Still feels like summer, but time is marching forward.

LZ may not be in a rush to drive a car, but wow does he absolutely love cruising on the neighbor's quads!  Luckily they are incredibly generous with sharing their fun toys, in particular for a fun ride up to the nearby waterfalls.  Max and I used to trek up the arroyo 25 years ago, and once I hiked all the way there with my sweet friend, Jenny. 

He's a natural, dontcha think?

It was flowing pretty decently and then doing its magical disappearance into the sand. Clouds of yellow butterflies flitted in the spray + around the greenery.

Our neighbor, Mike, convinced us to climb to the top.  And just like 2 decades ago I managed to get caught on part of the scamble on the way down; fortunately there was a rope anchored into a boulder this time, as well as Mike's help. There are a series of waterfalls that I would love to return and explore with M + LZ some cooler day.  

Speaking of Max - we are thrilled to have him here, working remotely, for the time being. He and LZ have been having a blast making up for times apart.  

We may not have a pool of our own, but fortunately we have very thoughtful neighbors who share their oases with us whenever we need to cool down.

I don't know if it was the hurricane or the heavy fishing season or what - but we have had a lot of garbage on the beach lately. I've done 3 clean ups over the past month and each time I have to stop because the bag is full before I have made it too far.  I was thrilled Luca joined me today.

Between Luca's excellent science class studying climate change/solutions, and doing these beach collections, I am definitely rethinking a lot of our plastic use/impact on the planet. (Not to mention I don't love garbage duty as you may remember from a previous post so I'm all about producing less!)

You may also recall our sweet Blanca-lula undergoing chemotherapy a few months back.  As it turns out, we ended treatment too soon and her tumor came back. Thankfully our vet has been able to find more of the drug which is in extremely short supply in order to save our girl. Here she is co-piloting on the way to the vet. Amazingly, she still enjoys the car ride knowing she is going for a treatment that is rough and makes her feel icky.  

I have bravely decided to tackle knitting a sweater! It is full of mistakes and I've had to rip out whole sections mutiple times but I am doing it!  I want to get comfortable enough to make clothes from some really gorgeous New Zealand wool from my sweet friend Sue.

This was my first time using DPNs, or double pointed needles.  It did not go well. I cannot imagine how on Earth I will get the 2 sleeves to match. It seems obvious, but I'm just winging it here + hoping for the best. 

Here is the slithery friend who turned out *not* to be a rattlesnake, but instead a lyre snake.  I am pleased that LZ and I were brave enough to relocate it down the driveway. 

I am not clear how much of a risk rabies is here. When I asked the vet she said we have hundreds of types of bats here but only 1 vampire and I am not sure exactly how that relates. I can tell you I was happy to be under the mosquito netting when I woke to see this dude hanging over my side of the bed.  

Getting some beauty rest, dreaming of eating *all* the mosquitoes on the property! ;)

A road runner waiting to run down a rattlesnake, I am sure. (Or more likely one of the bazillions of small geckos we have everywhere.)

We went to a friend's birthday dinner down on the beach in Cabo with a lovely view of Land's End.  Who could resist splashing in the water a bit once we were so close?

Luca loves the pasta at this restaurant as well as the chicken decor.  Obvs he was wearing the right shirt for this dining experience. It was a while back but I don't think I ever remembered to share it.

One day we were going to town and saw a pilgrimage led by a person carrying a large statue of a saint. Coming home there were scores of cars parked along the highway near this shrine. Apparently, the day honoring St Judas, the patron saint of hope + lost causes, is an important event in this area. When Max took this picture the following day, the heat from the abundance of candles was still overwhelming.

We've come to expect beautiful sunsets, but still don't take them for granted. I feel incredibly lucky to be in a spot where I can see both the sunrise and sunset from my little yard.

This morning I was enjoying the first light of the day while doing laundry.  I still think it is so cool that the light from the sun is powering my washer.  (I will also think it is mega cool when we can use this shower for actually washing our bodies and not just our clothes!)

And finally, here is our little fluff ball.  He gave us quite a scare last month when he had a severe asthma attack. Thankfully, Blanca's vet was able to see him right away and started him on steroids and a breathing treatment.  I cannot describe how much Toby hated having the little mask over his face to direct the meds into his nose, but since it made his struggle to breathe much less scary we were commited to the course.  

We had a marvellous summer over at our neighbor's house with their pups and are grateful for that respite in the heat. But we are also happy to be home on our own land working on improving our space.  (And super happy to have our friends back!) Toby is the happiest to be back and even returned to a whole buffet of mice who'd taken over in the 3 months we were gone.  He's living his best kitty life :) And we're not doing too shabby ourselves :) Thank you for checking in on us. I hope that someday travel will feel safe and easy again and some of you may come share Baja with us in person.  You are all welcome!  So much love to you. <3