Red Shirt Friday

This was sent to me by a friend and I feel I need to pass it on.  I may not support the War, but I most certainly do SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

If you want to see and may-be understand what happens when a Solider/Marine is brought home I highly recommend the movie, "Taking Chance".  It is a true story and brings home the message of what it means to be an escort for a fallen Warrior.

Because of every Warrior that has been willing to lay down his/her life or has laid down his/her life for me and mine...I am grateful.  I am proud to have come from a military family.  I am proud that I am a disabled Vet.  I am proud to be married to a retired warrior.

Red  Shirt

                 If  the red shirt thing is new to you, read below  how it went for a man...

                 Last  week, while traveling to  Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a  folded flag, but did not put two and two  together..

                 After we boarded our flight, I  turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to  sit in First Class (across from me), and  inquired if he was heading home.

                 No, he  responded.
                 Heading out I asked?

                 No.  I'm escorting a soldier home.

                 Going to  pick him up?

                 No. He is with me right now.  He was killed in  Iraq , I'm taking him home to  his family.

                 The realization of what he  had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the  gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had  delivered the news of his passing to the  soldier's family and felt as if he knew them  after many conversations in so few days.

                 I turned back to him, extended my hand,  and said, Thank you Thank you for doing what  you do so my family and I can do what we do.

                 Upon landing in  Chicago the pilot  stopped short of the gate and made the following  announcement over the intercom.

                 "Ladies  and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the  United States Marine Corps join us on this  flight He is escorting a fallen comrade back  home to his family. I ask that you please remain  in your seats when we open the forward door to  allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive  his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the  seat belt sign."

                 Without a sound, all  went as requested. I noticed the sergeant  saluting the casket as it was brought off the  plane, and his action made me realize that I am  proud to be an American.

                 So here's a  public Thank You to our military Men and Women  for what you do so we can live the way we  do.

                 Red Fridays.

                 Very soon, you  will see a great many people wearing Red every  Friday. The reason? Americans who support our  troops used to be called the "silent majority."  We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record  breaking numbers. We are not organized,  boisterous or overbearing.

                 Many  Americans, like you, me and all our friends,  simply want to recognize that the vast majority  of America supports our troops. Our idea of  showing solidarity and support for our troops  with dignity and respect starts this Friday --  and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening  message that ... Every red-blooded American who  supports our men and women a far, will wear something red.

                 By word of mouth, press,  TV -- let's make the  United States on every  Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming  football game in the bleachers. If every one of  us who loves this country will share this with  acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family,  it will not be long before the  USA is covered in  RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than  ever, certainly more than the media lets  on.

                 The first thing a soldier says when  asked "What can we do to make things better for  you?" is. "We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with  class and dignity, by example, and wear  something red every Friday.

                Now go and get out your RED SHIRTS!

And There Was Customs and Duty...

We arrived in Guatemala City after being awake for almost 24 hours.  We were tired!  As we were waiting for our baggage I noticed X-ray machines near the Customs Area.  Not a good sign.  Oh, well we finally got our bags, I think that they were the last ones off the plane.  No worries we are spending a couple of days in the City.

Now we notice that everyone is having their bags opened and searched  and some are asked to move over and go to see the officials behind glass.  I really got nervous when I saw that a fellow cruiser was sitting with his bags in front of the Customs Office.  This definitely is not good.

So here go the bags into the X-ray machine and now they are being opened and stuff is being removed and three people besides Michael are asking me questions.  Three are asking in Spanish.  Holy Crap Batman, we are in it now.  They are asking for receipts.  Receipts for what you ask?  Well,  there is the new 20" IMac computer, the depth finder, the new SSB Radio, the electric pump, the Wii and the Wii Fit Board, the wind instrument and varies other small electrical items.  You get the picture...we were burros for other cruisers and now we got to pay.
They want to know how much it all costs.  What is the right answer?  We made a stab at it and were told that we now would need an agent.  I couldn't find all the receipts and now we have our own customs person, Gina, who took over and took care of us.  Gina tells me to calm down, not a problem!  She takes what receipts I can find and goes over and talks to someone behind the GLASS.  She comes back.  We will not need an agent, but we will need NIT's.  NIT's are numbers in Guatemala so that you can pay your taxes and duty and customs.  Okay we can do that.  Only one more small problem, Cynthia is 14 and she will need a NIT.  Gina is trying very hard to keep me calm and move us along.   "Do you know anyone that has a NIT in Guatemala?"  "If you do we can use their number for some of the stuff and off you go."

I call Marco at the Marina and once again he helps us.  He gives his NIT and Mirna's NIT.  Paperwork is being done in triplicate and stamps are flying.  Now all we have to do is PAY!  Lucky us, we brought Quetzales with us and we still have some dollars.  After we pay all our customs and duty and for the NITs we have 20 Quetzales left.  That is about $2.50 US.  Thankfully we have a free airport shuttle.  We can't afford a cab.

We hit the ATM and get more money.  We are at the Biltmore, taking showers, eating pizza and drinking beer.  We are exhausted or "Estamos Fritos" as they say in Spanish.
The moral of this little tale is...never carry more that you can pay for and only be a burro for yourself.  Like I told my Dad, "Next time it is bathing suits and underwear!"

On The Road Again

If you follow on facebook, you know that we bought a motorhome.  I have to admit it...I love the thing.  I am still trying to get use to all the traffic.  I figure it is like sailing in shallow water all the time!

We spent time in San Antonio catching up with friends and family.  I will be posting photos of the wedding soon.  Right now we are in Van Horn, Texas for the night.  Tomorrow we head for Tucson then push on to Fort Mohave, AZ. Now we need to put the car and the motorhome away.

San Antonio was a blast.  We saw Debi and  Roy and Lynn and Mac and Ron and the Kids.  We were happy that we had a place of our own some nights.  Between seeing everyone we had the meet the new in-laws, (they are great), the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding.

So we are finishing up last minute things and praying that we have enough bags for all the stuff!  And of course when Spirit changed our flight we just realized that we will be flying over the Labor Day holiday.  Oh well it should all be ok.

Story Tellers

Story Tellers are an important part of our lives.  I am always reminded of this fact when I visit family and friends.  One of the first things that happens is we begin to tell our stories.
Family remind us of where we came from.  We do this by telling and re-telling our family stories.  Some people call this Oral History.  It is important.  This is how we remind each other of the ties that bind, both good and not so good.  Grandparents are great story tellers.  They help their grandchildren understand that their parents are not the paragons of virtue their children think they are.  How do they do this?  They tell stories on their own children to the grandchildren.  It is a good thing.  It helps keep things in perspective.
I know when my family gets together we tell the same stories over and over.  It may bore some that are not as invested in our stories as we are, but hey...they are OUR STORIES.
Cruisers are great story tellers.  Sea stories remind us of great times and help us realize no matter how high those seas actual were, we survived...TO TELL OUR STORY!

I had an opportunity to listen and tell stories with a good friend from High School on this trip to the States.  It had been over 30 years since we had seen or talked to each other.  I found it interesting that as we began we struggled to remember names and events.  Okay, me more than Summer.  But as the stories continued it opened up old memories and more and more names floated to the surface and more and more stories where told.
Story telling is part of who we are.  So when someone starts to tell you a story even though you may have heard it many times before...stop and really listen.  This story is important to them and they are sharing part of who they are with you.
If any of you remember the movie "Enemy Mine" you will remember that the character played by Dennis Quaid learns the Oral History of his alien enemy so that the child of the enemy can be accepted into the community.
Stories bind us and make us part of the world, the community, and the family.  Tell a good story to someone you care about today.

We're Going to the Water Park

I don't know about you, but when I think about water parks, I am thinking Wet "N" Wild in the States.  Well think again my friends.  Right here in Central America.  Guatemala in fact, are some of the best water parks.  All along the highways you see billboards and other signs for water parks.

When we take the bus to Guatemala City our bus stops by Valle Dorado.  There is a gas station and a fast food place right next to the park.  We often comment on going but being gringos and basically locked into the marina we never have gone.

All that changed with an invitation by Marco, our dock master, and his family. Marco, Mirna and Kathy invited the crew of Dragonheart and Tom and Kim off Miramar to go last Sunday.

Bathing suits, towels and quetzales in our pockets off we went.  What a great day we had.  It always helps to have a very enthusiastic 10 year old leading you around.  It is infectious!

We rode slides, went in the wave machine and walked and walked and walked.  We got Sunburned!

If you have never been to Central America let me tell you...they like their music LOUD!  No matter where you were in the park you could hear it.  Not just hear it you can feel the bass pounding through you body.  So the music is playing and now there is a fashion show sponsored by Victoria Secrets.  At this point Michael is now the photographer and most of our photos are of lovely young Guatemalan women in various pajamas, swimsuits and other clothes.

I can tell you by the time we got back to the marina we were all tired.  We had had a wonderful day full of laughter and friendship.  Thanks Marco, Mirna and Kathy for sharing yet another side of your wonderful country.

A View from the Cockpit

We are working on our fifth Hurricane Season on the Rio Dulce. That is hard to believe. It is not the same place that we pulled into several years ago. I still remember the first time we crossed over from our anchorage at Cabo Tres Puntas. We were in company with several boats: Procyon, Continental Drift, Artemesia and us in Dragonheart. It was a foggy morning and as we approached “The Bar” we were all nervous. Some because of draft, some because it was new and some had heard rumors that the sea buoy had been moved. All went well and we anchored as the mist was lifting. We were excited about getting here and couldn’t wait for the new chapter in our travels.
We all went in and did the check-in dance, Raul didn’t do all the running around for you back then, and had lunch and bought some of the biggest carrots that I have ever seen. We wanted to get to Gringo Bay for the night so we were pushing against the current and the setting sun to get there before dark. None of us were sure which bay was Gringo Bay so we anchored outside a couple of bays and figured we would be safe for the night.
During cocktails on Procyon a small cayuco came up to us. No one spoke Spanish so we didn’t know what he wanted. It made all of us a little nervous. So back to your boats to make sure all was okay. It was…he just wanted to sell us some shrimp. Missed out on that one.
Then it was on to Mario’s Marina. We all had reservations. The place was packed! Packed, not just with boats, but with people. Every place was busy. People lived on their boats full time it seems more then, than now. Just one of the changes on the river. The river now seems more like a “Park and Fly”. There are plenty of boats now, just not many people.
Boats on average were smaller when we first got here. Now if you aren’t 45’ or bigger you are really small. Yes, I remember when Westsail came out with the 32’ and made cruising affordable. When we started looking at our cruising boat we wanted it paid off. Thirty-eight feet was the norm and something that I thought I could handle alone. Most boats were monohulls. Now Catamarans are more numerous. For livability I don’t think you can beat them. I am still not convinced I want to sail one.
That first year was the start of the original Sweet River Band. It really used to rock the house down. Like most band there have been changes to the members and the style of music. They still can play though. I have noticed there is more room on the dance floor. May-be it will fill up when people come back to get ready to cruise.
That is another difference. More people use to hang around. More people just went back for a month and then it was back home to the boat. Now it is two weeks before the season and two weeks after the season. New condos and new grandbabies seem to be the big pull. More people are swallowing the anchor and becoming “dirt dwellers.” I won’t lie to you. It does get harder every year that you age. I personally think that the anchor gains weight each year. I have noticed that I am not as nimble either. The truth is we are getting older!
Many of the restaurants are limiting their hours. There aren’t enough people to keep them open for three meals a day plus Happy Hour. However, as the marinas don’t seem to have the people in them I must admit that the town of Rio Dulce is booming. So many new items in the Dispensa Familia. We even have a meat counter and fresh veggies in the store now. There is a mall. It is a small mall, but a mall none the less. New businesses are cropping up all the time.
Can’t find what you want in Rio Dulce, Morales, or Puerto Barrios you can always hop a bus and go to Guatemala City. Good food, great hotels, movies and department stores. I am convinced if you want something you can get it right here in Guatemala.
The people of Guatemala are some of the most friendly I have ever met. Yes, learning a new language is a challenge, but isn’t that part of why we cruise? We like a challenge. Because we keep returning the employees are more than just employees. I have helped bring their children into the world, pronounced their dead, stitched their wounds and provided medication to their ill, shared a tear or hug and prayed with them. The employees are like family. We have history. I worry about them with the economic down turn.
The geography of the river is changing. In the short time that we have been here entire islands have disappeared. Shell Bay is missing a few islands and the old big bird island is gone. Wakes from power boats, jet skies, and now cayucos with motors are all taking their toll on the river banks, wildlife, and the overall tranquility of the Rio.
There use to be so many Jesus lizards on the property that you could get run over walking down the sidewalk. Though I have noticed a small come back.
Why this walk down memory lane. Well, I AM getting older. New arrivals always ask, “Do you go out in your boat?” When they find out how long we have been here. Here has become home to us. We like it here. We want you to like it too. So we may not be doing long passages, just the jaunt to the Bay Islands and Belize, but we enjoy it. We like our time on the hook. We like our time in the marina.
Some days you just can’t stop wool gathering and remember how something was versus how it is. Nothing bad about how it is…you just remember the “Good Ol’ Days” with fondness.
So to all the cruisers whose paths have crossed with ours, for good or bad, for following seas or beating into it, for full moons and the pitch black of night, may you have fond memories, yet look forward to the new challenges of our ever evolving time on the Big Blue Marble.

THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN

I have waited to post this as I have mixed feelings. It appears that Armando, the black bellied whistling duck has left us. For weeks prior to getting back his flight feathers, large flocks of his kind have been flying over and calling to him.

I am sure that Armando is happy with his own kind. I hope that he is. We miss him around here. He always brought a smile to your face with his antics.

May-be he will bring his mate by so we can check her out.

Vayos con Dios, Armando...que le vaya bien!