Taking the bird for a walk

Buddi getting a ride on another occasion

Buddi in the backpack
Taking the bird for a walk along the breakwater
For Buddi a chance to get out and see the world
For me, a perfect two mile walk to burn off those extra Mexican calories
I see three fishermen along the way
The first is part of a family group
Mother, two children and father with a string of fish
One fish is over two feet long
"La lunche," the man says and smiles
"La lunche grande,"
I reply in limited Espanol
Halfway down the breakwater another fisherman
This one over the edge, sitting on a rock
A short piece of fishing line held in one hand
Shoulders stooped, clothes old and tattered
He looks up with defeat in his eyes
I wish for him a good big catch
I want to think of him eating tonight
On we go along the gravel path
I walk to the edge of the battlement
Soft voices below
I peer over to see father and small son
The father, so patient,  teaching his son to fish
Over and over again they cast the bait into the water then quickly reel it back in 
At last a bite and up comes a tiny fish
Both father and son are proud and happy
I applaud and they both look up
Little boy smiles shyly and holds up his prize
I give him two thumbs up and that must be an international sign
Because he grins broadly
I wave goodby
Buddi and I walk back to the boat

Lots to learn

While the captain in in Florida and N. Carolina taking care of business it falls to me to maintain Milagro's on board systems. There were briefings by the captain before his departure. Still, in the past week I have discovered how much I do not know about the operations of this sailboat. From past experience, which is spotty and distant at best, I can winch a sail and steer the boat as long as we are in open water.  But being responsible for making sure the batteries are charged and the bilge is empty are considerably more complicated that I had realized.  Whenever we sailed in the past the captain took care of all of that. I have lots to learn!
For example, there is shore power which occasionally fails when someone accidentally kicks the power cord when boarding. There are 12 volt and 125 volt systems on board; the lights run on 12 volts and there are outlets for both 12 and 125, side by side. Our power also comes from our wind generator as well as solar panels, and it is now my duty to watch the remote display to see if the voltage is up to snuff and if not, to turn the battery charger on (another panel). Then there is an amp meter which needs to be monitored.  Additionally, the captain installed a bilge pump monitor which tells us how often the bilge pump runs and would, if it ran too long, sound an alarm. Then there are other duties such as washing the decks,  filling the water tanks, and monitoring the vhf radio in addition to the usual housekeeping and laundry duties...let's just say I do keep busy. And with the captain away, busy keeps me happy!

Deck swabbing, one of the duties.

If I have made errors in explaining my duties, I'm sure the captain will send me some gentle email reminders.
What I have realized is that I need to learn a lot more about the running of this boat, on deck as well as below, so I can be a real first mate and a good deck hand.  And I will.
  

Acknowledge and move on...

"Just acknowledge and move on."   That was a favorite saying of one special daughter who is no longer with us. Whenever a family member, often me, complained about past hurts she would always whip out that adage.  I could see the wisdom of the saying; after all, what's done is done and grieving over and savoring old hurts  is never beneficial.  But here's another old saying," Easier said than done."
It is not easy to forget real or imagined slights, snubs or rejections. There is something delicious about chewing on the bones of events hurtful, yet long past. One can almost bring forth the gut wrenching emotions of that moment. Then too, chewing on old bones allows one to ignore new problems...and new pleasures.

To Ashley, who is always with me:
thanks for the reminder.

I didn't make any resolutions on December 31st.  But I recently received a nudge that caused me to do a lot of thinking and I've decided to make "Just acknowledge and move on," my go-to mantra. I plan to live each day to the fullest. I've wasted enough time.

Veggies galore

This morning I decided to walk to what is being called the Madero Street Market.  It has been running for a few weeks, on Tuesdays from 10:00 - 12:00.  The best part is that I can purchase organic veggies grown by local gringo farmers, grains, nuts and seeds and honey from other vendors, and wonderful bread and sweet rolls (often still warm)  from a man who calls himself  "Les, the Bread Guy." Local crafts are also available.
Today I discovered it is about 5 miles round trip and what a wonderful walk it was. The 47 degree temperature at 8:00 a.m. had become a comfortable 60-65 and a slight breeze off the water kept me comfortable.  I got some some great looking fresh produce and some good exercise.
Spinach salad for dinner tonight and pinto beans with Swiss chard tomorrow.  Those in the know would guess immediately that the Captain is not currently aboard! 

=(

Missing the captain....

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