WE HAVE POWER !

We have power to the docks again! Yes, the river finally went down enough to turn the power back on to the docks. So yesterday afternoon was most quiet outside. The sound you did not hear was generators running to top off batteries. What you did hear was the sweet sound of water pushed through cooling water pumps to run air conditioners.

It was quite festive at the Pot Luck last night. People even showed up late to Happy Hour. Just couldn't tear ourselves away from that lovely Magic Box that makes our boats cool and dry. So toast all around to the power and to Marco who put up with our bitching and complaining.

We had started a pool on when the power would be turned back on. Seems no-one thought that it would happen as soon as it did. So no-one won the pool. A vote was taken and we decided to put the money aside for the Christmas fund here at the marina. So for the first time in four seasons we have a head start on raising money for our annual charities here on the Rio Dulce.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Rain, Rain, Go away! Well it is looking like Deja vue all over again. The river finally hit the magic mark two nights ago. They had to turn the power off to the docks, so we are without power. Yes, it is still raining.
O.K. we live on sailboats. We have generators, our own water supply and heck we live on the hook without being plugged in. I know we are in a marina because we want power and air conditioning and internet. We are trying to keep a positive attitude about the whole thing. Yesterday was boat moving day as some boats were in danger of being put on the dock if a wave of any size came our way.
It looks like boat spaghetti around us. We are tied off on both sides to keep us off of the dock and our fenders aren’t doing much. So now we are wondering when will it go over the docks?
Stay tuned!

We have a Teenager on Board

Many of you know that we adopted our Grand-daughter, Cynthia. She has been on the boat with us from day one on this cruising journey. When she was little in size and age we didn't think far enough into the future when purchasing our boat.

In the beginning she fit quite well in the quarter berth by the stairs. Now she is 13 and a little bigger physcially than when we started. Perhaps we shouldn't feed her so much.

Overall, Cynthia has always been a great "boat kid". She loves the water, swims and snorkles well, she has a sense of adventure, and she doesn't have alot of fear. Her main qualification is that she is willing to put up with Michael and I. Not always an easy task.

The last couple of years have been hard on her. Not many kids around here and she was bored and grumpy and really not much fun to be around. So imagine our horror to realize that on June 15th she would be an official teenager.

Some amazing things happened over this last cruising season. She started to smile. She started to join in activities again. And when we returned to the marina for hurricane season the positive changes were even more bountiful. She is walking every morning before 7am. She is participating in water aerobics every afternoon. She applied herself to her studies with a new enthusiasm. She is singing karaoke and really seems to be having fun again.

We couldn't be happier. She keeps us young and in touch. She reminds us when we are asses and she makes us laugh. It is not all us though. There is an entire group of cruisers that have helped raise her and make what she is today.

Thanks for putting up with us and sharing the adventure.

What Cruisers do on rainy afternoons or How I discovered "Food Porn"

Gerry & Geoffrey on Katinka have introduced us to several things British. One is Marks & Spencers. It appears that they are an upscale store that has the most amazing commercials.

Some of you may remember at Christmas time the Gerry blogged about their commercials for “Christmas Food”. With Santana playing in the background and the husky voiced female talking about the food it is called “Food Porn”

It was the topic of conversation at lunch. We thought that we could make our own M&S advert about the Cayuco Club and post it on YouTube.

It is the rainy season and there is not much to do during a Monsoon afternoon.

So, this afternoon, Cynthia and I were surfing YouTube and found several spoofs on M&S adverts. We were rolling on the floor. It appears that we are a day late and a dollar short. Many had beaten us to the punch and produced just what we thought was an original idea. That’s ok I missed out on the pet rock thing also

Internet Woes

Technology sometime makes our lives easier, but sometimes it is just a pain. I love all the gadgets that help run the boat until they break down and we can’t fix them.

Right now the biggest bug-a-boo is the internet. Yes we have become spoiled with access to the internet and now it is very intermittent to say the least. The hardest part is getting use to the idea of not having what you once used without a second thought.

I can check my email via our satellite phone but when you need to surf the web to order school or boat parts it is difficult.

The more secure the site the harder it is to move around the site when the satellite keeps dropping the signal.

Frustration levels are high now as I think that I have ordered next years school curriculum, but as of yet no confirming email and they aren’t open on the weekend to talk to a representative. Of course some of the pressure is that I have a burro (someone traveling to the States who is willing to carry back text books) and I need to get the order there in a timely fashion.

So first thing Monday morning I will be calling about the order. At least the cell phones aren’t down.

Home Schooling Confessions

Home Schooling can be a wonderful experience. I am not sure for whom, but it is a wonderful experience.

For me personally the best part is getting to re-do Algebra. I was so good at it the first time around. I never could figure out why anyone would want to solve for “x”. Math with numbers was hard enough and now you want me to use letters.

Because of my love of all things mathematical I am very particular about which Math/Algebra book I purchase for the school year. It is imperative that it not only have an answer key, I demand the solution book. That way I can hide up in the V-Berth and study the night before. I also am always looking on the internet for sites that can be helpful. Dr. Math is great. You can type in math questions and he/she explains them and there is other cool math stuff there. Several Universities have great tutoring sites. However, what follows was the most helpful. Enjoy.