At last…
I haven’t written for a while… haven’t had to deal with losing two dads in 41 days before… didn’t realize how the effects would affect (or is it the other way ‘round? hard to tell I was an English major)… anyway, it took a while before I even wanted to think about writing… but, like it or not, IIIII’m back!
And… so is Kathy. The “Ship’s Company” is present and accounted for. CJ, Kathy and the gorgeous, vivacious, one and only (can’t believe she had to be ‘groomed’ twice in one month to get it right) Princess Sophie… are all together again… Oh.. and, of course, the good ship Shannon features in here prominently too.
So folks, here we are in sunny, winds are slowing down a bit, Mazatlan and, while you may think we should rush out right away and catch up on all that cruising time… we’ve decided that, as we ARE cruisers, we can change our mind as often as we want…blame it on the high tide wiping out all those plans.. written in the sand :-) We’ve decided to stay here in Mazatlan for a few more days. We’re both pretty tired (physically and emotionally) and so we’re going be tourists for a few days.. and lay by the pool(s) (oh yes, I meant to tell you, we came back to El Cid Resort & Marina… Kathy really never had a chance to experience it before and it is a little greener and cleaner than the others down the estuary). I should tell you tho’, I really like Marina Mazatlan. They’re more of a marina, whereas El Cid is more of a resort. Both are great.. and/but I’m sorry to say the washrooms, showers and internet connections at Marina Maz. leave an awful lot to be desired. We’re back at El Cid and lovin’ it.
Can you believe it? We went to Karaoke last night. Noooo, neither of us grabbed the mic and broke in to tune (even tho’ it was suggested that my rendition of “Little Peter Rabbit” might have been appropriate… I resisted the urge, and watched instead); and here’s what happened. First of all there was a group of folks there, entertainers from a Cruise Ship.. they had a lot of fun… we had fantastic entertainment.. including the couple who wrote and sing “The Red Necked Yacht Club”… a favourite amongst the cruisers. And then, a young Mexican woman (early 20’s, late teens I’d say) walked up from the back of the room and belted out a few songs better, I think, than the original entertainers ever did. She was amazing and I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a job on a Cruise Ship by the end of the evening… And then, if that wasn’t enough.. well who knew the great voices of our fellow cruisers.. really quite amazing to me. That was the best concert (cleverly disguised as Karaoke) I’ve ever been to. Oh did I mention? It was also all the pizza and beer you can eat and drink for 120pesos each… :-)
Life here continues… with domestic and vessel maintenance and preparations. It’s funny, the work on the boat never seems to end. You fix one thing, turn around, and there’s something else hanging by one hinge, or falling away at one corner.. or just plain broken. And so it goes… But, hey, we’re in Mexico… what a great place to be workin’ on the boat….
We are fine; and we are glad to be here. We miss our families and our friends… especially right now after such great losses. And, our hearts go out to more than a few of our friends who have also lost members of their families recently. It’s a tough time.. one we all have to go through eventually, but it’s life. And so, I figure the best thing to do is to keep livin’ it… and to make every day count… and to enjoy and to nurture the friendships we make along the way… They’ll support us (and we’ll support them) kinda forever… however long that is.
And so dear friends.. with that I will leave you… chores and the hot tub are calling.. and besides, we’re off to do the Art Walk tonight.. it’s an opportunity to view the works of many artists here in Mazatlan. They open their shops and their homes (some beautiful, old homes with wine bars) on the first Friday of every month. It’s also a great way to see some of the old town on foot. So off we shall go.. in search of culture, art, and wine….
From all of us, to all of you……. have a great day and a wonderful life….. Carolyn
A few photos for you…. Shannon all waxed and cleaned, Miss Sophie after Clip #2 (phew!), a girl and her beach, fender protection… very cool, teak and winches cleaned and spiffed….
