01/09/2008 7:09:43PM 24 12.911N 110 17.915W Day 214 Up this morning at 0715; 67 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, Wind Calm.

[Above photo: a view of the marina and Bahia de La Paz from the palapa (hut) located high on the ridge north of us. (Palapa literally means palm tree, but is also used to describe the palm tree fronds used to thatch the roofs of the small, open, caba�a-like huts found throughout Mexico; in colloquial usage, palapa also defines the hut itself.)]

There hasn't been a genuine field trip for a while, so today we hiked about a mile up the dirt road to the top of the ridge above Marina Costa Baja. Along the way, our students identified the flora and fauna. Their impressions of the trip and a list of critters are below in their section.

The Puddle Jump. A search for South Pacific Ocean small-scale charts devoured a lot of my day. They're harder to find than one might imagine. With no local chart dealer in town, I was forced to let Google do the walking. Not quite a dead end, but close. So, I called Downwind Marine in San Diego and set them to the hunt. Hopefully they'll be able to find what I need. These charts are the last piece of the paper back-up puzzle to be put in place. Once I have them, it's on to hardware projects around the boat, of which there are a handful.

I also poured over the Pilot Charts for the months we'll be traveling in the South Pacific. Having a good working knowledge of the trade winds during particular months will help guide our course- and timelines. The deeper I get into this information the better I feel about our planned shove-off date and route. Drawing on the experience of the thousands who've gone before us (we won't count Columbus), it looks like we're on target.

"Crew Quarters"

1st Mate: After school we all took a much awaited hike. Up above our marina is a nice hill that has a little hut on top. We have been waiting for a day that was a little cooler and some cloud cover so it wouldn't be so hot while hiking. It was beautiful; the hills go back into mountains and valley. We saw several different birds and beetles. The cacti growing is amazing because so many species are all blended in to the hills. The hike is about an hour round trip so easy for all of us. The view out to the bay and The Magote below were fantastic. I spotted a few sailboats, but it amazes me how this paradise is so hidden and unpopulated. We had binoculars and we able to see Wind Dancer in the harbor.

I plan to go to a ladies lunch tomorrow, a monthly tradition in La Paz that was started some fifty years ago. I am told some ladies from England wanted to meet others who were visiting here. On the VHF net we listened as they announced the affair and asked anyone (ladies) who would like to join to RSVP. It should be fun and gives me a chance to go to town.

I thought I'd try to cover some of the downsizing we have done over the last two years. When we began to think of this trip we made a list of lists for what would need to be done. The downsizing list was broken up in to four categories. Garage Sale, Storage, Thrift Store and The Boat. We knew we didn't want a big storage unit so we marked off a section in our garage that would hold the space of the storage unit. The kids were included in this major step. They knew they had to get rid of a lot of stuff but that we all could take memorabilia that was important to us. I had a few pieces of furniture that I wanted to keep. I kept bed frames but not mattresses. It wasn't hard really. I began to realize as we went from room to room ridding things that I didn't' use or even know what most of it was. The kitchen was unbelievable in repeats of stuff and all. We kept our nice dishes but the everyday stuff can be bought for $20.00 for a four-piece set. The stuff to go to the boat had to have a place on board and a real purpose or it didn't go. It was fun the day we had a huge sale and let anyone and everyone just wander through our nearly-empty rooms and buy it all. I can honestly say I don't miss any of it. I miss bubble baths, the dishwasher, and our fireplace. But out here we get along fine without them. Once you weed out all that is going it is easier to deal with what is left. More on that next time -- storage on the boat.

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2nd Mate: First of all, we didn't see any marine wildlife today. However, we went on a field trip hike and saw the following wildlife: Cactus Types: saguaro, card�n, prickly pear, barrel*, cholla*, organ pipe*, cirio*, agave*; Birds: turkey vulture, common raven, red-tailed hawk, green-tailed towhee*, white-winged dove*, black-throated sparrow*, house sparrow*. Insects: many beetles that we're not sure what they were or how to find out.

Woke up around 0710. Tom� una ducha y comenc� en mi escuela (which translates into "I took a shower and started school"). I finished reading about the Greek gods and goddesses. As a small look into what I've been reading about these past two weeks, here is a list of all of the Greek gods/goddesses (don't confuse them with Roman gods): Uranus, God of the Sky and 1st Lord of the Universe; Gaea, Goddess of the Earth; Titans/Titanesses, children of Gaea; Cronus, Titan and 2nd Lord of the Universe; Rhea, Titaness and wife of Cronus; Zeus, son of Cronus and 3rd Lord of the Universe; Metis, Goddess of Prudence and wife of Zeus; Hera, wife of Zeus and Queen of Olympus (the hall of the gods and goddesses); Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth; Hephaestus, God of Fire and Smiting; Aphrodite, Goddess of Love; Ares, God of War; Athena, Goddess of Wisdom; Poseidon, God of the Sea; Apollo, God of Light, Music, and Reason; Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt; Hermes, God of wits and thieves, also the Herald God (delivered messages); Hades, God of the Dead; Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest; and Dionysus, God of Wine.

After school, we took a hike up to the palapa, a small hut near where the marina will put a golf course eventually. We love exploring Mexico, especially for the breathtaking views. We got back and played a bit on the computer. We watched some "Gilligan's Island" episodes before dinner. We just finished it and are now resting. We plan to finish "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" for our family movie tonight.

Cabin Girl: We ate Frosted Flakes for breakfast. I did some schoolwork. I did Language Arts today. I did Word Families and wrote two poems (below). I did some cursive. I also leaned how to tie three knots: the Square Knot, the Bowline, and the Cleat Hitch. I wrote a couple paragraphs on my Printed Reader, "Ben and Meg." I started to draw a picture on "Ben and Meg." I saw a small black chihuahua dog wearing a cute pink sweater. We went on a long hike up to the palapa. We saw beetles and birds, and I pretended to have magical binoculars that could see into the future. Then, we went came back and watched "Gilligan's Island." We had a yummy dinner, made by the wonderful cook. We're going to finish Harry Potter 2 tonight.

I have a mate,
Her name is Kate.
She's always late,
For our date.

I tried to ignore,
My mom's loud snore.
It really was a chore,
I hope she does it no more.