TOWN BUSY AS SEMANA SANTA CROWDS ARRIVE

March 19, 2005, Catalina Meders, Title Company Bookstore, San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico Report:

Today we had a book signing for the "local authors" at San Felipe and it went on for much longer than I expected. Ed and I thought it would be a nice community service to give the local writers an opportunity to display their books, nearly all self-published, and introduce themselves to the town, and it was really very nice.

At San Felipe, spring is HAPPENING. The weather has been hot and humid for the last three days, clear and blue sky-ed for Thursday and Friday, and then cloudy today, but with no actual rain. The balcony thermometer was registering 80 degrees in the sun all three days at around noon, but it felt much hotter, and it's been very damp.

Today San Felipe had some whitecaps on the bay, but the water was blue so it seemed windy but not stormy. Several people have told me that the bees around their camps have been swarming in large numbers over any kind of moisture available. Apparently all the rain has produced many many flowers which has in turn produced thousands of bees looking to reap the pollen, etc. One of the amazing things about the desert is that the cycles of nature are so obvious and easy to put together.

San Felipe is already starting to get crowded for Semana Santa and the noise level is going up. This is always a loco week and everyone prepares for it, but somehow I never get used to it.

On the San Felipe beach, the Poppa Neutrino RAFT is scheduled to launch on the 21st or the 23rd, although neither of those dates is absolute. It has generated much interest and I suspect there will be many people there to see it take off. The last time I saw it, it was really starting to "take shape" and looking very seaworthy. Ed and I will be there to take pictures. What an adventure these people are undertaking! They are all very excited and ready to go, three extremely brave souls, in my opinion, but they are not reckless.

San Felipe's parade on Children's Day was enchanting, as usual. I just never get tired of the beauty of these little ones dressed as woodland creatures and flowers trailing hand in hand up the street in a wobbly line. Every time I see it, I pray that the world will be kind to them, as indeed I hope it will be to us all. Next week is Easter. Until then, vaya con Dios from the bookstore by the bay.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from San Felipe and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for San Felipe may be found at Mexfish.com's main San Felipe page.