Magic in Todos Santos

There was magic in Todos Santos last week as twelve people from two families gathered to celebrate our younger son’s wedding to our lovely new daughter-in-law. (This means we now have two wonderful d-i-l’s!)

As the weekend progressed we cooked and ate together, talked, laughed, played cards, walked and jogged along the beach, and watched baby sea turtles make their first foray into that vast ocean. Some took an hour to help teach English to elementary-age school kids. Some explored the colorful streets of Todos Santos, sampling the restaurants and street food stands and cafes and puzzling over contents of grocery store items in preparation for a meal, while others went whale watching and snorkeling. Then, the wedding – on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean – followed by dancing a long meal, a beach bonfire, and, finally, a long soak in the hot-tub.

What a mighty fine week. 

There was little time to sketch, but I did make a couple of drawings on the fly because sketching really helps cement the sensory memories when I travel. That way I can savor them long afterward.

This small 5.5” by 5.5” sketch (above) of the Hotel San Cristobel courtyard, with the Pacific Ocean beyond, I drew in just a few minutes with a fine-point Uniball pen (permanent black ink). After I returned home, I added the watercolor.

The next 5.5” x 8.5” sketch-painting I also did on site, this time in about twenty minutes while sitting at a table outside a lovely airbandb house (Flora Del Mar B&B) in Todos Santos, where we all stayed a few nights. I inked in a few lines with my black micron pen and then quickly filled in with a limited watercolor palette. I was especially taken with the contrast of the red potted poinsettia plant and the greens and blues all around it. 

As I worked (okay, more like played), the ocean waves made a steady beat and my grandsons played nearby. When I look at the sketch, I can still feel the fresh air, the sun, the 75-degree temperatures. I am there.