Random thoughts...

Captain Larry has agreed to write his version of our Sea of Cortez adventure and I'll be publishing his unexpurgated version soon, but in the meantime...some stuff I've been pondering:


The day after the presidential election a facebook friend posted the following Abraham Lincoln quote: "A house divided against itself will not stand." So true, not only for our country but in every relationship. Some folks consider a compromise "giving in," but often it's simply a matter of finding a middle ground.

When someone wrongs you the difficulty lies not in the forgiving, but in the forgetting.

It's the small things in life that can make one really happy. Sturegeron forte: thunderous applause, please! One half of one tiny pill allows me to sail barf free. Can't begin to tell you how happy that makes me, and perhaps Captain Larry even happier!

I learn new things every day. Years ago I scoffed at line dancing, yet I now look forward to spending an hour and a half two days a week doing that very thing. It's a good aerobic workout and a memory challenge, too, as we focus on recalling the steps and sequences to over 15 dances (the list is still growing); you can't be thinking about your grocery list while in this class! And best part...it's fun!

When I was living in Mexico a year and a half ago I missed my family and friends in the States. Then while living in the States I missed my friends, my life and my husband in Mexico.  Now as the holidays draw near I think longingly of those people I'm close to in the States (and England). Wish I could borrow the ruby slippers occasionally and make a quick visit.

Dana & Larry just chillin'

The summer here on the Baja was HOT, make no mistake. The temperatures reached in the low 100's most days with a "real feel" of 110 to 114. But we just scheduled outside activities for the cooler hours and stayed in during the hottest part of the day, opting for pool time and poolside cerveza on hottest of those blistering days. The best part was that, as in Florida, summer was the off season so it was quiet and less hectic. Next week the Baja HaHa folks will begin arriving and the Baja 1000 will finish right here in La Paz and it will get louder and busier. But that's okay; the temperatures are moderating and we wake up to low 60's and enjoy the 80's in the afternoons with light breezes and sunny skies....heavenly. That's life: and life  is good.

Sailor bird, Buddi

Buddi turned out to be a really good sailor. She took everything in stride: motoring, heeling, heavy seas and the howling winds during our interlude with Paul. It's not as though she had a choice, but it was good to see her just doing what birds do and pretty much ignoring the weather. When things were going well - which was the majority of our trip - she enjoyed sitting up on a perch in her deck cage, warning off pelicans fishing too close to Milagro and facing into the wind with her head feathers ruffed up. How do we know she was happy, you ask? She had a smile on he beak.

I've always been mildly annoyed with the way in which the jargon of tennis, golf, sailing and other recreational activities places participants in a separate, exclusive category. You must know and use all of the correct terms or you're just not in the club. As far as sailing goes it helps to know certain terms such as halyard, or the difference between jib or jibe and port and starboard. But there are boaters who get bent out of shape if you say bathroom or bedroom or, heaven forbid, kitchen. I met another boater recently who deliberately uses the landlubber terms just to get an inward chuckle at the sneers of "real" boaters. Love it!

I could go on...but I won't