Were Taking a Vacation

Preparing to go home is no small task. Stan and Lynn Hommer joined us to help navigate the very shoaled area into the marina yard that will keep Genesis safe.

Genesis was put onto the slings of the travel lift and gently lifted out of the water and moved to her temporary spot. The bottom had some growth but not much for a year in the very hot tropical waters. Seems the hot sauce added to the paint really works. We will definitely try it again. The damage to the bottom from the reef was non existent.

The temperature on the hard was 110F with no breeze. We ran the 3 fans inside getting the temperature down to around 90F feeling much cooler but not enough to stop the puddles from appearing beneath our feet.

We spent the week with our lists. Ken with his blue list me with the pink list. Every inch of the inside of the boat had to be washed down with a bleach solution, all linens washed and put away, the exterior had to be stripped and put away and inventoried, freezer and fridge emptied and cleaned. The food was given to our new Colombian friends. The engine oils needed to be changed (and a bunch of other engine stuff I didn't pay attention to but knew were important.) I do know however Ken's list was longer than mine. The final task was to plug all thru hulls so no insects would make their homes in our boat.

We got a quote for the work we will want done when we return and have decided to go ahead with the work . Very reasonable. Marina Manzanillo was extremely helpful to us and I would strongly recommend any boaters looking for a haul out to consider this yard.

The heat was getting to us so we decided to take a room for the week with a pool. A decision we did not regret.

We were fortunate enough to get flights from Cartagena to Seattle for $329.00 plus taxes. We couldn't believe it. We would have to overnight in Miami but even with a hotel room it is still very inexpensive. We took our first ever flight on LAN. It is the Chilean National Airline and the best I have ever been on. The seats were comfortable and spacious, the flight crew wonderful, they served FREE meals with real plates and cutlery, free drinks including alcoholic drinks if you wanted one, snacks when you wanted them, blankets, pillows, tv, music and all for free. It was like we were in first class.

We were picked up in Seattle by Pam and Stu on a beautiful summer day. This however was not our final destination. Together the four of us continued another six hours to Kelowna, where the following day we would attend a family gathering. We surprised everyone as no one knew we were coming.

What was going through both our minds were the changes. Vancouver has a lot of much needed road and bridge construction finished and being completed. (Government incentive money).It must have employed or kept some employed. The most important thing we saw however was the beauty. The mountains with glacier snow, the flowers and trees all in their spring splendor. I could smell the pine. Yep we were in Canada. No noise. No honking car horns.

We asked for you to send us questions and the first question is ...........

What do you miss about Canada the most after being gone for such an extended time?

The answer of course would be family and friends first, some types of food products, like pickles, some cheese's, blueberries, blackberries and brussel sprouts. We can find pickles but it has been quite difficult. Now there are 2 types of boaters; one who must have your typical brand names found in North America and the others who adapt. We are the adapters. People in these countries do eat. So as the saying goes "When in Rome eat what the Romans eat. I am sure that I will miss the fresh mangoes off the trees, the bunches of bananas turning in front of your eyes. As we drove through the Rockies I however realized that I missed the beauty of our country, the glacier topped mountains, rivers, beautiful trees, the valleys and all the spring flowers.

We are in BC for another week then will continue to Calgary where we will continue to see more family and friends. Our number 1 thing that we miss.