Fall is officially here, and although the weather has been mostly hot and humid as of late, things are beginning to change. The mornings and evenings have begun to feel much cooler and the the afternoon heat isn't quite as intense as it was just a couple weeks ago. October is one of the very nicest months in this town and there are no shortages of outdoor activities to go along with the weather. Or, even if you don't plan to golf, race a soap box go cart, or go through an beach obstacle course this month, just gathering clams or sitting on the beach should be much more comfortable than it has been over the past couple months.  

 

The weather today is another story entirely and I haven't quite decided what to make of it yet. Hurricane, turned  Tropical Storm, turned Tropical Depression is predicted to pass over us and, while we really are not in any significant danger of any hurricane-scale damage, we are likely to get some amount of rain. Estimates as to how much seem to vary depending on which site you are looking at or even who you are talking with. Rain alone is unusual for our little city on the sea as we normally get just over 3 inches per year. Many homes will leak as the lack of regular rains here makes it very easy to neglect roof maintenance. Unfortunately for many of the poor in and around town, their roofs and, in fact, their homes in general are poorly made and will undoubtedly suffer damage or destruction from any significant rain or wind. Usually, the heat and humidity are the only forces of nature that we face here but, once in awhile, we do get strong winds and rain.  

 

Rocky Point, however, does seem to experience a bit of the "Twilight Zone" effect when it comes to storms. As often as not, a strong storm will barrel down upon us, only to skip over us and then hit Sonoyta hard. I can't count the number of times that it has been forecast to rain here and instead, they get rain all around us and nary a drop is seen in Rocky Point. That history makes it even more difficult to take warnings very seriously. Over all, I just don't expect much out of this storm but the change of in weather should be nice. Hopefully, it will be that point when humidity goes away and things cool down. As I write this this on late Sunday afternoon it is mostly overcast and breezy out and the humidity is very high. When it is delivered tomorrow, on Monday, the weather and my opinion may very well change.  As of now, I predict that we'll see some rain and flooding in the areas that normally flood but nothing serious. According to the news though, we better all run to Florida for shelter. In the end, who knows? I have been wrong before so follow your own instincts.

 

Beyond Hurricane Rosa, this month proves to be filled with fun and beautiful weather. Enjoy your month, come to Rocky Point if you can, and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Let me put my experience and expertise to work for you, and remember, as always, I've been here full-time for about 10 years and I am more than happy to help you with whatever you need, whether Sonoran Resorts related or not.

 

I hope that you enjoy my newsletter and continue to recommend it to your friends. Please feel free to give me thoughts, suggestions, or ideas for future newsletters. Puerto Peñasco is my home and I love to share the news and goings-on with you.

I do get email requests each month asking me to add someone to my list. While I certainly don't mind doing so, all you really need to do is click Join Newsletter Mailing List , add the email address, and it will happen automatically. Not to worry. I will not spam you or share your email address, and you will only receive one email-newsletter each month on the 1st.

 

As part of the Sonoran Resorts Las Vegas Night for Charity 2018 donation, we were able to provide uniforms for local school children who could not otherwise afford them. Many thanks to Barb Olszewski and her loyal crew from Adopt-a-Classroom Charity for her efforts in rounding up the kids who really needed the help and coordinating between the schools, the kids, and the company that provided the uniforms. The photo above shows the first group of kids as they arrived to check sizes and order their uniforms. After the order, the company embroiders the particular school logo on the shirts before giving them to the kids. A total of 60 kids were provided with uniforms. As part of the uniform donation, we were also able to provide the Tourist Assistance Unit Agent's kids with uniforms as well.    

 

 

The vast majority of families in the USA take it for granted that a school bus will come by in the morning to pick up the kids and take them to school. And, of course, that bus will bring them back home after school. That is not the case in most schools in Mexico. Very few of the schools provide any type of transportation and, the ones that do, have to find the money to keep that transportation running, in an environment where extra funds are very hard to come by. Part two of the donation this year was to share the repair bill for the CETMAR high school student bus with the local Rotary Club. Thank you to Sami Keesecker, local Rotary President for coordinating the repairs. The bus is now up and running and the kids no longer have that excuse to miss any classes.  

 

   

Another important part of the donation went to scholarships to help kids stay in school. Even though public schools in Mexico are technically free, there are several fees and costs that are involved that students must pay. If they don't buy the books and uniforms, or if they don't pay the fees required, they don't go to school. This year, through the generosity of those who attended our event, we are able to provide funds to at least 25 students in order to keep them in school for another year. The photo above is actually from last year's presentation of scholarships because the ones for this year will be delivered next semester.  

 

We do have one more small surprise planned for a deserving group of people which will be delivered during the holiday season this year. That one can keep until it happens though. From myself and the Sonoran Resorts, to all those who volunteered for the event this year, and for all who contributed and attended, please accept a hearty Thank You. Things like this really do make a difference in people's lives. I hope to see you there again next year!   

 

Rocky Point has been busy and new businesses have been popping up more often than has been the case in many  years. Usually, those business are bars, restaurants, cleaning companies, or tradespeople offering services. Once in a while, though, something truly different comes to town and that is exactly what Mario Vega has offered to Rocky Point.

Mario sells products that you can't buy anywhere else - unless you plan on taking a trip to Veracruz. While he is still in the early stages of building and marketing his business, he has already gained many loyal customers and has begun selling products by wholesale to several retail stores around town as well.

His products range from Veracruz coffee (appellation of origin) to jellys and health products, and from decorations to clothing, to unique liqueur drinks. Prices are great as well and buying directly from Mario, either as a consumer or as a retailer planning on selling some of his products, is likely going to be lower than most would imagine.

Mario himself is an artistic and commercial associate of the "Fundación 500 años de la Vera Cruz A.C. "   which is formed by people from the various social , commercial, and artistic fields in order to promote and participate in the events and activities involved in the 500-year celebration in the port , the state and in other states. 

His new company, Comercio Veracruz a Puerto Peñasco, promotes products from more than 40 companies as well as from individual entrepreneurs and artists who are interested in crossing the borders of Veracruz and spreading their own style and flavors throughout Mexico and even the Southwest USA. One step at a time.

Below are retail locations where some of the products can be seen and purchased at this time. More are being added as time goes on.

*CS FOOD SERVICE 

Juan de la Barrera esq. Kino ,just across from Numeros

*PEÑASCO DEL SOL HOTEL boutique

Plaza las Glorias at the end of Calle 13

*THE TEQUILA FACTORY ( HECHO EN MEXICO section)

Blvd. Benito Juarez

*LA POSTRERÍA

M. Ocampo casi Josefa and SOON NEW LOCAL on Calle 13

*PLAZA FABIOLA COURTYARD BOUTIQUE

Rodeo Drive , on the road to Sandy Beach

CEDO boutique

Las Conchas

Coming Soon to:

Onsite convenience stores at Sonoran Sky Resort, Sonoran Sea Resort, Sonoran Sun Resort, Princesa Resort

LUCY SPA

New facilities on Sinaloa St.

If you have questions or would like a list of products, you can contact Mario at:

[email protected]

Also follow the business and see some of the products on Facebook:

Comercio Veracruz a Puerto Peñasco

YOU can be part of the solution.

 

In 1995, CEDO began to participate in cleaning and recycling campaigns in our coastal city of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, and since 2005 they have partnered with The Ocean Conservancy, an organization that for the last 25 years has hosted an annual, international coastal clean-up event, with thousands of volunteers participating across the globe. Volunteers collect garbage, record information about it, and share it in a global database; by understanding what kind of waste we are dealing with, we are better able to promote specific and effective solutions for this growing problem.

 

CEDO is also part of the Local Committee for Clean Beaches in Puerto Peñasco, a body headed by Mexico's National Water Commission (CONAGUA). The Committee includes public and private institutions, and CEDO has been involved in implementing the coastal cleaning program, conducting biodiversity assessments, and developing an action plan for protecting local beaches. In addition, CEDO supported the attaining of a national "Clean Beach " certification for Peñasco's most popular tourist destination - Sandy Beach (Mexican Standard NMX-AA-120-SCFI-2006). With CEDO's support, in 2016 Sandy Beach was certified as the first officially "Clean Beach" in Sonora.

 

Coastal and marine areas provide us with essential services, whether we live by the ocean or far inland. In the oceans, half of the oxygen we breathe is produced by tiny plants called phytoplankton, and the water that evaporates from the seas' surface soon becomes our fresh drinking water. In addition, many of the foods we rely on for protein, such as shrimp, clams, and different species of fish, are born in coastal wetlands and live out their lives in the sea. Even if you eat meat or are a vegetarian, fish, seaweeds and other ocean products are used as feed for livestock and as nutritious compost for agriculture. In summary, we literally, breathe, drink and eat the marine and coastal ecosystem. Harvesting from the ocean and coasts also provides livelihoods for thousands of fishermen and their families in the northern Gulf of California, and millions of people globally. Many others make their living from tourists visiting beaches, wetlands, and islands, such that these ecosystems sustain a much wider economy and all of the hardworking people who are employed by hotels, restaurants, gas stations, tour operators and many more tourism-related services.

 

Unfortunately, across the globe, marine and coastal ecosystems are threatened by an ever-growing problem, that has only recently caught the attention of the media, and that as a global society we have not yet begun to tackle in an effective way. This problem is the accumulation of man-made materials, in other words non-organic garbage, in coastal and marine areas - the natural sinks for anything that floats or gets blown by the wind. Communities in developing nations, such as those of the northern Gulf of California, lack sufficient waste management infrastructure, and what is more, there exists a throw-away culture where many people feel it is ok to use and to litter trash on the street, in waterways, and on the beach. Puerto Peñasco alone generates around 80 tons of trash daily. Meanwhile, the corporations that produce these insurmountable amounts of waste keep flooding the market with more and more packaging and single-use convenience items that will inevitably contribute to the burgeoning pool of coastal and marine debris; the faucet is left running while we try to mop up the overflow.

 

This issue is responsible for environmental and human health problems. Materials like plastics keep breaking down into smaller pieces, for example through photo- degradation (via sunlight), where they enter the food chain and remain in the ecosystem for hundreds of years. What is more, plastics attract persistent organic pollutants (POP's), such as heavy metals from mining, which sorb (that's a technical term) onto the plastic pieces and are then ingested by animals large and small. Even the tiniest zooplankton and corals in the oceans have been observed swallowing these toxic micro-plastics, which can impact their ability to reproduce. The toxins are then passed up the food web, such that the largest animals, and those that cover the greatest distances, like tuna, sea lions and orcas, have become living repositories of toxic waste. In technical terms this is known as the bio-accumulation and magnification of pollutants in living organisms. Other animals accidentally eat garbage until their stomachs fill and they starve (ingestion), while others become entangled in debris such as abandoned fishing nets, and drown. In a tragic twist of irony, humans wind up consuming the very trash that we produced, together with the toxic substances we have dumped into the sea.

 

YOU can help solve the problem of marine & coastal debris by:

   Joining our Northern Gulf of California beach clean-up effort in 2018; email us at [email protected]

   Using re-usable cloth bags when going to the supermarket

   Asking restaurants not to provide you with plastic straws and silverware

   Bringing your re-usable Tupperware and mug to your local store or cafe

   Becoming politically active and joining a "ban-the-bag" or other grassroots campaign against plastics

   Supporting CEDO's outreach and education work

The Day of the Dead is one of Mexico's most widespread traditions, which is now heavily associated with Catrina skulls, all-night vigils, and Halloween. Although the Día de Muertos celebrations do roughly coincide with the more commercialized (and previously Pagan) Halloween festivities, there are in fact vast differences between the two events, despite their shared 'Christianization'. Here's a brief history of Mexico's Day of the Dead.

 

The Day of the Dead is an annual tradition, now celebrated on November 1 and 2 (although preparations can take weeks), in which the living honor the dead, both so as to help them into the afterlife and encourage them to visit the world of the living for one night. November 1-often called Día de los Inocentes or Angelitos-is reserved for honoring deceased children, while the second day is for deceased adults. While the idea of celebrating death might seem a tad morbid in many societies, in Mexico it's quite the opposite; death is not the end, it's just a new beginning.

 

Día de Muertos is popularly celebrated by holding graveside vigils, at which altars honoring the deceased's life are typically constructed. However, many people also choose to construct more private altars in their homes. These altars (altares) are decorated with the ubiquitous cempasúchil (Mexican marigold) flowers and candles, as well as skull iconography in some shape or form, and ofrendas (offerings) such as the deceased's personal possessions, favorite drinks or foods-don't be surprised to see cigarettes, cans of Coke and football shirts on a Day of the Dead altar! These items supposedly convince the deceased to return to the world of the living. Some other common traditions include the eating of pan de muertos, a distinctively shaped sweet bread which is lightly orange flavored and covered in sugar, the creation of sugar skulls, and painting one's face to look like that of a Calavera Catrina.

 

The origins of the Día de Muertos are rooted in Mesoamerican culture and possibly Aztec festivals that celebrated the goddess Mictecacihuatl. However, the festivities are now more widespread than they were then. Predominantly native to southern parts of what is now Mexico, the north of the country, due to different indigenous groups and rituals, was in fact only introduced to this tradition within the last two centuries. Either way, due to the arrival and influence of Christianity which sought to annihilate many indigenous rituals, the festivities we see today in all likelihood vary somewhat from the Mesoamerican Día de Muertos celebrations. This is most true when we consider the moving of the festival's dates; previously celebrated sometime around early August onwards, Christian influence shifted the Día de Muertos to All Hallows' Eve and All Saint's Day. Ultimately, the Day of the Dead is now an agglomeration of various different cultures and beliefs.