Can't wait to go home to Baja

With the start of the rains and cold, grey days our hearts long for Baja... I can see our land now, all green and desert fresh from the recent rains. The sun on my skin glowing and creating a smile from deep within. How I love the sunshine and how it makes my heart shine. Growing up in the Canadian desert (Okanagan) the climate is deep in my blood and I feel at home in Baja. I don't cringe at the heat at all, but rather relish in it. You simply jump in the ocean to cool off when it's too hot or put on a sun hat. Working in the sun is a bit more challenging but you work early in the morning and late in the afternoon, giving you more down time during the heat of the day for beach time, self care or to read under a tree or whatever tickles your fancy.

The fact that you can expect sun almost every day gives us so much more free time than the constant check on the weather channel as we try to navigate our days around bad weather. The weather dictates all here in Canada and makes life way more complicated trying to plan things. Being on a boat access only island makes things even more complicated. Having 5 dogs, again more complicated. Being on an island that is so small makes your options very limited to explore and exercise your dogs, and finding off-leash areas for them doesn't exist. So that leaves the boat to go and explore other areas but sadly we still have a boat that is too small for our family. So we have to make do with what we have and await a time when we can have more land around us and more freedoms for us all, like we have in Baja.

Rescuing dogs takes a special someone that's for sure. Not too many people have the patience to wait for a dog's rehabilitation... Realizing it's going to make life harder but the fact that they have come into your life and asked for help and you have accepted the challenge, I believe is a positive attribute. Rico was thrown out at birth and had to fend for himself on the streets at a very young age. His health was severely compromised and I think it impacted his brain development. Not to say he is stupid but he isn't the sharpest crayon in the pack that's for sure. Chela, spent 2 years on the streets fighting to stay alive. She is a survivor of abuse and her scars run deep. She has scars from beatings, burn marks on her belly, and a canine tooth crack that was likely from an object hit to her head from nasty humans. She has had to fight for her life against very aggressive dogs on the street in a very rough town too. So when we found her, somehow she knew it was her chance out. So she put on her cute little sweet sideways smile, gave a good wiggle and followed us in hopes that we would take her away from her nightmare. I have to admit, I wasn't very warm to having another dog join us as we had 3 already at the time. But... after seeing Dane and Kodi's face with their hearts in their hands I replied... what's one more? So the pack then became 4. Chela was not used to kindness so has been very awkward to get close to. Not used to friendly hands, she cowers down all the time especially when voices are raised. The abuse is deep in her bones but this December will be a year of her new life with us and I can proudly say she comes up to cuddle now and even shares a little kiss or 2. She loves her new family and we all love her.

We could do a book on the places that are dog friendly in our travels. When we got to Oregon one afternoon and Dane went into the bank, I had the teller come out and invite me in with Truffles. I was out in the cold with the dog and they wouldn't have that. A bank even! I replied, it's ok we can wait outside. He said nonsense come in, we even have dog treats! And sure enough we were greeted with friendly smiles and attitudes. They even have dog restaurants and bars in Portland. Many establishments have an area where the dogs can play while you sit at the bar and sip on a brew. It blew my mind how this city loved animals and I saw what a different folk people were who lived there. Even people in southern Baja that we know, love dogs and don't think twice about us owning 5. The community is warm and caring and often open up their home to less fortunate animals. Even some of the Mexicans are also warming up to this culture and we have seen many changes taking place. The beliefs of their children and grandchildren are wearing off on them and many more are enjoying the love and comfort a pet can provide. So I do believe the issues are improving in Mexico now and will only get better with time and persistence.

During the 8 months we have been in Canada, we have birthed and cared for puppies and are raising one, started a business, got water hooked up to the cabin, gardened a decent crop, continued to work on the cabin, built an addition and bathroom and now that things are winding down here we are very excited to do this again but in Baja. Call it practice if you will, but we will continue until we find the perfect match for us and our family. We are going to give Baja a try for our business and see if it may be a better fit for us. Maybe it truly was Baja all along. But one thing is for sure, you never know until you try.

We are very excited to start business in Baja this year. It's been two years coming to figure out what to do there and now that the fermentation business was so well received here, we think it may very well be our niche in our southern Baja community. I put out some "feelers" yesterday to gauge interest for my fermented products and sourdough bread at the market and in stores. One very well known business in Todos Santos has already confirmed they would like to sell my sauerkraut and kombucha and also said that the demand is very big so the sooner I got there, the better. And now that we have a website for Rancho Pacifico Baja we can transition the business from facebook to a private platform, which we have been wanting to do for some time too.

All very exciting things happening for us! Now if we could only get the final pieces of the puzzle put together seamlessly and quickly and so that we can again be happy and in peace where we seem to smile a heck of a lot more... under the southern sun of Baja.

2017 Trip to Baja....