Chill'n in Chula Vista

Hard to believe but we've been in Chula Vista nearly three weeks already.  We brought a car down the coast and, at first,  it felt weird to have a vehicle again but it has turned out to be a nice to have in this area because the harbor is so far removed from the rest of the world.  This is a good thing for day to day living but a bit of a challenge when it comes to restocking the refrigerator, getting haircuts, picking up medicines, or other key essentials that you don't think twice about normally.  Overall we are really enjoying our stay here, primarily because it has such great amenities like parks close by, a pool and hot tub, laundry facilities and really nice folks both at the office as well as liveaboards all around us.  Our plan was to be here a few weeks and then keep heading south to Ensenada, Mexico for the winter to give our kids a bit of culture, because the slip was dirt cheap and because it offered the full amenities of a resort and spa.

As I started to prepare things for our continued trip south I realized we were up against a few more challenges then I had anticipated.  First concern was internet and cell phone coverage.  I had assumed that AT&T would offer some type of coverage, and they do....for an arm and a leg.  That left me relying 100% on internet at the marina which has been a total nightmare the whole way down the coast in the US, I couldn't count on Mexico being better.  At the urging of our neighbors, the Lyon's, we decided to take a drive down to check it out first (a 1.5 hr drive vs a 15 hr boat trip).  We left Mason home with Molly and took our two youngest on a day trip down into Mexico.  We arrived at Marina Coral in Ensenada a few hours after departing Chula Vista and actually drove by it the first time because it was so small.   We talked to the facility manager who welcomed us with open arms.  We talked with him about internet and found that the dock had WiFi and so we walked over to check it out.  As it turns out, it was rather consistent with all of our other marina WiFi experiences....pretty spotty.  With a sinking feeling in our hearts Keith and determined that the final leg would have to wait for another day/month/year when I could cut the umbilical cord to work.  We headed back towards the US and had quite an adventure at the border for the three and a half hours it took to get back across to where the boat, Mason and Molly awaited us.  The next day we had to say goodbye to the Lyon's as they headed south to Ensenada and then on to the Sea of Cortez where they are spending their winter.  The kids, all of them, are feeling the loss of the Lyon's and the camaraderie.

We finished our registration today to stay for a few months in Chula Vista while the winter sets in and the holidays approach.  They have a huge harbor "light up" coming up that the kids are excited about and we've started to talk about how to decorate the boat.  Also looking at other community things the kids can participate in as it's obvious they are all missing some social aspects.  Meanwhile we continue with our homeschooling curriculum, some days seem to go better then others depending on the behavior of the kids which I cannot for the life of me gauge from day to day.  Yesterday we managed to make it through Math, Grammar, Literature and even made it to an art project.  Today....we are still at the starting line.  I guess this is the advantage of doing it on our own schedule, we can adjust each day as needed.