2018 is quickly coming to a close. As I was taking my morning walk it was a great time to reflect on the past year. 2018 was full of “firsts”, travel, adventure, and an occassional bump in the road.

I enjoy taking pictures and capturing videos, but when it comes to sitting down to write a blog and put my feelings into words, the words often fail me. I hope that my pictures and video can tell the story for me. I am pretty far behind in posting, but I really do enjoy sharing my pictures and thoughts with others. It is also a way to preserve our memories to read and view for many years to come.

When you live in another country it is hard to be able to see family on a regular basis. This year I was lucky to have been able to see my Mother on several occasions and also to see all three of my sisters. Dave has been fortunate to see two of his siblings while we were in Puerto Vallarta and we are looking forward to seeing another sibling at the end of January in Cabo.

We live in a small agriculture community in Baja, about 200 miles south of San Diego. We are fortunate enough to have our lot in a small American community where we have been able to really get to know our neighbors. I am not going to lie, living in a small community has its up and downs and sometimes you feel like you live in a fishbowl. I am grateful for the friendships that I have made and have learned when times get tough you certainly find out who your true friends are.

Fishing has been awesome this year. Dave has improved his Captain and fishing abilities and I have learned a lot about fishing and driving a boat. I was able to catch my first Yellowtail and it seriously was a great moment and I was super pumped. We were able to catch lots of Bonita, Yellowtail, Sand Bass, Rock Cod, Calico Bass, Whitefish and Barracuda. Sashimi and sushi have been a food staple in our home (I am not complaining).

Surf fishing is also a fun activity here in Baja. Our friends and neighbors sponsor a yearly Surf Perch Derby (tournament) for the locals and gringos. It is a super fun event where a large group gathers, brings flags that represent their fishing team, fishes, eats amazing food and tells tall tales of past and present fishing adventures. Before the tournament this year they even hosted some surf fishing seminars where we learned how to cast, tie knots, tie on sinkers/hooks and most importantly we learned that we are fishing with a fishing rod and NOT a fishing pole. I have yet to catch any fish from the shore, but that will be a goal for 2019.

One of the best days that we had on the water this year was when we came across a pod of Orcas (Killer Whales). The day started out with a gorgeous sunrise, followed by two separate pods of dolphins surrounding our boat, then the best was spending about 20 minutes with a pod of Killer Whales. There were about a dozen of them and they swam with our boat for about 20 minutes. They were very playful and not aggressive. I only had my iPhone to film, but what we experienced was truly MAGICAL. (see Vimeo video below)

A fun day trip we took was to a place called La Lobera, which is about an hour drive south on the highway and then another several miles on a very bumpy dirt road. It has a beautiful sea cave where several sea lions congregated. We also enjoyed the coastal area where we watched the huge waves crash into the cliffs.

I never get tired of seeing the various birds around the bay by our home. Osprey and Kingfisher are my favorite. We even had a visit from a cute owl.

It is always fun to go shell collecting, the beaches always have a nice variety. Sand dollars are easily found and one of my favorites. We found these cool big snail shells while out on a RZR ride. I soaked them, scrubbed them and dipped them into muriatic acid and the results were amazing.

This was our second Christmas in Baja. Decorating a cactus in our backyard seemed appropriate. Here is a picture of our Blinged-Out Baja Beauty.

I hope 2019 brings you all health, happiness, love, travel and adventure.