Fishing in Playa Ventura:
Sometimes it's fish.........and sometimes.......
It's lobster........yipee!
Tonite I was sooooo proud of myself! I made the most amazing dinner! Ok it's a salad but for me it's a huge deal to make something sooo good. Shrimp. Fresh shrimp, spinach leaves, goat cheese, cucumber, cauliflower, avocado. I put 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing on the spinach and put it back in the fridge, then cut up the cucumber & avocado and threw it in. That's when I spotted the goat cheese. It was mushy, in basically a plastic bag tube- so I squeezed out 2 ounces 7 put it aside. Then, I steamed the cauliflower and the shrimp for 3 minutes each and took out the salad and dumped them in. I looked at the mush cheese and decided to make it into tiny balls and threw them in as I rolled them- so they kinda melted wherever the hit hot shrimp or cauliflower. Then we ate! OMG! It was soooooo good! And and and....it filled me up. It looked good and tasted amazing! Another great thing: 516 calories! Hmmm maybe I should have put a picture of my salad here eh? Too late I just finished it.
The thing is, for me to be creative with food, and to make something that looks so good and tastes good....hmmm maybe next time I should add pine nuts...of course more calories. The cool thing is that seafood is so good for you, and low cal. My wonderful hubby has been bringing home fresh cracked and cleaned crab for the past 2 or 3 weekends. He gets a half a kilo which I can split into 2 meals. He has been eating clams that he collects on the beach. I do not care for them- they're kind of rubbery and hard ha ha. He isn't fishing for the crab; he gets it from a pescaderia called Jesse's down the road. He brings me fresh shrimp and white fish fillets, too. I'm eating more seafood than I ever have before. The crab, when it's in the shell looks very different than the crab I am used to up in northern Calif. This crab has huge legs, really big around and long. I'm not sure how long the season is but I'm very happy. We haven't had much lobster, but that's ok. I love it best with melted butter ha ha which kinda messes up the whole low calorie thing, right? The shrimp can be made in a salad or with a big plate of veges. The crab I still prefer the same every time- in a salad, and the fish stand alone so with veges or maybe beans.
The pictures above are from when we lived down south, and I wasn't being careful about eating and so pigged out on lobster whenever it was available ha ha.
Ok new subject. I expected to be writing this last nite and talk about getting a driver's license here in Baja since I got one down south and one in Puerto Penasco, Sonora and the experiences were completely different. I heard here there was a written test! And possibly a driving test! No such thing the first 2 times. In fact the first time was nothing- hand over 200 pesos, they took my picture and 10 minutes later handed me a license- good for a year. In Penasco it was a huge hassle, I had to go to the red cross and have a blood test- which I was never given the results of so I still don't know my blood type...and then Everardo had a huge fight with them in the office because they were quite rude to me and tried to make it impossible for me to comply. They finally grudgingly gave me one- for 1 year they said (oh and no test of any kind- the hard time was about how long I lived in Mexico...our address, my visa...etc). The really funny thing is that yesterday afternoon and the way to the government office to apply, I put on my reader magnifiers & realized the license was for 2 years. We laughed pretty hard- Everardo pulled over to check it out for himself and we really laughed hard. They were such shits about it- and we paid for a 1 year lic....and it's for 2 years! So it's good until Aug of 2015. Ha! The other good thing is we didn't have to spend about 1000 pesos! I was going to take a picture of all 3 licenses...ah well- this summer. And as we were laughing we said- for us- 7 months from now- Aug? That's a lifetime away- who knows what we'll be doing? Moving to another part of Mexico? Going back to the states? Living right here?
We've now been here longer than anywhere else. We are starting year 2 in this trailer, and been in Baja for 16 months. And although it's winter, hopefully those 2 or 3 freezing cold weeks were it for that kind of cold. I'm still working out in tank tops and shorts. But it's cold at nite. I still sleep in a long johns shirt & sweat shirt, pajama pants & socks- but I have given up the wool socks I wore over the socks and the sweatshirt hood. In the evening we sometimes use the propane heater- it's weird how much longer it seems to last than when we used it in Penasco. If we sell the Playa Ventura house will we move to a better place? hmm probly not. Because to get this beach, we'd probably have to pay at least $500 U.S and why pay twice as much when this place gets more liveable all the time? I tell you, move to Mexico if you want to get down to basics- to find out what you can really live with and/or live without. I am sooo happy to have a new faucet in my bathroom! It's shiny...and clean...and then we got new faucets for the other bathroom and the kitchen! Awesome. Ha ha is that pathetic? That I am so happy for new faucets? Like I said, come to Mexico to see what you really need and all the things you don't need! A guy who lives a few houses away came by today to lend me a couple of books to read- I like that. I walked next door to see the woman who lives there to see if she wants to go to "senior stretch" with me. Ha ha I always laugh out loud when I call it that- or even write it! She's about my age, or actually maybe younger....she's a lawyer. Anyway the funny thing was she was walking towards out place at the same time.
I walked to her place out the back- on the beach side, and so did she so we met in the middle. She has 2 puppies, one about 4 months and one about 2 months so she has her hands full. She invited me for coffee which we had on her back porch watching the waves. She's the one who gave me the goat cheese because she bought too much. I was happy to accept it- thinking about looking up the calorie count ha ha. She's the one who told me about the jobs online- which I looked into- got intimidated and have let go of for now; I'm all about my English class and planning class activities and my exercise program..and now maybe even cooking? Whoa movin' too fast- ha ha ha ha I really am becoming Mexicana! I do want to talk to her about it a little bit more, and she was also talking about something she does that she makes something like $400 USD every time- it's lawyer stuff, but repetitious and when she told me about it she was saying how she could teach me, then split the fee with me since it's her accreditation as a lawyer that earns the fee (the work has to be done by a lawyer). I was thinking of telling her- shit! I'll take $100 and you can have $300 to entice her to take on the work. For me, $100 a shot is a hell of a lot more than I make now- which is ZERO. But I'll wait until I know her a little better. She asked me if I want to do this dvd workout with her- it's Jillian what's her name- the one who did Biggest Loser, but I guess is not on it anymore? Anyway it's a 90 program, and she has a huge living room with a tile floor (of course) that we could do it in. We looked at the package today; she has to find the book and I'll lend her a dvd player...but if we can agree to do it maybe at 1pm in the afternoons...I'm ready to give it a shot. And this way we would get to know each other a bit.
It's funny down here, people are different- I mean well I know people are people...but what makes someone move down here, especially alone and not knowing anybody? I mean I moved with my husband, and it totally helps that he's Mexican. And yes, this is just a couple hours from the border so it's not as huge as say- when we moved down near Acapulco- there are a lot of Americans here. Lots and lots of seniors. They seem to be in a couple of groups; one group is here because they can't afford to live in the U.S., everything here is cheaper, from rent to medical care, to car insurance, everything. The other group is retired with money. They have the really nice houses and cars, housekeepers and gardeners....hang out in the local restaurants and bars.... And then from both groups there are a couple of types: the type that never learns a word of Spanish, "tolerates" ha ha all the Mexicans- have US expectations of everything. The other type actually live in Mexico- try new foods, try to learn the language, embrace the culture, treasure their surroundings.
In Peansco there were alot of people running from the law. A guy we knew was wanted and we heard after we left that the US came down and got him and he's in prison for something like 20 years and he was in his 30's. He was a nice kid- but irresponsible as hell- grow up daddio! He didn't and I guess the feds were happy to hand him over. I just heard the other day that in Ensenada there are about 10 rehabs for the rich and famous...mostly for druggies- that they give their incoming clients drugs that let them float instead of going thru withdrawals to avoid the pain...Not FDA approved so can't be done in the states- but here- no problem. I had heard there was a rehab like that just down our road- one for the really rich & famous so now hearing that Ensenada is the place for actors and singers needing it, I guess it's probably true...hmmm I'll have to wander down that way and see what I can see ha ha. Oh that reminds me- tomorrow I'm going to an AA meeting on a boat that was in the original King Kong movie! Pretty cool eh? I know the woman who owns it...I just haven't been to that meeting cause on Wednesday mornings I have my workout. But yesterday I strained my elbow, and I think hurt my shoulder trying to baby my elbow so now my entire arm- well the joints anyway are really sore, so I decided I can take a day off.
Oh and next week I'm going with a bunch of AA women to the hot springs which are about a 40 minute drive from here, for a "retreat" day. So that experience will be something to write about here- the hot springs not the AA portion....Anyway it's interesting to see why or how people come to live in Mexico...and I look forward to getting to know my neighbor a little better- hopefully anyway ha ha.
Oh and today I hit 41 pounds! That's a big yipee for me. There's a guy at the AA meeting in Ensenada who is about 70 I think, and he's starting an exercise new eating program like mine so we're kinda email buddies to give each other encouragement. It's nice to do a "buddy system" right? So even though I hurt my shoulder & elbow I worked out today...danced and then senior stretch :)
And Thursday I'll take the neighbor with me. Next week I'll skip exercise on Thurs, but have decided it's ok if I skip one day during a given week. Tomorrow I'll go up to Ensenada for the boat meeting, then home, then off to the meditation meeting (every other Wed afternoon), then home to grab my stuff for English class at 5:30. Wow busy life eh? I'll make up for it by spending Thurs afternoon reading or walking on the beach. Today I read, then when I went to see the neighbor I went with her to take her puppies to the vet in the next town....a little laundry....then the day seems to slip away ha ha. I do spend Mon-Fri until noon exercising though so it's afternoons....
I am very happy right now. English class is awesome! I am loving it- the class flies by each time. Meditation, working out, eating smarter....talking to the universe from my beach chair...soon it will be warm enough for my hammock.....yeah what's not to be happy about? viva!
Tonite I was sooooo proud of myself! I made the most amazing dinner! Ok it's a salad but for me it's a huge deal to make something sooo good. Shrimp. Fresh shrimp, spinach leaves, goat cheese, cucumber, cauliflower, avocado. I put 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing on the spinach and put it back in the fridge, then cut up the cucumber & avocado and threw it in. That's when I spotted the goat cheese. It was mushy, in basically a plastic bag tube- so I squeezed out 2 ounces 7 put it aside. Then, I steamed the cauliflower and the shrimp for 3 minutes each and took out the salad and dumped them in. I looked at the mush cheese and decided to make it into tiny balls and threw them in as I rolled them- so they kinda melted wherever the hit hot shrimp or cauliflower. Then we ate! OMG! It was soooooo good! And and and....it filled me up. It looked good and tasted amazing! Another great thing: 516 calories! Hmmm maybe I should have put a picture of my salad here eh? Too late I just finished it.
The thing is, for me to be creative with food, and to make something that looks so good and tastes good....hmmm maybe next time I should add pine nuts...of course more calories. The cool thing is that seafood is so good for you, and low cal. My wonderful hubby has been bringing home fresh cracked and cleaned crab for the past 2 or 3 weekends. He gets a half a kilo which I can split into 2 meals. He has been eating clams that he collects on the beach. I do not care for them- they're kind of rubbery and hard ha ha. He isn't fishing for the crab; he gets it from a pescaderia called Jesse's down the road. He brings me fresh shrimp and white fish fillets, too. I'm eating more seafood than I ever have before. The crab, when it's in the shell looks very different than the crab I am used to up in northern Calif. This crab has huge legs, really big around and long. I'm not sure how long the season is but I'm very happy. We haven't had much lobster, but that's ok. I love it best with melted butter ha ha which kinda messes up the whole low calorie thing, right? The shrimp can be made in a salad or with a big plate of veges. The crab I still prefer the same every time- in a salad, and the fish stand alone so with veges or maybe beans.
The pictures above are from when we lived down south, and I wasn't being careful about eating and so pigged out on lobster whenever it was available ha ha.
Ok new subject. I expected to be writing this last nite and talk about getting a driver's license here in Baja since I got one down south and one in Puerto Penasco, Sonora and the experiences were completely different. I heard here there was a written test! And possibly a driving test! No such thing the first 2 times. In fact the first time was nothing- hand over 200 pesos, they took my picture and 10 minutes later handed me a license- good for a year. In Penasco it was a huge hassle, I had to go to the red cross and have a blood test- which I was never given the results of so I still don't know my blood type...and then Everardo had a huge fight with them in the office because they were quite rude to me and tried to make it impossible for me to comply. They finally grudgingly gave me one- for 1 year they said (oh and no test of any kind- the hard time was about how long I lived in Mexico...our address, my visa...etc). The really funny thing is that yesterday afternoon and the way to the government office to apply, I put on my reader magnifiers & realized the license was for 2 years. We laughed pretty hard- Everardo pulled over to check it out for himself and we really laughed hard. They were such shits about it- and we paid for a 1 year lic....and it's for 2 years! So it's good until Aug of 2015. Ha! The other good thing is we didn't have to spend about 1000 pesos! I was going to take a picture of all 3 licenses...ah well- this summer. And as we were laughing we said- for us- 7 months from now- Aug? That's a lifetime away- who knows what we'll be doing? Moving to another part of Mexico? Going back to the states? Living right here?
We've now been here longer than anywhere else. We are starting year 2 in this trailer, and been in Baja for 16 months. And although it's winter, hopefully those 2 or 3 freezing cold weeks were it for that kind of cold. I'm still working out in tank tops and shorts. But it's cold at nite. I still sleep in a long johns shirt & sweat shirt, pajama pants & socks- but I have given up the wool socks I wore over the socks and the sweatshirt hood. In the evening we sometimes use the propane heater- it's weird how much longer it seems to last than when we used it in Penasco. If we sell the Playa Ventura house will we move to a better place? hmm probly not. Because to get this beach, we'd probably have to pay at least $500 U.S and why pay twice as much when this place gets more liveable all the time? I tell you, move to Mexico if you want to get down to basics- to find out what you can really live with and/or live without. I am sooo happy to have a new faucet in my bathroom! It's shiny...and clean...and then we got new faucets for the other bathroom and the kitchen! Awesome. Ha ha is that pathetic? That I am so happy for new faucets? Like I said, come to Mexico to see what you really need and all the things you don't need! A guy who lives a few houses away came by today to lend me a couple of books to read- I like that. I walked next door to see the woman who lives there to see if she wants to go to "senior stretch" with me. Ha ha I always laugh out loud when I call it that- or even write it! She's about my age, or actually maybe younger....she's a lawyer. Anyway the funny thing was she was walking towards out place at the same time.
I walked to her place out the back- on the beach side, and so did she so we met in the middle. She has 2 puppies, one about 4 months and one about 2 months so she has her hands full. She invited me for coffee which we had on her back porch watching the waves. She's the one who gave me the goat cheese because she bought too much. I was happy to accept it- thinking about looking up the calorie count ha ha. She's the one who told me about the jobs online- which I looked into- got intimidated and have let go of for now; I'm all about my English class and planning class activities and my exercise program..and now maybe even cooking? Whoa movin' too fast- ha ha ha ha I really am becoming Mexicana! I do want to talk to her about it a little bit more, and she was also talking about something she does that she makes something like $400 USD every time- it's lawyer stuff, but repetitious and when she told me about it she was saying how she could teach me, then split the fee with me since it's her accreditation as a lawyer that earns the fee (the work has to be done by a lawyer). I was thinking of telling her- shit! I'll take $100 and you can have $300 to entice her to take on the work. For me, $100 a shot is a hell of a lot more than I make now- which is ZERO. But I'll wait until I know her a little better. She asked me if I want to do this dvd workout with her- it's Jillian what's her name- the one who did Biggest Loser, but I guess is not on it anymore? Anyway it's a 90 program, and she has a huge living room with a tile floor (of course) that we could do it in. We looked at the package today; she has to find the book and I'll lend her a dvd player...but if we can agree to do it maybe at 1pm in the afternoons...I'm ready to give it a shot. And this way we would get to know each other a bit.
It's funny down here, people are different- I mean well I know people are people...but what makes someone move down here, especially alone and not knowing anybody? I mean I moved with my husband, and it totally helps that he's Mexican. And yes, this is just a couple hours from the border so it's not as huge as say- when we moved down near Acapulco- there are a lot of Americans here. Lots and lots of seniors. They seem to be in a couple of groups; one group is here because they can't afford to live in the U.S., everything here is cheaper, from rent to medical care, to car insurance, everything. The other group is retired with money. They have the really nice houses and cars, housekeepers and gardeners....hang out in the local restaurants and bars.... And then from both groups there are a couple of types: the type that never learns a word of Spanish, "tolerates" ha ha all the Mexicans- have US expectations of everything. The other type actually live in Mexico- try new foods, try to learn the language, embrace the culture, treasure their surroundings.
In Peansco there were alot of people running from the law. A guy we knew was wanted and we heard after we left that the US came down and got him and he's in prison for something like 20 years and he was in his 30's. He was a nice kid- but irresponsible as hell- grow up daddio! He didn't and I guess the feds were happy to hand him over. I just heard the other day that in Ensenada there are about 10 rehabs for the rich and famous...mostly for druggies- that they give their incoming clients drugs that let them float instead of going thru withdrawals to avoid the pain...Not FDA approved so can't be done in the states- but here- no problem. I had heard there was a rehab like that just down our road- one for the really rich & famous so now hearing that Ensenada is the place for actors and singers needing it, I guess it's probably true...hmmm I'll have to wander down that way and see what I can see ha ha. Oh that reminds me- tomorrow I'm going to an AA meeting on a boat that was in the original King Kong movie! Pretty cool eh? I know the woman who owns it...I just haven't been to that meeting cause on Wednesday mornings I have my workout. But yesterday I strained my elbow, and I think hurt my shoulder trying to baby my elbow so now my entire arm- well the joints anyway are really sore, so I decided I can take a day off.
Oh and next week I'm going with a bunch of AA women to the hot springs which are about a 40 minute drive from here, for a "retreat" day. So that experience will be something to write about here- the hot springs not the AA portion....Anyway it's interesting to see why or how people come to live in Mexico...and I look forward to getting to know my neighbor a little better- hopefully anyway ha ha.
Oh and today I hit 41 pounds! That's a big yipee for me. There's a guy at the AA meeting in Ensenada who is about 70 I think, and he's starting an exercise new eating program like mine so we're kinda email buddies to give each other encouragement. It's nice to do a "buddy system" right? So even though I hurt my shoulder & elbow I worked out today...danced and then senior stretch :)
And Thursday I'll take the neighbor with me. Next week I'll skip exercise on Thurs, but have decided it's ok if I skip one day during a given week. Tomorrow I'll go up to Ensenada for the boat meeting, then home, then off to the meditation meeting (every other Wed afternoon), then home to grab my stuff for English class at 5:30. Wow busy life eh? I'll make up for it by spending Thurs afternoon reading or walking on the beach. Today I read, then when I went to see the neighbor I went with her to take her puppies to the vet in the next town....a little laundry....then the day seems to slip away ha ha. I do spend Mon-Fri until noon exercising though so it's afternoons....
I am very happy right now. English class is awesome! I am loving it- the class flies by each time. Meditation, working out, eating smarter....talking to the universe from my beach chair...soon it will be warm enough for my hammock.....yeah what's not to be happy about? viva!
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