Just 'cuz

I was rambling through photos and saw a few of Quinn that I had to throw up. Just 'cuz I'm his mom and I love looking at him. so there.

And Scott, too. Cross-stepping w/ style.

Mountain Climbing

The Meadow!

The new tent!

We have discovered a new fun place to go in SD county. Well, Scott already knew it was the best mountain biking in the county but now we all know that it also has some wonderful car camping where Quinn can run around naked and get covered in grime and it's all good. Talking about Mt. Laguna which is just shy of the Anza Borrego desert area. We'll definitely be going back and we definitely won't be making reservations. The place was nearly empty, most likely because temps had been in the upper 90s to over the century mark. Luckily our visit coincided with a slight cooling trend and we had a campsite rich with shade and a good breeze.

We shared our first night with many friends

Adam (~12 days younger than Q) came w/ mom, Sara and dad, Robert

Steve, who went on a couple of rides w/ Scott and had adventures.

Plus Auntie Ami, Uncle Bob, Adrienne and Mike who found us, eventually, and fed us well. Ami's lovely pix are at: http://www.flickr.com/gp/8927186@N07/8671B0

While Steve and Scott went for a ride the next day and pushed their limits, the rest of us went for a hike that can only be fully appreciated by those who have attempted to go on a lovely stroll with a couple of exhausted two-year-olds. Ah well, we'll make it out to the lake another time. It was actually very nice. Then everyone else left and the three of us stayed for one more day. Although Quinn was very sad to see his good pal, Adam, take off, we managed to amuse ourselves around camp and went for a couple more strolls down to the meadow. Anytime we headed down to the meadow for a hike, we had to climb over the sprawl of granite boulders that lay enticingly close to the entrance. Quinn is a natural scrambler (as his great-grandparents know) and conquered each peak with ease (and with mom and dad).

Then we went home via Julian and had pie. Yum!

Dude's gotta have his own stick

Costco is an economic marvel. Although we are not currently members, we have several friends who are and when Ross called to tell us that foam boards were currently on sale for 100 bucks, we asked him to pick one up for us. Living as close to the beach as we do, it's customary to offer a surf lesson to all visitors or even to loan a board to a friend who didn't want to bring theirs all the way up to north county. Now we have a worry-free option. An unexpected bonus in all this has been Quinn's reaction. The little man has been going to the beach since before he was born but has not really displayed a huge attraction for submergence in seawater. Granted, it's been a bit chilly of late. Since we returned from La Paz, we took the big blue sponge out to give it a try and the water is quite nice, in the 70s. Thus, it wasn't too surprising when Quinn finally consented to some water time, kicking through the waves in Wendy's arms while watching Scott take in a surf. However, when the board was offered to the little man, his enthusiasm for riding multiple waves and a declaration that he wanted to ride big waves by himself warmed the cockles of his parents' hearts and provided hope for a future that is not too distant where we will all hit the waves together.

Growth

Since changing from the website to the blog, I have not updated Quinn's growth chart. He is now 36 inches high and just over 1 1/2 stones in weight. You may want to click on the chart to see it in a size that is easier to read.

La Paz

We started out with a taste of many modes of transportation; the car ride to the train station to take the bus to the airport which ended with the taxi ride to the hotel. Whew! Quinn loved every second of it. Scott bought Harry Potter 7 in the airport since Wendy's pre-order was due to arrive the day we departed and she couldn't wait a whole week! No spoilers here.

Our hotel was quite lovely with a view of the bay, air conditioning, cable TV and a delightful swimming pool and playground area. We spent much time in the pool with Scott being instructed to be "an underwater shark" by our imperious small companion. Quinn would cling to Wendy's back and alternately shriek "run away! run away!" or "go get him!" while Scott swam around. Often there would be other children in the pool with inflatable toys to share. Good fun.

There is a wonderful element to travelling in Mexico with an attractive blue-eyed child. Most waiters, servers, and women passing by in the street tousle Quinn's hair, pinch his cheek or otherwise exclaim about the "bonito" child turning his head away shyly. We made him, we'll take all the credit for the magical genetic jumble that has produced this little guy.

Before Wendy's professional conference got going we had time to explore some of the beaches near La Paz together. There are many beautiful sandy beaches on which to relax, swim, rent kayaks and partake of the local fresh seafood nearby. The water is sparklingly clear but not all that warm considering our latitude, probably the mid to upper 70s depending on the depth. At the rockier parts of the shore, thriving coral reefs teem with butterfly and angel fish, wrasses, eels, needlefish, and other amusingly shaped tropical fish. We spent some time chasing after porcupine fish, trying to make them puff up threateningly.

Wendy, of course, neglected to take any pictures of the conference she attended. Suffice to say that the four days of the conference (Western Society of Malacologists' 40th annual meeting) were mostly pleasant, full of friendly academics and interesting science. While she was away Scott and Quinn continued to explore the area and rented a kayak to poke around the mangroves; observing schools of tiny fish, beautiful birds, and more clear water. Yes, that is Quinn hidden in his life jacket below. Safety first! Being on the kayak was his favorite part of the whole trip. He was very helpful paddling the kayak.

By the end of it all we were tired of delicious Mexican food, days spent in the water under beautiful skies, and not being able to get Quinn to take a proper nap. We took our taxi to the airport and the bus to the train and finally arrived back at our car which took us to our loudly complaining cat (thanks for watching after her Ross!) and home.