Students in the Square

Around noon yesterday Mike was right next to the town bridge. No bites, but he heard a band, so he came to fetch me and we rode into town. In the square there were three band members playing ranchero style Mex music. Lots of high school girls serving cold cervezas and BBQ'ing chicken. We thought it was fun that all the young girls had skin-tight low riding jeans, tank tops and then their high school tee-shirt on top, pulled up around the waist and tied up in the back. We could hardly tell one from another until we had been there about a half an hour. The music was great, but they only knew about four songs. This was a fund raiser for their school. Check out the shoes on the lead singer.

Five Pound Snook

Yesterday we had breakfast at Los Olivas right down the road. Roger met us there and we decided to fish on the river for a bit after we ate. Mike stopped here and there along the river, but Rog and I went right back to our favorite spot on the other side near town. I caught one pargo barely as big as my lure. Then I had a huge tug on the line. The snook was only five pounds, but snook really are strong fighters, and you have to keep the drag tight. So, this isn't a great photo because he was on the move, but here it is.

Hunting for Cave Paintings...again

We took off with Gary and Tracy to LaBorjitas to see some really cool cave paintings. Two hours later we got to the final gate...the others just had rope ties to open...and there we found a padlock. There wasn't a soul around. The little cluster of houses preceding the gate were all empty. Only a pitbull puppy peeking at us from an enclosure. Then Mike remembered this weekend is a holiday in honor of Juanito Juarez. We stopped anyway under a tree and had a picnic with the carnitas we had picked up in town, and a couple of icy cervezas. Along the way we took photos of several plants. One is called desert lavender, but is actually salvia. It smells like lavender, but isn't. This ends a $100 bet with Christian down the road, who insisted he was right. Never argue with a lavender farmer! We also took a photo of what looked like a yellow apple. We have seen these scattered here and there. Tracy said they are actually small round gourds, about apple-sized.

Snook on the River

Over the last couple of days Mike and I have been avidly fishing the Mulege River practically right in town. Yesterday I caught my first snook. Actually, two of them. Mike held up my second one for a photo. Only a couple of pounds, but it is very cool to know they are back in the river....about fifty years ago a dam had broken, causing the river to completely silt in....Mike has caught a couple of them, too, as well as our pals on the other side of the river, right next to their house. They have seen 30-40 pounders recently, whereas years ago they were up to 50 pounds. Very exciting stuff. We also caught a few pargos. The one I caught this morning was over eight pounds, much bigger than the ones shown here. I gave it to a local. He was absolutely thrilled. Probably feed his whole family tonight. The Mexican children usually hang around to watch, and love to have their photos taken.

Chinese on Sunday

Mike and I were just exhausted after the cookoff. I don't know...just the weeks thinking about it, not finding any kidney beans in the stores here....begging a pal going to Loreto to buy some for us. Turned out we used two huge cans with 6 lbs. 12 ozs each. Then the prep and ordeal of the event. We remembered that on Sundays they had Chinese food in town. Hadn't tried it before, so we sat there for an hour and a half waiting for our order. There are lots of Yees in town, a leftover from the past when Chinese people were here working, then stayed, or were abandoned as they were in many places like Visalia or San Francisco. Last night the place was totally crowded with Mexicans...who looked suspiciously like Chinese people. Finally we asked for our order to GO. It was absolutely the worst Chinese food I have ever had in my life. I nibbled, then threw it away this morning, but Mike was so famished that he ate it anyway. A pound of MSG, maybe a pound of oyster or black bean sauce...just too much salt no matter what it was.

We were playing peeek-a-boo with a little boy in a highchair, and he finally fell asleep We glanced over an took this amazing shot.

Purple Haze Chili Sign

Gary offered to make the signs...here is the Purple Haze Experience sign he made. Pretty groovy, isn't it?

Carnival shot

We looked over and saw this crazy set-up. A yellow bathingsuit looking like a carnival photo op. Well....I couldn't resist! Turned out our pal Cathy had donated her bathingsuit awhile back, and it turned up at the chili contest. One ticket bought a photos printed out right there.....I am bringing it home with me. By the way, Cathy looks pretty much like the suit in place here. Lucky gal!

Purple Haze Chili Table

Here it is...our table. Three gallons of chili and it was GONE immediately.

Rozie and Mike Hippies

Here I am in my California hippy look, ready to head on out to the square in town for the chili cookoff...oh, here is a photo of Mikey, too. Aren't we just the BOMB?

2009 Rotary Chili Cookoff

Mike and I couldn't for the life of us think of what to do to dress up ourselves and our chili cookoff tables. We have thought of it for weeks. Finally Gary and Tracy brought up the hippy theme due to Purple Haze. My God! Sometimes the things right in front of you are the last you see. Here is a photo of Tracy and tie-dying our stuff.

Mike's Big Pargo

Here is Mike just amazed at the big fat Pargo he snagged right on the river at the entrance to town. This was Saturday morning. He caught about sixteen fish. His buddies didn't catch one!

Arrowheads with Gary

Today Gary picked us up and we drove out to San Bruno. We actually turned at Palo Verde and crawled down the dirt roads until we got there. Gary said we should look for clear spots of sand with lots of old shells. Indian campsights. Gary managed to find two arrowheads, about one inch long. One of them was perfect. I found a very cool rock with obsidian crystals inside. A geo, it seems. Mike got really upset because I kept wandering further and further away from him. What the heck? I had my head down and just walked and walked away. I looked up and realized I couldn't see Mike, Gary or the car. Then I realized how far I had gone and worked my way back. Mike was upset. Thought I might get abducted, bitten by a snake, who knows what...isn't he a darling for worrying about me? Here is our shot of Gary's find for the day.

Cock Fights

Mike went to the gallos fight recently. I just couldn't go, didn't want to see it. He had said it was a family, a social event, that the women dress to the 9's, all that. He sat with a Mexican rancher and his family. Their 16 year old daughter had on 4" heels, all the make-up in the world. Mike thought she was about 35 until she smiled and her braces were front and center. Then it was that her father told her age. Those poor Mexican girls. Once they are 15 they are sort of on the market for a husband. So sad. Anyway, here are a few shots Mike took of the cocks and their handlers.