01/07/2008 7:02:53PM 24 12.911N 110 17.915W Day 212 Up this morning at 0710; 71 Degrees, Clear, Wind Calm.
[In the
Photo Gallery, we've started a new album: Phase IV - La Paz/PJ Prep, with pictures from the holiday season aboard
Wind Dancer. The
Gallery has also been upgraded so it's easier to use. When you view an album now, you'll see the latest photos first. Above photo: the pads of a prickly pear cactus prior to dicing for a salad. Yes, the spines have been scraped off.]
This was one of those weather days that I'd have to describe as faultless. A heavenly 82 degrees, just enough light wind to temper the sun, and not a cloud in the sky. There was a time when I questioned whether anywhere else in the world could trump or tie
Alaska in the "beautiful" game. I must now admit that the
Sea of Cort�s shore of
Baja is an ace, especially when it is bathed in sparkling sunlight. The verdant hills are blanketed with cacti and small trees inlaid on a reddish earthen base; the water is tinted a deep, transparent emerald. There is indeed enough variety in this majestic land- and seascape to infuse your brain with countless streams of unsullied stimuli. It is no wonder so many gringos have settled here. When you combine the splendor of the area with the warmth, charm and affability of the local population, this country has one heck of a lot going for it.
The Puddle Jump. More effort aimed at fleshing out the cartography this morning. I installed a set of
French Polynesia raster-format charts onto the laptop in our
Nobeltec Visual Navigation Suite. These are the charts that I talked about in an earlier post, the ones that used to be free before a big corporation bought out the small company that offered them. Luckily, the ones I have were downloaded before the money-grubbers got their mitts on them.
Next, it was on to paper charts and guide books. I ordered several from our friends at
Downwind Marine in
San Diego. They are sending me the
Bellingham Chart Printers paper chart portfolio "BCP-800: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society, Cooks, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji"; "Charlie's Charts for Polynesia"; and "Landfalls of Paradise." The guidebooks and paper charts, coupled with two sets of e-charts, should add a significant margin of safety as we wend our way through the South Pacific islands.
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"Crew Quarters"
1st Mate: I slept in a bit this morning as the hatch was open and a nice breeze was coming in with the sunshine. I was just too comfy to get up. I had coffee after 0800 and missed most of the net talk. The kids got to work on school right away as their friend was coming over and they knew they had to be done. We all worked hard for about four hours and I made some mac & cheese for lunch. Captain then took the kids to the pool.
I decided to reorganize and sort all of the bathroom shelves. I sorted medicines and shampoos and toothpaste and bug and sun creams. I had also prepared a lovely chicken to roast in the oven for a few hours. I must note that inside the chicken was not only the usual heart, liver and gizzards but also a pair of lovely chicken feet! I tossed them all as I was not planning any stuffing or soup from this bird. While doing the head chore I realized I didn't smell the chicken cooking and then saw that the propane was out. I don't know how to switch the jugs so waited anxiously for Captain to return as I didn't like the idea of an undone bird just sitting in my oven. I went up to take a shower and left a note for Chris. When I returned the tanks were ready and I fired up the oven again.
I also made a batch of sticky rice and salads. I have a great recipe for cactus salad from Heather Stockard's
Mexico cook book. I have noted it previously but tonight I was curious about the nutritional value of the prickly pear cactus, and as I thought, it is a very medicinal plant. It is noted for being high in Vitamin C and magnesium, also a helper in lowering cholesterol (
more info here). I chopped it up raw and added red onion, orange peppers, cilantro, and tomato (I've also used avocado in this recipe). I use a vinaigrette dressing and it is delicious! The kids prefer red cabbage and carrots shredded with Catalina dressing, they'll learn someday.
The dishes are drying and it is time to finish Harry Potter. I haven't made a dessert in awhile but if no one asks it is probably better if we just skip it.
2nd Mate: Wildlife seen today: frigate bird, western grebe. Woke up around 0640. I played around until school. We finished Lesson 13 and started Lesson 14. Right after school, Josh came by after riding the shuttle to the marina. We immediately went swimming. I found the penny I lost yesterday while Dad challenged us all to find it (the reward was 10 pesos, which really got us going). We got back and said goodbye.
While I was goofing around today, I discovered an interesting fact: the Mexican phrase "gringo," which means someone or something from the
US, came from the phrase "Green, go home!" shouted by many Mexican soldiers during the Mexican Revolution (1846-1848). They shouted this at many of our soldiers who were wearing green uniforms, insisting they go back to the
US. Take the phrase, drop the word "home", say it fast, and you've got a popular word said here in Mexico.
Acabamos de acabar una cena maravillosa y ahora nos estamos reclinando (which translates into "We just finished a marvelous dinner and are now resting"). We plan to finish "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" as our family movie tonight.
Cabin Girl: I did some schoolwork. I worked on an animal book about orcas. I studied a lot about whales. I'm also working on little flash cards on different animals and they're characteristics. We went swimming with Josh. We played "torpedo tag." We waited for the shuttle with him. We had fried chicken and rice for dinner. We're going to watch Harry Potter 1 tonight.