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Wed Feb 23 2010 6:55 PM Roatan Honduras..
Well damn....as I sit here buying silver on Ebay and getting ready to fly back to Atlanta this Saturday to go under the knife 1 more time....the damn cable goes out and NO FOX news..... how is one to know how much damage our community organizer has done to our country and the rest of the world and how that will effect the silver price on Ebay with no Fox news. With oil going over the $100 mark...gold and silver both going higher...and the boob is worrying about the Wisconsin and other states who are trying to balance their budgets.....yes we need to break these public service unions...... our community organizer is worried how his buddies in the unions can keep their lavish benefits at on the backs of the private sector...ain't going to happen...He should be working on the US NATIONAL DEBT now over 14 trillion dollars....yep that is 45,607 dollars for every man woman and child in the US...Just think about the babies being born this week....they already have a 45,607 tax bill to support....and they won't be working for 18 yrs....who is going to pay the interest for your kids???? Since I'm not a producer...it's the rest of you still working......OK off the soap box....my mobility sucks....hurt most of the day ...gravity in the morning sucks.... unless I wake up Mar 5th ready to run the marathon,.....and praying this surgery is the magic bullet... it looks like the sailing might be over...a trawler on the horizon...????? So will have to spend the bucks to get this boat ready to sell...Labor cheaper down here...so that should help...So lot's of decisions to make.....While I'm gone Joyces's Mom is flying down to spend a week on the boat...1 active 83 yr young lady........time to find something to watch off the computer...Capt Paul

Another day...another dive...

Yes...what fun! Stan brought his camera this time and off we went to the same dive site (winds have picked up again so going outside with the little dingy is not as pleasant). The good news...the garbage had disbursed... But we did see more Lionfish...We saw some of the same...and some different. The airplane...which I sort of skipped over with the little camera. I had brought the big camera this time...I kept forgetting while under the water to change the setting from close-up to large screen though...it's been awhile! I may have to learn how to catch these guys...I'm sure Capt Paul could cook them to taste good!Stan looking for some inside pictures!The bow of the ship! And another view of the bow... Spotted Scorpion fish...Another view of the Spotted Scorpion fish! We stayed under an hour and really took our time...able to spot life that others might just pass over! We are talking about going again Thursday morning...weather permitting! It is what we should be doing...another day...another dive...

Warm water...warm water...finally...

I thought of that (warm water) when I saw that my nephew went into Puget Sound for a dip in February...with a shortie on yes...and much like I have done in many years past. After all...water is water...and, I did teach my son to scuba dive in Hood Canal...very cold! The one dive that my son and I were able to do while my kids were here in Roatan visiting...was my first dive of this season! The airplane and the ship wreck! I've sort of been waiting to see if my dive buddy (Capt Paul) would get antsy and want to go...but since he has not...I've been waiting for just the right dive buddy! So who sails in but Stan (Stan and Lynn - s/v Homer's Odessey)...a dive instructor (from way back) and he wants to go diving! He didn't have to ask me twice! I'll admit that there was a load of trash in the water (grrrrrrrhhhhh)...it was said that perhaps with the rain, tides and current...that it was brought here from the mainland...BUT...that aside...there is something about breathing underwater...These Lionfish are now being hunted and eaten...which is a good thing...they even have started a Lionfish fishing tournament with a cook-off afterward! I'm not ready for that...but sure glad that the locals are doing something fun with these pesky invaders! It was Stan's first time diving this wreck...and he enjoyed searching all around it!I of course took the (little) camera and... was continuing my search to capture a picture depicting the beauty...the ever changing underwater environment...trying to catch the feeling of amazement in what I see..when I can be under the water! The bow of the ship....There is a very large Snapper hiding...can you see him?What was delightful as well was that at our three minute safety stop...Stan took my camera...and I guess you can see my joy! At our dive "debriefing", once back up in Hugo...Stan's underwater passion was evident! So...yes, for me...warm water is preferred anymore and under the water...well...finally!

Valentines Day Bash

The skies stopped their downpour long enough for Capt Paul and I to walk to the palapa that the Fantasy Island Resort (many thanks to them for their hospitality to all of us cruisers!) had allowed us to use for the Valentines Day event.Suzie and John (Caberet) did all the planning and organizing. John was even the master chief of all of the food with gumbo being the main course! There were some wonderful pastries too...not sure of the name of the woman who baked those...but again Fantasy Island Resort allowed her to bake in their oven since the palapa oven was not functional...and they were delicious! After dinner Suzie began the music in earnest...With a few games...make sure your computer volume is turned up for the videos...


Guess who won the musical chairs? and just plain good fun being had by all! Of course...we will see how many of the videos that I took I will be able to upload...


because really the great fun cannot be captured in just a picture. Although I tried that too!


The REALLY GOOD videos (of course REALLY GOOD in this case is in the eye of the video taker...not necessarily the people being videoed) I will save for u-tube...another day!


All in all...it was a wonderful Valentines Day (thank you Capt Paul...love you) and a wonderful Valentines celebration. Oh, by the way Travis (a local outboard engine mechanic) came by today...yes, Hugo is a usable dingy again (without having to be towed)...Herbie now runs...it was more than "dirty fuel...water in the fuel"...go figure. I'm pretty sure Capt Paul will blog again soon...and you'll probably even get to find out how much it cost!! Ha ha ha!

Hugo...

First I guess I need to admit that even in paradise it rains on occasion...hmmm...well...in paradise...if this is indeed paradise...it pours! It is as if the sky cracks open, water pours down from a tea pot with accompaning wind gusts. That analogy because it is warm...morning temperatures in the boat...77 degrees...during the day to the the mid 80's. This picture shows the wonderful sun shade (rain diversion now?) that the Lady H now sports...

Sunday morning after a night of this rain, before even having tea, I put my swim suit on, got the large manual pump out from the locker and headed to the dingy, Hugo, whom I figured would be full of water. I need to explain that Herbie is an electric start Yamaha...therefore we need a battery in Hugo. Now, Capt Paul has had all sorts of wonderful ideas about how to protect the battery...even having an electric sump type pump...but to date...well, we've lost one battery to high water (Colon, Panama 2010) and still today...I'm manually pumping. The sky deluge seemed to have stopped for a moment as I stepped off of the Lady H and onto the dock. As I was pumping, which does take awhile when Hugo is full, the sprinkle turned to real rain once again.

My thoughts went way back to the time my sister and I went canoeing from our family cabin on Port Susan Bay with our goal of getting to Hat Island (many miles away). It started to sprinkle as we paddled then...and turned to rain! It was summer as I recall...but summer on Puget Sound is very seldom consistently warm. I do remember I started to whine...wow, Anne, do YOU remember it that way too? Well, better than calling it whine...how about...I just kept insisting that we should go back as the canoe was filling up with water and we had nothing to bail with. Finally Anne agreed, we turned around and we landed the very full of water (yet still floating) canoe on the beach. Soaked in my clothes I ran up to the house to take a shower and change! Once in the house I turned around, looked outside and there was my sister swimming in Puget Sound. Her thoughts...she was already wet!

So...with that memory going through my mind and already in my swimsuit...I did give it a thought...swimming that is. But, with all of the rain, the waters near shore had been muddied...and just didn't look that inviting!

The rest of Sunday we listened to the rain with my occasional visits to Hugo to get him pumped out...very lazy day. The rain continued into and through Monday, and so did my jaunts to Hugo to keep his floor as dry as I could! My 2 mile a day walk and bike riding was just not going to happen with this rain and the huge puddles that had accumulated everywhere. A blog on our very fun and wonderful Valentines celebration at Fantasy Island will be forthcoming...but...first things first. Last night Paul moved Hugo too close to the dock (I was planning to walk to the Valentines celebration at the resort...he wanted to take Hugo rather than walk...couldn't keep Hugo running...you guessed it..."dirty fuel...water in the fuel"... and ended up walking with me anyway). So this morning, not only is Hugo full of water...but also UNDERNEATH the dock.This picture is taken at almost low tide with Hugo full of water. We are now, not only waiting for sunshine (promised tomorrow), but waiting until complete low tide arrives when hopefully we can spring poor Hugo from his current predicament...

all in a days living in paradise...

Another day older and deeper in debt

Thur Feb 10 Fantasy Island Honduras 6 :43 pm
So I had another birthday...damn...hate those things...Joyce tried to make it as painless as possible....The guy came to survey the boat.(insurance company makes us do this every few years)....only found about $1800-2500 bucks worth of necessary expenses...and cost almost $800 bucks..The guys that are making my new sunshade and cockpit cushions came by late to install the main sunshade....looks and works great....another $660 bucks, not counting the materials......will have to wait for Joyce s pics to see that....So I got a few cool presents...also go a haircut.....(Joyce) .now will have to shave and clean up to match the haircut.....damn.....as Joyce has posted I will be going back at the end of the month to get the neck cut on 1 more time...hopefully this will take care of my leg problems.....too long to list...trying to beat the onset of obamacare.....sure they would have sent me home with a big bottle of percocet (the good pain stuff) and enjoy life......lot's of decisions to make depending on the results of this surgery....many painful....emotional, lifestyle and financial......and we need a new cat....both Joyce and I miss Mayday......she was supposed to be here with us now.....Joyce has been searching the web for Main Coon Kittens.....wish we had a better idea of our plans ore the next year....too many things just hanging out there....to make any choices right now....For being a dog person....well used to be a dog person.....she is looking hard for one close to Mayday....We will be staying here at Fantasy Island through June........easy for me to get on and off the boat...lots of social activities.(happy hours)..may make the decision to stay here during hurricane season depending on a few factors......we will see...sure is easier to get back to the states from here....direct to Atlanta......time for another glass of painkilling wine and some sleep....yes it is warm here...must run a/c at night.....Capt Paul

Short and Sweet....

Capt Pauls birthday celebration...I was hoping for a bit of a surprise...although cruisers love any reason to get together for Happy Hour...so on the other hand...I'm sure he expected it! What better way for him to celebrate one year older...Happy Hour (in one of our favorite places)...talking boats...and cake and ice cream! Okay the cake and ice cream wasn't really a Capt Paul thing...but it was his birthday...and everyone else enjoyed it tremendously!Sort of a "token" picture here...the Fantasy Island plane landing at Happy Hour. And, it leads into the fact that Capt Paul has booked a flight for yet another surgery back in the states...he leaves the end of February and keeping the "short and sweet" theme...he will be able to visit with his daughter while recuperating and be back to me and the boat later in March. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.... There could be many "short and sweet" references...maybe even to Capt Paul himself? But like this beautiful birthday sunset...this birthday blog will be...you guessed it...s&s!

Different Views...

As we were motoring up the coast of Roatan and arriving at the French Harbor cut through the reef...Denny mentioned..."things look so different from out here".So I was looking for a different way to bring different views of this area...which brought me to the bicycles that we have had on board since Key West. They have been locked to the rail and sort of covered for the last year. We have not had much occasion to ride them so neither one has been off of the boat...until last week! I took the sun-cracked cover off as gently as I could...unlocked them...and took the one with the orange fenders onto the grass behind the boat. I was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to remember how to unfold it...let alone ride it...but surprised myself at how easy it was! The tires, however, were more than just flat...and when I tried to take the valve cover off...couldn't budge them with my fingers. Back down into the boat I went...retrieved the tire pump, a Leatherman type tool...got the valve covers off and pumped up the tires. Amazingly...they were holding air...so off I rode (with pump in the back pocket) to see how long before the tires went flat again! Fantasy Island is just that...an island...and a small island at that.There is a road that goes around the outside of the island except where the resort is ...they are on the ocean front side of course. Most of the road is in the shade though, which is wonderful considering it gets to 85 degrees during the day! After the first day of four or five short times around the island...I just had to see more of the view from a bicycle...So with camera in hand...over the bridge I rode to go off the small island of Fantasy ...and onto the island of Roatan for more pictures... out onto the main street...... and up to the top of the nearest hill! I have done this twice now (riding off of Fantasy Island) and once was passed by three taxi's! Now, while I have ridden my (road) bike in the states on more different kinds of roads on different occasions than I can tell you about...these three taxi's on Roatan have made me think twice about going any farther than the top of this hill for more pictures on the island of Roatan via my bicycle! So I guess I will restrict my riding to Fantasy Island...and if what I am looking for are views...there really are none better that I can think of right now...Even if they are of some of the "wildlife"! The bicycle tires are keeping air in them...I've ridden a bit on the beach...and, I keep thinking that maybe I can teach one of these guys to ride? So, yes, things do look different from here...here being where we are now...bicycle or not...still and all...the view is beautiful!