Circumstances (which I won’t bother to go into here) find me in Baja, Mexico for an as yet undetermined period of time. Although I’m not ready to pack up and move south of the border, I have to say it’s pretty pleasant.

There are the truly awesome ocean views and sunsets, great seafood (dining on the great seafood and the beautiful sunsets are often combined) and truly friendly people …

A few days ago, at nearby Splash Restaurant, where I’ve been spending a lot of time, I was gazing, mesmerized, out at the barely perceptible swells burnished by the sunlight, grow into big waves and crash on to the shore. I wondered out loud to the manager who had come over to chat with me, whether the people who are native to the area truly appreciate this, or have come to take it for granted. We get caught up in our busy lives, he told me, and sometimes we forget how lucky we are – and it’s all there for free for us, he added. Indeed.

I’m staying about halfway between Rosarito and Ensenada. Ensenada has a beautiful marina, a great local seafood market – and some pretty outstanding restaurants, too. There are cute coffee shops, in lovely “mini-mall” courtyards, even a Starbucks or two for Americans “jonesing” for such. More about there in the next post.

As luck would have it, I happened to be here at the time of the Day of the Dead celebration.

While COVID is, obviously, as much a threat here as it is across the border, everyone’s taking precautions. I don’t hear any bickering about wearing masks. Every business I enter I’m given a mandatory temperature check, there is obligatory hand sanitizer at the door, and everyone – everyone is wearing masks. And fortunately for me, all of the restaurants have large outdoor patios.

Yep, life can be very good, even when it’s uncertain.