San Carlos part 2

When last we left you we were headed over to our sail boat named Abigail to pump out the water in her bilges. Thank goodness for wet/dry shop vacs! As we have no batteries on board we would have had to pump all the water out manually. As it was we got over 40 gallons of water out of her which accumulated while in storage over the last 21/2 years Can you imagine how long that would have taken by hand...like in bailing?! And it was unbelievably hot and humid! We were literally dripping with sweat. UGH! When we went up on deck it felt like heaven, even though it was over 90 degrees.. We did part of her the 1^st day and came back the 2^nd day to finish. Then we had to wipe down all the woodwork with bleach water as we had powdery mildew on everything. I hope that keeps it at bay otherwise we'll have to get something nastier to get rid of it. While it sounds bad we were actually surprised at how good she looked after all this time. Especially the covers we made back then which were still in really good shape. Oh and it was hot and humid! We were literally dripping with sweat. UGH! Oops....I said that already. I'm telling you the cold ones we consumed when done sure tasted great.

We have a lot of work to do on her but are going to wait until November when it is cooler. Most of the work planned this season is bottom work....painting, etc. and we'll have at least a month to get it done before leaving in December. Here is a link to pictures of her. Check out how they move the boats around which involves a really big Caterpillar tractor and long trailer with arms that are operated hydraulically. They position the trailer under the boat, lift the arms and off they go. Interesting that the system and equipment was developed here which speaks to third world ingenuity Pictures of Abigail

We went out to dinner on our 5^th (that's right sports fans it's been an amazing five years) wedding anniversary to Blackie's.....one of the older restaurants in town. It was excellent as usual. The service was impeccable and the chocolate cake ( homemade with vanilla ice cream) was to die for. They have this complimentary after dinner drink that is like a Kahlua milkshake but better.....it's so great to be back where as much as things appear to change they remain the same.

We've started diving with Ocean Sports Dive Shop again which is one of the older shops in town. Jim helps out as a dive master which involves conducting the boat briefings, dive site briefings and making sure everyone aboard has a good time. Kinda like being the dive concierge. Anyone one who doesn't have a buddy to dive with or wants a guide is invited to dive with us. Other than that we get to play....... no more teaching. The water is very warm, 83-85 degrres at this time of year and the visibility is quite good. That will all begin to change in another month when the water temperature begins to drop which is not a bad thing (if your dressed for it) as in wet suits versus bathing suits. The shop has started doing 3 tank dives to the Island rather than the standard 2 tanks in one trip with Ernesto (the boat captain) cooking lunch between dives. This is a special treat cause he's not just cooking a lunch. We're talking homemade Mexican soul food like madre (that's mother for you gringos) used to make complete with sides like frijoles, salsas, tortillas con queso (cheese), and roasted chilies. We've been going out to the island of San Pedro which is about a 2 hour boat ride from San Carlos. It is probably best known for being one of the few places in the world where you can dive and interact with sea lions. They are so beautiful and graceful underwater.... and playful. They will swim up and nip at you like puppies. Pictures don't really tell the story so next time I'm going to take some video. We've also seen a ton of lobsters and eels and lots of colorful fish, Several divers even saw and photographed a seahorse this past week end. On our last dive on Sunday we saw a turtle! It swam a little way and then laid down on a rocky shelf and posed for pictures for about 5 minutes. Turtles are very rare here and it was an amazing finish to a great day of diving. Here is a link to the pictures of the boat and the turtle. Aboard the Ocean Spirit

We've seen some really nice sunsets lately, both from our balcony and on the beach. We took Lucy to the beach last week for the 1^st time. She was a riot. At first she was spooked by the waves but soon she really started to play in the water. The sunset that evening was SPECTACULAR! Here is a link to the pictures. Sunsets and the beach

In the last edition we mentioned JJ's. which is our favorite local place to go for street tacos. The owner JJ has been around town for a long time and is quite popular with the locals, especially the diving crowd. Here are pictures of his new place which is quite a step up from his prior location.  I don't know..... I kinda miss the dirt floors. He also sells Cuban cigars (which we couldn't tell from a Mexican cigar) and t-shirts, etc which are emblazoned with his favorite saying.....WHO CARES, among other things. Pictures of JJ's

I'm going to splash aerobics class 3 mornings a week while Jim swims laps off the beach. Both are a wonderful way to exercise and the atmosphere and views are much better than the inside of a gym. We don't have television (imagine that) but there's a nice library here with a great selection of books and jig-saw puzzles! So now I can borrow puzzles to my hearts content. The 1^st one I did was of Times Square at night (a lot of black and bright lights) and then this landscape by one of my favorite artists.....Charles Wysocki. I've done a lot of his puzzles over the years. I am truly a puzzle addict and have been in recovery for a number of years but our friend Sandy in Camp Verde and dear Milly at River Spruce have led me down that dark road again. My next puzzle is one of about 40 ornate Russian Easter eggs. After you finish it you are supposed to try and see which 2 are exactly alike! I'll let you know about that one on the next blog …..... Here is a link to some pictures and of the house Fun stuff

For those of you who want to know more about San Carlos and see other pictures from here, there is a weekly online newsletter, http://www.whatsupsancarlos.com. Check it out …....

In closing we leave you with the lyrics of singer song writer James Taylor, to his classic song about Mexico.....sing along with us;

Way down here, you need a reason to move. Feel a fool running your stateside games.
Lose your load, leave your mind behind, Baby James.
Woh, Mexico, it sounds so simple, I just got to go.
The sun's so hot I forgot to go home, guess I'll have to go now.

Vaya con Dios.....Jim and Becky