Still in La Paz

Kellie's Comments-- Cruising for us is divided up into three parts. Sailing, living and fun--these pretty much encompass the majority of activities. Sailing takes up about 25% of our time. So far I figure we've sailed about 625 hours worth in 2500 miles. Some have been 24 hour days and some just half day hops. We hope to decrease that percentage, now that we've "arrived" in cruising territory and the push to get warm is over. Sailing also takes a fair amount of preparation time. I figure a half a day to prepare food, stow everything and clean. It's hard to cook if the weather is rough and I'm still amazed at the amount of boat motion that sends loose objects (sometimes people) careening around the cabin. I always like to have the heads (bathrooms) clean before we leave. It's hard enough to battle sea-sickness without strange smells coming from below. (Boat heads are notoriously smelly and take constant aggressive action.) Then when we arrive, it takes half a day to do up all the loose dishes, put away all the toys, put the cushions back on the settees and clean the heads again (I'll leave that one to your imagination.) Living includes school, shopping, boat maintenance, cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. Just like at home, people get hungry, dishes get dirty, windows leak onto the beds, and salt has to be washed off the handrails (OK, maybe not like at home.) Everything takes longer on a boat. Here in La Paz there are great resources. Laundry is an easy walk from the dinghy dock, groceries are readily available and we've been here long enough to do some boat projects. However, sometimes there are no facilities so we eat what we have, wear dirty clothes and try to have some fun. Fun--that's the goal right? Pete has enjoyed some hikes, we've collected some amazing shells, seen some terrific wildlife, snorkeled with Manta Rays and had a Christmas potluck on the beach. Yes, there is fun. We're looking forward to heading out of here on Saturday and being back in Los Frailes. We're meeting Pete's sister and Loon is there waiting for us. Socializing is another aspect of the fun that is very important. Only other cruisers truly understand and can relate to the challenges and the rhythm of cruising. I met another couple yesterday who are returning from a 13 year circumnavigation. She never did enjoy long passages or truly acclamate to the cruising lifestyle, but the fun of sightseeing and meeting new people was enough to keep her going. We still have a picture in our minds of white sandy beaches, palm trees and torquoise water. So far we're not there, but we've had a taste and the drive to fulfill the dream is strong. Our rough plan for the next couple of months is to leave Frailes in mid-January for the mainland. We'll aim somewhere between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Then we'll slowly make our way down to Ixtapa for the month of March. After that, we're talking a lot about crossing the Pacific. That was our original plan, but will take more effort than we imagined. Again, the dream is yet to be fulfilled and we want to go home with a sense of accomplishment. Our backup plan is the Caribbean, time will tell. Right now we're imagining a 2 year trip. I'd like the kids home for the school year of 06-07. That's a long time from now and a lot of miles, though, so keep praying for us and we'll keep you posted. Happy New Year, Kellie PS--the weather is still cool here and overcast. We hear it's hot in Puerto Vallarta.