November Overview –
Even though we technically live north of the equator, we often feel like we live in the southern hemisphere. We spend our summers indoors while our family and friends are basking in the sun, enjoying alfresco dining and spending late nights out in the cool evening breeze. Then in the winter, we spend as much time as we can outside on the patio, while our family and friends have to deal with the rain, the snow, the cold and much less daylight.
During the last week of October our temperatures were still averaging around 35C (95F) during the day, but everything changed in November. We woke up Friday (Nov 1) to much cooler temperatures (27C / 81F), like someone had flipped a magic switch somewhere.
We sat outside all morning enjoying the fresh air. Saturday morning the temperature was 25C (77F) and again, we sat outside for a few hours. Sunday morning our temperatures were even lower at 23C (73F). This was now bordering on cold, as only three days before we were at 35C (95F). Then on Monday morning our temperature was very chilly at only 21C (69F). We seriously had to dig out our long pants and long sleeved shirts… LOL!
By the end of the first week our temperatures managed to average out around 25-26C (77-79F), which is perfect weather for me to enjoy my morning coffee on the patio, and for both of us to eat lunch outside as well.
We are so excited to finally emerge from living in the AC to being back out in the fresh air again. Sorry to our family and friends who are now dealing with all that lovely winter weather that we really don’t miss at all.
Besides having much cooler temperatures, we are also very excited to share that hurricane season is finally over!
The 2024 Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially began May 15, and ended November 30, and turned out to be one very surprising season for us.
In our region, 12 named storms formed; eight of those were tropical storms and the other four became hurricanes, of which three strengthened into major hurricanes (Cat 3 and higher).
Only one storm directly affected us here in Los Cabos – Tropical Storm Ileana.
Tropical Storm Ileana
A tropical depression formed on September 12 and strengthened further into Tropical Storm Ileana six hours later. Her maximum sustained winds peaked that day at 75km/h (45mph), and held steady for a day before weakening a bit as she skirted over the southern portion of Baja California Sur. She made landfall again on September 14 in the state of Sinaloa. The following day she weakened and dissipated by the end of the day. Her heavy rainfall affected several states in Mexico, including our state where mudslides and flooding blocked many roads in Los Cabos. The storm resulted in cancelled flights and port closures as well.
The Atlantic region had a far more active hurricane season than we did with 18 named storms; seven of those were tropical storms and the other 11 became hurricanes, of which five strengthened into major hurricanes (Cat 3 and higher). This included Hurricane Beryl (Cat 5), Helene (Cat 4), and Milton (Cat 5).
We were ever so surprised and enormously thankful our region had such a mild storm season this year, and our hearts go out to those on the Atlantic side that had to endure an extremely active and destructive hurricane season, which now is the second costliest on record.
A Fun Date Idea
While scrolling through Instagram one day I noticed someone had posted about a new way to switch up their usual date night with their husband, and I was instantly intrigued. The idea – Alphabet Date Night, which seemed like such an easy and simple way to uproot us from our everyday normal routine.
Alphabet Date Night is where you pick a letter from the alphabet and plan your date night theme all around that specific letter for that week or month, however often your schedule allows. You can work through the alphabet from A-Z or you can randomly pick the letter to use.
When I first saw the Instagram post, they were on the letter F. They went to a local French restaurant for breakfast, followed by a trip to the Farmer’s market, where they bought Fresh peaches and Fresh Flowers. They then stopped at Home Depot to pick up stuff to start their Flower garden in their back yard.
The dates don’t have to be fancy or expensive. It can literally be something you would already do on a weekend but calling it a “date” and treating it as such, just makes it more special.
We chose to start from the beginning, so our first letter was A. The couple on Instagram took turns planning their Alphabet Dates for each other, but we decided we would together figure out what the main food and activity would be and then we would each be responsible to bring something special “to the table” as we called it. This would be like a little surprise, or something creative to add to the overall experience.
Being our first attempt at this, we apparently got carried away a little. When the day arrived, we realized we had way too much planned for one little dinner, so we decided to split the meal and enjoy the first half in the early afternoon, and the rest later. This turned out to be the perfect thing to do, which gave us time in-between to enjoy some distraction-free (no phones) conversation.
Here are some of the highlights of our A date…
We wanted this date to feel casual, so opted to wear Active wear (shorts and tee-shirts) and listed to Acoustic guitar on Spotify.
I assembled a centerpiece, which included Apples, Asian pears, and our little Canadian moose with his Antlers.
Lorne created an Amuse bouche for us, which consisted of Artichoke hearts with a green olive (Aceituna in Spanish) and garlic Aioli. A perfect little bite!
Along with our Amuse bouche, we enjoyed an Aperitivo. I had vermouth and tonic and Lorne had a dirty tequila martini.
Lorne also made an Ahi tuna Appetizer, which included Avocado, Alfalfa sprouts and pomegranate Arils.
This is where we took a break and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting.
When dinner time rolled around, we enjoyed a delicious meal of Angus steak, Asparagus and Au gratin potatoes.
For dessert, I made Apple streusel bars with a salted caramel drizzle on top.
After dinner, we curled up in our Arm chairs and watch the movie After Hours (1985 – starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette and Teri Garr).
This date was simple, but we had so much fun preparing for it and using our imaginations to come up with so many fun A things for us to enjoy together. We are already looking forward to figuring out our B date!
November In Review
Day of the Dead
Día de los Muertos is a two-day holiday (Nov 1-2) reuniting the living and dead, while celebrating death and life. Families create ofrendas (offerings) to honour their departed family members that have passed.
These colourful shrines are decorated with bright yellow marigold flowers, photos of the departed, and the favourite foods and drinks of the one being honoured. The offerings are believed to encourage visits from the departed souls.
The marigolds are believed to be the pathway that guides the spirits to their ofrendas. The flowers’ vibrant colour and scent attracts the departed souls as they return to feast on their favourite foods. Marigolds are called Flor de Muerto (Flower of the Dead) and they symbolize the beauty and fragility of life. Marigolds are native to and have been cultivated in Mexico for more than 2,000 years.
Revolution Day
Dia de la Revolución is the anniversary of the start of the 1910-1917 Mexican Revolution, celebrated annually on November 20 and is observed as a public holiday across the country on the third Monday of November, making it a long weekend for all.
Mexico’s Revolution Day signifies the call to arms by Francisco Madero to take down the dictator Porfirio Diaz, who had remained in power for more than three decades.
The constitution, created in 1917 in response to the revolution, established limits on the period politicians could be in power.
The constitution also included labour reform laws that covered 8-hour workdays, abolished child labour, and established equal pay.
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