feels like rain ...

Feels like rain ... heavy clouds all day and now, at 5 pm, it's steel grey up river and the ocean

is black coral.  The humidity is over 80 %, with a cool breeze down the canyon.  Not sock

weather, but a little sweater vest is perfect.  We have really had a mild winter, so far.  

If only it would rain, even just a little.  I spend a lot of time dragging hoses, and carrying

buckets, and I will be doing that till June.  The hillside is turning brown and the leaves are

falling.


I am trying to grow some kind of lawn, in the side yard towards the banos. ( You have to

leave the house to get to the bathroom, in the casita too ) On hot days I have to water

twice.  It's only some kind of weed, but it's better than just the sand it's growing in.

It's constant vigilence taking care of this place, kinda like having a farm !


The ocean is still warm, no jellyfish, and the fishing crew had 2 excellant days in a row, the

local Mexican crew that is !  The gringos caught a fish for lily, and a primo amber jack for us

all to share. But ...better luck next time ... 


Breaking News  !!!  We have purchased a filter for our tap water, so we won't have to buy

bottled water from the store anymore !  A breakthrough ! Like electricity & telephone, this

will make life much easier.  No more hauling water up and down from the store.  I can't

carry the bottle, so I had to have a a man ( that I knew )  carry it up for me, and tip him .

No more !  Some people living here have been using these systems for quite some time, and 

I was sceptical, but they had no problem.  The systems now are much more affordable,

$ 90.00 usd, small and portable.  And the water tastes better, i think .  The next step is

finding glass bottles to fill, instead of the plastic we have been using.


I made it up to Casa Isabels and saw our visiting jewelry expert.  She helped me restring a

necklace made out of seeds, that belonged to my mother's mother.  We made a double

strand bracelet and i love it.  Two other woman joined us, and we stopped for a while to watch

the whales playing.  


I also had a session with a local Jin Shin Do practitioner.  She has also just arrived in town.

I thought she was acupuncture, but her gift is the jin Shin Do, just like my first therapist,

( whom i adored ) in Gatineau, Qubec.  What a gift.  She helped me a lot.


I wanted acupuncture because of my psychic Reading 2 weeks ago.  When a pychic healer

moves in next door, well, I just had to go and meet with her.  I'm really glad i did.


It all comes with the territory in Yelapa.  People appear out of nowhere, and make a little

village.  I keep busy with the house, but i am off to the beach manana to re connect with my

Spanish teacher from 2 years ago.  She's from Iowa, but has a phd in Spanish ... go figure ...

We'll meet every Monday, I hope , until she leaves in May. 


Mimi's was rocking Friday night.  There was a birthday and a lot of musicians showed up

and everyone had a good time.  I even heard about it on the trail the next day !


There is a lot of work going on in town, and  i only know a little of it.  The old hardware store

will reopen soon, in some incarnation, there is a new clothing store, pharmacy, and so much

more.  The next edition of Yelapa Ahora Newsletter will be out soon, and I can get caught up

on the latest Yelapa news.


Croquet begins tomorrow .... Quite a few members missing this year,  so it will be a much 

smaller tournament, but still, ... May the best Woman Win !!


Life won't slow down for me now, until late May.  Even though I keep my privacy, I have to 

accept, I live in a tourist town, and the tourist season is gearing up. 

Easter, Spring Break, etc ....  I won't mind one bit when June comes , and we all can get back

to normal !!  Yelapa Normal ! 


 It turns out, the old kitchen sink we discovered, is actually an old clothes wash stand.

A sink to fill from a hose or bucket, and a wringer board made out of cement built in

between.  I love it, and it's still in good shape !  Silent says it was built about 30 years ago.

It will be perfect for herbs ...  herbs like mint and basil ...


Lots of work. but when you're heart is in it, you can't ask for more.


Some of Pegge's Yoga group had to cancel out of NYC yesterday because of the snow storm.


Stay strong everyone , this too shall pass ....


good night from my jungle tree house ... to yours ...

k

even in yelapa ...

Super Bowl Sunday ... even in Yelapa . 

It was not that long ago when TV here was such a novelty.  I remember going up & down the beach with a sign, informing the people sipping margaritas, that The Eclipse Restaurant
would be showing the Olympic Hockey Game ...USA v/s Canada ....
No one believed me, how was it possible ? 

Tonight you can watch the game in more than 5 different places !
Passion Flower Gardens would be my choice, but I am staying home ...
It's not the Leafs, it's not the Stanley Cup!

There has been an influx of the New Year Residents, and they have brought with them new movies, so I am keeping current with that scene, but it's still easy to stay away from the CNN kind of News. 

" Old-timers " recall when John Lennon was shot, and someone brought in the news, but there was no way to confirm, or get information, you were that isolated.  In some ways it's
still that way, bad or good.

For instance, my phone hasn't been working since my birthday. Telmx is on the job, but it could still take a month.  Back to the Dark Ages, except I have a cell phone now, and so does everyone else in Yelapa, so i manage to get by.  I love having Sykpe, and Internet service is good.

I laugh when guests arrive and are so pleased and impressed by the speed and clarity of the wireless connection at the house ... just as good or better than my place, they say, with a
sigh of relief. 

I do keep in touch with the World with CBC.COM now and then, and now I have a supply of Globe & Mails,which I enjoy very much.

Life goes on. 

There are still Whales jumping in front of Water Taxis, and playing around at the point. 

Dolphins in the bay 3 days in a row.  That means there are little fish in there, but no
one is catching very much.  It's not until there is none, that's when we pay attention.
Like water in the tap, it's there, until it's not, and then it's a problem.

The sea was rough over the full moon, as usual, and will be even rougher in February, so
fishermen consider it a waste of gas to even go out. 

It's that day to day existence that you see up close, that makes Yelapa so attractive to me.
The simple ways of survival; catch your own fish, make your own tortillas ( as if ), beans,
carrots, rice.  These people live past 100, some no glasses, and yes, no teeth, but alive and
well, living off Mother Nature.

It's easy to go back in time and feel the pioneers coming down the mountain and discovering this bay.  All the stories of the Revolution and the Indians of the hill standing guard. 
The New Mexican Government awarding this land as a " Reservation " of sorts,
for those peoples that stood guard .... that leads us to where we are now .
Such rich stories to be told.

Dona Antonia, who shares my Mother's Birthday, will be 96 this June.  She has lived in Yelapa close to 80 years !  Her husband, Don Andraes, rowed them here in a dug out canoe from the North somewhere. It  took 4 days.  He had been here already, and was somewhat established, which meant a palapa roof over a dirt floor, but he had a boat and he was a fisherman and there were lots of fish in the sea then.

There are still fish in the sea. I watch Julian come in every day, but Sunday, and he is very, rarely, empty handed.  N. and B. head out every morning, from the playita below my
house. They are born to it.  The ocean is in their blood, it is their blood.  Silent Jim says N. is a natural born killer. Spear gun v/s fish, fish loses.

They sell their fish to markets in PV but also to Pollo Bollo Restaurant.Famous since 1987.  With utmost confidence, and some pride, I can tell my guests and visitors that the grilled fish at PB, will be one of the best fish dinners they will ever enjoy, in their life ! 

I have never been wrong.

I especially like it when  I can point out the fisherman,enjoying their catch with their family,
and the rest of us.  We can say thank you, up close & personal.

I see these hard working, devoted, committed fisherman every morning.  I often hear them
without seeing.  I could tell you by the sound who's boat is who.  We know when they will
be back and watch to see the catch. Waiting to buy your fish, off the boat, from someone
you like, and trust ... Priceless !!

I am very excited about the clearing Silvario did with his Machette behind the Casita banos.
I had a complete vision when I saw it done.  The old cement water sinks discovered from under the jungle; an outdoor kitchen built long ago.
There is an upper rock foundation for a tent or studio or green house ... it could be a fantastic
garden area. So many possibilities, so much potential.

Nirvana, Serendipity, Paradise: either which way, it's magic to me .

until next week ....

be well ....

stay clear of churches, hospitals and political rallys.... 

may you dream of grilled fish, fresh tortillas ... and candy apples on the beach !

xxoo

Happy Birthday to me

Perfect Yelapa weather recently. Lots of sun at the beach.  I'm lucky I have sun at the house for 3 or 4 hours a day.  So many of us around here live on the side of the hill and are sun deprived certain times of the year. 

Only 46 steps up to this house, but over 200 at my next door neighbours ! And that many ,
or more down the trail at Casa Isabel.  You need strong feet, legs, knees, and hips to get
around here.  To get get anywhere is a climb.

My legs are feeling especially tight in certain places from walking up & down to the casita.
And then up again, to the bedroom on the second floor. 
A Yelapa motto is Go Slow and Lift Your Feet. That can be important even when you're walking to the banos, at night !

Living in Yelapa also means you have to be able to hop or jump or swing in or out of the water taxis.  Some have ladders hooked on the side, good luck with that in rough seas. There is a pier at Hotel Laganita, and in the village, and usually you can just step on or off , carefully and holding on to the canopy frame, without incident.
Mind your fingers and those people wanting to help you.  There is many an amateur ready
to lend a hand, and could promptly drop you in the sea ... almost !

Everywhere in Yelapa we have to pay attention to our environment.   I've had to kill two
scorpions this week.  I almost tumbled down the new steps dug out of the hill in the back,
twice ! Maneuvering the rocks and roots and walking in flip flops, can be dangerous to your health !

I celebrated a quiet Birthday. Chicken Enchiladas at Ramona's for dinner.  Very Special People around here.  Thank you for your kind words, and being an inspiration in my life.

Onward and Upward. My 53 rd year.

I have been decorating the casita, organizing the kitchen and making it cozy.
I've been sleeping up there since Gregorio has had a relapse with his Sciatic Nerve.
It a little tree house, with a swinging bed, and a clear view to the sky.
I can watch the Scissor birds do their ritual gliding, every morning.  Sweet.

The tourist traffic is still pretty slow, although there are more people here than I know about.  The nursees are back at the Hotel and that means Pegge too.  There was a drumming group last week. Lots of colour and beautiful people strolling the path.

The rhythm of the New Year begins.  There will be the build up to the Croquet Tournament
starting soon.  It will be very different without Pam & Martita, who stayed up north this
year.

Mimi is finishing a big project in her main courtyard.  An old tree had to be removed, it broke through the brick wall, and so she is also pouring a whole new cement floor at the
same time.  We can back to the book cafe this coming week.  There has been a few people
dropping by, so we need to get a little push on.


Full moon party on the beach tonight. A long standing tradition.  Tonight there is a live
band.  It used to be people jamming with guitars and tambourines and drums and harmonicas and flutes and everything else.
What a trip to cross the river late at night, in the dark.
Under the full moon.

Just one of the treats of living in Yelapa.


Stay well and  Think Positive

k



   

poem

My Palapa


no windows

no doors

in my house

i smell everything

here everything

no walls to keep out 

hummingbirds 

or butterflies

the jungle passes by

and that's ok with me

one with nature

morning

noon and

night

Miracles

Another birth, another death. Pedrolepe died. Eva's Pedro.  They ran a little knick knack

shop, from inside their house, next to the Church. 

They have lived in that house a long, long time. 

Yelapa grew and changed right before their eyes.  The main path was at their doorstep,

coming and going, most of the action right there.  Running the bulls thru town, horses

dragging construction material, tourist heading to the waterfall, they have probably seen it

all !!  Pedro made hanging flower pots out of small coconuts, that Whippet Pam was a

particular fan of.  He was so sick with Diabetes.   He lost one foot above the ankle almost 2

years ago now, and has been in a wheel chair ever since.  Not so easy in Yelapa. 

It's a miracle Eva's feet have not been amputated.  She is severely crippled, her feet always

bandaged up.  She is gorgeous.  If you ever walk by, and she has just washed her hair, and 

she is sitting outside, brushing it out,( it's the length of her arms) it can take your breath

away.  Pedro was very handsome and friendly, and quiet.  He always had a smile.

He was getting worn out, you could tell,  It's best he didn't linger any longer.   

Rockwell Driver is a Rock pa again ... congrats everybody ... another miracle...


I was out to the Yacht Club for dinner last night, the first time in years. R & D are visiting

from Vancouver and took me out !! So generous and fun to be around . They are staying at

Los Pericos, only a few houses down from me, but only one more night ....

Another Globe & Mail has been delivered too !! Gracias ...

I'm half way thru NY Times Dec. 2nd edition.  Very interesting, reading about all the Book

Cafes and Poet Slams and 2nd hand bookstores .... I have the idea of finding someone there

to house swap for a month !!

And R. says he would swap his Vancouver Digs with me.

The world is full of Possibilities ....


There was a clean up of Yelapa scheduled for Sunday ?? at 9 o'clock.  In any case, one task

of mine this week is clean the stretch of path between this house and up as far as Jose's.

It has been neglected for a while. Some of the little kayaks and canoes have been

moved out of there, and it's looking particularly nasty. Vallarta Adventures is accepting

plastic for recycling, taking it back to PV with them.  Every Monday !  Hats off to them !

I'll have to buy another Plastic Container to store them  all up in !


There has been A Lot of Whale action the past few days.  I missed most of it, but heard

the tales of quite a show.  The people farther out at the point, hear them often, before they

see them.  Another Miracle, the way they jump way up out of the water like that !!


The Common Black Hawks are still living part time above us.  I am hearing them less and

less though.  The hummingbirds are beginning to arrive, looking for the little red flowers just
coming out.  Basil, Mint, Tomatoes coming along, but we need more sun !!

The ocean has mellowed, although today the wind kicked up for a while, and the sky

darkened.  I saw a glimpse of the half moon the other night.  Almost like  Vancouver winter

weather .... The lagoon is empty and the river almost dry.


The trees are flowering yellow across the bay, on the hillside over Hotel Lagunita.  I thought

they were Primavera but someone said they were Iron wood.  There are also approx. 8

large trees over there flowering purple, and 5 or 6 or 7 more way up the hill. 

A Very Lovely Sight. 

The mosquitoes and other like creatures are thriving in this humid, damp weather.  So are

the mice and the skunks and the bats !! I'm grateful the bats I accidently trapped in the

Bodega of Casa Defin escaped somehow on their own.  I went out there at dusk to shoo them

out the door, but they were gone.


Some ass on his Yacht just blew his horn and scared the !@#$! out of all of us !!


Perla just came by to visit.  We haven't seen each other since Christmas.  She lives in PV

and goes to school and works part time.  She will be 25 this March.

I asked her the name of the Mother at the Waterfall who died recently, her name was

Rosario Castillon Garcia ... alias... Chayo.  She was a saint to me.

be well

stay lovely

k 

Stormy Weather

Strange weather continues, in Yelapa and across the Globe.  Rain, overcast, humid.  The surf

is high and strong, and that's been the norm for over a week ! This lack of sun creates

Yelapa Laundry Woes .... at least my house has some sun during the day, when there is

sun, but I still play clothesline tag. It can take days for sheets and towels to dry.

I half regret not accepting my Dad's offer of a Dryer, to go with my Washing Machine

Birthday gift a few years back, but i mange to carry on, at the clothesline. 

It's all part of the bigger question ..." What do you do all day ?" ...

Well. When you live on Yelapa time, everything takes longer, and is more challenging.  Like

laundry.  Women were washing clothes on the rocks in the river, even when I arrived, in

1999, so we are progressing, slowly.

A lot of time is spent with the broom and the mop. Floors, paths, stairs, accumulate sand

 dead bugs, fish blood, lizard poo.... etc. !  Spider webs and termite trails delay the tasks at

hand .... where did I put the ant poison ??

There are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all I set out to do, hence, Yelapa Time.

You learn to chill out and go with the flow....

Another boat hit a Whale !!  Not a Water Taxi but a local ponga, coming back late from Tuito 

Guadalupe Festival.  I heard the motor was lost and the boat tipped over and there were

quite a few people, including children.  Miraculously  

And Dishes !!  I learn a lot by visiting local womens' kitchens.  Why the extra bowl of soap

at the sink, huge bottle of bleach, why no sponges?  They use buckets and huge cement

sinks full of water for rinsing and recycling, dishes piled high like sculptures, drip drying.

Filling the old cement sink is a first task of the day for many women, for many reasons.

Making sure they have enough for the day, in case the haphazard water line breaks from a

fallen rock, or horse hoof, or  pressure build up, or reverse, no water in the river to feed the

line; letting the water warm with the sun during the day, since very few have hot water at

the kitchen sink ...and most households feed a small army, family or not ! 

I have hot water at my kitchen now.  It's a long, complicated, Yelapa Time Story, but I have

hot water , at least for now.  I was warming water on the stove for quite while ... seriously .


I heard another boat hit a whale.  Not a Water Taxi but a local ponga, coming back late from

Tuito Guadalupe Festival.  I heard the motor was lost and the boat tipped over.  There

were quite a few people on board, including children !! Miraculously, no one was injured,

at least not seriously.  How incredible is that ?  


The first Casita gusets of the New Year were very ill the 3rd night here, and spent their last

day in bed, poor flolks !  Consequently, the laundry piles up !!


The Yacht Club was closed this Saturday.  Perhaps do to chance of rain.  Not much fishing

going on as the ocean is too rough.  I have a wide open view of the Lagoon now, and have

been watching the constant action at the mouth of the river. Full in the morning, almost dry

in the afternoons.  Boats being pulled and pushed, in or out.  


There was another death of an elder this week.  I don't remember her name, but I will find

out.  To me she was a Dona, a testament to the Yelapa of old.  She made the best Huveos

Rancheros ( i think ) at the Waterfall.  She nurtured me more than once, even though

I never understood a word she said.  I was on the same Water Taxi a while back with her

and her husband.  She was really sick.  Very crippled up.  That was her last trip.  She

died in PV.  I'm grateful I got to see her again.


I have been adding photos to my Profile.  More coming soon.


Time to rotate the clothes lines .....

k





  

2013 ! Week One

The year started with rain !!  Steady rain all day , 36 hours of it to be somewhat exact.

No one remembers when it rained so hard at this time of year.  It wasn't a " gully washer "

like the summer rain storms, but it was heavy at times.  Enough to have the mops and rags

out soaking up the water that gets blown in to the front of my house.  It was a nice gift

really, the jungle will stay green longer, and all the new transplants in the garden are loving

it... and less work watering the yard, at least for another few days.  The sun is shining now,

and it's a perfect Yelapa day.  The ocean is a little chunky, and the breeze a little cool, but

the sun is warm, and the sky is clear.  


One of the Water Taxis ( Beautiful Sea I believe ) ran into a Whale on the morning of Dec.

30th.  Rounding the point on the way to PV at 9:30, with a full load, as you can well imagine,

and the Whale came up right under them !! Luckily, no one was hurt, even though the boat

was craked and was taking in water !  They turned right around and made it back to Yelapa,

and transfered everyone to another boat, and off they went.  I haven't talked to anyone who 

was on the ride, or had friends on the ride, but a trip to the beach will fill me in on the

details.  It;s the first time anyone remembers that happening, and let's hope it doesn't

happen again !


New Years Eve was a great time at the Yacht Club, as always.  The best dance floor, even

when it's packed.  It started to sprinkle even before midnoght, but that didn't stop the fun !

There were floating lanterns and fireworks.  We went on to the Mexican Dance around 1:00

and I got in my Polka, with Dona Antonia, no less !! So much fun ! But headed home around

2:30, just when the place was starting to fill up.  The party went till 5, as to be expected.

I recited Sam McGee, to my own enjoyment, and danced a jig for Gregorio, before our

dinner guests arrived.  I did play Barrett's Privaters for our guests, and being Canadian, at

least one of them was able to sing along with me.  


I am expecting an arrival today, guests in the Casita.  It has been a mad rush to get it ready,

and  I have been busy with rentals at Casa Delfin, so have been managing three houses, so

it's time for a break.  Looking forward to the last line of laundry for a few days.

I have the Sunday New York Times to look forward to, doesn't matter it's December 2 issue.

Old news is new news to most of us here. 


Next step will be working with Mimi, tiding up and finishing the painting, making the

curtains and starting to set up shop.  It will be a nice diversion, get me out the house, and

I get to be with Mimi.  I am looking forward to making that space sweet and dandy, it has

so much potential , and with Mimi and I committed, there is no where to go but UP !


I heard from so many dear friends on Facebook, commenting on the passing of our friends

Fraser and Nick.  Some times I feel closer to those so far away.  So much time and space

has passed between us, and yet with the Internet it feels like it was only yesterday, we

were all young, with the world at our feet.  I'm grateful I am still standing, in a home and

community I love.  I miss all those who have gone before me, and I will never forget.


I am getting much pleasure and insight from the Sacred Path Cards and from The Medicine

Cards, both new for Christmas.  I also enjoy the Power Path Website, ( The school of

Shaminism ) check it out for Monthly Astrological Forecasts. 


There is inspiration all around us.  I hope the Year is full of wonder and delight, for us all.


Much Muchness ....

k