Rendezvous, Carnaval, Volunteering and a Birthday - Reviewing February

We've had the boat in Mexico for three years and we can count on two hands the number of visitors we've had and friends we've rendezvoused with while being here. So our big excitement for February was being able to meet some dear FAMILY friends (i.e. more family than friends) in Cabo San Lucas. Here we are two years ago having dinner with them just before we left the SF Bay Area to return to La Paz.

2014 - The kids Ava (standing) and Kellen (on dad Wynn's shoulders) look so young here!

These folks are long-time friends going back to when grandpa Win (far left) taught high school with my father back in the early 1970s. I've known Wynn Jr. since he was about 4 years old.

The family of Wynn, Heather and kids Ava and Kellen took a cruise to Mexico in February and one of their stops was a day in Cabo San Lucas. This was a perfect opportunity to have Heather bring down some goodies for us (Peet's coffee for Tom and Trader Joe's Peanut Butter and PB filled pretzels for me) and rendezvous in Cabo. Tom and I rented a huge Suburban, complete with kid's car seats, and drove over to Cabo.

Even though we hung out with the family quite a bit last year it seemed like the kids had really grown since we last saw them.

Soccer star Ava doing the cheesecake.

Trucking expert Kellen doing the ham.

Ava and Kellen were very easy to please; all they wanted to do was go to the beach so we piled into the Suburban and headed to a non-crowded beach half an hour outside of town. The kids, all four of them (including Tom and Wynn) were happiest to be body-surfing and rolling around in the sand. 

Wynn and Tom, errr...I mean the KIDS enjoying the surf.

We finished off the day with lunch at Baja Brewing Co., with the best beer and best view in town. 

We miss you guys!!!

Also going on in February - I volunteered again at the Ciudad de los Ninos orphanage. It was really wonderful to see how some of the kids had improved their English skills. The subject this year was Sea Turtles and I learned a lot more about these fascinating and endangered creatures.

Teacher Nancy poses with some of her students and the Sea Turtle coasters they drew in class. 

 I really appreciate Dianne on Prairie Oyster who turned me on to the volunteering gig and has shown me so much more about life in La Paz. She and her husband cruised to French Polynesia a number of years ago and they have given us tons of great advice about the journey. 

Dianne and I stop on our walk back from the orphanage to say "HI" to Senor Lobster all dressed up for Carnaval.

Of course Carnaval was a major event again this year and La Paz was filled with food and drink booths, games, rides, LOUD music every night all night, and parades.

This year's "Bad Humor" dummy was Donald Trump. He's all ready to be burned in effigy later that night. Needless to say it was a wildly popular event.

Mighty Neptune and his monsters of the deep.

Check out the Tacos al Pastor, looks just like shawarma. Mexican cuisine has been strongly influenced by other cultures.

Carnaval was immediately followed by Valentine's Day, which is also a big deal in Mexico. Just like last year some cruisers here at the marina arranged to have a live band and dance to celebrate the event. 

I tried to give Tom a haircut for the big night and dropped his scissors in the water. He retrieved them with our neighbor's magnet!

Conchita, Dianne of Prairie Oyster, Heidi of Cetus, and Jane of Beachcomber decorated the bar for the party.

We packed the bar with cruisers and locals and danced like maniacs until Cruiser's Midnight (9:00 p.m.).

Romantic shot photo bombed by Lola, LOL! (Ack, I hate using LOL, sorry.) Remember the haircut? Note Tom is wearing a hat.

And we can't talk about February without including Tom's birthday. He was hoping I'd forget but on his special day we dragged him away from one of his numerous boat projects and forced him to join us in his honor as we enjoyed drinks, snacks and a beautiful sunset.

The Dock 5 Irregulars gather to toast Tom.

We even had a candle for him.

Steve from Casamar liked the flame app.

More photos from February HERE.

Just in case it looks like all we do is hang out and have a good time, be assured that we have been entertaining ourselves with LOTS of boat projects and preparations for the next chapter of our lives. Big changes are in store for Cinnabar, but more on that later.

Tom's birthday sunset.

Que? This isn't Baja! Tom went to the states for a few days to take care of business. Pigeon Point Lighthouse, so beautiful.