Tag Archives: Mexico

Spring 2018

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JDP Spring 2018Gastrovino cover by Kate TurningThis May 19 & 20, once again people will flock to Todos Santos to celebrate the GastroVino Food & Wine Festival. Now in its seventh year, this popular festival honors and celebrates the traditions of great food and Mexican wines. Tickets go on sale May 3. You can read more about it in our article this issue, and the fun Loteria cards by our cover artist, Kate Turning.

Check out events for the upcoming Noche de Super Salud plant-based, locally sourced, fresh organic dinners at Pura Vida. They will also be having another Full Moon Community Farm Dinner at Rancho Buen Día on April 29. See Facebook: Noche de Super Salud for more details.

Amor D’Vino and Santo Vino have teamed up for an evening of Mexican wines paired with a trio of Chef Dany’s signature dishes Monday nights during April and May on the Wine Deck. See weekly events for more information.

In our Spring 2018 issue, we are celebrating the work of Dr. Robert K. Hall in a fascinating article by Bryan Jáuregui of Todos Santos Eco-Adventures. Translator Elena Ascencio-Ibáñez has studied and worked closely with Robert over the years; Elena provides Spanish translations to many of his Dharma Talks on his website. I have had the pleasure of producing the three books on Buddhism by Robert and translated by Elena: Buddha Now/Buda Ya, Everybody Now/Todos Ya, and Así Es. All are available at El Tecolote Bookstore in Todos Santos.

Congratulations to Besáme Mucho Bazaar on their first anniversary! You can see photos from their grand celebration in this issue.

Nomad Chic, will be popping up at various hotels in Cabo throughout April, visit www.nomadchic.mx for locations and dates.

We’d like to welcome The Agency, Los Cabos, to their newest home in Todos Santos–at the corner of Topete and Centenario in the historic district. Stop in to meet their diverse team of real estate professionals.

Pacifico Storage, at KM45 on Highway 19 outside Todos Santos, will be open soon for all your storage needs—RV, boat, ATV and enclosed storage. They also can help you move your local RV or vehicle. See their ad for more information.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, where you have been or where you would like to see yourself–we can all benefit from support and guidance in times of our life. With academical, clinical and spiritual training and experience in Sweden, Hawaii and Mexico, Northern Light Healing offers services to suit individual needs and to help you on your path through life. Available for individuals, couples and groups. Emelie focuses on healing both past wounds, through counseling, and life coaching to creating a future that her clients would like to have and how to, in practical ways, reach those goals. Whatever you are struggling with there is help and support.

Las Olas Recovery in Pescadero is a sub-acute medical detoxification clinic for those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. This unique facility offers a bed and breakfast vibe with personalized medical and psychological care. See our article in this issue for more information.

Nancy Joyce is a local distributor of ionized water filter systems. These medical devices produce filtered, hydrogen rich water using a solid 40-year technology with an amazing track record in the health industry. Nancy holds a Q&A session every Thursday from 11 am to 1 pm at Pura Vida Health Food Store and Deli. You can read more about Nancy’s healing journey at: http://nancyjoyce.com/about/my-story/

Also, in this issue, Patricia Baum interviews the filmmakers behind the controversial film, Patrimonio, which débuted at the Berlin Film Festival in March, was the opening night film for the Festival de Cine de Todos Santos and this April,was shown at the 21st Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina.

Casa Sur yoga lifestyle boutique in Cuatro Vientos on the otro lado of Todos Santos, has a colorful assortment of quality clothing, mats, jewelry and natural products.

Going somewhere? Pickle N Paws provides high quality pet care. See her ad for more information!

In the Summer 2018 issue of Journal del Pacifico, we’ll be doing a feature story on Baja Dream Properties. This issue—will cover June through September 2018. Deadline is May 10. Reserve your space today!

March

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March

This year’s Todos Santos’ Historic Home Tour takes place on Sunday, March 4, from 10 am to 3 pm. This one-day event benefits the educational programs of The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the event at the Centro Cultural located on Calle Benito Juárez. Admission is 300 pesos or $20 USD. Docents are on hand at each site to offer more information.

The tour coordinator, Paul Bumann says, “We have over 25 historic sites including private homes, hotels/inns, municipal buildings, the mission church, and sugar cane processor. Experience sites thoughtfully restored to reflect the uniqueness of the days before electricity and telephone. Open just once a year to the public, these magnificent homes and buildings allow you to soak in and imagine the tranquil elegance of Todos Santos over a century ago. Be sure to bring your family, friends, neighbors and architects.”

New this year is an optional “Find the Saint Challenge.” Todos Santos (translated All Saints) has several statues of saints around town cleverly perched in niches on the exterior of buildings. Find and mark all of them on a map and you will be entered in a drawing for a commemorative painting by renowned artist, Erick Ochoa. It’s a fun way to look up and notice all these little treasures around town. Also new this year, several restaurants will offer discounts on breakfast and lunch to wristband holders while you are in town for the day.

For more information visit www.palapasociety.org

Keenan Shoal photography at Gallery Ezra Katz in Todos SantosTodos Santos resident, Keenan Shoal, provided our cover photo as well as the interior shots for the start of the Historic Home Tour article and the Camp Cecil on Isla Espíritu Santo on our La Paz Beaches page. You may remember that Keenan’s stunning Pacific Ocean view from La Poza hill was our cover for the Summer 2016 issue of Journal del Pacifico.

March 10, 5 pm, you can see more of Keenan’s photography at the cocktail reception in the the new garden gallery at Gallery Ezra Katz in Todos Santos.

March 10, 6 pm is also the first anniversary party for Bésame Mucho Bazaar in Todos Santos. Stop in this fun event and check out the fashions, jewelry, artwork and more!

March 16 and 17, check out The Baja 100 art walk/drive—a fun event downtown Todos Santos with participating galleries with new artists like Brian McGuffey, specialty shops like Nomad Chic, restaurants and bars. Each month different local artist donates a work to be raffled to raise funds for local charities. Check out the The Baja 100 Facebook page for updates, a map, and more information.

We will see you next with our Spring issue. Deadline is March 5.

February 2018 in Todos Santos

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February gets off to a great start with a lot of fun events in and around Todos Santos. Here are a few of the upcoming events.

Thursday, February 1, 3 pm, Todos Santos Writers Workshop Roundtable. “Inner and Outer Landscapes: Nature Writing in the First Person, with Christopher Merrill and Ellen Waterston, moderated by Jeanne McCulloch, at Casa Dracula on the otro lado. Open to public for a donation to the Palapa Society of Todos Santos.

Sunday, February 4, Catch the Superbowl LII at Chill N Grill in Todos Santos, The Oasis and Cerritos Beach Inn in Pescadero.

Friday, February 9 & Saturday, February 10, 5 – 8 pm, The Baja 100 Art Walk
The Art Walk will take place on Friday and Saturday afternoon/evening with live music from Zoe and the Mischief plus a raffle of 13 original pieces of work donated by The Baja 100 artists. Don’t miss your chance to win a painting or original work by local talented artists. This event is free of charge to attendees. We are also an event that is walkable. Park your car in town and start new Hotel Casa Tota where you’ll find Galería Jardin Alquimia and all the works for the raffle to benefit The Palalpa Society.

February 10 & 11, 10 am – 4 pm, The 9th Annual Todos Santos Open Studio Tour
Have you ever yearned for a glimpse into the private world of artists where ideas and inspirations are translated into dazzling creations of color, texture, shapes and forms? If so, the Todos Santos Open Studio Tour is designed to satisfy your curiosity. The 9th Annual Todos Santos Open Studio will be held the weekend of February 10 and 11, from 10 am to 4 pm. Once a year during this special event, a community of artists opens the doors to their studios, inviting you to explore down rambling dirt roads and discover what’s hidden behind their walls. The experience of visiting an artist’s studio is completely different from viewing the artist’s work in the formal setting of a gallery. It’s a chance to connect more intimately with the artist, ask questions, discuss observations, see his or her tools of the trade and even gain insights into the artist’s personal working process.

If this sounds intriguing, come and discover what attracts and sustains so many diverse artists from Mexico, the Unites States, Canada, South America and Europe to come and settle in Todos Santos! Over the years, artists have been influenced by many or all of the elements of their surroundings: the Baja desert landscape, the vast and dynamic ocean, the majestic Sierra de La Laguna, the distinctive quality of light and air and clouds. However, essential to all artists who have made Todos Santos their home is a pervasive, almost tangible, sense of artistic community.

For artist Steve Thurston, who has participated in every annual tour since its inception in 2010, establishing himself in Todos Santos has been total immersion into an “art world,” which exists in only a very few places. Encaustic artist Gloria Santoyo Ruenitz never imagined she would find such a supportive and curious community as the one here in Todos Santos. She describes the first Todos Santos Annual Artists Studio Tour which took place on March 10th, 2010: “The tour was created and organized by ARTS (Artists of Todos Santos), an informal group of artists and art lovers dedicated to the development and support of a vibrant, inclusive arts community and to inspiring and growing the visual arts talent in Todos Santos. Amongst these friends were Diane Knight, Vic Kirby, Michael McAllister, Steve Thurston, Tori Sepulveda, and Roxanne Sparks.”-Most of whom remain actively engaged and thriving in their artistic endeavors in Todos Santos today. Another painter, Peter Holden, loves being in such an idyllic location and creative community. He finds this context has been a great motivator to propel his work, encouraging him to explore open-ended artistic directions as well as focused work.

Now nine years later, approximately 40 artists participate in the Annual Open Studio Tour including painters, sculptors, photographers, ceramicists, encaustic and cold wax artists, jewelers, printmakers, mixed media artists, woodworkers and more. The spaces in which they work are as uniquely different as their type of craft. Some of their studios are well-established, others are more improvised or temporary, some expand into the outdoors or are entirely outside and some showcase a group of artists. At Marsha Dahlquist’s studio, a group of five to six artists have been meeting every Thursday for the last three years. According to Marsha, “we paint mostly from photo references–our own individual photos. We paint, laugh, drink coffee and encourage each other. It’s more than painting. We’ve all become such good friends. For me, it’s been a blessing. I love each and every one of these amazing, wonderful women.”

On the tour, you’ll find emerging artists as well as artists who have been working professionally for many years. It’s a wonderful opportunity to expand your familiarity beyond the collection of more-established artists, as well as learn about new and exciting directions evolving in the work of artists with whom you’re already well-acquainted. To find artists who are participating in the Todos Santos Open Studio Tour please visit www.facebook.com/todossantosopenstudiotour.

Now that you’ve chosen several artists’ studios to visit, the fun begins! You will need a car (or carpool with a friend) and the map provided with your ticket to lead you on a self-guided tour through the various neighborhoods of Todos Santos. Along the way, large colorful signs painted by the artists will help direct you to their individual studios. It has become a tradition amongst the artists to create their own distinctive and delightful signage. Don’t be concerned if you make a wrong turn. Most likely you’ll enjoy encountering an artist who was not on your original list. All artists will be pleased to discuss their work and will be displaying work available to purchase at various price ranges.

Your entry ticket will provide you with a map and a wristband that will be good for two days. Most participants appreciate the flexibility to wander about in different neighborhoods each day or return to their favorite studios a second time–perhaps to acquire something that caught their eye the day before. All proceeds from the sale of artwork go entirely to the individual artist, while all proceeds from ticket sales benefit the children’s art programs at the Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C.

The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C., founded in 2003, is a multi-cultural non-profit Mexican civil association. Its mission is the development and administration of scholarship, educational, and environmental programs for the benefit of local children and their families. Visit www.palapasociety.org for more information.

Advance ticket sales begin January 28, 2018 and are $10 USD or $200 pesos. They can be purchased in Todos Santos at the El Tecolote Bookstore on calle Juárez, ordered online at ts.studiotour@gmail.com or purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets can also be purchased on event days from 9 am to 3 pm at La Cocina de Cleo in Las Tunas and The Palapa Learning Center (PLC) on calle del Huerto in town. The PLC will feature a sampling of the studio tour artists’ work for sale and children’s art on display.

See you with the new Spring 2018 issue of Journal del Pacifico soon!

Carrera de Todos Santos 2017

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Palapa Society Carrera de Todos Santos, Baja, Mexicoby Kathy Wernert

Crunch! Crunch! Inhale. Crunch! Crunch! Exhale. That’s the sound of this year’s Carrera de Todos Santos, the 5K Palapa Society benefit walk/run through the streets of this magical town scheduled for Saturday, December 30th.

The roots for this year’s Carrera de Todos Santos were planted in 2009, when a group of Todos Santos’ locals wanted to stage a 5K run to promote fitness while creating a fun event for the community. A course was selected using the streets of the pueblo and businesses got involved to provide vital sponsorship resources. A race for younger children was also staged as part of the event. The initial race was such a success that it became an annual community event. Each year, racers came from throughout Baja, the mainland, and as far away as the US and Canada to run in the event.

A past runner, Lisa Welsch had this to say. “The Palapa Society’s Todos Santos 5K was fun. The course was challenging with some hills. Running through our beautiful pueblo and seeing the well-wishers along the way made my run so special. With some dirt roads and some paved, it wasn’t hard on the knees. It was well managed with water stations and guides along the way. I’ll do it again. It’s a wonderful cause.”

The race took a break after Hurricane Odile and the major street improvement project in the historical centro. With the community recovered and streets improved, the event was enlarged to include a 10K along with the 5K last year. Once again, local businesses provided much of the financial resources needed to stage a quality event. With their help, an investment was made in sophisticated “chip” timing equipment allowing the Palapa Society to provide accurate timing for each runner. “This is how the major running events do it,” commented Dennis Naigle, chair of the race and Palapa board member.

This year’s race returns to its traditional schedule of December 30th. “December weather in Todos Santos is usually perfect and with the crowds of visitors who flock to the pueblo magico for the holidays, as well as motivated locals, we anticipate a large turnout,” adds Naigle.

The focus this year will be on only a 5K race, using a popular course last run in 2013. The chip timing will be used again to track the runners and have multiple racer categories with trophies and medals for runners of all ages and experience levels.

Staging the Carrera de Todos Santos is truly a community event and couldn’t take place without the support of the Delegado, police force, local business community, a lot of volunteers, and the people of Todos Santos.

Celia Devault, a frequent runner in the 60-something category, crossed the finish line first in her category last year. “This 5k is a great community event that gets people out on the street to walk or run and have some fun. I am looking forward to it again this year.”

All proceeds go to the Palapa Society of Todos Santos whose mission is to provide educational opportunities in the Todos Santos greater area. The recent opening of the new Palapa Learning Center includes the new Palapa School, offering a SEP-certified curriculum to middle students, the bilingual community library recently named Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska, and the Bridge to English program providing English to over 200 students ages five to adult.

Early signup takes place Thursday, December 28, at the La Esquina Farmer’s Market, 9 am – 3 pm and on Friday, December 29, from 10 am to 2 pm in front of Cafélix. Or, entrants can register for the race in the Plaza from 7 – 8:30 am. on Saturday, December 30 to receive a race bib and timing chip. Entry fee is 200 pesos for adults and 150 pesos for students. Race time begins promptly at 9 am.

To register online, or for more information on the Carrera and the Palapa Society, visit: www.palapasociety.org