Okay, my friends.

Sorry for the many days with no updates. We have been without Internet access until today in Loreto.

Our stay in Cabo was relaxing. It is a big city that mostly caters to tourists, with prices to match. I spent much of my time snorkeling at two of the local beaches and making a stop at Costco for an American fix. The Cabo Costco parking lot has a view of land's end and the rock arch. Doubtless the best view of any Costco anywhere. Striking to me were the few shoppers, most of whom were tourists, and that the parking lot was half empty. Bulk shopping has not caught on here.

Grandma is all better now. Char, the nurse, stopped to visit us in Cabo and gave her the green light to resume her regular activities. She had been camper-bound for several days and was both going and driving me crazy. Our first activity as a pair was to enjoy a catamaran cruise around land's end. The cruise took half of the group in two tours ,and the earlier bunch spotted whales and dolphins. We weren't so lucky but got a fantastic sunset, delicious food, and some of the couples kicked up their heels to Sinatra and big band. Our oldest couple, Ken and Ailsa from Redding, California, showed everyone up with a lively jitterbug. They have been married for more than 60 years.

The night before we stopped at a restaurant that offered a three lobster tail dinner for $15.95. The waiters wore t-shirts that read "Eat my tail," a slogan that either offended or hopefully went over the heads of many of the caravaners. The tails were small but tender and I finished all three without a problem. The waiter later put on a big table-side show making Mexican coffees, a flaming combination of coffee, cinnamon, lots of Kahlua, and black pepper.

On our second day in Cabo we toured a glass factory. We saw the process from start to finish, and the master glassblower created vases, swans, and a variety of drinking glasses before our eyes. Being the youngest (well, second youngest--Peter and Susan from British Columbia have an adopted Chinese daughter named Sidney who is about three years old and a real performer), I am often singled out as the volunteer, and I got to blow a glass that quickly bubbled and broke. (Now lewd jokes in the comments please.) So much for my souvenir.

On the next day we left early and stopped in Todos Santos for some shopping and lunch. Several of us wanted to spend extra time shoping and left early. Grandma picked up some beautiful flowerpots and we had the best shrimp tacos of the trip.

We stopped next in La Paz, another wonderful village on the Sea of Cortez. Between a half-day tour and a group dinner including a folkloric dance from college performers, there wasn't much time to lie about. Our tour guide Guillermo (my name in Spanish) was a real character, either very knowledgeable on just about any subjects or a convincing bull shitter. We saw some of the local beaches, stopped at a beautiful mission built in the early 1800s (La Paz is a young city by Mexican standards), checked out the public market and a museum of anthropology, and visited two family businesses, one that makes glazed pottery and the other weavers of blankets, ponchos, etc. We were not allowed to take photographs at the pottery business because the family who owns it have had their designs ripped off and are embroiled in a legal dispute. We stopped again at a taco place and I was feeling adventuresome. I ordered tacos of manta ray and smoked marlin (and one shrimp just in case I couldn't eat the others). I enjoyed every one.

From La Paz we drove to Puerto Escondido, a sleepy port town on an inlet filled with sailboats. We stayed only one night and didn't do much. Don and Patricia from Roseburg, Oregon (the very place I bought my truck) invited Bob and Mary Lou and grandma and me over for a dinner of pork loin. They are wonderful hosts and have an elegant motor home.

Since landing in Loreto yesterday Grandma has mostly been consumed with laundry and I have been enlisted to fix nearly everyone in the caravan's computers. Last night we had a great meal and a local steak house called El Nido. Steak and shrimp all around with some of the best bean soup I have ever eaten.

Bob of Bob and Mary Lou put his television out and rigged up speakers and we had movie night. It was "Crash," which I had forgotten contains the f-word about 1,000 times in the first five minutes. The crowd thinned considerably but several of the not-easily-offended stayed until the end.

Today we are going to check out Loreto and stock up on groceries. We are here another day and stop in Guerrero Negro, allegedly the best place in the world for whale watching.

Miss you all, Bill.