It's A Waffle House Morning

Living on a boat you give up some things, like a 110 waffle iron. Little did I know just how important Waffles were to Michael.

In the little town of Rio Dulce in Guatemala the local grocery store has recently been aquired by Wal-Mart. So we are getting new items daily. Two or three months ago they got waffle irons. Michael asked me if I wanted one and the answer was not only no but hell no!

I was not going to use our generator to run an electric waffle iron while on the hook. So I was not at all surprised when he came back with his new waffle iron. For two weeks it sat on the sole (floor) of the boat until I stashed it away in some settee storage area. There was not any room in my galley and I didn't want the thing.

So Michael has taken quite a lot of heat over the waffle iron. I said I wasn't particularly fond of waffles and if he wanted them he would have to make them himself.

Enter Cindy on S/V Suenos. She decided to help Michael out. So this morning the waffle iron made it's maiden appearance and produced some pretty fine waffles. Since the restaurant is closed on Mondays, Jim let them use the kitchen to cook. All the marina was invited all they had to bring was an appetite, butter, syrup or jelly.

The day was a success, however, I am still not making waffles while on the hook or tied up in a marina.

Michael and Cindy checking a waffle.

For My Mom

While riding back to Guatemala City with my parents my eyes were drawn to my mother's hands. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved my mother's hands. She has the kind of skin that is soft, and her hands are lovely.

Today is her 75th birthday and how I wish that I had had my camera to take a photo of her hands.

You must understand that when I look at Mom's hands I see many things: her hands washing me when I was young, washing dishes, folding clothes, buttoning my blouse, zipping my zipper, mashing potatoes, stirring cake batter, rolling out pie dough, combing my hair, brushing my teeth, touching my cheek, helping me hold my first pencil, holding the book that she was reading to me, touching my father's face, holding my hand as I crossed the street, swatting me on the bottom if I needed it, straightening my wedding veil on my wedding day, sewing my confirmation dress, decorating the Christmas tree, driving the car, and the list goes on.

So Mom if you are reading this know that you are the best and loved much and your hands will always hold mine.

A Vote For Hillary Is A Vote For Me

As some of you know. The idea of cruising was mine not Michael's. He is here under protest. You may also know that we differ in our politics.

Usually I hate any kind of political debate, but just this once I must tell you how I feel. Personally I don't trust any of them. I am a registered Independent, though I have more Democratic leanings. Michael for all his protestations is a REPUBLICAN!

I am not saying which is better. But as you are making your decision for President this year think about this... Michael has stated on many occasions that if, Hillary Rodham Clinton is elected President then he is not returning to the United States.

I know that some of you remember that Alex Baldwin made a similar statement. He never left the USA. Michael will keep his word.

So...I want to keep cruising. The way I figure it if Hillary wins then I am guaranteed at least 4 more years. So a Vote for Hillary is a Vote for Me. Thanks for voting.

Turkey Basters and Miniature Pinschers

Living in a small community like a marina can be very interesting. Last night we had a medical emergency. One of the boaters has a Miniature Pinscher named Penny. Well Penny was having seizures last night. It was very frightening to say the least as she was having them every 30 seconds.

Now I am a nurse and have some training in treating seizures. But not in dogs. I could tell that this little dog was in big trouble and something had to happen quickly. Fortunately we have telephone access to a Vet. However, the late night emergency number sends you to a Spanish speaking only person. My Spanish has improved, but in a medical emergency it was sadly lacking!

So running up the hill to the dock master's home I am pleading," Una momento, por favor!" Marco was johnny on the spot and even had the Vet's personal cell number. Quickly we are told to inject to dog with 2mg of Valium. We not have injectables. I do have some tablets so now we are to pulverize the Valium pill and mix it with water and give the dog a Valium enema!

When seconds count and you are looking around your boat for something to give a very small dog an enema your choices are limited. Viola! a TURKEY BASTER!

I wish you could have seen us, Dayna, Marco, Penny and me. Marco is feeding the dog flattened Coca Cola as prescribed and I am preparing the enema. Now they are holding the dog in the air over the galley sink, dog butt level with my face and baster inserted. As I am doing the procedure it dawns on me that perhaps we should aim the dog butt a little differently, like away from my face.

I can tell you that within an hour Miss Penny was getting back to normal. This morning she is looking just fine and running around the grounds and her boat.

The Relief Map of Guatemala

Well we picked up my parents in the City. Their plane was only 2 hours late! Of course the new airport is still under construction so there aren't any monitors to let you know what is happening. So we stood in a large room for 2 hours waiting. They are worth the wait!

We did some traveling in the City and one of the places that we went was the Relief Map of Guatemala. In 1905 by Francisco Vela. The open air map of Guatemala shows the country at a scale of 1:10,000. The vertical scale is exaggerated to 1:2000 to make the volcanoes and mountains appear dramatically higher and steeper than they really are. The map was fully restored and repainted in 1999. Viewing towers afford a panoramic view. Curiously the map still show Belize as part of Guatemala. This phenomenon can be found on many maps of Guatemala. Because of a long standing dispute over ownership and a Spanish Land Grant, Belize and Guatemala both claim ownership of the small country formerly known as British Honduras.

My Parents are Coming

Yes, I am one lucky girl. My parents are coming to Guatemala for another visit. Not sure they would come back after last year. Mom got quite ill after her last visit. But they are troopers and are coming back to visit us. So we are doing the laundry and cleaning the boat and getting ready to ride the bus to the City.




Of course we are in the tropics but a polar front has made us a little chilly the last few days. I sure hope they packed a jacket!




So we will be in Guatemala City for a couple of days and see some museums and the National Palace. Then it is back to home and rest for a day and who knows what we will see. May-be we will stay for a while and get in a couple of games of Mah Jongg. Will keep you posted.