Sometimes for us standing still means not moving quite as fast. We have been back in La Paz BCS Mexico since early November and since that time we have collectively made eight trips back to the States and had one family visit here in Mexico. All the while we have been getting Pablo ready for another season of cruising in the Golfo de California.

In November Steve had the honor of being the officiant for the wedding of his son David and bride Jessica. We have now officially gained a lovely new daughter and three wonderful grandchildren. Oh what a grand time we had. and afterwards I got to spend a very thankful Thanksgiving with Nick and Kristi at their place in Oakland. Less than a week after returning home we were off to Southern California where Steve taught a class and I got to visit mi padre in Borrego Springs, CA and had a fabulous visit with my Aunt Cindy in LA. And oh wait…. are we in Anaheim? Gotta go to the house of the mouse. Steve and I love the magical world of Disneyland. We entered those gates, walked though that tunnel and instantly became eight year old kids. What fun!

We hadn’t been home for more than 10 days when Nick and Kristi came to visit us for Christmas. The weather was perfect and it was great that some of our kids got to see a little of what makes Mexico so special for us. Following their visit I flew to Florida in late January and spent a month helping my Mom. And since I was in the neighborhood I decided to take a short excursion kayaking at Silver Springs. What a magical swampy peaceful place. I even got to see an alligator which thrilled me to no end.

Don’t unpack those suitcases just yet…. In February Steve took another quick trip to San Jose, CA to teach a class and luckily got to squeeze in a few visits with family. One of the reasons we schedule his classes in San Jose is so we can steal some time from the busy lives of our kids and it’s worth every moment.

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Our final trips had Steve taking a flight in March to Colorado. Yep, El Maestro had another class to teach. I went on an amazing land excursion with my friend Susan to see Grey Whales on the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula. Seeing these beautiful beasts so close and having them look me straight in the eye was humbling.

And lastly I got to spend a long precious weekend with my daughter and her beau, Chase in Sacramento. We talked, shopped, watched movies, cooked meals and just spent time. Oh the gifts of this wonderful life!!

During the in-between times Steve completely replaced our electric panel and upgraded all of our circuit breakers while I did a little sewing. But the biggest and most exciting improvement done this year is the installation of our new watermaker. This will allow us to make our own drinking water by desalinating sea water. As Pablo only holds 78gal of fresh water we have only been able to go 2 ½ weeks without needing a refill. In the Gulfo de California there are not many places to easily replenish our supplies so we have had limited cruising grounds. No more! This year we hope to explore a few more remote locations and stay out a bit longer.

All of this hustle and bustle, visits and getting ready have left us dreaming of a quiet little anchorage. Some peaceful place with nothing to do but watch the birds and fish, spending the day swimming, relaxing, and pondering life. So in just a few days we will be taking off again for another spring/summer cruising season. As before, if you wish to contact us we will have our satellite texting device activated. Simply go to the “Where is Pablo” page of the blog, click, follow the link and you will see a place to send a message. We love hearing from people so be don’t be shy.

We promise more stories and pictures and hopefully a few videos of our snorkeling adventures. We are full of gratitude for this amazing life. Love and hugs to all!