SV Dragonheart's Gran Adventura

Cafeteria Catholics

2012-02-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I am a Cafeteria Catholic. Most of us are, if we are honest with ourselves. Unfortunately being Catholic is not like ordering from a Chinese Restaurant; one from column A and one from column B.

We are expected to follow the precepts of the Church, all of them. Right now there is a large political firestorm about the HHS mandate. I have set in the pew and have heard the Bishop's letter. I have watched TV Spinners and I have struggled with my heart.

I have heard about who is a Catholic on Capitol Hill and it concerns me. First and foremost I do NOT know, nor do I want to know the status of their soul. That, like the condition of my soul is between me and my God. It it hard enough to know that HE knows. We must remember that they are speaking as a single Catholic. They are NOT speaking as or for the Catholic Church. We have Priests, Bishops, Cardinals and the Pope for that. Not our political representatives.

Secondly, we as Catholics have given the press and the public in general plenty of ammo. Many Catholics use Birth Control and we are not talking the Rhythm Method. Many of us know of a Catholic that has either had an Abortion, helped pay for an Abortion or turns a blind eye, because it would cause a division in the family if we followed the Church Teaching on Abortion.

Thirdly, there is the Church's stand on Homosexuality. This is where I your humble struggling Catholic have a problem. If God made us in his image and likeness then I can't believe that he didn't make homosexuals. I believe that he loves them as much as anyone else. I can not believe that they are an abomination.

When you look at someone and label them Catholic please remember that they are imperfect souls, struggling with their own demons and questions. Please don't say well there goes a "Good Catholic" when we breakdown and do something totally human, try and forgive them. They are only 'Saints in the Making", not Saints.

Do I Still Want Facebook in My Life

2012-01-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have had mixed feelings about Facebook from day one. Originally I was sucked in because a good friend invited me to see some photos. Turns out that if I wanted to see the photos then I had to join Facebook.

It was very exciting in the beginning. Sharing updates, photos, little bits of our lives and then it happened. Facebook started to dominate my life. High School buddies started to show up. So did ex-husbands, their current wives and various children.

It is not that I am not happy to keep up with all these wonderful people, but really, I am finding that I am not really sharing anything with them. Nothing that really matters to me.

I miss the days of looking in my inbox and finding a chatty email with a photo attached. Now most of my emails are from companies or blog updates. It seems that the more connected I am the more disconnected I feel.

I have been using Facebook less and less and am seriously thinking about dropping it all together. I long for a phone call (I hate the phone), or a chatty email. It still care, I just am tired of hitting the "like" button.

A Website I Hope I Never Have to Use

2012-01-20T10:48:00.002-07:00

CaringBridge.org is a non-profit organization that helps keep family and friends updated about a loved one that is in hospital or hospice.
According to their website you create a personalized patient website. Let CaringBridge make each health journey easier by providing private, online journals.

The site helps you create a FREE easy-to-create website including a blog.

Recently I used this service. A friend's father was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They created a website for him and I was able to follow via an updated site about what was happening. More importantly I was able to communicate with them and offer my support.

For anyone that has had to try and keep a multitude of caring family and friends up-to-date on the daily hospital happenings knows how exhausting this can be. By the time you get home you just want to lay down. Now via this wonderful site you can write one update and everyone can read it at their leisure and feel fully informed.

I sure wish we would have known about this service when my Dad had brain surgery. It would have made my Mom's life easier.

Thank you CaringBridge for your wonderful service.

The Grinder that ALMOST Stole Christmas

2011-12-27T09:02:00.001-07:00

In my family there is a Cranberry Relish Jell-O salad that graces the dinner table at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My father's job is to grind the cranberries, apples and nuts with the grinder. The grinder currently has a place in the hall closet at my parent's home. It travels to my brother's home at Thanksgiving time so that Mom can make the salad. It is always packed in the original box in the center of the suit case.

The Original Box

So imagine our horror when on Christmas Eve Day the grinder was not in the hall closet! A room to room search ensued. Drawers and every imaginable location was searched. Even the most unlikely places were searched. Everyone was frantic...no salad. Impossible!

Before it turned nasty I texted my brother to see if the grinder had been left at his house. As soon as the text was received, he CALLED me back.He looked in the kitchen and even went out and looked on the porch as my parents had used the grinder there attached to an adirondack chair. But that is another story.

The Grinder

My brother, ever helpful informed me that the grinder would be in the last place we looked. He was not, however, able to tell me where the last place was.
Mom went back to the hall closet as she was sure that she had just seen the grinder. On hands and knees for the third time she stood up and then moved some blue towels. The grinder was there behind the towels. It appears that when she put up the Holiday towels the every day towels inadvertently were placed on top of the grinder. Crisis averted!

Cranberry Relish Salad

I did mention that perhaps we could use a food processor. Apparently food processors do NOT chop or grind the cranberries, apples, and nuts like a good old fashioned GRINDER. I won't mention that option again.

Once again the salad graced our Christmas Dinner table. It was as delicious as always. The grinder is in it's box and in the hall closet. Life is good.

Christmas Light Leads Us...

2011-12-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

I love Christmas Lights. It seems that we all want our homes to be festive. One by one we begin to banish the darkness with our little strings of lights.

I remember sailing at night with the velvet darkness all around the boat. You could hear the waves slide along the side of the hull and if you were lucky there was phosphorescence in your wake. Some nights there was a moon that played in the clouds and other times, cloudless nights where the stars were all you could see in the firmament.

I always felt small sitting on the boat at night, steering her through the night. When the weather was good it was for me, heaven on earth. I always felt closest to nature and God at those times. The nighttime displays filled me with wonder.

And so it is now as Christmas approaches. I feel very small sitting here on the turning earth, circling the the sun. I feel very small as we wonder through the neighborhoods as night falls and the lights begin to light our way.

I wonder how small and afraid Mary must have felt. Engaged, pregnant, heading into the uncertainty that was her future. She was obedient and placed her faith God. Joseph too placed his faith in God and kept his promise to Mary and made a new promise to the child she was carrying. They were obedient to Rome and headed out to be counted in the census.

That manger the night of his birth must have been an answer to their prayers. I can't imagine being pregnant, riding on a donkey and then no friendly Hampton Inn on the horizon to welcome you for the night. No electricity for lights in the manger, only the stars to light the way.

This Christmas I am reminded of how blessed I am. Michael is cancer free, the children and grandchildren are doing well. My siblings and parents are well. We have a roof over our head, food on the table and money to by what we need. We have electricity for heat and light. We have good friends.

I am ready for the Light of the World. May He banish the darkness from our hearts this Christmas and all through the year.

Do You Take Your iPad to Church

2011-11-27T13:44:00.001-07:00

It is the first Sunday of Advent and the first Sunday to use the new translation. Besides stumbling over the word consubstantial during the Creed it really went pretty smoothly. The priest really has the hardest part with the translation.

For the first time in a long time I had to follow along with a missal. I am able to say most of the prayers by heart and can still answer in Latin if given some time to think about it. It is like riding a bike. Once you do it you can pick up a bike after many years and if your knees aren't bad you can ride. But today I was forced to listen, to read, and most importantly to think about what it was that I was saying and listening to during the Mass. It was good. It was fresh again. I liked that we began this new version at the beginning of the Liturgical Year.

My quandary is should I take my iPad or iPhone to Mass? I have had the iMissal, iBreviary, and iRosary on both for awhile. I recently downloaded Ignio. I like having them with me and not having to carry around a book, though I must admit that there is nothing like a real Missal with lots of ribbons to help you keep your place. You also should have plenty of Holy Cards stuffed in various places to mark passages.

ignio

iBreviary

iRosary

But I can't quite bring myself to carry my iPad into Church. It would have been very useful this morning as it contains the new translation. I suppose if I turn off the volume and all the notifications for my games it would be okay. Some might stare at me or wonder what I am doing, but God would know.

I wonder what Jesus would do? Would he have used an iPad? I can see him walking in Galilee texting Paul or John about a new commandment or his latest version of the Our Father. Would he have "mirrored" on to a large screen the Sermon on the Mount? He could have set reminders every hour to keep the Apostles awake while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Not sure what I will do yet. For now I have my handy pew card to remind me of what to say.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Once again Thanksgiving is upon us. All ready it is our second Thanksgiving in the States. Time does fly. We have so very much to be thankful for:

Michael survived cancer and radiation
All the kids are employed, except Cynthia and she is working on school
We don't have to work
My parents are alive and well
The grand kids are healthy and growing like weeds
I found a church that I love
I have good friends
I started writing
Cynthia continues to be a delight, please don't tell her I said so.

There are so many things to be thankful for in this country, even if it seems that we are divided politically, don't agree on how to worship, and can find so many things to disagree on. We still are the best country.

My hope for all of you is that when you sit down at your overflowing table of food that you take a minute to remember all those who don't have a table to set down to. All those who will be spending their first Thanksgiving without their husband, wife, father, mother, brother, or sister. And just may-be you will find a way to give to those less fortunate, not just during the Holidays but all year long.

It Is Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the US Air Force. My father wore the SAC "Pocket Rocket" on his uniform. Later he was part of the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. For me he was the man with the keys and the handsome guy in the blue uniform.

He worked two jobs so that I could go the Parochial School and I am sure to help with the bills of a growing family. He served with Pride and is a Viet Nam Vet.

I joined the US Army and served with Pride Stateside and Abroad. My current husband is a Viet Nam Veteran. He also served with Pride.

I can claim Ancestors from the American Revolution, The Civil War, The War of 1812, and the Spanish American War. I currently have family serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We are a family of Military.

For me Veteran's Day is not a day for furniture sales or picnics. It is a day to remember those that have given their lives so that all of us can be Free. Free to download from iTunes, shop at the grocery store, drive my car from one end of the country to the other, or to watch Reality TV. We are free to disagree with our elected officials and free to worship as we see fit.

We are not free to forget. We must remember that today and tomorrow and for many tomorrows to come that some, mother, father, sister, brother, wife, or partner will receive news that a soldier, sailor, or marine will not be coming home. They gave their life for our Freedom.

The following are the Mottos of our Armed Services:

US Air Force: Intergrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence In All We Do.
US Coast Guard: Semper Paratus - Always Ready
US Marine Corps: Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful
US Navy: Honor, Courage, Commitment
US Army: This We Will Defend

High Ideals indeed. If you see a Vet shake their hand and say thank you. If you know the family of a Vet let them know that you care about their sacrifice also.

Make sure that we keep our promises to our Veterans and their families. They kept theirs.

The Laundry Wars

2011-11-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

I am not a fan of laundry. In fact, when in Guatemala I pay the "girls" to do my laundry. When my parents would come to visit us on the boat, Mom did my laundry. I am teaching Cynthia to do the laundry.

RV parks like marinas have a season. So all the sites are being filled and the demand on the laundry room is increasing with each and every motorhome that drives in and stays a week, a month or a season.
During the summer months when it is 120 in the shade most leave and only the full-timers are left.

Washers

Cynthia and I would take a book or my iPad and read or play games and music while waiting for the laundry to finish. We had the place to ourselves. We were load and had fun. We weren't bothering anybody so it wasn't it wasn't a big deal.

One man does laundry

All that has changed. They are back! And so begins the Laundry Wars. We walked into the laundry room and only one machine was open to wash and there were no dryers available. They look friendly but you can't be sure. Now I am the type to stay with my laundry. I admit in Guatemala I would go back to the boat, but I set a timer. Here I must be vigilant.

Dryers

The first load is in and I am trying to be casual as I scan the amount of time left on the washing machines. The machine next to my first load is coming up in 3,2,1, MINE. As two more would be laundresses come in I grab the machine. I only need one more machine and the lady from British Columbia says mine will be ready in 3 minutes, if you want it. "Thanks," I say. Cynthia stands in front of it, marking our ownership.

More people keep coming and I am now watching the dryers. It will be close. Timing is everything. What? Someone is claiming that my wet towels are on her machine and she can't move to the dryers. "I believe that they are on my machine," I tell her. I am correct. She apologizes. "Not a problem."

Whose Turn Is It?

A dryer is open but the owner is not there. (Ah, the age old debate. Do you move a total strangers clothes?) The lady from British Columbia offers to fold her friends clothes so I can have the dryer. I clean out the lint and in go the clothes.

Two more dryers come open and Cynthia and I are ready. We claim them. We are in the home stretch. More people come in. One lady opens the door views the room, laughs and leaves. I am unconcerned. I am folding a load and their squabbles over who's turn it is, not my problem. It is every person for themselves.

I hate to say it but I am going to have to be an early bird to the laundry room.

Thoughts While Doing the Laundry

2011-10-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

I went to do the laundry the other day and found myself perusing a People magazine. It was the August 29 2011 issue. The article that caught me eye was; Can Corporal Ian Manning Save His Marriage? The article was written by Sharon Cotliar with photographs by Nina Berman.

The article tells the story of Ian and Bernadette Manning. Both are struggling with Ian's return from Iraq. Ian is not the same man that left for Iraq, nor is Bernadette the same woman who said good bye to Ian. Combat changes a person. Being left at home while your loved one is in harm's way changes a person too.

Ian and Bernadette go on a retreat which is hosted by Project Sanctuary. Heather Ehle is the founder of Project Sanctuary. Heather credits the participants with the success of the project. Heather and Project Sanctuary have created an ideal resort like setting staffed by volunteers and paid professionals. They, as of the writing of the article, have a waiting list of 700 military families. You can see more at: Project Sanctuary.

I am of the belief that Ian can not save his marriage. It will take more than just Ian to do that. Ian and Bernadette had only known each other for two weeks before they were engaged. They married five months later. Not much time to really get to know each other. Now Ian is back and diagnosed with PTSD. They don't share much of anything together anymore. A very common situation for soldiers and their families. But they have a much better chance to save their marriage because of Project Sanctuary.

Bernadette and Ian are lucky to have a support group. The soldiers returning from Viet Nam weren't as lucky. The Viet Nam returning soldier had very little support. There weren't yellow ribbons on cars and "Support Our Troops" signs everywhere. Entertainers were not forming support groups then either. As a Nation we abandoned not only the soldier, but the families also.

My mother raised four children and had my Grandma (with a heart condition) move in while my Dad was in Viet Nam. She also held down a full-time job. She survived a tornado and a bad car accident.

Her support group was made up her children, my Grandma, and friends. There were protesters everywhere and no own said, "Support our Troops". They survived because they really knew each other before they got married. They survived because they had and have a tremendous faith in God and a shared religion. They shared a foundation of friendship before they were married.

I wish you luck Ian and Bernadette. You will have a long road ahead of you. The real work is after the retreat.

Support our Troops! It should be more than a yellow plastic ribbon stuck on a car.

The Church on the Hill

2011-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

I am a cradle Catholic. I do not have a single memory of a time of when I was not Catholic. It is a part of the fabric of who I am.
Sure I haven't always been a practicing Catholic, but in time of trouble I find my rosary in my hand and Hail Marys falling from my lips. I grew up when Mass went from Latin to the vernacular. I missed so many things when we went to English Mass. Nuns in Habits, my big missal with all the colored ribbons, the tradition of Latin and the priest's back to you. It was all a mystery, but a mystery that I was part of...I grew to love the new Mass. I sang at the Guitar Mass, taught CCD and was happy with the changes.
I fell away from the Church. Now I am trying to come back. It is a struggle. It appears that there are more changes on the horizon for the Liturgy of the Mass. It has been 40 years and now they want to change some of the wording. Okay, I can learn new versions of prayers. It will take some time I am sure, but I know that I can do it.
Here is the fly in the ointment. I know in my heart that church is more than a building and more than the priest. It is suppose to be my relationship to God and how I live my life. So I move to a place where there is this new monstrosity of a church. It sits on a mesa and overlooks the entire town. It is so tall that they had to get a permission from the City Fathers to build above the approved height requirement. It has taken them 19 years to complete the church and they still have a shortfall of over $237,000. In my humble opinion they should not have built a church until they had all the money needed. It is fiscally irresponsible! I also believe that they didn't need this big a church. A smaller building would have served the Parish and they could have clothed and fed a lot of poor people with that money. But even the building itself is really not the issue.

The real issue is...the place feels cold. Not just the building, it is the priest and the people. I never have felt welcome. I never feel that I have been to Mass. The whole environment feels negative. For example, when the Choir Director comes down to help the congregation learn some of the new Responsorial Psalms, instead of introducing them with a positive outlook he says, " I have to teach you these new responses." How about this instead, "As you know the Church is changing some of the Liturgy and I am here to help you learn the new responses."

So I went across the river to Nevada and found a home. The priest met us at the door before Mass. All the people said good morning. It is a small well designed building but feels welcoming. Before Mass the commentator invited us to say Hello to the people around us. People are shaking hands, hugging, waving from across the way. Smiles and more smiles. They wanted us there and they wanted to be there. The sermon was uplifting and not condemning. When I walked out I felt that I had been to Mass.

Aging Observations

2011-09-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

I was at church last Sunday and about to attempt kneeling. My knees hate it! It is not something I do well on a good day and if it is a bad day well, I might as well not even try. I noticed the ladies in front of me and they have gray hair. The lady next to me has gray hair. Heck I have gray hair. All of the Knights of Columbus have white hair if they have hair.

So back to my attempt. The kneeler is down. My right knee is touching it. My left is screaming no way kiddo, so I rest my buttocks on the pew and half kneel half sit. Yes, I looked around and I wasn't the only one in this predicament. When did we get so aged? When did genuflection include holding on to the pew so the I could get back up? Three fourths of the Eucharistic Ministers had to use a handrail to make it up to the alter. Two had to use the handrail and a cane to make it to the alter. I wondered, was the slick polished marble floor a good choice?

There were a couple of young families in attendance, but most of us were old. My guess is that the majority are retired.

I joined a Book Club. I am the youngest member. I joined a writers group and I may not be the youngest, but it is aged. The Genealogy Society, you got it; old people.

But this is how I really know that I am getting older...I have lived long enough to see the third version of Charlie's Angels on TV and a movie! Dallas is back on the TV and the music of my youth now sells retirement plans and is played in elevators. The peasant blouses of High School are back in fashion. If they bring back elephant bell jeans with platform shoes then I will be sure that I am old.

But I am NOT old. My body that I have abused and not taken care of is aging. My mind is still sharp and I have a variety of activities that I love and still participate. I am still sometimes surprised by the reflection in the mirror, but I am YOUNG at HEART and that is what counts.

Cooking for a Few People

2011-09-06T15:05:00.002-07:00

Hungry Girl Cookbook

One of the things I hate is trying to cook for less then six people. Most recipes are written for more than two people. You can cut down recipes, but somehow it just isn't the same. I have been on the look out for a cookbook that has smaller portion recipes and is a calorie friendly recipe. Enter....Hungry Girl Cookbooks.

Lisa Lillien is winning me over. Her cookbook, Hungry Girl 300 under 300, caught my eye the other day and so far I have prepared 3 of her recipes. We have loved them all. They are easy and she even suggests ideas for leftover items. Plus most of the recipes are for 2 or 4 people. Exactly what I have been searching for in my quest for tasty repast.

8x8 Pan

Here is the recipe for Takes-The-Cake Ziti Bake.
5 oz ucooked whole-wheat or high-fiber ziti or penne pasta
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 cups chopped brown mushrooms
1 Tblsp chopped garlic
2 cups fresh spinach
3/4 cup light or low fat ricotta cheese
2 Tblsp chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomates
1/2 cup plus 2 tbls shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tblsp reduced fat Parmesan-style grated topping.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Prepare the pasta al dente according to package directions. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, ring an extra-large skillet spray with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic, and raise temperature to medium high. Continue to cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes.
Add spinach to the skillet and stirring often, cook until spinach has wilted and excess moisture has evaporated, about 8 minutes.

Transfer contents fo the skillet to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Toss gently to mix.

Spray an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with non-stick spray and carefully fill with the contents of the bowl. Evenly top with Pram-style topping and remaining 2 Tblsp mozzarella cheese.

One serving

Bake in the oven until entire dish is hot and cheese on top has melted, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, and then serve and enjoy.

Makes 4 servings.

We all loved this meal. It was easy to make, tasty and for the three of us, enough for dinner and one serving for lunch the next day. I can highly recommend Hungry Girl.

Thanks Lisa!

Jiminy Cricket

2011-08-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Pinocchio had Jiminy Cricket and I have Cynthia. Jiminy Cricket was the conscience of Pinocchio and helped keep Pinocchio out of trouble.

Now don't get the idea that I lack a conscience. I have a fairly developed one. However, sometimes I need a good swift kick in the ass to get moving. That is where Cynthia comes in. She reminds me that I need to do things. Things that take me out of the RV and into PUBLIC!

I have forgotten how to interact with the general public. Part of me is still in the "Guatemala" frame of mind. Part of me has gotten complacent because this last year has been a "limbo time" for us. Waiting on doctors and test results and making health decisions.

Cynthia borrowed the Weekender from my sister's newspaper and started to circle activities. The next part of her evil plan was to involve me in said activities. This week begins part three of the plan. I must go to the activities.

Here I come writers group and book club and community theater. Cynthia will come to some of the same activities, but not all. She needs to get use to not being with me 24-7. Seems like our little cocoon of a life is getting ready to expand.

The Book Signing

2011-08-09T16:05:00.002-07:00

Preston & Child

Cynthia is a big fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I have read a few of their books, but Cynthia is the FAN. She found out that they were going to have a book signing in Phoenix. She asked if we could go and I said sure!

Phoenix is almost five hours away, but what the heck. Michael decided that he didn't want to go so it was going to be an all girl adventure.

I have never been to a book signing and wasn't sure what to expect. It was being held at the Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort. I am thinking we will be under dressed. I mean Clark Gable stayed there and played golf there. It had been the hot spot for the Hollywood Glitterati. We took our toiletries just in case we didn't want to drive back on the same day.

We arrived with Cynthia navigating on the fly through a detour. It was a little disconcerting to see her turn the iPhone 360 degrees before she would pronounce our intended direction. She got me there without a hiccup.

Let me assure you, we were NOT under dressed. I think that casual has gone way to far. It is amazing what people will wear to a public function. Some didn't even bother to comb their hair. And there was the couple that was busy taking their own photo of themselves kissing, waiting for the event to start.

We walked around and then we sat outside the Grand Ballroom waiting for the doors to open. One gentleman sat in a chair near us and once I said, "Hello" the flood gates opened. He apparently did the website for Preston & Child. He told us about which advance manuscripts he was currently reading for them, the piece of a meteorite Child had sent him for his help on the book, Impact. It took up a good half hour and then we were allowed in the Ballroom. I needed a beer by then. I didn't need a five dollar beer, but that was cheaper than a seven dollar glass of wine! They said there would be a buffet. They lied! There were little clear plastic boxes with 4 cookies each for...four dollars. The cheese and bread box was eight dollars and so was the fruit box. We skipped dinner.

It was interesting to hear the authors talk about character development and how plot lines came to be. They had a wonderful rapport with each other and they easily drew you in to their world. It was interesting to watch people interact with them and try to remind you that they were important to the authors. We are funny creatures.

So we each have our signed copies of two books. Would I do it again? Yes, in a word. We had a wonderful time and I learned a little more about writing a book. More importantly, I am now prepared to be a book groupie.

RHUBARB.....

2011-08-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb is surrounded with wonderful taste memories. My mouth still waters at the thought of warm toast fresh out of the toaster spread with homemade rhubarb sauce. My Grandma made the best rhubarb sauce. It was sweet and tart at the same time and one was tempted to consume the stuff by the spoonful. Not a good idea if you didn't want to upset Grandma.

Fresh and Washed

When I hunger for Rhubarb Pie it isn't for some bastardized Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie. No, I crave the pure pleasure of Rhubarb, sugar, and tapioca wrapped in a homemade flaky crust.

Living in the desert I wasn't sure that I would ever see fresh rhubarb. So imagine my delight when the local Safeway had fresh Rhubarb. Sure it was over $2 per pound and I purchased over $6 worth, but it sure was pretty sitting there with its ruby stalks and green leaves beckoning me.

Chopped and Ready To Go

A Little Sugar, Please

Martha Stewart Food Processor Pie Crust - check
Fresh Rhubarb diced - check

Fresh from the oven

Oven Pre-heated - check
Rhubarb mixed with sugar and tapioca - check

Ready for the Oven

Pie Ready - check
Pie Eaten - check

I actually had so much rhubarb that I was able to make a Central American Style Rhubarb Pie for my sister, Helen. Lucky Girl!

The only thing that could have been better was a third pie!

Whippers of the World Unite!!

2011-07-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

No I am not talking S&M or spanking your children. I am talking Miracle Whip.

I have been a whipper for a long time. I didn't realize that it wasn't Mayo until as a child I visited the house of a friend and she made me a sandwich with....mayo! I almost spit it out. What was that strange white paste that she slathered on my bread? She asked if I wanted mayo and I said, "Yes." Little did I know that we did not agree on the definition of mayo.

So then what do I do, but move on to a sailboat for ten years and live in Central America. There are many things that you learn to live without on a sailboat. Miracle Whip is one of those things. I remember on our annual trip to the States that we always picked up several jars of Miracle Whip. I can't tell you how happy I was when they started packaging it in plastic squeeze bottles. They travel much better than glass jars. When guests came to visit we asked them to transport it for us. Imagine our surprise when in the Bay Islands of Honduras we discovered that we could actually buy Miracle Whip. I almost fell on my knees in front of the display.

So now Miracle Whip has this commercial campaign. Personally I don't understand NOT liking Miracle Whip. It is the condiment of the gods. It makes the best taste even better. I can't imagine my turkey sandwich without the tang of Miracle Whip. And Deviled Eggs, what would they be without Miracle Whip? Tasteless I tell you.

Not Much New Under The Sun

2011-07-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the summer entertainment season. There sure isn't much out there that is new.

They are bringing back DALLAS! No I am not excited. I never watched it the first time around and have even less desire to watch it the second time around. There is a new movie out called the Change Up. Two guys who stand in front of a fountain and wish to have each others lives. Old idea. How many movies have been made based on this idea?

We can't seem to come up with anything that hasn't been done before. TV especially seems to have cycles. The season of Police Shows, Alien Shows, Medical Shows. The funny thing is that they start out about the police, aliens and doctors/nurses and before you know it, it is about who is sleeping with who. Who wants to sleep with who. I don't know how they sit around a dinner table. They have all slept with each other and everyone else around the table. Do they share? Right they all ready did!

Even books from authors are stale. James Patterson comes to mind. I liked him in the beginning. Now the font is huge, the chapters are two pages and I have figured "it" out by the second chapter. I am not even sure that he is really writing the books anymore. My theory is that he gives someone and outline and they fill it in. I must say not well. It is predictable!!!

I can hardly wait for Thanksgiving. We will have to learn all over how to cook that Butterball!

HABOOB????

2011-07-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

Being the water girl that I am I was unfamiliar with the term, Haboob. It comes from Arabic for strong wind or phenomenon. In other words, an intense sandstorm.

Phoenix looked like the movie set in The Mummy. I was expecting Anubis to jump out of the dust. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time.

Haboob

When ever we are driving in Arizona and I see the signs for Blowing Wind I get nervous. I am terrified to get caught in a sand storm. I am not terrified of 10 foot seas. Go figure.

So last night it got windy in good ole Bullhead City. We were out in the dark moving things from blowing down and around. We were on a landlocked "Anchor Watch". Everyone was up in the park. The poor guy behind us was in the middle of putting up a metal shed yesterday. It is gone, gone, gone. We heard in tearing apart and that woke us up. Yes, the RV was shaking and for a minute I thought it was a tornado. No just your friendly Haboob.

We were lucky. No damage and we are still in our site. We have all our chairs. So life is good.

iPad Crossing the Generations

2011-06-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

My Dad has a brand new iPad2. He used my lowly first generation iPad and got hooked on, yes... Angry Birds! So he finally decided to get one of his own.

Dad in Action

My Mom is sure that there is a device that comes out of his forearm and connects to the iPad2. I have assured her that that is not an accessory that Apple provides...yet.

He syncs, downloads apps and plays games with the best of them. He has his rosary and Divine Office loaded and takes the iPad2 to Adoration twice a week.

Well, the Pope was not to be outdone and now has an iPad2, though I suspect that someone does the downloading for him. The Pope has a twitter account, though again I suspect that someone does the tweeting for him also.

The Pope

While we were at my parents we spent most nights huddled around one of the iPads and played Carcassone. We love the game and now instead of pass and play we play over the internet with each other.

I am sure that Apple didn't have the over 80 crowd in mind when they developed the iPad. Though it has given our family a new way to connect. FaceTime is not only great for seeing the grandkids, it allows you to talk to the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents!

Dad and I both carry the family tree on our pads. Helpful for that latest headstone photo that needs to be added. Now we can do that right from the cemetery.

I love it that my Dad is a mini-geek and loves techie things. I can see him now on the way to Alaska to see my baby brother, playing Angry Birds on the plane.

P.S. Dad, don't forget to use Lane's account for a couple of apps!

Happy 80th Birthday!

2011-06-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine being 80 years old. I am looking at 60 in a couple of years and I don't feel a day over 55.

In Guam

My father is turning 80 this weekend. It is a milestone. You can't deny that fact. He has seen a lot of changes over the years. Computers, men in space and on the moon. Cars have changed and so have planes. World politics have changed, though I suspect in some ways they are much the same.

The Newly Weds

He has been faithfully married to the same woman for 58 years this August and they are more in love today then the day they spoke their vows. They don't just love each other, they like each other and that my friends is rare indeed.

When I look at my Dad he is still just my Dad...able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, able to shape the lowly wire coat hanger into any tool for any occasion. He is calm in crisis and decisive when decisions must be made.

Not Much Has Changed

At the Helm

He has corrected me, stood by me, hugged me, cried with me and laughed much with me. His gait may-be a little slower these days, but he still keeps moving forward. His mind is sharp and clear and he has just ordered his own iPad! He volunteers several days at the Veteran's Hospital in Tucson and works for the Church and the Knights of Columbus. Occasionally he "rests his eyes" while sitting in his recliner.

As a Young Father with the Brood

In Honduras

There are a thousand memories attached to my Dad. There are a thousand things if not more that I am thankful for when I see or talk to my Dad.

There isn't much to say except that, "I love you Daddy and always will. You are the best, thanks for everything."

Boat Rowing Skills

MEMORIAL DAY

2011-05-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

This weekend most of us will celebrate Memorial Day with BBQ and beer. For some it will pass unnoticed. For some it will remind us of those that have served their country.

Memorial Day in Tucson, AZ

Originally it was known as Decoration Day. It is to commemorate U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service. It was first enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War, it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

It began as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the civil war, by the 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives.

The practice of decorating soldiers' graves was widespread in the North by 1865. The first known observance was in Waterloo, New York. It was because of the friendship between General John Murray and General John A. Logan that helped bring attention to the event to the Nation as a whole. On May 5, 1886 that General Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" should be observed nationwide. At this time Logan was the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. The date of celebration was chosen because it was NOT the anniversary of a battle.

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

The earliest Confederate Memorial Day celebrations were simple, somber occasions for veterans and their families to honor the day and attend to local cemeteries. Only after 1890, was there a shift from this consolatory emphasis on honoring specific soldiers to public commemoration of the Confederate "Lost Cause". It was 1913 that the theme of American Nationalism shared equal time with the Lost Cause.

On Memorial Day the flag is flown at half-staff until noon. This half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

Coming Home

This Memorial Day let us all resolve to not let their sacrifice be in vain.

SmartPhones, Twitter, and Facebook

2011-05-11T12:58:00.001-07:00

Most of us by now have some sort of smartphone. We take photos and post to Twitter and Facebook live.

Professional athletes and Celebrities post their pithy thoughts on various subjects and some get them in trouble.

Privacy is a thing of the past. If we see something that we like we post it. If we something that we don't like, we post it. I try to be careful of what I post these days, but sometimes I have a short fuse. Today was one of those days.

We are members of FMCA (Family Motorcoach Association). We have a plaque with our membership number displayed on the rear ladder of our coach. Most members do the same. So there it is for all the world to see. And then we do something for all the world to see.

Sam's Club, Bullhead City, AZ. There is is in all it's glory a Class A motorhome with it's FMCA plaque displayed, tow vehicle behind it parked across the lane of traffic. There were lots of options that would not have blocked the lane, but they didn't choose one of those options. No, they blocked traffic.

So smartphone in hand I took photos. I posted the photos on Facebook. I don't tweet, which is probably a good thing. And now I am going to post the photos on my blog. I posted on the FMCA page and started a discussion. I am on my soapbox.

Rude and Dangerous

See the plaque?

RVers have a bad rap out there. We drive too slow or too fast. We double tow, where allowed and we generally forget that some of us are over 40 feet without that vehicle or trailer full of toys behind us. So when we pull into Wal-Mart, Sam's or Costco we should try and find an area that will allow us to park out of the way and yet still have an easy way out. We shouldn't block lanes!

Let's all remember to share the Parking Lot. Thanks.

It's Mother's Day Again

2011-05-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

One more trip around the sun and I am lucky enough to still have my Mom with me.
She can still out walk me. Heck she puts me to shame with her energy and giving.

Mom

Mom and Dad

Helen, Mom, & Me

She volunteers at the VA Hospital in Tucson, goes to Bible Study, cleans and cooks and does laundry. She listens to my woes and encourages me when I need it. She will kick me in my butt when I need that too. She has always been my biggest supporter and always told me the truth when I needed to hear it the most.

In the past year I feel that I have grown to know her more than I ever have known her. It is easier now. I am still her kid, but the playing field is leveling out as I grown older. (I still feel like a kid around her.) We talk more now on the phone. Easier since I am in the States.

We are look at old photos together and share stories and clarify history. We laugh and cry together. She tells me of her dreams and how happy she is with her life. It is a good one.

Mom

So thank you Mom for all the things you have done for me, for the lessons you taught me and for the ones you let me learn on my own. Thanks for the times you let me sit on the toilet while you were bathing and tell you all my troubles. Thanks for the hugs the kisses and the kicks in the butt when I needed them.
THANKS FOR BELIEVING IN ME!

I Got an iPhone

2011-05-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

We finally purchased an iPhone. We had been using Verizon, but since we moved we don't get a signal. No I can't hear you now!

So we paid the fee to get out of our contract and signed up with AT&T and have signal and a new iPhone4.

The thing I like most about it is that I can take photos on the spot and upload to various sites I am into instant gratification.

My latest adventure with the phone has been taking photos of headstones. I love it. The phone automatically tags each headstone with a GPS tag so that I don't have to tag the photos manually. There were over 3,500 headstones in this cemetery!

Needles Riverview Cemetery

I had a great helper, Cynthia. She helped photograph, clean and document the headstones. Nothing like packing water, sandwiches and heading out in the Arizona sun.

I actually have always liked cemeteries. The people there are quiet and usually nobody bothers you. There are interesting stories at almost every step. Now I have my handy phone.

So My Sister Calls

2011-04-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

So my sister calls and says, "You know that you have boxes here in storage." I didn't remember so we went over and started to open them.

What do you know...they were full of memories. One box was from our cruising days in New Orleans during Madi Gras. Lots of beads and other stuff. But lots of memories.

The next box was full of books. Cynthia's books. I think that she has now re-read most of them. It was a walk down memory lane for her too.

The final box was full of Sailing Books. All the how-to and what you should bring on a cruising boat, cruising guides for various parts of the Gulf Coast. We had unloaded them before heading to Guatemala. We wanted to lighten the boat!

Memories of the Texas ICW Guide, the Guide to Western Florida, Essential Cruising and Celestial Navigation.

Not sure what to do with the books. I know what to do with the memories. Treasure them.

Who Do You Think You Are?

2011-04-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

The title of a weekly show, brought to you by Ancestry.com is called; Who Do You Think You Are? It follow celebrities as they go searching for their ancestors.

Usually there is at least one moment when they are touched by what they found out about a certain member of their family. I know for me there are several moments when a certain someone touches me. Amazingly enough it is really not the famous ones, though I have them too. It is the ones that were extraordinary ordinary people. They struggled with daily life as most of us do. They tried to do their best as most of us do.

Lately I have been working on my mom's side of the family. They are a mysterious lot. They peek out on a census and then disappear. They have names like George and Tom and their last name is Smith!

Mom lost track of her brothers after she got married. You must remember when she was a little girl the depression was on and her brothers went to work on WPA projects. World War II further separated the family.

Yesterday I had two moments. I found the headstone of one of her brothers and I finally found the Social Security Death Record of the other.

You might think that this is only a sad tale. Two brothers found only after death. It is NOT. It IS the completion of a desire to have knowledge. Knowledge good or bad about them, her brothers.

This search has brought me closer to my mother than I could ever imagine. Each photo, each scrap of paper has a story and she knows them all. She tells me them has she holds those little pieces of her past with tears in her eyes and a frog in her throat. She tells me about them with a twinkle in her eye and laugh over a good time remembered. She tells me the story that is the fabric of OUR LIVES.

I can not tell you what a blessing it is to still have Mom around, to share my finds with her and my frustrations over another dead end.

Yesterday I stood for her at her brothers grave and shed tears for a man that I only know through her. Thanks Mom.

The disconnected...connected People

2011-04-08T11:14:00.001-07:00

Cynthia had an appointment with the Orthodontist. It is very modern. All the office and every aspect is linked through a network. They have you sign in on the computer which lets the techs know you are there for your appointment. Only this morning they were in day two of switching to new software. Every computer was in updating mode and the staff had to do things the old fashion way. It was painful to watch.

It was interesting in the waiting room. There were about 12 of us waiting.

As parents and patients arrived and took their seats each reached into a bag or pocket and brought out a cellphone or some other electronic device. There was one mother, who actually had a paper magazine. What a pariah!

So there we were all in the same room, no one talking to each other. Some were texting, some playing games, some reading an ebook, and some surfing the web.

Cynthia and I play words with friends. Even though we are in the same room we send our answers over the wi-fi.

With all the texting that goes on spelling and punctuation have suffered greatly. Few touch type unless on a full keyboard. Touch typing is a lost art. Kids type with thumbs only and some are faster than "Mavis the Typing Tutorial."

All this new technology was suppose to bring us closer and connect us in ways never imagined. I am not sure that it has accomplished its goal, or may-be it has.

I know it is great to use "face time" to watch the grand-kids while talking on the phone. I love the games that keep me occupied for hours. I think it is wonderful to take as many books with me as I want on an electronic device. In fact, I have my books synced over 5 devices. Over kill, but I always have something to read with me no matter what device I may have with me.

The sad thing is that when in a restaurant it breaks my heart to see couples on their phones and talking and not saying a word to each other. They could do that home.

What I do know is that Dick Tracy would be amazed.

Burnt Sugar Cake and Helicopters

2011-04-02T17:34:00.001-07:00

From the day that we married Michael has asked me to find the recipe for Burnt Sugar Cake. I have looked and looked and have been unable to find it. It seems that his mother made this cake when he was a boy. I know it is hard to think of Michael as a boy, but he was and he really wants this cake. His sister has looked through his mother's recipes and no luck.

Well, the worm has turned. Seems that while my mother was volunteering at a library she found in the throw away basket a cookbook. The Mennonite Community Cookbook to be exact. When she opened the book, it opened to a recipe for Burnt Sugar Cake!

Ready to Frost

The Final Touches

So Cynthia and Mom made the cake and Mom and I made the Brown Sugar Boiled Frosting....I can still taste it.

Not to be left out Michael and Dad decided to play with Michael's new Remote Controlled Helicopter. Trust me watching them was like watching two five year olds let loose in a candy store. They both had grins from ear to ear.

Reading the directions was like reading the translation from Chinese for Mah Jongg. They made no sense. These were translated from Chinese also. I think they used the same translator.

They actually read the directions

Then got a consultation

Possible lift off!

It was a full afternoon.

There Is Dirt Under My Fingernails

2011-03-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last 10 years living on a sailboat. While on the boat full-time I never felt the need to get my hands in the dirt. I wasn't one of those cruisers that had a little herb garden on the deck or under the bimini.

Even while in the marina I never once felt the urge to help plant flowers or herbs. I was content with my watery ways.

Now I have a very little piece of land in the desert and I want to plant everything. Containers work well here. But with every little flower planted I wonder, "How will I leave? Who will water them?" This can't be good. Does this mean that my anchor is finding a new home?

I miss my boat and anchoring out and riding in the dinghy. It is very strange to not be "there". I find myself living through friend's Facebook posts and Blogs. I dream about sailing and tasting salt in the air. But in reality I damn the wind that is drying out my plants and scan the sky for any rain cloud.

Transition is hard. But the flowers are beautiful.

First Rose

Rose Bloom

Blowing in the Wind

Emotional Tsunami

2011-03-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

If I were British I would say that I am gobsmacked. But since I am not British I will be speechless!

I keep being drawn to the video and still photos of the utter destruction of Japan. I can’t believe it and it did not even happen to me.

Containers

So how do you even begin to pick up the pieces when there are so many pieces? How do you move a ferry from the top of a house? How do you begin to pick up all the boards and garbage and still have hope in your heart that things will get better?

I watched a video that was six minutes in length. It started as a little bit of water on the street and before you realized it a large fishing vessel was trying to make a left hand turn on the street and then the buildings began to move through the street. It was horrific and that still doesn’t capture the total destruction.

These aren’t just cars, boats, houses and containers. All these items belonged to someone. Someone that will not have a place to sleep tonight, food to eat tonight, water to drink or wash his or her body.

Mothers and fathers are trying to assure their children that, “everything will be okay” when I am sure they are not sure of that at all. But it is what we do. We can admit to ourselves in the darkest hours of the night that we have lost hope and can’t see how everything can ever be okay again. But with our spouses and especially with our children we reassure and smile bravely.

I have heard people that are on the side of helping Japan in their hour of need. I have heard people say that we shouldn’t lift a finger to help them. Remember Pearl Harbor? Funny the same people who don’t want us to help them use the computer chips that are made in Japan. Some drive cars that were designed and perhaps, built in Japan. This is the same country where we dropped the atomic bomb. Not once, but twice. I watched Rudy Giuliani stumble over this fact as he was speaking about the nuclear plant radiation issue.

As humans we do horrific things to each other. We do them in the name of religion, patriotism, and some just because we can. Now is the time to help the people of Japan. Now is the time to show what we are made of, instead of only being happy that it isn’t the United States that is recovering from this quake and tsunami or that Japan bombed us and led death marches.

Look into the anguished faces of the Japanese people. How can we not be touched?

And She Cooks!

2011-03-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Cynthia has shown an interest in cooking. I am thrilled. This means that she will start to cook and I can have a day off. Though I really like cooking.

Zin Zen Chicken

Rice in a Chicken and Wine Broth

For Christmas Cynthia got a Rachel Ray Cookbook. It has pictures so that you know what the food is suppose to look like when you are preparing the meal.

Her first meal was Zin Zen Chicken. Wow! It was tasty, well prepared and I think that she enjoyed it. In fact, she is now preparing dinner every Wednesday. I am enjoying looking at recipes with her and shopping and watching her learn new techniques.

Plating

Papa eating!

Another upside of this is that I have engaged in a life-style change. That is fancy terminology for "Dieting". Started a food journal and bought a bicycle for exercise. I am dropping some pounds and I feel better. Cynthia is a tough task master and an inspiration to keep on keeping on!

Stop Blaming McDonalds

2011-02-17T14:57:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading the study done by New York University. The article states that just because we put calorie count labels on fast food, McDonald's in particular that kids don't pay attention to them. It is not until the end of the article that they answered my first question. Where are the parents? Apparently they are right there buying the Happy Meals.

I am NOT fat. I AM OBESE! That is what my scales say and that is what my doctor tells me. Because of that fact I am increasing my risk for High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, and Stroke. All of the above mentioned health issues run in my family.

I wish I could blame McDonald's. I can't. I don't eat there. I am not a snacker. I cook most of our meals and watch what we eat and what goes into the meals.

Genetically I am at risk. However, the real issue is that I drink! Lots of empty calories in those beers and that wine. I have friends that drink more or as much as I do. Some of them don't eat. I can't or won't give up food. I love it too much. I should cut down on the alcohol.

Not only do I drink, I don't get up off my ass enough!

So there is no one to blame but me. The government can put all the labels on food that they want. They can tell me how bad alcohol can be and how good exercise can be. Nothing will change, until I change.

The ball is in my court now!

A Day with the Dead

2011-02-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

I have become a volunteer photographer for Find-A-Grave.

I received my first assignment the other day. There was a request to photograph a headstone in Needles, California. That is about 20 miles from me so I said okay. I found out there were 13 other request for the same cemetery so I accepted them also.

Print out and camera in the car off Michael and I head for Needles. Betty, the GPS got us there without a problem.

It turns out that there isn't anyone there full time. There is no map of the cemetery so we decided to walk the cemetery. We did walk the entire cemetery. We looked at every headstone. Some were not readable. Most of the headstones were horizontal. You could see on some that the blade of the mower had taken chunks out of headstones. Some were sun faded. Some were fancy and some were plain. A few had photos of the individual were on the headstones. Some of the headstones were military issue. Some were out alone with no one else around them. Some were in the shade of trees and some in full sun. Some had full concrete slabs over the casket area. Most did not. Some were so sunken over the casket area that I was a little nervous about walking over them. Some were hand written in wet cement. Most were carved. Most were in English, but a few were in Spanish (I understood it), and one was written in I think Chinese. Wish I could have read that one.

There appeared to be sections. There was an area that the names were mostly Hispanic, or Irish, or English. You could tell family plots that must have been bought as a group.

The baby graves were the hardest. They had toys engraved on them. It made me think of all the children that had died and not been able to live out a life. It reminded me of my son and my brother who predeceased me.

But no matter what the headstone looked like some touched me more than others. If I saw a family name I wondered if they were related. I took a photo just in case.

Personal Courage

2011-02-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

We just got back from watching The King's Speech. I am blown away.

Yes, it is very British. It is the British at their best. Stiff upper lip you know. Truly though, we forget that these were real people facing incredible world crisis.

Here is "Bertie" the Duke of York that has a terrible stutter. His brother, the heir to the throne is enamored with Wallace Simpson, the American soon to-be- divorcee.

It must have been terrible lonely to always be the second son. The one that the nanny didn't like. The one that was just suppose to be just a Naval Officer. It didn't matter at that point that you couldn't put two words together. Now suddenly you are to be KING!

George VI, was not just King. He was a man troubled and tortured by the lack of familial love. The treatment of his brother and King George V was heartless, but that was what was expected. Just be a man and talk!

The truth of the story though is the FRIENDSHIP that develops between the soon-to-be-King and Lionel Logue. Lionel is a self taught speech pathologist. Lionel knows that all the mechanical exercises will not truly help Bertie. It is only when we face the emotional damage that we can begin to heal.

What a difficult task to break down the barriers of royalty and commoner. Because of the courage of these two men, England survived the war. But most importantly two men forged a life long friendship that crossed all class lines.

We should all be lucky enough to have a Lionel Logue in our lives.

I'm Just Looking Around....

2011-01-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

My time on the boat is fast ending. I have completed the major tasks and now am down to the final wipe here and there.

Trying not to buy to much of anything as I will just have to give it away.

Most of the boats have left for the salt water and with everyone that I witness leaving the dock a little piece of me goes with them.

But this is not my year to go sailing. This is my year to get my husbands and my health back in order. This is the year to re-evaluate what is important. The year to continue the search for ancestors and to celebrate the new grand-children in our lives.

I hate letting go. I am not very good at it. I tend to want to be angry when I leave or let go. Seems to make it easier at the time.

We have had a good run of 10 years on the boat. And we may still have a season left in us. That is the plan. So as I put the boat to bed and look around I am reminded of the drinks and meals shared aboard her. Sitting at the table with waypoints to put in and double check. That last little bit of fresh veg just before you cast off. The hours of school work that Cynthia did at the nav. station. Watching energy consumption and running the generator for power. Lower and raising the dinghy. Hoping the outboard will start. Jumping in the water to cool off. The hours of Mah Jongg in anchorages that were rolly and we were waiting for weather.

So on Tuesday when I get on that tube called an airplane I will be a little sad. But I will also be full of hope. Hope for the next year and the one after that. Hope that we get to travel a little in our land home on wheels. Hope that we all see each other again.

And We Fly...

2011-01-19T20:12:00.002-07:00

Airports used to be fun. Not so much anymore. You can’t wait with someone and then watch them taxi away. You can’t wait at the gate and greet them anymore. You have to wait in the baggage claim area. Just not as enchanting.

Now we go through Security a couple of times. We get our carry on searched, our checked bags x-rayed and we get scanned, wanded, patted down, etc.

These boots were made for walking

And that's just what they'll do...

I know that I love going into Security where it smells like a High School Gym locker room. There is nothing like the smell of multiple pairs of sweaty feet. Because we all have to take off our shoes I try to wear something that I can slip in and out of with minimal fuss. So, I have trouble with all the people in shoes that have to be tied, the boots that go up to your knee and either zip, lace or a combination of closures. One person I saw on my last trip had to have help pulling her boots off! That really helped to keep the line moving.

Boarding the plane. The carrier that I use has Zones. Why??? I am not sure. It is always a mad dash to hurry up and wait. Zones mean nothing. Why isn’t someone enforcing the rules? If they call zone 1 and your ticket reads zone 4 you should not be at the front of the line.

I wonder why the airlines even bother having the dimensions of bags for carry-on bags. Nobody uses them and certainly most airlines don’t enforce their rules. Why is it that people who sit in the back of the plane use the overhead bins in the front of the plane? I don’t know about you, but I like my stuff where I can keep track of it. So now that someone has used my overhead bin, I have to search and take someone else’s bin. I especially like it when the airline staff takes the carry-on luggage from someone in the front and has to put it in a bin in the back of the plane. And why doesn’t the person in the back bring it up to you? They are the ones that used your overhead bin in the first place.

Ultimately, I am like a hermit crab. I search for an empty shell that can be my home and when it becomes too small for my belongings, I search for a larger shell. I like my stuff with me. I wonder will it fit in the crematorium.

Addiction

2011-01-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

My name is Cindy and I am addicted to Apps.

As a therapist when I think of addiction I usually think of Drugs and Alcohol. Now there are sex, gambling and computer addictions.

Since I switched to Apple/Mac I have become addicted to Apps! The 99 cent ones are my favorite ones. Free is even better. Then before you know it you are looking at $9.99 ones and then it's $14.00 ones. Okay, I admit that I have purchased a $30 app! It was for learning Spanish and I do use it. See I can justify it so easily.

You can have apps for your iPhone, iTouch, iPad and now for your Mac. In the first 15 minutes I consumed and my enabler husband helped me download 5. The first one was free and just to see what it was like. It was like crack...the next four were so easy!

I find that I watch and read about all the new tech gadgets. Gadgets have always been a problem. Now there are apps for those gadgets. If one browser is good at least three are better.

Not only is my son sending me apps to think about, now I can download it on my Mac and I wanted it before he even talked to me. You will be proud of me. I am waiting a little longer. It costs....drum roll...$79. Even I have to stop and think about that one.

I won't download an app today. That's all I can promise for now.

It All Started With a Simple Post

2011-01-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

I am a smart ass. Just ask my parents.
I started with a simple post on Facebook. "1/1/11 and still that troubling question...what to make for dinner? And a good friend replied, "Are you kidding me? Black eyed peas of course! Do you want bad luck all year?"

I don't like bad luck, but I can't stand black eyed peas. I have never made them and am not about to start at this point of my life. I have always just considered it a "Southern" thing. I don't say that with any disrespect. In fact it appears that I am from the south. Ancestry.com doesn't lie. I have more ancestors south of the Mason-Dixon Line than I ever knew.

When I think of Black eyed peas I think of collard greens, ham hocks, grits, etc. I did not grow up with these items on my dinner table. I have not acquired a taste for them. In fact, I know that I horrify my friends from South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, etc when I say I do not like grits. Even if they are a "butter delivery system".

So off I went to find the history of Black Eyed Peas. No we are not talking the musical group.

As per Wikipedia:

"Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is thought to bring prosperity.
The "good luck" traditions of eating black-eyed peas at Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, are recorded in the Babylonian Talmud (compiled ~500 CE), Horayot 12A: "Abaye [d. 339 CE] said, now that you have established that good-luck symbols avail, you should make it a habit to see qara (bottle gourd), rubiya (black-eyed peas, Arabic lubiya), kartei (leeks), silka (either beets or spinach), and tamreidates) on your table on the New Year." However, the custom may have resulted from an early mistranslation of the Aramaic word (rubiya (fenugreek).^[4]
A parallel text in Kritot 5B states that one should eat these symbols of good luck. The accepted custom (Shulhan Aruh Orah Hayim 583:1, 16th century, the standard code of Jewish law and practice) is to eat the symbols. This custom is followed by Sephardi and Israeli Jews to this day.
In the United States, the first Sephardi Jews arrived in Georgia in the 1730s, and have lived there continuously since. The Jewish practice was apparently adopted by non-Jews around the time of the American Civil War.
In the Southern United States,^[5] the peas are typically cooked with a pork product for flavoring (such as bacon, ham bones, fatback, or hog jowl), diced onion, and served with a hot chili sauce or a pepper-flavored vinegar.
The traditional meal also features collard, turnip, or mustard greens, and ham. The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion.^[6] Cornbread also often accompanies this meal.
Another suggested origin of the tradition dates back to the Civil War, when Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, typically stripped the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock, and destroyed whatever they could not carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and field corn suitable only for animal fodder, and did not steal or destroy these humble foods.^[7]"

^{So I guess I should thank the Babylonians and my Jewish friends for blacked eyed peas.}
^{Happy New Year everybody...no matter what you are eating for dinner.}

A View From the Park

2010-12-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

The Millers are in an RV Park in Bullhead City, Arizona. Sometimes when I look around at the dessert I feel like I have been dropped on the planet Arrakis from the movie Dune! There is nothing like going from a world of water to a world almost devoid of water.

The dessert is beautiful in a stark way. The shades of tan change with the sun, shadow and moon-glow.
There are mountains that we look at daily. They are across the Colorado river and in the State of Nevada. I find that I am as mesmerized by them as I am by Cerro San Gil in Guatemala. The clouds and other celestial bodies play across them in an ever changing kaleidoscope of shadow and sunlight.

And there are birds. We have a Roadrunner that comes by every day at 4pm. You can almost set your watch by him. He has been as close as a foot away and doesn't run if you approach slowly. It reminds of Edgar Allen Egret from Mario's Marina. We also have quail. Can't get them to approach the motor home, but with enough food we may yet be successful.

It is a little chilly for my tropically thinned blood. I am even wearing long pants and shirts with sleeves! But I find if I stand in the sun and close my eyes I can hear the water lapping against the boat, if just for a moment.

"...And So This Is Christmas.."

2010-12-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the Christmas song by John Lennon. I woke up thinking about it with the lyrics and tune going through my head. Part of it is about war being over. I wish that was true. It is not.

We have troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Korean Peninsula is a tense situation once again. We have troops all over the world. Many are away from home for the first time. Some are war weary and just want to come home. But soldiers today and always are out there doing their job. Securing us from all enemies foreign and domestic. There was a time when SAC (Strategic Air Command) had a B52 in the air twenty-four hours a day to keep us safe.

So this morning when I opened my email there was this poem. I share it with you so that perhaps you will remember just for a moment all those who serve today and wish that they were home with family and friends.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO

SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY,

ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

Christmas Week

2010-12-20T16:57:00.001-07:00

It is Christmas Week and I am in the States. You would think that it would be just what the doctor ordered.

Parts of it are wonderful. You have more shopping options. You are with family. But there are down sides too...
You have more shopping options. That means that you have to be out there among them. There are carols playing, but there is pushing and shoving. Shelves are looking a little bare. What you want is sold out. At least in Central America I had a handy excuse. Now it just my own procrastination.

I love being with my family. My sister, Helen, Cynthia, and I spent the day baking cookies. Orin I will apologize right now. I am not sure that I will be able to get any cookies out to mail to you. They have guards on the doors. Rumor has it there will be more baking tomorrow. I am not sure that my feet can take it.

It has been rainy and chilly. Dare I say it, I miss the hot and humid of Guatemala.

I think that it is time to put the chanting Monks on and listen to some soothing Christmas music.

Kia Motors America, Inc RULES!

2010-12-16T14:47:00.001-07:00

Some of you know that we bought a Kia Soul in August. It was 2010 model and we loved it.

As we were driving, it appeared that there was a little more play in the steering wheel than when we first got the car. While in San Antonio it really got bad. So we figured when we got back to Tucson we would go to the dealer, Jim Click Kia and have it looked at while they did the routine oil change.

The Service Adviser let us know that the bolt that holds the steering shaft in the column was gone! Kia did not want us to drive the car. No problem. We didn't want to drive it. So they called and ordered the bolt. The next thing you know they are calling us and telling us that Kia is going to....drum roll please...replace our Soul with a new 2011 Model. This is at no cost to us.

Not only did they give us a new 2011 model they paid all the fees to transfer our plates, rental car, etc. This all happened in less then 48 hours.

The Service Manager at Jim Click and Kia Motors America really made us believers that some companies really do care about their customers.

Some of you may think that they were just trying to save a law suit. May-be, but they sure made it all painless for us. I don't know of many companies that would step up like this one did.

Babies and Old Men

2010-12-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Sarah, recently gave birth to a little girl. As with all new mothers she has questions that she is a little hesitant to ask. I remember those days. You don't want to look like you don't know how to take care of this new little person that is depending on you for everything.

It has been my experience that babies and old men are very similar in their needs and views on life. This is of course a generalization and may not apply to the baby or the old man in your life.

Crashed and burned

asleep on the sofa

I am the most important person in the room, house, street, city, country, and world. PAY ATTENTION TO ME!
I want to eat. Not in 5 minutes. Now if you please.
Both love breasts.
Naps are most important to the happiness of the entire household. If the baby or old man is napping perhaps, you should be napping also.
I do NOT sleep well in my own bed. Swaddling may help with the baby, but be careful swaddling an old man.
I sleep best in my recliner, sofa, bouncer, or your arms. Sending or putting me in bed will only awaken me. I may ask to be fed.

Samantha and Papa holding hands

Sarah has finally had one night when the new baby actually slept in her crib. One night Sarah was so tired that she allowed the baby to sleep in her bed. I warned her that this could start a bad habit. I know I let an old man sleep in my bed one night and haven't been able to get him out yet!

It's Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have always felt that I lived a blessed life.
I have parents who were strict, yet allowed me to explore who I was and who I hoped to be. They were supportive and understanding. They were the steady hand on the tiller when I was tossed in angry seas.

I have amazing siblings. No matter how far apart we are now we are so close that when we get together it seems like yesterday. They have called me out when I screwed up and hugged me when need. They have loved me without condition.

Husbands, well I have had a few of those. They too deserve thanks. They have loved and hated me. They to have comforted me and chastised me. They have filled my heart with love I never would have known otherwise. I have broken some hearts and I am sorry for that.

Children, I have a few of those also. I have always said that I have yours, mine and someone elses. Each child has been a gift. They too have loved and I am sure been displeased with me. I just want them to know that no matter what I will always love you. I may not like what you are doing, but I will always love you.

Grandchildren, hmmmm. Many of you know that I have claimed that I didn't get the Grandmother gene and wasn't to sure about the Mother gene. Well this new generation is wonderful. They are hope that all will be okay. A new baby is a statement that we do believe in the future.

My country is America and I am so thankful that I was born here. Because I was born here I have had opportunities I would never have had otherwise. I have protected it and I have spoken against it's policies at times. But I am thankful that I AM AN AMERICAN!

So as we set down to full tables and hold hands to give thanks, let us not forget those less fortunate, those away from home, those with nothing on the table, those without hands to hold.

Heroes

2010-11-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Heroes are interesting people. I am not talking about Sports figures or Hollywood elite. We do sometimes get confused and think that they are heroes. They are not.

Most heroes when asked about their heroic action will tell you that they were just doing their job, that there are others who did more, etc.

Recently while reading a wonderful book, Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne, I came across the name of Capt. Nicholas Nolan. I became interested because of my genealogy research.

I still am not sure if I am related to Capt Nolan, but he has touched me. He touched me so much that upon finding that he is buried close to where I am currently, I went to the cemetery and took photos of his headstone. I spent close to 2 hours with the dead that morning. Capt. Nolan is buried in the US National Cemetery in San Antonio, TX. Not the National Cemetery located on Fort Sam Houston, though they have responsibility for the management of the Cemetery.

Nicholas M. Nolan
March 10, 1835(1835-03-10) – October 24, 1883(1883-10-24) (aged 48)
Major Nicholas M. Nolan, 3rd Cavalry, formerly of the 10th Cavalry
Place of birth	Ireland
Place of death	Holbrook, Navajo County, Arizona
Place of burial	San Antonio National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	Department of War–Army
Years of service	1852–1883
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	American Civil War 16 major campaigns (1861-1865) Most if not all of the 166 related battles Indian Wars

As I walked among the headstones I was reminded of all the soldiers that gave their lives in the formation of this country, to keep this country free, and hopefully to bring freedom to others.

They lay next to each other, General and Private, wives, infants, friend and I am sure sometimes foe. Their headstones give glimpses of lives. Some have only dates of birth and death. Some have epithets worn by the rain, sun, and time.

Capt. Nolan’s reads: During the stirring event of a civil war and the hardship of the frontier Major Nolan’s character for honesty and honorable purpose remained untarnished. He was one of the bravest of the young cav. Officers of the Army of the Potomac and was always at the front.

The phrase, always at the front, has made me think. “To always be at the front”, you open yourself up for arrows, bullets, criticism, and praise. It means that you are willing to cross the line and stand up for what you believe is right and just. It means that you put others before yourself.

We have a new National Hero, Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, Medal of Honor Recipient. He was at the front. He carried his fellow soldier on his back through bullets and being wounded himself. He will tell you that the other soldiers there were just as heroic and that he was doing his job.

Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, was at the front.

I salute you.

Splendor, Terror on the the Cruise Ship?

2010-11-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

First off I am not totally without sympathy for the stranded VACATIONERS on the cruise ship, Splendor. I am sure there were some tense moments when the fire in the engine room broke out. It appears that they got it under control.

Of course now they are being towed. They are without power and food or air conditioning. They are being towed in by the USS Reagan and the Coast Guard has been doing all they can, oh and they have had food airlifted in. Okay, it is SPAM, pop-tarts, croissants, and crabmeat. They have cold showers. The weather is good and it looked like they didn't have rough seas. Going 4kts is no fun. That is damn slow. Dragonheart can usually make 5 under engine and we have been know to make 9kts with a good wind!

However, the people of Haiti would probably love being on a disabled cruise ship. The Soldiers that are risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan would love to be on a disabled cruise ship.

How blessed the people on the cruise ship are: They were able to take a vacation on the largest cruise ship in the Carnival Line. They are going to be reimbursed for this trip and they are going to be given another trip free of charge.

The media is making sound like the worst thing that can happen. I can think of several things that are much worse. I am sure that you can too.

It's Vegas Baby...

2010-11-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

This past week was my first time in Vegas. I always fly into Las Vegas, but never stay. I can tell you that I won’t do it again.

If you aren’t into drinking and gambling there isn’t a lot to do. Once you have walked through one Casino and Hotel you pretty much have walked through them all.

I really can’t think of any use for a purse that cost a thousand dollars or a T-Shirt that costs forty dollars.

Las Vegas was merely the backdrop for a small family reunion. We gathered there because my brother, Paul and his family were coming from Alaska to go to the races. Joe flew in from Denver, Mom, Dad, Cynthia, Michael and I drove in from Tucson and Helen drove from Bullhead City.

I must tell you that as Cynthia so aptly put it, “She had more fun with her family than anything that Vegas provided.

No one played a slot. We did walk Fremont Street and people watched. We went to Caesar’s Palace to walk around. We went through the Bellagio and stayed after dark to watch the water shows.

I am told that the slot machines don’t even take coins any more. It is all pushing buttons and tickets. Most of the machines didn’t even have anyone sitting in front of them.

Vegas is surreal…Drive Thru Wedding Chapels. Doesn’t that just say commitment? Of course if it doesn’t work out you can always drive to Reno.

In the harsh light of day Vegas is dirty and ugly. In the neon glow of the night it can look like a fairyland. Trust me Cinderella it isn’t real.

Frankly, we had more fun sitting in a hotel room playing cards and laughing. I personally laughed so hard that I am sure I cracked a rib. My ribs still hurt.

It was a time to reconnect, to laugh and just be together.

To DNA or Not To DNA...

2010-10-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

That is the question.

It appears that there has been a Y DNA Project for the Bonham Family. I think my Dad will get his cheek swabbed. It is painless and the price keeps coming down.

Not to be left out my Mom is deciding if she wants to do a test. I can't imagine why...Smith isn't a common name or anything. It has been frustrating looking for Smith Ancestors. We will persevere.

Ancestry.com has been invaluable in our research. We have met some wonderful cousins and found living family. Together we are piecing together the history that made us who and what we are. It is our own private detective story.

Everyone we have met has been more than generous. Generous with information, photos, and documents.

Mom and I have laughed and cried. We have shared the magnifying glass so that we can read the ineligible hand writing from 1700 and upward. We have marveled at the internet and how connected it allows us be to others and to documents. It has meant that we don't always need to travel to find an answer. Rind A Grave has been invaluable in getting photos of headstones.

One thing that I have learned by researching my ancestors is that my ancestors were from the South. I have lived most of my life up North and in my head I am a Yankee. South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and yes...Texas all have claims on me. That is my father's side. On mom's side it is more the Mid-West and Canada!

Reality is that I am a good old American mutt. I am a product of of my environment.

I am happy to report to my many fine British and Welsh friends that this colonist has some pretty significant ties to the UK. I know you will want proof. All the more reason for DNA.

The branches of our tree keep growing and new information is just around the corner. Who knows what the DNA step will bring us. What I do know is that good or bad it is part of who we are. It is the history that we hand to our descendants.

What Were We Thinking?

2010-10-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

When Michael left the hospital they were happy to give me supplies to do his twice daily wet to dry dressing changes.

Not sure what that means...it means that I will need one bottle of hydrogen peroxide, one bottle of 0.9% saline solution, one sterile cotton swab, one 2x2 gauze square for cleaning, 2 1/2 inches of kerlex for packing the wound, and one abdominal pad and two 12 inch pieces of paper tape. Granted we don't use an entire bottle of hydrogen peroxide or an entire bottle of saline. But let me tell you that they don't last long.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH!

Unfortunately, I have been on the nursing side and always thought that I was giving the patient's family more than enough supplies. What were we thinking? Crap happens people. The swab falls on the floor..it goes in the trash. You need a prescription for that saline solution. I haven't been able to find the long sterile swabs anywhere. Abdominal pads...a 12 pad box cost $7.00.

So every time we went in for a wound check I robbed the room. The doctors laughed eventually because they knew as soon as I came in the door I was scoping out the room for possible supplies.

I know that every doctor, nurse and aide thought that they were being generous and they were, however, it is never enough. And even though I have done more dressing changes than I care to admit to, it is lonely when you are doing them at home and you don't have that change of shift nurse looking at the same wound and confirming what you think. I will admit that every time we went in I was a ball of nerves wondering if they thought the wound looked as good as I thought it did. For the record they agreed with me.

So to all the families that I sent out the door with a bag of supplies and written instructions...I am sorry if I short changed you. I now know it is never enough.

Looking Out My Window

2010-09-25T12:27:00.001-07:00

I am sitting inside the RV with the sun shining and wondering if my other home, Dragonheart is okay. It seems that Mathew is sitting over Guatemala and drenching them. I am sure that the 4+ inches of rain won't leak in any where. LOL! A boat always leaks. Everyone tells me she is okay so....

This actually a moth

Here's looking at you

Looking outside this morning I saw that the hummingbirds were out. Coffee and camera in hand I got ready to get some shots. I hope you enjoy them.

Waiting his turn

This tastes good

Me next

Coming in for a taste

What a great way to spend the morning. It sure beats worrying.

Who Am I...and Where Did I Come From???

2010-09-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was spent with my Mom and Dad. We were working on our Genealogy. I know you thought this was going to be "The Sex Talk". Too late for that one.

In 2006 Mom bought the discs for Family Tree Maker. Ancestry.com is the culprit. We bought her a laptop and started filling out what we knew off the tops of our heads. Dad provided some comedy when we asked him his grandmother's name. "Grandma" was the reply. No we wanted her birth name, which we were pretty sure was not Grandma. After some digging and not much help from Dad we found her given name.

My Great-grandma, Adaline

We quickly found that we had hit a brick wall. We had collectively emptied our brains of any family that we knew. Mom thought that she had some information that someone had given her sometime in the past. Who knew if it was even us. We didn't even know how to check at that time. So the paper went back into a folder in a cabinet and set there.

I will admit that living on a sailboat in Guatemala did not lend itself to helping mom much with her search. Life happened and we all just let things sit. Sure I thought about it and wondered if we would start up again, but then my plate was pretty full so nothing happened.

Well things have changed. Mom got the new 2011 edition on Family Tree Maker with all the additions and bells and whistles. Let the adventure begin.

We commandeered the kitchen table, set up her laptop, and printer. Folders came out and we set down for some serious looking. It was hard to start up after our vacation, but we persevered. We watched tutorials. Some of them several times. We set aside time to watch the Webinar that evening hosted by Ancestry.com. Don't we sound like we know what we are doing?

Well THANK YOU for the updates to the program. We found a mother load! People share their trees now and you can get hints. We need hints badly. We are such neophytes at this. We aren't even sure how to get organized. We print out everything.

That leaf means a hint

We had dad making folders, bringing us paper, buying an external hard drive. At one point we talked about a whiteboard and posting the working tree on the wall.

We laughed, we cried, we hooted and hollered. We began to say names like a mantra...Ethelbert, son of William and Mary. Ethelbert married Mary Jane and their children are.....

That paper that has been in a cabinet for years...turns out we are related. It has opened a lot of doors for us. We have barely scratched the surface. We have, however, started.

Real Food

2010-09-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

Vegetables and Fruit.....

I like most vegetables. Except for peas, lima beans, and okra (unless it is fried). My kids like vegetables. I really for the life of me can not remember a time when I used trickery to get a kid to eat a vegetable or a fruit. I love fresh fruit.

It is a texture thing

Fry it and I will eat it

Apparently tricking your children, husband or acquaintances to eat vegetables has become a multi-million dollar business. Watching TV commercials proves that out daily.

I once sat all night with peas in my mouth

V8 – fusion or Splash are fruit flavored vegetable juices, one way to get everyone to drink his or her daily requirement. You can have Fusion or Splash and never touch are real fruit or vegetable. But watch out as you drink a counter will appear over your head keeping track of your vegetable intake.

Mott’s Medley juices will do the same thing. As Marcia Cross (actress from Desperate Housewives) the paid promoter will tell you. “Sometimes you just can’t get your kids to eat their fruits and vegetables like they should. It takes a little magic to get them to eat right. Enter Mott’s Medley Juice, just the magic you need to get those kids to drink their daily requirement.

Mom and Dad may not be listening to all this commercial crap, but I bet the kids are listening. The message that they are hearing is that REAL fruits and vegetables are BAD things.

When I started this blog I thought I was the only one concerned. Thank God I am not! There are plenty of mom’s wondering if all our kids are picky eaters.

I understand for some people it is a “texture thing”…trust me, that is me and peas and lima beans. Oh, and slimy okra in soup or gumbo.

May-be we do a poor job of introducing fruit and vegetables to our babies? May-be we are poor role models for our children. If we aren’t eating fruit and vegetables then how can we expect them to eat healthy food?

Most agree that Madison Ave. has hit on marketing to young children to get Moms and Dads to buy replacements for real food.

I agree with Cynthia on Daily Cyn. (This is not me or is it Cynthia) Peel an orange, cut up a carrot, hand them an apple, share a bunch of grapes, or make a salad with them. Kids involved in cooking tend to eat healthier.

Let’s get excited about real food. Last but not least, can we please turn off the TV?

Purpose and Passion

2010-09-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

I need purpose. I don’t play well with others unless I have a sense of purpose in my overall life. If Cindy is unhappy with Cindy…well she ain’t happy with nobody else.

So I am on a quest, a quest for purpose. You would think as a daughter, sister, aunt, mother, grandmother, wife, nurse, and counselor that I would be filled with purpose. Well something is missing. I can’t tell you what “it” is that is missing, but I know it.

I figure as long as I am on a quest I should have a good time on the journey. This journey will take some twists and turns. They may not make sense, but I am sure that they will be important.

Lately, partly because I have really great FREE unlimited WIFI I have been surfing the web. Right now it is recipes. I find myself drooling and salivating and talking to myself about ingredients.

I have fallen in love with Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman website. I truly don’t know how she does it all. Blog, home school, photographs, conventions, keep house. I know how she does it. She is a woman. She multi-tasks. She took a passion a purpose and made it work for her. I am sure she is making money at all this. In fact, I know she is because I bought her cookbook on Amazon.

Fortunately for me we currently are in Tucson where my parents live. Michael is now well enough to visit so we set out yesterday with grocery bags full, recipes in hand and took a step on the quest.

Last night was a dinner of Provolone-Apricot-Stuffed Chicken. The recipe was courtesy of the Rachel Ray magazine. One rule of thumb for me is…if there are pictures of the food, then I am more likely to cook it.

Rachel, Ree and all the contributors for all the food sites have great photos. So I also packed my camera when I went to cook. Now if only I would have taken a meat mallet. Never fear, being a cruiser has taught me that you can make do. And make do I did. My dad lent me my grandfather’s hammer to pound that chicken. Worked great.

Dessert was a recipe from The Tasty Kitchen website. Apple Dumplings. The different ingredient in this recipe was a can of Mountain Dew. Yes, Mountain Dew. OMG they were to die for…

Now for the best part of the entire dinner, drum roll please – The Clean-Up Crew!

Books, Books and Banned Books

2010-09-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

While visiting with my parents the other day they shared an article about Banned Book Week, Sept. 25-Oct 2. The article was written by Betsy Towner. Betsy got me to thinking about books.

Books have always been some of my best friends. I received the gift of book lover from my Mom. She always has at least a couple of books going. She instilled in me the love of a good book and the rules for taking care of books.

Always use a bookmark
Never lay a book down open- it will break it's spine
Please don't dog-ear a page
Keep the cover on to protect it
Don't write in it

I am sure there were more rules and I know that I must have broken most of them. But, back to Banned Book Week. It is not what you think. The week is to celebrate our right to read what we want. Who are we to judge another's taste? As I read through Ms. Towner's list I realized that I had read all but three of the banned books. This is her list:

Too Political

1. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
2. All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
3. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemmingway
4. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemmingway
6. Animal Farm - George Orwell
7. 1984 - George Orwell
8. Doctor Zhivago - Boris Pasternak
9. Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
10. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse - Peter Matthiessen

Too Much Sex

Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemmingway
Lady Chatterley's Lover - D.H. Lawrence
Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Peyton Place - Grace Metallous
Rabbit, Run - John Updike
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
Jaws - Peter Benchley
Forever - Judy Blume
The Prince of Tides - Pat Conroy
Beloved - Toni Morrion
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents - Julia Alvarez

Irreligious

On the Origin of the Species - Charles Darwin
The Lord of the Rings trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkin
The Last Temptation of Christ - Nikos Kazantzakis
Bless Me, Ultima - Rudolfo Anaya
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling

Socially Offensive

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin
The Scarlet Letter - Nathanial Hawthorne
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner
Brave New Worlds - Aldous Huxley
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Cujo - Stephen King
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Ordinary People - Judith Guest
A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley

Personally I was shocked by all of the above titles. Some were required reading in High School and some in College. I want you to know that I plan on reading the three that I haven't as soon as possible.

If you love books then please:
Visit your library, download a book, read a book, share a book, read a book to someone who can't read, have a child read a book to you.
And please help the American Library Association celebrate, "Banned Book Week".

You can learn more at: American Library Association

I Hear You Knocking...

2010-08-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Earl, the hurricane is moving in the Atlantic Basin in his "cone of uncertainty".

Earl is a big boy that currently is a Cat 4. All this is on the heels of the 5th Anniversary of hurricane Katrina. What I find fascinating is the news reports that, "People aren't boarding up their houses or moving to higher ground. Of course it has been a long time since a major hurricane has passed over the BVI's."

May-be the problem is me. I may not remember the last time a hurricane passed over the BVI's, but I think based on what I have seen I would have; prepared my home, secured food and supplies, and if possible gotten my butt out of the "cone of uncertainty". Human beings are incredible. We have short-term memory issues and some of us think that we are invincible.

As I was watching the reports commemorating Hurricane Katrina and listening to reporters I was struck again at our ability to think..."it won't happen to me". People standing on the roofs of their homes with signs that read, Help Us, Save Us. Didn't we ask them to evacuate? Didn't they stay?

Remember, hurricanes like wibbles wobble. One wobble and now it is heading right for you. If you are in the "cone of uncertainty" get ready, have a plan, be able to execute your plan. I don't want to see any of my friends on the East Coast standing on their roofs with signs that read: Help Me, Save Me.

Be careful out there it is a crazy world.

These Things I Know

2010-08-26T19:14:00.003-07:00

These things I know….

Sex and lust are for young people. Love is forever. Love is NOT trains crashing in midair. Love is NOT birds singing.

Love IS when you get up for the umpteenth time and wipe up the bathroom floor after your husband’s catheter has leaked blood and urine more times that you can remember or count.

Love is wiping said husband’s back and giving him a back rub because he has been in bed for too long.

Love is walking together, be it hand-in-hand or with you beside a walker, quad cane, or wheelchair.

Love is when you sit in the OR waiting room and wait for someone, anyone to tell you that, yes it is taking longer than expected, but the doctor will be out soon to talk to you.

Love is accepting the reality that an erection is NOT the most important thing in a marriage. Companionship will last a lot longer. A sunset or sunrise will last a lot longer. Sharing a good book will last longer. Almost anything that you can thing of will last longer than an erection!

Love is lying in bed with your Mother and trying not to cry about your Dad, who may not make it through the night. Love is telling your siblings that it will be okay, even when you aren’t sure, but they need you to be strong.

Family is talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Family is quiet when you want to scream, “I can’t handle this!” And then a hug that lets you know you are not alone and yes, you can handle this and so much more.

Family is, “Call me as soon as you hear something. Once we know something we can make a plan.”

Family is looking at black and white photos with your parents and asking, “Who is that? How are we related? Tell me a story about them.”

Family is knowing that even though you haven’t talked in weeks or months, that they are in your corner.

Family remembers; the first Christmas, the first camping trip, the first time you got up on water skis, the time you were told that Santa lives in your heart, when you came out of the closet, when you cried because you disappointed them, and they forgave you before you asked. Family remembers all the firsts and celebrates them.

Family is learning that you have the coolest brother-in-law. That he would do anything for you. And that could include a day at the Spa.

Family is a free massage from a professional and no charge.

Family is rotating to the blow-up bed at the lake when all you desperately want a good night sleep, but it is your turn… so suck it up.

Friendship is sacred and rare. It is the call that says I need you, but please ask no questions. It is acceptance of your warts and the flashes of brilliance that others may miss.

Friendship is taking an hour out of their day to speak Spanish or just listen to you vent when speaking Spanish is the last thing on your mind.

Friendship is an invitation to a lunch of homemade burgers, salad, cold beer or wine and a view of the river that leaves you wanting more.

Friendship is the people that will take your cat for an indeterminate time and make sure that it is loved and cared for while you are doing other things.

Friendship is the quiet touch and, “We’ll be thinking of you.”

A good book can and will take you away from whatever is tearing at your heart. It is a friend that asks nothing of you and yet gives you more than you wished for…

Love is holding a baby for the first time and counting fingers and toes and thanking God that they are all there.

Love is your husband holding you while you identify the body of your child and together you stand and give witness to the life that could have been.

Hope comes in many forms. The unconditional love of your parents. The knowledge that your siblings will stand next to you and never doubt you. Hope is the baby or grandbaby that you hold in your arms and dream about the future. The quiet knowledge that no matter how bad you mess things up it can still turn out all right.

Love is learning to trust a child again after they have broken your trust. It takes small steps. It is a dance, it breaks your heart, and yet it can restore your faith in humankind.

Life is not what you think it will be, but it is more than you could ever imagine. It is full of things that take your breath away and things that make you take an extra breath.

And this I know…I am what I am because of all of you. To all of you who have believed in me, all of you that have questioned me and made me look deeper into myself. To all of you that have held me up when I thought I couldn’t take another step, to all of you that gave me hope when I felt my most hopeless. To all of you who loved me, even when I was my most unlovable. To all of you that told me I could do, whatever, it was that I was sure I couldn’t. Thank you.

Do NOT Read this...It May Offend you and I am on my Soapbox

2010-08-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

I was watching FOX News, Hannity in particular, because that is what Michael watches. I consider myself an independent. I try, sometimes without success to look at both sides.

Well, get ready because I am on my Soapbox. Ms. Leeann Tweeden was on as a member of the "All American Panel." First off her outfit pissed me off. There she is in some sort of Army Green Fatigues that sport a number one in red, white, and blue. There is an emblem that states, "Support The Troops" Under her name is..."Television Personality". Right. As a disabled Vet I am appalled at her outfit. If she supports the troops I can give the address for the nearest Recruiting Center. She then can support the troops standing toe-to-toe with them on the front line.

I have never liked anyone wearing a version of the uniform that I wore with pride.

Yes, according to her MySpace page she has done several USO shows in Iraq. I am sure our young men and women appreciate that she took time out to go and give them some relief from the war.

So I googled Ms. Tweeden. Very interesting. Here is her Wikipedia page. (I copied it)

Leeann Velez Tweeden (born June 13, 1973) is an American model. Tweeden was born in Manassas, Virginia. She graduated from Osbourn Park High School in 1991. Tweeden skipped college altogether and instead pursued a career in modeling. Just two years after leaving her Virginia High school, while working as a hostess at a Hooters restaurant (she was in their 1994 calendar) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she won first place in the Venus International Model Search in 1992. This break led to national exposure. Tweeden modeled for promotional work for Hooters and Venus International along with Frederick's of Hollywood and Playboy.

The March 2007 Issue of FHM (which was the final printed US issue) features Leeann as the cover girl.[1]

Tweeden was a correspondent for Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period from 2000 to 2007. In 2008, Tweeden became the third hostess of the NBC late night television series Poker After Dark.[2] She was a guest on the Sean Hannity Show on 1/20/2010, 02/24/2010, 04/30/2010, 06/21/2010, 07/20/2010 and 8/23/2010 on the Great American Panel.[3]

As part of Hooters' 25th anniversary in 2008, Tweeden was named among "The Top Hooters Girls of all time".[4]

In 2009 she became the public face of the website Rethinking Autism which uses a series of videos to educate the public about autism.[5]

I applaud your support of Autism.

But really, this is who we are listening to for political insight. I have trouble with this when the first thing you see on Google are the photos of Ms. Tweeden in various half dressed poses. And in case you are wondering. FHM...For Him Magazine.

Are we all thinking with our small heads???

Her Quote:

“If it weren’t for those men and women, there’s no way I’d be on TV or be able to do FHM,” Leeann says. “I’d probably be covered in a burka—and what a waste that would be.”^[6]

Mr. Hannity...if you want me to take you seriously then please do me the courtesy of having people I can listen to that may actually know what they are talking about.

Life in the States

2010-08-22T15:47:00.002-07:00

It has been in the triple digit temps since I arrived in Arizona. There must be some humidity because the locals are complaining. I will try never to say, “It’s a dry heat” again. The a/c runs constantly in the afternoon.

By five pm it is usually down to 100 in the shade and that’s where I have my Happy Hour. I must get outside sometime.

As I sit outside the door and gaze at the Santa Catalina Mountains I watch the dove come out of their cacti homes and fly around the campground. During the week it is a constant flow of cars, trucks, SUV’s, crossovers, and motorcycles leaving the Base headed home.

You can go grocery shopping anytime of the day or any day of the week. It wears me out. There are so many choices for everything. The cereal isle can bring me to tears. So I have simplified that isle…Cheerios. Yes, basic old fashioned Cheerios. And based on the study I read on Yahoo (that font of knowledge) Cheerios are actually good for you and will help you lose weight.

The meat counter leaves me speechless. First off I go into shock at the prices. Then I look at the cuts of meat. I miss the launcha from Casa Guatemala that comes to the marina twice a week and has pork, chicken, yogurt, cheese, butter and occasionally crab or lobster. They even do special orders!

The other problem is that I just plain buy too much stuff when I am shopping in the US. The fridge in the RV isn’t that big and if you want a 6 pack of beer, a ½ gallon of milk and a bottle of chilled white wine then you are asking a lot of it. Of course it doesn’t help that everything is SUPER-SIZED!

I find that I can’t get enough green salad and real tomatoes and lunchmeat. Chicken, turkey, smoked, roasted, deli sliced, shaved and pastrami, roast beef…you name it you can have it. You can have it in over abundance. I haven’t even talked about ice cream. Cynthia and I try and walk by without making eye contact with the Blue Bell, Blue Bunny, Ben & Jerry’s or the other brands that are like sirens at sea calling sailors to their deaths. Vanilla, Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip, Moose Tracks, Bunny Tracks, Banana Split, etc. Don’t’ forget the frozen yogurt and sherbet!

Sushi at every grocery store made daily. They are right next to the bakery. Who knew there were so many kinds of bread, long, short, round, loaf, white, whole wheat, whole grain, sliced, unsliced, rustic, peasant, French, and double fiber.

I am still figuring out where to put stuff. The fall back position usually ends up being the driver and passenger seats up front. We can’t use them while we are parked so they might as well store stuff.

I do like the Dish TV. Please don’t tell Michael. I like that I can tape a show and watch it when I want. I especially like fast forwarding through the commercials and the political ads.

Life is simpler on the boat in Guatemala, but I don’t miss the five-hour bus ride to the city. I love getting into my car and driving 15 minutes to get…beer, wine, lunchmeat, cereal, and potatoes. Oh, you get the idea. It is the land of plenty.

The PSA Test could save the life of a man you love

2010-08-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

A simple blood test could save the life of man that you love. I know. It saved the life of my father, my husband and several friends.

One of my favorite musicians, Dan Fogelberg died at the age of 56 from prostate cancer. That is too young.

So If there is a man you love please encourage him to have the PSA test done and the Digital Rectal Exam.

What are the key statistics about prostate cancer?

Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. The latest American Cancer Society estimates for prostate cancer in the United States are for 2010:

About 217, 730 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed
About 32,050 men will die of prostate cancer

About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. About 1 man in 36 will die of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer accounts for about 11% of cancer-related deaths in men.
The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. These rates are used to create a standard way of discussing prognosis (outlook). Of course, many of these patients live much longer than 5 years after diagnosis. Five-year survival rates are based on patients diagnosed and first treated more than 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment since then may result in a better outlook for recently diagnosed patients. Five-year relative survival rates compare the observed survival with that expected for people without the cancer. That means that relative survival only talks about deaths from the cancer in question. This is a more accurate way to describe the outlook for patients with a certain cancer.
According to the most recent data, for all men with prostate cancer, the relative 5-year survival rate is nearly100% and the relative 10-year survival rate is 91%. The 15-year relative survival rate is 76%. Keep in mind that 5-year survival rates are based on patients diagnosed and first treated more than 5 years ago, and 10-year survival rates are based on patients diagnosed more than 10 years ago. Modern methods of detection and treatment mean that many prostate cancers are now found earlier and can be treated more effectively. If you are diagnosed this year, your outlook is likely to be better than the numbers reported above.

The above is from the American Cancer Society

Here is a link to the Prostate Cancer Foundation on wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate_Cancer_Foundation

Where are the Social Police?

2010-08-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

On our latest flight to the United States there were several occasions when we needed, "Social Police".

I am willing to take on the job. You may be wondering in what occasions would you need Social Police. Let me enlighten you.

Carry on Bags: All the signs tell you the dimensions of the approved size. If you look around there are several people that have bags for carry on that exceed the size limits. That's right...time for the SP. "Excuse me sir/madam you are correct the rules do NOT apply to you. Go right ahead and break the rules."

Sitting in the waiting area. Our carry on bags have been inspected and we have been wanded twice. But we are flying out of Guatemala so 30 minutes prior to boarding you have to get out of your seat and let them go back through your bags and wand you one more time. Oh, and you can't have any drinks in the seating area after that last inspection. Now is when you need a SP. Someone always goes under the radar, gets a drink and sneaks it back in. How can this be? Because the employees are so busy chatting that they are not doing their jobs. I got so upset when I watched two women sneak two drinks in that I went up to the employees and asked why they could have a drink and we could not. It is amazing how fluent my Spanish is when I am pissed off.

Now we are getting ready for take off. The announcement is made that we ALL must turn off our electronic devices. That's right...time for the SP. "Excuse me sir/madam you are correct the rules do NOT apply to you. Go right ahead and break the rules." If we crash because you couldn't wait a couple of minutes to start your movie/music/etc that's okay.

If you must use the forward toilet the Flight Attendants make several announcements that you must line up behind row THREE. It is against the LAW to line up in front of row THREE. Someone call the Social Police! It seems that everyone believes that that rule/law does not apply to them. Even when they are reminded.

I must tell you the final event that really put my panties in a twist, it is as follows:
We land and there is applause. (I am not sure when that started...applauding the landing. In all my working years no one stopped and applauded me when I did a good job. But that is a different Blog.) So we are taxiing down the runway and people are standing up and taking down their luggage. The flight attendants start making the announcements. "You must stay seated we are on an active taxi way. All luggage must be returned to the overhead bins." Someone please call the Social Police. Some people sat down. Not one of them returned their luggage to the overheads. The flight attendants had to do that little job.

Enter the drunk. In the seats behind us was a young family with two small children. One of the children was in the mother's lap so the aisle seat was vacant. The drunk sat down and began to be extremely profane at the top of his voice. The mother asked him to move as she had paid for that seat and now her two year old son was now parroting the "F" word. Half of the plane laughed at this. Now the drunk takes up repeating, "Get back to your seat, you made my little boy say the "F" word. Oh, how horrible." At this point I pushed my attendant light since it appears that they did not want to be involved. Finally he was asked to get back to his seat. In the mean time his buddy came and sat next to me. He is hitting on the girls across the aisle from me and now he is talking loudly about how up tight the young mother was...and he starts up with the chant. At this point I ask him to go back to his seat. I even said please. His response, "You sweet, sweet woman" As he was leaving, my response, "And you young man are a jack ass!"

The first young man again became loud and belligerent for a second time. He was escorted to the front of the plane and I can only hope that he was met by the police. And I am not talking about the Social Police.

I could go on and on, but it is time to get off my soapbox. Cynthia and I are working on our uniforms.

P.S. Before the young mother left the plane I told her that she was the one that deserved the applause. She stood up for her child.

Blue Jobs...Pink Jobs

2010-07-24T19:03:00.001-07:00

Many cruisers talk about blue jobs and pink jobs. I always scoffed at the notion that there were differences in jobs on a boat, much less categorized by sexual orientation. So now is the time that I eat some humble pie.

Since Michael is in the States, I have learned to change the propane tank (something that Michael takes care of routinely), the fuel filter needs changing ( right Michael, again), and now for one of the most masculine jobs known to all mankind... GRILLING.

The usual when grilling is Michael starts the grill and as I have said on many occasions, " offers up a burnt offering to the gods"...I stay below and cook the accompaniments. Michael is in the States and we had a couple of great Porterhouse Steaks that needed to be eaten. Cynthia took my place and prepared the buttermilk biscuits and I with beer in hand took over the grilling of the steaks.

How many times has Michael asked me are you ready? And I reply just a few minutes...turn down the fire. According to Michael the fire is down as much as it can go and I scoff.

Sorry, you are right Michael, you turn it down and yet it continues to cook. So tonight we had biscuits baked to perfection and steaks that were...well a little more well done than I prefer.

I do have to admit that there is a certain amount of perceived power in sitting in front of a grill, tongs in hand and a chilled beer in the other, yelling down below..."so how are those accompaniments coming?"

The Storm

2010-07-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last night right around mid-night we had a storm blow through. When else would a storm come through. One boat on the sheltered side clocked the wind at 46+ knots. I know that it felt like we were sailing. No boats were damaged.

There was a lot of tree damage. Lot's of stuff in the pool and on the grounds. A couple of tarps are worse for the wear.

The puzzles that people work on in the palapa took it in the shorts. The restaurant and bar had some damage. Lights got wrapped up in the ceiling fans or ripped off their wires. Some glasses and bottles were broken. Tables and chairs were turned over.

The map over the coffee pot....ripped to shreds! That will teach me to blog about it. Fortunately, a new one is on it's way courtesy of Bob and Trish on Barnacle.

Everyone this morning was talking about the storm. Most of us will agree, we were glad we were at the dock!

Where Do You Want to Go?

2010-07-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

It is funny how a simple gesture can begin a tradition.

The year that we arrived at Mario's Marina on the Rio Dulce we had an amazing buddy boat, Procyon. On Procyon were Randy and Sherry. They moved on and got stalled in another part of the globe. We got stalled here. But before they left us and Rio Dulce they gifted the Club at the marina with a chart. It was hung without ceremony by the coffee pot. It still hangs there. It is a little worn and some spots have been wiped bare. It is full of fingerprints. It is full of dreams.

Every morning or happy hour someone or a small group stop and show a route, or talk about a destination dreamed of, or a place that they have come from, or just a chance to located that location.

Not many people currently at the Marina even know how the chart got here or who put it up or why it was put up. I'm not even sure that the current owner knows. But I know and my Captain and Crew know.

It was just a simple gesture and a chance to get something off the boat so that there would be room for something else. It has become so much more. It has become the window to all those dreams...the dreams realized, the dreams yet to be dreamed, and the dreams that are coming to an end.

Thanks S/V Procyon...

Oh, Where or Where Has My Turtle Gone?

2010-06-30T11:05:00.003-07:00

When cruising I have found talented people at most of our stops. On the Rio Dulce, Jennifer of Gringo Bay, is one such person. Jennifer can paint on almost anything. She does passport covers and canvas rugs, and she paints turtle shells. She also makes belts from snake skins that the locals sell to her and she then sells to the gringos.

So one Saturday morning at Swap Meet, Jennifer had a painted turtle shell. I bought it and it has lived on boat for over a year. It is in hot pink and purple colors. I love the thing and the good news is that it is not an endangered species. It is just a plain old river fresh water turtle that the locals catch. I think that they eat them.

Since we are thinking of selling the boat we decided to have Michael take some things back to the RV. Now we were a little concerned about putting this turtle shell in Micheal's suitcase. We were concerned that it might get confiscated. How do you prove it isn't an endangered open ocean turtle. We couldn't figure that one out so we asked Bob and Trish off SV Barnacle to take it back with them. Right, they were going to drive to the States from Guatemala. They agreed and stowed the turtle shell. We got word that they made it across all the borders without problem.

Not wanting to carry it across the country they were going to ship it to my parents in Tucson. Michael could pick it up and put it in the RV.

Emails confirmed addresses and phone numbers. Turtle sent, insured and tracking number sent. And then it happened. Tracking site said turtle delivered, however, my parents do not have the turtle. Emails are sent back and forth. Unknown to us Bob and Trish are in the wilds of Idaho and do not have INTERNET!

Here is my fathers story:

It's amazing how a simple thing can become a nightmare.

This is the Saga of the Turtle.

I had used the UPS tracking system last Tuesday just to see if I could locate the package. No problem - it indicated that we would receive the package on Thursday the 24th of June.

On Thursday I checked once again and found that everything was on schedule. worked me shift at the VA on Thursday morning and Mom called Bingo that afternoon and I went to Adoration at Church from 1500 to 1600 hrs.

No package had arrived yet. Just prior to going to bed at 2230 I realized that the package had not been delivered. So I went back to the tracking service and found that the package had been delivered to our front door. Went to check, but did not find a package. Went out to the driveway and looked for it, but no luck. Friday morning I called the office here at Sonoran Terrace to see if the package might have been dropped off there. No such luck.

Call UPS headquarters to see what I could find out. They were adamant that the package had been delivered. When I told them No it had not, they said all I could do was have the shipper submit a lost claim. Not very helpful.

Later on after lunch we got a phone call from a man named Rob who said that he had our package. Wanted to know where we lived and when I told him, all he could say was "Way up there!" He lives at 730 N La Cholla which is West of the I-10 Interstate and as far South at Speedway. He works for Qwest and got our phone number from them. The package was addressed to 787 N LaCholla Blvd, apt 2188. He said he would call UPS and have them pick it up and deliver it to our address. I said "NO" and that I would come after it. By the way, there is no such address as 787 N La Cholla Blvd. La Cholla ends about 100 feet from his home and you have to drive in on a dirt path and through a deep wash to get there. He came out when I got there and showed me where he had found the package. It was out in the road [path] just before the path becomes his driveway. His is the only place there.

Called UPS Headquarters after I got home and convinced them that the package had not been delivered to the front door and that I wanted the driver to be reprimanded and counseled. They said they would check into it and have the local supervisor call me. He did and I explained what had happened. While we were talking the driver returned to the facility and the supervisor told me he would be talking to him.

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Love, Mom & Dad

And now for page two...I went back and reviewed my emails. Guess who screwed up? Yup, it was me. Got to check for typo's especially when sending an address.

So that is our story. The Turtle Shell is were it belongs. As for Bob and Trish...they got all the emails after the story ended. Thanks again to everyone who helped in this Saga.

We Have the Power

2010-06-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Power (n) 1. the ability or capacity to perform or act effectively 3. strength or force exerted or capable of being exerted; might. 5. a person, group, or nation having influence or control over others. 8. electricity

Just some of the definitions for the word, "Power". For the last several nights we have not had power or electricity at the marina or along the river. Weekends are always a little worse as the rich Guatemalans come down to the river and they along with all the gringos turn on lots of devices that need power/electricity. It over powers the system and well then we all have none. Power that is.

The ironic thing to me is that most cruisers consider themselves as independent and good stewards of natural resources. Yet most of us, myself included enjoy having air conditioning on the boat. I love my computer, my iTouch, the DVD player, the Wii, refrigeration, a vacuum cleaner and the water heater. Some even have washers and dryers on board. So when the power goes out we bitch, we complain, and we sometimes point fingers as to the reasons why.

As with most things in life if we look around to see who else may need a resource then perhaps we can adjust our usage, or perceived need of usage. Do I really need to have the water heater on all the time? Can I adjust the temperature on the air conditioner? Can I shorten my shower?

Cooperate and graduate use to be a common phrase. Perhaps if we all tried that there would be enough power for everyone.

So enough about electricity. Power can also so mean according to the definition...1. the ability or capacity to perform or act effectively 3. strength or force exerted or capable of being exerted; might. 5. a person, group, or nation having influence or control over others.

After living most of the last 5 1/2 years in Guatemala I have been impressed with the sheer power of the Guatemalan people. The way they cleaned up after volcano, with wheelbarrows, shovels and hands. It is impressive to watch people get together and and make a difference.

So it is with a group in the small village of Esmeralda, which lies behind the marina. There is a group of 45 women who believe in community empowerment and social equity of their natural environment. They desire to have projects that are sustainable and compatible with the natural environment. They have joined together with the National Fund for Peace (FONAPAZ) to purchase a corn mill for the community.

This group of women need help in building the galley for the installation of the corn mill. For this they need 16 sheets of aluminum, 25 sacks of cement, 2 pounds of iron and Q5,000.00 to buy the treated wood.

This is real power. A small group of women in a small village in Central America taking control and exerting their power to change their corner of the world. I am pleased to add my name to the cause.

The Clean Up

2010-06-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Guatemala has always had a hold on my heart. From the first time I saw her through the mist on the morning that we crossed the bar she has enchanted me.

The greens of the jungle, the flow of the river, the blue of the sky, and of course the ever changing face of Cerro San Gil. Every morning I am stunned by the beauty of my home on the Rio Dulce.

So the eruption of Pacaya and the the flooding of the Montagua has touched me. As always it is the poor that suffer the most. The drive to Guatemala City allowed us to view from the window of the bus the destruction left after the river overflowed its banks. They are cleaning up and moving forward with their lives.

And so it is in Guatemala City. You see piles and piles of plastic bags full of ash on the streets. But you also see the city cleaning up and putting on her usual face of bustling business.

The sinkhole that has fascinated so many is being examined for explanation. How fortunate that the workers had all gone home and the guard went to check on his home, so there was no loss of life.

So on this sunny morning I can look around the marina and see many changes. Changes in faces and the size of boats. Every year they just keep getting bigger. There are changes in the bar.

New samples of seat covers for the seats. Padding, can you believe it, your butt may not hurt so much. New mural on the bar courtesy of a cruiser with talent.

So we are cleaning up. Change is good.

Alone Again...Unnaturally

2010-06-06T13:11:00.001-07:00

For the first time since we moved on the boat almost ten years ago, Michael and I will be apart. I can't believe that he will be in the States and I will be here in Guatemala on the boat with only Cynthia.

Part of me is looking forward to not listening to Fox News as I sleep and spreading out in the V-berth, the other part of me is not sure that I will be able to sleep. Part of me is envious that he gets the walk around queen size bed in the motorhome all to himself. He will now have his TV to fall asleep too. I won't miss that!

I have lots of projects planned for while he is gone. Cleaning out lockers and giving them a new coat of paint. Catching up on Algebra is high on the list of things to do. Starting once again to go through our stuff and pitch and toss. That can be a very satisfying exercise, plus you clean out a locker and have SPACE!

I am sure that with internet and phones we will talk daily. Need to know what is going on with him. So he takes care of his health issues and I take care of Cynthia's Orthodontist Appointments and we should hook back up in late August or September. Then a nice long visit in the States together with some serious road time and family visiting.

Pacaya Erupts and Agatha Pays a Visit

2010-05-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

Soot and ash on the streets of Guatemala City. This is in front of the Biltmore Hotel.

Guatemala is certainly getting their fair share of bad weather events. First Pacaya erupts. This causes the International Airport to close. We are not sure when it will open again. They are talking about next week. There is 2 inches of soot and ash on the runway. Reports are the volunteer street sweepers are literally hand sweeping the runways. That could take some time. Even when they get it swept up where do they put the stuff?

Now TS Agatha has made landfall on the west coast and has brought life-threatening floods to the country. Morales a small town close to us is flooding. The river is higher there than it was during Hurricane Mitch!

We have been asked to have our water tanks on the boat full and to ration water. The Rio Dulce is on the rise. Not sure how long we will have electricity or if we will have to move off the dock. We will see what happens.

There are reports that bridges are collapsing between the Rio Dulce and Guatemala City. This could cause even more problems for people that need to get to the city to fly out.

Even with all of this we are safe. No boulders are falling on the boat. The boat floats and is self- contained.

There are hundreds of Guatemalans that have been evacuated from their homes and have lost everything. Currently there are 14 Guatemalans that have lost their lives. We are simply inconvenienced.

The Rainy Season is Here

2010-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

The rainy season is now upon us. The down side is that the boat gets a little green and you definitely want to carry an umbrella with you. Trips to town are timed between showers and if you are lucky you can get back dry.

The good news is that it will hopefully end the terrible drought that Guatemala has been suffering from, this last year. The down side is that there is a Pacific Low that will cross the mountains and there will be flooding rains. The concern is that there will be mudslides in the mountains and entire villages may once again go down the mountain. It has happened before. Entire villages were covered and declared cemetaries.

The good news if that everything is flowering and every morning the sidewalks in the marina are covered with flower petals. As you walk down for a free cup of coffee you feel like royalty. The down side...it is raining.

More good news. There were fresh flowers for sale by the post office in Morales. Only Q25 ($3) for a dozen fresh long stem roses. Makes the boat pretty and it smells great!

The good news...hot showers, bar on the premises, a restaurant on the premises, a pool, laundry and last but not least...Good FRIENDS!

I forgot...why am I here???

2010-05-05T09:09:00.001-07:00

This has been the non-cruising season. This is the first time that I have said, "I am not having fun!"

First of all we are dealing with Michael's first cancer scare, skin cancer. It was cancerous, but now that is behind us. That was quickly followed by the news that he has prostate cancer. Early stages and easily taken care of, but a shock no less. He will be flying to the States on June 9th and getting treatment.

So off we set for Belize and salt water and a little fish face time. It was not to be. We got out and headed north. Then I got on heck of an ear infection. Finally on the back side of that. However, it means I should not get in the water. So no fish face time.

In short it has had some good moments, but nothing like usual. So we are looking at heading back ASAP. We want air conditioning, cold beer, medium rare steak, clean sheets and hot showers. Not necessarily in that order. You get the idea.

We are heading Home to Comfort! See you on the dock!

To Mr. Bethke, Where Ever He May Be...

2010-04-01T15:03:00.003-07:00

Some of you know that Algebra was not my cup of tea. Mr. Bethke, my Algebra teacher, was more than patient with me. I have a mental block with numbers. I choose the "soft" sciences in college. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT stupid. I just don't speak the language of mathematics.

I thought that part of my life was behind me. I thought Mr. Bethke was wrong about how I would need it later in life. Okay, I used in nursing and it did help when I had to take Experimental Stats for my Master's Degree. But by and large for my everyday life I have managed not to use Algebra.

Then I decided to go cruising with a kid. Now she is doing Algebra! Our afternoons are spent at the table with books, tables, the internet and the ever important answer/full solution key.

Just what we are working on this week.

Sometimes things come out of my mouth and I am sure that I am channeling Mr. Bethke! Sometimes I can hear him in my head, "Miss Bonham, all you have to do is plug the numbers into the formula and work it out." It still is easier said than done, but thanks for the advice.

Dad, I wish you were here with us. It brings back so many memories.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round...

2010-03-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Riding the bus is a way of life in Guatemala. Some buses are okay, some are great and some should not be on the road.

Our first year in Guatemala we rode Fuente del Norte. All gringos commonly refer to it as ‘Death from the North”. I would rather have 40 knots and be in twenty foot seas than ride with them again.

LiTegua is now our favorite bus line. They have good hours and routes and they stop at the water park for lunch or breakfast depending on the time of day. No matter if we are going to the city or coming back to the river we get the Express Special bus.

What exactly is the Express Special bus?...well it depends. Sometimes it is a ragged old thing that is belching black thick smoke or it can be a middle of the road “rode hard and put up wet” bus that still is comfortable. A movie may-be provided or not, you may get a sandwich , most likely not these days. It may-be a straight run or you may stop along the road and at every bus station along the way for the next 5 to 6 hours.

We were shocked and amazed at our latest bus back from the City to the Rio. It was NEW! No one had broken a seat, no one and peed or vomited in a seat. It still smelled clean, the curtains were new and still had the original holders and weren’t jury rigged with filthy rope. The TV was a flat screen that swung down from the ceiling, not that we had a movie, instead of the old heavy type that you hit your head on or were afraid that it would come loose and kill you or at least knock you out cold.

We had LEG ROOM! We had a driver that wasn’t too crazy. We did stop and pick up any one that was willing to stand in the aisle. But all in all not a bad ride.

Jehovah, Guard your exit and your entrance. Now and forever. That was hanging in our bus.

Cockpits R Us

2010-03-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Cockpit cock.pit \kak,pit\ n: place for a pilot, driver, or helmsman.

I spend a lot of time in cockpits. I find that they are interesting places. Once only the domain of men, more and more women are finding themselves at home in the cockpit.

The cockpit on our boat is simple. A binnacle with a compass, a large wheel for steering, the depth gauge and our chart plotter really is the sum total of what we need to move about the ocean. Down below at the navigation station we do have radar. I must admit that we rarely use it. Mainly for avoiding storms. I prefer the chart plotter with a good paper chart for navigation.

In our RV our cockpit is also simple, but it has more than the boat. The steering wheel, all the idiot lights for fuel, battery, oil, over heating. The radio which can handle CD’s, Sirius, an iPod and has a weather channel built in. You can control the air conditioner/heater from the driver’s seat. Windshield wipers, turn signals, emergency flashers and have your cup of coffee within reach. We have added “Betty” or GPS, who mostly we ignore.

Simple but it gets us down the road.

While at an RV show we looked at Class A diesel pushers. Now folks these monsters have Cockpits. They rival the cockpits of small aircraft! The usual controls for driving then there are the hydraulic levelers, the air brakes and more gauges that Carter has Pills! Seriously I was gobsmacked as I sat there in jaw dropped speechlessness. You would need a weeks worth of classes just to figure it all out. It was a feeling of total control with all the gadgets and gauges surrounding me. I HAD THE POWER! But I wasn’t sure I wanted it.

Funny you would need all that technology to drive down the interstate that has mile markers, exit signs with more information that you can read while driving 70 mph. And that doesn’t include the guides and maps and scraps of information that you have at your fingertips to get from point A to B.

Cruising Guides have nothing on Woodall’s, Trailer Life Directory or the Next Exit. There are many times when coming into an anchorage, harbour, or marina that I would have loved a Next Exit Guide. But I digress…Cockpits big, small, fancy or plain…they are what get us from here to there.

A View from the Cockpit

2010-02-25T10:42:00.001-07:00

Cruising in a Motor home.

When you are on a boat and the wind is up your aft, it is downwind. Quiet steals over you and there is the feeling that you are barely moving. In a motor home it is called a tailwind. Again it is a quieter ride and it saves on the gas mileage.

If you are headed into the wind it is pounding into it, a bone in the teeth, or a head wind. Whether you are in a boat or on land it is most uncomfortable. By-the-by if on land your gas mileage will suck with a headwind.

On the boat we watch the weather like a hawk. We want some wind to sail and quiet to anchor in. It isn’t much different on land. I really don’t want much wind while driving a moving billboard. I can do the tailwind, but a broad-reach will send you all over the road. It is especially fun driving in the canyons and mountains. I can feel myself tensing up when I see signs like:

1. Strong cross winds for the next __ miles

2. Gusty conditions ahead

3. Dust storms may cause zero visibility

You get the idea. Wind and weather control both situations. Right now we have a forecast for SNOW! I want palm trees, NOT snow!

Okay, if I am honest it is nice to be able to pull over if there is a problem. I am enjoying not sweating every minute of the day. I no longer feel claustrophobic in long pants, long sleeve shirts, jackets, socks and shoes. I do miss my shorts and sandals.

And Then There Were NOT Lights

2010-01-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

When we got ready to pull out of the park at Fort Sam Houston we were doing our safety checks which includes checking to make sure that the lights on the tow dolly are working. Well that morning they weren’t working and it was foggy and we were suppose to be leaving for Corpus Christi. This is not a good situation. We checked all fuses and connections and couldn’t find the problem. Michael finally convinced me that we couldn’t stay at Fort Sam Houston as there wasn’t a spot in the park and we had a paid reservation in Corpus Christi.

So with a really sick feeling in the pit of my stomach we headed out of the park without lights on the trailer. Funny the police that followed us didn’t stop us, so off we headed into San Antonio traffic. We made it to Corpus Christi without incident. We knew we had to fix this problem before we leave Corpus Christi.

This was a true mystery. The plug on the rig had continuity and all the fuses were working. There wasn’t any continuity on the plug on the trailer. However, when we applied 12 volts to the lights directly they came on. Hmmmmmm…Michael is looking down any available hole on the trailer and checks all the wire. Finally Michael saw a boat plug inside the tongue of the trailer that wasn’t connected to anything. I could feel around and was able to pull one end out, but the other end was inside too far and I couldn’t get my fingers in the hole.

Through some ingenious, but dangerous elevation of the dolly I was able to lay under it and with some sponge forceps able to reach deep into the tongue and found the other end. We connected the plug and voila we had lights!!!

The plug is now taped with rescue tape so that hopefully we won’t have that problem again. Just another job well done.

A Look Around the Park

2010-01-17T15:01:00.004-07:00

I thought that cruisers were getting older, but let me tell you RV’ers take the cake!

Yes…I have graying hair and I am not a spring chicken, but I can still get around under my own power. May-be not as fast, but under my own power.

Currently we are located at the Fort Sam Houston Travel Camp in San Antonio, Texas. As I was walking to the laundry room I noticed that I was the only one walking to the laundry. Almost everyone else was driving to the laundry. We are talking a few hundred yards. Let me put it in perspective…I walk three times as far at the marina to go to the laundry! This is way simpler than when we are at anchor. But that as they say is another story.

So here I am speed walking with a weeks worth of laundry trying to get there before the SUVers. Then I really start to look around there are rolling walkers with baskets outside of 4 RV’s. There are 2 hover rounds and in one of them the man in the hover round is walking his dog. The poor Chihuahua is running to keep from being drug to death.

This concerns me because most of these people are behind the wheels of 40 foot diesel pusher RV’s. Not only that they are pulling a car or truck or a covered toy hauler trailer that is the same length! These same people can’t walk or drive their cars without having their mouths hanging open all the time. A sure sign of age in my book. The open mouth syndrome. I know it will happen to me in the not too distant future. SO stop laughing.

So back to that 40 foot diesel pusher. Yes, these same people who can’t walk to the laundry or just walk are driving these rigs on the highway at speeds over 60mph. If you are not scared you should be. These rigs are the same as a Greyhound bus. If you drive a Greyhound bus you must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). I believe that if you are going to drive an RV you should have a CDL! And after some of the dumb-shit things that we have done on the water with our boat and the things that we have seen being done by other boaters may-be it is time for cruisers to have Captain’s licenses.

I can hear it now. “We are out here because we want to get away from rules.” Who does she think she is thinking we need Capt’s licenses and CDL’s. Safety people safety. I will admit to this…at least on the water out in the open ocean most of the time you are only going to endanger the people on your boat. On the highway you endanger everyone on that highway with you.

Flying by the seat of you pants can work. Heck I have done it. But just think about this. The person sitting in the hover round pulling their dog will put that in the salon of a 40 foot, 25,000 pound/ (15 Tons) RV and will be driving with you at 70 to 75 mph on the Interstate. There is an illusion of safety because all they have to do is push the accelerator and the brake.

All I know is that I hate pulling into the gas station. They aren’t made for the RV. I look for Truck stops. They have TURNING ROOM!

Be sure to wave as I pull around you and cut you off.

Out with the Old and In with the New

2009-12-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

2009 has been an interesting year. A good friend of mine told me it was going to be a "Big Wheel" year. Boy was she right.

This past year has found me evaluting my life and my future. Good friends have died. Good friends have struggled with health issues. I have noticed that I am not getting any younger and I have more aches in my body than I care to admit to. But overall, I am health, if not overweight. Need to work on that one. I know less BEER!

Relationships are tricky and just when you think you know what one is about you get the rug pulled out from under you and you just can't seem to find the road to forgiveness or to forgetting. I think that forgiveness will be easier in the long run and I am working on it, but the not being able to forget about how it was is harder by far.

The boat pulpit got destroyed again this year and is now repaired and ready for service. I am looking forward to blue seas and salt water and a little seclusion.

This year saw more of our cruising friends swallow the hook and become lubbers. We are slowly drifting in that direction...I think?

We bought a Motor Home and that has reopened some doors of discovery. We are spending more time in the States and we love the travel. Can't see us settling down and living in a house. We just like to take our home with us where-ever we go...be it land or sea.

I went to Spanish School this year and almost had a total break-down. Thankfully Carole wouldn't let me be a slacker and it all worked out. That was a wonderful week of just "girl" time.

I became addicted to my iTouch. I love it...music, movies, wifi, books, addresses, games and more games.

I bought a Mac computer and started the road to switching from a PC to a Mac. A little different, but all good.

I got Facebooked! Still not sure if that is a good thing or not. Sometimes I like it, but sometimes it wastes my time. Sometimes I find that it is like overhearing a conversation that you weren't suppose to and all it does is hurt your feelings. On a different note I have reconnected with old friends and met some new ones. Thanks to a meeting on Facebook we got a new tow dolly for the RV.

Because my sister, Helen and her husband, Einor store our car and RV we have got to spend more time with them. That sure has been WONDERFUL.

My son, David married Lilly and that increased our family by two. So welcome Lilly and Devonie to our family. It is so good to see you happy, David.

My daughter, Sarah and Chris found each other. I am excited. Sarah seems happy.

Found out I am going to be a grandmother again. And just got off the phone with my step-son and he and the mother of his child just got married!

Cynthia is growing into a fine young woman. Our grandsons Chance and Jake are growing like weeds.
Kelly is working and working. Tina is moving.

So let the new year come and reveal all it has to offer. We have 2 new daughter-in-laws and a new baby on the way and a new grand-daughter. The year is full of promise.

So Happy New Year! May your future be full of promise!

Cold, Driving and Beans

2009-12-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have forgotten what it means to be cold. For the first time in almost 7 years my feet are COLD! I am wearing long sleeves! I am wearing shoes with socks!

Driving again is always an adventure. Now we have our lovely tow dolly to take our "dinghy" with us. It works great and we don't worry about getting pooped. We do worry about tailgaters. I still feel like we are in shallow water when we go through big cities.

RV Parks are just like marinas. There are welcome packets, events and activities and lots of advice givers. Instead of sea stories you get road stories. Fortunately for us we got one of the last three spaces at Davis Monthan AFB. What a great place at the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. The park is clean, the showers are hot and very private, the laundry is reasonable and the room is very clean. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Some of you are aware of the Baked Bean shortage in Guatemala. We have been looking for them for months and Roger and Carole on SV Androsian have not been able to find them. Jim searches in Guatemala City for them with no luck. Carole, you will be happy to know that there is no shortage in the USA. They are everywhere I go to shop...even in the food stores at the gas stations! Not to worry I will eat some for you.

Mom is taking good care of us. Homemade dessert every night! More Wii Fit in my future.

One Week and Counting

2009-11-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that next Sunday at this time we will be riding up to Guatemala City. Then it is just a wake up and we will be winging our way to the United States.

Christmas in the States? Wow, it has been nearly 8 years since we have been there for Christmas. Trying to get my head around cold weather, shopping, shopping, eating, eating, etc. You get the picture.

Will miss Christmas at the marina with all our friends that we have here. But am really looking forward to a full size tree. (Daddy, I hope you are reading this.) The smells of baking cookies. Making fudge and divinity. Actually wearing a sweater!

But the thing I am most looking forward to is FAMILY! We are so fortunate to be able to travel and see almost everyone.

So we are planning and cleaning and getting the suitcases ready. We are making our lists and checking them twice.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

It is so easy to complain. My bill is wrong, I lost my job, my kids are in trouble, our country is in trouble, and the list goes on and on and on.

I am guilty of it too. So with Thanksgiving tomorrow, it is time to reflect on what I have that is right and good.

I have my health
My kids are employed and doing well
My parents are healthy and independent
I have great siblings
My husband loves me
I have a roof over my head, food on the table, and clothes on my back
I have wonderful friends
I have the freedom to practice my faith
I have the freedom to travel
I have money in the bank (not a lot, but enough)
I have a safe place for my boat
I have a safe place for my RV

So as we begin the Holiday Season let us reflect on what is good and right. If only for a little while.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Bathrooms are a changing

2009-11-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

Bathrooms and showers. You never know what you are going to get when you travel or live in Central America.
Some people complain about the Bathrooms and Showers at Mario's. I haven't minded them much. Had worse in a marina in the States. Korea was a slit in the floor for awhile. The walls looked a little moldy sometimes, (it is the jungle), the electrical shower head bothered some, not me, and there are only two. So during high season you may have to wait. Waiting isn't that bad. You wait at the pool and usually there is someone to talk to and the staff walk by, the birds are singing and the waves are lapping on the docks.

However, I must admit that I am pleased to say the the walls are being tiled! Not only tiled, but with a border! My friend, Israel, who I met 5 years ago is doing the job. It looks great. There will be two faucets...hot and cold.

Here are Israel and myself in the partially completed second shower.

It is that time of year

2009-11-16T07:49:00.001-07:00

The tide is high and so that means the grand exodus for deep draft boats has begun.

Pickings are slim here on the Rio. A very quiet year. Most people didn't stay with their boats. We did stay with our boat and took advantage of some events here on the Rio Dulce.

Janet and Russ manage Tortugal Marina here on the river. They have taken movie night to a new high. A free launch ride, 2 pieces of pizza (the best on the river) and an outdoor theater. What fun we have had with a double feature of Alfred Hitchcock's, Rear Window and North by Northwest. I still can't believe that Eva Marie Saint was able to traverse Mount Rushmore in an A-Line skirt and high heels.
Just when I thought that I had died and gone to heaven with the pizza, we headed over yesterday to Tortugal for Sunday Breakfast Buffet.

Damn it Janet! I love you. All you can eat fresh fruit, cinnamon rolls, and coffee. Then the good, I mean really good stuff came out. Included in the cost was one mimosa, a gigantic piece of baked french toast with praline topping and a huge slice of homemade crab quiche! I almost forgot, you also got a serving of toasted English muffins with smoked salmon and capers.

So the next time Tortugal has a Breakfast Buffet call in your reservation. You won't be sorry.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-10T13:43:00.002-07:00

Veteran's Day is a day for reflection. For me there are personal ties to Veteran's Day. I am a Disabled Veteran. My husband is a Veteran. My Father is a Veteran. My Uncle George rests as a Veteran aboard the USS ARIZONA at Pearl Harbor. My sister-in-law is a Veteran. So many of our friends near and far are Veterans.

This year once again finds our fine young men and women fighting across the sea in foreign countries. This year at Fort Hood, Texas one solider raised weapons against his fellow soldiers and we ask, WHY?

For every Mother, Father, Daughter, Son, Brother, or Sister who has watched "THE CAR" come down the street and hoped against hope that the car wouldn't stop at their door. For every loved one who has stood at a grave flinching at the Twenty-one Gun Salute and had the Flag folded and handed to them, "On behalf of a grateful Nation..." we should and must pause as a Grateful Nation for the ones who lay down their lives on our behalf. For the ones that won't be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. For the ones the won't see first steps. For the ones that won't walk daughters down the aisle or toast sons who wed. For the one's that won't hold their grandchildren. For all the ones that won't....so that we can.
Please take a moment and remember....

London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down....

2009-11-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

As a little girl that phrase about London Bridge was part of a favorite game. Not sure I remember all the specifics, but the tune is as fresh in my head as it was oh so many years ago.

I recall all the hubbub when Lake Havasu City won the bid for the London Bridge. Pretty cool I thought. Dismantle the bridge and rebuild it stone by stone. Good idea. So this summer we were going to be driving right through Lake Havasu City. Let's stop and see the London Bridge.

Some of you will be shocked to learn that Michael and I approach things differently. Driving into LHC I was looking for a sign that would direct us to the famed bridge. Surely something as magnificent as the London Bridge would have a sign with directions. Well before we came to the sign we came to a rode called London Bridge Road. Michael wants to take it and I want to wait for the sign. For the sake of marital harmony I took the blasted road that wandered along the shore line, through the trailer parks, the industrial area and still no sign of the blasted bridge! Now we are in the middle of town. I am not very happy and still looking for the bridge. Perhaps it is close to the London Bridge Resort. Back and forth, up and down, hither and thither I drove the streets of LHC. Finally in exasperation I shouted, "Where the Hell is the Bridge?" My dear husband replied," you have driven across it at least 4 times!" (Yes you are getting the sanitized version.)

So I found a parking lot just below the bridge. Michael grabs his camera and says, "Aren't you coming?" "NO!" I couldn't believe that this plain old bridge with some flags on it was THE BRIDGE! I should have known it wasn't going to be that impressive. When I asked my sister about it and her reply was..."Well, when you think about them taking it apart stone by stone and putting it back together..." Being the stubborn woman I am I let HIM take all the pictures as I waited thumbs drumming on the steeringwheel looking for the closest breakfast place.

I am not sure what I was expecting in the bridge, but more than what I got. When I tell my U.K. friends about it they all laugh and say, "You thought it was the Tower Bridge." Actually, no. I don't know what the Tower Bridge looks like either. But I wanted, I guess the London Bridge of my childhood fantasy. Instead I got the real London Bridge. Recognized I might add at first glimpse by all my U.K. friends.

Enjoy Michael's photos.

?Friends, Facebook, and Aquaintances...?

2009-10-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

In this world we use the word, Friend freely. I remember my mother telling me that I would have enough friends to count on one hand and enough acquaintances to last a life time.

Face book asks you continually, "Do you want to be my friend?" My father recently joined Facebook. He is NOT my friend! He is my Father. I expect him to act as my Father, NOT my friend. Don't get me wrong. I want to connect to him on Facebook. Just like I want to connect with my children, their spouses and all the other people in my life who encourage and lift me up. BUT.. my children are not my friends! I am their mother. As their mother I have a responsibility to tell them when they are wrong, when they are right, and when they need to try again.

A relationship is complicated. Parents have boundaries that say, I have some experience and let me share with you what worked for me. I don't want or need you to like me all the time. I am your parent. I will always love you, but I am not always going to like what you are doing. (Had a hard time with that one when I was younger.)

Friends are special. Yes, I can count them on one hand. Friends are the ones that nod when you admit that you messed up! Not just messed up but really stepped in it. They see you for what you are. Good, bad, or indifferent. They know you inside and out and still they stand beside you. They tell you the truth when no one else will take that chance.

Friends are precious. They are the weavers of our days. They are the ones that tell us to relax, shut up, cool it, etc.
I wish FaceBook would come up with a different term. I know who my friends are.

Girl Day at Valle Dorado

2009-10-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are regular readers, you may remember that we went to Valle Dorado a couple of months ago. Valle Dorado is a water park here in Guatemala. Last time we went there was a Victoria Secret fashion show. Just what the guys were looking for. Well, the worm turned and yesterday was the Mechanical Bull Competition.

I must tell you there is something about a vaquero (cowboy) in his jeans, and chaps. It was fun to watch the vaqueros compete. The interesting thing is that the even was sponsored by Tecate, a Mexican Beer!
Gallo, the National Brand fell down on the job on this one.

The other thing that made this trip fun was that Kathy brought four of her girlfriend's with us. What a hoot it was to experience the park with these lovely young ladies. We all got a little too much sun.

We all ate a little to much pizza and hot dogs. (You haven't eaten a hot dog until you eat a hot dog in Guatemala. They put onions, ketsup, mayo, & guacamole on them. You can have it on a corn tortilla or for we gringos on a bun.)

All in all it was a great day. Gracias Tecate y los vaqueros.

Okay, Now I love Ted

2009-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Gerry of SV Katinka has been posting about TED. She is in love with the site and now so am I. Carole of SV Androsian sent me this bit and asked it I wanted one.

You betcha. I love tech stuff. I love gadgets. I love the fact that I can have an idea and want to share it and can do so via my blog.

So many of the people that I know are geeks. Remember that used to be a put-down. Now some of us would wear that badge with honor. That is were the money is and that is the new wave.

I wonder if I would have had this new device if I would have made better choices about who I dated and who I married. (watch the video for the reference) Most likely not, I am pretty stubborn.

Music

2009-10-16T10:35:00.001-07:00

I love music. Some of my earliest memories are filled with music. My Mom and Dad played music all the time. They played all kinds of music so we kids where exposed to lots of great stuff.

So here I am living on sailboat in Guatemala and I have access to all the music I could want. The only problem is money! I could go broke buying all the music I want. I want you to know that iTunes is doing their very best to get a large chunk of my money. Remember that there are three of us purchasing music. We like some of the same music, but each of us has our own favorite.

Yesterday was Michael's turn to go into a downloading frenzy. Each new album suggested something else that he might like. Yes, he liked them and downloaded them also. Seventy songs later he stopped.

Three iPods and one iTouch live with us. We are downloaded, sync'd and playing our music, listening to our books, reading e-books, watching movies and TV shows.

Who says you can't have it all?

Collectivas...Just part of the "Cultural Experiance"

2009-10-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

If you have not been to Central America, you may be unfamiliar with "collectivas". Well they are nine (9) passenger vans usually on their last legs. Did I say nine passengers? That may be what they were designed for, however, if you are going to make a profit carrying the populace between village and city, well.....more is definitely better! The most that I have ever had was twenty-nine (29) in one van. We were cheek to jowl, babies on laps, bags of veggies and fruit in laps and people hanging out the sliding door.
Cynthia and I have been regulars on the collectiva to Morales. Cynthia has braces and must go for routine adjustments we find ourselves grabbing the various collectivas. We are learning which drivers are just a little too crazy for us. We know that the weekends are just plain suicide.
I will admit that I miss read her appointment slip so last Saturday just past noon we found ourselves on our way to Morales. Our driver started out just fine. Then just as we hit the curves he really put the petal to the metal and we were flying around blind curves, passing in no passing zones, just the normal driving habits of your friendly colectiva driver. So when we saw him yesterday with his helper and money collector holloring, "Morales, Morales, Puerto Barrios" we got in. We needed to get there.

As we are going over the bridge that spans our beautiful river we stop and pick up a clown. This guy is in full costume and has 7 soda cans all attached to each other in a line. As we pull away he hands the driver a picture of himself on the bridge with the river in the background. The driver is looking at the picture and commenting all the while we are weaving across the center line on a two lane bridge.

We are heading down the road and the clown starts to sing and accompany himself with the cans. He holds them horizontally and there must be seeds inside as it sounds like a rain stick. So he sings his song of going to the beach and seeing the beautiful girl in the white top and pants, who he calls to and declares his love. She of course ignores him and he is sick at heart with love for her. ( I am telling you about this song...because it was all in Spanish and I understood 90% of it!)

After dropping off 2 people and picking up 4 more in the village of Buenas Aires I notice that the helper is making arm motions to a collectiva behind us. The other collectiva pulls around us and then stops to drop off his passengers. We pull around him and then all of a sudden he as pushed us into the on coming traffic lane! We are half on the shoulder and he has us blocked in. Yes, we are in a blind curve! The other driver comes over and yanks open the door and grabs our driver. There is yelling and accusations flying. Cynthia and I are trying not to pay too much attention and are hoping that we won't be hit by on coming traffic. Fortunately, the other driver leaves and we continue on our way.

We will never know what it was all about. The ride home was boring...Can't wait till next month.