Finding Baja

Sunrise over the Sea.

My first trip to Baja was a trip to Cabo San Lucas I planned for my husband’s thirtieth birthday. We hung out by the pool and went sport fishing and caught a marlin that, due to some cerveza-fueled decisions, has lived on our wall ever since. We ate endless tacos and drank lots of margaritas. It was a blast, but it wasn’t the real Baja.

Years later, my husband talked me into a drive down to a fishing village called San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez. He had been visiting the town with friends to ride dirtbikes in the desert every fall. He was always talking about how beautiful it was, and how he hoped I would find the time to visit it with him. Turns out that he was secretly hoping to talk me into buying a piece of property there. This was his Baja.

The first night we arrived in town he said, “OK, it’s time. Let’s go sit at my favorite bar by the Sea and watch the sunset.” I was skeptical since the Sea is east of San Felipe and well, sunset in the west and all that. He said, “Trust me.” Then we proceeded to watch a 360° sunset. I fell in love. This was now my Baja.

Instead of buying a piece of land, we bought a house. Over a series of long vacations we made improvements, bought furniture, and set up my office and studio. I started staying longer and longer each time. San Felipe started to feel more and more like home. I began to notice the rhythm of life there. The animals, plants, light, landscape and vast night sky drew me in.

After years of focus on building a consulting business, I started painting again. Spirit of Baja had begun.

Join this blog to hear about our adventures in Baja and see the animals we find, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and the land that is now feels like home.