Mañana we head back to Vancouver Island

Soon we'll be back in beautiful British Columbia and scenic Vancouver Island.

Vancouver Island's climate is the mildest in Canada, but we do get our fair share of rain.

Cathedral Grove, just 20 minutes from our home, is a stand of ancient Douglas fir and western red cedar. It is the perfect example of a rain forest. The oldest and most majestic trees in Cathedral Grove are about 800 years old, measure 250 feet high and are 29 feet in circumferance. These are giant trees!

Spectacular Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park with its tall trees, trails, canyons and rushing waters is also only about 20 minutes away from us.

Once again we'll take up small-town life in the charming, picturesque town of Qualicum Beach.

Where you can hop on a train and ride north west to Courtenay or south east to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Victoria is world renowned for its British heritage, beautiful homes, tree-lined streets, quiet neighborhoods, and historic downtown.

The Parliament Buildings proudly front the Inner Harbour and look out over the yachts and sailboats moored in the marina. The area surrounding the harbour is the main gathering place for activity in Victoria.

Victoria's Butchart Gardens are one of the world's premier show gardens. This 55 acres of stunning gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada.

Victoria is less than a 2 hour drive from Qualicum Beach so is easily accesible for a short getaway.

A few days from now we'll be home and hunkered down in front of the fireplace watching the ocean-side activity through our wide wall of windows on the other side of the house.

It'll probably be a month or so before we can comfortably sit out by the beach, so we'll also be spending lots of time in the hot tub on our back deck, enjoying the gorgeous ocean views.

There are always lots of bald eagles soaring through the sky and swooping down to snatch a salmon with their sharp talons. Eagles pair for life and return to the same nest each year to raise their young. Through a well-trained telescope, we can often see little heads poking up above the rim of their enormous nest in the trees in the estuary. These eagles are one of nature's most impressive birds of prey with their snowy white heads and tails and enormous yellow beaks and feet. We are very fortunate to be able to observe the eagles and scores of other birds from our home in Qualicum Beach.

We get incredible views from the windows and deck on the front side of our house. There are no homes across the street from us, just the Marshall-Stevenson Wildlife Sanctuary with spectacular, snow-capped Mt. Arrowsmith in the distance. The sanctuary is a 29 hectare waterfront property which is a haven for both native and migrant birds such as herons, geese, ducks and loons. This sanctuary protects the Little Qualicum River Estuary from the threat of residential development.

The nearby Little Qualicum River Estuary is also a wetland habitat for migratory birds and wildlife along the Little Qualicum River. The entire estuary consists of 40 hectares of extensive marshes, mudflats, sand bars, large eel grass beds and forests. It is a spawning and rearing habitat for salmon such as Coho, Chum and Chinook. As well, clam, oyster and mussel beds are found in the outer beach areas.

We are so lucky to have the ocean, the river estuary and the wildlife sanctuary all at our doorstep.

We've been told that the spring bulbs are sprouting back home, so before long we'll be picking golden-yellow daffodils, multi coloured narcissus, fragrant hyacinths and brilliantly coloured tulips.

We have a weekend escape planned for shortly after all my dental work is finally finished. We are going to Long Beach on the West Coast of Vancouver Island to spend a couple of days around the small villages of Tofino and Ucluelet and Pacific Rim National Park.

Pacific Rim Nation Park is where the full force of the mighty Pacific Ocean mercilessly pounds the shores of the weather-beaten coastline. A million visitors a year travel west through Qualicum Beach to experience the romantic isolation of the Pacific Rim and Long Beach location. They come to experience the dramatic seascapes, surf the surging waves and stroll the sandy beaches.

Deron and Shari, the couple who recently got married down here, gave us a very generous gift certificate for accomodation at Long Beach Lodge, a luxurious beachfront resort on Cox Bay near Tofino. It is set amongst towering trees, rugged coastline and sandy beaches.

The great room at the resort has Dougls fir post and beam construction and a massive granite fireplace. You can sink into an overstuffed chair, put your feet up and gaze out to the crashing surf. It will be the perfect place for us to celebrate the new me.

This is my last blog of the season so I'll say goodbye to our friends in Guayabitos, and I look forward to seeing our family and friends back home. Adios amigos.

Watermelon - Sweet, Juicy & Delicious

They grow an awful lot of watermelons in this country. Some are small and others are huge.

I usually pay 10 - 20 pesos ($1.00 - $2.00) for a whole watermelon depending on the size.

Some of them have hundreds of seeds while others have none. I don't find the flavour is any different with or without seeds.

Watermelons don't ripen after they've been picked so try to buy one that is ripe. There are several different ways to tell if a watermelon is ripe:

* Pay attention to how heavy the watermelon is. Watermelons are more than 90% water, so the most juicy melons are going to the the ones that seem heavy for their size.

* You will find a discoloured spot on watermelon. If this spot is light green, the melon is not ripe yet. If the spot if a yellowish-white colour, then the melon is probably ripe

* You can also scratch the surface of a watermelon with your fingernail. A greenish-white colour just below the skin indicates that it is ripe.

* You can also tell by thumping it. When you thump the side of a ripe watermelon, it will sound as if the fruit is hollow. If you hear a thud or a tone that is high in pitch, it probably isn't ripe.

Dark green watermelons tend to be sweeter.

Ice-cold watermelon tastes great on its own, but I also like to serve it several other ways.

Salt opens your tastebuds so that they can absorb the flavour or the sweetness of the watermelon.

So salads made with watermelon and feta cheese are very good.

One of my favourite salads is a combination of chilled cubed watermelon, black Greek olives and feta cheese. The olives and cheese are both salty so complement the sweetness of the watermelon beautifully. No dressing is needed. This salad has a wonderful clean taste. I just had some of this salad for lunch today.

If you can't find feta cheese down here, you can use the crumbly Mexican cheese which is also salty and works very well.

Another favourite salad is Watermelon Salad with White Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 4 tsp minced green onion, 4 tsp finely chopped mint, and 2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno. One bunch of arugula, a small amount of crumbled feta cheese and chilled cubes of watermelon. Combine the first 7 ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours. Before serving, put the watermelon, feta and arugula in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Serve in chilled bowls.

If you can't find white balsamic vinegar use wine wine vinegar mixed with a bit of white sugar. The recipe calls for arugula in this salad, but I also like it without the arugula.

Another nice salad is a combination of different chilled melons, arugula, toasted almonds, feta cheese, finely chopped cilantro and a drizzle of lime juice. Combine everything just before serving and serve in chilled bowls.

Another refreshing dish on a hot day is watermelon soup.

And watermelon juice is one of the best thirst quenchers there is.

I'm really going to miss my watermelon.

Blue Skies

Every day for the past week I've taken a picture of the sky.

On Tuesday, March 4th there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was clear blue.

On Wednesday, March 5th there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was clear blue.

On Thursday, March 6th there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was clear blue.

On Friday, March 7th there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was clear blue.

On Saturday, March 8th there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was clear blue.

On Sunday March 9th there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was clear blue.

And on Monday, March 10th there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was clear blue.

In the evenings, over the last week, the sky has looked like this. Spectacular shades of pink, mauve and purple. Then just before the stars began to twinkle in the night sky, all we could see was the new moon high above the ocean.

Bright and early Friday morning we head out on our long journey home. All week I've tried to think only of positive things about returning to Canada in March. I've thought of many things I have to look forward to, but the cold and rain aren't on that list.

Is Samana Santa Coming Early This Year?

For those of you who have never experienced Samana Santa, it is something else!

Semana Santa or Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and continues through to and including Easter Sunday. It is the most important religious holiday of the year and each and every community boasts unique traditions for celebrating Semana Santa.

Nearly everyone in Mexico is granted time off from work or school during Holy Week and many employees, with the exception of those who work in the tourism industry, take their vacations at this time of the year. What all this means to unknowing visitors from abroad, is that it is practically impossible to find accomodation in, or transportation to and from, any major resort or tourist destination in Mexico. The nation’s most isolated beaches are also likely to be completely overtaken by large families of campers and day-trippers.

One of the most crowded beaches at Samana Santa is right here in Guayabitos. Thousands of Mexican tourists descend upon Guayabitos each year. Most families start to arrive prior to Palm Sunday and stay through to Easter. All hotels and bungalows get jam-packed and tents are pitched one on top of another all along the beach.

Large signs like this are posted at beach accesses around Guayabitos. The signs say No Camping or Littering The Beach, but to date the majority of Mexicans have ignored these signs. Camping is not allowed on any other public beach along the coast, and the rule is strictly enforced, but for some reason campers feel they have a right to camp on Guayabitos beaches.

Currently the Mexican government is strongly promoting the coast of Mexico, from Puerto Vallarta to San Blas (which is just north of Guayabitos), as their newests and finest resort area. They are calling it Riviera Nayarit and are encouraging tourism to come this way.

Most local governments and communities are working very hard to keep the Nayarit coastal towns and their beaches clean.

In order to keep the beaches of Guayabitos clean and pollution-free, the government has stated that camping will no longer be permitted on the beach.

This morning these vehicles filled with people and camping gear arrived.

And before long, more family members started to arrive. The president of our residence association was notified and Judge Tony (a Mexican fellow about 40 years old) soon arrived to enforce the no camping rules.

Judge Tony told the families they could no longer camp here and told them if they didn't move on, the police would be by to help them with their move.

These families weren't at all happy, but agreed to be on their way and packed everything up.

A couple of days ago three other fellows arrived and also put up a tent. They brought their vehicle down onto the beach and immediately got it stuck in the sand. Tony the judge was also called then and the boys were told to move on.

People are starting to arrive for Samana Santa a week earlier than other years. Yesterday there wasn't a parking spot to be had anywhere in downtown Guayabitos, and there were many more Mexican tourists in town than usual.

Because more and more Mexicans are vacationing in Guayabitos each year, I think the Government has no choice but to put a stop to camping on the beach, but it's going to be a difficult rule to enforce. Many families have been coming to Guayabitos for years to camp during Samana Santa. Last year they tried to stop the first couple of families who set up tents, but then hundreds more people appeared on the beach with their gear and no one put a stop to it.

The biggest problems are there are no bathroom facilities for the masses of people who camp here, and the amount of garbage left behind is staggering. Other years, during Samana Santa, our friend Charlie would go up and down the beach with his ATV, a couple of times each day, and remove massive amounts of debris. Charlie is not here this year to take away the garbage so it will be a huge problem if the campers get their way and are allowed to camp on the beach.

And we also won't be around this year to pick up after them as we are heading out in a few days.

It will be interesting to hear who wins the battle.

The government or the campers.

Hopefully our beaches will continue to look like this when Samana Santa is over and not be strewn with tons of garbage.

If the government wants to advertise this area as a hidden paradise, they have to start taking responsibility for enforcing their own no camping rules. Maybe it's time for them to set up some designated camp grounds and encourage the Mexican families to use them.

It's also time for the government to co-operate with the locals, not only to keep Guayabitos' beaches clean, but the rivers and streams as well. This is a bit of paradise down here and it would be a shame not to put an end to contamination.

A Sunset From the Deck at Casa Que Sera

On a recent evening, this sunset was spectacular from beginning to end.

It began with mauve, pink, tangerine and yellow colouring.

Then within minutes the colours got more dramatic.

Soon more and more purple started to emerge.

And created markings similar to that of tye-dying. I think this pattern and these colours would make a very striking wrap.

Finally the colours got significantly darker and signaled the end of another amazing sunset at Casa Que Sera.

Bye Bye to Fresh Fruits and Veggies

One of the best things about Mexico is the food. The locally grown fruit and veggies are not only fresh and delicious, but are much more reasonably priced than at home.

We are very fortunate to be able to spend six months each year in this wonderful country, where we get to eat fresh tasty produce every day.

The giant roma tomatoes are always firm and flavourful.

So there's always a bowl of homemade salsa in my fridge.

The crisp green beans are picked fresh daily. What a treat to be able to enjoy them all winter long.

The local sweet potatoes are yummy when mashed with some chipotle peppers, lime juice & zest, ground cumin, salt & pepper and a bit of butter.

Mexico's mangoes are simply the best!

A tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is a great way to start the day.

The papayas we get at home are never quite like this one.
There was a lot of sunny orange fruit in this papaya that Maria picked yesterday morning before she came to work. We are always greatful for her produce and egg deliveries.

These little tiny bananas have a mellow, slightly acidic apple flavour.

They are considered the cream of the crop even though the bananas are less than 4 inches long. They are a bit firmer than a regular banana and have a really pleasant taste.

I usually pay 10 pesos ($1.00) for a pineapple that is perfectly ripe and ready to eat.

These succulent little tidbits are sweet, sweet, sweet.

Then there are the vine-ripened, ruby red watermelons.

That are very inexpensive and packed with so much goodness.


Chilled watermelon on a hot day always hits the spot.

Many bowls of luscious fresh fruit get eaten at Casa Que Sera each winter.

These plump asparagus spears were about a foot long before I broke off the bottom bits.

Cilantro is a staple in my fridge. I've found it stays freshest, and is good for a week or so, when stored in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel.

I not only use it in salsas, but in many other dishes such as soups, salads, sauces and sandwiches, and I especially like the essence and texture it adds to a chimichurri sauce.

And finally, these are three basic veggies that I cook with nearly every day and can't do without: mild sweet onions, pungent green jalapenos and crisp baby zuchinni.

Thank you, Mexico, for all your wonderful flavours. We are going to miss them.