Category Archives: Gardens/Plants

August Thunderheads

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August Thunderheads

Sultry summer days with the humidity almost as high as the water.  The skies open to wonder and as the winds pick up, the chance of shower increases by the hour.

Everyone drips and whines about the temperatures, yet the summer is so beautiful.  The easy days of spring have given way to the late blooms that are stark in comparison with the dry desert.  A wild array of pink shrouds the mesquite.  Yellow blooms on the cactus and a flowering vine beckon birds and bees that provide a hum against the background of sea slap and wind rattles.

Time for a tall glass of iced tea and a book in the hammock. Lazy afternoons just begging for siesta.

Driving Down Mex 1

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Mex 1 South

One of my favorite views : South of Mulege, past Conception Bay, up and over the pass and out across the valley towards Loreto.  The Sierra Gigantica begins to rise to the west and the scent of sea wafts lightly over the parched desert plateau.  All around beauty as tall cardon continue their reach toward unreachable clouds, and octillito wave tiny red blossoms on the ends of spindly thorn-laden arms.  For me, it’s turning the corner toward home.

Gardens in the Desert

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“The Desert Dreams of Water” is the name of a series of photographs I took in different desert locations.  My experience of the dried earth in sparsely vegetated areas of the desert is that the dream of water is never more than a breath away.  During and after a rain storm, the earth opens up in a plethora of scents and colors and growth that is staggering.  All dormancy slides away with water born from the heavens.

In Baja, those oasis that dot the peninsula do so because of the existence of water – precious water that is never to be wasted or taken for granted.  The palm groves an inland rivers of San Ignacio and Mulege are prime examples of nature’s gardens.  The town of Loreto, tucked off the main highway for decades, shimmers with shades of green when approached by the sea.

Vegetation provides shelter from the heat, protects the soil from erosion, provides an oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, as well as shelter and habitat for bird life.

In San Quintin, a Pacific coast fishing village south of Ensenada, a small hotel and restaurant complex can be found about 1/2 mile off the highway. “El Jardin” sits in the midst of its own oasis of palms, cactus, flowering shrubs and a small orange grove.  The motel is delightful – only a couple of years old, and the quiet is exquisite.  Rooms have ample windows for garden viewing, and the garden itself is filled with benches and tables for contemplation and relaxation.

It’s an amazing place to stopover, spend some time and recharge during the drive north or south, or even a spot for launching an all day fishing jaunt on one of the local pangas.

repair/replanting

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Rigo replanting the edge of the walkway

It’s taken 10 days, five city officials, two layers, one environmentalist, extraordinary patience, and strained relationships with neighbors, but at last, the city has blessed our ‘replanting’ plans which beautify the community walkway, provide a modicum of privacy to my home, and a support a fledgling bird habitat.  And along with the blessings was an agreement to keep the plantings no higher than the ridgeline of the house, and the neighbors ‘trim’ permit was rescinded.  The costs were large by any standards, the emotional upheaval and grief ridiculous, and all of it unwarranted and stupid.  Acts of deception and lies led to the wholesale chainsawing of a lovely 13 year old tree – which all had agreed to trim – not chop down.

I’ll say it again .. the only thing I find to fear in Mexico are Americans who want to transplant their complicated lives to this lovely serene town.

I sat by the sea this afternoon trying to figure out why this happened?  What precipitated acts of bad judgment?  In the end, I have to accept that I’ll never understand.  Instead, I’ll watch as new plantings slowly fill the space that their predecessors once occupied, and thrill as the bird population rediscovers a habitat and sanctuary.

As I finish that sentence, a stunning road runner leaps onto the garden wall, flicks his head side to side, spies the grasshopper he’s been chasing and takes off into the remaining tall tree.  Yes, another wonder filled day.

cynthia & cal

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The first time I met Cynthia, she was sure she already knew me. We were sitting in the pizza restaurant in San Juanico, and while she sure seemed like someone I ought to know, I couldn’t find a memory to connect us.  We chatted back and forth, and voila – she was from Sun Valley, where my sister, Claudia lives.. a sister with whom I share a facial likeness.  Voila!  What I don’t think that either of us knew then, was what good friends we would become.  With shared optimistic outlooks, Baja grit in between our teeth, and wide open hearts — it’s been a grand gift of a later in life friendship.

Cynthia in her Garden

Cynthia lives full time in San Juanico in a beautiful home that she and her very clever, very talented, very crafty husband, Cal, have built on the slope of a hillside.  The upstairs palapa has a killer view of the town to the sea, and the newly completed casita even sports an outdoor bathtub!

An organic garden compliments Cynthia’s kitchen magic – a real chef – a master with whatever ingredients are in the fridge, the bowl, or on the shelf.

In fact, she’s even got a new blog : BajaLuna – which incorporates her stories of living in a small fishing/surf village with tasty recipes and ideas for combining ingredients.

Cal watering the garden