9/18/2011 - what have we been doing?

Looks like my last blog was the one where we went scuba diving for the first time. Since then, Lulu has had 2 more successful dives, the first down to 76' and the last one down to 90'. I started out on the second dive but had problems with my mask and flippers and decided I really need new stuff before I dive again. My mask kept filling with water. This was sort of ironic since Terry had just showed us how to clear the water from our masks while underwater. The process worked fine but I found myself doing it almost continuously. The flippers we got with our snorkeling packages are short and fat and don't give a heck of a lot of drive. Then, to top it off, the strap on one of mine came completely off while I was 20-30 feet down and I had to just sort of clench my toes to keep the whole flipper from sliding off my foot. Our friend John managed to find the strap so I can at least use the flipper even though it's not really a very good one. Anyway, we definitely need to visit a dive shop in Loreto next time we have the opportunity.

On Lulu's second dive, she and John and Terry gathered some seafood for a feast on Terry's boat later that evening. On yesterday's dive, Terry took some video of her. If I can figure out how to snip a short piece out I'll see if I can attach it to a blog. Later.

We spent the better part of 2 days cleaning the topsides of the boat which had gotten decidedly grungy. Oh yeah, and I've been doing a lot of rowing lately since I haven't been able to find a new impeller for my outboard yet. I have 4 of them on order from the States and hopefully one of them will come down with a fellow cruiser sometime soon. In the meanwhile, John from "Trick" loaned me his spare outboard. It's an old 2 hp Suzuki that John's wife, Patricia has dubbed "The Terminator". Looks like hell but it works and sure beats rowing. I don't mind the rowing too much but sometimes it takes an awfully long time to get places.

Tomorrow is "International Talk Like A Pirate Day" and a party has been planned for the palapa bar here at Ensenada Blanca. BTW, the official name of the palapa bar is El Santuario (The Sanctuary). There's going to be a potluck, costume contest, pirate queen and king vote, volleyball, tug-o-war, etc, etc, etc. Should be fun and I should get a few good blog photos. The only fly in the ointment is that we're supposed to get north winds tomorrow and, what with Ensenada Blanca being wide open to the north, it could become a pretty bouncy anchorage. Not a huge deal if you're staying aboard or staying ashore, but running back and forth could be a little dicey. This is the main reason I'm borrowing The Terminator.

It's beginning to cool down, sort of. Let's see, today's Sunday so I guess it was Wednesday and Thursday nights, we actually had nice cool breezes. Where it usually only cools down to the high 80s at night, on those two nights it probably dropped to the low 80s. Lulu had to actually cover up with a sheet and I got up and put on a t-shirt on halfway through the night. However, the last 2 nights have been as warm as ever or at least close. But, there does seem to be just the slightest hint of cooler air occasionally these days. Just enough to give one hope. Lulu and I were commenting that this is probably the first time we've ever looked forward to winter. Sixty-five to seventy degree days followed by fifty-five degree nights sounds pretty good right about now. Hard to imagine getting up in the morning and putting on anything other than a swim suit but long pants and long-sleeve t-shirts actually appear to be in our future.

That's about it for what we're doing. Looking at e-mails from home, I see that Autumn is beginning to set in in the Pacific Northwest. We've always loved Autumn but it's always been sort of tainted but the knowledge that winter won't be far behind. And winter up there didn't mean just long pants and long-sleeve t-shirts. All in all, hot or not, I think we prefer it down here.

Hey, here are a few more photos of the beautiful Villa del Palmar Hotel that has been treating us so nicely.

View from the bar:

View of the bar:

The hotel and pool area: