12/5/2011 - Impromptu get-togethers

It's impossible to make any kind of firm plans in cruising communities, at least in the communities we've been in.

Thursday afternoon was wearing down and Lulu and I didn't really have any particular plans for the evening. Kind of planned to make a pizza and watch a couple DVDs and then turn in. Just a normal quiet evening. However, it pays to not get too invested in plans.

Somewhere around four or four thirty, Aimee, our Aussie friend, stopped by to get some more pointers from Lulu about crocheting beer can cozies. We sat and had a couple beers and visited. A little while later, the big power boat moored next to us, Dee Jay, came back in from a 2-day dive trip. After she was all tied up, Frank from s/v Island Time, who had been on the trip, stopped by our cockpit for a visit. A few minutes later, Benny (m/v Lucia Celeste) brought over some huge fish filets that were apparently part of Frank's booty from the dive trip. We stashed them in our reefer since Frank didn't think his was working too well.

After watching the sun go down, the breeze continued to be shot. With all the beer that was being consumed, it was pretty clear that we all should probably eat something. No way did we have enough pizza fixings for everyone so I went below and fried up some spuds (with onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and rosemary) and, with Frank's OK, fried up about half of the fish that Benny had brought over. We sat in the cockpit and had fish, spuds and sliced tomatoes to take the edge off the alcohol.

After dinner Benny returned and the visiting continued. But, eventually things began to break up as first Benny, then Frank and then Aimee headed back to their boats. Lulu cleaned things up below, I cleaned up the cockpit and we settled in for an episode of Northern Exposure before retiring for the night.

Not every afternoon and evening goes like that but a lot do and you never know when they will happen. More of them happen since Lulu made lots of new friends while I was helping Keith bring s/v Chamisa down from Long Beach. We always enjoy these unplanned get-togethers.

Saturday was another example. In this case, Aimee, Susi and Maia, along with 14 month old Ronin, came by for a bread-making lesson. Lulu had decided to make cookies for the fund-raising bake sale at Subasta on Sunday so, since the oven was hot anyway, she figured now was a good time to give her baking lesson. At first, Siempre Sabado seems a poor choice for a group cooking lesson. After all, she's small. But, as this photo attests, there's room for all (well, except for me). Sorry for cutting off Lulu's head but taking a photo down through the companionway and trying to get everyone in the shot presents some challenges. Sorry, too, about the glare but it was pretty darn sunny Saturday afternoon.

The lesson was over and the bread was baked by early evening. By that time we had been joined by Frank (s/v Island Seeker) and Zak (s/v Wendy Ellen, husband of Susi and father of Ronin, oh and brother of Maia). The guys were in the cockpit and the girls were down below. Ronin spent equal time in both places. Eventually, once again, alcohol consumption and the time of day dictated that food should be eaten. We still had the smaller half of Frank's fish and Lulu had put together a zucchini souffle earlier. So, although it was probably only enough for 4 hungry people, Lulu stretched it to feed seven by adding sliced tomatoes and feeding us lots of fresh-baked bread. After dinner, Benny (m/v Lucia Celeste) showed up. He has a knack for not being here when food is being served. Poor guy. We all sat and drank and visited for another several hours before people started getting tired and/or cold and decided to call it a night.

It's 2:20 PM right now and I honestly can't say what we will be doing 4 hours from now.


PS: I mentioned Subasta earlier and should probably explain. Every year FANLAP (Fundación por la Ayuda de los Niños de La Paz), an organization that helps the underprivileged kids in La Paz, holds a big auction ("subasta" en español) as a fundraiser. All year long various organizations including Club Cruceros, gather donations. Some stuff just goes directly to the as-is sale table and some is reserved for the auction. Local businesses also donate goods and services for a raffle. It's an all-day affair and is attended by the cruisers as well as tons of locals. There are some really good bargains to be had, especially on the clothing table. We donated some things to Subasta this year to make some room on our boat and, I'm proud to say, we managed to spend the whole day there without buying anything that we couldn't consume. Well, except for that pair of earrings Lulu bought herself, but they're small so it's OK.