June 18 – July 1, 2012: These two weeks have gone by so quickly. It seems like a lifetime ago we were bashing up the coast of Baja let alone cruising around Mexico. The check-in to U.S. for us was quite painless probably because it was Sunday and Father’s day. No exit paperwork is required from Mexico for US citizens to check back into the states and no one came below to check out our food supply. The two agents just asked about alcohol, tobacco, firearms and fresh fruit.

The municipal police dock is now as pricey as other marinas. It was $1/ft vs. the $10/night rate just a couple of years ago; so much for hanging out here for 10 days or so. I called around and got moorage for 2 weeks at Harbor Island West Marina. It is easier to walk to the airport, jump on a rental car bus and get to a car agency from this location.

Once we moved the boat, the next order of business was getting “connected” to the world with U.S. phone and internet service. Thankfully we kept Bob’s phone and our USB stick for internet access and with one phone call we were back on-line, of course, with a modest reconnect charge. Once on-line I could arrange a plane ticket for Dick, check emails, order Bob’s meds and catch up on other business.

We hooked up with a few boats that bashed up the Baja together for dinner one night. Crew from Journey (Jeff & Dori), Wendaway (Mark & Wendy), Beverly S (Larry & Sue), Dick, Bob & I enjoyed drooling over the American menu but choked on the American prices. Man … welcome home to high prices! This part of being home is discouraging.

We bid Dick farewell; what a great help he was especially with the night watches. I would highly recommend having a 3rd person on board. Having the extra amount of sleep made such a difference especially in the rougher parts of the passage. We worked on desalting the boat and doing the basic chores you always encounter after long trip. The laundry facilities are very nice here so I was able to not only clean our clothes but also tackle the bedding, blankets and rugs.

We took a break one day and toured the Midway aircraft carrier that is now a maritime museum moored on the San Diego waterfront. Goodness, we paid for 4 hours of parking and still didn’t see the entire ship. It was very interesting along with all the airplanes that were on display on the flight and hanger decks. We toured the bridge, Admiral’s & Captain’s quarters, ready rooms, forecastle, mess, enlisted men’s quarters, galley, engineering and many other areas too numerous to name. I wished I was 40 years younger, trim, fit and in good shape with good knees. Oh well, nothing like some Advil and lots of wine couldn’t cure.

It was exciting being back in U.S. grocery stores. Who would ever guess grocery shopping could be so much fun? First thing we bought was fresh fruit, vegies and Triscuit crackers (I love these). A Costco run was also in order and we stocked up good candy (which means chocolate) of all things. I don’t have that anxiety feeling anymore worrying about stocking up and having as much as possible on the boat to survive. That part is nice about being home although we were far from starving in Mexico; everything you need is available just not everything you want. However, drooling over the nice cuts of meats was very thrilling and we indulged ourselves with pork and beef tenderloins. And ohhh yeah, the wine selection is great.

The biggest reason for our long stay in San Diego really centers on our niece Rachael and her family. Her husband Adam has been transferred to Okinawa for a 3 year stay. So they are packing up the kids, renting the house, mucking out the household goods and farming out the cat and dog to other family members so they can meet their 2000 lb weight limit. This is no small task and takes many months. It’s like moving from a 2500 sq foot house to a 47 ft sailboat, bah humbug!

We pitched in and helped where and when we could. Most likely our biggest job was keeping the 3 kids entertained and occupied. Disney flicks sure come in handy and have been a good babysitter for the 3 & 5 year old. The 12 year old is at the awkward age of too old for a little kid but too young to hang out with adults. The most fun we had was hauling the kids and Aztez, the golden retriever, to the local park to burn off energy and play. Even Aztez was happy to jump about and run free for a couple of hours. He chased the kids around the jungle gym, followed the kids up to the slides but chickened out coming down.

Wasn’t long before they were bored and hot so we shuffled them off to the picnic table and shade, fueled them back up with juice and water. The beautiful butterflies caught their attention and shortly they were running themselves ragged chasing them around the park. I felt a good old fashioned water fight was in order to cool these little critters down so I instigated water wars. I refilled the water bottles and soaked them good … yeah, they really suffered as they were yelling …“get me auntie, get me”. Turnabout was fair play, I got a good dousing myself thanks to Allie, the 12 year old. Bella & Tristan were more interested in soaking poor Aztez. Aztez was just too tired himself to avoid the little ones so he just laid there taking it all in. Tristan, Bella & Aztez took a 2 hour nap once we got home after our ice cream treat. It was a good day in the neighborhood.

Saying goodbye wasn’t so much fun, too many tears. Three years isn’t that long but long enough for little critters to grow up far too fast. We watch all the kids in our families struggle to mature and have the benefits of an adult. Little do they know life does not get easier as an adult just more complicated.

It is time to move north as we adults struggle thru our next challenge – getting the boat and ourselves back to the Pacific Northwest. Oh to be 3 years old again!