The dog we came to call "Pelli" was likely born somewhere on the beaches of Baja California's eastern coastline, between Punta Bufeo and Brisamar. She’d had a litter of puppies before we met her, puppies that were taken from her by area fisherman whose camp she had been hanging around. Those fishermen referred to her …
Somebody to Love
A week ago Sunday morning, I sat down to participate in a Zoom meeting of the Bozeman Dharma Center’s Insight Meditation group. The guest speaker was Dawn Scott, a woman who I knew nothing about except her status as an alumni of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, and an ongoing instructor with a group …
Goodbye, and Hello
JD and I retuned to our beach house at Punta Bufeo, Baja California, in mid November, planning to spend five weeks here before returning to Montana to celebrate Christmas and the start of a new year. The house we share here with three other partners is a home away from home, one which holds many …
Sailing On
The moment Flathead Lake comes into view, JD and I both inhale deeply. We are here for a week of sailing on Vishnu, our 1976 19-foot O’Day Mariner, that we picked up two years ago, JDs indulgent and loving response to my whimsical desire to learn to sail. We pull into our campsite at Rollins …
Learning to Stay
With Anika and the kids safely back home in Bozeman, the energy around Punta Bufeo Yacht Club (the name of our beach house, given by the prior owners) dropped discernibly. JD, Lee, Kathy and I slip into a rhythm of sleeping in, daily naps, and simple dinners followed by movies and popcorn. All of us …
Anika’s Departure and Deciding to Stay
The day after Erik and his parents leave, JD, Lee and I take the boat out fishing. After trolling, unsuccessfully, for grouper, we head for a spot we've come to call "yellowtail alley", behind la Isla San Luis. We arrive, and begin trolling - and it isn't long before I hook a big fish. It …
Family Time
JD and I leave for San Felipe, eager for the arrival of daughter Anika, her husband Erik, their children Ember (7) and Colter (4), and Erik's parents, Lori and John. Lee and Kathy stay behind at the beach house, cleaning up and giving us some time to reunite with the family alone. After completing some …
Loreto and Playa Santispac
We pull into Loreto, the longest occupied town in all of Baja, and turn on our cell phone navigation, seeking directions to Romanitas, the RV campground recommended by a Canadian couple that we met in Mulegé. As the navigation directs us down a side street, JD suddenly slams on the brakes. An electric wire from …
Playa El Coyote and Mulegé
Following a majestic few days camping at Ojo de Liebre, and going out to visit the Gray whales nursing their young in the protected lagoons of Baja's Pacific coast, we head further south along the Baja Peninsula, crossing back over the to the Sea of Cortez. We plan to stop for a few nights in …
Whales
We decide to head south toward the gray whales at the recommendation of our friends Ross and Kate, who have done the scouting for us, having left Punta Bufeo a week or so prior to allow JD and me to recover from the flu. A week or so after Ross and Kate’s departure, we are …