A season for change.....

Fall is a beautiful season in the Pacific Northwest, and this one in particular. The summer has been mild and clear and the fall crisp but not too cold at night. All of those things combined have formed the perfect conditions for the magical color transformation of all the dense foliage everywhere. This morning I was sitting at my kitchen table watching the golden maple leaves fluttering down from the trees, with a clear blue sky as a background. The green grass was being carpeted ever so slowly with the gold color from above. I had to snap this photo before the leaves would be gone until next year and the vivid colors along with them.

I'm preparing for multiple trips to Mexico within the next few months. The Mazatlan condo has been furnished and a friend and I will be traveling there in the next few weeks to do the final sign-off on the interior install and sign it up for the rental pool. It's an absolutely beautiful location, see the blog to the right labeled, La Perla Del Mar for more details. I'll be loading some additional interior photos upon return of my trip.

The week after that I'm heading to beautiful Loreto for a weekend to myself. I've got lots of small details to attend to with the house and I also hope to meet up with several new friends that I have met who will also be visiting their homes for the Thanksgiving holidays. I'm anxious to see the progress on the paseo and all the landscaping taking place in the common areas of Founders Village. They were also starting construction on a few more custom homes right in front of my home that will line the beach when we were visiting in August. Hopefully our magnificent view will not be obstructed.

I will also be present for the Homeowners event in December as well. The goal is to meet more homeowners, share information that we have acquired whether it be car storage, transporting household goods, a new contractor for a new service, etc. It's a true community coming together and supporting each other's dreams of living in Mexico and being able to experience all that the untamed baja has to offer.

I've met some wonderful people over the last few years, some relationships lasting, some fleeting but all have had an impact and my world as I know it has started to expand and actually change direction because of it. As I said above, it is a season for change.........I'm just going to make sure that I am receptive to all the options that will present themselves and see where my life takes me.

Hurricane Norbert

Hurricane Norbert has made it's way across the baja penisula over the weekend and has weakened significantly after hitting the mainland. The eye of the hurricane was just 60 miles south of Loreto as it came over the Sierra La Gigante mountains. As with Tropical Storm Julio, there was 4-6 inches of rain, flooding in low spots and some wind. The damage was minimal to the Loreto area vs where the hurricane hit land at Puerto San Carlos on the pacific side of the Baja. The mountains do act as a protective perimeter to the Loreto area and we consider ourselves extremely lucky to have chosen to have our home here.

In contrast, homes and buildings in Puerto San Carlos were damaged, roofs torn off, palm trees uprooted and the entire area had significant flooding. This is very concerning as this is the town located on the Bahia de Magdalena where the whales migrate to have their calves. The bay is very protected and they stay the winter until the calves are old enough and strong enough to make the trek to the pacific northwest. Tourism is essential for the survival of this area and they have such a short time period to rebuild and recover for the 2008-2009 whale migration season which is from December through the end of March each year. Its been a very active hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific region, but it's almost over.........and then we can enjoy the very mild and pleasant winters of the Baja.

On a more positive note, this weekend is a planned Homeowners event in Loreto Bay. However due to limited airline flights the event will be much smaller than originally anticipated. Loreto Bay has thus planned another event for December 4-7th. Its a great opportunity for homeowners to get caught up on the progress of their home construction, speak with vendors for landscaping, furniture, electronics as well as socialize with their new neighbors. I am planning on attending the December event to follow up on some minor items with my home and take advantage of the time to get to know my neighbors better myself. Owners in Loreto Bay come from all over, WA, OR, UT, CA, AZ, CO, TX, the midwest and Canada as well. We all have varied backgrounds, some are self employed, others nearing retirement, and others with families, but what we all share in common is realizing the peace and beauty of Loreto.