There is an illusion that stories have a beginning, middle and end.

But where does a story begin? And does it ever truly end?

We are in Todos Santos now. Staying at the very lovely Hotel Casa Tota. I am sitting by the pool with the steady fall of the water over the slate fountain, letting my mind wander and wonder about some of the ‘locals’ we have met.

There are the two Canadians from Vancouver, April and Alec, who have built a new business, Baja Beans; a magical coffee place that reminds me of some of the best of the Canadian Gulf Islands…kind of a funky Bohemiam vibe with on-site roasting and home of the best carrot cake EVER.

Or the Americans from California with their organic garden that supplies their new restuarant Wind and C.  Windspirit grew up on a commune in Northern California and then worked in construction. Carolen had a catering business in Mendocino. The market crashed around them.

Did their story start when they met, or when the market told them to try something else or was everything that ever happened in their lives, simply leading them to this wonderful new oasis where they could build new lives and reinvent their world?

Or what about the Italians Magda and Angelo? Back in Italy, he was a third-generation restauranteur, she had her own successful restaurant, so when they merged to create their dream restaurant on the shores of a beautiful northern lake, you would think that was a fantastic new beginning to their story.

Except.

Fifty-four days of running their new successful vision ended when the earthquake of 2008 destroyed their dream. They lost it all. Did they wake to an ending? Or a complete new start?

Because they now run the amazing Italian restaurant Tre Galline, where they source local organic greens, buy fresh fish from the local fisherman and create artful feasts for the lucky people of Todos Santos.

Todos Santos is a magical place where dreamers and visionaries come to try something new.

Perhaps there are no endings. And maybe these aren’t even beginnings.

But I feel like I’ve wandered into the middle of something pretty wonderful.