Liquidation
I think I’ve already shared that liquidation is our current theme. When Marilyn and I first got together, we quickly realized that we have four kids, nine grandchildren, six properties, and eight dogs. We needed to scale down—liquidate.
We decided to prioritize and keep the grandchildren first and foremost.
We’ve been most focused on shedding properties: my house in Sonoma near Healdsburg, a couple of Marilyn’s condos in Sun Valley, and some of her property down here in Todos Santos, Mexico—especially anything that keeps her tied to being an Airbnb landlord.
While Marilyn successfully sold one of her condos a while back, the big news is that I’ve sold my house in Sonoma! That’s a big deal. It’s bittersweet. A few tears have been shed—especially by the grandkids. There are so many memories there with all the kids, the donkeys, the gardens, the orchards, wine tastings, and more. It was a very special place. https://vimeo.com/1128461832?fl=pl&fe=sh. A new family grasped the gestalt of Balverne Farms, and it was an all cash 21 day close.
Now I’m the proud renter of a 10x20 storage unit in San Rafael. Hopefully, with the sale of Marilyn’s last Sun Valley condo, we’ll pursue a small condo in San Francisco.
Next, we’re focusing on selling Marilyn’s oceanfront property in Todos Santos: floradelmar.net. It’s quite unique, plus there have been very few high-end buyers in this area over the past year. We’re positioning it for active retirees who want to watch sunsets and whale migrations (there are so many passing by), while playing tennis or pickleball and enjoying an eclectic community of expats from the U.S. and Canada.
Ideally, we’d keep one of the casitas so we can continue to enjoy the sunsets, whales, dogs, and friends during the warm, dry winters.
And then there’s the boat. It’s coming along, but it’s going to be late to the party. While I thought we’d be doing sea trials in May or June, it’s now looking more like August. If that pushes the launch to September, we’ll likely only have September and October before needing to dock it for the winter. Here's an AI generated simulation with a proposed paint job.
The current plan is to head across the English Channel from the Isle of Wight and explore the rivers of France—such as the Seine into Paris and the Garonne into Bordeaux. If all goes well, we’ll leave the boat in northern Spain in preparation for returning in the spring and continuing on to the Mediterranean.
I’m headed to the boatyard on the Isle of Wight the first week of May to check on progress.
The grandkids are all thriving, with more activities and performances than I can keep track of—let alone attend. This is a picture of my gang:
Summer plans are already taking shape, including visiting us at Casa Luna in San José del Cabo. By the way, Casa Luna has a new web site: casalunapalmilla.com. Obviously you get a big ol' discount if you want to come down.
As always, would love to hear from you guys....
Best for the Summer of '26,
Mike and Marilyn
