Hi folks, miss you all and greetings from San Diego.

Much and nothing has happened in the Malone household since the last entry. We must finally be settling into the cruising lifestyle. So, I will fill you in on the minutia that has filled our lives and provided hours and days with a range of experiences that I would not trade for the best days of work. It all seems pretty routine while we are living it and nothing much to write about, but I will give you the highlight reel.

We are in San Diego, via Newport Beach, and just getting a lay of the land. An experienced cruiser told us to expect everyday chores to take all day and today was a great example. The half mile row from the anchorage, the three mile walk to the nearest grocery store (kids in tow) a bit of shopping resulting in more than we can carry home, (now what?) and the Google maps says that it should take six minutes back to the boat, ha! A five hour round trip and we are back on the boat and having a drink and nursing our sore feet having accomplished the very significant task of going to the grocery store.

In between was an amazingly fun time at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. We met a guy in Catalina that had a slip in Long Beach Harbor for us to use (read: Mary met a guy in the bar and after 30 minutes of chatting he offered up his dad's slip for us to use) and it was cheaper to stay in a hotel across the street from the park than to commute via taxi. Disneyland all day, a real bed and TV all night. I was almost forced to hire a couple of local gangster types to bind the wife and kids and haul them back to the boat at the end of the stay. It was great time and we followed it up by moving down to Newport Beach and for $5 a night, we were on a buoy in the very high rent district. The land of beautiful - but enhanced-- people. We spent a great day on the beach and introduced the kids to body surfing. Life will never be the same.

The next afternoon we made an overnight passage to Mission Beach and watched a 1000 acre brush fire onshore that lit up the sky as the sun went down. It was an otherworldly display that made me think back on the nuns from my elementary school days and the punishments in store for those that transgress. Hmmmm, maybe I better repent. Mary says it's too late. Yi-haw then!

Timothy had a banner day of fishing sailing from Mission Bay to San Diego, we were pulling fish in over the stern so fast that we could barely look them up and decide what they were. Unfortunately, Timothy and Mary kept telling me to throw them back and I ended up eating rice again for dinner. Next time we pull in a 5 to 10 lb bonito he's going in the cooler. Just a warning for the fish out there.

We are looking forward to exploring San Diego and will be here for about three weeks. We will keep you posted if anything exciting happens.