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.