I’m on my way to Washington State for a visit with my son and his family and after that I’m heading to Minneapolis to visit with my sister and her husband. I am sure it will be a fun couple of weeks. The picture at the top is my son and his family last year on a hike at Mt. Baker. My granddaughter is about to start her sophomore year in college and my grandson has his driver’s permit and will be a sophomore in high school. Time does fly, not to sound too much like an old grandma.

Speaking of old grandma, I will be stopping in at the Social Security office as at my next birthday I’m going to apply for benefits.

As always, I’m hoping for some hiking and outdoor time, some delicious blueberries and cherries, and a lot of goofing around as a family. There’s no way I can cram in a year’s worth of fun and connection in such a short amount of time, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try.

Most expats keep a list of things to buy when they travel North – some things are hard to find here and some are more expensive. Every year I’ve noticed that things that had been on my list are showing up in stores around Mazatlán, reducing the amount of North of the border buying for me. This year I made a vitamin order, Gentle Leader harnesses for the dogs, Frontline flea and tick killer, and seeds for sprouting.

I also buy clothing and shoes when I’m up North. I find the prices are more reasonable and the quality is better. The familiar sizing, store layouts, and helpful salesclerks make the job more enjoyable. This year I’ll do most of my clothing and shoe shopping in Minneapolis, where I hear there’s no sales tax on those items.

While I’m gone Paul will be taking care of things at home – and we are hoping that we’ll get a few decent rains. This year we’ve only had a couple good rainstorms, at least at our house.

Hasta pronto!