Groshong Family – Guest Blog
07 January 2009 | San Blas, Panama to Cartagena, Columbia
Groshong Family
Joe - We leave tomorrow at 7:30am for Panama City-Houston-Colorado Springs. I'm wondering if there is snow on the ground. How did two weeks pass by so subtly? It seems like yesterday that Kent met us at the airport at Carti in the San Blas islands. Since then-Christmas Eve on Moody Blues with Gene and Susea as our hosts; Christmas on Hiatus; a few San Blas islands explored; the trip in the open ocean to Cartagena and more exploring around the city. Time was lost for me the day I gave my watch to Lara because hers went missing. Now it seems to have found me in the form of a plane reservation for home. The highlights- definitely Kent and Heather and their easy-going hospitality; the awesome Hiatus, Cobin's cheery smile right after he became seasick and then immediately proceeded to stuff more food in his mouth; the few runs Lara, Heather and I got to do Cartagena; the wahoo that got away, Lara and my long swim back to the boat together and hanging out with Kent on a sailboat again. My Spanish has been practiced, my attitude is a little more laid back, my wife is tan and rested and my son is asleep which is where I need to go to catch a few hours of rest before the ride back to reality. Thanks Kent and Heather for the open welcome and sharing your home with us. You made us feel very much at home!
Lara - Kent and Heather and Hiatus have been incredible hosts/hostesses/boats for the past two plus weeks we've been here. Apart from stocking the boat for us (Nutella even (but not much left - sorry Heather!) to excellent lodging to cooking and cleaning after us, I found laundry secretly hung up, my snorkel gear stowed, and my stuff protected from the elements. All were very tolerant of my lack of ability to pitch in due to a 30-lb growth whose favorite phrase seemed to be, "Mama, hold you?" When he was feeling less needy, Cobin had a great time on the boat and on our trip. He learned to turn around to walk down the ladder and "grab, grab, grab" every time he walked anywhere. His vocabulary expanded as well. In addition to some basic boat vocabulary like "boom" and "staysail," Kent taught him useful phrases like "Party On!" and others that we hope he will soon forget. He loved rides in the dinghy and the orange boat/kayak and thought playing in the waves on the beach was about the best thing ever. I enjoyed seeing Cobin make new friends, from Heather and Kent to Gene and Susea on Moody Blues to the swarm of Kuna kids in the villages we visited. No matter where we went or what we did, he took it in stride and handled it with great two-year old maturity. At some level, I'm sure this trip will impact him later in life. Thanks for a great experience for our whole family!
Cobin - Watch Heather anchor? Kent driving. Dinghy? Turn around, turn around. Grab, grab, grab. Go orange boat? Dinghy? Kent engine. Hiatus. Moody Blues. Susea coming. Gene coming. Daddy! Mama - hold you? Play waves. Dinghy! Bye-bye Hiatus. Bye-bye Heather. Bye-bye Kent. Bye-bye Cartagena.