Wednesday, August 20, 2014

More pictures



Natural Bridge / Road on top leads to hotel where we stayed


Luray Caverns discovered in 1878 Privately owned
Four millions centuries in the making beneath Virginia's Shenandoah Valley


Enormous chambers, ceilings 10 stories high.

Perfect Drapery Formation
A natural wonder

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Camera Roll

After making sure that hurricane Arthur( July 3rd 2014) had left no marks on SpringDay we went home for family time.  We stopped in Texas to see the twins; they are looking at their Daddy via Skype.

Then back in Wa, we dusted off the motorhome and took the grandkids camping in Coeur D'Alene, Id

 While Skipper supervises the return of SpringDay to her natural habitat in Beaufort N.C.,  I visit my family in Quebec City for my sister's 65th birthday and arrange to fly to North Carolina with little brother Steve.




After a very gregarious dinner with warm and lovable North Carolinians, Skipper who had engaged in showing his famous  "get the cork out of the bottle with a napkin" trick won his dollar bet and challenged this sweet woman (at table next to us ) to try his trick. She has the most entertaining and melodic southern twang I ever heard.
Soon the entire section of the restaurant was cheering her when she pulled the cork.  
Calm waters from Morehead City to Hampton Virginia. (30 hour trip)
                                                                                          
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Tunnel at the same time.  23 mile long

Steve clapping to encourage dolphins to keep following




Wednesday, May 7, 2014

SSE to NNW Panama Canal Transit

 May 4th - The paperwork is completed and Skipper picks up our four 1 1/4"diameter by 125' ft long lines.  May 5th, Don runs in by dinghy to pick up the two line handlers and brings them to SpringDay, it is 6 am because we were told to be ready to proceed to the Canal at 7 am.  We are all waiting for the pilot to arrive while Edwin and Winston relax in the cockpit; a couple of hours later a pilot boat delivers the required pilot.  This was the first major delay.
                                                                                            

 Here in the background Ana Mae is also standing at the ready with lots of fenders to receive their pilot.  Skipper's family squeezes in yet another game of Wist!
  
 It's a go! We are instructed by the pilot to follow behind St-Andrew (freighter). The bridge of the Americas is essentially Highway One which starts in Alaska and ends in South America. Large sailboats are designed to barely fit under this 200 and some ft of clearance.

Radio in hand, pilot Al instructing Skipper on how and when to proceed.



SpringDay and Ana Mae nesting


These 3 million dollars custom built locomotives built by the French are used to guide large ships 

Ana Mae in the lead under the Centennial bridge, the second bridge that crossed the Canal

This shows the Continental Divide, the most challenging part of the Canal because of its many landslides caused by the instability of the soil;  even today landslides are a common occurrence.
Meeting imposing personalities

The Canal has 3 locks going up and 3 going down, ships transit 24 hours a day. We proceeded into the lock around 10am and passed through the last doors into the Caribbean Sea around midnight, our transit was interrupted by the pilot shift change at 5pm. The next pilot was delivered around 9:30 pm.  Delays are very common and we know now that they are to be expected.

I will post more pictures soon,

Thinking of you...



Sunday, May 4, 2014

Fast forward to Panama...

A leggy cheer leading egret highlighting the arrival of SpringDay into Panama City...Give me an S 

Well, I definitely have to fast forward to Panama since in less than nine hours SpringDay will be going through the Panama Canal; a long awaited dream of Skipper's. Getting internet here while anchored just outside Marina La Playita has been a real struggle too long and too frustrating to even recall, so I will show you a few pictures of Panama without too many words and thoughts just because there is no time to ponder.

I made a very good friend here in Panama, Mario Caballero, a very sweet man, I don't know what I would have done without him. Always there for me, entire afternoons, watching over me, carrying my computer, shopping with me, carrying groceries, a tourist guide at the same time, calm, poised trustworthy and very caring.  Saying goodbye made him teary eyed, we grew attached to each other just like in Driving Miss Daisy (Lili). His turf is La Playita, if you come to Panama city just look him up, he is simply excellent  Tel.6737-9961



 We anchored right outside the marina, we take the dinghy to the dinghy dock everyday and look for Mario, but this morning he watched anxiously for my arrival, ran to me and said: "el mono, ya está, ya está!"
we hurry through the parking lot ready to be amazed by this interesting creature, the sloth. It was just 'hanging out' barely moving and unable to keep its eyes open for more than a few seconds. Don even ventured touching its two toes.  What an experience!  Thanks to Mario.
 Back in Costa Rica we went on an eco tour in the forest and only through a powerful monocular from the guide, I was able to see part of a sloth with a baby on her chest. But this takes the prize, right there in front of our eyes, inches from it.

Skipper's mother, brother Danny and wife Julie joined us in Golfito Costa Rica and will depart the after the canal transit.
An glance at what is to come


The old town gets a facelift
our friends from Panama, David and Suzie whom we met during our first cruising to Mexico in 2011, have a residence in Panama City and showed us the best of Panama.


A good catsamaritan

Just out our window, an aqua Bus circles SpringDay

Skipper's mom talking to Ana Mae's skipper - Funny how she kept putting microphone to her ear 
Well I have to say Goodnight, I am getting up in 5 hours, I will see you on the Atlantic side my friends,

Thinking of you...

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Nicaragua by land


Hello friends,
I am very late in posting this event which has already occurred over two weeks ago but the lack of internet opportunities and time and must I admit, a little blasé attitude on my part made it impossible.
Before leaving the northern part of Costa Rica, I arranged a two day trip to Granada, Nicaragua. This excursion is by far my favorite land adventure since we started this journey in October of 2013. Enjoy the pictures.



Wednesday morning 6 am I am very excited about the day.  In the distance I see this tall handsome man walking  towards us. We meet our tour guide Leslie Sanchez from Tropical Comfort Tours, bright eyed, wide smile, colorful Columbia shirt, his walk is eager to meet us. Introductions are made, luggage loaded, Skippers and First Mates take a seat in the very comfortable Ford Expedetion. 



Meet Leslie from Tropical Comfort Tours, this 38 yr old Costa Rican is simply exceptional.  This is someone who knows and understands the business of tourism, knowledgeable, nature loving, very alert and charismatic, he takes care of every detail and shares his expanded knowledge on both countries. If the answer to a question escapes him he immediately googles or calls someone for an express solution.  Usually the trip into Nicaragua is one day but Kay and I decided we wanted an overnight in Granada to slow down time and enjoy everything along the way. When I contacted Leslie it was already 3 pm and I informed him that we wanted to go to Nicaragua the next day. Pleased about his YES attitude I was delighted to hear that  he would do the tour himself because the short notice did not leave much time to dispatch, prepare and make arrangements ahead of time. I had a feeling this was a very good thing! The only condition was that we send copies of our passports before 5 pm. Done.


Exiting the parking lot of the marina, Leslie spots this bird having breakfast deep inside a tree.  Nor sure but I think this may be a juvenile Caracara.
                                                                                       
 Caracara, meat in beak.
            An improvised stop; Leslie wants to show us where Costa Rica ends and Nicaragua
 begins since we came by seaway.
Soon after we see several Caracara falcons on the road.  Remember that Bill and Kay rubbed the neck of a caged caracara in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Leslie and his driver were willing to slow down every time we wanted to take a picture.
Looking at the border Nica/Tica.  Beyond the dark 
area is Nicaragua.

Flower of Poro Poro a common deciduous tree, a national
Costa Rican tree with soft bark used
for twine and showy yellow blossoms
said to be medicinal in alleviating swelling


It is best to drive to the border, leave the Costa Rica vehicle in Costa Rica, walk to the border Post to have our passports stamped and walk into Nicaragua where another chauffeur and van with Nica plates waits for us.  I suppose it is a matter of not standing out in the cities. It was strange to walk from one country into the next.

Checking out of the country, Leslie hands our passports to the official. He takes care of every detail, I had never traveled this way before where all I have to do is stand, sit, smile and take pictures.  No stress!  Pura Vida !


                                              No gate, no agent behind a window, no green or red light, just
                                          two officials on the road not paying much attention to our stepping over into their country. 





So little stress that in fact Skippers feel they will come to life only when action is required. Kay and I in the front seat (behind driver and guide) are enjoying the country side, the faces, the fields, the differences between countries.
 On to the city of Rivas, this is where our chauffeur is from.  Leslie had arranged a breakfast stop in Rivas, a city not touristy at all so we felt the stare of many.  I was surprised how many citizens still commute and go about their business by horse-drawn carts. I felt as if I approved of this mode of transportation, every driver and horse team would get a stare from me, I loved watching their relax demeanor perhaps fostered by the inability to speed or pass.



After breakfast, a pleasant surprise, Leslie signals three taxis to approach the restaurants.  While the chauffeur stays with the van for security, we hop on these two passenger tricycles/taxis for a tour of the city.  Leslie makes his driver sit on the passenger bench while he pedals happy to be exercising, his passenger however displayed an uncomfortable but funny smile when ogled by his peers.







The next stop was in San Juan de Oriente for a pottery class.  As soon as the door of the van opens up two little girls move in in front of us, the one on the left named Laudia addresses us in English: "Hello, how are you?  What is your name? Welcome to Nicaragua".  We look to Leslie and the chauffeur who seemed to be amazed and surprised at their english. Don shakes her hand and says his name is Don and asks them a question that I now cannot remember but she answers: " Hello how are you - What is your name, - Welcome to Nicaragua".  All of us started laughing realizing the ploy that had started with the purest of child charming tourist followed by: "One dollar, One dollar, One dollar".  Leslie warned us that we would witness a lot of begging, he tells the girls that we have to go inside now and we say good bye. This practice of giving money should not be encouraged he tells us, they looked well cared for so we comply with the advice.


Inside we meet this nice family man who carries the tradition of his ancestors. Him and his family
make all shapes and size of pottery according to ancient
techniques employing only natural elements;  from harvesting the clay from the earth, to stomping it like grapes, to shaping, glazing with color giving stones or plants from nature (nothing artificial), to firing, and polishing. I was absolutely amazed at their ability to explain in a very clear and slow spoken spanish all processes that lead to their shop where their livelihood translated into beautiful pieces of art.


Bill motions to me to look up behind the potter.  My exclamation interrupted the "class" and I took a picture of this beautiful bird listening in.  Leslie told me to email him the picture he would find out what type of bird it was.  And he did... this is a Rose-breasted Gros Beak.






Man made kilns - bricks are piled in front of opening to seal the kil


We all bought several pieces, let me show you my favorite

I have shaken the hand of the potter, his signature is at the bottom, it comes alive when I look at it, I see his entire household, his children and even the dog. I was happy to find out the color was a perfect match to the backsplash


To be continued...

Thinking of you...