Mexico, Europe, Caribbean November 2023- November 2025
Pat, Sushi and I had a wonderful road trip to Mexico. We crossed the San Diego border and continued driving south with stops in Valle de Guadaloupe (wine country), Santa Rosalita, Mulege, Loreto, Todo Santos and El Pescadero where we rented a condo near the beach. We love the area in El Pescadero; there are excellent restaurants as well as great hiking and long, sandy beaches.
We took the car ferry to Topolobampo, Sinaloa where we spent the night in Culiacan (no problem!). Because we had a dog, we couldn’t take the ferry to Mazatlan, our preferred destination. We continued our trip to Mazatlan, Lo de Marcos, San Francisco (San Pancho), Sayulita, Puerto Vallarta, Tequila, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City.
Always wonderful to see our friends Guadalupe, Manuel and their daughters, Sofia and Celeste.
We crossed the border in Laredo and stopped to visit Tuscon, Arizona before returning home to Los Altos. We had taken pickleball lessons in El Pescadero and continued with lessons at the Sunnyvale courts. We enjoy the sport a lot and try to play whenever we can. In October 2024, my son and his wife (Armand and Natsuki) had a healthy baby boy, Arsene. He has brought us a lot of joy in our lives!
In July of 2025, our daughter Isabelle moved to France from Hanoi, Vietnam where she was a program officer with USAID. After the dismantling of the agency, she and her family moved to Montpellier, France. She came to visit family in California before settling in France. We had a super time together!
Pat has begun a search for another sailboat. I thought we were finished with sailing, but he misses being on a boat and enjoying the ocean. He has taken 3 trips to the Caribbean to check out boats. I took the opportunity to visit Isabelle and her family in Montpellier. They found a lovely apartment in the town and schools for the kids. I had a wonderful time with them. Lucia (7) and Rene (4) are growing up fast. It was fun to be with them and Niko and Isabelle. The city is lovely and very walkable.
Mickette was visiting the city so I had the pleasure of seeing her after so many years!
Armand, Natsuki and Arsene were on a month long trip in Europe. Isabelle and I took the train to Barcelona where they were staying. We had such fun being together and visiting this vibrant city.
Isabelle returned to her family in Montpellier. We were so happy to have her with us. I joined Armand and Natsuki for a week in Sardinia, a short flight from Barcelona. Our Airbnb rental was in Porto Tavena. Our house was steps away from a long, beautiful beach and it had a great bar/restaurant, La Tavernetta. It was a great place to relax.
Armand surprised Natsuki and me with a private pasta cooking class at La Colti, a working farm and restaurant. Our teacher was excellent, and we had a lot of fun making the pasta. Afterwards, the chef prepared our pasta with delicious sauces and we were served our meal in the outdoor patio with their wine. So good!
After several days, we drove north and stayed at Saltara in Santa Teresa Gallura. Saltara is a working farm with vineyard in the countryside. The cottages we had were great. It had a pool and excellent restaurant.
This was a good place to explore the nearby towns and hike to beautiful, uncrowded beaches.
We visited Lu Beddu Winery in Arzachena. The venue was scenic and intimate with few visitors. The owners were informative and so friendly. What a treat!
I had a wonderful time with family; it is time for me to return home. Armand, Natsuki and Arsene will continue their vacation with a ferry boat ride to nearby Corsica, visit Isabelle and her family in Montpellier and return to Barcelona for a few days before flying home.
After a few weeks at home, Pat and I few to Tortola, BVI to look at a 2008 Jeanneau 54 DS. After an inspection, we made an offer to purchase the boat and it was inspected. Now comes the hard work to get it ready to sail!