Family Vacation to La Ventana, Mexico ~ October 2009

Let’s face it…it is just nice to get away and break up the day to day routine a bit! We were originally scheduled to go to La Ventana about 4 days earlier than we did but Hurricane Rick was approaching the tip of Baja fast. We were able to rearrange our trip and accommodations to provide the week of sunshine and warm weather I so craved after a very busy wedding season. La Ventana is a small family fishing town on the Sea of Cortez. We chose it because Isla Cerralvo (right off shore) protects the beaches while providing some nice reefs and protected swimming for Jaz and Ember. In addition, the fishing is phenomenal in these parts and I am not sure that anything makes my husband happier and calmer than fishing. For me, I like adventure and exploring. I love experiencing different cultures and how people live all over this world while also discovering the commonalities that bring us together. Of course, photographing it too! In and around November(for about 6 months), La Ventana transforms from quiet fishing village to a windsurf and kiteboarding mecca. Here are some photographs from the trip(with commentary)…enjoy!

Sunrise from our bedroom….I spent a week getting up around 5:30 or so to check this out…
it has got to be this good or I will not…I am a much better sunset person:)

Jazzie working on her travel journal for school in the late afternoon light…

special arrangement of treasures found by the our shell hunters

All the beaches around where we stayed were so empty…really quite peaceful

– cassies present! 🙂 hehe –

Jaz not only loves fishing(like her dad), I think she is a fish…She spent most of her days doing this….

Ember likes a pink flip flop

One of our adventures to explore the area- heading out to the lighthouse

pure bliss….

We stayed at a house on the beach, but our neighbors had this great swimming pool/clubhouse that we
used too. Ember actually took her first unaided swim strokes in this pool…yeah!!!

This is Jeff to me. Pure happiness- a quiet morning trip in the kayak to go fishing..
and then he lost his fishing rod as it fell off the kayak and drifted down down down…
He said thank goodness he had such a blast fighting a fish for 30 minutes or he would have been bummed….

Jazzie and I taking a kayak ride around the point to the best beach- very few coastal rocks to navigate

I made Jazzie jump ship for the beach landing…just in case

This is the public beach…not bad huh?

Sandcastle time

This was obviously a fishing trip before he lost his rod, or maybe that is Jazzie’s rod that he inherited at the end of the trip

another amazing sunrise

This was at a restaurant in La Paz- I told the girls to look at this painting and help me create an
image with a similar feel….see below

Jaz and Ember rocked it….

Flowers in Todos Santos, an artist community on the pacific side of Baja…another adventure for Lisa:)

Jazzie and palm shadows

our girls

If I had an extra $2000, this would have been mine. I just love this piece of art.
This is an artist that is commissioned to create art for Mexico.
It is killing me  that I just spent a half hour looking for his name online, and not finding it

Jaz and Ember- jammin’ mon…..

2 cute girls in Todos Santos

Ember and a cool wall in front of Jill Logan’s studio

Family photo op- did you notice that Lisa and Jeff improved from the last attempt- Jaz and Ember still rockin’ it!
Love that sun flare on Jazzie

girls and cool gate

coloring girls in Jill Logan’s gallery- Jaz gave her art to Jill

reflection girls and cool old car

I love windows and doorways

Lisa and Cactus’s at sunset on the way back from Todos Santos

texture, texture

Jeff bought Ember a dress in Todos Santos and Ember decided it was her wedding dress and that she wanted to marry papa…too cute!

beautiful “princess” ember

girl after jeff’s own heart..

couldn’t be happier..

I love my jazzie….