May, 2024 – Sue Niazi McDevitt When spring arrived in Baja, I roamed the coastal scrublands around my home in Bajamar to see how many different wildflowers I could find. If it had been a particularly wet winter, there would be surprises in abundance. I would bring home a stem of each one and render […]
Category: Baja
7 Escapades near and in Tulum
Riviera Maya 2013 1 – Playa del Carmen – Beach at Playacar and 2 – Playacar Ruins It was the coldest winter that I’d experienced in Baja. The dream of warmth in the Yucatán Peninsula drew me to the Riviera Maya in January 2013. After flying into Cancun, my first stop was Playa del Carmen to visit a friend with a comfy room just for me. It […]
Love Affair with the Riviera Maya
Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico in 2011 Art Rendezvous at Casita Carolina in Bacalar Sunrise at Casita Carolina next to the Lake of Seven Colors, Bacalar I enjoyed doing quick sketches every day over the seven days of the art rendezvous. We visited a different painting location each day. Among the venues were – the Mayan ruins of Dzibanche, […]
Whale Watching from a “panga” in Baja
Ojo de Liebre (near the town of Guerrero Negro) is a vast lagoon protected from ocean predators. It is a safe place for mothers to give birth and couples to mate. It’s about 500 miles south of the Baja border with California. From January through March each year, gray whales arrive from the Bering Straits […]
How I was Adopted into a Family of Potters (Part Two)
The Pottery Making Process Can you imagine creating a highly artistic piece of pottery without ever going to the store for supplies or using a kiln to fire it? Can you imagine using your own hands and materials from the earth to create this pottery? The many pottery making families in the small town of […]
Where to Find Cool, Clear Water in Baja
August 17, 2023 How in the world could anyone imagine that there might be an oasis in the desert within this hot, dry Baja landscape? How about jumping into a pick-up with Mexican neighbors and a bunch of kids and heading down a rutted dirt road east of Ensenada in 2007 to find out? Just […]
How to Make the Most of a Sketchy Situation (In Mexico)
This month I’m digressing from my usual emphasis on living in Baja between 2006 and 2020. I was going to entitle this blog “5 Reasons to Check your Flight Status Before Leaving Home” but I didn’t think of that prior to arriving at Tijuana Airport a few days ago. After all, I was packed for […]
Passion in Watercolor
4-11-23 I moved to Baja in 2006 to pursue my creative passions and become the artist I was always meant to be. I drove to nearby landmarks that attracted my attention, took photos, and painted at home. The Cantamar Lighthouse south of Rosarito is an iconic landmark which is falling into ruin for lack of […]
Tribute to Indigenous Women Leaders and Artisans in Baja
3-14-2023 Valentín introduced me to indigenous leaders from Pa Ipai, Kiliwa, Kumiai, and Cucapá tribes in Baja. They gathered several times a year for ceremonies and artisan fairs. Pa Ipai Elder, Josefina Ochurte, opened this gathering of the elders with ceremonial smudging. She fanned participants with smoke from sage sticks using a large feather. At […]
How I Met my Mexican Lover
2/14/2023 The moment Valentín Torres Hernández pulled me into him and put his arm around me for this photo, the hair on my arms stood up and my body tingled all over. Instant attraction? Did he feel it too? I was drawn to the bright colors of a single-story building near the bay in Ensenada – yellow and […]