Posted by I asked my mom to write an account of their time with us. And here it is, my parents’ almost 14 month long adventure in the RV and then into Mexico on the water with the Samadhi crew:
Dennis and I spent from July 2020 through September 2021 RVing with Dan, Ashley, Victoria and Alex. We travelled with them throughout the western states staying in RV resorts, beautiful parks and amazing Boondocking areas. But even better that the amazing scenery and places we’ve been was the ability to spend this time with Victoria and Alex (and their parents)! We hiked and biked, played pickle ball, ping pong, mini golf, river rafted, swam, paddle boarded, kayaked, shot hoops, played dodgeball, laser tag, disc golf, played WII, dart games and bean bag toss, had exercise challenges and workouts, and played board games, cards, Scrabble and Bananagrams. We had so much fun! Then I realized all good things must come to an end as they made plans to return to Samadhi that awaited them in Mexico. So I started to prepare myself for their departure. But then Dan and Ashley invited us to go with them to Mexico and sail from Puerto Penasco to Puerta Vallarta. We thought what a great way to top off what has been a great journey with Dan and Ashley and our grandkids.
The first two weeks in Mexico Victoria and Alex were with us at a couple really nice Mexican resorts while Dan and Ashley were at the boat making repairs and doing maintenance before setting sail. We had a great time with the kids swimming everyday and playing games. Both Alex and Victoria love to read and love to draw so we never heard complaints about being bored because when we had quiet times, they were able to entertain themselves. BTW they are both amazing artists when it comes to drawing dragons from the “Wings of Fire” book series—especially Victoria and then she helped Alex to draw them also. They gave us several of their drawings.
Then on October 5th, we finally set sail and left Puerto Penasco. On the sailing trip, we were on the boat for 18 days. We had fun swimming, snorkeling and playing in the surf of Mexico’s fantastic, warm beaches! Alex and Victoria are both able to dive deep while snorkeling and love viewing the beautiful tropical fish. It was a great trip—not much wind to sail; but personally, I’d rather have too little wind than too much! Dan and Ashley are very capable sailors and make me proud. Seeing how they handle things eases my worries when they are out to sea for long journeys.
During the RVing and sailing adventures we’ve had them, I especially treasure the times I got to spend on a one-on-one basis with each of the grandkids because it wasn’t time I’d ever thought I would have with them at this stage of their life. But because of Covid, they weren’t cruising the world as they had planned; and Dennis and I got some real quality bonus time with them.
Anybody that reads postings on this site already knows that Alex and Victoria are good hikers, biker riders, runners and they’re smart and really good kids—this is all true. But let me tell you what I also love about them. Alex loves to visit. Many times he would come over to our coach and just sit and talk—about anything and everything. He has a great sense of humor and catches on to things quickly. During his school breaks, he would come over and we would play ‘bouncy-ball’ or play laser tag and have so much fun until his timer would go off and he’d return to school in his coach. We would have what we called ‘belly laughs’ when we would both laugh so hard—like the first time I played laser tag with him and he zapped me and I screeched and shook all over! Once, Alex and I hiked a trail while everyone else was riding their bikes. It was a trail that he previously had ridden with his family, but he wanted to personally show me all the tough spots on the trail that he rode and maneuvered—and there were many because it was not an easy trail. He was so proud of himself and his ability and was very pleased when I told him how proud I was of him. I love to watch him play the Samuri game on WII. I love to watch him watch a funny movie or be tickled about something because he has such a great infectious laugh. I loved to watch him play with other kids. I love all the imaginary adventures he and Victoria have with his favorite stuffed animal, Winkle. I love when he’s been a brat, he apologizes! I love him so much!
Victoria is such a kind, considerate and loving granddaughter. Several times a day she would come up to me and give me a hug and say “Te amo, Abuela”. In addition to all the outdoor activities we did, Victoria and I spent many hours playing Scrabble, Quiddler or our own version of Bananagrams and doing crossword puzzles. She knew I loved to play these kinds of games and would always ask “What would YOU like to play?” I remember the first time I played Scrabble with her when she was nine years old, I thought I’d have to help her and go easy on her. The very first word she played was “fjord” and this was without any help or use of dictionary! And her win record was better than mine! She’s the only one I could get to play miniature golf with me. I loved playing ping pong with her! Victoria is an awesome bike rider. I love to see her when she accomplishes something really difficult like when she did the Slick Rock Trail in Moab the first time. Also when she gets out of her comfort zone like the time she placed a room service order for all six of us in Spanish. Whenever we would go someplace, Victoria would be the one who was best at speaking and/or understanding Spanish and the locals always commented on what good enunciation she has. Victoria also has a great sense of humor especially when it comes to her grandpa’s favorite form—the pun. I love to watch her draw the dragons from “Wings of Fire”. I love to watch her do her schoolwork. She is totally into it and you can see the total concentration. I love that she loves to learn and loves to read. I love to watch her play with Alex. She is very good to him (although he doesn’t always appreciate it)! I love her smile and her dimples. I love her hugs. She makes me feel very loved. And we love her so much, too!
Sailing Samadhi 