Where In The World Is Nellie?

Happy USA Thanksgiving!! The INN put on a full thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, stuffing, roast beef, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. They have hired a new Food & Beverage Manager and he seems very determined to make a difference. The buffet dinner was very good … so we can only hope!!! It was difficult to find an American in the crowd amongst all the Canadians. I heard many of them were deep frying their own turkeys and celebrating at their Loreto home with friends in the traditional manner. At this table we had Drew and Cathy McNabb (FN49), Garth Mitchell (FN14), Jennifer Rix (FN154), Dan and Janine Murphy of Ecoscapes, Janet Rubenstein (FN162), Maureen Mitchell (FN14), Boyd Kelly (FN22), and me (FN62). The vino tinto was delicious and in full abundance … as usual. Going clockwise is Jim and Barbara Gettis (FN457 & FN458), Carol and Steve Morgan (FN482), Carl and Sarah Zichella (FN306), Janice Leppard (FN301), Mike and Sue Matthews (FN463). It is interesting how sma...

Baja 1000 – Nov 15 to 18 The final checkered flag dropped early Saturday morning in La Paz for an all-time SCORE record with 234 official finishers in the 39th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 . Another incredible and colorful chapter had been added to the legacy of this popular desert race down the majestic Baja California peninsula in Mexico . The granddaddy of all desert races, the flagship event of the world’s foremost desert racing series was a rugged peninsula odyssey of 1,047 miles from Ensenada to La Paz. In an impressive display of power and poise, American Honda motorcycle teammates Steve Hengeveld, Mike Childress and Quinn Cody, along with the Andy McMillin/Robby Gordon duo, posted the overall motorcycle and 4-wheel victories early Friday to lead the field. The race-record of 431 starters from 38 U.S. States and 12 countries, represented the largest field in the history of the desert classic. They competed in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATV...

Whales Inn Demolition Begins Demolition has started at the Whales Inn and it is coming down fast! They already have their plans for luxury condos approved and are well underway in the process to start construction next year. Last month the Whales Inn was having one huge Garage Sale! Locals were lined up with thousands of pesos in hand to take away a little of history. You could buy the entire hotel room – furniture, TVs, toilets, doors – all you could take out and carry, for one reasonable price. Many of the best rustic and large ornate pieces were donated to the University, the Municipal Offices, and churches. Charity starts at home and the developers of Loreto are setting an outstanding example. This playground downtown was nothing more than a dirt patch two years ago. Loreto Bay generously donated the steel shade structure and cupola. The Whales Inn and Ecoscapes will be jointly donating the grass plus 20 palm trees to add the final touches to a beautiful safe place for Loret...

Loreto Bay Sells 700th Home!! Congratulations to Loreto Bay Company. This weekend they sold their 700th homesite. It was a smaller group than normal, but the buyers were very positive and really enjoyed getting to know all the existing home owners on the ground. The sales were in excess of $7 Million which added to the $300 plus Million already sold. Everyone has been very pleased with the activity of construction over the last 6 months and you can see a town taking shape. I thought you might enjoy seeing the difference from this November 2003 picture, when there were only lines in the sand around the Camino Hotel. It was a snails' pace start, but it seems to be catching up … slowly but surely. The Saturday night party is still a lot a fun, but admittedly the crowd is getting tamer as times goes on. This is probably because the first few events were such a leap of faith that more tequila was required to celebrate the spontaneity of the moment. Now the buyers are more educ...

New Beginnings – www.BajaBOSS.com This has been a week of many relationship endings, both personal and professional. I want to thank all my friends who took the time to write or talk to me with kind words of support and encouragement. This small gesture by so many had a huge impact on my ability to acknowledge these endings and give me the strength to continue on without the desperate need to look back and wonder “what ifs” or have regrets. Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated and has made a tremendous difference. These Random Acts of Kindness have made me feel part of a growing community and the reason I call this place home. I am going to share the story of how I came to be here. In October 2003, I was a successful ReMax Realtor in Victoria and invested in Loreto Bay, never having known David Butterfield or been to Baja California. However, I was so excited about the project that I met David and told him that I would be interested in being part of the team sometime in...

“Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself” This week has been a rollercoaster ride, even for me. I spent a lot of time driving to Cabo and La Paz, and thinking when I was growing up in a large 1900’s Victorian home with a dark creepy unfinished basement where I have memories of chickens being beheaded and running around bloodied on pure nerves. I remember being a latch key kid at the age of 5 and spending nights alone scared out of my wits at the shadows and shapes of the large oak and maple trees blowing against the windows at night and no one would be home. Someone had told me early on “ there was nothing to fear but fear itself ” and it was the only thing that I had to cling onto as a small child. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural address contained the following quote: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” It ...

Lots of Familiar Faces in Loreto I was in Phoenix for the day and it was a whirlwind of activity, as I managed to organize my furniture move to Loreto, meet with my accountant Randy Wagner (who is knowledgeable about both USA and Mexico tax structures), went shopping for wine and the whole Mall experience that only Scottsdale can offer, as well as seeing my good friend Catherine Swinscoe. Many of you remember Catherine as the Spa Director for Loreto Bay. Catherine’s passion for creating unique world class spas combined with her dedication to finding earth-friendly, sustainable solutions that meet the needs of developers, was integral to the early success of the project. Swinscoe Spa Consultants started in Canada and now Catherine has opened offices in Scottsdale AZ, that offers leading-edge planning and management services to full service spa and wellness facilities. Formerly Corporate Director of Spa Operations for Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, she contributed to the operational de...