This is my 20th summer of doing field research in Bahía de los Ángeles. I started back in the summer of 2000, working with Gary Huxel and Paco Piñero, trying to keep things together (on a number of levels) following the deaths of Gary Polis and colleagues Mike Rose, Shigeru Nakano, Takuya Abe, and Masahiko Higashi in a tragic research accident.

A lot has happened in the last 20 years. We moved back to San Diego; we both have jobs we love, have forged new friendships and collaborations while strengthening those we already had, welcomed a wonderful daughter into our lives, and had to say goodbye too soon to some friends and family. Through it all, Bahia has been a constant, both as a source of renewal, my second home, a nexus for creating scientific and personal relationships, and as a natural laboratory for exploring ecological questions.

So, not only was this a great trip for many of the usual reasons (exciting research, working with friends, amazing students, and a stunning location), but it also reminds me of just how lucky I am.