Summer is over, but it's STILL hot in Guat!

We are back in Guatemala on the LeChat Beaute.  Had a great time this summer visiting with family and friends.

 

Video of El Tortugal Marina, Guatemala - is it working?

Sunken Garden in Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island  

This is a Monkey Puzzle tree!

 

Water feature in the Japanese Garden

 

 Lee, the beekeeper all dressed in his protective gear

 so he can smoke them out!



Dinner at Mickey's with Faye

Crackers Restaurant in Crystal River with Mom and Kerry

 

Jill smooching the Blues Brothers and Suzanne's next!

Rudy and Suzanne on the new Victory! 

 

The gang at Sleepy Hollow's, Floral City

With Mom and Paddy at the Olive Garden

Jill, Ray, and Karen

Duck sighting on the way to the showers

Hand painted showers

And this is the walk to the showers

Early morning on the Rio Dulce

Le Chat Beaute'

 

Paddy's had a long list of "to do's" that he has been chipping away at!  Today he installed the 2 new hatches for the hard top, fixed the windlass (that actually took 3 days - 2 to find the problem and one day to fix it), and had the dinghy measured for a new cover!  Trust me - as you know, a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money - along with blood, sweat and tears.  Lots of sweat down here.  Playing International Trivia tomorrow night, then off to the waterfalls on Friday.

 

Thanks to all my friends who kept me busy this summer - will miss you! 

 

 

 



Red Hottie

2,471 miles on the Red Hottie!

 

 

Gotta drink, just can't decide which one so I'll try them ALL.......................

Rogue Brewery, Astoria, Oregon

 

Paddy and I spent 4 weeks traveling through the Northwest on the Harley.  What a GREAT experience with fabulous vistas, weather, and wonderful loving friends! 

 

Coast of Washington - note all the beached logs.

 

 

The Beverly Hillbillies all loaded down and ready for the big adventure!

(Ladies - that's 4 weeks of clothes in those bags, oh, and 1 pair of undies!!!)

 

 

Crossing the Cascades Mountains on our way to Mazama, Washington

 

Kite boarding on the Columbia River in Hood River, Oregon

 

The largest known Spruce tree is located in the Olympic National Forest, WA. 

191 feet tall with a circumference of 58 feet - I look like a troll!

Nairns Falls - the water melting from the glaciers is truly that beautiful shade of aqua color!

Coast of Oregon

 

OMG!  We're eating again....... Mo's famous clam chowder in Lincoln City, OR. 

 No wonder I'm (we're) dieting AGAIN!!! :)

 

Visited Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC (BC stands for BRING CASH!!!)

What a charming city - it is the capital of British Columbia.

 

Spent 5 very relaxing days on Lake Chelan on the east side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington.  Unlike the green forests of the west side, this area is considered high desert.

Apple orchards and vineyards are thriving here.  It's difficult touring wineries while on a motorcycle.

 

 

 Frazier River, British Columbia

 

Dining on the slopes of Whistler ski resort, BC, Canada

 

and dinner was butternut squash ravioli.......yummy! 

 

Everyone has a garden with a full pallette of color.  This photo doesn't do the flowers justice. 

In May 1981 Mt . St. Helens in Washington erupted.  The gaping hole is the 1/3 of the top that turned into over 20 feet of dirt, debris and ash. You can see where the ice melt has troughed through the ash.  This is a view from the Johnson Ridge Observatory, named after the seismologist whose last words were "Vancouver, Vancouver.......this is it!"  Frightening.

 

A variety of tomatoes from Becky's garden.

 

Captain Paddy digging for potatoes!

 

Mt. Hood, Oregon 

 

Happy hour with Paddy, Aimee and Barney.  They look happy, don't they??? 

 

And, I'm proud and delighted to have gone the 2,471 miles on the Red Hottie!  Thanks to my new "Throne", I had a great time cruising and discovering this part of the country and Canada with Paddy. 

 Maybe next year I'll be driving my own hottie!



Crystal River

It's been a busy summer since I returned from Guatemala.  Mom is still in assisted living and fortunately she is settling in quite nicely.

Arthur, Faye and Lee at my ____ high school reunion.  You guess how many years!

My bag of scallops caught in the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  Gotta eat!

Boating with Jill and Ray down the Salt River to Homosassa for food and beers, and beers, and beers.  Oh, did I mention the beers?

 Then my friend Karen had a spectacular party at her new gallery, Franklin Anderson Art Gallery in Crystal River.  If you haven't been, go check out of the art works of Karen and other local artists.  She has everything from jewelry by Beadz, wood sculptures and bowls, antiques, to dramatic art work by Anna Porcelli.

Paddy and I went scalloping with Cajie and Richard.  Had plenty to eat that night with Cajie's magical gourmet touch.

Jan Lyons visited from New Smyrna Beach to (again) do some more scalloping.  Charlie was recovering from rotator cup surgey, so he just got to eat.  We have been slaying them with the help of Gator Dave.

I just completed my Paddy certification, oops, I mean PADI course yesterday.  I now can go scuba diving with Paddy when we get back on the boat.  Our plan is to visit some atolls off the coast of Belize:  Lighthouse, Turneffe, and Glover's Reef. 

I leave this week to meet up with Paddy in Portland.  Our travels will take us to the coast of Oregon, Washington, and up through Seattle and Vancouver.  Our last stop will be to visit Becky and Wirt in Washington state.

Above is the new THRONE........(my back rest not yet installed at the time of this photo) nice and cushy for the tushies!!  Thanks Paddy.

Antigua, Guatemala

ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

JUNE 2012

FOR YOU HISTORY BUFFS.................................in 1543 the Spanish conquistadors found the third Guatemalan capital, La Antigua, after several rebellions and mudslides from volcano Agua.  For more than 200 years it served as the capital city and seat of the Spanish colonial government in Guatemala.  It eventually grew to be the most important and booming city in Central America.  In 1717 a devastating earthquake hit the area and more than 3,000 buildings were destroyed.  In 1773, after another large earthquake, the capital was moved to Guatemala City.  Slowly restoration works began.  In 1944, the government declared Antigua a National Monument.  In 1979 it was designated an UNESCO World Heritage site.  Now Antigua has a poplulation of @ 34,000, plus wonderful restaurants, historical buildings, coble stone streets and museums .  Additional interesting factors are that there are 3 volcanos that surround the city and it is famous for the numerous Spanish language schools.

Above is ancient church used only for special events.

We stayed in a charming bed and breakfast called Hotel Casa Antigua.  The courtyard was full of blooming flowers and lush vegetation.   AND the temperature was @ 75 during the day and in the evenings it was 50-60's.  Needless to say, this ole gal was enjoying the cool air. (vs. @ 95 plus heavy humidity in the Rio.)

 

The Corpus Christi Celebration took place while we were there.  It is the celebration of the blood and body of Christ.  The mothers had dressed their daughters as angels with their wings.

The priest and his entourage walk the streets as below with anyone that wants to join the procession.  The smoke is from all the firecrackers that were set off to scare away the evil spirits.  I thought I was in a war-zone!

Prior to the procession, the locals decorate the coble stone streets with pine needles and flowers.  The men below used boards to make sure the borders were straight and the correct dimensions. 

El perfecto.

After the procession, here come the sweepers and a front loader to clean up the beautifully decorated streets that people spent hours to prepare.   Obviously, you had to be there to see it! - literally!

The indigenous people are Mayan and speak Spanish.  But don't be fooled......................they all have cell phones!  The currency is the quatzale which is 7.80 per $1 USD.  I finally bought a calculator to carry with me for conversion purposes.  The women are master weavers.  Textiles in every color and design are sold by them as they wander through the town and parks wearing their traditional clothing with the design in the weave representing their village.   This mother and daughter offered to pose for me.

An important fact I want to pass along is their medical services.  Very good quality and amazing costs.  We had our teeth cleaned (by the DENTIST!) and I had a filling for less than $135 USD for the two of us.  Then I went to the dermatologist - full body scan, 2 mystery growths removed (they are fine), and lab = $97, yes, I said $97.  If you want to visit, www.guatemalamedicaltravel.com.    The owner Lori will schedule your appointments and help in getting you room and board. 

Paddy and I are back in the states.  Le Chat Beaute' is docked in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, a famous hurrican hole.  The Captain flew out yesterday to the Northwest to visit with family and friends, then I'll fly out in August for a Red Hottie (the Harley) ride up to and through the Vanouver Islands -CAN'T WAIT!!!  Returning to the boat in October.  I'm looking forward to seeing my friends and have already been busy visiting Mom in the assisted living facility.  See ya soon!