Back on Moondance!

Yahoo - it is wonderful to be home again and sleeping in our own bed - even if it is a mess! Our summer vacation lasted 3 1/2 months and completely wore us out. We decided that was too long to be away (for lots of different reasons) - but especially because of the hardships to the boat and equipment caused by the heat, humidity, and lack of care.

Our first day back, we spent the day goofing off and checking out some of favorite watering holes - just to catch up on some rest, plus acclimate to the weather.

Next day, we actually starting to "think" about our projects and shuffling stuff around. We have been keeping busy multi-tasking: catching up on email, blogging, and bombing cockroaches that snuck aboard while we were gone - oh my!

Today, we actually got some boat projects started and worked all day (almost).

We had an easy trip from Arizona to San Carlos. Thanks to Bill and Linda for letting us crash at their place, plus for the wonderful steak dinner. We went through Mexican customs, plus a Checkpoint, without much stress. Doug overwhelmed everyone with his fluency of the Spanish language (not!), his impressive amount of paperwork, plus the quantity of stuff stashed in the pickup. The locals didn't even want to start digging through the pile of boxes and bags that we called treasures!

San Carlos is in much better shape than we imagined, plus it beautifully green (from all of that rain). Tropical Storm/Hurricane Jimena left it's mark and there is still a lot of work to be done on the infrastructure, but it is coming along.

We hope to have Moondance sailing away by the end of October. Wish us luck!

The Wild, Wild, West!

We have been having a grand time visiting family and friends - can you tell? We loved spending time in Albuquerque with Kathy, Deb, and Chuck, visiting old haunts, and hanging with our buddies.

Plus, we got to spend some time with some of my SWIFT work team (miss them!) and Doug's old Gunrunner softball team. Can't believe it has been a year!

Next stop, Ruidoso to visit my family. This is Billy the Kid country and has lots of history, plus just beautiful mountains and valleys

Mom and Dad threw a 42 party (dominos) and, as you can tell, we ate lots of yummy stuff and stayed up way too late!

We got to enjoy some of the nightlife of Ruidoso with my sister and family (Anessa, Eric, and Gavin) - a chuckwagon dinner and western show at the Flying J Ranch.

Gavin braved the horseback ride and shoot out and we all laughed and sang during the entertainment - it was a hoot!.

Jim and Tawona invited us out to their house to pick yummy apples in the Hondo valley. It is harder than it looks, but we were able to get plenty!

Doug and Eric really enjoyed learning how to "Fast Draw" - check out the video. I gave it a try, but couldn't hardly hold the gun. It is tough.

Jim and Tawona compete in competitions. Jim is going to the Nationals near Reno this weekend. Good luck to them!

Giggles and Grins!

Watch Doug and Steve on stage!

Our Travels: Nevada, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Texas!

Now, that's a whirlwind trip!

As part of our summer vacation, we are trying to finish up projects, plus visit as many family and friends as time allows.

We visited Doug's family in Reno and had a great time. We arrived just in time for a family birthday party (Linda and Nicky), we played craps and won (wow), we were treated to a wonderful Sunday brunch, plus more.

The best thing - we were able to deliver the family antiques to the next generation. So nice to shutdown the storage area. Thanks Scott's!

We also got to meet our new niece, Nikayla. What a beauty!

Next, off to visit my family in the suburbs of Chicago. We had a great visit with Becky, Dave, and Ryan - just like always.

No matter how long we have been separated, it seems like yesterday. Gotta love that!

We had a great time losing money betting on the ponies at the Arlington Park Racetrack. What a beautiful track, plus the sun was shining - nice treat!

And, or course, we had to go watch the Chicago Cubs play. We must have been good luck - they won!

Next stop, Goffstown, New Hampshire to visit more of my family - Ken, Lisa, and Brittany!

Ken and Lisa have a beautiful "boathouse" on the lake where we spent lots of hours floating, eating, drinking, and socializing with the locals. Great fun and wonderful lobster!

We also got a chance to watch our niece, Brittany, play volleyball and had a great time. Brittany is Captain of the JV team and has a mean knuckle-ball serve. Just like her ol' aunt!

From there, we flew down to Texas do help my sister Becky find a house in San Antonio. What's family for anyway? First, we took a couple days of vacation to goof off in Austin - we love that town plus we needed some rest. Now, we are zooming around San Antonio looking for the perfect place. I am not sure the value we are adding, but we are happy to help!

As much as we have enjoyed our summer vacation, we are really missing our boat, plus we are pooped! We are used to a much easier lifestyle - no alarm clocks, planes, schedules, etc. Silly retired folks!

And, just in case you haven't been watching the Pacific weather, our boat that is docked in San Carlos was in the path of Hurricane Jimena. Our boat is fine (we think) but the towns on the Baja and the mainland were hit hard. So sad, for the local families and so much to rebuild...

The Family Reunion!

Well, not all of the siblings made it, but we still had a great time at the Warren Family Reunion - as you can tell. We are happy to report that everyone is healthy and doing well!

It has been a year since we have seen most of the relatives, so we spent a lot of time catching up, telling stories, and goofing off.

Some of the highlights:

• Seeing all of the Nieces and Nephews again - it has been way too long!
  
• Lots of fun and games in the pool and the hot tub
• Playing "Over the Line" - an interesting version of baseball
• Some of the grownups went golfing
• Lots of 42 was played, Bocci Ball, plus some Mexican Bingo
• Boating on the Columbia
  
• Celebrating my birthday (and Anessa's) at the bowling alley with pizza and cake - how cool is that?
• Plus lots of good eats and drinks!
  

Thanks Phil and Danette for letting us crash your place (again). Next year, you will all have to visit us in Central America - oh my!

PS: Gutierrez's and Ken Warren's - we missed you!

Victoria, British Columbia

Since we were in the area, we decided we had to see Victoria on Vancouver Island. Everyone was right - it was beautiful!

We took the car ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria - what a great way to travel. It is amazing how organized the ferry system is and how many cars, trucks, and RVs they can stuff into those ships.

We did the walking tour around town and enjoyed the beautiful gardens around Beacon Hill, the Government House, plus the road trip along the island on Dallas Road.

We might be the only tourists that didn't tour Butchart Gardens, but we did some other fun stuff like...

The Butterfly Zoo - there were beautiful creatures flying everywhere. My favorite one (that we could get a picture of!)...

The Bug Zoo - I am pretty sure that we were the only adults that didn't bring kids, but we enjoyed it. Doug followed the tour guides around listening to their stories - just like the little ones. I was hanging out with the screaming kids saying "I want to go home"!

We also enjoyed the local cuisine - of course. Our favorite was the crab and shrimp fondue at Chandlers - yum.

We did lots of walking around, but not enough to walk off the calories we consumed - oh well. I wanted to stay longer, but it was time to hit the road again!

We've been everywhere, man!

Well, not everywhere, but we are covering some ground. Our goal this summer has been to see as many friends, family, and sites as possible and Ol' Red (our old Mazda pickup) is getting us there in style - hah!

Doug's brother and sister-in-law (David and Lynette) met us in Sunriver, Oregon. We enjoyed visiting with them. Highlights - touring Petersen's Rock Garden (off the beaten path) and visiting Doug's uncle and aunt (Bob and Joan) in Prineville.

We hung out in Pasco, Washington, with my brother and sister-in-law (Phil and Danette) for a while visiting friends and getting some chores done.

Next stop - Ocean Shores, Washington. I am not sure how we got roped into this one, but we helped pack and can Albacore tuna. The canning not so much fun, but we did enjoy hanging out with friends and family and donating our money to the local casino!

From there, we drove up to Port Angeles, Washington, where we hopped a ferry to Vancouver Island, British Columbia - check out the next post for details!

We couldn't be that close to Sequim, without seeing our sailing buddies Dot and Brian from sv-Rainshadow. We had a great time meeting their extending family and touring the area. Can't wait to see them back in Mexico in the fall!

This is sure beautiful country, but the sun doesn't shine very much and it is a lot cooler than we are used to. We still had a wonderful time - check out our route!