La Paz

    After the long drive through the seemingly endless deserts of Baja, lots of small towns, and several days camping on the beach, we really enjoyed our time in La Paz. It's a city of about 200,000, not too touristy but with an active expat community, beautifully situated, lots of art and culture, and with more of a mainland Mexico feel to it than other places we visited. We stayed at Campestre Maranatha, a nice RV park on the outskirts of the city. It had a great swimming pool with a kids' pool too, two playgrounds, teepees, and a friendly and helpful owner. It was a great place to spend some time catching up on laundry, email, shopping, etc. It was a city where I could definitely envision spending more time. We stayed there three or four nights on the way south and then a few more on the way back up north. These pictures cover both visit. 

We were boon docking at the beach when Thanksgiving rolled around, so we decided to wait until we had electricity to enjoy out Thanksgiving dinner. It makes the culinary magic just a wee bit easier. I made a pumpkin pie from a calabaza regional, as well as stuffing, chicken, a green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes.  Oh, and we actually found a can of cranberry sauce in a little grocery store in Mulege, which Peregrine was very excited about! It wasn't the yummiest meal I've eaten, but it was very special, and we were all thankful to squish around our little table and count our blessings.

La Paz has a really nice malecon, and we enjoyed walking it a couple of times. The kids always seem to gravitate to the sand! 

Water bottle art. Of course my kids were compelled to climb inside it, knocking out about forty water bottles in the process. What followed was probably humorous to watch, as we desperately tried putting them back, only to pop out more with each one we put in. A security officer came over and told the kids to get out and put the water bottles back, which was easier said than done. Lesson learned: please don't climb inside the art, children! Oh, and for pete's sake, carry your own water bottle and don't contribute to the trash problem!

La Paz seemed to have a big arts community and this was a cultural center of sorts. We walked around for a while, enjoying the art and the air conditioning. 

Saint Nicholas day came around so we celebrated by opening our stockings and eating freshly baked gingerbread muffins. I bought a few little things for the kids and Erik, and they tucked lots of little paper crafts and tiny gifts in each other's stockings as well. It always blesses me how they want to get in on the giving each year! 

Yummy! Where on earth did Erik find Trader Joe's chocolate in Mexico?

Daddy checking out the comic Peregrine drew and gave him.

The malecon, like the one in Puerto Vallarta, is lined with large and interesting sculptures. I really liked this one.

I was happy to see a small peregrinacíon as we sat eating ice cream one evening. 

Of course we had to stop at La Fuente, a little ice cream shop along the malecon. They make their own ice cream and it comes in so many flavors. We had some serious indecision going on with a couple people. (That would be Peregrine and myself.) So many choices! 

The tree and brightly colored benches out front seem entirely fitting for an ice cream shop! 

Sunset over the bay.

We enjoyed going out in the evening a few times. There were some night markets and the kids enjoyed a little browsing and shopping before we finally tracked down a taco place we wanted to try. Octopus tacos? Check. Manta Ray tacos? Check. Exciting times for our adventurous eaters!

Poppy took this picture of Erik and I one night while we were out for dinner. On a date, just the two of us, you know, with our four kids. 

Just another evening out! 

A Week Through Erik's Lens

    I'm sitting by a pool, watching my big three play and swim while Pearl naps and Erik takes a rest. Today we're in Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico. We left San Miguel a week ago and spent a couple of days driving south across the desert of Baja. Our destination was the beaches of Bahia Concepcíon, where we've been camping the last few days. On the way we ran into the Baja 1000 and got caught up in the excitement of the race while enjoying a rest in the beautiful date palm oasis of San Ignancio. We've mostly not had internet service, but we've taken lots of photos. Here are a few through Erik's lens. Aren't they beautiful? 

While we were in San Miguel, Erik would often take the early birds out for a walk. He captured this sky one morning after it had rained. 

During a walk through Ensenada's famous Fish Market, Erik appreciated how artistically the shrimp were arranged. I was so proud of my kids traipsing through the market, being fascinated and not disgusted. I strongly disliked this place when I was young. 

Color

Tired?

We had yummy fish tacos.

An entrance to the old Riviera Hotel in Ensenada, where the Marguerita was (supposedly) invented. I have to wonder how many other places have the same claim to fame.

A sampling of the desert. It went on. And on. And on. For days. 

The tree on the right is called cirio or boojum. They seemed rather like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Interestingly, the English name boojum is taken from a Lewis Carrol poem.

This is Mex 1, the Transpeninsular Highway. It's narrow and often winding. Erik did an amazing job driving and pulling our trailer. 

Erik's comment on this one was, "Do they look well?" I spent a couple days feeling pretty rotten and so did my girlie. One night I fell asleep about 8 o'clock, only to be awakened an hour later by a feverish little girl. For some reason Erik thought this was a great photo op. 

A literal oasis in the desert, San Ignacio was an unplanned but very welcome stop.

Camped amongst the date palms. The Baja 1000 ran right by and we happened to be there in time for the action.

Sunrise over Bahia Concepcíon. This has been our front yard for the last few days. 

    We're heading back to the beach tomorrow and will camp there for a few more days, until we need to come back for fresh water, groceries, and to charge batteries again. I realized today that Thanksgiving is in a few days and asked the kids what is important to them. Poppy's first reply was, "to be thankful!" and I'm sticking with that. Peregrine went grocery shopping with me and was thrilled to find a can of cranberry sauce, which, given the nature of the store, was a bit of a surprise. So we shall have cranberry sauce to go with our thankful hearts.  I also bought a chunk of some sort of squash and will attempt a pie. I hope that wherever you are, your hearts are also filled with thanks this week! 

Thankful: Family

    Tonight I'm oh so thankful for the family I was born into, and the one I married into. (My immediate family deserves their very own hurrah. I've been blessed to live near my parents and a few of my siblings and love them all so much.) Over the last few months I've gotten to spend more time getting to know some of my extended family and have felt so very blessed. It's made me realize how important family is, not just parents and siblings, but the greater family as well. I grew up far from any relatives and for most of my childhood we would go a couple years without seeing grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's meant so much to me to get to know them more deeply as adults. There is shared history and memories and I'm so glad for the time we've had together. 

We spent nearly two weeks in a small village in Mexico where my dad's family has generations of history. There my kids got to know my cousins' kids, and it was so fun to watch them play together, just like we did 25 years ago. Here Raphael watched the sea lions with my cousin's son. Pearl made a special friend in his little sister as well.

In the restaurant my great grandfather "Poppa Tom" started, my Tia and prima sing Feliz Cumpleaños to Peregrine on his tenth birthday. We had such a special time with our familia here!

On our way through California we stopped to visit my Grams, my dad's mom. She is such a wonderful and dear woman, and I treasure each time I get to see her. Erik watched the kids so she, my Aunt Terry, and I could sit and visit for a few hours. I felt so blessed by their company, their encouragement, and shared stories.

The kids LOVE Auntie Terry, and she loves them. So special. 

We spent a couple nights with another of my dad's siblings, my Uncle Dan and Aunt Cathie. Although it had been 18 years since I'd seen them last, we were warmly welcomed and felt so at home there. They truly value family and even had a surprise birthday dinner for Peregrine. 

Erik's mom and dad, Claud and Michele, gave up their vacation plans to come spend a week with us in Oregon. They were right with us through the last several days of packing and moving out of our home, and then we all spent a few days at the coast together. It was a tiring and emotional time, and we were so very blessed by their help and encouragement. I couldn't ask for more wonderful inlaws!

    I'm grateful too that my children are getting to know their extended family, and hope they will have deep relationships with many of them as they grow.

Thankful: Our Trash Can

 

    A trash can is kind of a silly thing to be thankful for, but I am. Erik and I spent our honeymoon on the Oregon Coast. One day we drove up to Tillamook where we toured the cheese factory. I'm sure we sampled some cheese and enjoyed a bowl of ice cream. We also bought a $3 ice cream bucket as a souvenir and have used it ever since as our trash can. It's become a bit of a joke in my family that we have such a tiny trash can, but since we were able to recycle and compost a lot, we usually didn't fill it up too quickly. Besides, who wants trash sitting around for days? In the last several months it's developed a crack but that's nothing a little packing tape couldn't fix. I was ridiculously happy that it fits perfectly under the sink in our trailer. I'm not big on buying souvenirs that will sit of shelves collecting dust. When we bought this almost 11 years ago I'm sure I wouldn't have imagined it would have stayed with us all this time, in daily use collecting our trash and reminding us of our honeymoon. Sometimes in life, it really is the simple things. 

Thankful: Learning Together

    Today I'm thankful that I get to be my kids' teacher. Educating our kids gives us opportunities to do many things together, and I learn as much or more than the kids sometimes! They soak up knowledge like sponges, and are constantly learning about the world around them. We tend to be very relaxed about "school" as they just keep learning without us doing a whole lot. We try to take advantage of the real life learning moments that seem to keep coming our way, read lots of books, and let the kids explore the things that interest them. When we were still in Oregon we were part of a great homeschooling community and co-op. Now that we're traveling they're being exposed to new and different things and real world experiences that are helping form a great education. We're learning about history and geography, culture, foreign language, and so much more! I'm so grateful we have the freedom to teach our own and learn along with them! 

Math is one of the subjects Peregrine for which we have computer curriculum. We just started using Teaching Textbooks this year and so far it's going well. He's also been doing Rosetta Stone Spanish the last year or so. In addition to these, the younger kids use lot of educational apps on the iPad.

We're tracing our route on the map, learning a little geography as we go. The kids are also keeping scrapbook type journals as a record of where we've been and what we've been doing. 

Sometimes the big ones "teach" the little ones. 

Learning is most definitely not limited to the "classroom"!

We've been reading American Tall Tales and Legends, so it was fun to see Paul Bunyan and Babe when we drove through the Redwoods.

Here the kids were checking out the fish tank in the greenhouse at Real Goods, where we learned a lot about sustainable living and alternative energy.

Thankful: Food

Carne Asada in the Making

    Today I'm thankful for food! I'm glad I've gotten to experience food in many different lands, for the great variety of foods God gave us. I love that people the world over can take similar ingredients and turn them into different dishes. Savory, sweet, spicy, so many ways of preparing food! I love cooking and learning to make new things. I love the inspiration that abounds, from trying a new dish in a restaurant, eating in a friend's home, or perusing cookbooks or internet recipes. I love discovering and trying new things. The other day I got to try dragon fruit for the first time. I'm thankful to be in a land where the traditional food is simple and delicious, where we can go out to eat on not much money. I'm thankful for meals shared with family and friends. I'm glad that God designed our fuel to be delicious, and allowed us so much creativity in how we prepare it. I love learning about how to nourish my family through what we eat, how to bring health and healing through our food. 

Thankful: This Moment

San Miguel Sunset

    Learning to be thankful for the moment is an ongoing practice. Sometimes gratitude comes easy, wells up unstoppable. When the day is beautiful and things are going well I don't have to work too hard to be thankful. It's when things are challenging, when I'm battling frustration or disappointment, that I have to make an effort. Today I found my thoughts drifting to sometime in the future. Some of that, of course, is necessary. We have to make decisions ahead of time if we're going to do certain things down the road. There are plans and preparations to be made. But I tend to wander to a mythical future sometimes, one where I'm chronically joyful, my kids are ridiculously obedient, where we're all the picture of health and happiness. And that's where I have to pull myself back to this moment, today, right here, right now. Like it or not, it's the only one I've been given in which to live. Sometimes I challenge a complaining child to tell me some things they're thankful for. If they are too stuck in the dark hole of the moment I help them find their way out. Sometimes I need to do the same. I need to look around me with eyes and heart wide open and focus on all the blessings, the goodness, the love that is flowing. 

    So instead of dwelling on the parts of this day that were hard, I'm working on giving thanks. (And seeing clearly how doing this throughout the day would have been helpful.) Here are a few things I can think of: 

• Waking up early enough to see the golden sun come up from behind the hills. (That was the good part about kids being up at 6!)
• Being in a comfortable and special place. 
• Successfully baking cupcakes in my little gas oven. (The one that bakes about 75 degrees off and tends to burn on the bottom.)
• Really yummy cauliflower soup, and that the kids all ate it. (They dislike soup. I don't understand how one (or two or three) can dislike an entire category of food like that.) 
• That the election is finally over, and in a few days people will stop talking about it. 
• That my hope doesn't rest on a man, or a political party, or in a country. 
• Dinner made and hosted by my cousin and his wife and their two darling kids. Good food, laughter, and conversation. 
• Getting to take a shower. Sometimes it's the little things....
• Kids settling down to sleep quickly. 
• And this moment, Erik on one side of me, reading, hearing Pearl breathing in her little bed on the floor next to me, the stillness of the night, a warm rice bag on the feet, sleep ahead of me. 

    

Thankful: Unexpected Blessings

    Today I'm thankful for the unexpected blessings that seem to be meeting us along the way. We've been in Mexico since Wednesday and I have yet to go grocery shopping. Our fruit basket was looking pathetically empty, and I made a plan to go to the market tomorrow. This evening there was a hello at the door, and there stood a cousin of my dad's with a box of fruit to share! Erik had run into him the last few mornings on his walks, but it's been over twenty years since I'd seen him. He filled our basket, and then some, with fresh oranges, limes, lemons, avocados, persimmons, pomegranate, tangerines, and even a dragon fruit. We now have plenty of fruit, both beautiful and delicious, thanks to his kindness. 

    There have been other unexpected blessings on this trip too. I got to reconnect with an old friend in Santa Cruz and our kids had a great time playing together. We've gotten to camp in beautiful places. My Aunt Cathie and Uncle Dan threw a birthday dinner for Peregrine when we stayed with them, surprising him with apple pie and homemade ice cream and presents not only for him but for all the kids. We've found kindness, hospitality, and friendship all along the way. The kids have had lots of friends to play with, and we're enjoying spending time with my cousins here. I'm thankful for all the many ways we're being blessed as we journey on. 

Thankful: Grandma

Grandma Jean 

    Today I'm thankful for my Grandma, my mom's mom, and for the time we've gotten to spend with her over the last several months. Grandma has always lived on the East Coast, too far away to see very often. Growing up we saw her every few years. Sometimes we flew from Alberta. (I was terrified of getting on that plane, and had a terrible stomach ache.)  Once we took the train. (Squished pennies on the tracks, the conductor whom we deemed "The Mustache Man", squeeze cheese, learning to count to 100, my four year old self walking around making sure that everyone else loved Jesus, and that family across from us who ate fried chicken the whole way.) At the end of the tracks, or the runway, or the long road, there was Grandma and Grandpa's house, a magical place full of televisions (so many!) and yummy food and lots of love and The Italian Aunts, whom we quickly learned were not to be messed with when it came to pignoli cookies. Sometimes Grandma and Grandpa came to visit us, too. And during the long years between visits, there were packages full of gifts and homemade cookies and love.

    I've always felt a bit sad that I lived so far away from my grandparents, both sets of them. I know they loved me very much, and I love them too, but I felt I missed out on the really special, close relationships that are formed when you see someone more often. Up until this Spring, the last time I'd seen my Grandma was over ten years ago, when I'd spent a month in Pennsylvania. Then, in June, my mom flew back East and brought Grandma across the country with her. It was going to be for a month, but it soon became clear that she wasn't going back. Grandma is 93, has very little memory, and has deteriorated a lot in the last few months. I've been so, so thankful that my kids have gotten to know her and for the time we've all had with her. We spent four weeks camped out at my parents' while we wrapped up the sale of our home and Erik's job, and during that time we got to see a lot of Grandma. 

    She always greeted us with "hi" or "who is it?" when we walked in the door. She commented on how cute Pearl was. We practically had to shout to be heard, but the kids would get close and talk with her. Sometimes they exasperated her. Sometimes she exasperated us all. She threatened to punch them. She made us laugh with her spunky comments. She still sighed over how handsome Grandpa was. Sometimes she didn't seem to remember that he passed away a long time ago, and another day she said, "I wish my husband would call me, but he's pushing up daisies." Once, she remembered my name. She loves to look at old photos, and sometimes we'd sit and look through them together. She had a stack of cards, each lovingly written, and each day she'd read them as if for the first time. It was interesting what she could remember about long ago. My mom brought out a wedding photo one day, of her and Grandpa, young and beautiful, and she said, "That is the best picture in the whole wide world!" I asked her about her wedding, and her honeymoon, and loved hearing what little snippets she could recall. 

   Grandma is old. She is tired, and her body is failing her. She spends much of the day sleeping, and in so many ways is like a little child. She is neither lamenting her past nor worrying about her future. She lives in the moment. I'm glad for all the moments we had with her this summer and fall, glad that I got to spend some precious time getting to know her a little more. I'm happy that my kids, at least the older ones, will remember her. I'm thankful that she is spending her last days in the company of many people who love her, grandchildren and great grandchildren weaving in and through this season of her life. I'm glad she's now woven into the tapestry of theirs too. One day Peregrine said to me, "Mom, when I'm grown up, I'll take care of you if you need me to. Even if you don't remember things, I'll still love you. But I hope you'll remember." I'm grateful that my kids have seen my parents lovingly caring for my Grandma, that they got to help care for her too. I'm so thankful for my Grandma, for her life, and that I got to be part of it. 

   

Thankful: Memories

This is a journal my parents "made" me keep the summer I turned nine We drove from our home in Alberta all the way down to Baja in Mexico. I have more memories from this trip than some others, and I think it's because of writing them down and reading it over the years.  

My ninth birthday was spent in the home of some family friends in British Columbia. It was a very special day that included a boat ride, s'mores, and a pretty cool cake with a sparkler in the middle! 

    Today I'm thankful for a lifetime of memories and the ability to record them so easily. When we were packing up our house a few months ago I came across this old notebook from a road trip my family took the summer I turned nine. It was so fun to look at my childish handwriting and see a record of some of the things we did. Over the last week I've been able to see much of my extended family and there have been many recollections of times shared in the past. We are currently in Baja California, Mexico, where there are decades of family history kept alive both by the prolific writings of those who have gone before as well as those who remember them. I'm grateful to have been born into a family with such a rich and fascinating history. I'm thankful for all the experiences my parents gave us as children, and for our ability to ex;ore this world with our kids. When I was a single gal, on my own, I ended each day with pen and paper, laborously recording the day's happenings and my thoughts and feelings about them. Now, I turn to my keyboard, which is so much faster! I'm thankful for the ease of recording our own family's history, of putting down these adventures for our kids to read some day. (And yes, they have blank books to fill with their own memories of this adventure.) So today I give thanks for both distant memories and those still in the making. 

Thankful: Erik

 

 I love how so many friends are intentionally choosing gratitude this month. Reading what others are thankful for is a good reminder for me to give thanks too. I really enjoyed taking part last November in a daily offering of thanks and am happy to do it again this year. I don't know that I'll have daily internet access this time around, but we are going to do our family Tree of Thanks again, so with or without a "connection" we'll be cultivating gratitude together.

    Today I'm thankful for this time we have together as a family, for my husband Erik who was willing to take a risk in order to spend more time with us. I'm thankful that he is responsible and hard working, and didn't take it lightly. This evening I came to bed while he washed the dishes. I haven't been feeling well and he brought me a hot cup of tea. He does so many little things like that, takes such good care of us all. I'm excited that we all get to be together during this season of our life, and for the gift that he is. 

Offering

    This morning I was reminiscing about Thanksgiving as we celebrated it on the prairies. In Canada the holiday is observed in early October, closer to the harvest time. Set along the front of our church would be long tables and people would place on them offerings of home canned goods and fresh produce from their gardens. To me this was the perfect picture of Autumn and of Thanksgiving; the deep reds of pickled beets and jellies, the pink blush of crabapples, dill pickled green beans in shiny jars, knobby potatoes and long carrots dug from the earth, and winter squash in all shapes and sizes. After the service these things would be boxed up and given to the poor among us. My family usually qualified.

    I've been thinking about the beauty in this, not just visually, but how beautiful it was that people brought the literal fruits of their labor and made an offering of them. That right along with giving thanks to God was giving to others. I've often peered in to the large cardboard boxes that grace the foyer of many churches. Here the collections for the poor usually contain an abundance of things like ramen noodles and creamed corn. I'm thankful that people are giving, but I can't help but wonder- is that the best we can do? I'm as guilty as anyone. I've cleaned out my cupboards and dumped my extra cans of food in the box, the ones that that aren't organic or healthy or "good enough" for my family. I know that we are to give the first fruits, not the leftovers, but it seems that too often my gift is given out of obligation, not love, and that it's the dregs and not the cream.

    It often seems that beauty and wonder are missing from the worship we offer God. Maybe this is part of why so many people are attracted to the Orthodox Church- they have maintained a beauty that touches the senses, but that also echoes with mystery and eternity. Maybe people are tired of sitting around tables in gymnasiums to worship the Creator. When we visited cathedrals in Europe I was amazed at the beauty and the extravagance that was evident there. I know that any building can just be a sepulcher housing dead mens' bones but I think there is something inherent in beauty that draws us to God. Something that inspires us to present whatever we have back to Him and believe that He will make it beautiful. Like the woman who spilled her tears over Jesus' feet and washed them with her hair. It was done in love and humility and to me it was one of the most beautiful acts of worship recorded in Scripture. She was forgiven much and she loved much.

    So I think that thankfulness and giving are intertwined. When I realize that all I have is a gift I don't deserve it causes me to want to give to others the lavish love that's been poured out on me. I have so much to give thanks for and along with that I want to learn to give abundantly, joyfully, to take what I've been given in this life and offer it back to the Giver. I want to make something beautiful and delicious, not only for my family, but for the poor and homeless. I want to love and serve my husband in ways that bring him joy and peace and to make our home a beautiful sanctuary where people can find rest and and be drawn closer to Jesus. And I want whatever is on my table to be offered with love.

    This is a repost from six years ago, but I was thinking again of those long tables laden with food and thought I'd reshare. I am challenged once again by reading these words; is my giving beautiful? And in the year after I wrote this, we too found our hearts at rest in the Orthodox Church.

Thankful: Family

Mi familia... most of them anyway!
(This was over a year ago, but I think it's the most recent picture with both of my brothers.)
Look at that tiny little Pearl. She was only a couple weeks old here.

    Today I'm especially thankful for my family. I say especially, because I'm always thankful for them, but sometimes I'm reminded of just how blessed I am to be part of such a wonderful and loving family. I grew up in a big family and have the happiest memories of my childhood. My brothers and sisters are still some of my best friends, and days like today where we sit around and eat and laugh and talk and play games are very special. I love that my family is always there for each other, whether someone needs a listening ear, or a pot of soup on a hard day, an encouraging word, prayer, or someone to help with the kids or pick something up at the store. My sisters are some of my closest friends. I love that we've all been at each others' births and shared so many special life moments. Up until the time I got married, and I was 26, when I was at home I'd still go crawl into bed with my parents and talk. I don't hesitate to call them, day or night, if I'm in need of their wisdom or comfort. I'm so blessed to have lived near them for as long as I have.

    And if it weren't enough to have been born into such an amazing family, I have wonderful, loving in-laws as well. Both sets of Erik's parents have welcomed me into their lives and are wonderful grandparents to our children. We're so blessed by their love and support. I hear people talk about the difficulties they have with family and am so, so thankful for the relationships we all have with each other. I actually knew Erik's mom before I knew him, and she has been such a special part of my life, truly like a second mom to me. It was like icing on the cake that I got to marry Erik and have her as my mother-in-love.

    As we raise our own little family, I'm grateful for the loving homes we both came from. It's not something I ever take for granted as I see so much pain and brokenness in people's family situations. I hope that our children will grow up to be the best of friends with one another. I love that they all get to spend time with cousins and grandparents. (This is something I missed out on as we lived in a different country than any of our relatives growing up and only got to see them every couple of years.) Thanks to technology, communication with those who are far away is a lot easier than it was when I was a kid. (But we still miss them!) I'm so thankful for family!