Enjoying the Days of Summer

Our sporadic days of summer sun might finally be here to last with the onset of July and the long daylight hours. We have been thoroughly enjoying the beach side life here at Birch Bay -watching the eagles on their waterfront perch and warm sunrises over Mt. Baker to the east. We have adopted somewhat of a routine schedule, something we haven't experienced in years. We have been so accustomed to moving about, that we were thrown a bit off guard to know what we will be doing tomorrow or next week or even next month for that matter. While we are very excited to return to our boat in October and get back to our fairly mobile lifestyle, we have settled in to our rental home and have been luxuriating in life's little pleasures. Some things never get old for us, like taking a warm water shower without half the anchorage seeing you awkwardly (and nakedly) trying to lather up with soap in the cockpit, letting ice cubes go down the drain without feeling too much guilt, and great micro beers and local wines that we don't have to ration.

We have especially been enjoying our time back in the Bellingham Bay area, and catching up with all our friends and family. We've had a wonderful summer so far attending bbq's, birthday parties and just hanging out. We've even "borrowed" one of my parents' dogs to get our pet fix in before we head back to Mexico. Abby, a golden retriever that's not so good in the retriever department, has been a world of fun to have on the beach and a great buddy to keep us company.



We will most likely be in the area for the remainder of the summer. Shawn is continuing his contract work with Blue Seas Systems and I am holding down the fort at Blue Latitude Press. In September we have a couple of seminars in Olympia, WA and Victoria, Canada. Then it is on to San Diego in October for a couple of events Downwind Marine is hosting. And finally at long last, La Paz, to where our faithful Om Shanti has been patiently waiting for our return.

Back in Washington

We’re back in Washington! After a 5,000 mile round trip, we are happy to be stationary, at least for a couple of months! We are currently in Birch Bay, in a lovely rental house just off from the water. It is very quiet and peaceful here (and cold!) – a great place to relax and listen to the waves. We brought our kayak back from Om Shanti and I have been enjoying beautiful morning paddles on the bay. This time of year the bald eagles are out in full force, giving us endless amounts of entertainment.

We are getting ready to hit the road again, although this time we will let the airlines handle the traveling. We will be in Oakland, California, April 16th to the 20th for the Strictly Sail boat show, where we will be at the author’s booth and Waypoint bookstore’s booth. We are really looking forward to the show, as it is always fun talking with boaters and sharing stories and dreams of cruising.

We will be in the Bellingham area through May while Shawn is helping with graphics work at a local marine electronics company named Blue Seas Systems. After Shawn finishes, we will most likely head east of the mountains to Goose Prairie, near Mt Rainier, to spend some time with family at my grandfather’s cabin. From there, we hope to visit Shawn’s brother and sister-in-law (Christian and Poki) in London, England where they are currently staying. We hope everyone is enjoying beautiful springtime weather, and please drop us a line to let us know what you are up to!

La Paz, Mexico

At the end of February, we took a small break from the cold, wet Washington weather and chased the warm sunshine south to La Paz. This was the first time we had driven down the Baja peninsula, and while there were a few white-knuckle moments along the very narrow highway passing semi trucks, it was a beautiful drive through lush green fields and blooming cactus.

It had been nearly 10 months since we had last seen Om Shanti at Bercovich Boat Yard in La Paz, and she was a sight for sore eyes. We spent 2 weeks living on the hard, tending to a couple of projects and making a few updates to the cruising guide. We were able to introduce the book to a number of boaters through the Club Cruceros morning coffee hour and a new english book store named Allende Books in La Paz, as well as El Caballo Blanco, a bookstore in Loreto.

Being back in the boating scene rejuvenated our souls after being away for such a long time. Waking up to the cries of seagulls each morning and long sunset walks along the malecon brought back the sense of home to us, even the faint smell of diesel permeating our clothing and towels brought a little tear to my eye.

While we tried to soak up as much sunshine, fish tacos and cruiser camaraderie as possible, by mid March we had to say good bye once again to Om Shanti and a number of our friends in La Paz, and to make the long trek back north to chilly Washington.

The Books are Here!

Our advance copies of the book arrived today! The shipment of books should arrive to use by the 20th, just in time for the Seattle Boat Show. Check out www.exploringcortez.com and www.bluelatitudepress.com and let us know what you think.

Winter Wonderland

The day after Christmas, we went up to Heather's grandfather's cabin at Goose Prairie, Washington, just east of Mt. Rainier.

We're Married!

After nearly eight wonderful years together and a two year long engagement, we felt the timing was about right for a fall wedding. We eloped and exchanged vows in Mt. Vernon, Washington on November 1st and headed on to Guemes Island for a short honeymoon vacation. The newness of the wedding bands hasn't quite worn off, as you find both of us twirling and smiling at our rings! We're looking forward to many, many more adventurous years together!

More pictures from the road home

The road home

Hi all, we're in Monterey, slowly making our way up the coast, having stopped in Joshua Tree Nat. Park, San Gabriel Mts. north of LA, Morro Bay and now Monterey. Having a great drive up the coast.



These pics are from Joshua Tree and Morro Bay

Heading Home

On Monday, April 9th, Om Shanti will be settling in to her new home here in La Paz at Berkovich Boat Yard for the summer season. Today we are tearfully saying goodbye to Christian and Poki (Shawn's brother and sister-in-law) as they set off for a new adventure to the South Pacific and New Zealand on board their boat Irie. We had another wonderful season here in the Sea of Cortez and completed our final research for our up-coming cruising guide for the Sea. Once Om Shanti is put to bed, we will be heading to the mainland by ferry where we will pick up our truck that is in storage in San Carlos. From there we will be taking an extended roadtrip home via coastal Highway 101 to relive our trip that we made 4 years ago by boat. By late April we should be settled back into Washington, in search of that ugly four-letter word, work. We look forward to seeing many of you back in Washington this summer!