Best Intentions...

We are back in Roatan!  I did have the best intenions of blogging before I left the Seattle area...and now, a week later...well let's move on.  We've had two HUGE thunderstorms roll through so far.  One during the middle of the night that came with a large gust of wind that had the lines groaning and the boat heeling (we are med-moored in the Marina...for those that do not know that term - it means that we are stern to the dock with the bow secured to lines going to underwater screws).  Now, I don't mind heeling when we are sailing...but when we are sitting still that is another story!  This morning, so far anyway, there is only heavy rain and the thunder and lightening.  I never did like thunder and lightening.   It is hot and humid here...Capt Paul has the a/c's going...and Spencer (a family friends son down for a couple of weeks before college begins again) and I have been diving. 

He is a newbie...and I have had fun yacking and yacking about safety and how and why I do things when I'm going out on Hugo with a dive buddy!  He has been a wonderful listener and has even taken to my little underwater camera!  When I'm not diving with him...he is off with the Fantasy Island boats getting even more underwater time!  I'll admit that visibility is not the best...but we are breathing underwater!  We took a short taxi trip to the West End yesterday to arrange him going to the West End this weekend, diving with a shop I know and staying at a nice little place!  While he is there I will see if Capt Paul can get back into Hugo from the water and if he is able to...we will have him breathing under the water soon too!

I want to get back to the "best intentions" idea too...just as a point of fact...we almost did not get out of the United States from the Atlanta airport.  Capt Paul was going to blog on it...but he hasn't, so I will.  Delta told us that Immigration would not allow us out of the country unless we had a return flight in 90 days.  That is the longest Honduras will allow a tourist visa.  This is the first time in our travels that this has happened to us.  Not sure how many of you will see the irony in this?  Now, United States Immigration...who cannot keep illegals from crossing the border INTO the United States is trying to mandate how a U.S. citizen LEAVES the U.S.?  Yes, we explained we lived on a boat...showed her our passports that proved we were law-abiding U.S. citizens...that we had never overstayed our 90 days in any country that we have visited in the past...and we were still held up until the proper "authorities" told us that we could leave (had Capt Paul not been handicapped and been able to go to the front of every line we would have missed the flight)...but they warned us, that we may not be admitted into Honduras when we arrive.  Suffice to say we never had a problem once here in Honduras and we are (obviously) back on the boat.  I'm holding to my thoughts that the U.S. Immigration is working on best intentions...but truly...I would like a smaller less intrusive U.S. government that has it's priorities more in line with the Constitution!! 

Well, darn...the wind is picking up...the rain has stopped...the dock lines are groaning and the boat has begun to heel just a little...maybe time for me to get off my soap box.  Oh...and Mizzen is just fine...travelled well and is now trying to catch a fly that came in when I stuck my head out to look at the rain.            

Neglected the blog....

I have been so busy since being back to the states that I have neglected the blog...has anybody noticed?  I have been enjoying time with my kids...my mom...my sister...a few of my girlfriends...and of course, I have enjoyed taking pictures of EVERYTHING.  I found last year when I was scanning old pictures from when the kids were growing up (pre-digital) that maybe I didn't take enough pictures during that era.  Back then I thought I was taking a lot...but now I wonder...is there ever enough?  So, here, I'll share with you a few taken this summer...some of these are on Facebook...some are not...a picture of my mom in her garden...pictures of one of her flowers...picture of Jodi (daughter) and Lance...their dogs......picture of the Olympic Mountains from my sister's lake house...her flowers...picture of Cheryl (daughter) and Rodrigo...picture of Mount Rainier without all of us front of it...and then with us in front of it... picture of the kitchen I painted at Paul's (son) house...picture of some of the growing wheat fields on my (long) drive to visit...

I have gotten a couple of terabytes of memory one specifically for pictures...and one for a back-up of those pictures.  Captain Paul continues his rant about the boat listing from all the pictures I take...so here is a picture of how he looks at me as I take the pictures...but then when the pictures are of our kitty, Mizzen...he doesn't mind!!  

So, yes, I do love being "home", love being with family.  I love seeing them happy.  It is WONDERFUL and heartwarming...  I will hope to blog at least one more time as our time winds down here...yes, there will be more pictures...and,  just in case anybody really does follow this blog, I'm up to riding my bike 15 miles each time I go out...any bets to 20?

Real Beer

Sunday 11:40 pm
Well all have crashed but me...Joyce from her 10 or was it 12 mile bike ride, I did m 2 plus....rubber legs and sore butt before I quit...Weather ...well ...my kind...74 dg ..low humidity. Grandma has gone up to see her oldest daughter Jill,husband is Bob Perry the boat designer. So a quiet night watching stupid TV. Been online looking for boat parts....Mizzen has taken over the house....still growing....Have MD apt tomorrow...will see what I can see how much function I can get back before we return in Sept. So we are settling in ...my favorite IPA beer on sale at $4.50 off a 12 pack off.....of course I emptied the case.....food prices are out of sight...I really think some things are cheaper in Roatan....Way to go obama...with the Fed printing 600 billion dollars....well hold on to your shorts....Glad we are only here for 2 months....Capt Paul

Beautiful Daze

To my mom, yes, ...I realize that it should be day's not daze...and that interpolation (previous blog) is numerical analysis...but no one really reads this anyway do they?  So I can have a little fun with words?  Flowers in my sisters yard.  Previous blog too...but just hadn't messed with pictures for awhile.  So, when it is beautiful in Seattle...there just has to be a bike ride to take somewhere.  I've been going down to the Green River trail.  Had started out at 8 miles...and now up to 10 miles.  I have remembered how to spit...is that something one can forget?  Anyway, none the worse for wear...means I really should up it to 15...can anyone talk me out of it?  ARGHH!  The scenery is beautiful on the ride...not that I pay that much attention to it...but every once in awhile I look up and count my blessings!  The elk on the mountain (look at the end of the arrow).  Capt Paul has gone twice riding my mom's bike...two miles!  Pretty darn cool! And, then of course there is Mizzen.  She LOVES it here at my mom's house!  She and my mom's dog, Paloma may have even decided that they can live in the same house!  Mizzen has some new toys to add to her old toys and has already learned a few things from Paloma! So, mom...thank you...it is fun to spend some of these beautiful day's with you...and it was good of you to admit that on a bright beautiful sunny Sunday morning on your way to church you accidentally turned the windshield wipers on in Higgins...and then...could not figure out how to turn them off!  I wonder how many other people noticed and enjoyed your muse!  Hmmmm, maybe that is what I meant by daze? 

Some Wow's....

We are at my mom's house now...well, I've been at my sister's for the last two days.  And, speaking of my sister...

Capt Paul and I had arrived at the Seattle airport and I had gotten Capt Paul and our carry on luggage (including Mizzen) down to the pickup curb.  There were THREE lanes of cars parked...waiting for people to arrive.  Usually the police keep the "waiting" parked cars to only one lane...but that night it had grown to the three lanes...basically out of control!  I walked between the parked cars, a tad animated, and spoke aloud of how the cars that are not loading should not be in the way of those that are loading...and an older gentleman approached me.  He said, "Anne"....to which I responded "no?"...yet I looked at him very closely as that is one of my sisters names.  Then he proceeded to name my brother, my other sister, me, our last name (my maiden name) and told me his name.  I was drawing a complete blank.  Because of his look (remember, I mentioned he was an older gentleman) and I could not place him, I pointed to my mom waiting in the car and said...oh, then you must know my mom...to which he graciously went out to my mom's car and introduced himself saying, "I took a Algebra class with your daughter, Joyce, in high school"!  He followed me over to the curb and I then introduced him to Capt Paul (still with no memory of him).  I thanked him for recognizing me (I considered that to be a big WOW) but admitted to him that I still could not place his name or him! I continued to get luggage from the airport to the car and off we went to my mom's house.   So, the above could be interpolated a few different ways!  I've decided the way I'm going to share with you is of course...WOW...I must look the same as I did in high school...because HE RECOGNIZED ME!

So...got to see my oldest daughter...make plans with my youngest daughter...talk more than a few times with my VERY busy son, and, have just had a couple of wonderful days with my sister.  Yesterday my sister and I went to lunch with my girlfriend...and we had such a wonderful sisterly...laughing time!  More wow...I'm feeling pretty blessed right now!