Tag Archives: tennis

Walking The Pedregal

Linda in Site News

One of my great pleasures living in Cabo is walking the Pedregal, the high-end residential area that affords amazing views of the city, the Sea of Cortez, the Cabo Marina, and the Pacific Ocean.

On the days that we’re not playing tennis, I have several routes I love to walk. On one, I climb to the top of the radio towers and have the most amazing view to reward my efforts. That walk takes me over 350 meters of elevation climb, takes just over an hour, and I definitely know I’ve had my cardio workout afterwards. I’ve started using a great app on my phone called “Pedometer” which tracks steps, distance, time, calories, elevation gain and daily goal progress and much more. My latest addition to this wonderful walk is sprinting on the flat spots on the way just to ensure my heart rate stays up.

Another of my favorite walks is over to the Playa de Pedregal. Ron will meet me there and we’ll spend some time on the beach. The Pacific side has a rough surf that sounds beautiful and provides a constant breeze to keep us cool.

The properties in the Pedregal and the views are amazing regardless of the route I take. If I’m really lucky, some days I spot some whales blowing and breaching on the Pacific side. Any day is a lucky day to be able to walk and enjoy such phenomenal weather and vistas.

At Long Last!

Linda in Site News

I’d never played tennis until I met Ron just over three years ago. He’s been very patiently teaching me proper technique and fundamentals – I’ve had the benefit of the greatest instruction from the BEST teacher and I was starting to wonder (and I’m sure he was!) if I was ever going to attain a reasonable level of competence.

I’ve felt a self-imposed pressure to play well so that it reflects well on Ron, who is truly a great instructor. Ron’s motive has been to get me to a level of proficiency so that I enjoy the game, am able to play with him or anyone else, to play well and to be able to hold my own in both singles and doubles matches.

At the end of February, we spent just over a week at Ron’s sister and brother-in-law’s magnificent home in Ajijic where they have a beautiful tennis court (thank you so much Mary and John for everything!), followed by ten days in Palm Desert where we played most days at our friend’s club (sincere thanks, Pete!) where he is the Director of Tennis. After many hours of concentrated tennis on this trip, I finally “got it” and began playing with much greater consistency and competence. All of those hours that Ron has invested in me are finally starting to pay off.

I have a long way to go to be a consistently strong player, but I feel that I’m on the road and so much closer. Thank you, Ron, for not giving up on me. I love the game and am very excited to continue to progress and become a player that Ron can be proud of and that I now know I can be.

On The Road To Land’s End – Again!

Linda in Site News

Every year, Ron and I head up to the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells, California (www.bnpparibasopen.com). As always, we watched some fabulous tennis and had an opportunity to catch up with many special and long-time friends (Bonnie and Don, Pete and Tony, Judy, Peter, Bob and Roxy, Bob and Winnie and so many more).

We drive to and from the tournament every year, which is approximately 1300 miles each way. We’re on the road home as I write this and I’m remembering how much fun we had with my Mom on this same trip to Cabo last November.

My Mom has always loved every aspect of travel and makes every experience a great adventure. It’s such a delight to be on the road with someone who takes everything in and enjoys every aspect. She has a child-like sense of wonder and curiosity – it’s a true gift at any age and especially for someone now in her 80’s.

We planned our trip down in November, just as we’ve done on this trip, to get to Mulegé to spend Saturday night at the Hotel Serinidad, a fly-in hotel that has been a Baja classic for decades (www.hotelserenidad.com). Every Saturday night features the Serinidad’s famous pig roast, which lures people with small planes to fly in from the States or other parts of Mexico and for people like us who are driving, to plan our overnight stop for this weekly event.

The staff at the Serinidad know how to do a pig roast well, and it has become a real highlight on our many trips up and down the Peninsula. Mom LOVED it, and she enjoyed every aspect of this legendary and iconic hotel. There are some great memories and stories at this hotel, with pictures on the walls from famous guests of years gone by like John “Duke” Wayne, June Allyson and Dick Powell. We’ll stay overnight and get an early start to ensure that we arrive home in Cabo tomorrow night.

We wish Mom was with us again on this trip and we’ll be thinking of her tonight. Hopefully she’ll be with us again for this amazing trip next November!

Mike and Halloween in Los Gatos

Linda in Site News

Back to northern California!

Ron and Mike have been dear friends for over fifty years. They met at the grocery store in Santa Clara that they were both working at while in high school and college. They share a rich and wonderful history together and have seen each other through much of life’s journey.

Ron and Mike basically see one another twice per year: on our way north and east to New York in May and then again on our way west and south in October. They rarely contact one another in between, but pick up exactly where they left off when they do see one another. As with all of Ron’s friends and family, Mike has made me so welcome and I love hearing the stories of their shared past.

We spend as much time as possible with Mike when we’re in Santa Clara: tennis, billiards, dinners at their favorite sports haunt, By-Th-Bucket Bar and Grill (www.btbbarandgrill.com) as we usually arrive in Santa Clara in time for the World Series finals, and shared meals at Ron’s Mom’s house. Mother Mary has adopted Mike as practically one of her own and Mike, as a bachelor, thoroughly appreciates her fabulous home cooking.

We spent Halloween night with Mike and his lovely new girlfriend, Debby. We met them in Los Gatos and had a great time walking down Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue checking out the costumes. Both Mike and Debby were in costume, but Ron and I were disguised as tourists yet again! We ended up dancing and sharing some drinks and more than a few laughs at Number One Broadway, the Los Gatos place for live music (www.numberonebroadway.com). It was a great evening and we always enjoy spending time and sharing life with Mike – one of Ron’s oldest and dearest friends.