Last days in Loreto

I let the week get away without writing. We were busy every night entertaining friends on the terrace. Since the discovery of the planet Saturn in our telescope (thanks to the celestial expertise of Cathy Martin) we have been inviting people over nightly to show it off. I never was that interested in the night skies until coming to Loreto. Here, the stars shine so brightly you can't help but continually looking upward at them.

Robert and I managed to get one Rumba lesson in with Roberta, the former ballerina. We stepped all over each other in her living room until finally we captured the rhythm of the rock step, the cucaracha, and the box step. It will take a lot of practice before we move smoothly. I've been wanting to master this dance ever since I saw another couple do it last year at a lounge in Las Vegas. They looked so stunningly suave as they effortlessly performed this dance that emphasizes movement in the hips while the upper torso is practically rigid. Robert had great difficulty keeping his long arms contained while trying to rock his hips. Meanwhile I rocked mine easily, but paid for it the next day when my hips screamed for Advil.

We began packing in preparation for our departure (Sunday, the 15th.) It took a lot of work to get ourselves packed and the house emptied of personal items plus perishable food. I gave everything we had away to the friends who remain there. 10 pounds of Wonder flour and a couple pounds of semi-sweet chocolate chips to Cecilia, my Mexican friend who bakes; a large ham and everything else to Laura, my other Mexican friend with three kids. Janice will store our bicycle and Drew and Cathy the telescope. Allison gave Betsy to Lynn and Sharon who really wanted her all along. As we see it, Betsy is a Baja dog. She's been there since she was four months old. Lynn and Sharon are retired and living full time in Loreto. They can provide the stability and attention we weren't so good at. Okay--they are better parents. Betsy will be so happy with them and their daily walks on the beach.

We don't plan on returning for quite awhile--maybe not until next winter and even then not for a great stretch of time. We will vacation, but not live for months like we have. The reason, primarily, is that we want the village to develop more. We have been living through construction. We were nine months in from October 05 to July 06, and then four months this year. We'd like our next experience to be closer to what the village promises--amenities, activities, programs, community. It will take a little, or maybe a lot, more time.

In the meantime there are other adventures that await. We're already scheming those up.