Catalina Island

The last two months has been the busiest stretch that I can remember.  So much has happened, from travels, to funerals, to weddings it seems difficult to look back and imagine the sea of change we've gone through.  Emotions have been running high and low.  It's hard to reconcile the mix of emotions.  At events that should be happy and joyous, feelings of sadness and regret surface and those times of quiet solitude have been interrupted by laughter.  We capped our busy stretch with a trip to Southern California, to visit Catalina Island.  We stayed with the Cottle's.  This has to be a record number of times to see them in a year.

We arrived Friday afternoon and had dinner at the Sushi place down the street.

Nene and Dani ready for some fish!!!

When you try and get a group this large together, the wait here is always long, but the food is well worth it.

We took a ferry boat over to Avalon.  Here's Maria and Nate braving the cold and wind for a photo.

Nene and Claudia getting a breath of fresh air.  The boat was making Nene a little sea sick.

Here's the group that went, minus Sandra and Jorge who followed on the next ferry.

Dani and Claudia fighting over whether Claudia should eat the Ketchup bottle or not.

Arriving on the dock, the views were amazing and the sun was coming out to make it a lovely day.

 You may have noticed several photos look a little "different".  I've watched Gerhard and Charlene post several photos with this cool effect that makes the photos look aged.  It's an iPhone app called Hipstamic.  We've started playing with it and enjoy several of the different effects it makes.  The ragged edges and the coloring are the easiest to notice.  Makes it look like a really aged photo.

Sandra and Aggie in the foreground and Nate teaching Jorge how to use a camera in the background.

Aside from Dani being in the shadow of Nene, I really like the composition of this photo.

A great shot of Nate checking out his favorite girlfriend.  I like how the trees in the background help to "stretch" the picture.

Before the family went out on the boat, Maria and Nene went into a local bar for a shot of Tequila. 

Nene, Maria and Aggie hopped on a boat to take Arcele out to his resting place in the Pacific.

Cuco wanted to be laid to rest in the Pacific ocean.  Much debate went into where in the Pacific, from Hawaii, Chile, San Francisco, LA but it was decided that Catalina was a great fit.  Dani knew someone with a boat that could help us and it worked out great.  While we had a large group on the island only immediate family went on the boat.

Maria placing yellow roses in the water.

Nene placing Arcele in the water.

Along with some white roses

As the box sank, seals came up from below and swam around as if to welcome Cuco to his new home.

Once back onshore, the entire group enjoyed a wonderful lunch.

Claudia all caught up in being a Hollywood diva.

Nate getting some shopping in.  He was saddened that he didn't get to go on the boat, so we got him a jet fighter instead.

Nate and Mike enjoying some ice cream after the late lunch

Almost ready to leave.  By now Nate was down to his chonies, after he got his pants wet playing on the beach.

At the end, everyone was ready for a nap.

For most of us, it was our first trip to Catalina.  Something that will now hold a special place in our hearts.  We enjoyed a day with friends and family.  Great food and fun, along with stories and memories that will last a lifetime.  Just before boarding the ferry home, we saw a seal frolicking around the docks, playing and waving to all the people stuck on land.  You could feel Cuco's presence, his smile, his laughter and his love.

We Miss you Cuco, rest in peace.