A lot has happened since we put Gypsy Moon up on the hard in San Carlos Mexico in April, 2011 but for now I'll stick to The Gypsy Moon bits. This is the busy time of year for the boat lift and yard in San Carlos, a lot of people put their boat on the hard and head North until the hot summer and hurricane season passes. One of the major challenges is to find a way to get our cat, Cypress across the border. We had planned on taking a bus to the states and renting a car to return to California. (I started to say "to return home" then I thought, no, Gypsy is my home). We discovered the "luxury" bus to Tucson does not allow cats onboard. Some suggested that we try to smuggle the cat on the bus, but he has this trick of becoming the incredible hulk cat when in his carrier. Every option analyzed, our best hope was to score a ride across the border, at a minimum for the cat and hopefully us as well. It is a very friendly gringo community with many ex-pats living in San Carlos, and by talking to everyone with a dog (figured they would be or know pet friendly people) we managed to get a ride for Cypress, and ourselves as well. Happy days they had an empty truck bed too! We were able to bring a good bit of luggage too! The day came for the "haul out". We waited our turn, and Marcus guided her to the seawall where the spidery looking trailer waited. The boat trailer is capable of hauling boats out twice as long as ours so it is very long and has "arms" that operates on hydraulics. The trailer is positioned under the boat and the arms are adjusted just right for the 2 mile trip to the boat storage yard. As Gypsy Moon headed down the road, we felt homeless. It was a very strange feeling, and we started walking, following our home of the last 5 months down the road. It takes quite a bit to properly prepare a boat to face the blistering summers in San Carlos. Sails are removed from the boat so the winds won't cause them to come unfurled and severely damaged. Portholes are lined with foil to help keep the sun out and abate a bit of the heat. All through hulls are stuffed with something that will allow water to exit the boat during the heavy rains, and still keep out the creepy crawlies out, and you can't forget to scatter Rat poison around. Don't want to end up with wasp’s nests or find that rats have chewed through your wiring. Everything inside should be opened up to allow a bit of circulation inside, cushion up on end, and foodstuffs given to the guards in the yard. What to take, what to leave, it is a lot of work, and all done while the boat is up on stilts and you access her by climbing up and down a 9 foot ladder. We prepared her the best we could and headed back "home" to replenish the cruising kitty. We fully intended to return in the fall to resume our adventures, but circumstances sometimes get in the way.