Packing to go home’s always easier than packing for a trip. You don’t have to think: Do I want to take this? You’re taking everything.

So the majority of packing’s done in no time.

It’s panorama time! Kat and Jason already have it choreographed so that fun tradition goes smoothly.

It’s goodbye hugs for JR, and off to the airport—but he gets in a last chase with Griffin.

When she’s back, I hang with Kayla while Colt, Kat and Griffin enjoy the pool. We learn JR’s flight’s delayed an hour. Weather.

And Kat announces there’s a crab in the pool. This seems strange. It’s a dead crab which Colt scoops out with the net. But wait! There’s another, and this one’s very much alive! Colt is not quite so eager to scoop the live one, but between him and Kat, they chase it down—it scrambles some. Into the net with you! And Colt hauls it down to toss it back in the gulf.

I can only assume they ran away from home, decided the pool looked good. Then one met a tragic end.

Mario and other Switch games happen during the lunch hour.

BW and Jason do a drive around the island. Along the way they spot a wild pig and what they think were monkeys. I didn’t know we had either around here.

We decide on an early dinner and head to town. JR’s connecting flight is also delayed, so more airport hanging for him. Poor guy.

While we order dinner a storm sweeps in. Wild rain blowing in the wild wind. We’re under cover, but oh, those poor people on bikes, scooters, open-air jeeps! This is monsoon level rain, occasionally blowing sideways, just lashing down.

We’re lucky it finally eases off toward the end of our final dinner in Cozumel.

Home through big, splashing puddles.

Time for some Jack box.tv games, then bed before our departure day.

The birds are busy this morning, and very, very chatty. Lots of call and response going on. And no blue sky as dawn breaks. I’m really sorry to see the thick clouds up there as that’s where we’ll be in a few hours.

I’m going to squeeze in a quick workout, finish up the travel day packing—and hope some blue peeks out above as we ready ourselves to head home.

A lovely, fun, interesting, relaxing and occasionally adventurous family vacation. Many new memories banked. Really can’t ask for better.

Except—fingers crossed—a smooth flight home.

Nora