My goodness, we have been quiet haven't we? That's because we have been attending to all sorts of business.

By the time we depart Barra de Navidad, we will have been three weeks in this lagoon. The reasons are several. The water in the lagoon is nice and flat all the time despite the daily afternoon wind that whips into the 15-25 knot range. There is a hard working French baker who delivers wonderful fresh baguettes, croissants and fruit tarts to the anchorage every morning. We needed to do more varnishing and Richard went back to San Diego and needed a good place to leave me and Mandy. While there, he collected our mail, arranged the 2008 taxes, hugged Archie for me and picked up a more powerful auto pilot to replace the 30 year old one that was no longer cooperating.

Before Richard left, Mandy dragged her 45lb CQR anchor and 110 feet of chain through the muddy lagoon bottom during some high afternoon wind. We were not aboard, but lucky for us, three other boats came to Mandy's rescue and she had dinghy's all around her, while the guys set a second bow anchor. When we returned from town she was not where we had left her, but several boats lengths back into the lagoon. Our re-setting was stronger and the whole time Richard was gone we held fast. The cruising community is pretty wonderful in the way that everyone is ready to help out if they can.

Once Richard returned he worked for three days solid installing the equipment. I had refinished the whole port side of the wood as well as the main boom. He had a busy time in San Diego and we have Jim and Cathy Robinson to thank for putting him up at a moment's notice and Mimi Tackaberry for letting him on her computer for two days. Archie is doing well at Blue Fox Stables and he and Richard enjoyed the time together. Our little house in Del Dios is in capable and loving hands with our terrific tenants Ruby and Vince and Del Dios is still comfortingly the same and looking beautiful with the Ceanothus and wild flowers blooming everywhere.

We are almost finished here in Barra de Navidad and we will be leaving the morning of March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) for Las Hadas (of the movie "10" fame), Zihuataneo and Acapulco. The whole week before St. Patrick's Day there are huge festivities and fireworks in Melaque which is the town next to Barra, as St Patrick is the patron saint of the town. A disconcerting culture clash if ever there was one. At the end of the week they select a willing bearded Gringo to stand in for the saint in a big parade. Since Richard is of the right colouring, he is getting out of town just in time.