Goodbye Dan Murphy, We will miss your pioneer spirit!

Loreto lost a very good friend this week. Dan Murphy was the face of Ecoscapes here in Loreto for many years. His positive attitude, always friendly smile and greeting would warm all who encountered him on a day to day basis. He was a Can Do kind of guy who had truly lived fully. From professional race car driver, to diplomat, to traveling and living worldwide, he and his beautiful wife Jeanine made Loreto their home for the past several years. It was impossible not to love Dan, and we will all miss him greatly. All the employees of Ecoscapes and all those that are part of Loreto Bay will remember Dan’s kindness, humility and take this moment to celebrate his life. Our most heartfelt condolences to Jeanine, who we hope will always consider Loreto her home as well as San Diego.

They have finished paving Benito Jueves Street right to the malecon and it was a beautiful bright red color for about 1 day before the dust blew in an embedded itself in the colored concrete. This has taken almost a year for them to be working on the sewer and water pipes on this one block and many are relieved it is finally finished.

The Municipal staff have been out painting curbs, pedestrian crosswalks and white lines with yellow stripes to resemble topes or speedbumps. Going from a town with one stop light that doesn’t work and Alto (stop) signs that are merely a suggestion to the other extreme of crosswalks very 20 meters is a little overkill. Also note that the Police have been told to issue tickets for cell phone use while driving. You can drink and drive, but you can’t drive drunk; it is recommended that you do not drive with a baby in your arms, and seatbelts are not mandatory. However, talk on your cell phone and you will be fined!

This is another example of progress and how the pendulum needs to swing radically from the right to the left before it can land in the middle where life makes sense. The weather is wonderful this time of year and I never quite understand why there are not more people here in April and May. High 80’s in the daytime with a gentle sea breeze and 70’s at night. This was the first bicycle cab I saw for those that find it too hot to walk around town in the midday sun. I think the driver will quickly lose wait or give up once the temperature reaches high 90’s in another few months. Let’s see if this idea is a flash in the pan or the start of a profitable enterprise! Timing is everything.

The donkey drawn carriages have moved up to horses and this is an easy way to slowly enjoy the malecon boardwalk and streets of Loreto. I think the ride is 30 pesos per person and the driver is very friendly. Holland America comes to port regularly this time of year and many entrepreneurs are walking around with portable ice cream freezers, sticks loaded with bags of cotton candy, and trinkets galore.

On our way to La Picazon Beach Restaurant, we saw wild horses grazing the little vegetation they could find. Not sure who these beautiful horses belonged to but they were free to roam and laze about. They were accustomed to the fast speed of cars racing past and hardly gave us a second look. On the way back, they were sleeping and resting a little further north in front of a large tree in someone’s yard.

We keep REEL TROUBLE at Pt. Escondido and they close the gates at dusk, I always assumed for security. But actually, when I saw the cows at the gate trying to get in, I realized it was probably to keep them out. They came by the gate and when no one let them in, this mama and baby turned around and headed back towards the highway. We saw a herd of about 10 just making their way and not in a hurry to get off the road or avoid us.


Nellie’s Place Hotel is offering our standard rooms with one queen bed, good clean rooms with great hot water, and wireless internet for $150 USD per week from now until mid September. We have 3 of these rooms available, and thought it would be a great promotion for all our friends who want to give their family the Loreto experience at a cheap price. This is great for young people, fishermen, or people wanting to just hang out in town and explore the area. We have a great roof top deck, but no pool, TVs or minibars. Just a great friendly place steps from the beach and waterfront.

Abril has worked for BajaBOSS for almost a year now and an excellent employee. It was her birthday Friday night, and she had a big celebration at Baja Salon. There were many friends, lots of hugs, food and plenty of dancing and drinks all night long. It’s probably been six months since I have been out dancing until 3 am and the next morning I know why! A good time, but I swear it takes me more than 24 hours to recover. The price is still worth it a few times a year.

I really like Baja Salon as it is a great mix of people. I always see many Mexican friends, some local characters, and my friends from Nopolo. Brenda Calger was among the many friends there to offer best wishes to Abril. Darryl Jones, Dana Peers, and even John and Felicia Brooks were dancing up a storm until all hours! Sergio does a great job on the music and Camilla is the most beautiful bartender in all of Loreto!

Capt. John Cashman dropped by to see a different side of Loreto, as he normally is cruising past here either by highway or sea as fast as he can on his way between San Diego and Los Cabos. John is a boat broker from San Diego and is a professional boat captain to bring any size boat down the Baja in 3 or 4 days. If you have any questions on buying and/or delivering your boat here, give him a email at captjcashman@hotmail.com

Here's the latest photo this week of the new bridge progress just outside of Nopolo. The amount of rebar that has been constructed by hand in 90 degree temperature is astounding and a reason for all of us to have a greater appreciation of the manual labor involved to make our lives so much easier and convenient in times of natural disasters. Last year when the relatively mild Hurricane came thought, it left tourists and visitors stranded in Nopolo unable to make their way to the airport. This little bridge will ensure that there are no similar future delays of 24 to 48 hours of being stranded in paradise. This is progress.

Have a great week!

Miss Nellie

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