To sum it up

Good times

Still waiting for pictures of the interior of Milagro; Larry is a tireless worker who insists on completing a job, start to finish; he tells me he is postponing pictures until everything - sinks plumbing, trim etc. - is in place.  I can glimpse some of the work through the camera mounted above the computer in the nav station, but the skpe picture shows little detail and is blurry at best.  So I'll wait.

In the meantime, more about my recent trip. 
Whenever Larry and I planned a trip in the past, whether a two week vacation to England or a 3 day jaunt to Jacksonville, we formulated a mental list of things we most wanted to see or do. Larry is much more spontaneous and flexible than I but both usually have several specific goals, yet we are willing to compromise to make the vacation wholly satisfactory. In this particular case Larry left the decisions up to me as I had done for him when he spent time in Carolina for the holidays. I managed to check off the following:

I had been looking forward to working on my "sea legs" and felt I had accomplished a lot there.
I spent some time renewing my acquaintance with Milagro and helping with the work of readying her for the long haul.
I took this opportunity to be with friends and catch up on local news.

I  revisited places I had delighted in when living in Mexico, ate food I had enjoyed and missed, saw once again the scenery so stark and yet stunning.
 I checked off all of those things and a few others, as well.
But the best part, the most important thing, was enjoying time with someone whom I had dearly missed. Separation, with all the inherent pitfalls, can cause chinks in the strongest walls. This was a hiatus, a time to put life on temporary hold, an opportunity to spend time talking, sorting and renewing.  I suppose all relationships need that on occasion but distance and circumstances made it particularly important for us to take this time. And we did.

Buddi enjoying the view from Milagro

 I was gratified when one of the waiters at our oft visited Dinghy Dock gave me a welcome home hug and chatted on in Spanish. I missed a lot of the conversation but understood he was happy to see me and that "el capitan" had been "triste" in my absence.....and then he wanted to know the whereabouts of my "perico!" Buddi still rules in La Paz.
So I left La Paz content, knowing we each had things to do before we were together again but feeling strength in our connection.

Buddi has breakfast out with the Captain

We will sail together soon, through "bluebird" passages or howling storms...... and that's the "milagro" of it all.