Yoga in the Baja

In our efforts to remain as healthy and active as we can in our retirement years Rob and I are always trying new activities for fun. We have been attending yoga classes here in San Felipe.

We are “finding our centre” like the cartoon says. Haha. More like trying to lose some of our center if we can stop drinking those deadly margaritas.

Yes, Rob is coming with me to class. There are a few brave enlightened men in the class. But like that “Men are from Mars,…. Women are from Venus book, I suspect men look upon yoga a little differently than us women.

Seriously though, Holly, the yoga instructor at the El Dorado Ranch community here in San Felipe is an amazing teacher. I have learned more about healing chakras and energy pathways and such. And my body is moving in new ways.
I feel a little bit like a rubber “Gumby” if ya remember Gumby and Pokey????? And this photo reminded me of that. Kind of appropriate for yoga in Mexico don’t ya think?

So I think Robs favourite pose is “downward dog” although he keeps calling it downward dirty dog by mistake,…..

So, “dog gonit” I am feeling pretty good about our choice to spend the winter in San Felipe. It is a new experience for us as a couple to stay in one fixed place instead of travelling around in the pleasure way Van and we will enjoy that again as well but it’s always refreshing to try something new.

So I think my New Years Resolution will be as always to live well, laugh often and love much and I will add “stretch myself”in all things. How will you stretch yourself in 2016?

 

Three Cuckoos from Canada

Who is the third cuckoo you might ask? Because anyone who knows us – Rob & Les – knows that we are certainly cuckoo. Well today in San Felipe/ Baja California we got our third cuckoo sighting at the pool.

Just minding our own business,…. Rob reading and sipping on a beer ga’rita and Les crocheting when along came a ROADRUNNER!

The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from Southwestern United States and Mexico. The Latin name means “Californian earth-cuckoo”.
So I thought that was appropriate. The “cuckoo bird came right over to our lounge chairs and the feathers stood up on its head and he looked at us and thought to himself “loco/crazy Canucks” Just like the friendly smiling security guards in their winter jackets and jeans raise their eyebrows at us in our bathing suits at 9AM. Here in San Felipe December is winter but to us crazy Canucks the flowers are blooming and it’s warm enough for suntanning.

We have been spending time in the sand,..

We have been going for long walks around the area

We are checking out the real estate situation. This is my favourite so far

Since 2007/8 when the economic disaster struck the economy came to an abrupt halt here and this development where we are renting slowed down considerably. A lot of the buildings are unfinished. This photo along the golf coarse shows some house shells. It is somewhat like a ghost town here but apparently will get a little more populated in January.

A beautiful home worth in the neighbourhood of $500,000 in Saskatchewan would be about $200,000 here. It is all very interesting and we are just soaking it all up. Unlike the “cuckoo” clock, we have no idea what time it is or what day it is and like they say here in the Baja “NO BAD DAYS”

Xena the Warrior Princess in San Felipe

I don’t resemble Xena the warrior princess in the least but I feel like a princess most of the time. Here we are in the beautiful Baja having recently retired. My husband/prince still lights my fire. As a retired dental assistant I still wear the crown in the family and I got to call the shots today because ya know what they say guys? Happy Wife Happy Life? We have had 2 days in a row of golfing and frankly this princess has no warrior left in her and needs a rest. So we decided to attend a car show here in San Felipe at the La Ventana Del Mar golf clubhouse.

It was a warm sunny day to wander around all the “pimped out” autos.

As always there was the “perennial” jewelry vendor snaking around the grounds like a bad weed. Lol Alas Rob doesn’t always treat this princess perfectly. No jewelry buying allowed as we are on a sorta budget,……

I don’t think Jose made many sales. Perhaps if he had been selling dingle balls for rear view mirrors he might have walked away rich.
A band called Tekika Rock were quite fun to listen to.


Everyone was enjoying the day. My favourite ride,….

The painted murals on the hoods and wheel covers and literally all over the vehicles usually were of sexy big breasted women. A huge XENA the warrior princess fantasy is alive and well I guess?

As a champion of small breasted women everywhere I was a little intimidated. I guess I can still pretend I am a princess.

Too bad I didn’t make enough money for implants. 😜

Golf can be a “Beach”

Our first beach walk in San Felipe.

After making tracks for 4 days, actually 3500 km of tracks, it was nice to follow someone else’s tracks on the beach this morning.

We have been here at the La Ventana development for 2 days now and are enjoying the golf.

We did 9 holes the first day and 18 yesterday.

I don’t consider myself a golfer yet but I’m working on it. And bad golf can always be erased by good wine,….. Haha

A Santa Fe Appetizer!

Well we have safely arrived in San Felipe and other than squabbling last night at the grocery store over what type of peanut butter to buy we are still happily married and excited to be on the Sea of Cortez.

I last left you in Wyoming with some delirious fantasy about Sam Shepherd. I’m over that so I will catch you up. We drove about 11 hours through New Mexico to get to Santa Fe.

 

We passed some stunning rock landscapes, some a little spoiled by commercialism but at least Black Friday hasn’t arrived out here in the middle of nowhere.

We took  a morning stroll through the Plaza – downtown historic centre of the Santa Fe. I don’t have a lot of great photos because it is hard for me (the turtle) to focus while trying to keep up with Rob(the rabbit). Anyone who knows Rob is aware of his supersonic walking pace. Lol  So,alas- I found the perfect cowboy boots which stayed in the store window.

There are some awe inspiring cathedrals with historic significance. I got chills when we started strolling down the street and the church bells started ringing and the pigeons were swooping the steeple. Yes, even pigeons can be romantic.

We also wandered up Canyon Road which is full of art galleries and interesting Adobe walled shops. Here are a few photos for a taste. This is only an appetizer. I want to go back for the full experience but that’s another trip.

 

This entrance looks like Bilbo Baggins? of hobbit land should live here.

 

The art is amazing. This glass sculpture was one of my favourites. And for the lake girls an inner tube masterpiece in iron.

Well I hope that was a tasty appetizer. Looking at those red hot chilli peppers made me hungry so we went to a restaurant called Mr. Field Goods and the green chilli pork roast sandwich with apple jicama slaw filled me up. This is me post eating,…….

I think I’d better stick to appetizers for awhile.
Stay tuned for a full meal deal of the San Felipe experience.

Wide Open Wyoming

Welcome to another edition of the Donley travel blog. Rob wants to call it “Get loose with the Moose”. We are Baja bound. So far it’s much different than our blizzard beginnings of last winter with the Pleasureway Van.

This season we are in our Dodge Ram truck which of coarse has no bathroom – more on that in a bit. I miss my bathroom a lot!

So prior to reading any further I need to set the tone for this blog post. Please have a quick listen to this song

“Wide Open Spaces” by the Dixie Chicks.

 

This song kinda fits the “Wyoming Western Movie”blog that is galloping through my head as we travel.  Driving from Saskatchewan is a long way to anywhere,…….so my mind wanders a lot. I hope to entertain you with the stories I imagine in my head. A 10-11 hour travel day can be boring without an imagination. So I started thinking,……..and

Deliciously full of country biscuits and gravy from “Mona’s Diner” – the kind of place where the waitress calls ya “sweetie” and ya really want a piece of homemade pie but ya don’t dare, ……I am getting sleepy and am possibly dreaming. Because a movie came into my head.

My western movie has two actors. Rob ( alias Sam Shepherd) of Dodge Ram commercials of coarse. Rob/Sam plays the cowboy character of my Wyoming Western. Sorry to not include you John Wayne but I think Sam is pretty hot! My second character is me ( alias “Calamity Jane”) because I’m more of a tomboy than one of those delicate long dress wearing pioneer women of the old West. One of my first Christmas gifts as a little girl was a gun and a holster set because my dads employers thought I was a boy, “Les”. Haha

So back to my movie scene. I have only one blurry visual of the Wyoming plains which started this whole scene in my head,….

We are driving by Buffalo herds while tumbleweeds blow across the dusty pavement. Antelope are grazing in the brush. Rob/Sam is identifying all the road kill as we drive by – deer,fox, rabbit,…. The landscape of wide open spaces is dominated by buttes.

Les (Calamity Jane) is seeing the Native American Sioux chief in full headdress on top of the butte. But she is not intimidated! She has other things on her mind. She just “NEEDS TO PEE” So Sam pulls the truck/horse into the field and Jane squats on the running board between the doors of the truck for privacy. Jane wonders about those delicate pioneer women in their long dresses. “Wherever would they pee in private?” she thinks. Well goodness! They have those big skirts they can tent around themselves for privacy. Haha

Maybe that is a good reason to wear a dress! Impress Sam? NOT.

Jane hikes up her britches (travelling yoga pants) and climbs back in the saddle/truck beside Sam/Rob.

Jane/Les is lucky she met Sam. She gets to travel to wide open spaces.

Sam/Rob thinks the wide open spaces are between her ears but she is okay with that.
😜😜😜

Moral of the story: Always seek out wide open spaces and for goodness sakes – avoid country biscuits and gravy. Side effects may include delirium.

Dare to be Different

Have you seen this Utube video of the granny who surprises everyone with her dancing capabilities? http://youtu.be/PP9b_91PHi8
I want to be that gal. I’m 56 years old, retired and lovin’ life. Eccentric? Sure. That’s my goal. So with that in mind I will tell you about my recent experience at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon.
https://breitenbush.com
My childhood friend who lives in Portland suggested we go to a yoga and meditation retreat. We intended to do this at fifty but life got in the way. Set in the Cascade forest with a glacier fed river running through it,….

and dotted with natural hot springs,…

It certainly is everything and more than advertised. However, this is where the whole spa thing took a left turn for me into eccentric land. “DIFFERENT” for me was the mention in the brochure of “clothing optional soaking pools.” What isn’t readily apparent from the pool photo is that my friend and I went in total darkness for our first soak. We set our alarm for early morning and left our rustic cabin nestled in the forest.

And donning headlamps and coats as bathrobes we crept stealth like through the forest to the meadow pools. It felt to me like I was twelve years old and back at church camp. Maybe I misinterpreted one of those Ten Commandments. Wasn’t there one that stated ” Thou shalt not swim naked in hot tubs over 50?..”
So,…. after our morning swim we would hike the trails surrounding the retreat rather than stay inside practicing yoga with very limber younger people. Haha

Hiking to me is a mindful yoga experience anyway. After forest serenity we would ready ourselves for the dinner GONG which would herd the guests and community for lodge meals. Yes, a gong.

The meals offered at the lodge were the “sumptuous organic vegetarian” delights as noted in the brochure.
But this is where it becomes “DIFFERENT” again for me. I do believe that with retirement comes a responsibility to pay attention to health and nutrition so as not to become a drain on the health system. So eating my vegetables is more important than ever. Veggies do have the power to change your world. I lost 7 pounds by changing just a few things. With all the popularity of the superhero right now how come there isn’t a vegetable hero? How about a flying female eggplant? Have I just stepped into eccentric land?

Having said that, I must admit that “Kentucky Fried Chicken” is still in my diet plan at least once a year. But I don’t drink sugary cool-aid and definitely not at retreats.

In conclusion, I think it’s important to step out on a limb once in awhile.

It probably shouldn’t be that tree limb though,……

And now for those of you who think I’m nuts.

Next up? I don’t have a clue. Maybe dancing lessons! But I have time. I’m not 90 yet.

Caught in the West Coast WEB!

Just a quick photo post today because my internet is slow. I recently was fortunate enough to have about 10 days divided between Oregon and Vancouver Island. Like the spider web in my photo, the west coast has woven its way into my soul. Keep posted. I will be sharing more photos soon.

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Check out the upper right menu bar for my Humour category for the cure to always wanting more.

A QUOTE FOR YOU

Just a short note asking you to check out my QUOTE page! You will find it on the top right MENU bar. Now that Fall is here I find I have more time to leaf through my blog. Leave it up to me to entertain you with some new ideas.
Thanx for visiting 💃🏻