I'm getting ready to have some company from Seattle ( Bill M.), who will be here for ten days or so. Hopefully my long time friend ( Jim D. ) will be able to make it down before Bill leaves. I know they would get along great, as they are the two of the mellowest people I know. We plan on doing a lot of sailing and fishing, weather permitting. I can only hope that the water temperature increases so the Dorado move in. At present the fishing is not the best, due to colder than normal water temps. That's the bad news, now for the good side. If the water is cold it means no hurricanes, and since this IS hurricane season, that’s a damned GOOD thing. So ya see, if ya look hard enough there is always a good side to, well, almost everything! You sure couldn’t tell by the weather yesterday though. It was pretty damn hot all day, with not a breath of wind. I invested a considerable amount of time searching out, and fishing for bait fish. I finally located some and unfortunately discovered that they are not that easy to catch. The ones I found have a lower jaw that protrudes about three inches out in front of their upper jaw. Kind of like a mini sword fish, except a sword fish has the protrusion on the upper jaw I believe. Anyway, after about three hours I had a grand total of.........TWO! Like I said; they just aren't that easy to catch. At least I got to try out my new live bait well. It consists of a bucket with a battery operated bubble stone. It worked great. It was still bubbling away when I got back to the boat, even after the baitfish died. I think the water got too hot for them in the direct sun. Next time I'' try a shade cover, or maybe a chunk of ice in the bucket. Oh well, they froze up well, and as long as they stay frozen, they shouldn’t stink up the fridge too much.
I will take Judy to the airport Friday to fly out to Portland. She has been Jones-in for a hamburger, so we will go to Del Borrachos for....what we consider..........the best damn hamburgers this side of Alaska! Yum! Yum! Three days later I get to Meet Bill at the airport, and of course treat him to a burger at Del Borrachos. Now I'm Jones-in just thinking about it. Two great burgers in one week, I can't wait.
The fish I caught was called a trigger fish. It's kind of shaped like a sun fish, but with the eye almost on top of its head. Kind of weird looking, but very, very good eating. There are tons of jumping Mullet here in the bay. Judy and I went out about a week ago and I snagged one to use for cut-bait. There were hundreds of them not far from our boat and very easy to snag. No, you can't catch them with bait, I tried, but couldn't get the plankton to stay on the hook. No matter how hard I tried those little guys just wouldn't hang.
I'm still having a few problems with the boat, but I am going to put them on hold until my company leaves. It's time to say "GONE FISHING"
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Photos
Anchorage Sunset La Paz
The Dink & Wind Raven at Puerto Everisto
Isla San Francisco
Our Style on Wind Raven
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Broken foot!!!
5/14/ 11
Well, Jay and I have been “taking it easy” for the last week due to my injured foot and Jay’s swollen knee and I have to say I have been reading about a book a day (I think Jay is on the same book). Nevertheless on Thursday we hobbled in to the cruisers’ lounge to check our email. Sitting down next to a new friend named Christy I learned that she is a nurse in San Diego. She kept asking about how my foot was doing and I started unwrapping the ace bandage that Jay kept telling me was a good thing to keep on it. Christy looked at it pretty thoroughly and after telling me a story about how she waited a week after injuring HER foot and later finding out she had a broken foot, she added “You really ought to get an x-ray done to be sure.” I then started thinking more about what Christy said and Jay and I decided that we would try to get a ride to the hospital for an x-ray the next day which was Friday.
I listened in to the cruisers’ net Friday morning and asked if we could catch a ride into the hospital with anyone. Then sat patiently waiting for a response--- none came, so Jay and I decided to go to the clubhouse and “borrow” the crutches we had seen in there earlier and “hike” up the road hoping to hitch a ride with someone. We passed a couple of cruisers on our way out of the marina and one said he was going to town later and if he saw us on the road he would pick us up. We hobbled on up the road, resting every 20 yards or so because the crutches were made for someone 5’ 10” or taller and my 5’ 5 ¾” height just wasn’t cutting it and the crutches were digging into my arm pits something fierce! Whenever I stopped to rest Jay kept voicing his concern that we were not going to make it to the Hwy if I had to stop and rest every 30 steps. I agreed to sit down and wait to see if any cars went by…….not long after about 4 different cars went by and several stopped (all filled with local Mexican citizens) and asked us if we needed a ride up to the store where they were going…..we told them we needed to go to the hospital in Loreto and since none were going any further than the store we thanked them and opted to wait for a ride to the hospital. We waited about 2 minutes when a fellow cruising couple stopped —they were just going to the store - and they asked “Are you the cruisers who requested a ride on the net earlier?” When we answered in the affirmative the gentleman “Dutch” exclaimed “You mean no one even responded to your need for a ride?!?!?!?” When we said “no,” Dutch, sounding incredulous that no one had bothered to help us, emphatically responded: “Get in!” We got in and Dutch and his wife and cute little dog “Lily” drove us all the way to the hospital. When we arrived they asked us if they should wait for us and like FOOLS we said no and thanked them for their extreme kindness of taking us all the way to the hospital -when they weren’t even going into town until they found us needing a ride in.
We hobbled around the corner to the “Urgentencia” doors feeling blessed that someone took us all the way to town, with pleasant conversation, a cute little dog to pet and even air conditioning! As we limped into the entry Jay asked if anyone spoke Ingles and everyone shook their heads…..a little ways up the hallway a cute young nurse with a bright face and a happy smile queried “x-ray?” When we answered back “si” she got an even bigger smile and motioned for us to follow her which we gladly did……when we got to the x-ray dept. she told the tech we needed to get an x-ray and then she was informed that the x-ray machine was broken…..we stood in the hall a few minutes sharing our bad Spanish and her limited Ingles before she got this ‘I have an idea’ look and took off and grabbed a man who was walking by….we came to find out this man spoke a little Ingles and they spoke amongst themselves and decided we needed to go to a place in Loreto which they kept pronouncing as being “Eemes…..” something. Not knowing the area Jay shook his head, the kind nurse grabbed a serviette from the supply shelf and the gentleman proceeded to draw us a map of where we had to go to the only place in town that ‘MIGHT’ have an x-ray machine.
Disgusted with ourselves that we had declined Dutch’s offer to wait for us we started heading into town grumbling about the mile or so we were going to have to walk to get there. After about 50 yards a van pulled up and lo and behold it was the guy from Puerto Escondido who had told us he would pick us up if he saw us on the road. We clambered into the van and a mile or so up ahead we saw a building that matched the name we were looking for. Our friendly driver dropped us off telling us he had some errands to run in town but if we were on the road when he headed back he would just look for my “bright red dress” and stop and pick us up. After thanking him (and our blessings so far for the day) we started scaling the stairway up to the clinic……Jay had to catch me several times cause I was having a terrible time with the crutches, never having used any before, and couldn’t use them too effectively.
We made it inside only to see about 50 people waiting! I opted to stand in the shortest line (3 people ahead of us) and wait. After about 2 minutes a woman poked her head around the door and spoke Spanish to me and with me limping along with my minimal knowledge of Spanish she motioned that I should follow her, which I did to a small office. The door was then closed and we waited outside- The door then opened and we were motioned inside. A gentle giant of a man told me to be seated and I sat while a woman stood in a corner behind the chairs and stayed there. Jay leaned up against a wall and the “doctor” who informed us his name was Dr. Ramos asked what we needed. I told him about my fall a week earlier and he got us and came around his desk and proceeded to pull each of my toes out straight seemingly to see if they were sore or needed to pop back in, or?.......he then palpated my foot a bit and told us that the clinic was “not a public facility” and therefore probably could not help us. Jay then explained that we had already been to the hospital and their x-ray machine was broken and they had sent us to the clinic. The doctor then looked pensive and told us to wait and he would inquire as to if it were possible for us to get one x-ray since no other office in Loreto had an x-ray machine.
As we waited in the doctor’s office I turned around to the woman who was standing “pinned” in the corner of the room and motioned for her to sit in the extra chair, which she declined, laughing, and continuing to stand pinned in the corner. Then the doctor re-entered the room and told us to follow him. As I was passing thru a young boy seated in the lobby, seeing me jumped up to offer me his seat. Thanking him profusely for being a little gentleman I followed the Dr. into the x-ray room where a very gracious tech woman motioned for me to get on the table. No one put the lead aprons on that were hanging on the wall and with Jay and the Dr. standing nearby the x-ray was taken. (I guess those lead aprons are only needed in the USA). The doctor went into the booth, looked at the x-ray and came out and told us “Yes, the foot is broken.” At this point Jay and I were kind of dumbfounded as we both thought it was just a sprain. The doctor then showed us the x-ray that very clearly showed the top bone adjacent to my 3rd toe from the baby toe being very sharply broken in two places! We then got up and followed the Dr. back to his office. The doctor explained that my foot needed to be put in a cast but they couldn’t do it there. The doctor then offered to do it at HIS office downtown when he was done for the day at his volunteer stint at the clinic around 3 p.m. It was about 11a.m. We told the Dr. that would be GREAT and we would hang out in town and go to his office at 3 to be casted. The Dr. then drew us a map to his office and also suggested that I use just ONE of the crutches in place of the two, to perambulate more effectively, which I did. As we left the clinic wondering what we should do till 3 pm our friend in the van came by and pulled over to see if we needed a ride back. We told him we had to wait till 3 to get a cast put on and then he asked to see the map of where we had to go. After looking at the map and deciding we couldn’t walk that far, me being on one crutch and all, he popped a u-turn and told us to get in and drove us to the Dr’s office and wishing us luck on catching a return ride and bid us adieu.
As we stood in front of the Dr.’s office a very nice young woman in a policia uniform conveyed in Spanish that the doctor’s office had moved to around the corner. Seeing we were so close and noticing a café nearby we stopped to have lunch. I had 3 very yummy shrimp tacos and Jay opted for some fish tacos that he graded only“so-so.” We then proceeded down the street where Jay stopped at a bank to replenish our flagging funds and I limped in to a pseudo-starbucks to order our usual mocha, frappe grandes (espresso milkshakes…..) We then limped around town till 3 and caught the Dr. as he was walking in the door. We went to his office and sitting in an office chair he wrapped my foot in casting material that looked like fiberglass… Jay joked that he could use the material on his boat and the doctor told him he HAD found it to be quite useful for patching things on HIS boat…we laughed and Jay told the doctor that my foot was being casted at a bad angle, but since it was still soft the doctor readjusted the angle and continued casting it. When he was done and I got up to leave I had a heck of a time getting into a standing position even using the crutch. Figuring I would somehow get used to walking in the cast Jay asked the doctor what we owed him for his “services.” After paying the doctor the requested amount (around $42) we left and hobbling a few steps down the street in pain as the cast was 1/3 up my leg and digging into my shin bone I stopped. We heard someone hailing us from the street and discovering it was the doctor and his 13-year old son offering us a ride to the end of town we gratefully jumped into his SUV and he dropped us off at the bus station where we caught a taxi to Puerto Escondido.
I told Jay about the cast cutting into my shin so he decided to leave me at the cruisers’ lounge while he dingyed back to the boat for some dikes, scissors and a sock to trim and modify the cast. When Jay got back we chipped away at the cast till it was better and Jay said he would make the heel higher the next day so I could walk better.
We then went onto the blog and found out our friends, Steve and Lulu Yoder, had opted to turn around and sail back to La Paz to do some boat repairs instead of heading toward us and coming to Puerto Escondido where we have been waiting for them to arrive for about 2 weeks now!!!! They left La Paz BEFORE us but we evidently snuck passed them somewhere along the route and got here before they did! Steve asked in his blog from yesterday if we needed anything from La Paz that he could bring to us and we want to tell him to please contact our friends Cindy and Jake of s/v Ku u Kuamehaku who are at the Marina de La Paz, (if you call them on the cruisers’ net they told us to just ask for Jake and Cindy on the red boat if you can’t pronounce the name of their boat, and they will answer you) -anyway Jake offered to let us download some 300 movies he has on his hard drive but they left PE before we could do it. Please ask Jake if you can download them onto YOUR computer for us and bring them to us (they are very nice and we were celebrating Jake’s birthday on Cinco de Mayo when I fell and broke my foot)…..then we will BOTH have a slew of free movies to watch!!! But no worries if it seems like too big a hassle don’t bother………..but thanks for asking if we needed anything anyway…
So here I sit with my leg up in the air waiting for Jay ‘s gasket-cast heel layers to dry so he can attach it to my cast and I can walk better. The doctor said my foot needs to be in the cast for 8 weeks…….boy is THIS going to be fun on the boat AND on the airplane when I leave in 2 weeks to go to my daughter Darcie’s wedding in Portland! But hey, the bright side is I remembered when Darcie had a cast on HER leg as a child we got to go to the “front” of every line at Disneyland……maybe I will get some preferential treatment on the plane with my foot in a cast…..upgraded to 1st class? Free drinks? One can only dream (wistfully smiling)………another good thing……I only have to buy ONE shoe for the wedding…. Ha ha!!!
Later that evening: After all the hard work Jay did trying to make this cast workable it still is pretty miserable....the only alternative seems to go to La Paz or Constitution Ciudad and have another doctor re-do it or use 2 crutches and use a scooter chair at Wal Mart to shop when I get back.....what a drag.....oh well.......my friend Pat is baking me some goodies to enjoy while I am in Medford so can't wait for that........2 weeks till the wedding and shopping at Trader Joe's who haaaaaaaaaaa!
Well, Jay and I have been “taking it easy” for the last week due to my injured foot and Jay’s swollen knee and I have to say I have been reading about a book a day (I think Jay is on the same book). Nevertheless on Thursday we hobbled in to the cruisers’ lounge to check our email. Sitting down next to a new friend named Christy I learned that she is a nurse in San Diego. She kept asking about how my foot was doing and I started unwrapping the ace bandage that Jay kept telling me was a good thing to keep on it. Christy looked at it pretty thoroughly and after telling me a story about how she waited a week after injuring HER foot and later finding out she had a broken foot, she added “You really ought to get an x-ray done to be sure.” I then started thinking more about what Christy said and Jay and I decided that we would try to get a ride to the hospital for an x-ray the next day which was Friday.
I listened in to the cruisers’ net Friday morning and asked if we could catch a ride into the hospital with anyone. Then sat patiently waiting for a response--- none came, so Jay and I decided to go to the clubhouse and “borrow” the crutches we had seen in there earlier and “hike” up the road hoping to hitch a ride with someone. We passed a couple of cruisers on our way out of the marina and one said he was going to town later and if he saw us on the road he would pick us up. We hobbled on up the road, resting every 20 yards or so because the crutches were made for someone 5’ 10” or taller and my 5’ 5 ¾” height just wasn’t cutting it and the crutches were digging into my arm pits something fierce! Whenever I stopped to rest Jay kept voicing his concern that we were not going to make it to the Hwy if I had to stop and rest every 30 steps. I agreed to sit down and wait to see if any cars went by…….not long after about 4 different cars went by and several stopped (all filled with local Mexican citizens) and asked us if we needed a ride up to the store where they were going…..we told them we needed to go to the hospital in Loreto and since none were going any further than the store we thanked them and opted to wait for a ride to the hospital. We waited about 2 minutes when a fellow cruising couple stopped —they were just going to the store - and they asked “Are you the cruisers who requested a ride on the net earlier?” When we answered in the affirmative the gentleman “Dutch” exclaimed “You mean no one even responded to your need for a ride?!?!?!?” When we said “no,” Dutch, sounding incredulous that no one had bothered to help us, emphatically responded: “Get in!” We got in and Dutch and his wife and cute little dog “Lily” drove us all the way to the hospital. When we arrived they asked us if they should wait for us and like FOOLS we said no and thanked them for their extreme kindness of taking us all the way to the hospital -when they weren’t even going into town until they found us needing a ride in.
We hobbled around the corner to the “Urgentencia” doors feeling blessed that someone took us all the way to town, with pleasant conversation, a cute little dog to pet and even air conditioning! As we limped into the entry Jay asked if anyone spoke Ingles and everyone shook their heads…..a little ways up the hallway a cute young nurse with a bright face and a happy smile queried “x-ray?” When we answered back “si” she got an even bigger smile and motioned for us to follow her which we gladly did……when we got to the x-ray dept. she told the tech we needed to get an x-ray and then she was informed that the x-ray machine was broken…..we stood in the hall a few minutes sharing our bad Spanish and her limited Ingles before she got this ‘I have an idea’ look and took off and grabbed a man who was walking by….we came to find out this man spoke a little Ingles and they spoke amongst themselves and decided we needed to go to a place in Loreto which they kept pronouncing as being “Eemes…..” something. Not knowing the area Jay shook his head, the kind nurse grabbed a serviette from the supply shelf and the gentleman proceeded to draw us a map of where we had to go to the only place in town that ‘MIGHT’ have an x-ray machine.
Disgusted with ourselves that we had declined Dutch’s offer to wait for us we started heading into town grumbling about the mile or so we were going to have to walk to get there. After about 50 yards a van pulled up and lo and behold it was the guy from Puerto Escondido who had told us he would pick us up if he saw us on the road. We clambered into the van and a mile or so up ahead we saw a building that matched the name we were looking for. Our friendly driver dropped us off telling us he had some errands to run in town but if we were on the road when he headed back he would just look for my “bright red dress” and stop and pick us up. After thanking him (and our blessings so far for the day) we started scaling the stairway up to the clinic……Jay had to catch me several times cause I was having a terrible time with the crutches, never having used any before, and couldn’t use them too effectively.
We made it inside only to see about 50 people waiting! I opted to stand in the shortest line (3 people ahead of us) and wait. After about 2 minutes a woman poked her head around the door and spoke Spanish to me and with me limping along with my minimal knowledge of Spanish she motioned that I should follow her, which I did to a small office. The door was then closed and we waited outside- The door then opened and we were motioned inside. A gentle giant of a man told me to be seated and I sat while a woman stood in a corner behind the chairs and stayed there. Jay leaned up against a wall and the “doctor” who informed us his name was Dr. Ramos asked what we needed. I told him about my fall a week earlier and he got us and came around his desk and proceeded to pull each of my toes out straight seemingly to see if they were sore or needed to pop back in, or?.......he then palpated my foot a bit and told us that the clinic was “not a public facility” and therefore probably could not help us. Jay then explained that we had already been to the hospital and their x-ray machine was broken and they had sent us to the clinic. The doctor then looked pensive and told us to wait and he would inquire as to if it were possible for us to get one x-ray since no other office in Loreto had an x-ray machine.
As we waited in the doctor’s office I turned around to the woman who was standing “pinned” in the corner of the room and motioned for her to sit in the extra chair, which she declined, laughing, and continuing to stand pinned in the corner. Then the doctor re-entered the room and told us to follow him. As I was passing thru a young boy seated in the lobby, seeing me jumped up to offer me his seat. Thanking him profusely for being a little gentleman I followed the Dr. into the x-ray room where a very gracious tech woman motioned for me to get on the table. No one put the lead aprons on that were hanging on the wall and with Jay and the Dr. standing nearby the x-ray was taken. (I guess those lead aprons are only needed in the USA). The doctor went into the booth, looked at the x-ray and came out and told us “Yes, the foot is broken.” At this point Jay and I were kind of dumbfounded as we both thought it was just a sprain. The doctor then showed us the x-ray that very clearly showed the top bone adjacent to my 3rd toe from the baby toe being very sharply broken in two places! We then got up and followed the Dr. back to his office. The doctor explained that my foot needed to be put in a cast but they couldn’t do it there. The doctor then offered to do it at HIS office downtown when he was done for the day at his volunteer stint at the clinic around 3 p.m. It was about 11a.m. We told the Dr. that would be GREAT and we would hang out in town and go to his office at 3 to be casted. The Dr. then drew us a map to his office and also suggested that I use just ONE of the crutches in place of the two, to perambulate more effectively, which I did. As we left the clinic wondering what we should do till 3 pm our friend in the van came by and pulled over to see if we needed a ride back. We told him we had to wait till 3 to get a cast put on and then he asked to see the map of where we had to go. After looking at the map and deciding we couldn’t walk that far, me being on one crutch and all, he popped a u-turn and told us to get in and drove us to the Dr’s office and wishing us luck on catching a return ride and bid us adieu.
As we stood in front of the Dr.’s office a very nice young woman in a policia uniform conveyed in Spanish that the doctor’s office had moved to around the corner. Seeing we were so close and noticing a café nearby we stopped to have lunch. I had 3 very yummy shrimp tacos and Jay opted for some fish tacos that he graded only“so-so.” We then proceeded down the street where Jay stopped at a bank to replenish our flagging funds and I limped in to a pseudo-starbucks to order our usual mocha, frappe grandes (espresso milkshakes…..) We then limped around town till 3 and caught the Dr. as he was walking in the door. We went to his office and sitting in an office chair he wrapped my foot in casting material that looked like fiberglass… Jay joked that he could use the material on his boat and the doctor told him he HAD found it to be quite useful for patching things on HIS boat…we laughed and Jay told the doctor that my foot was being casted at a bad angle, but since it was still soft the doctor readjusted the angle and continued casting it. When he was done and I got up to leave I had a heck of a time getting into a standing position even using the crutch. Figuring I would somehow get used to walking in the cast Jay asked the doctor what we owed him for his “services.” After paying the doctor the requested amount (around $42) we left and hobbling a few steps down the street in pain as the cast was 1/3 up my leg and digging into my shin bone I stopped. We heard someone hailing us from the street and discovering it was the doctor and his 13-year old son offering us a ride to the end of town we gratefully jumped into his SUV and he dropped us off at the bus station where we caught a taxi to Puerto Escondido.
I told Jay about the cast cutting into my shin so he decided to leave me at the cruisers’ lounge while he dingyed back to the boat for some dikes, scissors and a sock to trim and modify the cast. When Jay got back we chipped away at the cast till it was better and Jay said he would make the heel higher the next day so I could walk better.
We then went onto the blog and found out our friends, Steve and Lulu Yoder, had opted to turn around and sail back to La Paz to do some boat repairs instead of heading toward us and coming to Puerto Escondido where we have been waiting for them to arrive for about 2 weeks now!!!! They left La Paz BEFORE us but we evidently snuck passed them somewhere along the route and got here before they did! Steve asked in his blog from yesterday if we needed anything from La Paz that he could bring to us and we want to tell him to please contact our friends Cindy and Jake of s/v Ku u Kuamehaku who are at the Marina de La Paz, (if you call them on the cruisers’ net they told us to just ask for Jake and Cindy on the red boat if you can’t pronounce the name of their boat, and they will answer you) -anyway Jake offered to let us download some 300 movies he has on his hard drive but they left PE before we could do it. Please ask Jake if you can download them onto YOUR computer for us and bring them to us (they are very nice and we were celebrating Jake’s birthday on Cinco de Mayo when I fell and broke my foot)…..then we will BOTH have a slew of free movies to watch!!! But no worries if it seems like too big a hassle don’t bother………..but thanks for asking if we needed anything anyway…
So here I sit with my leg up in the air waiting for Jay ‘s gasket-cast heel layers to dry so he can attach it to my cast and I can walk better. The doctor said my foot needs to be in the cast for 8 weeks…….boy is THIS going to be fun on the boat AND on the airplane when I leave in 2 weeks to go to my daughter Darcie’s wedding in Portland! But hey, the bright side is I remembered when Darcie had a cast on HER leg as a child we got to go to the “front” of every line at Disneyland……maybe I will get some preferential treatment on the plane with my foot in a cast…..upgraded to 1st class? Free drinks? One can only dream (wistfully smiling)………another good thing……I only have to buy ONE shoe for the wedding…. Ha ha!!!
Later that evening: After all the hard work Jay did trying to make this cast workable it still is pretty miserable....the only alternative seems to go to La Paz or Constitution Ciudad and have another doctor re-do it or use 2 crutches and use a scooter chair at Wal Mart to shop when I get back.....what a drag.....oh well.......my friend Pat is baking me some goodies to enjoy while I am in Medford so can't wait for that........2 weeks till the wedding and shopping at Trader Joe's who haaaaaaaaaaa!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Jakes Birthday
Cinco De Mayo was Jake’s birthday and when Judy was doing our laundry Cindy stopped by to invite us over for cake. After finishing the laundry and returning it to the boat we went over to their boat in the yard and joined them. Jake was installing a new set of wheels on his inflatable, so I gave him a hand and even though I steadfastly refused to get near that damned 5200, I still ended up with some on my hands. I hate that crap, but it is a necessary evil at times. I use Butyl tape in its stead whenever possible. It is much more user friendly.
After putting away the tools used for the mounting of his new wheels we retired to their cockpit for refreshments. When were about to start walking to the Tripui Hotel and Restaurant about a half mile away, friends began to arrive to wish Jake a happy birthday. We met some new people and thoroughly enjoyed their company. Around seven the company left and the four of us headed for our favorite restaurant up the road. Judy and I had told Cindy how good the Mexican combo was, so she ordered it along with me. Jake ordered a steak and Judy a chicken fajita plate. When they brought our meals I dove into the enchilada. To my surprise I discovered that the cap on the salt shaker had obviously exited the bottle when the Chef had seasoned the enchiladas. I asked Cindy if her enchilada was salty and she confirmed my suspicion. It seems to never fail that when one brags on someone else’s quality, it ceases to exist. Jake had spoken to some friends at another table who had brought their days catch in to be prepared and later Cindy procured a couple of plates of their filets. One plate of the filets were garlic and the other was breaded natural. They were both excellent and more than made up for the salty enchiladas.
After dinner it was dark as we started walking back down the road to the marina. The first eighth of a mile or so of this paved road is very narrow and drops off over two feet straight down at its edge. As we began to navigate this stretch a car with bright lights on approached from marina thoroughly destroying our night vision. Judy and I were walking behind Jake and Cindy who we could barely make out in the darkness. We heard a car approaching from the rear and Judy tried to move out of the way by moving to her right. I remembered the drop off and said to stop just as she stepped out into space. Luckily we were holding hands. Though I could not hold all of her weight in my outstretched arm, I did soften her fall before she pulled me over the edge. I was still holding her in a semi-upright position when I hit bottom. I could barely make her out in the dark and asked if she was okay. She said she was, but when I helped her up she couldn’t put any weight on her left foot. Believe me, I know from experience that luck does not start after a fall, but still….. Luckily the car stopped and gave us a ride back. Jake helped me support Judy as we walked her back to the dinghy and we motored back to the boat.
Upon our arrival I helped her clean the road rash of dirt, something else I am very familiar with. She thought her foot might be broken, but after palpating it I did not concur. I tried to get her to take an anti-inflammatory and let me wrap it in an Ace bandage, but she refused. At three am: she was experiencing some excessive pain and decided to take the anti-inflammatory and allowed me to wrap her foot. Within a few minutes the pain began to subside, which she tried to attribute to the medication. I explained that the medication would not take effect for at least twenty minutes and the relief she was experiencing was from the restriction of the wrap. She is now amazed at how much a wrap will help the pain. I was going to take her to the emergency this morning, but she said it is much better and thinks it is a sprain also. We will see how she does today and if there is any sign of complications or increasing pain, I will insist on her going to emergency.
After putting away the tools used for the mounting of his new wheels we retired to their cockpit for refreshments. When were about to start walking to the Tripui Hotel and Restaurant about a half mile away, friends began to arrive to wish Jake a happy birthday. We met some new people and thoroughly enjoyed their company. Around seven the company left and the four of us headed for our favorite restaurant up the road. Judy and I had told Cindy how good the Mexican combo was, so she ordered it along with me. Jake ordered a steak and Judy a chicken fajita plate. When they brought our meals I dove into the enchilada. To my surprise I discovered that the cap on the salt shaker had obviously exited the bottle when the Chef had seasoned the enchiladas. I asked Cindy if her enchilada was salty and she confirmed my suspicion. It seems to never fail that when one brags on someone else’s quality, it ceases to exist. Jake had spoken to some friends at another table who had brought their days catch in to be prepared and later Cindy procured a couple of plates of their filets. One plate of the filets were garlic and the other was breaded natural. They were both excellent and more than made up for the salty enchiladas.
After dinner it was dark as we started walking back down the road to the marina. The first eighth of a mile or so of this paved road is very narrow and drops off over two feet straight down at its edge. As we began to navigate this stretch a car with bright lights on approached from marina thoroughly destroying our night vision. Judy and I were walking behind Jake and Cindy who we could barely make out in the darkness. We heard a car approaching from the rear and Judy tried to move out of the way by moving to her right. I remembered the drop off and said to stop just as she stepped out into space. Luckily we were holding hands. Though I could not hold all of her weight in my outstretched arm, I did soften her fall before she pulled me over the edge. I was still holding her in a semi-upright position when I hit bottom. I could barely make her out in the dark and asked if she was okay. She said she was, but when I helped her up she couldn’t put any weight on her left foot. Believe me, I know from experience that luck does not start after a fall, but still….. Luckily the car stopped and gave us a ride back. Jake helped me support Judy as we walked her back to the dinghy and we motored back to the boat.
Upon our arrival I helped her clean the road rash of dirt, something else I am very familiar with. She thought her foot might be broken, but after palpating it I did not concur. I tried to get her to take an anti-inflammatory and let me wrap it in an Ace bandage, but she refused. At three am: she was experiencing some excessive pain and decided to take the anti-inflammatory and allowed me to wrap her foot. Within a few minutes the pain began to subside, which she tried to attribute to the medication. I explained that the medication would not take effect for at least twenty minutes and the relief she was experiencing was from the restriction of the wrap. She is now amazed at how much a wrap will help the pain. I was going to take her to the emergency this morning, but she said it is much better and thinks it is a sprain also. We will see how she does today and if there is any sign of complications or increasing pain, I will insist on her going to emergency.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Two Margaritas!
Yesterday we received an e-mail from Steve and Lulu who informed us that they were taking their time and enjoying the leisurely pace. At the rate they are traveling, they should arrive here in a few more weeks. That will be just a week or so before Judy leaves for Oregon. We also tried our luck hitch hiking to Loreto yesterday. We got a ride in short order and arrived at the Wi-Fi coffee shop before ten. We experienced our first really bad restaurant here. It was beyond terrible, but the service (waiter) was very good. I have noticed that there are very few waitresses here in Mexico. I have no idea why, but it has been the case so far.
After walking around Loreto for a couple of hours, we decided to take the bus back to Puerto Escondido. The bus was very nice and air conditioned. I informed the driver where we wanted off, but I guess that is not how it works here. When I noticed we were approaching our stop, I told Judy and when we looked back up, our stop was flying by. She ran up to the driver, who was busy picking his nose, and said that was our stop he passed. He stopped the buss along side of the highway over a mile past our stop. Judy was not happy. As we departed the buss the driver started laughing. Now Jay was not happy and gave the driver a piece of his mind. This was to no avail of course, but it made me feel a little better as we walked back down the highway to our turn off.
It was a long hot walk back to the Marina and when we arrived it was decided that Judy could use a margarita in the upstairs bar while we used their Wi-Fi connection. I ordered Judy a margarita and myself a lemonada natural while she hooked up the skype headphones and called her daughters, one by one. The Drinks were huge and strong. She said the margarita was great, so when she was finished with the first one I ordered her another. Awhile later I told Judy we should get going, as it would be getting dark soon. She put away the computer and said “okay lets go.” I got my first clue that I might have a problem on my hands when Judy tried to stand up. I noticed she was definitely a bit tipsy, as she grabbed the table for support. Well I had to support her down the stairs, to keep her from going down head first. Once we got on the level I thought she would do better. This proved not to be so. When we finally navigated our way to the end of the dock, I told her to stand beside the water stanchion and hold on to it for support. I went over to the dinghy trying to keep one eye on Judy as I loaded it. Somehow she sat and then laid down on the dock before I could stop her. Great, now I had to get her back up and then get her in the dinghy without turning it over and going swimming. Somehow I did get her in without capsizing. How, I don’t know, but it sure wasn’t her fault. I have to admit that it was fun, as she was in hysterics the whole time. She laughed all the way out to the boat, especially when she almost would turn us over. No fear whatsoever! I was a bit apprehensive about how the hell I was going to get her up into the boat from the little dinghy. She behaved well when we arrived and even did as instructed. As a result, all worked out well and I tucked her in for the night. The amazing thing is that she didn’t even have a headache this morning. She felt chipper, but asked “how did you get me in the boat last night.” It seems that she had no memory of anything beyond arriving at the dock!
After walking around Loreto for a couple of hours, we decided to take the bus back to Puerto Escondido. The bus was very nice and air conditioned. I informed the driver where we wanted off, but I guess that is not how it works here. When I noticed we were approaching our stop, I told Judy and when we looked back up, our stop was flying by. She ran up to the driver, who was busy picking his nose, and said that was our stop he passed. He stopped the buss along side of the highway over a mile past our stop. Judy was not happy. As we departed the buss the driver started laughing. Now Jay was not happy and gave the driver a piece of his mind. This was to no avail of course, but it made me feel a little better as we walked back down the highway to our turn off.
It was a long hot walk back to the Marina and when we arrived it was decided that Judy could use a margarita in the upstairs bar while we used their Wi-Fi connection. I ordered Judy a margarita and myself a lemonada natural while she hooked up the skype headphones and called her daughters, one by one. The Drinks were huge and strong. She said the margarita was great, so when she was finished with the first one I ordered her another. Awhile later I told Judy we should get going, as it would be getting dark soon. She put away the computer and said “okay lets go.” I got my first clue that I might have a problem on my hands when Judy tried to stand up. I noticed she was definitely a bit tipsy, as she grabbed the table for support. Well I had to support her down the stairs, to keep her from going down head first. Once we got on the level I thought she would do better. This proved not to be so. When we finally navigated our way to the end of the dock, I told her to stand beside the water stanchion and hold on to it for support. I went over to the dinghy trying to keep one eye on Judy as I loaded it. Somehow she sat and then laid down on the dock before I could stop her. Great, now I had to get her back up and then get her in the dinghy without turning it over and going swimming. Somehow I did get her in without capsizing. How, I don’t know, but it sure wasn’t her fault. I have to admit that it was fun, as she was in hysterics the whole time. She laughed all the way out to the boat, especially when she almost would turn us over. No fear whatsoever! I was a bit apprehensive about how the hell I was going to get her up into the boat from the little dinghy. She behaved well when we arrived and even did as instructed. As a result, all worked out well and I tucked her in for the night. The amazing thing is that she didn’t even have a headache this morning. She felt chipper, but asked “how did you get me in the boat last night.” It seems that she had no memory of anything beyond arriving at the dock!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Loreto Fest
The Loreto fest is now over and I have had time to rest my knee, so I will try to catch up on the blog. Since I last posted anything, much has transpired. We met a couple who have a beautiful boat on the hard who turned us on to a great restaurant and hotel up the road about ½ mile from Puerto Escondido towards Loreto. Judy and I both consider it to have the best Mexican food we have ever tasted in our life. To top that off, their prices are great too . We had a very enjoyable evening meal with them and later went to their boat and learned a new game played with rectangle cubes, kind of like dominos. Judy had played it before, but I hadn’t. During the evening we all decided to share the cost on a car rental with them in the following days and take a trip to Loreto to get supplies.
The following day everyone had things to do, but the day after everyone was free until three in the afternoon. So we rented a car and off we went for a day in town, which lies fourteen miles north. We went to three tiendas and were surprised that the prices were considerably lower than in La Paz. Actually, everything is less expensive here, including moorage ($10 a day here, $37 a day in La Paz). Not a lot, but every little bit helps. We had a great day running around town and learning the ropes from our new friends. Oh, we stopped at a Wi-Fi coffee shop to use the internet and I have to admit their mocha coffee drinks were excellent. Ordinarily I don’t partake in these overpriced/rated yuppie beverages, but I had to get something to be able to use the Wi-Fi and was glad I did. In fact we went back for another the next day. They were that good.
On our way back, our new friends ( Jake & Cindy ) suggested we stop for a hamburger at a little biker bar named Del Borracho (the drunk) on the way back. I couldn’t believe the burgers were as good as, or better than anything in the states. I mean they were fantastic! We played a few games of pool and as we were leaving, we ran in to the owner who gave us a tour of the place. That included a Mechanical Bull, and a Sand Dragster. The place is very unique with shaped hedges that resemble cars etc. I gave him a photo of my bike to sell and he said he would put it up on his board. The Restaurant is for sale along with the Motel Cottages for $600,000. if anyone is interested. We asked why he was selling it and he said “itchy feet.”
When we arrived back at the Marina we declined an offer to stop by their boat, as we were tired and wanted to get some rest after a long day in town. Jake and Cindy decided not to go back to town the next day, so Judy and I went back alone to explore and to return the car. She bought a couple of nice Mexican dresses that were very inexpensive here and went to the first mission built in Baja in 1697. Then we decided to get some ice cream and wait till the museum opened up. As we sat on a bench eating our cones 3 local boys about 10 years of age skated up and sat on another bench. We asked them what time it was and one boy looked at his old wrist watch and told us (in Spanish) the time. Judy thanked the boy in Spanish and he answered back in a very polite manner “de nada.” Then we watched the boys looking at the ice cream store and commenting about what flavor each would have (if they had the $) So I told Judy to ask them if they wanted some Ice cream and they all squealed “SI!” So I gave them a 200 peso bill (about $18) and as soon as they went into the store we left, so they wouldn’t have to return the change). Judy giggled as we “snuck” away leaving the boys with the change to spend later…...We also found an ice house where we can get real blocks of ice over two feet long and twelve inches thick. These last much longer than cubes they press together and call block ice.
We joined the Hidden Port Yacht Club here and I received a free hat, due to being the three thousandth member. I can’t believe they have three thousand members. It is the largest Yacht Club in Baja. I can see why, with their membership fees being so affordable. They put on the Loreto Fest to help the local kids with education supplies, like computers and with scholarships etc. It is also put on to clean up the Puerto Escondido Bay. Everyone is assigned a section of shoreline to clean up. Judy and I were assigned a section by the canal and upon landing our dinghy on it I hit a rock and sheared a pin, ops! Of course we had forgotten to include the tool bag in the boat, so did not have a replacement. Go figure, now I leave it in the boat. Better stolen than forgotten. At least then I will have someone else to cuss out. When we had our section cleaned we rowed back to the fuel dock to turn in our trash. At that point we decided that it would be easier for me to row back to the boat alone, as it was all the way across the bay. I dropped Judy off and as I started rowing across with the motor up in the air. A gentleman immediately came to my rescue and towed me to our boat, where I thanked him and installed a new shear pin. I then motored back to join Judy in the festivities.
They had many tournaments going on during the three days of the fest. Just a few were; horse shoes, bocci ball, card games, that’s all I can remember at present, but there were many more. They also had a Spaghetti dinner and pancake breakfast that was free to members. Bands played on Friday and Saturday night with a Cruisers Jam Session on Sunday night. We left early on Sunday due to high winds and waves that were trying to sink boats at the dinghy dock. When we went to get our dinghy, it had a painter line from another dinghy wrapped around then motor. This was from the dinghies bouncing radically up and down with the waves. When I got it untangled, I had to pull it around, over and up on to the dock to get it out of that mess. I then had to drag it down the dock to launch it in a patch of calmer water behind a large cabin cruiser. Once it was launched and we were situated, we slowly moved out under the bow of the cabin cruiser until we were clear. At that point we gave it full throttle and headed out over the swells, with Judy screaming like a kid on a roller coaster. By the time we got back to the boat we were drenched. I sure am glad the weather and water are warm here in Mexico. Judy had put the computer in a Trader Joe’s cold bag and it miraculously stayed dry. Good job Judy. I have to admit that I was a bit worried about it getting wet in that bag.
We brought back some books from the Yacht Club library to keep ourselves entertained. At least until the wind dies down a little in the bay. It seems strange that in Oregon we enjoyed sailing in winds from twenty to thirty knots of wind. However in Mexico it seems that if the winds exceed eighteen to twenty knots most boats stay in, saying it is too strong. I asked one boat owner why and he said the waves get too steep and you can’t make any headway. Another said it was too choppy and rough. I wonder if they all did their sailing in California, where the average swell is about two feet. I guess we will just have to go out and try it to see for ourselves!
Yesterday while lounging around on the boat I received a call on the VHF by a gentleman who informed me that we had won a drawing at the Loreto Fest and the prize was a book on the geology of the Sea of Cortez. Later in the afternoon he came by the boat and delivered it. I haven’t had time yet to check it out yet, but plan to soon.
I almost forgot to mention that Steve and Lulu gave us a piece of plexi glass that I cut to fit in place of two of the companionway boards while at anchor. It really is nice, giving much more light in the galley. Not to mention being able to see out the stern. Thanks again guys. I can’t think of anything else to add, but I’m sure that I missed some things. A lot has been going on in the last few days. I will have to get busy on maintenance soon, as I have been lazy of late. The refrigeration is working, but it is not up to par. I still have to figure out why the windlass battery is not charging, and I have to re-mark the anchor rode. Maybe Judy will have something to add when she wakes up. Don’t forget, if any of you want to come down to visit/ fish/sail, this next month would be perfect, as I will have lots of room. Judy will be in Oregon for six weeks, beginning 6/1/2011.
The following day everyone had things to do, but the day after everyone was free until three in the afternoon. So we rented a car and off we went for a day in town, which lies fourteen miles north. We went to three tiendas and were surprised that the prices were considerably lower than in La Paz. Actually, everything is less expensive here, including moorage ($10 a day here, $37 a day in La Paz). Not a lot, but every little bit helps. We had a great day running around town and learning the ropes from our new friends. Oh, we stopped at a Wi-Fi coffee shop to use the internet and I have to admit their mocha coffee drinks were excellent. Ordinarily I don’t partake in these overpriced/rated yuppie beverages, but I had to get something to be able to use the Wi-Fi and was glad I did. In fact we went back for another the next day. They were that good.
On our way back, our new friends ( Jake & Cindy ) suggested we stop for a hamburger at a little biker bar named Del Borracho (the drunk) on the way back. I couldn’t believe the burgers were as good as, or better than anything in the states. I mean they were fantastic! We played a few games of pool and as we were leaving, we ran in to the owner who gave us a tour of the place. That included a Mechanical Bull, and a Sand Dragster. The place is very unique with shaped hedges that resemble cars etc. I gave him a photo of my bike to sell and he said he would put it up on his board. The Restaurant is for sale along with the Motel Cottages for $600,000. if anyone is interested. We asked why he was selling it and he said “itchy feet.”
When we arrived back at the Marina we declined an offer to stop by their boat, as we were tired and wanted to get some rest after a long day in town. Jake and Cindy decided not to go back to town the next day, so Judy and I went back alone to explore and to return the car. She bought a couple of nice Mexican dresses that were very inexpensive here and went to the first mission built in Baja in 1697. Then we decided to get some ice cream and wait till the museum opened up. As we sat on a bench eating our cones 3 local boys about 10 years of age skated up and sat on another bench. We asked them what time it was and one boy looked at his old wrist watch and told us (in Spanish) the time. Judy thanked the boy in Spanish and he answered back in a very polite manner “de nada.” Then we watched the boys looking at the ice cream store and commenting about what flavor each would have (if they had the $) So I told Judy to ask them if they wanted some Ice cream and they all squealed “SI!” So I gave them a 200 peso bill (about $18) and as soon as they went into the store we left, so they wouldn’t have to return the change). Judy giggled as we “snuck” away leaving the boys with the change to spend later…...We also found an ice house where we can get real blocks of ice over two feet long and twelve inches thick. These last much longer than cubes they press together and call block ice.
We joined the Hidden Port Yacht Club here and I received a free hat, due to being the three thousandth member. I can’t believe they have three thousand members. It is the largest Yacht Club in Baja. I can see why, with their membership fees being so affordable. They put on the Loreto Fest to help the local kids with education supplies, like computers and with scholarships etc. It is also put on to clean up the Puerto Escondido Bay. Everyone is assigned a section of shoreline to clean up. Judy and I were assigned a section by the canal and upon landing our dinghy on it I hit a rock and sheared a pin, ops! Of course we had forgotten to include the tool bag in the boat, so did not have a replacement. Go figure, now I leave it in the boat. Better stolen than forgotten. At least then I will have someone else to cuss out. When we had our section cleaned we rowed back to the fuel dock to turn in our trash. At that point we decided that it would be easier for me to row back to the boat alone, as it was all the way across the bay. I dropped Judy off and as I started rowing across with the motor up in the air. A gentleman immediately came to my rescue and towed me to our boat, where I thanked him and installed a new shear pin. I then motored back to join Judy in the festivities.
They had many tournaments going on during the three days of the fest. Just a few were; horse shoes, bocci ball, card games, that’s all I can remember at present, but there were many more. They also had a Spaghetti dinner and pancake breakfast that was free to members. Bands played on Friday and Saturday night with a Cruisers Jam Session on Sunday night. We left early on Sunday due to high winds and waves that were trying to sink boats at the dinghy dock. When we went to get our dinghy, it had a painter line from another dinghy wrapped around then motor. This was from the dinghies bouncing radically up and down with the waves. When I got it untangled, I had to pull it around, over and up on to the dock to get it out of that mess. I then had to drag it down the dock to launch it in a patch of calmer water behind a large cabin cruiser. Once it was launched and we were situated, we slowly moved out under the bow of the cabin cruiser until we were clear. At that point we gave it full throttle and headed out over the swells, with Judy screaming like a kid on a roller coaster. By the time we got back to the boat we were drenched. I sure am glad the weather and water are warm here in Mexico. Judy had put the computer in a Trader Joe’s cold bag and it miraculously stayed dry. Good job Judy. I have to admit that I was a bit worried about it getting wet in that bag.
We brought back some books from the Yacht Club library to keep ourselves entertained. At least until the wind dies down a little in the bay. It seems strange that in Oregon we enjoyed sailing in winds from twenty to thirty knots of wind. However in Mexico it seems that if the winds exceed eighteen to twenty knots most boats stay in, saying it is too strong. I asked one boat owner why and he said the waves get too steep and you can’t make any headway. Another said it was too choppy and rough. I wonder if they all did their sailing in California, where the average swell is about two feet. I guess we will just have to go out and try it to see for ourselves!
Yesterday while lounging around on the boat I received a call on the VHF by a gentleman who informed me that we had won a drawing at the Loreto Fest and the prize was a book on the geology of the Sea of Cortez. Later in the afternoon he came by the boat and delivered it. I haven’t had time yet to check it out yet, but plan to soon.
I almost forgot to mention that Steve and Lulu gave us a piece of plexi glass that I cut to fit in place of two of the companionway boards while at anchor. It really is nice, giving much more light in the galley. Not to mention being able to see out the stern. Thanks again guys. I can’t think of anything else to add, but I’m sure that I missed some things. A lot has been going on in the last few days. I will have to get busy on maintenance soon, as I have been lazy of late. The refrigeration is working, but it is not up to par. I still have to figure out why the windlass battery is not charging, and I have to re-mark the anchor rode. Maybe Judy will have something to add when she wakes up. Don’t forget, if any of you want to come down to visit/ fish/sail, this next month would be perfect, as I will have lots of room. Judy will be in Oregon for six weeks, beginning 6/1/2011.
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