrival back at home, I was met by my quite stupid
sister Honey. Honestly, you would have thought I had
been away for months judging by her reaction to my arri-
val. After calming her down, by basically ignoring her
for a few minutes, I told her about my experience that
morning. How I had achieved things I had never done
before, how Daddy and I had worked closely together,
and how I had had tons of fun! At one point I realized
she was feigning interest as I could see her eying up an
old almond stuck under a chair leg. I didn’t care. I was
the star of the house today. I wasn’t going to lose that
great feeling. So with that, I took myself off to my bed
and reflected on the day’s achievements. I can’t wait until
the next training session in a week’s time, and tomorrow,
I’m going to tell the story all over again to my best friend
Vonnie. Soon I started to nod off with the fading sounds
of ‘weave Badger, weave Badger’ drifting into my con-
sciousness…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Badger showing of his skill and new talents!
SEARCHING OUT EXOTIC
MARGARITAS By Ann Hazard
In 2006 I discovered an unlikely place called Art &
Beer on the far end of Cerritos Beach, about 20 min-
utes south of Todos Santos. I say unlikely because I
was expecting a hippie art gallery serving beer. I got
the art gallery right. I got the hippie part right. I was
charmed by the rustic décor and all the living, breath-
ing art and sculptures. It was magical. But the surprise
was their signature—and my first—Exotic Margarita.
It was called a Citrus Margarita. Served in a frosty beer
mug, it was made of fresh—as in squeezed in front of
my eyes— orange, grapefruit, tangerine and limon
juices, tequila, Controy, an array of garnishes and a
paper umbrella. It was incredible. I came back to
Buena Vista after that trip and made them for all my
friends.
On recent trips to Todos Santos I began noticing a
trend. Every restaurant has at least one signature, ex-
otic Margarita. I talked (it didn’t take much talking)
my friends Colleen and Deb into doing a three day
Margarita Crawl—including Cerritos, Pescadero and
Todos Santos. I’m certain there are fancy Margaritas
all over Los Cabos, but I wanted to search out the cool,
slightly offbeat places. We took three days and we vis-
ited six restaurants. We weren’t just there for the
drinking. We were there for the ambience, and as al-
ways on Baja’s South Pacific Coast, the amazing food.
Thursday: Our first stop of the day was Tequila Sun-
rise, across the street from Hotel California in Todos
Santos.
It is always our favorite stop for lunch when we roll
into town. Deb always orders the Shrimp Chile Relle-
nos. I never order anything but the Beef Chimichangas.
The food is organic, beautifully prepared and ridicu-
lously addicting. Owner Manuel Valdez (brother of
Chuy who owns Hotel Buena Vista here) is charming.
He welcomes every guest at every table. His traditional
Margaritas are spectacular and he will show you how
they’re made when you visit. But we fell in love with
the Mango version. Garnished with a slice of limon
and sprig of mint, these are the best we‘ve found. The
recipes for both versions are on the wall, so bring a
camera or cell phone.
Colleen met up with us at our second stop, the Hotel
California. Deb and I fell in love with the Jamaica-
Jalapeno Margarita a few months ago. Juan, the bar-
tender showed me how it was made this time and I
took notes. (I have all the recipes, actually.) I love the
spicy edginess of the jalapeno, complementing the tang
of the Jamaica. Colleen hadn’t ever tried one before,
and her eyes lit up as she took her first sip. Another
winner.
Next door, Chef Dany Lamote, Hotel California’s ex-
ecutive chef, has a boutique restaurant called Santo
Vino. His most divine, decadent Margarita is a White
Chocolate Margarita, made with Mezcal. As a dessert
drink it’s unbeatable.
Friday: It rained early on, so we got a late start, stop-
ping in for lunch at Hierbabuena Hortaliza, a farm to
table restaurant I frequent every single time I’m on the
west coast. Located in Pescadero just down the road by
the Pemex Station, the dining area is an open air pavil-
ion in the middle of an organic farm. To the east are
the towering Sierra de la Laguna .
Continued pg 11
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Continued from Pg 10
To the west is the Pacific. Sitting there, we were sur-
rounded by fields, palm groves and the farm. I am al-
ways in awe when I go there. The food, again, was
phenomenal. Owner/Chef Marcos made us a trio of
exotic Margaritas. I chose the Pomegranate Margarita,
made with mescal and fresh pomegranate juice from
the garden. Deb had a Mango Margarita and Colleen
had a Baja Sunrise, with house made Jamaica liqueur,
lime, fresh orange juice and tequila. Craving Italian
food, I had Eggplant Parmesan for lunch. The others
shared hummus and fresh veggies along with Roasted
Squash Soup. To-die-for.
We had planned to visit Rancho Pescadero, a world
class boutique resort closer to the beach, but it was
closed for a private event. I’ve been there before and I
will attest that their Pineapple-Cilantro Margarita is
excellent, as is there chile-rimmed Mango Margarita.
Saturday: Our first stop was Art & Beer, the place that
started it all for me nine years ago. Instead of just one
Exotic Margarita, there was now an entire chalk board
filled with them. Deb ordered a Kiwi Margarita. Col-
leen ordered a Mixed Berry Margarita and I went with
my old favorite, the Citrus Margarita. While we were
waiting for them to be made, we wandered around the
property and took photos. There was far more art and
sculptures than on my previous visit, and the backdrop
of Cerritos Beach and the Pacific was beautiful. All
three Margaritas were delicious and beautifully gar-
nished. As we drank them, we discussed but decided
against having another round. Instead we put the paper
umbrellas behind our ears and headed north to our next
destination.
Hacienda Cerritos is a spectacular Mexican Hacienda
perched dramatically on the cliffs at the north end of
Cerritos Beach. Its oceanfront bar is open to the public,
and a must see for all visitors. Their signature drink is
the Basil Margarita. Deb and Colleen had theirs on the
rocks and I had mine blended. We agreed mine was
better. I am a huge fan of basil, and this drink rocks my
world. The view isn’t bad either and we spotted plenty
of whales in the short time we were there.
Because we could, we made out last stop Hierbabuena
Hortaliza again. This time, Marcos made Deb his ver-
sion of the Basil Margarita with muddled basil from
his garden, white tequila, limon and Controy. It was
shaken like and served with a salted rim. Colleen tried
his Watermelon Margarita and I had a Pineapple-
Cilantro Margarita. Every one delicious.
So … is anyone up for an Exotic Margarita Party? Ole!
.
Citrus Margarea and board— Art and Beer (above)
Basil Margareta—Hacienda Cerritos (left)
Exotic Margaritas - Hierbabuena Hortaliza
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Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 12
recycled into a wonderful building block with out-standing insulating properties. There are several homes in Los Barriles built from this EF Block. Thank you for recycling, supporting environmental education in our schools, and preserving our beautiful marine-centered community!
HELP
STRETC
H OUR CIRCULATION OF
EASTCAPERS MAGAZINE!
When you are done reading the Eastcapers
magazine, if you don’t plan on saving it in
your collection of great reads and have no
one to pass it on to, then return it to the East-
capers Rack where you found it! Not only
will this allow more people
to enjoy the Eastcapers, but
this will help us stretch and
recycle it in
the very best way!!!
25
RECYCLING
ANNOUNCEMENT
By: Lynn Mirasson
East Cape Recycling Baja must announce that we
are no longer able to recycle any glass until further notice. Several creative people have come forward with projects that utilize glass bottles, such as build-ing them into walls and other decorative ideas, but the vast remainder end up going to the landfill. Until we can again find a receptive organization, please try to reduce the number of bottles you buy (beer in cans?) and toss in the garbage, and put on your thinking cap regarding creative ways to reuse what you do produce. ECRB continues to recycle many other materials on the first Thursday of each month. Please consult our website: www.eastcaperecyclingbaja.com for dates and a complete list of what we accept. We are particularly trying to save EPS (expanded polystyrene) from landing in the landfill. This is the white "styrofoam" packing material that comes around your new TVs and appliances. We collect this material and it is
Dirt continued from page 24 This should get your garden started; but if you want to go
to the extra effort (you reap what you sow), I add worm
castings. Worm castings are one of the world richest
fertilizers. Worm castings are worm “poop” and occur
naturally in soil that has earthworms. Not surprisingly,
the soil in Baja is so sandy and rocky that I have never
seen an earthworm in my natural garden. Unlike animal
manure and artificial fertilizers, it is absorbed easily and
immediately by plants. Lucky for us, Maurico Acle, the
owner of Organicos Baja Sur, in La Paz (near the La Paz
airport), http://www.organicosbajasur.com (use Google
Chrome and it will automatically translate websites from
Spanish to English) has a worm farm and sells 50-kilo
bags of worm castings for approximately $200 pesos per
bag. I add about 5% worm castings to my raised beds
each year.
Raised garden beds require rotating your crops and extra
effort each year to keep your soil rich and vital. It does
take a little extra work, and some added cost, but the
payoff is HUGE. Except as discussed above, I rarely fer-
tilize my vegetable garden; and every year I have a
bumper crop. If you start with rich organic soil, you will
have a wonderful garden. If the ground in which you
plant your seeds is weak and lacking nutrients, your
plants will be weak, small and will not have the strength
to deal with insect infestations and other blights. We can-
not eat all that I grow in
my garden and so my
friends and neighbors
become the beneficiaries
of my great garden soil.
It’s the dirt!!! Happy
gardening!
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Feb/Mar 13 24
IT’S THE DIRT By: Holly Burgin
I planted the seeds for my vegetable garden in December
before we left for the US for the holidays. When I re-
turned a month later, the garden had gone crazy. Not only
had all the seeds come up and the plants had grown tall,
but I also had a crop of weeds and volunteers. After a few
days of weeding, it was clear I had an over-abundance of
tomatoes and other vegies. So, I put the word out on the
BPE and people as far away Cabo Pulmo came for veggie
starts for their gardens. I shared about 70 of my tomato
“children” with my fellow gardeners.
Tomato lovers brought their own pots; and we dug up my
extra seedlings, as well as the volunteers. Of course, with
the volunteers, it is always a surprise as to which variety
it will be; but I think most were a small cherry variety
(really about the size of currants) called Matt’s Wild
Cherry that I first planted in 2011. They are tiny sweet
morsels that just keep coming back, year after year. I
figure, now that I have shared so many volunteers, all of
Los Barriles will be eating Matt’s Wild Cherry tomatoes.
One question I was asked, over and over, as the garden
people arrived to claim their tomatoes was “Where do you
get your dirt?” Well, there is not a simple answer to this
question. But one answer might be -- “Not here.” I do not
consider the terra firma that is around my house to be
“dirt.” Up here on the hill, north of town, it must be de-
composed granite, because only the hardiest of the local
flora can survive in this inhospitable terrain. I have raised
beds for my vegetable garden and every year I consider
new ways I can amend the soil that has, little by little, im-
proved to become a beautiful, rich, organic “tierra”.
So, how did I do it? Well, it took a while, but I think with
all the rain this year, anyone starting a garden has some
advantages that are not always available. So, take advan-
tage of this moment.
First, dig out all the crappy dirt; and I am using the term
“dirt” loosely (although not the word “crappy”)
that is in your garden plot. Unless you live in an
arroyo, assume your “dirt” is as above described.
Head to La Riberia and when you get to the place
where the road to La Ribera crosses an arroyo,
pull over and start digging. The loamy soil that
has washed down the arroyo is the perfect base
for building your garden soil. Take as much as
you need for 80% of your pots or garden plot. But
this is just the beginning.
Home Depot is my source of instant organic mat-
ter. If you do not have a compost pile, peat moss
will provide most of the needed organic material
you will need to help build great garden soil. I
add about 10 - 15% peat moss to my raised beds
each year. If you are just starting a garden, use as
much as you can afford. I have read that peat
moss retains up to 20 times its weight in mois-
ture, and releases water slowly as plants need it;
allows for proper root growth by loosening and
aerating soils; adds body to sandy soil; reduces
leaching of nutrients in or added to the soil
(which saves on fertilizer); protects soil from
hardening; and is environmentally friendly and
free of insects, weeds, seeds, salts and chemicals,
and represents good economic value. Or course,
if you have a compost pile, use your own com-
post to amend the soil. BTW, Buen Provecho in
San Bartolo (our fabulous Mexican cooking
school) will be selling compost from their huerta
next season, replete with seasoned goat, cow and
horse manure. It should be amazing!
Continued on pg 25
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Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 14 23
A Letter of Introduction from
Caffe’ Encinalito
Three years from now we may be friends. In two years
perhaps you’ll know us. Next year you might be regu-
lars. And right now you have no idea who we
are. Caffe’ Encinalito is our name and espresso is our
business. We are Jacqueline and Sasha Landis, your en-
thusiastic local baristas. You may have seen us last year
selling our coffee beans at the Community Market. Or
perhaps you’ve driven by our storefront on Calle Costa
Brava on your way to the beach. These days we spend
most of our time here at our cafecito where we roast cof-
fee, sling espresso, and bake little yummies. While it’s
tempting to use this space to wax poetic about our or-
ganic, fairly traded wares, let’s instead quench any lin-
gering curiosity and tell you a bit about how this caffe
came to be.
It wasn’t the wind that we chased down to Los Barriles,
but family. Though Sasha hails from Alaska, and I my-
self am a native of California, we met in the middle: Port
Townsend, Washington. Sasha’s father, Scott, has been
living here in Southern Baja for the better part of twenty
years, so Sasha himself has been visiting for equally as
long. I entered the Landis family picture about five years
ago and, with Sasha, have yearly been swooping down
from Washington ever since. After ever-lengthening va-
cations to the area, in 2013 we were married in the hills at
the beautiful Rancho La Venta. Soon thereafter we began
scheming on how to spend more time in Mex-
ico. Promptly, a little business plan was hatched for what
we saw as a much-needed commodity: coffee. And be-
fore we knew it, thanks to the massive support of our
families, the dream of a caffe’ was realized. The result is
here for you to see!
Caffe’ Encinalito, which means â little oak grove, gets
its name from Sasha’s father’s rancho in the sierra. Our
menu is a simple one, based in the authentic Italian ritual
of espresso. We use a traditional piston machine made
by Rancilio, meaning our shots are hand-pulled, ulti-
mately giving us more control over our espresso. In all
our machine’s nuances we were trained by Andrea Spella
of Spella Caffe in Portland, Oregon (named best espresso
in Portland by the New York Times). As far as our aes-
thetic: it follows our menu in its simplicity, marrying the
calm of Baja with the clean, cool shade of our palms. We
are open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday,
from 8 am to 3 in the afternoon. Come say hello and
share your own story. We would love to know you.
“We are a Family Company working in
the Eastcape area since 1998…”
Jorge Ayala, Jr Architect since 2006
Prof Lic # 5832089
Cell Ph # (624) 348-5607
ljacompanylb@gmail.com
Jorge Ayala, Sr Civil Engineer since 1984
Prof Lic # 1356247
Cell Ph (612) 348-8417
losbarrilesdesigns@gmail.com
We can provide you the following services:
Architecture from the Concepts to the Final Drawings in
Cad system, including the services in 3D renderings.
Civil, Structural & Mechanical Engineering.
Construction of any type of Building Systems such as
Foam Panels, Cement Blocks, Post and Beams, Con-
crete Insulated Forms, Rammed Earth, Etc…
Our Main Office is located in downtown Los Barriles on
the main drag, next to La Fayla’s Supermarket.
Office Ph # (624) 141-0155
Email: losbarrilesdesigns@gmail.com
www.losbarrilesdesigns.com
TALK IS CHEAP or is it??? By: Sefi Held,
Talking is something that is very unique to us humans,
yet it still remains a mystery. Noam Chomsky, was an
intellectual prodigy who went on to earn a PhD in lin-
guistics at the University of Pennsylvania and is deemed
to be the godfather of linguistics, and was the first to sug-
gest that our ability to talk is innate. Noam Chomsky’s
best-known book on linguistics is called, “Syntactic
Structures”. We barely notice that we are doing it, yet it
takes thousands of decisions and thousands of thoughts
each time that we use language. Just the physical action
of pushing air through our mouths, we take a thought in
our heads, and release it as the spoken word. Amazing!
Other animals also make sounds to communicate, but
speech and language distinguishes us from all the other
species. It really is miraculous how our brain does it and
how we learn to talk remains an even deeper mystery.
And, then, you take into consideration the fact that we
speak in so many different languages that it makes talk-
ing even more amazing!
Are we losing this fine art of speech? Of conversation?
AND Of Talking? 88% of North Americans are on line
daily! Take a look around you the next time you are at
the airport, in a restaurant or on the beach and you’ll see
whole families checking email, reading from an e-reader,
chatting online, Twittering, etc. during the entire time
that they are together to spend “some quality time” with
each other. Apparently IPhone are allowed into school
classrooms now! What happened to talk? To looking at
people directly and making eye contact with them and to
just listening to the person or persons you are with? This
may also have something to do with our very short-
attention span and the need for immediate results. Yes,
we are truly a changing society and what has taken us
eons to evolve, is being lost.
The throat is a particularly important area of the body as
it is associated with our respiratory system, our digestive
system and it, is one of the higher levels of our energetic
system. The given name is Visshuddha in Sanskrit.
Vishuddi or throat chakra is the fifth primary chakra ac-
cording to the Hindu tradition. Vishuddha Chakra
unleashes an unlimited feeling of happiness and freedom
that allows our abilities and skills to blossom. Along
with this stage of development there is a clear voice, a
talent for singing and speech, as well as balanced and
calm thoughts. When we give voice to our thoughts,
many times the chatter in our heads which appears as
“thoughts”, are made clear. Until this Chakra is fully de-
veloped, certain difficulties may be experienced. Block-
age of the Vishuddhi Chakra produces feelings of
.
anxiety, lack of freedom, restriction, thyroid and throat
problems. There may be physically unfounded manifes-
tations of swallowing problems and speech impediments.
An open Throat Chakra allows us to express ourselves
and communicate with others. Are you in need of a com-
munication tune-up? Visit us at the Sukhasan Yoga and
Pilates Studio: we talk, we listen and we welcome you.
Think about the next time that you choose email, Twitter
or Facebook over the phone, or better yet, face-to- face
contact, Re-think, Re-feel and choose talk!! Also, listen
to what is not being said. Just Listen.
The key is finding that balance in whatever we do in life.
After all, it is up to us individually to recognize when we
need to detox digitally. So many things that we think are
of extreme importance don’t really matter very much at
all. There is no secret to life and no magic path. Every
experience we share is golden and every experience in-
forms who we are and who we will become. Make your
experiences count.
“For millions of years, mankind lived just like the ani-
mals. Then something happened which unleashed the
power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we
learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication
of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build
the impossible. Mankind's greatest achievements have
come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not
talking. It doesn't have to be like this. Our greatest hopes
could become reality in the future. With the technology
at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we
need to do is make sure we keep talking.”
Stephen Hawking
Sefi Held, A.C.E., CanfitPro certified Personal Trainer, Fit-
ness, Yoga, Pilates and Older Adult Fitness Specialist Instruc-
tor, Resist-A-Ball and Zumba certified teaching at the Suk-
hasana Yoga and Pilates Studio located within the Healing
Winds Holistic Center, Los Barriles, BCS.
.
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Biking continued from pg 21
we're happy to say she's on the mend thanks to East
Cape's Charlene Wenger and Dr. Toledo along with
Dr. Cardenas at CIFO in San Jose del Cabo.
Heather is on the mend and we're happy we found
this oasis. Serendipity played a role in this story
too. On a rainy morning in Cannon Beach Oregon,
we met a lady named Chris. She was fascinated by
our tour and asked where we were going. Our origi-
nal plans had us riding as far south as Nicaragua,
through Baja, and not really going any farther south
than the La Paz/Mazatlan ferry. We had no idea
how lucky we were when she told us about the little
town of Los Barriles.
Follow our blog:
www.crazyguyonabike.com/quesnelbikers2014
Making Friends
with the Chayote
By: Renée Lagloire and Denise Elliott
Buen Provecho Baja
Chayote is your friend! When Hurricane Odile hit
the East Cape area and few fresh vegetables were
available for purchase, there it was … the chayote,
green, hard to the touch, and shaped like a pear. It
finds its way into most Mexican kitchens, and is
therefore almost always available in small and
large grocery stores. Chayote is inexpensive, read-
ily available, and can be very tasty! If you don’t
know it, you might want to become acquainted!
It is thought that chayote is native to Central Amer-
ica and Mexico. It was a staple in ancient Mexico,
where it was first domesticated. In the Aztecs’ Na-
huatl language, it was called chayotl, but it was
known thousands of years before among the Maya
of the Yucatan Peninsula where its fruit, its ten-
drils, flowers and roots were part of the cuisine.
Chayote is now grown all over Latin America, and
worldwide under various names, among others,
vegetable pear, chocho, mirliton, or christophine.
A perennial vine, chayote (Sechium edule) is in the
gourd family, but is unusual in that it has a single,
edible seed which is considered the most delicious
part of the vegetable. Chayote is simple to grow,
simply bury a whole chayote halfway in the ground
horizontally near a fence where it can climb, and
water regularly. You will soon have a vigorous tall
vine that will produce numerous chayote.
While the taste of chayote is relatively neutral, its
ability to soak in added flavors makes it a welcome
addition to any meal. Only the larger chayotes need
to be peeled to be eaten. It is cubed or sliced, de-
pending on its use. It should be treated much like
you would a zucchini or other squash, but it needs
to cook longer. Chayote is wonderful on the grill
with a mojo de ajo, or cubed in stews and stir-fries,
but you might make lifelong friends with it by try-
ing this simple grilled chayote recipe from one of
our Buen Provecho Mexican cooking and culture
classes.
Lime and Herb Grilled Chayote - Chayote a la Plancha con Limon y Hierbas
4 chayotes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
(Other herbs of choice if desired)
Salt and pepper
1. Make sure the grill is turned on.
2. If the chayotes are large and the skin is tough or spikey, peel them. Otherwise, no need to peel. Do not remove the seed, it is considered a delicacy!
3. Slice the chayotes about 1⁄4 inch thick. Place in a shal-low bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.
4. Grill the marinated chayote slices until very tender and serve. Make sure they are cooked until they are soft and darkly golden.
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trying to get as far off as we could. What happened
next amazed us. The truck coming from behind would
stop... and wait for the other lane to be free so he could
pull out and around us. And he'd wave as he went
by! This happened dozens of times!
Riding through the incredible landscape of Baja has
been an experience we won't soon forget. Being sur-
rounded by the raw and rugged beauty of places like
the Reserva de la Biosfera de El Viscaino and the
Catavina Boulder Field were quite remarkable and
humbling experiences. Essentially you just can't be-
lieve you're actually riding a bicycle through such
places. And it continued... further south there was the
mind blowing beauty of the Bahia de Concepcion. On
a bicycle one has the time to let the beauty of these
places make an imprint on your soul.
As we progressed into Baja Sur, we slowed our pace
down to enjoy it all. We had an extended stay in Lo-
reto, partly because it's a pretty cool little town, but
mainly because we had to. Unfortunately, Heather was
bitten by a dog and we needed to make sure the injury
was OK before we moved on. We were lucky to have
a doctor and two nurses staying in the RV park where
we were camped so we chose not to access local
care. By this time, we had made reservations at a hotel
in Los Barriles for Christmas and we were behind
schedule. Good Samaritans from BC and Germany
gave us rides that got us all the way to La Paz.
Just before Christmas, we rode from La Paz to Los
Barriles. We were happy to be finally settling into the
Hotel Los Barriles - our comfortable home for the holi-
days. It was at that point we realized Los Barriles
might be "that place" we had thought about at the start
of our tour. For us it was a perfect fit. What more
could one want? January 1st we moved into a rented
palapa in Juanita's Garden and celebrated our achieve-
ment of cycling over 5000 kilometers only to arrive at
such a beautiful place. We had also met our goal - to
miss the Canadian winter! And we got here under our
own steam!
Los Barriles has become a place of refuge as well. On
January 5th, Heather's brush with the dog in Loreto
came back to haunt us. We made sure to have all our
immunizations before we left including Rabies and
Tetanus but it was different than either of those
things. We started with a visit to the wonderful East
Cape Urgent Care Clinic and the even more wonderful
Dr. Toledo. After receiving some exemplary care,
Continued on Pg 22
Quesnel Bikers cycle
to Baja Sur
By: Chris and Heather Hartridge,
Every year for the past nine years we've taken the time
to do what we love - self supported bicycle tour-
ing. Tours have taken us around the Pacific Northwest
as far south as Utah. We typically leave from our
doorstep to cycle south and our current trip is no ex-
c e p t i o n .
Having just retired, we left home in Quesnel BC on
July 26th with a goal to get as far south as we could in
9 months. We made it known that if we found a nice
place to spend time away from the blowing snow back
home, we'd stay there. Through the summer and fall
we followed a route that included the Chilcotin Plateau
in BC, Vancouver Island, the Olympic Peninsula in
Washington and the Hood Canal. As we rolled south,
we came to Astoria Oregon and stayed with the amaz-
ing Pacific Coast roads all the way to San Diego. We
had no desire to ride our bikes through busy LA so we
took the Amtrak from San Luis Obispo to San Diego
where we prepared for the crossing in to Mexico.
At the border, if you're on a bicycle you shuffle along
with the pedestrians up to the now famous revolving
gate under the MEXICO sign. No turning back now!
We got our precious tarjetas touristicas and we headed
down the ramp out of the office with the hundreds of
other walkers headed out into the melee. There's no
question, riding on bicycles through Tijuana in the
middle of a busy afternoon is not for the faint of
heart. Like most people who haven't visited Baja, our
family and friends were really concerned for our
safety. Not long after crossing the border we realized
there were more people waving, smiling and asking if
we needed help than we'd EVER see in Canada.
For the next seven weeks we meandered down the
length of Baja sticking to Hwy. # 1 most of the
time. We met so many wonderfully friendly people
along the way the daily stresses of cycling melted
away. Oh, and how WAS the cycling? There's no
question that the road is not an easy one to ride and it's
not for novices. However, it was made possible and
even comfortable by courteous drivers. Imagine a
place on the highway with no shoulder, just a drop
off. Yes, there's plenty of them! Now imagine a semi-
truck coming towards you and one coming up behind
you. We made it a point to always pull over and stop,
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and donations. So money for food and things like this is
very helpful,” says Adam Greenberg, advocate for New
Creations.
Well back to my visit with Rexe to share my
idea. Within a few minutes she said, “honey, anything for
the kids.” And a week later, I had commitments and promises
of over 30 items...from hand made earrings, to overnight at the
Palmas De Cortez to an all-day fishing trip. The generosity
from this little community is deeply electrifying. The universe
just continues to open one door after another…..A good indica-
tion that I’m on the right path.
I invite you to take a few moments while basking in the
surrounding beauty, applying a touch of sunscreen to
your face and sipping your negro modelo to ponder the
idea of what life would be like living in an orphanage...no
parents, no actual bedroom to call your own, no play-
dates. Instead, being with others like yourself who have
become “family” due to similar circumstances. Would
you tout a stellar positive attitude most of the
time? Would you dream big for your future? Would you
hustle about to secure jobs to grow your very own bank
account? Would you believe in yourself? A support
team is essential for all of the above. We can each make
a difference in their lives by first of all listening--how can
I provide encouragement, emotionally? How can I offer
my skills to help rebuild structures or improve the land-
scape? How can I inspire these kids to believe in them-
selves and to see their own unique inner goodness,
worth, and power? How can I give financially to enrich
their lifestyle?
Save the date: March 15, 4 pm - ??
Lazy Days. Looks like we’ll have a huge
musical surprise that will take this event off
the charts. So come one come all, and bring
your open hearts to the festivities.
PS: (Meetings will be held every Tuesday for the next 3
weeks at Lazy Daze at 2 pm--all are welcome)
5K Beach Bash Footrace on the beach at Buena Vista Beach Resort
Adult, Masters and Student age categories
1K Kids Fun Run Kids to age 12 Free
Date: March 15, 2015 Time: Kids K 8:30 am
5 K 9:00 am
Beneficiary: Los Barriles Cabo Este Rotary Club for community projects
Major sponsors: Snell Real Estate
Buena Vista Beach Resort
Fees: Kids K 0-12 YEARS FREE
5K 0-18 YEARS $50 PESOS
19 AND OLDER $150 PESOS
The 3rd Annual Eastcape Beach Bash is coming to a beach near you on Sunday, March 15. You can run the
5 kilometer course in your favorite sneakers or barefoot, whichever is better for the sandy, maybe wet race course!
This unique race was the brainstorm of Ironman Triathlete and Los Barriles resident, Bonnie Herter and Duke City
Marathon (Albuquerque, NM) Race Director and RV visitor Tico Navarro. The first race was in 2013 and Roadrunner
Café owner Bob Farmer and Buena Vista Beach Resort’s Felipe Valdez signed on as title sponsors. The sponsorship
funds and registration fees from the 60 participants were then donated to the Eastcape Guild’s scholarship program.
Last year, with the additional marketing and timing expertise of Sportvision Race Systems of La Paz, the race grew to
150 participants. The male and female winners of the 5K race were awarded free entry and expenses (airfare not in-
cluded) to the October 2014 Duke City Marathon in Albuquerque, NM. where
Beach Bash female winner Delia De La Toba of La Paz finished second in her age group, and male winner Luis Garcia
Rangel of San José finished an astonishing 10 th overall, and qualified to enter the 2015 Boston Marathon. What an
amazing accomplishment for both of these runners!
This year, the race will feature the same course and awards, which include
laptop computers to the winners in two student categories. There will be a
special Kids one kilometer Race, free for children up to 12 years, as a
warm-up to the main 5K event.
Registration for the 2015 Eastcape Beach Bash is available at the Snell
Real Estate offices in Plaza del Pueblo, Los Barriles, and Plaza Eres in La
Ribera. Registration is also available at Innasports stores in La Paz & Los
Cabos .
For complete information in Spanish or English: navarro@pagosa.net
"Orphanage"
Are your passing thoughts
wanting action? By: Alexandra Delis-Abrams
It is said that we have 60,000 thoughts a day (mas o
menos). Some are sabotaging, demeaning and down right
nasty. While others are elevating, supporting and inspir-
ing. Which do you choose? Chocolate or va-
nilla? Which do you choose?
After returning to LB from the Todos Santos art tour and
learning about an annual auction to support their local
orphanage, I had a thought….an idea!!! Why couldn’t we
do that for the orphanage in LaPaz? “We can,” was the
next message I heard from the powerful inner voice.
OK...the universe sent the message, I got it and took ac-
tion. To give the idea energy, the next day, I went to
Lazy Daze, business establishment of the infamous
Rexe. Rexe is the lady who, along with her crew, raised
15K pesos to help improve the lives of young people on
the East Cape. We can thank Lord Of The Winds for
choosing Los Barrlles as the location for their kiteboard-
ing event and offering proceeds to various community
projects. Recently, at a Rotary meeting held at Lazy
Daze, the club gave a check to Roberto, the man who runs
the orphanage, for half that amount. Rexe and her crew
were also honored for originating this successful and lu-
crative event for the kids. So awesome!
That check will go a long way, but not long enough to
rebuild the working mechanism of the carpentry shop
which was destroyed during the hurricane. The structure
that now stands in its place is made of concrete, however,
it is vacant. No windows, doors or necessities to restore
this space into a working facility to once again, make
items that are sold for their sustenance. “For example it
costs about $10,000 pesos per week to provide the 30
children with food, water, school, dwelling, electricity,
fuel etc and they only receive money from selling things
Recycle and share with a friend or return to the Eastcapers Rack.
Read the color version online at www.eastcapearts.com
Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 18 19
WAIT… SHAKESPEARE
DIDN’T WRITE “ROBIN
HOOD,” DID HE?!
By: Larry Epstein
We all know the legend of Robin Hood: robbed from
the rich, gave to the poor, and, with his band of Merry
Men, battled the evil Prince John and his Sheriff in
the forests of medieval England.
In 2015 BAJA SHAKESPEARE will reveal the
source of the legend: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE,
who stars in this original script! Come watch as
Shakespeare befriends Robin Hood and persuades
him to take up the cause of the oppressed peasants of
Stratford-upon-Avon. Fall in love with the fair Maid
Marian, Shakespeare’s niece and muse. After all, both
the hero Robin Hood and the evil Prince John fall in
love with her, too. Join Marian in the dungeon after
she rejects Prince John, and he leaves her in the
clutches of a couple of musical dungeon keepers.
Watch as the ladies of Stratford-upon-Avon and a hi-
larious court jester soften Marian’s hard time. Quaff
a cup of mead with Friar Tuck, Little John, Will Scar-
lett and the quaint townsfolk of Stratford-upon-Avon.
And see Marian’s “Uncle William” and Robin’s
Merry Men and Women save her and the Kingdom
with a little help from their friends and the true King
of England.
So join Shakespeare, his niece and our heroes, villains
and townsfolk as they ride through the English forest
--- with breaks for drinks, songs and humor --- to a
thrilling conclusion.
This year a lively band --- the Merry Minstrels, under
the baton of Jeanette Grittani --- will accompany our
actors as they sing and dance their way into your
hearts.
This year’s production is directed by long-time Baja
Shakespearean Camilla Ford and choreographed by
Robin Jackman.
Our family-friendly script was penned by Larry Ep-
stein, who also wrote last year’s play, and co-writer
Jill Broussard. They have woven some 90 quotes
from works by the Bard into their thoroughly modern
script to help make this SHAKESPEARE’S Robin
Hood.
For the second year, the show will be performed at
the air conditioned Buena Vista Beach Resort in Spa
Buena Vista. The resort will offer audience members
special deals. For room and meal reservations, contact
info@hotelbuenavista.com or phone 624-142-0099.
Performances will be held on Friday March 20, Sat-
urday March 21st, Thursday March 26th, Friday
March 27th, and Saturday March 28th, 2015. The
curtain will rise promptly at 7:00 PM. For those with
early bed times, there also will be a matinée perform-
ance at 1:30 PM on Sunday March 22nd, 2015.
Tickets are only $20 or 300 pesos. They will be
available in Los Barriles at Galeria Los Angeles and
at Baja Homes and Land. For “Will Call” tickets,
contact nanatembden@ymail.com or phone 624-141
-0593. And to secure seats in the front rows, join
Friends of Baja Shakespeare, our support group.
Contact Anne at herschleb@gmail.com.
Do not miss it! And do not wait. We expect another
sell-out crowd this year at every performance! Buy
your tickets today. Seats are limited.
For more information, go to
www.facebook.com/pages/Baja-
Shakespeare/220397878011557
or contact our producer Kim at
tyfield1@hotmail.com.
Recycle and share with a friend or return to the Eastcapers Rack.
Read the color version online at www.eastcapearts.com
Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 18 19
WAIT… SHAKESPEARE
DIDN’T WRITE “ROBIN
HOOD,” DID HE?!
By: Larry Epstein
We all know the legend of Robin Hood: robbed from
the rich, gave to the poor, and, with his band of Merry
Men, battled the evil Prince John and his Sheriff in
the forests of medieval England.
In 2015 BAJA SHAKESPEARE will reveal the
source of the legend: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE,
who stars in this original script! Come watch as
Shakespeare befriends Robin Hood and persuades
him to take up the cause of the oppressed peasants of
Stratford-upon-Avon. Fall in love with the fair Maid
Marian, Shakespeare’s niece and muse. After all, both
the hero Robin Hood and the evil Prince John fall in
love with her, too. Join Marian in the dungeon after
she rejects Prince John, and he leaves her in the
clutches of a couple of musical dungeon keepers.
Watch as the ladies of Stratford-upon-Avon and a hi-
larious court jester soften Marian’s hard time. Quaff
a cup of mead with Friar Tuck, Little John, Will Scar-
lett and the quaint townsfolk of Stratford-upon-Avon.
And see Marian’s “Uncle William” and Robin’s
Merry Men and Women save her and the Kingdom
with a little help from their friends and the true King
of England.
So join Shakespeare, his niece and our heroes, villains
and townsfolk as they ride through the English forest
--- with breaks for drinks, songs and humor --- to a
thrilling conclusion.
This year a lively band --- the Merry Minstrels, under
the baton of Jeanette Grittani --- will accompany our
actors as they sing and dance their way into your
hearts.
This year’s production is directed by long-time Baja
Shakespearean Camilla Ford and choreographed by
Robin Jackman.
Our family-friendly script was penned by Larry Ep-
stein, who also wrote last year’s play, and co-writer
Jill Broussard. They have woven some 90 quotes
from works by the Bard into their thoroughly modern
script to help make this SHAKESPEARE’S Robin
Hood.
For the second year, the show will be performed at
the air conditioned Buena Vista Beach Resort in Spa
Buena Vista. The resort will offer audience members
special deals. For room and meal reservations, contact
info@hotelbuenavista.com or phone 624-142-0099.
Performances will be held on Friday March 20, Sat-
urday March 21st, Thursday March 26th, Friday
March 27th, and Saturday March 28th, 2015. The
curtain will rise promptly at 7:00 PM. For those with
early bed times, there also will be a matinée perform-
ance at 1:30 PM on Sunday March 22nd, 2015.
Tickets are only $20 or 300 pesos. They will be
available in Los Barriles at Galeria Los Angeles and
at Baja Homes and Land. For “Will Call” tickets,
contact nanatembden@ymail.com or phone 624-141
-0593. And to secure seats in the front rows, join
Friends of Baja Shakespeare, our support group.
Contact Anne at herschleb@gmail.com.
Do not miss it! And do not wait. We expect another
sell-out crowd this year at every performance! Buy
your tickets today. Seats are limited.
For more information, go to
www.facebook.com/pages/Baja-
Shakespeare/220397878011557
or contact our producer Kim at
tyfield1@hotmail.com.
Recycle and share with a friend or return to the Eastcapers Rack.
Read the color version online at www.eastcapearts.com
Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 20 17
and donations. So money for food and things like this is
very helpful,” says Adam Greenberg, advocate for New
Creations.
Well back to my visit with Rexe to share my
idea. Within a few minutes she said, “honey, anything for
the kids.” And a week later, I had commitments and promises
of over 30 items...from hand made earrings, to overnight at the
Palmas De Cortez to an all-day fishing trip. The generosity
from this little community is deeply electrifying. The universe
just continues to open one door after another…..A good indica-
tion that I’m on the right path.
I invite you to take a few moments while basking in the
surrounding beauty, applying a touch of sunscreen to
your face and sipping your negro modelo to ponder the
idea of what life would be like living in an orphanage...no
parents, no actual bedroom to call your own, no play-
dates. Instead, being with others like yourself who have
become “family” due to similar circumstances. Would
you tout a stellar positive attitude most of the
time? Would you dream big for your future? Would you
hustle about to secure jobs to grow your very own bank
account? Would you believe in yourself? A support
team is essential for all of the above. We can each make
a difference in their lives by first of all listening--how can
I provide encouragement, emotionally? How can I offer
my skills to help rebuild structures or improve the land-
scape? How can I inspire these kids to believe in them-
selves and to see their own unique inner goodness,
worth, and power? How can I give financially to enrich
their lifestyle?
Save the date: March 15, 4 pm - ??
Lazy Days. Looks like we’ll have a huge
musical surprise that will take this event off
the charts. So come one come all, and bring
your open hearts to the festivities.
PS: (Meetings will be held every Tuesday for the next 3
weeks at Lazy Daze at 2 pm--all are welcome)
5K Beach Bash Footrace on the beach at Buena Vista Beach Resort
Adult, Masters and Student age categories
1K Kids Fun Run Kids to age 12 Free
Date: March 15, 2015 Time: Kids K 8:30 am
5 K 9:00 am
Beneficiary: Los Barriles Cabo Este Rotary Club for community projects
Major sponsors: Snell Real Estate
Buena Vista Beach Resort
Fees: Kids K 0-12 YEARS FREE
5K 0-18 YEARS $50 PESOS
19 AND OLDER $150 PESOS
The 3rd Annual Eastcape Beach Bash is coming to a beach near you on Sunday, March 15. You can run the
5 kilometer course in your favorite sneakers or barefoot, whichever is better for the sandy, maybe wet race course!
This unique race was the brainstorm of Ironman Triathlete and Los Barriles resident, Bonnie Herter and Duke City
Marathon (Albuquerque, NM) Race Director and RV visitor Tico Navarro. The first race was in 2013 and Roadrunner
Café owner Bob Farmer and Buena Vista Beach Resort’s Felipe Valdez signed on as title sponsors. The sponsorship
funds and registration fees from the 60 participants were then donated to the Eastcape Guild’s scholarship program.
Last year, with the additional marketing and timing expertise of Sportvision Race Systems of La Paz, the race grew to
150 participants. The male and female winners of the 5K race were awarded free entry and expenses (airfare not in-
cluded) to the October 2014 Duke City Marathon in Albuquerque, NM. where
Beach Bash female winner Delia De La Toba of La Paz finished second in her age group, and male winner Luis Garcia
Rangel of San José finished an astonishing 10 th overall, and qualified to enter the 2015 Boston Marathon. What an
amazing accomplishment for both of these runners!
This year, the race will feature the same course and awards, which include
laptop computers to the winners in two student categories. There will be a
special Kids one kilometer Race, free for children up to 12 years, as a
warm-up to the main 5K event.
Registration for the 2015 Eastcape Beach Bash is available at the Snell
Real Estate offices in Plaza del Pueblo, Los Barriles, and Plaza Eres in La
Ribera. Registration is also available at Innasports stores in La Paz & Los
Cabos .
For complete information in Spanish or English: navarro@pagosa.net
"Orphanage"
Are your passing thoughts
wanting action? By: Alexandra Delis-Abrams
It is said that we have 60,000 thoughts a day (mas o
menos). Some are sabotaging, demeaning and down right
nasty. While others are elevating, supporting and inspir-
ing. Which do you choose? Chocolate or va-
nilla? Which do you choose?
After returning to LB from the Todos Santos art tour and
learning about an annual auction to support their local
orphanage, I had a thought….an idea!!! Why couldn’t we
do that for the orphanage in LaPaz? “We can,” was the
next message I heard from the powerful inner voice.
OK...the universe sent the message, I got it and took ac-
tion. To give the idea energy, the next day, I went to
Lazy Daze, business establishment of the infamous
Rexe. Rexe is the lady who, along with her crew, raised
15K pesos to help improve the lives of young people on
the East Cape. We can thank Lord Of The Winds for
choosing Los Barrlles as the location for their kiteboard-
ing event and offering proceeds to various community
projects. Recently, at a Rotary meeting held at Lazy
Daze, the club gave a check to Roberto, the man who runs
the orphanage, for half that amount. Rexe and her crew
were also honored for originating this successful and lu-
crative event for the kids. So awesome!
That check will go a long way, but not long enough to
rebuild the working mechanism of the carpentry shop
which was destroyed during the hurricane. The structure
that now stands in its place is made of concrete, however,
it is vacant. No windows, doors or necessities to restore
this space into a working facility to once again, make
items that are sold for their sustenance. “For example it
costs about $10,000 pesos per week to provide the 30
children with food, water, school, dwelling, electricity,
fuel etc and they only receive money from selling things
Recycle and share with a friend or return to the Eastcapers Rack.
Read the color version online at www.eastcapearts.com
Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 16 21
trying to get as far off as we could. What happened
next amazed us. The truck coming from behind would
stop... and wait for the other lane to be free so he could
pull out and around us. And he'd wave as he went
by! This happened dozens of times!
Riding through the incredible landscape of Baja has
been an experience we won't soon forget. Being sur-
rounded by the raw and rugged beauty of places like
the Reserva de la Biosfera de El Viscaino and the
Catavina Boulder Field were quite remarkable and
humbling experiences. Essentially you just can't be-
lieve you're actually riding a bicycle through such
places. And it continued... further south there was the
mind blowing beauty of the Bahia de Concepcion. On
a bicycle one has the time to let the beauty of these
places make an imprint on your soul.
As we progressed into Baja Sur, we slowed our pace
down to enjoy it all. We had an extended stay in Lo-
reto, partly because it's a pretty cool little town, but
mainly because we had to. Unfortunately, Heather was
bitten by a dog and we needed to make sure the injury
was OK before we moved on. We were lucky to have
a doctor and two nurses staying in the RV park where
we were camped so we chose not to access local
care. By this time, we had made reservations at a hotel
in Los Barriles for Christmas and we were behind
schedule. Good Samaritans from BC and Germany
gave us rides that got us all the way to La Paz.
Just before Christmas, we rode from La Paz to Los
Barriles. We were happy to be finally settling into the
Hotel Los Barriles - our comfortable home for the holi-
days. It was at that point we realized Los Barriles
might be "that place" we had thought about at the start
of our tour. For us it was a perfect fit. What more
could one want? January 1st we moved into a rented
palapa in Juanita's Garden and celebrated our achieve-
ment of cycling over 5000 kilometers only to arrive at
such a beautiful place. We had also met our goal - to
miss the Canadian winter! And we got here under our
own steam!
Los Barriles has become a place of refuge as well. On
January 5th, Heather's brush with the dog in Loreto
came back to haunt us. We made sure to have all our
immunizations before we left including Rabies and
Tetanus but it was different than either of those
things. We started with a visit to the wonderful East
Cape Urgent Care Clinic and the even more wonderful
Dr. Toledo. After receiving some exemplary care,
Continued on Pg 22
Quesnel Bikers cycle
to Baja Sur
By: Chris and Heather Hartridge,
Every year for the past nine years we've taken the time
to do what we love - self supported bicycle tour-
ing. Tours have taken us around the Pacific Northwest
as far south as Utah. We typically leave from our
doorstep to cycle south and our current trip is no ex-
c e p t i o n .
Having just retired, we left home in Quesnel BC on
July 26th with a goal to get as far south as we could in
9 months. We made it known that if we found a nice
place to spend time away from the blowing snow back
home, we'd stay there. Through the summer and fall
we followed a route that included the Chilcotin Plateau
in BC, Vancouver Island, the Olympic Peninsula in
Washington and the Hood Canal. As we rolled south,
we came to Astoria Oregon and stayed with the amaz-
ing Pacific Coast roads all the way to San Diego. We
had no desire to ride our bikes through busy LA so we
took the Amtrak from San Luis Obispo to San Diego
where we prepared for the crossing in to Mexico.
At the border, if you're on a bicycle you shuffle along
with the pedestrians up to the now famous revolving
gate under the MEXICO sign. No turning back now!
We got our precious tarjetas touristicas and we headed
down the ramp out of the office with the hundreds of
other walkers headed out into the melee. There's no
question, riding on bicycles through Tijuana in the
middle of a busy afternoon is not for the faint of
heart. Like most people who haven't visited Baja, our
family and friends were really concerned for our
safety. Not long after crossing the border we realized
there were more people waving, smiling and asking if
we needed help than we'd EVER see in Canada.
For the next seven weeks we meandered down the
length of Baja sticking to Hwy. # 1 most of the
time. We met so many wonderfully friendly people
along the way the daily stresses of cycling melted
away. Oh, and how WAS the cycling? There's no
question that the road is not an easy one to ride and it's
not for novices. However, it was made possible and
even comfortable by courteous drivers. Imagine a
place on the highway with no shoulder, just a drop
off. Yes, there's plenty of them! Now imagine a semi-
truck coming towards you and one coming up behind
you. We made it a point to always pull over and stop,
Recycle and share with a friend or return to the Eastcapers Rack.
Read the color version online at www.eastcapearts.com
Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 15 22
Biking continued from pg 21
we're happy to say she's on the mend thanks to East
Cape's Charlene Wenger and Dr. Toledo along with
Dr. Cardenas at CIFO in San Jose del Cabo.
Heather is on the mend and we're happy we found
this oasis. Serendipity played a role in this story
too. On a rainy morning in Cannon Beach Oregon,
we met a lady named Chris. She was fascinated by
our tour and asked where we were going. Our origi-
nal plans had us riding as far south as Nicaragua,
through Baja, and not really going any farther south
than the La Paz/Mazatlan ferry. We had no idea
how lucky we were when she told us about the little
town of Los Barriles.
Follow our blog:
www.crazyguyonabike.com/quesnelbikers2014
Making Friends
with the Chayote
By: Renée Lagloire and Denise Elliott
Buen Provecho Baja
Chayote is your friend! When Hurricane Odile hit
the East Cape area and few fresh vegetables were
available for purchase, there it was … the chayote,
green, hard to the touch, and shaped like a pear. It
finds its way into most Mexican kitchens, and is
therefore almost always available in small and
large grocery stores. Chayote is inexpensive, read-
ily available, and can be very tasty! If you don’t
know it, you might want to become acquainted!
It is thought that chayote is native to Central Amer-
ica and Mexico. It was a staple in ancient Mexico,
where it was first domesticated. In the Aztecs’ Na-
huatl language, it was called chayotl, but it was
known thousands of years before among the Maya
of the Yucatan Peninsula where its fruit, its ten-
drils, flowers and roots were part of the cuisine.
Chayote is now grown all over Latin America, and
worldwide under various names, among others,
vegetable pear, chocho, mirliton, or christophine.
A perennial vine, chayote (Sechium edule) is in the
gourd family, but is unusual in that it has a single,
edible seed which is considered the most delicious
part of the vegetable. Chayote is simple to grow,
simply bury a whole chayote halfway in the ground
horizontally near a fence where it can climb, and
water regularly. You will soon have a vigorous tall
vine that will produce numerous chayote.
While the taste of chayote is relatively neutral, its
ability to soak in added flavors makes it a welcome
addition to any meal. Only the larger chayotes need
to be peeled to be eaten. It is cubed or sliced, de-
pending on its use. It should be treated much like
you would a zucchini or other squash, but it needs
to cook longer. Chayote is wonderful on the grill
with a mojo de ajo, or cubed in stews and stir-fries,
but you might make lifelong friends with it by try-
ing this simple grilled chayote recipe from one of
our Buen Provecho Mexican cooking and culture
classes.
Lime and Herb Grilled Chayote - Chayote a la Plancha con Limon y Hierbas
4 chayotes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
(Other herbs of choice if desired)
Salt and pepper
1. Make sure the grill is turned on.
2. If the chayotes are large and the skin is tough or spikey, peel them. Otherwise, no need to peel. Do not remove the seed, it is considered a delicacy!
3. Slice the chayotes about 1⁄4 inch thick. Place in a shal-low bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.
4. Grill the marinated chayote slices until very tender and serve. Make sure they are cooked until they are soft and darkly golden.
Recycle and share with a friend or return to the Eastcapers Rack.
Read the color version online at www.eastcapearts.com
Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 14 23
A Letter of Introduction from
Caffe’ Encinalito
Three years from now we may be friends. In two years
perhaps you’ll know us. Next year you might be regu-
lars. And right now you have no idea who we
are. Caffe’ Encinalito is our name and espresso is our
business. We are Jacqueline and Sasha Landis, your en-
thusiastic local baristas. You may have seen us last year
selling our coffee beans at the Community Market. Or
perhaps you’ve driven by our storefront on Calle Costa
Brava on your way to the beach. These days we spend
most of our time here at our cafecito where we roast cof-
fee, sling espresso, and bake little yummies. While it’s
tempting to use this space to wax poetic about our or-
ganic, fairly traded wares, let’s instead quench any lin-
gering curiosity and tell you a bit about how this caffe
came to be.
It wasn’t the wind that we chased down to Los Barriles,
but family. Though Sasha hails from Alaska, and I my-
self am a native of California, we met in the middle: Port
Townsend, Washington. Sasha’s father, Scott, has been
living here in Southern Baja for the better part of twenty
years, so Sasha himself has been visiting for equally as
long. I entered the Landis family picture about five years
ago and, with Sasha, have yearly been swooping down
from Washington ever since. After ever-lengthening va-
cations to the area, in 2013 we were married in the hills at
the beautiful Rancho La Venta. Soon thereafter we began
scheming on how to spend more time in Mex-
ico. Promptly, a little business plan was hatched for what
we saw as a much-needed commodity: coffee. And be-
fore we knew it, thanks to the massive support of our
families, the dream of a caffe’ was realized. The result is
here for you to see!
Caffe’ Encinalito, which means â little oak grove, gets
its name from Sasha’s father’s rancho in the sierra. Our
menu is a simple one, based in the authentic Italian ritual
of espresso. We use a traditional piston machine made
by Rancilio, meaning our shots are hand-pulled, ulti-
mately giving us more control over our espresso. In all
our machine’s nuances we were trained by Andrea Spella
of Spella Caffe in Portland, Oregon (named best espresso
in Portland by the New York Times). As far as our aes-
thetic: it follows our menu in its simplicity, marrying the
calm of Baja with the clean, cool shade of our palms. We
are open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday,
from 8 am to 3 in the afternoon. Come say hello and
share your own story. We would love to know you.
“We are a Family Company working in
the Eastcape area since 1998…”
Jorge Ayala, Jr Architect since 2006
Prof Lic # 5832089
Cell Ph # (624) 348-5607
ljacompanylb@gmail.com
Jorge Ayala, Sr Civil Engineer since 1984
Prof Lic # 1356247
Cell Ph (612) 348-8417
losbarrilesdesigns@gmail.com
We can provide you the following services:
Architecture from the Concepts to the Final Drawings in
Cad system, including the services in 3D renderings.
Civil, Structural & Mechanical Engineering.
Construction of any type of Building Systems such as
Foam Panels, Cement Blocks, Post and Beams, Con-
crete Insulated Forms, Rammed Earth, Etc…
Our Main Office is located in downtown Los Barriles on
the main drag, next to La Fayla’s Supermarket.
Office Ph # (624) 141-0155
Email: losbarrilesdesigns@gmail.com
www.losbarrilesdesigns.com
TALK IS CHEAP or is it??? By: Sefi Held,
Talking is something that is very unique to us humans,
yet it still remains a mystery. Noam Chomsky, was an
intellectual prodigy who went on to earn a PhD in lin-
guistics at the University of Pennsylvania and is deemed
to be the godfather of linguistics, and was the first to sug-
gest that our ability to talk is innate. Noam Chomsky’s
best-known book on linguistics is called, “Syntactic
Structures”. We barely notice that we are doing it, yet it
takes thousands of decisions and thousands of thoughts
each time that we use language. Just the physical action
of pushing air through our mouths, we take a thought in
our heads, and release it as the spoken word. Amazing!
Other animals also make sounds to communicate, but
speech and language distinguishes us from all the other
species. It really is miraculous how our brain does it and
how we learn to talk remains an even deeper mystery.
And, then, you take into consideration the fact that we
speak in so many different languages that it makes talk-
ing even more amazing!
Are we losing this fine art of speech? Of conversation?
AND Of Talking? 88% of North Americans are on line
daily! Take a look around you the next time you are at
the airport, in a restaurant or on the beach and you’ll see
whole families checking email, reading from an e-reader,
chatting online, Twittering, etc. during the entire time
that they are together to spend “some quality time” with
each other. Apparently IPhone are allowed into school
classrooms now! What happened to talk? To looking at
people directly and making eye contact with them and to
just listening to the person or persons you are with? This
may also have something to do with our very short-
attention span and the need for immediate results. Yes,
we are truly a changing society and what has taken us
eons to evolve, is being lost.
The throat is a particularly important area of the body as
it is associated with our respiratory system, our digestive
system and it, is one of the higher levels of our energetic
system. The given name is Visshuddha in Sanskrit.
Vishuddi or throat chakra is the fifth primary chakra ac-
cording to the Hindu tradition. Vishuddha Chakra
unleashes an unlimited feeling of happiness and freedom
that allows our abilities and skills to blossom. Along
with this stage of development there is a clear voice, a
talent for singing and speech, as well as balanced and
calm thoughts. When we give voice to our thoughts,
many times the chatter in our heads which appears as
“thoughts”, are made clear. Until this Chakra is fully de-
veloped, certain difficulties may be experienced. Block-
age of the Vishuddhi Chakra produces feelings of
.
anxiety, lack of freedom, restriction, thyroid and throat
problems. There may be physically unfounded manifes-
tations of swallowing problems and speech impediments.
An open Throat Chakra allows us to express ourselves
and communicate with others. Are you in need of a com-
munication tune-up? Visit us at the Sukhasan Yoga and
Pilates Studio: we talk, we listen and we welcome you.
Think about the next time that you choose email, Twitter
or Facebook over the phone, or better yet, face-to- face
contact, Re-think, Re-feel and choose talk!! Also, listen
to what is not being said. Just Listen.
The key is finding that balance in whatever we do in life.
After all, it is up to us individually to recognize when we
need to detox digitally. So many things that we think are
of extreme importance don’t really matter very much at
all. There is no secret to life and no magic path. Every
experience we share is golden and every experience in-
forms who we are and who we will become. Make your
experiences count.
“For millions of years, mankind lived just like the ani-
mals. Then something happened which unleashed the
power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we
learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication
of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build
the impossible. Mankind's greatest achievements have
come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not
talking. It doesn't have to be like this. Our greatest hopes
could become reality in the future. With the technology
at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we
need to do is make sure we keep talking.”
Stephen Hawking
Sefi Held, A.C.E., CanfitPro certified Personal Trainer, Fit-
ness, Yoga, Pilates and Older Adult Fitness Specialist Instruc-
tor, Resist-A-Ball and Zumba certified teaching at the Suk-
hasana Yoga and Pilates Studio located within the Healing
Winds Holistic Center, Los Barriles, BCS.
.
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Feb/Mar 13 24
IT’S THE DIRT By: Holly Burgin
I planted the seeds for my vegetable garden in December
before we left for the US for the holidays. When I re-
turned a month later, the garden had gone crazy. Not only
had all the seeds come up and the plants had grown tall,
but I also had a crop of weeds and volunteers. After a few
days of weeding, it was clear I had an over-abundance of
tomatoes and other vegies. So, I put the word out on the
BPE and people as far away Cabo Pulmo came for veggie
starts for their gardens. I shared about 70 of my tomato
“children” with my fellow gardeners.
Tomato lovers brought their own pots; and we dug up my
extra seedlings, as well as the volunteers. Of course, with
the volunteers, it is always a surprise as to which variety
it will be; but I think most were a small cherry variety
(really about the size of currants) called Matt’s Wild
Cherry that I first planted in 2011. They are tiny sweet
morsels that just keep coming back, year after year. I
figure, now that I have shared so many volunteers, all of
Los Barriles will be eating Matt’s Wild Cherry tomatoes.
One question I was asked, over and over, as the garden
people arrived to claim their tomatoes was “Where do you
get your dirt?” Well, there is not a simple answer to this
question. But one answer might be -- “Not here.” I do not
consider the terra firma that is around my house to be
“dirt.” Up here on the hill, north of town, it must be de-
composed granite, because only the hardiest of the local
flora can survive in this inhospitable terrain. I have raised
beds for my vegetable garden and every year I consider
new ways I can amend the soil that has, little by little, im-
proved to become a beautiful, rich, organic “tierra”.
So, how did I do it? Well, it took a while, but I think with
all the rain this year, anyone starting a garden has some
advantages that are not always available. So, take advan-
tage of this moment.
First, dig out all the crappy dirt; and I am using the term
“dirt” loosely (although not the word “crappy”)
that is in your garden plot. Unless you live in an
arroyo, assume your “dirt” is as above described.
Head to La Riberia and when you get to the place
where the road to La Ribera crosses an arroyo,
pull over and start digging. The loamy soil that
has washed down the arroyo is the perfect base
for building your garden soil. Take as much as
you need for 80% of your pots or garden plot. But
this is just the beginning.
Home Depot is my source of instant organic mat-
ter. If you do not have a compost pile, peat moss
will provide most of the needed organic material
you will need to help build great garden soil. I
add about 10 - 15% peat moss to my raised beds
each year. If you are just starting a garden, use as
much as you can afford. I have read that peat
moss retains up to 20 times its weight in mois-
ture, and releases water slowly as plants need it;
allows for proper root growth by loosening and
aerating soils; adds body to sandy soil; reduces
leaching of nutrients in or added to the soil
(which saves on fertilizer); protects soil from
hardening; and is environmentally friendly and
free of insects, weeds, seeds, salts and chemicals,
and represents good economic value. Or course,
if you have a compost pile, use your own com-
post to amend the soil. BTW, Buen Provecho in
San Bartolo (our fabulous Mexican cooking
school) will be selling compost from their huerta
next season, replete with seasoned goat, cow and
horse manure. It should be amazing!
Continued on pg 25
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Feb/Mar 12
recycled into a wonderful building block with out-standing insulating properties. There are several homes in Los Barriles built from this EF Block. Thank you for recycling, supporting environmental education in our schools, and preserving our beautiful marine-centered community!
HELP
STRETC
H OUR CIRCULATION OF
EASTCAPERS MAGAZINE!
When you are done reading the Eastcapers
magazine, if you don’t plan on saving it in
your collection of great reads and have no
one to pass it on to, then return it to the East-
capers Rack where you found it! Not only
will this allow more people
to enjoy the Eastcapers, but
this will help us stretch and
recycle it in
the very best way!!!
25
RECYCLING
ANNOUNCEMENT
By: Lynn Mirasson
East Cape Recycling Baja must announce that we
are no longer able to recycle any glass until further notice. Several creative people have come forward with projects that utilize glass bottles, such as build-ing them into walls and other decorative ideas, but the vast remainder end up going to the landfill. Until we can again find a receptive organization, please try to reduce the number of bottles you buy (beer in cans?) and toss in the garbage, and put on your thinking cap regarding creative ways to reuse what you do produce. ECRB continues to recycle many other materials on the first Thursday of each month. Please consult our website: www.eastcaperecyclingbaja.com for dates and a complete list of what we accept. We are particularly trying to save EPS (expanded polystyrene) from landing in the landfill. This is the white "styrofoam" packing material that comes around your new TVs and appliances. We collect this material and it is
Dirt continued from page 24 This should get your garden started; but if you want to go
to the extra effort (you reap what you sow), I add worm
castings. Worm castings are one of the world richest
fertilizers. Worm castings are worm “poop” and occur
naturally in soil that has earthworms. Not surprisingly,
the soil in Baja is so sandy and rocky that I have never
seen an earthworm in my natural garden. Unlike animal
manure and artificial fertilizers, it is absorbed easily and
immediately by plants. Lucky for us, Maurico Acle, the
owner of Organicos Baja Sur, in La Paz (near the La Paz
airport), http://www.organicosbajasur.com (use Google
Chrome and it will automatically translate websites from
Spanish to English) has a worm farm and sells 50-kilo
bags of worm castings for approximately $200 pesos per
bag. I add about 5% worm castings to my raised beds
each year.
Raised garden beds require rotating your crops and extra
effort each year to keep your soil rich and vital. It does
take a little extra work, and some added cost, but the
payoff is HUGE. Except as discussed above, I rarely fer-
tilize my vegetable garden; and every year I have a
bumper crop. If you start with rich organic soil, you will
have a wonderful garden. If the ground in which you
plant your seeds is weak and lacking nutrients, your
plants will be weak, small and will not have the strength
to deal with insect infestations and other blights. We can-
not eat all that I grow in
my garden and so my
friends and neighbors
become the beneficiaries
of my great garden soil.
It’s the dirt!!! Happy
gardening!
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Feb/Mar 11 26
Continued from Pg 10
To the west is the Pacific. Sitting there, we were sur-
rounded by fields, palm groves and the farm. I am al-
ways in awe when I go there. The food, again, was
phenomenal. Owner/Chef Marcos made us a trio of
exotic Margaritas. I chose the Pomegranate Margarita,
made with mescal and fresh pomegranate juice from
the garden. Deb had a Mango Margarita and Colleen
had a Baja Sunrise, with house made Jamaica liqueur,
lime, fresh orange juice and tequila. Craving Italian
food, I had Eggplant Parmesan for lunch. The others
shared hummus and fresh veggies along with Roasted
Squash Soup. To-die-for.
We had planned to visit Rancho Pescadero, a world
class boutique resort closer to the beach, but it was
closed for a private event. I’ve been there before and I
will attest that their Pineapple-Cilantro Margarita is
excellent, as is there chile-rimmed Mango Margarita.
Saturday: Our first stop was Art & Beer, the place that
started it all for me nine years ago. Instead of just one
Exotic Margarita, there was now an entire chalk board
filled with them. Deb ordered a Kiwi Margarita. Col-
leen ordered a Mixed Berry Margarita and I went with
my old favorite, the Citrus Margarita. While we were
waiting for them to be made, we wandered around the
property and took photos. There was far more art and
sculptures than on my previous visit, and the backdrop
of Cerritos Beach and the Pacific was beautiful. All
three Margaritas were delicious and beautifully gar-
nished. As we drank them, we discussed but decided
against having another round. Instead we put the paper
umbrellas behind our ears and headed north to our next
destination.
Hacienda Cerritos is a spectacular Mexican Hacienda
perched dramatically on the cliffs at the north end of
Cerritos Beach. Its oceanfront bar is open to the public,
and a must see for all visitors. Their signature drink is
the Basil Margarita. Deb and Colleen had theirs on the
rocks and I had mine blended. We agreed mine was
better. I am a huge fan of basil, and this drink rocks my
world. The view isn’t bad either and we spotted plenty
of whales in the short time we were there.
Because we could, we made out last stop Hierbabuena
Hortaliza again. This time, Marcos made Deb his ver-
sion of the Basil Margarita with muddled basil from
his garden, white tequila, limon and Controy. It was
shaken like and served with a salted rim. Colleen tried
his Watermelon Margarita and I had a Pineapple-
Cilantro Margarita. Every one delicious.
So … is anyone up for an Exotic Margarita Party? Ole!
.
Citrus Margarea and board— Art and Beer (above)
Basil Margareta—Hacienda Cerritos (left)
Exotic Margaritas - Hierbabuena Hortaliza
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Feb/Mar 10 27
A Different Day in the
life of Badger, the dog
By: Emma Nicholson
My normal morning goes something like this…
Wake up and stare at my parents until they sense my gaze
and start to stir.
Thump my tail furiously to ensure they are fully woken,
lick their feet/hands or whatever part of them is sticking
out of the comforter, and then do an exaggerated loud
yawn coupled with a vigorous shake. This is guaranteed
to ensure they don’t fall back to sleep.
A five minute pee break is always followed by my morn-
ing snack, and then a wonderful hour-long romp down
the arroyo with my fairly annoying sister Honey. (She
got the looks and I got the brains in the family). But this
morning, Wednesday 4th February to be exact, was differ-
ent. Following my snack, my sister Honey and I were
separated and I was led from the house ON A LEASH….
I say that with a fairly shouty voice because a leash is
only for times when we’re in a town, on a sidewalk or in
a foreign country. In my mind, a leash attaches my
Daddy to me. This therefore gives me the right to pull
him wherever I want to go (rather than where he wants to
go).
Anyway, we set off in our car – I like to sit in the middle
where I can be helpful navigating. My parents can some-
times be slow when it comes to directions. But today, we
didn’t go towards the arroyo; we went in the other direc-
tion. I furiously licked my Daddy to let him know about
his mistake, but we drove on.
After five minutes, we arrived at what I can only de-
scribe as heaven on earth…. A field of real green grass
that stretched for miles and miles… what a treat! I be-
lieve, (or so I hear) that it’s the same experience as par-
ents have when they roll around in silk sheets.
There on the grass were other dogs on leashes with their
parents. Having spotted a good friend of mine Peso, I
was desperate to get out of car to join the gang and find
out what the jeepers was going on. Hauling Daddy by his
leash, I joined the throng and we discussed quite loudly
what was happening. No-one had a clue. All we could
see was a bunch of plastic gate things, a hill made out of
wood, and some tunnel-like contraption that looked great
for peeing on. A more sensible mature dog called Kiwi
thought we might be at something called ‘agility training’
but she wasn’t sure.
Then we were moving. Daddy and I were directed to
what looked like a gate. And that’s where the fun be-
gan…. Daddy produced from nowhere a bag of my
favorite Barkery liver treats. Oh yes! This was starting
to get good! I have to admit that I was a little confused to
start with, and wasn’t quite sure why I couldn’t just walk
through the gate thing, or spend my time sniffing inside
the tunnel. But once I realized that I could get a treat if I
simply jumped over it, or speeded up slightly; I was sold!
Before I knew it, I was leaping over those gates, running
up the wooden hill and dashing through the black tunnel-
thing. Granted, there were a couple of moments I had to
stifle an inward laugh. The first was when Peso ran so
fast through the tunnel that he knocked his parent over.
(That’s because Peso doesn’t know his own strength).
The second was when a young pup called Amy ran
through the tunnel-thing and then carried on running out
of the field and towards her home. Hilarious.
Seriously? Could this get any better? A morning spent
with some of my best four-legged friends, eating as many
treats as I could get my paws on, and hanging out with
my Daddy doing fun, jumping and running stuff. Just as
I was beginning to perfect my run up the wooden hill,
Daddy shouted a chorus of goodbyes, and we were head-
ing back to the car. I was getting a little tired by now, but
I had had a fantastic time.
On arrival back at home, I was met by my quite stupid
sister Honey. Honestly, you would have thought I had
been away for months judging by her reaction to my arri-
val. After calming her down, by basically ignoring her
for a few minutes, I told her about my experience that
morning. How I had achieved things I had never done
before, how Daddy and I had worked closely together,
and how I had had tons of fun! At one point I realized
she was feigning interest as I could see her eying up an
old almond stuck under a chair leg. I didn’t care. I was
the star of the house today. I wasn’t going to lose that
great feeling. So with that, I took myself off to my bed
and reflected on the day’s achievements. I can’t wait until
the next training session in a week’s time, and tomorrow,
I’m going to tell the story all over again to my best friend
Vonnie. Soon I started to nod off with the fading sounds
of ‘weave Badger, weave Badger’ drifting into my con-
sciousness…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Badger showing of his skill and new talents!
SEARCHING OUT EXOTIC
MARGARITAS By Ann Hazard
In 2006 I discovered an unlikely place called Art &
Beer on the far end of Cerritos Beach, about 20 min-
utes south of Todos Santos. I say unlikely because I
was expecting a hippie art gallery serving beer. I got
the art gallery right. I got the hippie part right. I was
charmed by the rustic décor and all the living, breath-
ing art and sculptures. It was magical. But the surprise
was their signature—and my first—Exotic Margarita.
It was called a Citrus Margarita. Served in a frosty beer
mug, it was made of fresh—as in squeezed in front of
my eyes— orange, grapefruit, tangerine and limon
juices, tequila, Controy, an array of garnishes and a
paper umbrella. It was incredible. I came back to
Buena Vista after that trip and made them for all my
friends.
On recent trips to Todos Santos I began noticing a
trend. Every restaurant has at least one signature, ex-
otic Margarita. I talked (it didn’t take much talking)
my friends Colleen and Deb into doing a three day
Margarita Crawl—including Cerritos, Pescadero and
Todos Santos. I’m certain there are fancy Margaritas
all over Los Cabos, but I wanted to search out the cool,
slightly offbeat places. We took three days and we vis-
ited six restaurants. We weren’t just there for the
drinking. We were there for the ambience, and as al-
ways on Baja’s South Pacific Coast, the amazing food.
Thursday: Our first stop of the day was Tequila Sun-
rise, across the street from Hotel California in Todos
Santos.
It is always our favorite stop for lunch when we roll
into town. Deb always orders the Shrimp Chile Relle-
nos. I never order anything but the Beef Chimichangas.
The food is organic, beautifully prepared and ridicu-
lously addicting. Owner Manuel Valdez (brother of
Chuy who owns Hotel Buena Vista here) is charming.
He welcomes every guest at every table. His traditional
Margaritas are spectacular and he will show you how
they’re made when you visit. But we fell in love with
the Mango version. Garnished with a slice of limon
and sprig of mint, these are the best we‘ve found. The
recipes for both versions are on the wall, so bring a
camera or cell phone.
Colleen met up with us at our second stop, the Hotel
California. Deb and I fell in love with the Jamaica-
Jalapeno Margarita a few months ago. Juan, the bar-
tender showed me how it was made this time and I
took notes. (I have all the recipes, actually.) I love the
spicy edginess of the jalapeno, complementing the tang
of the Jamaica. Colleen hadn’t ever tried one before,
and her eyes lit up as she took her first sip. Another
winner.
Next door, Chef Dany Lamote, Hotel California’s ex-
ecutive chef, has a boutique restaurant called Santo
Vino. His most divine, decadent Margarita is a White
Chocolate Margarita, made with Mezcal. As a dessert
drink it’s unbeatable.
Friday: It rained early on, so we got a late start, stop-
ping in for lunch at Hierbabuena Hortaliza, a farm to
table restaurant I frequent every single time I’m on the
west coast. Located in Pescadero just down the road by
the Pemex Station, the dining area is an open air pavil-
ion in the middle of an organic farm. To the east are
the towering Sierra de la Laguna .
Continued pg 11
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Do dogs wag their tail only when they are happy?
Dogs wag their tail for many reasons and the most common occurrence is that they are either happy or nervous. Learning to
read what your dog is telling you, whether they are large or small, will go a long way in helping build your relation-
ship!
Los Barriles Dog Show
Would you like to see how Badger got on with his agil-
ity training? Then come along to The Los Barriles Dog
Show on Sunday March 15th at the Hotel Palmas de
Cortez in the center of Los Barriles. Badger and his four-
legged friends will be demonstrating just how much they
learnt in six weeks as they strut their stuff around the
agility course. You can also see other events on the day
including best looking dog (over & under 40 lbs), best
costume, cutest pair and best trick or skill. The doors
open at 10.30am, and if you’re coming to watch, please
bring a chair, picnic rug or something to sit on, and some
shade such as an umbrella. There will be music, face
painting, 50/50 raffle, a bar and food vendors including
Lighthouse Pizza, La Fogata and Carmen’s Smoothies.
Local veterinarians will be available to offer advice, and
Cristobal will be giving free rabies shots. Other vendors
include Copper River Designs (jewelry), The Baja Ken-
nel Club stand and ALMA’s stand. All monies raised go
towards spaying and neutering locally. For further infor-
mation, please seewww.bajakennelclub.com.
Thank you to all of our sponsors without who this would
never have happened: Annex Brands, Van Wormer Re-
sorts, Quad Man, NuEra, Copper River Designs, EPB,
Baja’s Awesome Sportfishing, Bahia Real Estate, Salon
de Cortez, The supPOCKET, LB Property Services,
Playa Norte RV Park, Seven Seas Property Management,
Joe’s Deli, Hill’s Science Diet and Lighthouse Pizza.
Thank you for having the faith in us!!
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Feb/Mar 8 29
When was Back in the Day? By: Jorge Bergin
My fishin’ buddy in the states, Tony, is a verifiable ata-
vist, born 100 years (or more) too late. We had some
wild fireside differences about the subject behind some
limes and Gusano Rojo mescal.
He described the wild western part of the U.S. like a
hunter’s heaven, a fishermen’s Nirvana. He kept drag-
ging me back to the 1600 and 1700s to show me the
grandeur, the empty majesty of a place yet untouched.
He wasn’t talking to the Princess of New York City be-
cause I was drinking out of hoof prints and eating trout
on a stick at times myself so, it wasn’t city boy against
country boy.
So, I had to nudge him, between shots, back to reality
when his picture got too Bambi-like and on we went. I
think I would enjoy such chats with some Nomads out
there who, like Tony, would be willing to endure some
discomfort for real adventure, a life worth living.
I reminded him that beyond the Great Basin to the west
at that time, he was more likely to have the full time job
of just staying alive. Not much opportunity to travel –
the Western Amerindians moved south and east at the
rate of 100 miles per generation (30 years). I have to
leave out the boat people because they could travel
much farther and faster by water but it was more ardu-
ous and dangerous than most land travel by foot. So
unless he painted himself into a picture with a horse, the
majesty, the grandeur he would enjoy would just be
mostly his valley, the foothills and the mountains
around him. He, like many new to the life of the west,
might live out his life and not travel over a hundred
miles from his brush hut.
In one of our fireside sessions I suggested it might be a
“How you gonna keep em down on the farm after they’ve
seen Paree” kinda thing. Something about knowing what
the west looks like in the movies, TV, google earth or visit-
ing the Tetons, Yellowstone and Yosemite in modern times
by bike or car or bus seems as easy as planning the trip,
jumping in the van and you’re there. That’s now. You
wanna go back, it’s a very big deal.
How about a trip from California to what is now Baja before
there were cars? Try doing the pilgrim thing from north to
south in your mind (apologies to Graham and Mike, The Burro
Man).
In a pinch, unless I was too drunk to make an argument, I
would bring up some trade-offs:
Tony would make a face when I told him I would live now,
give up some personal freedom for the Beach Boys. Trade
off the gift of solitude for some things like toilet paper, den-
tists, bug spray, a new jeep, my 6mm Remington, cold Bud,
a passport and a credit card and the time to use them.
We were both born in the 1930s and had all the freedom
that era could give us and we lived it to the hilt. As a kid I
roamed the Everglades of south Florida while Tony walked
the mounds of the famous Mississippians at Cahokia but, he
is very hard to convince – he says he’d rather be a loner, a
hunter-gatherer than do his life over in these times.
Must be just our dreams, his of his first bison kill with a
spear, mine of memory of my first vanilla milk shake, the
hum of the engine in my 49 Chevy and Surfin’ U.S.A. in the
background. In the main, wouldn’t trade a minute of it.
Maybe all those talks led me down the path to be a writer, to
preserve, for a while, the ideal opportunity to live in the
here and now, let my mind and my pen wander all over the
universe being amazed at what each era held for one with a
different kind of free and easy travel pass.
Two Bajas By: Jorge Bergin
Writing is a great hobby for me because when I write
things down I often find out just how I feel about them.
In my last little think piece about Baja, “Why Wait”, I
learned that there are two kinds of Bajas; one for vaca-
tioners, one for settlers.
On a week’s vacation here or anywhere in the tropics
near a beach, we want clear water, white sand, no people
and tranquility. After a couple of days camped on this
wonderful strand we want food and showers and hospi-
tals and auto repair places and dentists and air-
conditioning and big box stores and TV and lobster
bisque. Then, after six months we need more and better
hospitals, cadres of doctors, quick, cheap access to our
far-flung friends and family, special food stores, opera
theaters and bowling alleys, skating rinks and raves.
We want what we want when we want it. The point is we
wouldn’t have been happy very long as settlers on that
first deserted beach. We know it won’t stay that way for-
ever but we can’t stand it there for very long anyway; it
will turn into a quaint and quiet development for a while
to give the campers creature comforts for a price. We
should view those special places as our private free wa-
terparks which we hope will stay pristine and free.
It turns out that your “Wants Lists” might be a lot closer
to most other Bajaphiles and your worries get scrunched
down a bit when you see that you can’t really live where
you play. It’s the reason I’ve said that if I had it to do all
over again after the last 20 years I would have bought a
nice little Mexican house in a small village I liked and
followed the motto “Live in our world, play in yours.”.
It’s the very old cry of suburbia all over this lovely planet
and is truer here than most places I’ve been. It works.
You can live in Orlando but it is always packed with peo-
ple who get in your way. You can live in La Purisima but
you will miss your kids and be miserable when you run
out of your special meds.
So, in the real world the saying should not be “I just
adore Rome but I wouldn’t want to live there.” More like
“I love living near Rome and don’t mind the trips there
where we go to get everything else we need.”
In Baja you can have your cake and eat it too but you
have to have a car, money for gas, good planning and a
laid back attitude. The timeshare sales people will not
agree. They have other plans for you and your hard
earned yankee dollars but, the great glowing irony is that
their credo is exactly the same as mine.
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THE EARTH UNDER
OUR FEET BY RUSS HYSLOP
Let’s talk about volcanos…
The humans have lived and died and have been disrupted
by volcanoes throughout history. In ancient times the
natural phenomenon merged with myth, drawing its name
from a Roman God, Vulcan, ruler of fire, forge and
hearth.
The first well-recorded eruption was that of Vesuvius in
A.D. 79. It buried the Roman towns of Pompeii and Her-
culaneum on the Bay of Naples, killing 16,000 people.
The deadliest in historic times appears to have been Tam-
bora in Indonesia: its 1815 eruption claimed 92,000 lives.
Twelve thousand died in the blast; the remainder, their
crops and livestock destroyed, starved to death. Tam-
bora’s aerosol cloud lowered temperatures so much that
snow fell in the United States in June, July and August of
the following year; it is remembered as “the year without
a summer”.
Other notable killers:
Krakatoa, 1883, the Sunda Strait between Java and
Sumatra . Created a tsunami a hundred feet high that
drowned 36,000 people. The detonation was heard 3,000
miles away.
Pelee, 1902, Martinique. Sent a hurricane of hot gases
into the town of St. Pierre, killing 30,000. Only two in-
habitants survived – One of whom was safely imprisoned
in a thick walled jail cell!
Nevado Del Ruiz, 1905, Colombia. A Tidal wave of mud
swept down from the volcano, smothering and crushing
23,000 people.
There are some 550 known active volcanos on earth and
some 500 million people living close to them. A dozen or
two of these volcanos can be erupting at any moment.
We have on the Baja Peninsula 12 known volcano sites.
The most prominent, Tres Virgenes, which we pass while
traveling Mexico 1 between Santa Rosalia and San Igna-
cio. The last eruption of this volcano, according to the
Jesuits, occurred in the 1600’s.
This area remains active as it supports a thermal/electric
facility that utilizes heated waters located under the
ground surface around this volcano.
Next Issue: I will discuss the other volcanic areas of our
beautiful Peninsula.
Tattooed Man
by Renée Lagloire
Javier, my neighbor’s twenty year old nephew
came to the gate of the property the other day. He’d been
working and wasn’t wearing a shirt. I noticed that he had
what looked like a sentence tattooed across his chest, or
maybe more like a title? There were three words, written
in an ornate Gothic font, with each word capitalized.
Because I find the permanence of tattoos intimi-
dating, I am fascinated by them. So naturally, I ap-
proached, saying: “Let’s see what you’ve got here,” point-
ing to his chest.
I read each scrolled letter, saying the words as I
deciphered them: “Te … Amo …. Esmeralda” (I love you
Esmeralda).
I looked into his eyes, and teasingly asked: “Ex-
girlfriend?”
He looked away, saying: “Yeah.”
“So”, I said, “you still like the tattoo?”
“No, not anymore,” he answered.
“Hmm,” I said, “any options?”
“Not really, I have no money, and that’s what
it would take to make it into a different design, or to
have it removed.”
I thought about it, and suggested, “Or, you
can look for a girlfriend named Esmeralda. You can
put the word out that only Esmeraldas will be consid-
ered!”
“Yes,” he answered, “but Maria would have
been better. There are more girls named Maria than
Esmeralda.”
We looked at each other for a brief instant,
and nodded our heads in silent agreement. Indeed,
Maria might have been better.
Bits of Early History of the California Baja
Before the Spaniards arrived, the peninsula of Baja California was inhabited by three major ethnic groups: the
Cochimí in the north, the Guaycura in the central section and the Pericú on the southern cape. Archaeological arti-
facts suggest that these tribes inhabited the peninsula and Cedros Island as early as 9,000-10,000 years ago. The
Cochimí, who lived on the mainland, were hunters and gatherers, but an isolated group of Cochimí living on Cedros
Island developed a fairly complex agricultural system. The Guaycura and the Pericú lived by hunting, gathering and
fishing. Their descendants still live in Baja California, primarily on the northernmost part of the peninsula. From the History Channel web site.
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Feb/Mar 6 31
The Fun of Motorcycle
Riding in Baja By Jerry Justus
Riding off-road dirt bikes in Baja is an adventure enjoyed
by many riders who come to Baja to enjoy the warm win-
ter months. I am one of those riders. To date, I have rid-
den well over 30,000 miles in Baja with almost all of that
on unpaved, backcountry roads and trails.
20 years ago I was introduced to the Baja peninsula by
Malcolm Smith, a famous dirt bike racer - won the Baja
1000 race 6 times and the Baja 500 race 4 times. In 1995
Malcolm invited me to join him and a small group to ride
from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas, riding mostly on the
Baja 1000 race course. My youngest son and I did that
ride, being the first time I had ever been south of San
Diego. It was a trip that impressed me so much that it
wasn’t long before my wife and I made a trip down the
Baja peninsula in our motor home, ending up at Ver-
dugo’s RV Park. That same spring we bought a small
place on the beach, here in Los Barriles.
Motorcycle riding soon became one of my favorite activi-
ties down here. My wife and I had a Jeep and we started
exploring the southern tip of Baja, plotting out routes that
would be fun to do on the bikes- long before the GPS.
We had a lot of success and soon I had a nice list of
places to ride. It wasn’t long and I had a good sized
group of riders who wanted to ride with me. It was not
unusual for a group of us to ride two or three days a
week. I was a wind surfer (kite surfing now) so the
wind often kept us close to the water, but windless
days or any time it rained, we could be found out in the
back country, enjoying the freedom of riding in the
Baja.
My interest in riding in Baja has continued to grow and
several years ago, I started leading groups of riders on
excursions across the peninsula. I would get a group of
people together, with similar riding skills, my wife
would drive a support vehicle, and we would ride from
Los Barriles over to Todos Santos and spend the night.
The riders would arrive at the hotel where their bags
were in their rooms and snacks and cold drinks would
be waiting,, I have a great wife! After a rest, story
sharing, a hot shower, and clean clothes we would go
out to dinner. Then the next morning the riders would
suit up and enjoy riding back across the mountains on a
completely different route, making our way back
home.
My two sons, a son in law and a grandson, all love to
ride motorcycles, so I always keep an extra motorcycle
or two ready for them. During these past 20 years I
have really enjoyed having them come down and ride
with me. The bond we have because of the riding is Continued on pg 32
On Whale Watch
By: Alexandra Delis-Abrams
A whale, I hear as many abandon their serious sun-
basking for binoculars.
Exuberance cannot be contained as I plead, my turn, and vie for the glasses that will bring this miracle closer
to view.
Nature at its best! I’m in gratitude to be in the right spot
at the right time.
But then, aren’t we always, I muse.
A life lesson taught before our very eyes.
Mama humpback is teaching her student what her spe-
cies has done for eons.
Could the force of mama’s tail be saying... this is how
it’s done?
A splash dispersing an enormous amount of water is the
result.
It’s powerfully staggering.
Pay attention now...let’s practice...watch me…
Over and over and over again, her tail slams down on
the surface of the sea.
Moments after baby replicates the behavior.
Like this? I'm getting the idea.
But what does it mean,
I ponder as each cell of my being overflows with sheer
joy.
Who really cares, I hear.
Does knowing deepen the awe you feel of this moment
of Now?
In the midst of the class baby thrusts her mega body
straight up out of the water,
like the Apollo spaceship.
Maybe in an expression of pure exhilara-
tion...and...maybe not.
Cheers are spontaneously heard from those who feel Our
magnificent planet is school for those who are conscious
of the lessons offered.
The ebb and flow of the sea, like the in and outflow of
breath, giving and receiving.
The precise cycle of the moon, offering the gift of Di-
vine timing versus forcing life.
The wisdom of the salmon following its smell to its
birthplace, natural knowing.
The miraculous moment has passed, mama and baby are on their way.
Briefly my heart goes heavy, legs weaken, and tears
dampen my eyes.
When will we stop destroying our planet? I scream.
I choose to send light to the captured baby elephants,
imprisoned as they await their destiny to a zoo in China
and Thailand.
I choose to drench my beloved wolves in a loving en-
ergy as the monsters rip them from protection.
I choose to stay receptive to my next course of activism
I trust
I trust
I trust
The lesson offered: let go of grasping, struggle, resis-
tance.
Although often challenging, I choose to focus on that
which choreographs my life and conspires for my high-
est good.
It is my true north.
The anchor I cling to
My lifeline.
Off they go. Thank you for the
gift my friends, as the aborigines
say, I love you and
support you on your journey.
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Motorcycle continued from page 31
very strong. The boys often make multiple trips down
during the winter, to get out of the cold north for a few
days and to “turn the throttle” out in the desert sun with
me.
Over the years, with GPS and SPOT Satellite Tracker, I
have expanded my “scouting” trips and ventured farther
north. With a computer, my wife can see where I am and
how I am progressing -- in real time. In December 2014,
with my son Kellsey and a couple of local riders, we did
a 500 mile, 3 day unsupported ride going up to San Ever-
isto, west to Puento Conejo and down the Pacific to To-
dos Santos, and back to Los Barriles. We had a wonder-
ful time and the trip was so much fun, Ronnie Verduego
and I started planning an even bigger adventure.
On February 8th of this year, five of us left Los Barriles
to do a 900 mile, 5 day unsupported ride. The group in-
cluded Ronnie Verdugo, Jason Russ, David Thornton,
my son Ken and myself. Our planned route was to use
back roads and stay off the pavement as much as possi-
ble. We again went north of La Paz, up the Sea of Cortez
to the end of the road near San Evaristo, then west
through the mountain ranges to Constitution and then
east to Agua Verde. From there we headed north to the
Mission San Javier, continuing north west to the
Comondus and La Purisima before starting south to To-
dos Santos and then home. The trip was relatively prob-
lem free, and it was a true adventure with amazing scen-
ery, great companionship, and the thrill of facing the
unknown, the unexpected, and sometimes, the im-
possible. In my 20 years of riding in Baja I don’t
remember the mountains ever being so green and
beautiful.
On our ride we had three flat tires and one wheel
bearing failure, which, for a ride like this and with
five bikes, was only a minor inconvenience. We
had everything necessary to make repairs and get
back on the trail. With the current day GPS systems
it is easy to navigate and stay on the route. With-
out good maps and a GPS route it would be almost
impossible to find your way, and the desert can be
a very hostile environment to those who enter un-
prepared.
The biggest adventure part of our trip came about
on the 2nd day. Severe hurricane damage had taken
place in a couple of the most critical sections of our
route. The first big challenge was the 1000 foot, 2
mile decent into Agua Verde. We had been told by
a person we believed to be reliable (who lives at the
top of the mountain) that the road was passable by
motorcycle. We arrived at the top of the pass, after
already riding over 200 miles that day, only to find
treacherous vertical drops and huge water erosion
with boulders strewn about everywhere. One of our
sayings is “How hard can it really be?” After all, it
was only a thousand feet downhill. less than 20
miles of roads that were problematic. Since all 5 of
us were experienced riders we felt confident that
we should be able to get to the
bottom, one way or another. We
did make it, but that 2 miles took
us close to 2 hours. That tells you
something!! In some places we
were helping each other push our
bikes through the rocks. About
1/3 of the way down I had the
thought “what if we get almost to
the bottom and there is a 100 foot
sheer cliff?” I knew we couldn’t
ride our bikes back to the top. By
now the sun had gone down. I was
finally able to find my way
through to the bottom. Eventually
everyone made it safely down. By
then it was getting really dark and
one bike had a flat rear tire.
Continued on page 33
Continued from page 4
Splashing in to snorkel at Cardonal, the water was
warming and clear. The fish were plentiful, big, and
abundant coral heads appeared to have been power
washed clean during Hurricane Odile and their colors
clear and striking. As a shallow reef, sadly some of the
coral had been completely uprooted and knocked over
during the havoc of the storm, with much coral debris
now gathering on the sea floor.
Having gotten the nod from Captain Luis and facing the
day’s end, we were underway. We were just off Las
Tinas north of Punta Pescadero when we spotted some-
thing floating on the surface that was…bizarre, other
worldly. Sticking about three feet from the water, it
looked like the top of a craggy, miniature, vanilla cov-
ered iceberg. Captain Luis began shouting ‘Elefante
Marino, Elefante Marino’! He was awestruck as he
powered down, careful not to disturb the top of the ice-
berg. Closing in, the iceberg opened up…
Known in Spanish as the ‘Marin Elephant’ and in Eng-
lish as the ‘Elephant Seal’, Captain Luis was exclaim-
ing what a rare site it was; he’d only seen one before in
his 30 years on the water; Deckhand Joel, in his 15
years, also only one. And then Luis, as if somehow con-
nected to this marine mammal, started calling to it – in
English nonetheless – “Come here, boy”, “Come here,
boy”...and it did! Right up to the boat. The site of it in
the water is beyond belief. So beguilingly ugly, and yet
the eyes are sweet and its actions doglike. We tossed it
bait fish and it was even more engaging. Measuring half
the size of the boat, through the clear water we could
see that it was at least 15 feet long and with a huge girth,
weighing thousands of pounds. At one point it had us all
on the bow and as if to show off, it turned over and swam
off with the smooth ease of a mermaid! Then right back
for more fish. It was a good model as we snapped count-
less pictures. We couldn’t take our eyes off it.
The Elephant Seal was hunted to near extinction in the
early part of the 19th Century. Since then, their populations
have grown to approximately 150,000 worldwide, and
they are found throughout the globe. The species are sepa-
rated into ‘Northern’ and ‘Southern’, and the big bulls can
weigh more than 5,000 pounds. Like turtles, they navigate
the oceans until they reach maturity after 5 - 6 years. Some
big males have been known to travel as many as 13,000
miles a year, exceeding even the Gray Whale's migration.
The Sea of Cortez is slightly beyond their normal scope,
although they come to sandy sides on the Pacific side
twice a year to breed and to molt.
The bizarre snout is a sort of ‘rebreather’, making a lot of
noise when it dips in and out of the water but plays an es-
sential role in hydrating the animal when it is out of the
water. Males can live up to 14 years and females up to 22
years. Similar to the Sperm whale, Elephant seals attain
incredibly deep dives – up to 7,500 feet down and can
hold their breath for more than 100 minutes while they are
searching for their favorite foods – rays, squid, eels, octo-
pus, small sharks and big fish.
We were concerned about our new friend’s right eye,
which seemed milky blue. It must have been an old injury
and it was obviously blind in that eye, but faring well in
life. A new friend, right here in the fathomless deep blue
sea, and for more than 30 minutes we hung out together.
What an awesome gift, what a once-in-a-lifetime chance
and it was ours to share!
“Come here, boy, Come here boy!”
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“Come here, boy”, “Come here, boy”...and it
did! Right up to the boat
A Rare & Awesome Sighting
An ‘Elefante Marino’ or
‘Elephant Seal’ By: Theresa Comber
We never want magical days on the sea to end, yet we
know when Captain Luis gives the nod of the head to
the south and we know that we’d better head back.
And this is when Mother Nature really gave us a rare
treat.
It was Sunday on the sea. Dawn had begun with a te-
quila sunrise morning and clouds coursed the deep,
grenadine sky. The water’s surface was glassy calm,
in large contrast to the excitement of us on board.
“Awesome” & “Too Awesome” had just floated on
Friday after a new motor for “Awesome” and a deep
maintenance massage for “Too Awesome”. Our shake
down day of fun aboard “Awesome” had whales at the
top of the list; any sort of meat fish we might find on a
winter day; and a snorkel at Cardonal’s shallow, abun-
dant reef. “Too Awesome” was also cruising, out
with guests hailing from Saskatchewan in Canada’s
frozen north, clearly folks who were well deserving of
a warm, beautiful day on the Sea of Cortez.
Within ten minutes heading southeast to the area outside
La Ribera, we joined a small group of local boats hand
lining for bottom fish and others trolling for the coveted
yellow tail or a dorado that might be searching for their
own morning breakfast. It was not to be for them or us, as
the Captain’s had been radioing that little luck was hap-
pening.
We pulled up our lines and pulled off with whales on our
minds and all eyes shifted to the horizon. Another short
ten minutes and shouts greeted Captain Luis - there they
are, off to the right! No, there they are, off the left! No,
there they are, off our stern! And of course our keen eyed
Captain & crew had spotted whales dead ahead. Once
again in the Cortez aquarium whales were in sight all
around. A Momma and her baby were closest and the
baby started showing off its jumping abilities. Again and
again the baby flew into the air around its momma,
splashing and frolicking and showing off its new found
skills. Within five minutes in all directions we were
treated to the immense joy and privilege of watching
school-bus-sized humpback whales and their soccer-mom
-van-sized babies breaking the water’s surface. Lulled
from our calm delight, Captain Adan had found an enor-
mous school of bottle nose dolphin to our north. We
headed to them and beyond to Cardonal. The dolphins
stretched for miles, joining along and cruising our bow
wake while dolphins were breaking the surface as far as
we could see.
Continued on Page 5
Motorcycle Cont from page 32
We repaired our third flat of the day and continued riding
the 25 miles on up the cliff ridden road out of Ague
Verde to highway 1 and on to our motel, arriving at 9:30
pm. We had left La Paz at 7:00 am which means we were
on the road fourteen and one half hours that day. Thank-
fully all of the bikes, except mine, had very powerful
lighting systems.
The hotel where we stayed (Villa Del Palma) is a new 4
or 5 star hotel about 20 miles south of Loreto on the Sea
of Cortez. When we arrived to check in, all the staff and
other guests were staring at us like we had the plague or
something. I asked the girl at the counter if she had ever
had customers who looked as tired and dirty as we
looked. She answered “No sir, I haven’t seen anyone like
your group before.” Then she quickly added, “But neither
have I ever seen any other guests that were obviously
having so much fun. Can I go with you?”
On our third day we had another incident that added to
the adventure side of our trip. As we departed San Jose
Comondu, one rider noticed that his rear wheel bearing
had failed rendering his bike un-ride able. We had the
necessary tools and parts to make repairs but lost two
hours of daylight in the process. We were not prepared
for the condition of the 14 mile stretch of road between
San Jose Comondu and San Isidro. The road was totally
washed out during the last hurricane. Once again we were
forced to ride with our headlights and helmet lights on
before arriving very late in La Purisima.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip with no injuries -- that
required medical attention. The beauty was breathtaking,
the mountains were vast and green, miles of riding
through cactus forests or mile after mile of riding along
the crashing waves of the blue Pacific, finding gas at
ranches along the way, not to mention the adrenalin rush
of wicking the throttle and flying down a straight narrow
sandy two track road. . In our 900 miles we actually had
less than 20 miles of roads that were problematic.
I earned the name of “The Flying Fossil” 15 years or so
ago by a riding friend (Jamie Young.) I was 60 years old
at the time. I guess I should change my name to “The
Petrified Fossil.” A lot of my riding companions have
stopped riding, have sold their bikes, or just had to give
up the sport for a variety of reasons. But each year, new
riders find their way down here to the Baja. I have
greatly enjoyed teaching riding skills to younger riders…
now all riders are younger than I am. I enjoy helping
riders pick the right bike for them and I enjoy solving
some of the mechanical issues that we all face. Today,
many of the areas that we have ridden in past years have
been closed off. Fences have gone up, gates installed,
locks put on. Part of that is due to careless riders who
haven’t always respected the local ranchers, or who tear
up roads
or spook the cattle. There is much more riding pressure
now than there was 20 years ago. Back then, I often
would ride into a ranch and the ranchers had never seen
anyone in full riding gear, with heavy boots and full hel-
met. Those ranchers all know me now, and I enjoy inter-
acting with them. Many have given me keys to their
gates.
The back country of Baja is still no place for an inexperi-
enced rider. Never go out riding alone. Always have
plenty of water. Know your gas range and don’t take a
chance of being stranded someplace in the back country.
Luckily, we now have a local experienced motorcycle
tour guide, Kurt Russell. His company, Captain Baja
Tours, is located here in Los Barriles. You can contact
him at kirk@captainbajaadventures.com. You can check
his company out on line as well. This is giving even more
new riders a chance to experience this magnificent penin-
sula from the seat of a motorcycle.
I don’t know how many more years I will get to enjoy
being “The Flying Fossil” down here, but I am very
grateful for every mile I have ridden, for every rider I
have ridden with, and for every day I have been able to
ride with my family and friends. Baja has been very
good to me and my time down here has been greatly en-
riched because I ride.
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Los Barriles, How Did it Get
its Name? By: Chris Courtright
With excerpts from Research by Theda Bassett
and Rosalyn Ostler (Printed in Eastcapers Magazine Dec 2002)
I have wondered from the time I first came to Los Barri-
les what the origin of the name was. For some reason it
is important to me: why ‘Los Barriles’? Los Barriles,
meaning ‘the barrels’ has a few stories of the name ori-
gin.
One good one I heard was that in the late 1800’s the
Ranchers would bring their cattle to the shores of what is
now known as Los Barriles, to meet the ships to get their
cattle to market. The ships were anchored off shore, and
since you could not use your row boat to take cattle out to
the ship, they tied barrels to the cows, and they would
float out to the ship. Now, I was impressed with this
idea, you know when there is the will there is a way. I
even like that image of the entire process, but really, it all
sounded pretty tough. So, I have asked many history buffs
who have been around for years, and they say no, that is
not the right story – but they did think it was an
‘imaginative’ story.
Now interesting as the above story may be, it is agreed
that
Festival de Artes Continued from pg 1
vacation program, Local Artist Studio tours and our ever
popular Saturday Arts and Crafts at the DIF for the local
children.
Special discounted room rates are available at Hotel Pal-
mas De Cortez or Hotel Playa Del Sol. Call 624-141-0044
or US 877-777-8862 for reservations.
If you are a vendor please come by 7am, unload and move
your car down past the Palmas de Cortez condos as to not
interfere with the guest parking.
Booth fees are $400 mxn/$30 usd paid in advance or $500
mxn/$35 usd, the day of event from 9am – 1pm.
Pre Pay locations are as follows:
1. Baja Beach Company in Los Barriles at Plaza del
Pueblo. Open Mon -Fri, 9 - 5 and Sat 9 - 3.
2. Baja Books & Maps, San Jose del Cabo, Open Mon-Fri
10-6, Sat at Organic Market, 624-142-5596
For complete vendor information and applications,
go to www.eastcapearts.com
Any questions email:
festivaldeartes22@gmail.com
History of the Festival
In February of 1992, a small group of residents in the
Est Cape region of BCS, Mexico formed a committee
to organize a spring “Festival de Artes.” The pur-
pose of the event was to give local artists an opportu-
nity to show and sell their original work and to raise
money to support art programs in the schools.
Twenty four artists attended with their original work.
Then 250 members of the community came to enjoy
the event. At the end of the day, $2500 pesos had
been raised to purchase art supplies for the Los Barri-
les Elementary School. It was a modest but encour-aging beginning. The spring “Festival de Artes” has
grown over the years, attracting artists and visitors
from Los Cabos , La Paz and beyond
By 1998, the number of artists had tripled and the
number of visitors had climbed to over 1500. Funds
earned by the event were now able to buy more art
supplies for the schools. In 1999 the committee de-
cided to form a private Mexican non-profit organiza-
tion (an Asociacion Civil) and establish a formal
Board of Directors. The Asociacion de Artes del Mar
de Cortez A.C. Has been developing programs for
the benefit of East Cape communities along the Sea of
Cortez ever since.
the name came from the story of the Legend of the Pi-
rate Tree a story which was originally printed in the
Eastcapers Magazine, Dec 2002. One of the most sig-
nificant stories in Los Barriles history is that of visiting
pirates and The Pirate Tree. Most of us have heard the
story of pirate ships that anchored in the Bahia de Pal-
mas in early 1800’s. Legend has it that one time, during
a hurricane, a pirate crew needed to remove excess
weight for the safety off their ship and brought barrels of
gold treasure ashore. They were buried just off shore, to
be retrieved later. This story has special significance
since the original name of the village, Las Palmas, was
later changed to Los Barriles.
To mark the place of the burial, a carving of the pirate’s
ship was made on a sturdy Palo San Juan tree standing
on a beach berm near the water. Martin Verdugo, a
member of one of the founding families of Los Barriles
and owner of Martin Verdugo’s R.V. Park, reports that
the Pirate Tree was situated on the Verdugo family prop-
erty just north of where the R.V. Park stands today. He
heard the story of the pirates and the carving on The Pi-
rate Tree from his grandfather when he was a young
boy. “It is assumed,” Senor Verdugo recalls, “that the
ship was wrecked. Neither the ship nor any of its crew
was ever found”. The barrels are still buried, if the story
is true.
As part of the research regarding the history of Los
Barriles, we inquired about The Pirate Tree. We discov-
ered that it had remained on the lot due north of the R.V.
Park until late 1990’s. We were told by the owners that
it had become diseased and was removed. The section
containing the carving was stored for a while and later
discarded.
Kinda makes you want to set up camp at Verdugo’s
doesn’t it?! Making sure you bring a shovel or two and
maybe a metal detector!
Asociacion de Artes
Happenings By: Chris Courtright
February has been a busy month for Asociacion de Artes.
We started off on the 13th with the Artist Studio Tour,
which showcased 22 local artists at 17 different studios!
Even the date, Friday the 13th or the mean looking clouds
and gusts of wind, could not dampen the great time that
was had by all – and the wind actually kept us all cool as
we walked between studios. The talent displayed that lives
right here in our little community is just amazing. I am
sure I am not the only one that came home with some
really beautiful works of art!
The next day the 14th, Valentines Day, we had our first of
the year “Saturday Crafts” at the concha by the DIF. We
made Valentines Day cards, explaining to the children the
reasoning behind the special day. They had a great time
making cards for their Mom’s or Grandmas – not quite the
group ready for the girl/boy friend yet! The volunteers
also enjoyed themselves working with the kids and seeing
their enthusiasm for learning a new project. If you want to
get involved, try the Saturday Crafts. It is only a 2 hour
commitment, once a month. No ‘crafting’ skill or lan-
guage needed! Just a desire to make a difference!
March brings the Asociacion head on into the Festival de
Artes Show season (see pg 1), and we hope to see all you
out to sell and buy – yes, vendors do buy too! We are also
working on doing a baseball spring training/ Sawyers
Camp for the Los Barriles area kids. We are in the process
of firming up our date. It is tentatively set for the March
21st. Volunteers are greatly needed for the 4 hour camp.
We have found a person to house the equipment and that
person will also continue working with the kids in the LB
area. Watch for details on the LB camp!
Coach Lael, from the fall camp, came back this month and
went down to work with the kids in Campamento. Every
day at 4:15, the kids go to the field, someone goes and gets
the equipment, and they practice. They have even found a
local ‘amateur’ player, and these kids work to collect
money for his gas so he can come and work with them on
their skills. Lael and this young man worked on skills, and
then they split into two teams and played. There is some
talent in the kids! The only thing that stopped them was it
got dark! The way the kids of Campamento have embraced
baseball, gives us great ambition for the game of baseball
in the Baja Sur. Keep up on the details of the camp on our
facebook page – facebook.com/beisbolcampoeneastcape
I will also keep everyone informed with BPE also. See, I
did say I would shamelessly promote the camp, as only the
editor can!!
For more information on either Saturday Crafts
or the baseball camps, contact me at jonand-
chris@juno.com.
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Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar 2 35
Advertising in East Capers
Advertising in the East Capers gets the word out about your business AND your ad money supports the 3 week 'Cursos de Verano' summer school, for over 120 local children and provides art supplies for 18 East Cape public schools.
In addition to space in the printed version, your color ad appears in the online version at no addi-tional cost. You can download the 2014/15 Advertis-ing Kit by v is it ing our website at: www.eastcapearts.com.
Tax-deductable Contributions to the Asociación de Artes
The Asociación de Artes del Mar de Cortez A.C., Los Barriles, B.C. Sur, Mexico is a legal non-profit Mexican corporation not affiliated with any other or-ganization, association, club or business.
The Asociación is in full compliance with the terms of the NAFTA agreement of January 1, 1994. As such, contributions made to the Asociación de Artes are tax-deductable in the United States, Mexico and Canada. For more information visit: www.eastcapearts.com or the NAFTA Website at: http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/north -american-free-trade-agreement-nafta.
Volunteers Needed!
The Asociación de Artes needs volunteers to help support their programs that bring the arts to the lo-cal communities and the schools. To learn more about these programs, visit: www.eastcapearts.com.
If you would like to volunteer, send an email to: eastcapearts@gmail.com.
Call for Articles
East Capers is looking for fiction and true stories about our region and items that affect our residents. If you are interested in submitting articles, recipes, stories or your personal experiences in Baja, email your 1,000-words or less article to: eastcapersmagazine@gmail.com
Thank You! This publication is possible with the help of the board members of the Asociación de Artes and members of the community.
East Capers Periódico
Publisher Asociación de Artes del Mar de Cortez A.C.,
Los Barriles, BCS, Mexico
Editor Christine Kenck-Courtright
Copy Editor Pako Ford
Circulation Brian Cummings
Advertising Kathy Obenshain
Denise Linnet
Contributors
Jerry Justice Pako Ford
Connie M. Heinen Russ Hyslop Sefi Held Chris and Heather Hartridge Ann Hazard Renee Lagloire Emma Nicholson Jorge Bergin
Larry Epstein Holly Burgin
Alexandra Delis-Abrams Chris Courtright Theda Bassett
and Rosalyn Ostler Theresa Comber
Lynn Mirasson
Printer Imprenta Ciudad Los Niños,
La Paz, BCS, Mexico To learn about Ciudad Los Niños, visit their website at:
http://ciudadninoslapaz.org/english/home.htm
———————————
The opinions expressed within the articles in East Capers are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Asocia-
ción de Artes del Mar de Cortez A.C.
Newsletter Email Address eastcapersmagazine@gmail.com
WAKE UP with
MAKEUP!
By: Connie M. Heinen
Permanent makeup dates back at least to the start of
the 20th century. The tattooist George Burchett, was a
major developer of the technique when it became fash-
ionable in the 1930s, he described in his memoirs how
beauty salons tattooed many women without their
knowledge, offering it as complexion treatment, inject-
ing dyes underneath the skin.
Permanent Makeup has come a long way since the
1930's. The pigments are safer and more stable, the
machines are better and more efficient and the needles
safer and less painful, the techniques have improved
also.
Permanent makeup has found its way to the main-
stream market and appeals to women of all nationali-
ties from all walks of life. In our hectic, stress-fill
world, permanent makeup provides that ability to
wear a fresh, “always ready” look without the ef-
fort. It’s perfect for those who find themselves in a
hurry every morning and don’t have time for applying
makeup on a daily basis. It's waterproof and won't
smudge or smear, it won’t come off in the shower or
the pool. In fact, it will last for years before you may
need a touch-up. Lips can be made to look fuller, eye-
brows can be even and symmetrical. Eyes can be lined
to add definition and enhancement.
There are several methods of implanting the pigment
into the skin. Some being a rotary, coil, or digital ma-
chine or a hand tool soft tap or the newest and latest
manual method called Microblading or Microstroking.
The Microstroking technique originated in Asia and is
very popular in Europe. This technique is quickly be-
coming the must have beauty treatment for that glam-
orous, tidy brow. Microblade uses a hand tool which
holds several needles to deposit pigment into the epi-
dermis. Because the color is closer to the surface the
strokes appear crisp and very fine, you can hardly dis-
tinguish it from a real hair. These 3D or HD eyebrows
do not appear as a tattoo. The results are natural look-
ing hair strokes, regardless of the amount of hair pre-
sent.
I feel very fortunate that I was able to learn the Micro-
blade technique from one of the leading instructors
from Russia who teaches this method and be on the
cutting edge of the latest techniques in permanent
makeup. In my 16 years as a permanent makeup artist
we have tried to simulate hair strokes with some suc-
cess but nothing compared to this revolutionary micro-
blading technique. The hair strokes are crisp and fine
just like real hair.
I have been performing the art of Permanent Makeup
since 1998 and have had training from some of the
leading instructors in the industry. I use state of the art
digital machine and Organic pigments. I am Master
Certified and hold numerous certificates. If you would
like more information about Permanent Makeup or
other services that I provide please visit my website
www.solutionsdebellesa.com. For an appointment
please call 141-0422 or email: permsolutions@aol.com
“Seriously, who would want to be energetic for five hours?”
Recycle and share with a friend or return to the Eastcapers Rack.
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Feb/Mar
Feb/Mar
36
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/ M
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e N
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Free / Gratis
Festival de Artes
The 22nd Annual Festi-
val de Artes to be held at the
beautiful "Hotel Palmas de Cor-
tez" from 10:00 am to
4:00 pm on Sunday, March 29, 2015. This
popular event sponsored by the
Asociación de Artes on the East
Cape, is known as the premier
showcase for local artists who
display and sell their original
art.
The FOOD COURT will fea-
ture the famous Palmas Carne
Asada Taco Stand, Baja Bis-
cuits, Seth’s Panaderia, just to
name a few. We will have all of
your favorite cold beverages and
a bar that is second to none.
On the main stage, the great mu-
sic of Bluz Expolsion from La-
Paz. This is a toe tapin‘ dance
inspiring group that are always a
favorite around here. There will
be other great music to entertain
you all day long.
Funds from the Festival de Artes
go to support the community
activities of the Asociación de
Artes which include: Arts and
education supplies for East Cape
schools, Sponsorship and par-
ticipation in the Los Barriles
"Cursos de Verano" summer
Continued on page 3 SEE PAGE 3 FOR MORE FESTIVAL INFORMATION