Too bad. Today is our last day here at Totonaka, our last day in San Carlos, our last full day in Mexico - at least for this year. Roger and Chantal (and Blitzen) left even before we woke up this morning, so we've been on our own, saying our farewells.

The major item on our agenda was to pick up the laundry. We cycled up to the lavanderia and YES! It was open. We brought all the lovely, clean laundry home and put it away, exclaiming over the professional quality of the folding, telling our favourite clothes how glad we were to see them again.

In the course of the day I took down the clothesline, put the pegs away, wrapped my seashells individually in paper towels and stowed them for safekeeping, found a place to tuck the bag of beach rocks I collected for my son. I wrapped the cazuelas in towels and put them under one of the kitchen benches, put the molcajetes down at floor level and secured them, as we definitely wouldn't want them rolling around in here.

I spent an inordinate amount of time online, looking for a motel/hotel near the Renaissance in Seattle - one that has parking for our motor home. I thought for a moment I had found one, the Quality Inn, http://www.qualityinnseattle.com/but its online information/reservation gizmo didn't work, so I still don't know whether their parking lot is suitable. I think we may check into an RV park as close to Seattle as we can get, then rent a car or, better still, take a cab in to the conference every morning.

Finally, eyes crossing from computer fatigue, I closed the laptop and joined Robin on a bike ride out to the estuary. I wanted to say goodbye to the sea, the beach, the birds. I exercised beach discipline and picked up only one very tiny shell. I can carry it in my pocket. I did pick up one other shell, a real beauty, but it was still very much occupied, so I returned it to the sea.

Soon it will be time to roll the awning up, then settle in for the evening. We will very likely leave at sunrise tomorrow, try to get to Green Valley, AZ by nightfall. Hasta la vista, Mexico.