Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it is time to think about all the good things in our lives. I have a great life. Michael and I worked hard and bought a boat and are able to live on our sailboat and cruise around the Caribbean. We have found a great place to keep the boat out of Hurricanes that is inexpensive and a lovely country.

After 4 hurricane seasons in Guatemala we have made fast friends here. Many of them are not gringos. Marco, Mirna and Kathy are top of our list. Marco is the Dock Master here at Marios. Mirna is working in the office and tienda. She has a ready smile and a warm personality. Kathy regularly beats me at a local card game called, pairs. She too has a ready smile and a warm laugh. Marco always has time for the gringos. Making phone calls in Spanish and working to make your stay easier.

The list of employees here is not just a list of people who work at the marina, it is a list of friends. Carmen, Inez, Delmi, Miriam, Delmi, Nerdia, Soila, Fito, Julio, Jugo, Jose, Irma, Carmlina, Blanca, and Auralia. We have seen them get married, become parents and grandparents. We have comforted them in the loss of loved ones and eased them during sickness. We have laughed over miss-spoken words and hugged in happiness and sadness.

There are so many things that I am grateful for this year. I hope that I don’t forget anyone…

· My Dad’s successful surgery. I wasn’t ready to say Good-bye

· My brothers and sister… you guys are the best

· My Mom and her strength. Mom you are one S T A U N C H woman

· Michael…my faithful husband who puts up with me and cruising

· Cynthia for making me laugh and keeping me young

· Sarah, David, and Tina for being great kids of whom I am so proud

· Kelly and Michael, Jr. for broadening my life and making me a better parent

· The “British” contingent here at Mario’s who have broadened our eating habits, by introducing us to lamb.

· All the friends here in the cruising life that accept you for who you are and still like you

It may seem like a short list but really it isn’t. We have a roof over our head (though we are still looking for that leak), food on our table, money in the bank, clothes on our backs, wonderful family and friends. So when you add it all up we are wealthy beyond measure.

Here’s to your Thanksgiving…may you be as blessed as we!

Ambulances and Ankles

I was sitting in the Cayuco Club drinking my coffee and starting to think about what I was going to do for the rest of the day.  Plenty of cleaning on the boat for sure and how about the laundry.

All of a sudden Jim appeared at the top of the walk and without saying a word motioned for me to follow him.  He was now running in the opposite direction.  As I ran to follow him, I lost him.  He has really long legs and I am really out of shape.  What waited for me on the dock was Jo from Mystic Adventure.  Jo was wet and in some pain.  She had fallen over board and it looked like she had broken her ankle.

Once she was assessed we were ready to move her to Morales first via launcha and then by van or ambulance.  No litter on the property so one was made with 2 tree branches and a sheet.  Six of us were able to move her from the dock into a covered launcha, up river, off the launcha onto another dock, a short stop while we decided who would take her....Marco in the marina van, or Bob and Trish in their car, or wait for the ambulance.  In the end the ambulance won out and Jack (Jo's husband) and I climbed in the back of the ambulance with Marco following in the marina van.

We traveled at about 110 KMph.  It was one fast trip.  We had excellent care at Bethesda Hospital in Morales.  After her eval and X-rays we had good news.  No fracture just a bad sprain!  Pain meds on board and ankle care instructions in hand we had a very slow return to the river.  Thank you Marco for that.

I can't tell you how fast everyone responded at the marina, staff and cruisers working together to get the job done.  A community I am proud to be a member of.

Remember Jo...he said 3 weeks off your foot.

When Things go Off the Transom

Somedays things just go your way. It had been a great couple of days…celebrating our birthdays, having the election party, great cool weather on the river.
Today Michael decided to go to town with our launcha. While I was sitting in the resturant waiting for my Spanish class to begin  Jim came up to me and said," I just saw Michael on the river and there wasn’t an outboard on the back of the laucha."  This was not good news.
Michael and Tom rowed up to the dock and sure enough there was no outboard on the back of the launcha. To say the least I was not happy and neither was Michael. It seems that they were hit by a large under water wave which tore the outboard from the transom of the launcha. Michael was lucky that he arm wasn’t broken.
Now two Guatemalan fishermen saw what happened and agreed to help find the outboard. Now this is a deep part of the river. At least twelve meters deep. They tried with the help of Inez and Fito. No luck. They broke for lunch. When they returned after lunch the two fishermen were dragging the bottom of the river with their net. Much to our amazement at around 3:30pm they showed up with the motor. It was cleaned up and running. The cost Q1800. A small price to pay.
We now have it secured with more than the standard two clamps. The moral of the story. Make sure that your outboard is secured to the transom. A good outboard is a horrible thing to waste.

Halloween Rio Dulce Style

Halloween at Mario’s Marina was once again a Rocking Affair!  We had special guests last night.  John McCain and Sarah Palin were out stumping for votes here on the Rio Dulce.  They won the Scariest Costume award.

They weren’t the only celebrities in the house last night.  We had Paris Hilton, lots of pirates, a Lego Block, Joe Fence Sitter, and the most politically incorrect couple on the river!  But my personal favorite was the Tooth Fairy...

Any party at Mario’s would be incomplete without the rockin’ sounds of the Sweet River Band.

We had a BBQ Buffet of ribs, pork, chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob.  Yea El Jeem did it up brown last night.  83 people danced and sang the night away.  What a party.