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....

.

...and I quote

As I was whining recently about all of the problems that had put our sailing on hold, another cruiser remarked,  "Plans: they're just something you write in the sand at low tide."
How true!

Sea of Cortez

  Meanwhile I continue to enjoy this moment, of this day, in this place... as I remember the words repeated by my favorite yoga teacher at the end of each class: "Reality is what is. The past is but a memory, the future an expectation. The past and the future do not exist: only now.  Live in the now, experience the now. Namaste.

A very different wedding anniversay

Today Larry and I celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary.  Usually it's a nice gift and a special restaurant.  This year we are doing things a bit differently.
We've been up since seven when we began working on a list of things that still need to be done before we take off -we hope- tomorrow.  We've stowed, tied down and put away.  Larry has gone over the mechanical parts of the boat and and we will be raising sails, running the engine and lowering anchor...just to make sure those essential parts are also working!
Maybe, if we are not too tired, we'll take a short trip down the malecon and go to Rancho Viejo for fish tacos.  Different from other anniversaries, true.  But I wouldn't change a thing!
Happy anniversary, Larry.  You are definitely a keeper!

Things that go bump in the middle of the night

Last night, after a hard days work on Milagro, Larry and I retired somewhere in the vicinity of 9:00 p.m. (often know as cruisers' midnight around here.) We were both awakened from a sound sleep by a loud tapping on the boat hull.  This is the cruisers answer to knocking on your door or ringing the door bell.
Larry, as captain and man of the abode, went up on deck to see what was going on.  Susan, one of our neighbors had been awakened by another neighbor who thought the unoccupied boat next to us was taking on water.  We all gathered around and listened to the rather loud gurgling sound coming for the stern.  We all agreed that the boat was most certainly lower in the water than it had been; the dinghy on the stern, which had been hanging at least a foot above the locker at the end of the dock, was now resting on the locker. And since the docks here are floating, everything should have been at the same level.
Susan woke her husband and called our friend Mike who was taking care of Orontes II until the owners returned.  Mike had a combination for the lock....but it didn't work.  At this point we gathered an extension cord and a grinding tool and the guys cut the lock and went below. All of this is going on as a marina guard stands by, confused but willing to let us move ahead.  After all, he can hear the mysterious gurgle as well!
No water in the bilge, no water anywhere else.  Relief swept through the now somewhat larger crowd although several of us were a bit red faced.  This morning Mike, always the gentleman, thanked us (for getting him up in the middle of the night!).
Maybe it was the full moon, but we all agreed that Orontes II was low in the water last night.  And gurgling.  For whatever reason.

Soon

Today we are working hard at getting ready to sail: we are cleaning up, provisioning and tying stuff down.  The weather report for "the islands" for the next few days is calm winds and small waves but we still have to be prepared for coromuels, those devilish winds that form quickly and sweep up from the south.
Hector comes tomorrow to return the  rebuilt compressor for running the frig with engine power and then we should be ready to take off.
The weather has been gorgeous the last few days, low 80's by mid afternoon with cool nights.

Buddi sticking her head out...at home on the boat

Last evening we met two couples, just a bit older than our own "children," and they invited us to join them at their table. We were in outside seating at one of the marina restaurants and had Buddi with us.  They were enthralled with the bird and we had a very pleasant evening in their company, with Buddi popping her head out of Larry's shirt to survey the situation periodically. Our new friends hooted with laughter each time and she, much insulted, climbed back into the peace and quiet of  Dad's shirt.  Meeting new people is something I love about this experience, and Buddi is great at introductions!

Quick update

Chilly nights here in La Paz.  There's been a "norther" blowing for days now, and besides strong winds and good sized waves on the bay....it gets pretty cold at night. That's o.k.; we just hunker down with a glass of wine for me and a beer for Larry or maybe a cup of hot chocolate with Kahlua and watch a movie.

Sergio in middle with helper and Captain on left giving instructions!

This morning Sergio the welder is here installing a small crane on port side of the boat and  an extension to our dinghy davits which will make our dinghy (which is a foot longer than the previous owner's) ride more smoothly.

Hector down in the bilge  checking pressures.

And sometime today Hector arrives to check out our refrigeration.  As my friend D from Land Development pointed out, at least when we get ready to sail we'll know everything is in working order!
We'll have to turn the boat around and back it in to the slip to make the davits available to Sergio. The wind is running 15 - 20 knots and blowing us away from the dock.  Ahh, first test of seamanship and we haven't even left the dock.
Much later.  It is now 5:45 and all of the work has been completed.  The stainless steel work is impeccable  and Hector tells us that our refrigeration unit is in good shape with the exception of relatively easy rebuild. And..we made the turn into an temporarily empty dock space next door with, I think I can say it, panache!  Larry is taking me out for dinner as a reward for not screaming WATCH OUT at any point during the maneuver.

Change the picture!

Wishful thinking...this is an "old" photo

I'm looking forward to changing my main blog picture from a docked Milagro to a sailing Milagro!  Maybe a trip to the Isla Espiritu Santo next weekend...if something else doesn't rust out, break or fall apart.  Fingers crossed and thoughts focused.....=}

O.K., hardly anything is "perfect"

If I could get inside the minds of my handful of readers I would have to guess they are thinking to themselves: "Give me a break! Retirement and life in La Paz, can't be all that."  And dear readers, you would be correct.
Please allow me to vent and list a few of the things I don't like about this life...so far:
Hitting my head on everything from the slightly lower ceiling in our aft cabin to the companionway hatch when it has not been fully opened.
Being frustrated about not learning Spanish more quickly. I comprehend the written word fairly well, can speak in short child like sentences, but go into slack jawed, gaping mode when faced with rapid fire Spanish.
Going to bed with the temperature in the comfy low 70's and waking up in the 50's. 
Not having access to stupid T.V. sitcoms.  Yes, I love to read and we can get some decent movies, but I am not ashamed to admit that I miss the absolutely mind numbing effect of my favorite silly sitcoms. I miss them less now than I did three month ago...but I still miss them.
My dishwasher.  I know, that's probably shallow.  But who among my dish washing friends will admit along with me that the dishwasher eases cleanup in kitchen/galley. As you cook you can toss items into the dish washer and there they stay until you're ready to push the buttons. My minimal counter space requires me to wash each an every spoon, glass or dish as soon as it is used. I would love to be able to hide them in a dish washer.
Driving in Mexico.  Although I drove 5,300 miles to get here and then, recently, nearly 2,000 miles during my visit to the States, I am timid about driving here and really prefer the bike when possible.  I find the local police and military intimidating as I know full well if I am stopped for any reason I will not be able to communicate.  As I pointed out a "4 altos" sign to Larry, certain in my mind he hadn't seen it, he reminded me that he would gladly turn over the wheel.  I shut  up.
The food and water supply. We are building confidence in our abilities to judge and prepare safe meals but still have occasional doubts.  On the other hand, I discovered another super mercado, Chedraui (a store owned by Lebanese!), yesterday. It was exciting because it was huge and carried many American products, and yet ironically disappointing as it was like shopping in a Publix on steroids.
My Zumba class closed down as of the first of the year and I miss both the exercise and the camaraderie.
Last, but not least, and probably the inspiration for this posting: Our little hot water heater developed a fatal leak and besides being next to impossible to install due to tight quarters in the engine room/bilge, will require another iffy shipment from the States. And what that means is our sailing will likely be put off... again.

Larry sharing pancakes with Buddi.

Ah, enough of the petty complaints. The truth is this is a great life. I enjoy being with my husband 24/7. The people, the city and the weather are the best anywhere on the map.
And as they say in the beer commercial, "Life don't get much better than this.

Bayside view of Marina Palmira and homes overlooking the water.