Last Open Mic of the Season in Loreto Bay

We are currently in the “exodus” phase of the Season for Residents of Loreto Bay, as those who have been here for most of the Season start to return to their northern Homes for the Summer.  However, this year I am noticing a larger number of Visitors continuing to arrive here to rent Loreto Bay Homes for a spring vacation, due in part to the continuing flights by Westjet from western Canada.  Which is fortunate for them, as I have long felt that this time of year is one of the nicest – with temperatures of 30 Celsius/85 Fahrenheit, light breezes and relatively low humidity.

But before many of the Seasonal Residents had left for the summer there was a final Open Mic Night for the Season at the Wine Cellar about a week ago.  I have written about these musical evenings several times before, and over the couple of years they have been held they have grown significantly in popularity and participation.  Due to the popularity of previous evenings like this, I arrived early for the 7:00 pm start time, to stake out my preferred location at the corner of the Bar at the Wine Cellar where I can shoot pictures of the performers without interfering too much with others watching the show, and I’m close to the source for sustaining food and beverages!

Even so, when I arrived it was already almost a full house with an expanded number of tables and chairs occupied for the evening’s entertainment.  As is so often the case when there is an occasion for people to congregate here, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people who were still here, although many of them were talking about their immanent departures.  Before long the music began, with a “pick-up” group of five musicians who played an opening set.  They were followed by a duo who played some original compositions.

Later in the evening Steve, a popular Loreto Bay musician who was a founding member of Los Beach Dogs, joined the party and played his tasty lead guitar as back-up for a few songs, before launching into a solo set.  Because Steve has not been able to spend as much time in Loreto Bay this Season as he has in past years, he got a very warm response from this crowd, many of whom were friends and neighbors, as well as music fans.

That mood extended throughout the evening, as for many of those in attendance this was going to be one of their last chances to see and visit with Loreto Bay friends until after the summer, when the snowbirds will return to the Baja.  The unusually large crowd kept Wine Cellar Owners Will and Cynthia and their staff busy all evening with a steady stream of beverages from the bar and tasty tapas from their kitchen.  That crowd, and the music they were here to listen to, spread from the interior to the small patio area and beyond, where moderate level conversations were possible.

Along with the familiar faces of Homeowners who have been here most of the past winter, I also noticed a large number of “new” faces in the crowd as well - Visitors who were renting Loreto Bay Homes and had either dropped in for a drink and a snack and unexpectedly found themselves in an informal concert, or else they were drawn to the bar by the sounds of the music drifting over the otherwise quiet community. 

Regardless, I am sure the evening’s festivities came as somewhat of a surprise to these newcomers, particularly, as I have said before, if they had assumed that they were living in an apparently semi-deserted community, based on the relative handful of people one tends to encounter on a typical day’s activities here.

What must be clear to these newcomers, temporarily becoming part of a thriving ex-pat community in the southern Baja, is that they have stumbled upon a unique enclave that has created our own Village like atmosphere on the shores of the Sea of Cortez.  By day these Visitors can admire the acres of meticulous landscaping that makes up the extensive common areas of our condominium development, and enjoy our pristine community pools or the well maintained Golf Course that wraps around our Homes.

But after experiencing the daytime tranquility of Loreto Bay, they have now found themselves in a “standing room only” bar, with about a hundred of their newest best friends, listening to talented amateurs entertaining their friends and acquaintances alike with classic popular music, in a relaxed informal atmosphere.  But then again, I guess it comes as no surprise, when I meet some of those same Visitors who are drawn to my Office looking for information about this unique community, and then when some of those same people eventually become Homeowners here, and join the “party” on a long term basis.    

And so, as we draw nearer to the end of another winter Season here, with the celebration of another “last of the Season” event, we continue to welcome a growing number of people who are just beginning their Loreto affair.  Showing them a side of our community that can only be appreciated when one shares the day to day lifestyle we have created here.  Because, in addition to the beauty that we are surrounded with, and the almost ideal climate we enjoy most of the year, the “best” part of this place is the people who have come here and have helped to make it the very special place it is – and that’s another thing I like about “Living Loreto”!