It's really getting close now. The day after tomorrow we leave with about a 150 other boats on the Baja Haha rally to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

We've been here in San Diego for just about a month. During that time we've had a watermaker installed, our boat hauled and painted and spent more money than we care to think about on various boat parts, spare boat parts, boat provisions and the occasional (?!) happy hour. We've also gotten a lot of school done and had some nice visits from some friends who actually traveled further than we have to get here (although not as slowly!): Robert came from Seattle, Jim from Portland and John's sister Jill, also from Portland. And don't forget our debut on YouTube courtesy of our friend, Jen.

Last week as most of you will know the Southern California area was devastated by the worst fire storm the state has ever seen. It was very sobering as we went about our business of boat prep to see the many evacuees trying to go about their business, too: the business of recovering from evacuation and possibly losing their homes and all their possessions. Many of the businesses we frequented were either closed or very shorthanded because their employees were directly affected by the fires.

But we also had some very good times in the midst of this. While John's sister was here we toured the Midway a historic aircraft carrier that is now a museum. Amazing.