Here it is, September of 2024…whew! How time does fly. I am ‘remoting’ this column from somewhere in the mountains of Arizona in Strawberry because, as my readers know, I don’t do humid! I keep in touch with a couple of my neighbors who stay all year and a Mexican friend or two who work out on the beach communities, so I get the ‘411’ about who and what is happening in town and out on the playas.
It seems to me that the tourism which fuels the local economy is returning to the normal levels, pre-border closure. The damage that the politically motivated stunt did to our city’s (and our resident’s) economy is yet to be calculated. The sad thing is, when I talked to one of the CBP guys in Lukeville at the American border, he told me that the entire staff never left the area. No one was reassigned to assist with “processing,” or any of the media lies that came out during that time. Yet the economic damage done on both sides of the border was pretty severe for no appreciable gain to anyone but the politicians.
As I said last month, the draw of tourism to our city has prompted both the government and local businessmen (business-people?? Sorry! Not Sorry!!) to have stepped up and begun to repair the roads, which by anyone’s metric are in horrible condition. I guess it’s an ill wind (tourism) that doesn’t blow some good (road repairs). Talked to a friend of mine the other day and he said I was sounding rather ‘curmudgeonly’ about the things that are changing in the city…I just told him to ‘get off my grass!’
The thing is, the ocean is still blue (and really, really warm now!), the sand is still there (just too hot to walk on these days), the people of our town are still some of the friendliest folks you would want to meet and the hotels are loaded with some of the best and most fun amenities for singles, couples and families alike to enjoy, so I guess, all in all, things aren’t too bad!
Of course, life goes on. Especially for us older people. We keep losing friends at an ever-increasing rate it seems, so taking as much pleasure from living here is something we all need to do. That means getting ready for another banner year of economic boom that has become Peñasco’s plight lately. The growth just doesn’t seem to stop, or even to slow down!
If you’re here visiting for more than a long weekend, why not try expanding your sphere of enjoyment by visiting the outlying beaches like Isla del Mar or the Mayan Palace. Take a sunset cruise on a catamaran with captain Oscar of Del Mar Charters or stop in to rest your feet and lift a cold one at Grapes and Barley off the Malecon near Mercedes’ shop. Heck, as long as you’re here and the heat doesn’t bother you stop in for a great barbecue lunch at either location of Rocky Point Barbecue, some of the best I’ve ever had! Oh, and come back again in late October/early November (and beyond) and enjoy the same ambiance along with the same amenities you enjoy here in September…just cooler and less humid!
