BajaNomad - YUMA: We're #1!

YUMA: We're #1!

Oso - 6-30-2011 at 03:48 PM

Okay, it's not Baja, but it's just across the river.

Yuma now has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 27.9%, edging out long time first, Imperial County by .2%.

Brian L - 6-30-2011 at 03:52 PM

Does the unemployment rate include old farts now retired? Take them out, and it's probably only 5%.

AmoPescar - 6-30-2011 at 03:53 PM

And they keep trying to tell us the economy is getting better!

Miguelamo :mad:

america's dreariest city ? ?

mtgoat666 - 6-30-2011 at 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso
Okay, it's not Baja, but it's just across the river.

Yuma now has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 27.9%, edging out long time first, Imperial County by .2%.

i wonder why an unemployed person would stay in Yuma.

i also wonder why employed people would stay in Yuma.

Oso - 6-30-2011 at 04:12 PM

Because of the sunshine. According to Guiness, this is the sunniest place in the world with an average of 350 clear days per year.And this old fart is now "unemployed" since I retired today. But, I'm not included in the rate because the rate only includes those with active unemployment claims. It does not include the retired, the undocumented or those who have run out of benefits and given up looking.

AmoPescar - 6-30-2011 at 04:24 PM

Hey Oso...

Congratulations on your retirement!

I hope you enjoy your time off....hope that the economy or anything else hasn't ruined your retirement finances and plans! So many have had to rethink when and how they could retire or if they could retire at all.

Hope you've got more time now to spend in Baja!

Enjoy yourself!

Miguelamo: yes: :spingrin:

Oso - 6-30-2011 at 04:31 PM

Thanks Mike,
I think we'll be ok. Did I mention one more thing? Yuma is one of the most affordable places to live in the US. (#1 is McAllen, TX, but that's a little too close to the cartel wars for my taste)

BTW, one of the main reasons I took this job was proximity to Baja.

MMc - 6-30-2011 at 04:36 PM

Good on you! Retired and living in a great jump off spot for both sides of the Sea of Cortez. I hope you make the best of all of it!

capt. mike - 6-30-2011 at 04:58 PM

hey Oso - way to go man!
i like yuma it is small and friendly.
and the colo is right there to kool off.
and close to mexico - what's wrong with that.

sure it is hot there in summer but so is ALL of southern AZ.

in 1997 i had an aircraft incident there and made the evening news.... hahaha.

we landed, me and my client, and the gear over-center pin collapsed. The marines sent fire rescue, but we didn't burn. just military protocol....

i like that airport cause it is joint use and you mix with the VTOL harriers. plus they have a very friendly customs for ARR fr baja.

we had to fly back on america west 22 seat prop jobs... what fun!!

bajadock - 6-30-2011 at 04:59 PM

Oso,
Congrats on retirement. Work is very over-rated. Cheers and stay cool.

HEY Oso

Baja Bernie - 7-1-2011 at 07:11 AM

Now that you are retired perhaps you can entertain us with some more of your stories.

Stay cool!

fdt - 7-1-2011 at 07:24 AM

Felicidades Oso por alcanzar el retiro. Enjoy!

BajaRat - 7-1-2011 at 07:26 AM

No# 1 in high temps today. 120!!!!!!!!! forcast.
Head for the river Oso! Congrats on retirment, more stories please.

Oso - 7-1-2011 at 09:22 AM

Thanks for all the good wishes, folks. First day of "freedom" today and already I don't know what to do with myself.

Observation on regional Spanish; around here people use "retirar", whereas in other parts of Mexico and Latin America it's "jubilar". Proximity to English has an effect on Spanish even among people who don't speak English.

BajaGringo - 7-1-2011 at 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso
Observation on regional Spanish; around here people use "retirar", whereas in other parts of Mexico and Latin America it's "jubilar". Proximity to English has an effect on Spanish even among people who don't speak English.

Quite true - English and Spanish really do blend together at the border. One of my favorites was a hand-painted sign I saw in Tijuana:

"Parkear sus carros y trokas atras de la loncheria".

Try that in South America and I guarantee folks won't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about...

:lol:

Oso - 7-1-2011 at 11:08 AM

Another: Around here a barber is a "barbero". In the D.f. etc it's "peluquero". (Down there a barbero is a flatterer)

sancho - 7-1-2011 at 12:33 PM

I've come to the opinion that when one reaches
a certain age, retirement, one can live most anywhere.
Nothing wrong with the desert. Whenever the 100's
come in May and leave in Sept, the Yuma area is the
1st palce to get hot and the last to cool. I think it
was Ed Abbey who had a line 'Moon Struck Desert Rats'
referring to the desert folks, there are some characters
in the desert, seems like one can be ones self and
get away with a bit more than most

bufeo - 7-1-2011 at 02:03 PM

Congratulations, Oso! Welcome to the club. I thoroughly enjoy being "jubilado".

I might suggest that you run out and purchase a "Day Clock". It'll come in handy. :yes:

On the subject of sunniest places, we were amused to enter the town of Keetmanshoop, Namibia, during a giant thunderstorm and see Yuma at the head of the list of the Top Five (Keetmanshoop being #5) of the Sunniest Cities on Earth.

Allen R

Cypress - 7-1-2011 at 02:07 PM

Yuma's a neat place.

Oso - 7-1-2011 at 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bufeo
Congratulations, Oso! Welcome to the club. I thoroughly enjoy being "jubilado".

I might suggest that you run out and purchase a "Day Clock". It'll come in handy. :yes:

What's a Day Clock?

bufeo - 7-1-2011 at 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OsoWhat's a Day Clock?

Oso - 7-1-2011 at 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress
Yuma's a neat place.

I agree. Someone passing through this time of year might find it an intolerable inferno, but after 10 yrs it's grown on me. The people are friendly, it's just big enough to have 4 Walmarts, a variety of ethnic restaurants and small enough to have reasonable traffic, unlike Phoenix which I hate. San Diego is nice, the weather is nice, but the traffic is the same as L.A. and I have a nice house with a nice view that I could never afford in SD. The desert has a certain appeal ("It's clean" - Lawrence of Arabia) and there's always the river to cool off. (BTW, tomorrow is the Territorial Regatta where a lot of people float down the river on inner tubes and all kinds of rafts, some very funny and inventive.) and we're only an hour or so from El Golfo and the SOC. (unfortunately more than an hour or so coming back across, but they're putting in a Sentri lane.)

Oso - 7-1-2011 at 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bufeo

Quote:

Originally posted by OsoWhat's a Day Clock?

Love it. Reminds me of about a week I spent on Bahia Concepcion when I never looked at a watch and even lost track of what day it was.

Roberto - 7-1-2011 at 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress
Yuma's a neat place.

San Diego is nice, the weather is nice, but the traffic is the same as L.A. and I have a nice house with a nice view that I could never afford in SD.

Yeah, you're right. Traffic in San Diego is like traffic in LA ... 20 years ago.

I can tell you that since I have lived here, I have never held a job that required more than a 35 min commute, and that's only when I have to travel all the way to the NW corner of SD county, which is huge.

Most trips have been in the 15-20 region.

And congratulations on the retirement. We will have to find a way to celebrate appropriately. I will be in your area in the next few weeks.

Now you will officially transition from barely working and being paid for it to not working at all ... and getting paid for it. :lol:

Hope I can swing that some day.

[Edited on 7-2-2011 by Roberto]

bajamigo - 7-1-2011 at 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso
Thanks for all the good wishes, folks. First day of "freedom" today and already I don't know what to do with myself.

Observation on regional Spanish; around here people use "retirar", whereas in other parts of Mexico and Latin America it's "jubilar". Proximity to English has an effect on Spanish even among people who don't speak English.

I was told by a Mexican friend that "jubilado" refers to a retired government worker, whereas "pensionado" describes the rest of us.

DENNIS - 7-1-2011 at 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajamigo

I was told by a Mexican friend that "jubilado" refers to a retired government worker, whereas "pensionado" describes the rest of us.

Splitting hairs maybe. If there's a common distinction between being retired and receiving a pension, that explaination may make sense.
It's details like this that make language learning troublesome and frustrating.

Interesting though that Jubilar translates to "retire" as well as "Jubilate."

Numero Uno otra vez!

Oso - 7-11-2011 at 01:44 PM

First sunniest place on earth (per Guinness).

Then highest unemployment rate in the nation.

Now Yuma has been named hottest city in the U.S.

The superlatives just keep coming.

DENNIS - 7-11-2011 at 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oso
The superlatives just keep coming.

For every heaven there's a hell. :fire:

sancho - 7-11-2011 at 03:59 PM

You keep pumping it up like that Yuma's Real estate
prices will rival La Jolla's, then where will retired
BNomads go? Is it worth a drive south down to, I believe
the name is Gulfo de Santa Clara?

Oso - 7-11-2011 at 04:21 PM

Golfo de Santa Clara. It depends on what you're into. Popular for dune buggies, quads etc. You can drive quite a way down the beach. It's still a small fishing village, only one decent hotel on the beach, modest but nice in it's way. There are two or three other small places but they're dumps. Kinda like San Felipe 20-30 yrs ago. Very shallow water, sandy bottom, not much for surf fishing. Pangas need to go a good way South to find any rock bottom. On the other hand, it's the closest saltwater. Depending on the season, good deals on shrimp and corvina.

BajaBlanca - 7-11-2011 at 05:13 PM

CONGRATULATIONS on your retirement !!! I am sure you will find a passion to take up your time .... we love being retired and have for the last 5 years

:bounce:

again, congrats on reaching a wonderful milestone.

Roberto - 7-11-2011 at 06:46 PM

Another few things El Golfo is good for:

1. Beach truck camping. Absolutely awesome for this you can drive as far as you want, park on the beach, and camp. Hang out, shore fish, whatever.
2. La Concha hotel. Funky Mexican place. Worth checking out.
3. Pinacate park. Very close by, and definitely worth seeing.
4. Very few Gringos, lots of Mexican families. Stay away during Semana Santa.

bacquito - 7-11-2011 at 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaGringo

Quote:

Bajahowodd - 7-11-2011 at 07:17 PM

Gotta say that I was grinning as I was reading this thread.

No question that Yuma has awful hot summers. But, since the invention of A/C. not nearly so much of a problem.

My own personal taste would be that Yuma is a much more intersesting place to be than, say Phoenix, with all its posers. Yuma is by and large, a town of genuine people.

Have to admit that Yuma is on my short list of towns to which I may retire.

bacquito - 7-11-2011 at 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaGringo

Quote:

Years ago when I was a beginning Agriculture Inspector in Bard (next to yuma), I was inspecting lettuce being packed and was concerned about excess wrapper leaves (hojas). As I was passing a youg lady busy packing lettuce I decided to impress all by saying in an authoratative voice "cuida sus ojos" The young lady responded in a frustrated voice "Mis ojos??" The supervisor said "senior inspector the palaba is hojas no ojos!!

Neal Johns - 7-11-2011 at 07:27 PM

I think I have been retarded for 21 years, or is it retired? You will find something to do.
Neal

You can certainly do worse than having oso as a neighbor !

beercan - 7-11-2011 at 10:12 PM

I finally talked him into going back to Puertecitos with me again . he said he now had 'time"....

Quote:

by Bajawodd
Have to admit that Yuma is on my short list of towns to which I may retire.