The third significant transition had to do with work. In October we were notified that the company was going to shut down at the end of the year unless a buyer was found. Miraculously, a buyer was found and on January 1st, 2011 Shop.com was officially acquired by MarketAmerica, a very successful and financially secure e-commerce company. They are very excited by the new partnership and have some very big ideas for our combined future. Our development center will remain in Monterey, and we'll even be hiring people. What a roller-coaster!
In addition to our usual, busy Aikido schedule (Mt. Baldy, Summer Retreat, Big Sur Retreat, Big Lagoon Retreat, etc), we enjoyed a few special occasions throughout 2010. In January, we cashed in our American Express points for a one-week cruise aboard the Sapphire Princess. We embarked from Los Angeles, with scheduled ports of call in Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. In Puerto Vallarta we met our friend Judith Roth who I remember from my very first days of training in Aikido. She now lives 6 months of the year in a small, seaside village called Yelapa, about an hour's ride by boat south of Puerto Vallarta. There are no roads to this picturesque village - it can only be reached by boat. Judith has built a beautiful, open-air villa / yoga center on a hillside overlooking the small bay, and we had hoped to be able to visit there. But scheduling problems interfered so instead she drove us to the new Vallarta Botanical Gardens, set in the mountain jungles outside of Puerto Vallarta.That evening, as we departed Puerto Vallarta, the captain came onto the intercom and announced that due to severe storms that were battering southern California and creating high seas, we would be bypassing Cabo San Lucas so that we could have more time,and thus a more comfortable return voyage to Los Angeles. Having been to Cabo several times, we really didn't miss the stop. As it was, the high seas were impressive to see but the ship was very stable and still quite comfortable for us - although we did hear that some passengers in forward staterooms abandoned their cabins in the middle of the night in favor of deck chairs by the amidships pool. When we arrived in Los Angeles and began driving home we did see one result of the winter storm: snow-capped peaks on the all the mountains surrounding Los Angeles.
In May we were invited to attend a special fund-raising dinner at Wild Things animal sanctuary. It's a unique place, and the dinner was quite an event, beginning with the announcement of the menu by the head chef - while sitting atop an African elephant! During the meal, animal handlers brought several 'residents' of the santuary around to our tables, including an ocelot - nice kitty!
In October, we made several trips to the Renaissance Faire. On our last visit, we were joined by our new friends, Katie and Stuart Layman, who live in Hollister, which is quite close to Casa de Fruita where the Faire is held. We had first met Katie and Stuart during our January cruise to Mexico, where the four of us shared a table for our evening meals.
Love to all - best wishes for 2011! Michael & Danielle |
