"Oscar" welcomes CINEXICO to Loreto

There is a new cultural event on the horizon here in Loreto, Cinexico is a Film Festival celebrating Mexican cinema and documentaries, an event that has been over a year in the planning and happens this weekend March 13 – 15^th (www.cinexico.com).  To kick off this exciting festival there was an opening party organized by Loreto Bay Volunteers, under the auspices of Amigos de Loreto – an “Oscar Party” a fund-raiser to benefit the Internado School here in Loreto Bay.

Among the many worthy charities benefitting Loreto and the surrounding area, the Internado is the focus of many in the ex-pat community who see an opportunity to make a big difference for children. Currently there are 62 students between 5 years and 20, who travel from the surrounding remote rancheros to stay in a Government run dormitory and attend public schools in Loreto Monday to Friday each week, returning to their families on weekends.

While the Government provides the facility (there are a total of 33 Internados throughout the Baja) and some very basic support and staffing, practically speaking these dormitories depend on community support and donations to provide anything more than the most basic subsistence for the young people who call this home while they attend school.  In the past that local support for the Loreto facility has included food, blankets, sheets, shoes, and backpacks for the kids and ceiling fans, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators and even a School Bus for the facility.

To continue to support these worthwhile activities the Loreto Bay Volunteers have organized other fund-raising events in the past, including a dance recital put on by the kids two years ago called “Pueblo Magico” that I wrote about here:  http://livingloreto.blogspot.mx/2013/04/loreto-pueblo-magico-for-children.html , but this Oscar party took these efforts to a whole new level!  

Oscar Night was held at the “Okiee Dokiee Saloon” in Loreto, a large bar/nightclub that the Volunteers had transformed into a facsimile of a Hollywood After Party site with custom made table centers, a sponsor logo board, even an inflatable replica (sort of) of the famous trophy.  On the outdoor patio area at the back of the venue there was a stage set-up with a rear projection screen and more tables.  From the front door a red carpet stretched the length of the building to the back Patio, adding to the “Hollywood” feel of the evening.

I closed my Office a bit early that day to go home and press a shirt for the evening, as the dress code had been advertised as “Baja Glam” (whatever that means!) and I got into town a little before the 5:30 start time.  By the time I arrived there was already a lineup of several dozen people waiting for the doors to open, but since I had been asked to be the photographer for the evening I was able to get in early and take some pictures of the preparations inside.

When the doors opened there was a steady stream of ticket holders

entering through the balloon arch and onto the red carpet.  I was impressed with the fact that practically everyone had responded to the Baja Glam code, with some very fancy outfits on the women (including more high heels than one usually sees here) and many of the men were wearing “Tuxedo T-Shirts”, while what most of the others were wearing was definitely dressier than a normal night out in Loreto!

After arriving, many people purchased bottles of wine on one side of the entrance, while others lined up at the bar on the other side for cocktails and beer.  Then they made their way to their assigned tables and the large room quickly filled.  Greeting people from the stage as they arrived was Dave, a Loreto Bay Homeowner who had been recruited as MC for the evening, and with his background as a former radio host in Canada, he quickly set an upbeat mood for the evening to come.

Soon after most people had settled at their tables and had a drink in hand Dave introduced Barb, a Loreto Bay Volunteer who had worked on the Internado project for some time, who gave a frank and informative presentation on the situation for the resident kids here in Loreto and then reviewed the 20 year history of assistance the ex-pat community has provided.  She went on to explain the priorities they had for their support going forward which focused on three main things: storage lockers for each kid so they had somewhere private to keep their things, funding for a special outing to take all 62 of them out to an adjacent Island for the day including a special tour on the Glass Bottom Boat, and finally investment in the Scholarship Fund that has been operating for several years to and so far has made it possible for the students to continue their education beyond the Grade 6 minimum level funded by the Government. 

An example of the success of this program is the fact that there are currently 23 students receiving this assistance, with one student currently training to become a Dentist!  To conclude her comments Barb made an emotional acknowledgement of Linda, one of the early ex-pat residents in Loreto who has worked for the betterment of the Internado kids for over 20 years and has been an example to the many relative newcomers to this community.

Next it was Dave’s turn to whip up the crowd’s enthusiasm, which he proceeded to do with spectacular success!  He first explained that it was going to cost at least $200 pesos for each locker and he challenged those present to hold up a $200 peso bill and Volunteers would circulate and collect the contributions – the response was amazing!  At practically every one of the dozens of tables for 10 several people had their hands up waving their bills, and not all of them were just $200’s there were $500’s and more being offered.  By the time all were collected it was announced later that over $20,000 pesos had been raised in less than 15 minutes!  The kids were going to be getting more than just some new lockers after this evening!

But that was not the end of the generosity.  Later in the evening Dave assumed the role of Auctioneer, and with the assistance of his wife Lynda, he coaxed top dollars from the crowd for an attractive group of rewards that included: a getaway to the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley CA, a fishing charter with renown local Captain Pancho, 2 return tickets on the Westjet Calgary/Loreto flight, a stay at the Black Rock Resort in Ucluelet Vancouver Island, CFL tickets for 4 Calgary vs Ottawa and 2 cases of La Cetto wine.  As one after another of these desirable items were auctioned off it became clear that many of them were selling for considerably more than their “face value” from the donors, a further demonstration that this crowd had their heart in the right place and they were happy to pay more as a contribution to a good cause.

Meanwhile, during the evening there was a Silent Auction going on in an adjacent room off the stage area with artwork and jewelry offered to the high bidders as well as raffle tickets being sold for more great items including a beautiful handmade quilt by a popular local artist.  But it wasn't fund raising – it was fun as well – with a very professional jazz dance performance by Cathy, a Loreto Bay Homeowner and a salsa presentation by another couple. Along with dancing and listening music performed by a three piece group called Algarabia there was an introduction to the Cinexico Festival and how it came about by Pamela and Mike, Loreto Bay Homeowners who are successful in the film business in the US and they showed some highlights and trailers from the films being shown in the festival.

As I drove home to Loreto Bay following the event (well after “Baja Midnight”, for a change) I was thinking how proud I was to be living in a Community that came out in such impressive numbers for an evening to celebrate the beginning of a new artistic festival in our town and get into the spirit of the occasion.  This was expressed both in the way they dressed up, and had fun with the theme of the event, but more importantly they used the occasion of their having a fun night out to make an important difference in the lives and education of over 60 kids, and that is what makes it special to be “Living Loreto”!

Amuse your Muse in Loreto Bay.

This week the Wine Cellar @ Nopolo was the scene of another musical evening, but this time with a different “Headliner”.  James and his wife Jennifer are from Dallas where he works as a hairdresser and is part of Def Leggend, a professional tribute band for the heavy metal group Def Leppard, while she heads up a call center for a major jewelry retailer.

They were first attracted to the Loreto area about 5 years ago after Jennifer saw the New York Times article that included Loreto on a list of “Places to see”.  They had travelled extensively in Mexico for years but the quieter, less developed nature of Loreto appealed to them so they booked the trip – and Loreto did its magic on them.  Skip ahead several years and they have now purchased an uncompleted home just north of Loreto Bay that they are planning to custom finish.

However, since both James and Jennifer are close to 50 and they will continue to be working for the foreseeable future, Loreto will continue to be a vacation destination for them, even after they complete their home here.  But since spending a couple of weeks a year here over the past several years, this week’s performance at the Wine Cellar was not James’ first here in Loreto Bay, in fact he has played the Wine Cellar before, as well as at another restaurant here and a New Year’s gig at the Inn at Loreto Bay one year.

James grew up as the only musician in a non-musical family, starting to play guitar in elementary school.  He started his first band in Grade 5 and music has been an important part of his life ever since.  He started playing professionally almost 30 years ago and became a hairdresser to keep himself busy between gigs.  His professional career now is mainly focused on his work in the Tribute Band, which he describes as a combination of music and a tightly choreographed acting performance.  His band is successful, performing in many Casinos and Festivals and playing before a crowd of 5,000 the night before their departure to Loreto for this trip.  But James also has an acoustic repertoire that he performs solo, which was the music a standing room crowd at the Wine Cellar enjoyed this week. 

I have written here in previous posts how living in Loreto Bay has encouraged a number of Residents to flourish as musicians, and provided a venue for others who have had some prior professional experience to pursue their love of music here.  But whether these musicians had been professional at one time or not, here in Loreto Bay they can all be considered “Amateur” in the BEST sense of the word.  Because they are performing here only for their love of music – since Foreigners cannot be paid to perform in Mexico without the necessary work visa. 

The performances we enjoy here by ex-pats are officially unpaid gigs, so the musicians don’t run afoul of the Immigration Service, and I suggest that “gratis status” adds a special element to the entertainment.  These people are playing for the love of the music and the joy they get from performing it, as well as the pleasure they receive from the appreciation and support they get from the audiences they entertain.  Removing the remuneration from the performance, I suspect has an effect on the motivation of the performer – they are not playing for the money, but for their love of what they do.

While that difference means one thing for a retired person who is making music part of their lifestyle here, I assume it takes on perhaps even greater significance to someone who is still actively involved as a professional musician and performer.  For the “hobby” musician this environment and community is open, accepting and supportive of their passion and through that support it creates a safe space for their skill to develop and their talent to flourish.  For someone to whom music is a business elsewhere, perhaps playing for free in Loreto Bay gives them an opportunity to get back to the roots of what brought them to music in the first place, and as a “busman’s holiday” it allows them to indulge their muse in a way that their commercial career does not.

However, in either case, we – the audience – clearly receives the benefit and enjoyment from these performances in the ways that only live music can provide.  But, in addition to the simple pleasure of listening to music, there is a further value that enhances the experience for us and that is the sense of community and identity that comes from either knowing the performer as a friend and neighbor, or appreciating the fact that a Visitor feels so much at home here that they are motivated to perform to express their enjoyment at being here, and wanting to feel a part of it by playing for us.

In either case, for these people music is both a form of expression and an avocation, as well as providing a connection between the performer and the audience.  However, for other people that expression may take other forms; there is a thriving artistic community here that takes inspiration from the beauty that surrounds us, others find more physical outlets through yoga, exercise, cycling and golf, all of which activities, and more, can be pursued here.  For some the water is their passion; swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and paddle boarding, not to mention boating and fishing in one of the best protected marine parks in the world.

So what we have developed here is providing an opportunity for self-expression, personal development, or just recreation, and for a growing number of us who call this place home that may be the best part of “Living Loreto”! 

A busy week in Loreto Bay!

This past week has been a busy one for me here in Loreto Bay, and so this week’s Blog is going to be a little different.  It has been my practice with these postings to focus on the lifestyle and activities here and in the town of Loreto, and I have mainly avoided writing about my Real Estate business here – not wanting this Blog to become too “self-promotional” in tone.

However, as I mentioned this has been an unusually busy week for me – this is the first time in the over 6 years I have been selling property here in Loreto Bay that I have sold two homes in the same week.  As a result, this past week I have been fully occupied with my Clients and my business and found myself at the end of the week without a Blog topic, so I decided to break with my tradition and write a bit about the Real Estate market here.

For the past several years February has marked the beginning of the busiest quarter of the Season and this year is following that same pattern, with a noticeable increase in the numbers of Visitors here, many of whom are renting homes in Loreto Bay.  Perhaps more significantly, there is a growing number of people for whom this is a return visit, and for some it may be their third or fourth time coming to stay Loreto Bay.

Another related trend I am seeing is often these return visits are for longer periods of time, the first trip might have been for a week or two, and, before they leave, a growing number of people are making reservations for perhaps a month or longer the following year.  This growth in the numbers of Visitors to Loreto and Loreto Bay is of course tied directly to the gradually increasing air access we have begun to see in the past couple of years, including the beginning of the new scheduled service from Calgary by Westjet which I wrote about in the previous posting.

In addition to the increasing numbers of Visitors coming to Loreto Bay there are other factors

affecting this market.  Last Season when we had more flights than we have had in the previous 4 or 5 years and, perhaps not coincidentally, we sold more homes than we had in in those previous years.  So far this Season we are ahead of the pace last year, and so depending on what happened over the next couple of months, we are on track to set another record this Season.

Our Real Estate season here normally runs from October through May, and so last Fall we had a larger number of new Listings replacing the homes we had sold the previous Season.  Generally speaking, among those new Listings were homes with more desirable features like exterior Garden space, Viewing Towers and preferred locations, and many of these new Listings were at somewhat higher prices than would have been the case a few years ago.

Another change in the market here over the past year is that at this time last year we had five listings for Homes priced under $200,000 US – this week we now have two.  What that means is when we sell those two listings the lowest priced house in Loreto Bay will begin with a “2” and not a “1” for the first time in the 7 seasons I have been involved in Real Estate here.  While that may not make a big difference in the purchase price of a home, I would suggest it does make for a significant psychological difference.

But before I give you the wrong impression of breakaway inflation in home prices in Loreto Bay, let me hasten to add that all of the homes that we have currently listed are still priced below their purchase prices, and depending on when the current Owners bought the home, it could be by up to half the price they paid “in the day”.  During the approximately five year sales cycle of the original Developer between 2003 and 2008, home prices increased between 200 and 300% due to “Developer inflation” (at each sales event during that period the price of any unsold property that was carried over to the next event increased in price between 3 and 10%).

So now with the trend established towards gradually increasing prices, coupled with a growing number of homes with more desirable features and an increasing number of new and return Visitors the market conditions here are the strongest I have seen since the resale market began here with the departure of the original Developer.  Having said that, supply and demand is still in balance and it will continues to be a Buyer’s market for the foreseeable future, with the expectation of a gradual increase in prices over time, which will likely draw a steady supply of new and improving Listings to the market.

However, if I were to gaze into my “crystal ball” and make a prediction a little further into the future, I can see one of our new neighbors playing a role that could cause a significant increase in Loreto Bay property values.  Over the past year and a half I have frequently mentioned the investment Sr. Carlos Slim has made in and around Loreto Bay, but for any of you who may have missed that background, Sr. Slim, who is a Mexican citizen, is one of the top two or three wealthiest men in the world, up there with Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Among the various assets of the original Developer which Sr. Slim now owns is the parcel of land directly adjacent to the north end of Loreto Bay, for which there was a development plan for about 800 homes – about 30% more than the current number of homes now in Loreto Bay.  While there has not been any public announcements yet as to what the development plans are, or when they may begin, the fact remains that it is not possible to build homes comparable with those in Loreto Bay for the current resale prices.  And so it follows that whenever new construction begins the prices of those new homes will almost certainly be higher than comparable homes for resale in Loreto Bay and that is when I expect we will see a “spike” in our resale prices relative to those new comparables.  

We have all lived somewhere that you could walk down the street and say “I remember when I could have bought that house for . . . .” - in my opinion that day is today in Loreto Bay! 

So in conclusion, I would like to thank you for your indulgence in my taking this space for a bit of “shop talk” this week, and I trust that you have found it of some interest, but for myself, being in the somewhat uncommon position of a Foreigner working here, this is part of my reality of “Living Loreto”! 

Westjet arrives in Loreto!

One of the realities in living in a tourism development area like Loreto, located in a remote part of the

southern Baja, is how dependent we are on air access for economic success.  At one time, since the Loreto Bay Development began over 10 years ago, there were up to four Airlines serving Loreto from multiple points of origin in the US.  Following the economic turmoil between ’08 and ’09 we were reduced to one Airline with as few as 3 flights per week in a mid-size turboprop carrying about 80 passengers.

Beyond the immediate impact that this reduction in the number and size of planes servicing Loreto had on the number of passengers who were able to fly in and out of Loreto, it also changed the type of passengers who were able to travel here.  Because of the existing ex-pat population in and around the town of Loreto and the growing number of Homeowners in Loreto Bay, when the numbers of flights and the size of planes serving Loreto were reduced the people wanting to travel back and forth to their homes here booked their flights long in advance to be sure they would be able to travel when they wanted to.

This resulted in the flights being heavily pre-

booked months in advance, so when other people who wanted to travel to Loreto for a vacation or short term visit tried to book seats closer to their travel date very often they found the flights sold out.  Presumably this would often result in these potential Visitors having to change their plans and travel somewhere else where there were seats available when they wanted to make their bookings.  This reduction in the numbers of tourists able to visit Loreto hit the Hotel and Restaurant businesses hard and the local economy suffered as a result. 

So in recent years as we have seen a gradual increase in the numbers of flights by Alaska/Horizon from the low of 3 per week to now daily service, we have also seen some improvements in the local businesses that were most negatively affected.  The situation has also been positively affected by the addition of some domestic Mexican Airline flights, like the twice a week service from Aereo Calafia that flies here from Tijuana and continues on to the Mainland.

But what we have all been waiting for during the past 4 or 5 years was the addition of new North American scheduled services to Loreto from somewhere other than LAX where the Alaska flights are from.  About a year ago Westjet, a Calgary based Airline that is now the second largest in Canada, announced that they would begin a weekly flight to Loreto direct from Calgary in mid-February this year through until the end of May, and, after a year of anticipation, the inaugural flight arrived at the Loreto Airport this past weekend. 

To put this event into further context, Calgary was one of the largest markets for Home Buyers here during the marketing phase of Loreto Bay, particularly in the early stages in 2004 and 2005 before the focus of the efforts shifted more to the US market.  So in addition to the sizable number of Loreto Bay Homeowners in Calgary, and their families and friends who are potential visitors here, Calgary will act as a convenient hub for travelers from all over western Canada to connect with the new Loreto direct flight and avoid the complications, timing issues and expense of connecting through LAX which often requires an overnight stay.

While this new scheduled service was an important development for Loreto and the surrounding area, it was of particular significance here in Loreto Bay for those of us from Canada and so plans were made for a suitable celebration at the Airport to mark the arrival of the inaugural flight.  But we were not going to be alone – the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Loreto prepared an impressive display of local delicacies and snacks as well as Margaritas and other beverages.  The Baja Sur Tourism Association had colorful gift bags with T-Shirts and other promotional items donated by sponsors.  One of the best local Mariachi Bands was on hand to serenade the arrivals and along with Tourism Officials, the State Governor, and Loreto’s Mayor were in attendance to officially welcome and greet the President of Westjet who personally accompanied the sold-out inaugural flight.

With only one commercial flight arriving and departing from Loreto Airport most days, the welcoming party that assembled during the hour prior to the scheduled arrival of the new Westjet flight overlapped with the earlier departure of the regular Alaska/Horizon flight causing the Airport to be busier than I have ever seen it before!  As it turned out, both the Alaska departure and the Westjet arrival were somewhat delayed, but when the “big” Westjet 737 pulled onto the tarmac outside the arrivals gate a resounding cheer came from the assembled well-wishers – in spite of the fact that no one on board would be aware of what was going on in the terminal.

Disembarking, Immigration and Customs procedures and baggage claims took the usual time to process the sold out flight so it was some time before the first Officials from Westjet emerged into the Airport concourse but the patient welcoming crowd cheered them enthusiastically with signs, balloons and streamers.  After the official introductions between the Politicians and Executives took place, they moved to a temporary podium where Westjet’s President made an impressively fluent speech in Spanish in which he referred to the now 7 destinations in Mexico that they served and that last year they had carried over 1,000,000 passengers to Mexico!

After enthusiastic welcoming speeches by the State Governor and Town Mayor, official gifts were exchanged and the “formal” part of the event was completed.  Meanwhile, the passengers continued to emerge from the Security area in twos and threes after their arrivals had been processed – each group of which were greeted with their own ovation from the waiting welcome committee.

In these days of increasingly jaded commercial Airline travel, this event and the genuine enthusiasm of the assembled resident’s welcome of both the Airline and their Passengers harkened back to a time long ago when air travel was a special and exciting event, one to be celebrated by both those on the ground and those who were travelling!  It also reminded me of a time when the flying experience was not overshadowed by security concerns but was an excitingly special occasion.

For most of us who were there to welcome the first of what we all hope becomes an ongoing service throughout next Season, this was one more milepost in Loreto’s growth and evolution into the prime destination it deserves to be, and perhaps the beginning of new adventures for some of the arriving passengers who may come to share the dream of “Living Loreto”! 

Open Mic returns to Loreto Bay

Just over a year ago the first Open Mic night was held at the Wine Cellar here in Loreto Bay http://livingloreto.blogspot.mx/2013/12/open-mic-night-comes-to-loreto-bay.html and since then it has become a popular local event, alternating monthly between that venue and the 1697 Restaurant in town during the winter season.  This past weekend it was again turn for the Wine Cellar to host the festivities and, as it had been a while since I had last attended one of these events, I thought it was time to check out another evening of community music.

Anticipating that this would be a popular night out I arrived early for the advertised 6:00 pm start and saw that Will & Cynthia had prepared for a bigger than usual crowd in the Wine Cellar this evening, having added more tables and chairs than their regular layout.  In a corner by the doors to the patio the musicians had set up their PA and amplifier equipment and some footlights and a couple of them were warming up and setting levels as the “early birds” in the audience found seats and claimed tables.

Drink orders were made and delivered and plates of appetizers followed to most tables as more people arrived and the Wine Cellar began to buzz on a Friday night.  Soon Rich, currently the “Lone Dog” here in Loreto Bay (without his “pack” of other musicians that make up Los Beach Dogs, Loreto Bay’s “house band”) was first to take the informal stage area and did a solo instrumental blues guitar piece to open the evening’s entertainment, after which he introduced Michael the first performer who accompanied his own soft vocals on the guitar.

As the evening fell and the sky darkened a steady stream of people filled the available seating and kept the Wine Cellar staff busy filling drink and food orders as the music filled the room.  Following Michael’s set Rich returned to the stage and invited Jill and Evie, who had come from town, to add their voices to the evening.  With their melodic back up on several standards, Rich sounded even better than usual as he sang and played amplified acoustic guitar. 

Meanwhile, outside on the patio there was an added attraction being set up.  Jorge, an artisan jeweler from Loreto, and his wife Brenda had an attractive table-top display of hand-made earrings and necklaces set up and were providing a bit of shopping entertainment to go along with the musical variety.

Next up it was Bill’s opportunity to play some nice solo guitar, and although he apologized for a bit of “Loreto Throat” he did a fine job accompanying himself on several numbers.  After all of the musicians had had their turns at the mic they started into a sing-along set where they sang and played together and the Wine Cellar began to feel like a 60’s Hootenanny (if I am not dating myself!).

But that was the essence of the mood of the evening – most of the people in the room were friends, or at least knew each other by sight from the neighborhood, and when someone had finished their set they would rejoin their table in the audience and support the other musicians.  And while there were conversations going on in the background, everyone’s performance was appreciated with warm applause and encouragement, so it began to feel more like a house party with catering rather than a night out at a bar with entertainment.

I feel that these Open Mic evenings are a perfect fit for Loreto Bay – providing a showcase for the musically talented in our community to perform their love of music, and because of the high levels of talent they have, the rest of us who are their appreciative audience enjoy a night of professional quality, musically varied entertainment. 

While I am sure the Open Mic evenings in town on alternate months are equally popular, and that Loreto Bay is well represented both on and off stage there as well, I expect that these evenings at the Wine Cellar may be more intimate and with a stronger sense of community, as close knit as we are here.  But regardless, a good time was had by all, and as I made my way home again that evening I was again reminded what a special place I've found to be “Living Loreto”.   

Breaking News – there was a Full Moon in Loreto this week!

A fairly recently adopted, and semi-regular (clear weather permitting) event occurred this week, an informal Beach bonfire celebrating the Full Moon was held just north of the Loreto Bay Development under the auspices of the Nopolo Association of Property Owners.  As I am on their mailing list I received an email from Alois, their Secretary, earlier in the week inviting people to gather at the usual spot, a stretch of sandy Beach between a now vacant Hotel property and the Sea of Cortez.  While most of the length of the Beach is accessible on foot, the “NAP” has arranged vehicle access for these events by having a normally locked gate on the old Hotel property opened so those attending can drive down to the Beach and park.

In spite of the fact that Fonatur, the Mexican Government agency that manages the Nopolo area surrounding the Loreto Bay Development, has recently torn up parts of the access road in preparation for paving, I was able to make my way to the designated entrance, although I did encounter a white burro free ranging in the brush near the opened gate.  I parked my vehicle near the dozen or so others that were there ahead of me and made my way to join the other “Moonies” that were gathered around the blazing driftwood fire.

After taking the requisite “moon over Isla Carmen” shots before the subject got any higher in the night sky – and hearing from several people that I had just missed the moon rise which had apparently been spectacular, big and ruby red as it broke over the jagged peaks of Carmen in the dark distance, I then settled down with one of the cervesa I had brought with me and enjoyed my surroundings.

Recognizing several acquaintances in the couple of dozen people who had gathered there that evening, I was soon involved in a conversation with a person who introduced herself as someone who lived in Nopolo full time and she had recognized me from the Blog, which she was a regular reader of.  This sort of “local recognition” doesn't happen very often so I enjoyed talking to her and hearing her stories of “Living Loreto”, which was now her and her partner’s full time home.

Later I got into another conversation with an old friend who also lives in Nopolo and he told me about his daily morning swims around Punta Nopolo, the rocky point at the end of the Loreto Bay Beach that gives its name to the surrounding area.  Now Manfred has been a free diver most of his life and he is one of the few people who braves the chilly 65 degree water at this time of year, so I was interested in hearing him raving about the large and healthy sea life population he sees on his morning swims just offshore from where I live.  Meanwhile, Alois’ wife Kathy encouraged me to sample her homemade lentil soup which was keeping warm just outside of the bonfire glow, while others skewered some hot dogs to roast over the bonfire.

Later I joined another conversation between a neighbor of mine and his fishing buddy, who also lives in Nopolo, and they introduced me to the person they were talking to who they had just met that evening, and who, incredibly as it turned out, had gone to the same High School back in the US as the fisherman!  What are the chances, thirty odd years later, to meet someone standing around a bonfire on a beach in the Baja that you used to go to High School with?  Not sure what that number is, but let’s call it serendipity, for starters!

As the moon continued to rise, shrinking in the sky but giving everything a silvery glaze, I mingled with a few more friends and neighbors before I decided to head home again.  As I drove the short distance back to my Home I reflected on the quietly enjoyable evening I had had – nothing “earth shattering” had happened, just a few beer and a few conversations, meeting some new people and seeing other friends and neighbors – all with the beautiful backdrop of the Sea of Cortez bathed in moonlight!  But as I thought about it, I realized that was what was special about it, an impromptu get- together on the Beach to watch the moon rise and re-connect with friends, old and new – it doesn't take anything more than that to remind me why it’s special to be “Living Loreto”.     

A rainy day in Loreto Bay

It has been unusually overcast this past week, culminating in a fairly heavy overnight rain shower late in the week.  Different than the tropical storms last Fall, which were usually accompanied by strong winds, this was a steady, but gentle, soaking rain that went on a good part of the overnight hours. 

I was awakened by the rain in the early morning hours and listened to off and on as I drifted in and out of sleep during the rest of the night.  That in itself, I was thinking, is unusual – I am not a particularly light sleeper and to be wakened by the steady sound of rain without wind, in a closed room, is perhaps an indication of how much I have become accustomed to the climate here, such that a rain shower at this time of year is enough to waken me.

However unusual this amount of rain is at this time of year, it is worth noting that this was the week of “Snowmageddon” in many parts of the US, with record snowfalls of up to 3 feet in some places, which perhaps puts our unusual rain in perspective. As extreme weather affects all us more frequently (it was colder in parts of the US Southwest recently than is was in Western Canada for a few days recently) down here as we are getting used to the fact that as a contiguous part of the continent, we too are going to feel some effect from these weather extremes here in the Baja as well.

It continued to rain after I got up, got ready for the day, while I was having my breakfast, and it was still raining steadily as I left for the Office, but my normal routine was altered somewhat when I realized that I needed a towel to dry off the Golf Cart seats before I could begin my morning commute.  Leaving my cluster of homes I headed out onto the Paseo, crossing on the elevated “tope”, which I noticed was acting as a partial dam on the rainwater flowing down the street, something I hadn’t seen since the tropical storm that passed through the first week I was back here in September.  Because there are no “storm drains” in the desert, our sidewalk paths and streets tend to collect the rainfall and its runoff and provide runoff drainage for the Development. 

I also thought about the affect this sort of rain will have on the vegetation.  Here in Loreto Bay the many acres of our common area landscaping is all watered by a carefully monitored drip irrigation system to control the significant water consumption costs, and hours of steady soaking rain represents a considerable bonus to the normal ration.  But the impact of this rain on the natural vegetation in the surrounding area is even more significant, particularly coming at this time of year almost mid-year with more than six dry months ahead before we would normally expect our next heavy rains.    

I have previously commented on the heavier than usual rains we have had over the past three years – more than double the historic levels – and it has been my observation that the shrubs and brush that covers the surrounding area around Loreto have grown noticeably over the same period of time.  The Mountain slopes in the distance are now staying mainly green year-round, while prior to the recent rainy years, they would “brown out” in the spring and stay that way until the fall rains – if we got rain at all.

I had also noticed from my kitchen window that the construction workers arriving to work in the morning with knit caps (or toques, as we used to call them in Canada) and bundled up in their warm jackets and fleece – these people don’t really have rain coats, because it rains here so seldom.  This point was brought home again later in the morning when I saw the maintenance workers who collect the trash wearing the big garbage bags they use - cut open to make ponchos to keep them dry while they worked. 

The rain did ease off mid-morning, and, except for a few strategic puddles, the streets and sidewalk paths dried out again, but going about my business during the day my impression was that there was a different feel in the community – it seemed quieter, and in some ways a “softer” sort of day.  The closest comparison I could come up with was it was somehow similar to the occasional “snow days” of my youth – back during the last ice age in Western Canada, when I grew up.

By mid-afternoon there were growing patches of blue in the sky and periods of bright sunshine, signaling that things were returning to our idyllic normal and when I consulted my default weather site (www.wunderground.com , select locale with the airport code of LTO) I saw that after a couple of partly cloudy days this weekend, we are looking forward to a forecast of fully sunny days next week with temperatures ranging from the low to high 20’s Celsius – low to high 70’s Fahrenheit.

While this has admittedly been a “slow news” week, I hope that my rambling thoughts, inspired by nothing more than some overnight rain in January, will give you a small insight as to how in touch we are with our environment here, and how occasional variations from the normal can impact our day to day life as we are “Living Loreto”.

P.S. Further to last week's Blog about new businesses in Loreto Bay - Breaking News - I spoke to Pedro (the owner of the Delicatessen featured in the Blog) this weekend as I observed him moving all of the fixtures and freezers out of the small space where the store was located.  He told me that the closure was temporary and that he would be reopening around the corner in a new addition being built on the Pepegina's restaurant, details will follow!