We have begun to enter vacation mode. Although we are still loosely connected to the rest of the world via cell phones and Internet, we are all trying to ignore that and succumb to the illusion that we are far far away from all concerns of our working worlds. It’s pretty easy to do, with the palmettos around us swaying in the sea breeze and nothing on the horizon but green sea water and craggy purple mountains. There is “nothing to do here” and for me that’s fine.

This morning I woke up with no plans other than to take a long walk on the beach, which I did with Adam. We walked barefoot on the sand for about three miles, north from old Kino to Kino Nuevo, and back again. About halfway up the beach, we met with the rest of the crew, who had driven up and were playing by the water with a public cabana as their base of operations.

This beach is very good for shelling. Whelks, scallops, clams, cockles and many others are easily found in excellent condition (unbroken). I have a feeling we will be going back to Arizona with a jar full of the best specimens.

I forgot to put on sunscreen before the long walk and got a good burn on my neck, feet, and lower arms. When I get a sunburn I always feel completely drained, which was a good excuse for a nap in the Airstream while the others hung out in the central patio we’ve set up.

The patio has become the center of our little encampment. We eat all our meals there, talk, read, and wear funny hats. It’s like a social club, but with more sand. Each night the grills come out and we make a communal meal (usually several different things). Tonight Eleanor made a variety of little thin-crust pizzas, Ari cooked snap peas and rice, and Susan & Adam grilled up some marinated tofu with peanut sauce.

For hours each day the kids circle the Airstreams as they play complex made-up games, and occasionally drop in for a quick bite before disappearing again. A few friendly dogs keep visiting, looking mournfully and patiently for food scraps that they never get. Then as the sun comes down the temperature drops into the upper 60s, and at dusk it’s time for a sweatshirt. (With the Sea of Cortez here, it’s much milder weather than a few miles inland.)

This sort of relaxation leads to appreciation of very simple pleasures. The ambitions discussed this evening were along the lines of, “Let’s go back to the bakery tomorrow,” and “I want to play in the water again.” I am thinking of a bike ride around town at some point, and perhaps some writing if I feel inspired, but otherwise this is a chance to take it easy for a few days. Our adventures may be limited in excitement but exactly what we need to re-energize for work that lies ahead.

Our location: 28 °49’22.67″N, 111 °56’42.96″W (plug these coordinates into Google Earth if you want to see where we are).