Although Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands were beautiful, they were a little too cold and windy for our summer vacation, so we headed south and have now been enjoying much warmer water and air temps around Catalina Island. The picture is of us while at anchor in Two Harbors (we're the little guy on the right!). Four tall ships came in and shared the anchorage with us. They sure are majestic looking!

Back tracking to the northern Channel Islands for a minute... our first couple of days were nice, but then the winds started (20+ pretty much constantly). It made the windward side of the islands way too rollie for comfortable anchorage so we headed to the leeward side. A little better, but the water was cold and churned up from the wind, so no snorkeling or diving. It was also a little difficult to get ashore in the heavy swell, so exploring wasn't even a big draw. We did meet some really nice guys on a boat named "Liquid Lounge," however, and had a super fun day on the beach playing horse shoes and "off- road" bocce. (Billy, Josh, Saul, and Charlie - thank you so much for a great day!) Two of the guys were Chumash Indians and it was interesting to hear a little more about their heritage. Our move from Santa Cruz to Santa Rosa was super windy across the channel and after only a day there, we decided we needed some bluer skies and clearer water. It took us about 13 1/2 hours to sail from Santa Rosa to Catalina and what an amazing difference in wind and temps!

After a quick trip into Avalon to provision fresh produce, we have been hanging at little nooks and crannies on the island. We enjoyed our own private beach (a spot called Cabrillo) for a few days. Every morning we'd load up the dinghy with our beach chairs, bocce balls, paddle ball set, cooler, books, and Penny and totally bask in the sunshine, not heading back to the boat until dinner time. Now that's more what we had in mind for this trip! All three of us have perpetual smiles on our faces now. :) (Penny so loves rip roaring up and down the beach, although she has slowed down a bit in her old age!) We are now back in Two Harbors to meet up with some friends, Fred and Jeanette, who came out on their boat for an Oceanside Harbor Yacht Club event. Last night we went in for our first meal out for the trip - some yummy white sea bass at the Harbor Reef Restaurant. It was nice meeting Fred's brother, Don, visiting from Chicago and Piper, Fred's granddaughter who has grown several inches since we last saw her. Don is going to crew for Fred and Jeanette when they take off in October for the Baja-Haha, a boat rally that leaves from San Diego and ends up in Cabo.

Let's see, some "catching up" from the past 6 months... I think the most news worthy is that my niece, Jennifer, and her husband, Jason, are expecting their first baby. "Emily Grace" is due to arrive on August 18th, although I am hoping she comes a little early so I can be there. (My first reporting day back to school is the 17th.) Jenn looks so adorable pregnant. She is still tiny everywhere except for the ever increasing baby bump. Jason just took his boards for becoming a doctor and will be starting his internship soon. We are so happy for them, but know they have some very busy days ahead of them.

My brother, Ron, just recently had a knee replaced and is getting around so much better. He and Mary were just in Las Vegas celebrating their 32 anniversary.

Throughout the early months of this year, we had visits from several of our cruising friends. Kathi and Jeff from Bold Spirit came by while on a visit home. Their boat is still in Fiji and they have really enjoyed their prolonged time there. John and Renee from Scarlett O'Hara were also here for a visit. They are still enjoying the Malasia (sp?) area and with all the pirate crud going on near the Red Sea, are going to head south around Cape Hope instead of going through the Red Sea to the Med. It's a shame that the pirate situation is causing so many cruisers to have to change plans. Tom and Dawn from Warm Rain also came through San Diego for a visit while taking their boat from Ensenada back up to Washington. Warm Rain hopped on the back of a truck in San Diego, so they didn't have to bash their way up the coast. Just recently, Alan, from Charisma, was down from Napa for a quick visit. We are hoping he and Kristen will be bringing their boat down for a couple of months while Alan works on a contract in Escondido. It has been so great to get to see all of these cruising friends.

Although the school year was extremely time consuming, we tried hard to spend time with all of our local friends who we missed so much while away. We're hoping we will have more time this next school year, so everyone be warned... we'll be calling! :)