January 2011

Hi again,  I admit we have been so busy here in PV, known now as Vallarta that I have not taken the time to write on my blog.  Plus I don't have internet unless I drag my computer ashore and risk getting "no see um" bites while sitting in a small cantina.

We are anchored out in La Cruz which is on the North end of Banderas Bay.  It is a 30 minute or more bus ride (close to a chicken bus) into PV and a 20 minutes ride to a fairly large grocery market called a Mercado.  There are small tiendas (stores with food) here in town and on Sunday's there is a large fresh market for nice vegies that are home grown and organic.  So I have been getting most things there. Until recently I have even found in the Mercado Tillamook butter but it seems to be gone now.  I think they stocked it for the Holiday's. 

We celebrated Christmas here and Don and I roasted the turkey!   Looks pretty good don't you think?  And it was, lots of the newer boats don't have a large enough oven to even do a big chicken. We were with cruiser friends and it was a great feast.  Then New Year's Eve we at out at an Italian restaurant with fantastic homemade pastas and a smaller group of us went to Phillo's restaurant and bar here in La Cruz for music and dancing.  Joy and Don managed a polka that ended with Joy getting dizzy and Don gracefully sitting her down on the floor, wish I had my camera ready for that but it will always have a memory for us.

Also we have toured the city, seeing lots of great sites downtown and on the Malecon or boardwalk along the edge of the Bay. We expecially loved the elaborate sand castles complete with Santa in sand and part of the ceiling oof the Sistene Chapel (hope the spelling is correct).  There was an amazing small guy lifting and balancing huge rocks too, we watched him and it was truly something I have never even though of doing let alone watched it being done.  Hope you enjoy these photos.
  Good bye for now...I will be writing about our trip to the Botanical Gardens next.

Christmas 2010 Puerto Vallarta or close! Plus our Christmas Letter.

Duck Fans La Paz: watch Civil War!

Isla Isabella: Volcanic Crater 70 miles from PV

Chala: Tropical anchorage- Mainland Mexico

Chala

Sunset: Chala: Little Christian anchored right of the sun.

La Cruz Anchorage

Hola and Feliz Navidad!   We are actually in La Cruz, Mexico.  On the North end of Banderas Bay. PV is approximately 20 miles away but bus (collectivo).  We haven't really seen much yet, unless you count Walmart and Mega another large grocery store.  Sight seeing will wait until after Christmas.

We plan to be with other cruiser's on Christmas Eve for a dock party and gift exchange and then on Christmas Day for dinner with another group of cruiser's.  I am cooking the turkey in my oven, (the newer boats don't have one as large as mine (can't do a 12 lb bird like we can).  Then we will eat on one of the larger boats..so it all works out great.  It is certainly different that when we celebrate with family but it will be sunny.

Tonight we are planning on getting up at 1am (December 21) to watch a meteor shower and the first total lunar eclipse in this region of the sky for hundreds of years: 1638 was the previous time it occurred.  Or so we heard.

  May our Lord and Savior bless you all this Christmas.  Don & Jacquie aboard s/v Little Christian

Second Season of Cruising Mexico

Hola Amigas;

Don has been in La Paz since early October working on the boat and getting it ready to cruise.  Some things he had to wait for me (decisions) but the boat looks wonderful.  He totally refinished the floor in the main cabin and the pilot house.  It was long overdue but difficult to do in "damp" weathers of the Pacific Northwest.With just one person it was possible for him to get off the boat when the fumes of the products were too strong.  

The other plus was  hot and dry weather here on the Baja.  Don, also, refinished was all the outside teak and some topside paint  too.  Now left for me is cleaning and polishing hatch covers and the stainless need a good polishing.  Oh and I do have a bit of sewing.

My biggest challenge is to make a cover to protect us and cool us.  This will be used at anchor and be a cover for the front of the boat; back to the cockpit.  It is done in two pieces using the mast to help suspend it with line. Not sure yet how I will accomplish this but I do have a wonderful SailRight sewing machine on board for just such a task. Second is to make some dingy chaps...these project the hypolon material that the dingy is made of from the sun. Can't manage without a dingy although we have met cruisers without one.

We will plan to leave La Paz and cross over to Mexico's mainland and the Mexican Riveria for  winter. The plan is to leave the Baja the first of December, weather permitting, and sail across the waters to Puerta Valharta area and anchor in Banderas Bay for an extended period to explore the region. New exciting horizons.  It will be a three night at sea crossing.  Always a challenge for me as I love my sleep.  But Don and I do sleep and have actual shifts at the helm.  But if the weather is bad neither of us get to sleep. Storms can appear out of no where!!!  Or on the sea here it can be nice weather with just big wind!  Keep us young, RIGHT?

No plans to fly home before April but always an options since I have a new grand-baby who will be born in early March.

Today I plan to get ready for Thanksgiving celebrations.  Here we have a big Cruiser's Potluck. The turkey is provided by the Cruiser' Club here and we all provide the trimmings. Our friends Dave and Joy from s/v Happy Nest and Lue and Claus from s/v White Shell II plan to join us later on our boat for pie.  The only thing I am not willing to risk at a potluck.  LOL. 

Keep us in your prayers, especially pray for Don, we had our windpoint instrument repaired over the summer at home and it does not work, now we are here , this is huge.  He needs wisdom to know what to do with regards to getting another instrument for out panel.  It is possible to sail with out it, that is what was done before all the great electronics and TRY to find one when in Puerta Valharta. I can always stick my finger out in the air...not nearly as easy as reading the instrument or as accurate.  Never was good at that.

All for now, off to coffer at the club house and I ordered "tamales" from Imelda and they are awesome. Until next week Chow!

PS; I am glad to be back and it was nice to arrive in a familiar city and provision the boat. La Paz is very clean and nice this year due to all the work they have done repairing damaged sidewalks and planting new vegetation, which was damaged in the 2 hurricane's two years ago. Not one hurricane came up the Pacific this past season.

Oh we attended a meeting on traveling to El Salvador..Don is considering it but most likely next season.  Anyone want to visit us in 2011?   

PICTURES ARE OF MAGGIE 2 1/2 yrs, NATALIE 4 yrs, AND MADDIE 7 yrs. All 3 are my granddaughters. The boys next week, I need to organize their pictures for upload.

Jacquie and Don on s/v Little Christian

Old Fashioned Living : cooking from scratch, hand made crafts, old fashioned ideas, traditions, simple life, and more:

Old Fashioned Living : cooking from scratch, hand made crafts, old fashioned ideas, traditions, simple life, and more:

One of my favorite websites.

Pictures of Carnaval.

Still in La Paz: Will we ever leave???

   We are still here and did attend the "Carnaval" here.  It was much like a parade with a mid-way much like our larger fairs in the states. There were princesses' for everything and their gowns were fabulous.  The streets were crowded but there was not the out of control crowds like I have seen on TV when they show clips of  Rio de Janiero and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  There were vendors and typical fair foods.  

   One man was making the largest cotton candy ball I have ever seen.  My grandson Jack loves cotton candy and he will be amazed at the size and will wish I had been able to bring one back for him. ha-ha!  We were amazed when we found out that the parade is done on 3 separate nights.  We asked why? and were told that each of the three main beer companies in La Paz wanted to sponsor a parade.  So one night it is sponsored by Pacifico, then Modelo and last Tectate.  Image if Seattle had 3 torch light parades for Seafair...whew!

   Each night there would be entertainment at a main stage. The night we went there was an artistic presentation by an Hawaiian dance school..It was very well done and very surprising to us that it was not Mexican dancing.  Although later in the evening there was a group doing traditional dances of Mexico. We also saw a famous Ranchera-singer who did many of the crowds favorite songs because they would all sing along with her and she had an excellent Marache band with her. Also a Cabo San Lucas,  pop group sang and danced the Salsa on stage and they were very good too.  Other nights there were shows but we did not stay.

We walked the main street of carnaval on 2 other evenings, and were not even tempted to ride on any of the carnaval rides.  But we did have some excellent kettle corn oneevening and another time tried a 24" long spiraled deep fried potato, which when done right is like potato chips..ours was less than good and we tossed it in a can.  We were shocked to see hot dog vendors galore..it is very popular down here.  Don did buy a candied apple and I took a bite but they are not my thing...now if it was a caramel apple that would be different.

  It was fun to see and I would like to see more of the shows but the mid-way music is very loud and we could still hear the base beats way out on our boat until 2-3 am.  Other stages through out the vendors were playing loud...and louder music much like we can hear from car steroes in Yakima.

   Other things of interest: I have attended (when I have time) a quilting group here in La Paz.  It is made of women from the Cruiser's Club here.  This last  week one lady showed us how to make small landscape quilts.  She provided all the fabrics and tools needed and I made a little quilt that is a picture of what we saw when we went up into the Sea of Cortez.  I love how it turned out and I will use it for a travel album for the photos of our trip that I decided to have printed.  Before I publish this I will include a picture of it in process for all to see.

   Today Don along with Joy and Dave, went shopping for things we needed before leaving, (haven't we done this before ?? ). We went by taxi because we had many short stops.  I have found a favorite taxi driver here in La Paz.  His name is Castro and he is 72 years old.  The reason I like Castro is he drives slower than the younger men, his taxi is cleaner, he actually stops at the STOP signs and his front seat seat belt works.  He patiently teaches gringos Spanish and helps you find things plus he will wait for you at the stores.  All this and he is sweet.  Don says I have a crush on him and maybe so...he makes shopping fun and safe. I will miss him and have told so many cruisers to use him that he told me thank you for saying he is the best taxi in La Paz. He usually can be found just outside of the Marina de la  paz and all you do is ask for him.

  While shopping we went to a book store, stopped at a street tacoeria for dos camerone (shrimp) tacos, I made a dentist appoint to have  my teeth cleaned, Don had his glasses repaired, Joy got new frames and had lenses made for them and she picked them up the same day..we got a few groceries too. For less than 50 pesos we each had 2 tacos and shared a Coke. Can't beat that.  The taxi was $15.00 per couple.

   Later we returned to the marina where we had  parked out dingy, picked up our laundry (all done) loaded it in the dingy and went up to the restaurant for a cervesa before going back out to the boat (velero) is sailboat. I will put things away and make tortillas.. It is 81 degrees.  I guess it will get hotter later in the spring but for now this is perfect.  A light breeze to keep us cool, and cool nights so we sleep well. 

   Tomorrow the plan is to stay on the boat and do some work. Don will supervise the diver who is going to clean the bottom of the boat...(lots of barnacles growing) and I will do some sewing projects and clean the windows. Oh and  perhaps take a siesta. 

OH YES THE PLAN IS TO LEAVE FOR MAZATLAN TO CHECK ON STORAGE FOR THE BOAT DURING THE TIME WE WILL RETURN TO THE US. NOT SURE IF WE WILL LEAVE THE BOAT IN LA PAZ OR THE MAINLAND SIDE YET..DECISION TIME.

Buenes Tardes mi amigas and amigos,   Jacquie

  

Our trip North into the Sea of Cortez

    We just spent 3 weeks in the various bays traveling North into the Sea of Cortez.  Sometime we anchored on the Baja coast and other times out in bays on the many islands out in the sea.

    If the water weren't so blue and warm we could almost imagine we were just still sailing in Puget Sound.  Instead of seeing green evergreens we were looking at large and varied rock formations, cactus, dolphins, whale pods, beaches with shells, and turquoise waves.   To the right is a picture of the colors of the sea and in the distance is our boat,
SV Little Christian. We were on the beach exploring and shelling.

    We traveled with two other boats;" Lovely Lady with Rose and Jani from Seattle area, and "Happy Nest" with Joy and Dave Robbins from Colorada but more recently living in Gig Harbor while they learned the art of sailing. Joy is pictured above with me shelling at Bahia Amortajada on Isla San Jose. 
    Here are a few other pictures from our trip.

 

 

Hopefully you can see the variety of sea and land scapes from these pictures.  It was fun, we went all the way to Puerto Escondito, which is 14 miles from Loreto and then took a taxi into the city.
    Some of my pictures in Loreto were erased during a whale frenzy..We saw several pods of whales traveling north to give birth in the Sea and then on our way back we saw one large whale just frolicking, flapping his tail and lifting up one large fin.  It was determined from pictures of types of whales that it was a Humpback Whale.  We have quite a video of him or her.  It was the closest we have gotten to a whale.  We have seen hundreds of porpoise right by or very close to the boat but this was our very first whale, up close and personal.
    We even had some strong wind and one rain squall where we had to way anchor and go around to an anchorage on the other side of the island to get protection from the directions of the winds.  The interesting thing was we decided to do this and 4 other boats followed us to the other side and in the morning when we got up there were at least 3 more boats who arrived in the dark. That was on Isla San Francisco.
     Now we are back in La Paz, Getting provisions and planning on staying here for the "Carnaval" which last the week before Lent begins and is a smaller version of the ones in Rio de Janiero and New Orleans.  It will be fun to see what this is all about. 
    Today I attended a quilting class with Joy and we learned how to do a small landscape quilt..there is lots to do down here even quilting and beading.  Things that I never even thought of doing while in Mexico. Sunday we attended the little English Church we have found that many cruisers attend.  And we watched the Super Bowl with all the comments in Spanish..no great Bud commercials but we did see the game. The guys were thrilled to see it on a big screen complete with Negro Modelo, a beer down here. So life goes on and God remains constant in our life even if we are "on vacation" so to speak.
    I will catch up next during the Carnaval...I guess we will have to take naps to be able to party after dark during all the festivities and parades..I need to make a masks for me and probably for Don.

Happy Sails to you.  Jacquie