Kim Tullis

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The Year of the Dog…

Meet Russo, this year’s complication to the boating life. He is a rescue from the Dominican Republic that Bill found in Calgary.

While in Marina Puerto Escondido, we are usually hooked on a mooring ball so it means that we are taking him in to shore a few times a day. Well, truthfully, Bill gets the morning run. Luckily, he likes the dinghy ride if the water is calm and loves his walks or runs.

He has adapted to most modes of transportation and thankfully loves to swim.

His favorite thing, however is to run…

Bahia Los Gatos

Rattlesnake Beach
A few other shots…..
Keeping a watchful eye out
Getting him on the boat while in dry dock was a challenge

Now that you are sick of seeing Russo, let’s move on to what our winter has looked like so far. We arrived in mid-October and after having the bottom painted, we quickly put Sol Seeker back in the water. It’s a little spooky watching Dago drive us on the lift like he is playing a video game…

After enjoying the grand opening of Marina Puerto Escondido and the company of friends…

Terry and Barbara and George
Jamie, queen of Mexican Train!, from Sherpa
Mary and Kirk from Interlude

we started enjoying the surrounding area.


The first of December, we headed to La Paz, to see friends, enjoy the town, and have a few things done on Sol Seeker.

Celebrating Sharon’s birthday, from Lucky Lady 2,
and Wes’ birthday, from Arcola
along with David and Carol Ann, from Leap of Faith.
We were there long enough to enjoy some of the Holiday season
including the First Annual Boat Parade
with Diane and Sharon
and Janet and friends, from Suzy

We headed back to Puerto Escondido (Loreto) and arrived in time to celebrate Christmas Day aboard Phoenix I and New Year’s Eve on the dock.

The highlight of our winter so far, has been our trip over to Barra de Navidad. We flew over to Puerto Vallarta and drove down to Barra to visit our good friend, Brian, and check out the bays and towns in case we decide to sail over there.

Welcome to Barra
Barra de Navidad

One day, Brian organized a panga tour of the bays…

An Oil Tanker that washed ashore during a recent hurricane,
a fish we caught while touring,
and a luncheon on the beach, while a local cooked up our delicious Awhoo.
ceviche, yum!!!!!
We enjoyed looking at the crocodiles in La Mancinilla…
and enjoying the beaches and warm water.

We made sure to catch the evening sunsets…

Another fun day, organized by our mighty tour guide, was a short hike to waterfalls and a swimming pool…

Brian, who hosts the music festival, Wild Oats and Notes in Alberta, always knows where the music is and there is a lot of it in Barra….

enjoying the music

Another day, we headed over to a restaurant that Brian knew about and enjoyed another fabulous meal. We were joined that day by a friend of Brian’s and Bill’s from long ago, Kathy.

After leaving Barra, we headed just north of Puerto Vallarta to La Cruz, to check out that marina. We stayed at the most charming Bed and Breakfast that overlooked the bay.

While checking out the marina, we ran into friends from La Paz, Don and Sherri and hooked up with them for dinner.

Russo did everything he could to protect us from this statue of a bull. Such a protector.

The final little jaunt was a drive up the coast to Chacala to hook up with friends from Georgia, Ben and Lucy. What a great little town!

All in all, our trip across the sea was a great success and you may find us over there next year, hopefully. We returned to Loreto and the next post will be about all the wonderful people who came to visit us.

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Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

Well, we arrived safe and sound in Puerto Escondido near Loreto, Baja Sur, Mexico, but after a very long, crazy drive!

We like going down Highway 5 to avoid all the trucks and many of the motorhomes.  There is a stretch of road near Bahia De Los Angeles, that has been under construction for many years but that gets better each year.  The road above that has been nicely finished, with wide lanes and soft shoulders.  A great drive, until this year!  Unbeknownst to us, Hurricane Rosa earlier this year and then Tropical Storm Sergio, last week, have washed out many of the nice bridges and a lot of the road, and thus we were on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!  Thankfully, we were in Bill’s 1-ton pickup that handles that type of road better than a vehicle with low clearance.

We finally made it to beautiful Puerto Escondido.

Another fun but wild ride is driving over Guardsman Pass from Park City to Brighton.  Each time we want to go to our cabin this is our chosen road.  Many people find it very threatening as it is a steep, winding, and high elevation adventure.

I also took my really great friend, Karen on a ride over the pass to see the fall leaves.  With the top down on the car, we could see all around.

Of course, I went over to play in the 4th Annual Frisbee Ladies golf tourney, which I lost, even to Emma who is 8!

But a great time was had with my wonderful Whitney relatives!

Meanwhile, in Alberta, Bill was busy going between Canmore and Little Bow, closing the houses for the winter.

When he wasn’t trying to herd Russo into the truck he was driving to Edmonton to have Thanksgiving with Sara and Tommy or maneuvering through snow and elk.

Time to head south!!!!

The best wild ride this fall was Calgary to Boston, 1st class all the way!  Why? Some great deal Delta airlines offered.  Why the best, because I got to welcome my new granddaughter, Stevie Lou Cardosi, into the family.

What a sweetie and Whitney recovered quickly!

Waiting for Stevie to arrive, we had a great time…. Picking blackberries and baking scones…

attending The Book of Mormon, in Boston.  What a great play!!

and getting my annual lobster fix.

Spending time with busy Miss Kennedy, is always a wild ride.

Bill began our wild ride in Canada, taking a couple of days to get to Utah.  Luckily roads were good and he was able to spend 4 days in Park City.  He got to spend time with my brothers, Jim and Rick, watching American football which he loves, not…

dining and playing with Andy and family…

and taking part in the 3rd Annual Park City Shotski (1250 shots of whiskey mounted on attached skis gulped at the same time)….

Needless to say, fun was had by all.

Lastly, some more cuteness, Stevie Lou…

 

 

 

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Spring and Summertime in the Rockies…..

Once again, Bill and I have returned to our homes in the Rockies, and have been able to enjoy (endure) some winter.

Even into mid-May, we are both wearing long pants and sweaters to keep warm.  Spring should be just around the corner?!?!? But no real complaints, it is great to smell the lilacs as they blossom and sneeze at all the cotton floating in the air from the cottonwood trees.

We now have a new family member, Ruso.  Although I have not met him yet, I am assured that he is great and is going to be great on the boat?!?!?!  But you can bet I won’t be the one to walk him first thing in the morning!!!!!

Bill has been having a lot of fun walking him and taking him to the dog park.  May has also been great for him, as Sara has been staying with him and doing her rural medical rotation in Banff.  Her new hubby, Tommy joins them on some weekends, too!

The highlight of my Spring was a week in Boston with Whitney and her family.  I took 5 year old Abby with me, she was such a good girl and I certainly got a lot of attention with such a darling blondie!

Have to admit both Whitney and I were finally able to relax when these two went to bed.  They are busy little girls!

Kennedy is certainly a funny little one.  Whenever we want to do group pictures, she gives us the back of her head.  Someday she is going to ask her mom why she let her do that.  Did we really have any choice?

The rest of my Spring as been in Park City, just enjoying….

Abby’s birthday party…

My brothers (the photobomber is an adopted brother, Chris)

an evening at the Kimball Art Center to see Emm’a art…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and sushi afterwards…

and going to cousin Paia’s dance recital.

I have also cheered on Andy, Jana, and Emma as they ran in the annual Run for Ed.  This year they represented their school, the McPollin Farm, as pigs.

Emma presented her Haiku poem about Betsy Ross…

and Abby graduated from preschool.  (No more daycare costs for Andy and Jana!!!)

I have also found time for yoga, water aerobics, and golf.

Also, with the arrival of summer, I was able to get in a little frisbee golf.

Up in the Canadian Rockies, Bill was doing what he loves to do in the spring and the fall…projects.  He started painting his house in Canmore and opening up Little Bow. Not what I would call fun but he loves it!!!!

Just before going to Canada for the summer, I took a quick trip to San Diego to put my condo up for sale and see some of my favorites!!

The Fab 4, Mo, Jane, Cindy, and me as well as Gary and Jean and Vince and Gail.

So many memories with this group and many more to come!

Then it was off to Alberta, Canada and to Wild Oats and Notes in Tofield.  Once again, this event never fails!  It is held every other year over the Canada Day weekend,

it is hosted on the farm of Bill’s longtime friend, Brian. (Sorry, Brian, not the greatest picture) Brian scouts out all the talent and what talent.  The music is incredible!!!!

The success of this music festival is the volunteers.  We try to sorta do our part and in return earn a T-shirt.

The real success goes to the faithfuls, like Brenda and Robert.

What made it really special this year, was all of Bill’s old friends were in attendance.  Most of these guys lived together at one time or another during those formative school years, so you can imagine the stories they have to tell.  (My poor virgin ears!). Such a motley crew!

Jim, Rod, Grady, Randy, Bill, Robert, Bruce and Rocky in front!

And…Grady’s creative sleeping trailer, a pig for Hog’s Hollow!

Now we are at Little Bow doing our 2 hours of work a day, installing an extension to the dock

and rigging the new to us, little sailboat Bill found this spring….

We would love you to swing by and enjoy it with us!!!!

 

 

 

 

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The Year of the Kids

What a year we have had so far!!!! Lots and lots of kid time, loving every second!

Most of our time has been spent in and around the Loreto area of the Baja.  Puerto Escondido, the marina near there, is now our home port and where we store Sol Seeker in the summertime.

There is a lovely community called Loreto Bay, with beautiful condos, golf, swimming and beaches, and where our visitors have stayed…

Darren, Bill’s Goddaughter, at the top of Nopolo Rock, overlooking Loreto Bay..

Jana, my daughter-in-law, playing on the back 9,

My son-in-law, Jason, riding around Loreto Bay,

a little pool time,

and enjoying the beach!

For one week in March, Bill and I flew to Calgary to attend his daughter Sara’s, wedding.  The wedding was at the Lake Louise Chateau, what a perfect place for a winter wedding.  Truly, one of the highlights of Bill’s life.  Sara and Tommy’s wedding was spectacular in every way.  The weather was perfect, the venue gorgeous and their friends and family a blast to spend time with!

Lake Louise Chateau

View from our room window,

Canada’s favorite pastime, a little hockey before the wedding,

Bill and me enjoying the great outdoors,

The wedding was so perfect, Sara was such a beautiful bride,

Donning furs for the outdoor photos was a great touch,

such a nice touch, in fact, that Bill tried to get into the action!

 Tommy, you made the blog again!

We had opportunities to see friends, like Brenda, one of Bill’s oldest and best friends and her grandsons, Aron and Alexander…

Brenda’s husband and another great friend of Bill’s, Robert…

Of course, Bill’s Goddaughter Darren and family, Adam, Aron, and Alexander,

and very dear friends, Ron and Bonnie!

Most of our winter, however, has been in Loretto, on the go, from the moment people arrived….                                     Granddaughters, Abby & Emma

My daughter Whitney, granddaughters Kennedy and Abby

our littlest sailor, Alexander (not sure he loved the life-jacket)…

giving the big kids a day-off of little kids…

Going out whale watching with friends Kirk and Mary on Interlude (no whales sighted that day)

but we took time to enjoy the cold but clear Sea of Cortez water (Andy was in that cold water for a very long time and came out with frozen fingers)…

The days were packed, fun-filled…

but exhausting…

We were busyl…..

Bill kayaking with a first-timer, Dave…

Bill’s main responsibility was instructing the kids…

selecting Sol Seeker crew,

showing Aron how to use the windlass to pull up the anchor,

and how to tie a bowline knot,

letting Emma paddle board,

giving Abby boat rules,

teaching Emma how to drive the dinghy,

letting Kennedy take the helm,

and demonstrating superhero stances!

Everybody should know how to toilet paper!  Maybe not what some would think is the best example, it was definitely an important life skill learned.

While it wasn’t boat instruction and maybe not instruction on how to dance, Bill was letting Sara know how much he loves her!

I even got to do a little instructing myself….showing Aron how to take the helm.

We also had other people at the helm from time to time….

We also received some great news…..

A new granddaughter, due in August!!!  Announced with exploding pink graffiti at dinner!!!

Even thought we did have a lot of kid time, we also had some adult-only time too…

Robert & Brenda Clarke, Dave and Treva Schultz

lounge chairs in the middle of nowhere?

Robert in shorts?

First time sleeping 6 on Sol Seeker,

Enjoying a movie with Ron and Diane on Batwing and Val, a land-lover,

and hooking up with Park City friends, Gloria and Argan on May-Tai.

Dennis of Dennis & Donna on Winding

David and CarolAnne of Leap of Faith

Lastly, while in Canada, after the wedding, we took a day to ski together.  We went to Sunshine, a ski resort in the Banff National Park.  It was a beautiful day, the snow was great, and for a couple of old farts, we did quite well!

Cheers, hoping everyone as had a great winter, too!

 

 

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Now What?!?!?

We left for Mexico the middle of October, driving down to San Diego on our way.  It is always so great to visit my home for 30 years and see cherished friends while there!  We stocked up on needed boat items and continued south down the Baja.  It is a beautiful, but sometimes a harrowing drive at times but finally we made it to Puerto Escondido, just south of Loreto.  We were so excited to get there that we rushed to see Sol Seeker first before checking into the hotel.  Staring up at her, we were a little overwhelmed, Now What?!?!?!?

We put her to bed last spring but having never put her back to together and get her ready to go back in the water, left us a little speechless, not to mention it was really hot.  We couldn’t remember where we had put things let alone how to put all the parts back on.  Why didn’t we take pictures before we disassembled her?  Quickly, however, we got into a routine, rising a 6:00 a.m. and working in the cool until about 9:00, returning to the hotel for breakfast, working a little longer, taking a siesta in the cool hotel and working a little longer later in the day.  Slowly she came together and after a week we were ready to  ‘splash’!

Yea, she was back in the water were it was much cooler and we worked about another week before setting sail.  Everything worked and we love being back on Sol Seeker!!!

Getting ready was not without issues, mine mostly.  I may be getting Cruisheimers but I am going to blame the distortion in my sunglasses (bifocals) for some of my issues.  The second day of putting Sol Seeker back together, I was on a mission somewhere, and walked right into a culvert built for boats with deeper keels.  It is about 3-4 feet deep and I didn’t even see it and before I knew it I was on the ground, in the ditch.  I slammed my shin and my left arm. (Warning, this is ugly!)

Next, I am walking down the street in La Paz with Bill.  Mexico is not famous for their even sidewalks but they have constructed some nice new ones here.  However, they don’t go on forever, and before I knew it, I was on the ground, banging up my knee.

Again, I am blaming the sunglasses or maybe the head injury I got when the lid of one of the lassurettes (storage compartments) fell on my head and gave me a big goose egg.

So to prove that I am not losing it and still have my wits about me, I have taken on new projects.  My lack of background information in electrical and mechanical situations, drives Bill crazy.  I know enough to check my oil and tire pressure in my car, period. So I m reading and trying to absorb.  I even found and started to repair the Christmas Lights!

I borrowed a handy stitcher from Heidi on Cetus and repaired the seat on the kayak,

I replaced the snaps on a canvas cover,

and I have found the Bravo market and am learning to select cuts of meat and seafood in Spanish.

In the meantime, Bill has helped install additional solar panels, learned the timing and ins and out on the engine, installed insulation in the refrigerator for better cooling and to maintain the ice quota, and a bunch of jobs that require expertise.

We have had fun, however, in Puerto Escondido and La Paz.  We watched the World Series and football at the lovely new restaurant overlooking our boat,

had a great Thanksgiving dinner,

and enjoyed a fun evening saying good-bye to a great couple who have added so much to La Paz and Marina Palmira, in particular.

Living in a marina is like living in an activity center.  There are activities and fun events all the time or simply visits to each others’ boats to watch the sunset.  

One of the eventful things we did this trip is a visit to the whale Museum.  It is very insiteful and well done.  Information is presented in 3 languages and we learned a lot about the sealife around here.

After learning about whales and such, we booked a morning to go out and swim with the whale sharks.  What an experience!  You literally jump in the water and swim around them.  Their eyes are on the side of their heads so you have to be careful not to get in front of them, which isn’t easy as the one we were swimming with kept swimming in circles.  At one point I ended up right in front of him, his mouth is huge!!!  (This is not us swimming but an example)

Getting instructions first, then ready to jump! Mexico has finally started to restrict how many pandas (boats) can be out there at once and how many people can be in the water at one time.  Bill and I are glad we had this experience but also feel a little guilty invading whale sharks’ natural habitat.

Well, we set sail soon to head back up into the Sea of Cortez to welcome friends and family who are coming down this winter but we want to wish you from our home, Sol Seeker, to yours,

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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Heading South

Most of our summer was spent at Bill’s place on the prairie near Vulcan, Alberta.  All though it was hotter, drier and smokier than I’ve seen it in the past five years I have been going there, it is one of my favorite places!

However, it was made even more wonderful by all the visitors we had….The Clarks are always welcome guests…

Bonnie and Darren

as well as Chuck and his crew.

And once again, we had to help Dennis and Donna get up the hill and back on the road again, ha-ha!

Our summer isn’t perfect without a visit from the Brainiacs…Bill’s Goddaughter and her wonderful friends.  We always learn something new from them!  (Brenda’s method of picking who does dishes dealing poker hands)

This year was also special because of new visitors to Little Bow…

Ben and Lucy, off the boat Georgia, swung by for a few days….You don’t want to miss Vulcan and the Starship Enterprise!

Bill getting wise advice from veteran sailor, Ben.

Vince, Gail, and Blue also pulled their trailer from San Diego and we enjoyed a few glorious days at Little Bow as well as in Canmore!

Bill got some BBQ tips from many of our visitors, especially Vince!

Sadly, the smoke in Canmore made it hard to really appreciate the beauty of the mountains!

What a great visit we had!

Bill has an unwritten rule for visitors of Little Bow, 2 hours of work a day.  No one is really held to it except maybe me.

One of the issues this year was beavers…so it was my job to wrap the trees so they couldn’t chew them down any further.  We’ll see how they weather the winter and next summer.

Beaver Dam

Don getting ready to do whatever Bill needs…

Randy readying the horseshoe pit for upcoming competitions…

Robert advising on the move of propane tanks, with input from Aron.

Dennis helping get the pump ready to put into the lake to pump water up for the waterslide.

The tall, lean Brainiacs helping Bill untangle his flag and raise the pole again!

My major project was repainting the outhouse, which has now become the “White House”

We renamed it after I did a prime coat on her…

and we upgraded her by giving her a new roof and painting the inside with a gold toilet seat and painted rugs around.

We also gathered with some of Bill’s old friends and relatives at the 50th anniversary of his car club…

And joined the 2nd annual golf tourney at Craig’s Bar….

A couple of years ago they erected a wind farm near by.  It is hard to really conceive of the size of the blades when they are upright…

But our favorite pastime is floating on the raft, enjoying the lake.

Each morning as the summer neared it’s end, I would see the geese fly south, and found it was time for me to do the same.  I packed up and headed to Kalispell, Montana looking forward to driving through Glacier park.  Sadly, it was very, very smokey and hard to take it all in.  But once at Karen’s, in Kalispell, we did the best we could to enjoy outdoors…

Always a great time with Karen!!!!

At the end of September, I met Bill in Boston again to visit with my daughter, Whitney, her husband, Jason, and my funny little Kennedy.We were on the go, visiting Portland, Maine…

picking apples…

and, of course, eating lobster!!!!!

It wouldn’t be Boston without taking in a Blue Jays/Red Sox game…

(most of us enjoyed it)with Cousin Claire.  Kennedy did cheer up once inside Fenway Park, but who wouldn’t?

Thankfully, Jason has heard of Bill’s two-hours of work requirement and got it out of Bill…(checking for termites)

Once again a great visit with the Cardosi’s, can’t wait to go back!

Now I am enjoying the beautiful colors in Park City and getting in a few last games of golf before we continue south to a new season on Sol Seeker!!!!

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Spring into Summer

Bill and I returned from the Sea of Cortez, Bill to Canmore, AB and all his projects, and me to Park City and my kiddos.

Bill was busy remodeling his bathroom in Canmore and helping his daughter, Sara,  and soon to be son-in-law, Tommy, paint their new apartment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very cute couple.

 

 

 

 

He also spent time opening up Little Bow and getting it ready for another fabulous summer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Mother’s Day, I flew to Boston to see Whitney and her family and what a great trip! I hadn’t seen Kennedy in 7 months and boy had she grown!

 

 

Another cute couple, Jason and Whitney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My niece, Claire, attends Boston University, so it was fun to see her!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kennedy’s first visit to a zoo, no fear there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boston’s Children’s Museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My brother, Jim, and sister-in-law, Robin were in Boston also, for Mother’s Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My farewell dinner, LOBSTER!!! Yumm!!!

The rest of the spring was spent with family and friends in Park City, playing golf as well as playing and cheering with Andy, Jana, Emma and Abby.

 

 

The Loose Moose Children’s Run

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running with Ed, the Park City Education Foundation fund raiser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We attended Beauty and the Beast.  The girls were enthralled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attending my cousin, Whitney Berger’s, wedding…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy and his cousin, Harmony, 

Andy and my brother, Rick,

and another beautiful couple!!

One week, while I was babysitting, Emma and Abby, my friends, Gary and Jean Malone came to town.  What a treat, we took in a concert at Deer Valley and a day trip to Brighton.  When I asked Emma what was her favorite part about staying with Nana for a week, she said “putting on lipstick with Jean” and Abby said “that Gary is very, very funny!”

The highlight of the Spring/Summer was having Whitney, Jason and Kennedy as well as Bill come to town to celebrate 100 years of the Whitney cabin and the 4th of July!  My sister, Kristin, and most of her family flew in as well!!  Most of the time was spent at our cabin in Brighton..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brave Abby climbing through the water tunnel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whitney and my nephew, Dustin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, Bill and I are headed north to Alberta, CA and looking forward to a great summer in Little Bow and Canmore!

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Adios Season 4…

As we pull Sol Seeker out of the water, the realization that we have just completed our 4th season of sailing is beginning to hit. 

We have experienced so much, discovered new things, met so many new people, and strengthened many friendships.  Learning our new boat has been the top priority and time consumer but we have also had some grand times like….Searching for sunken boats,

discovering bays from the kayak,

sharing happy hours and birthdays with good friends,

unclogging the head, (that was a fun job!)

and watching new friends enjoy the water as well.  Fabulous, is all I can say.

We have also seen some spectacular sites,

and discovered new things, like a farm in San Juanico, where we were able to get a bag full of fresh vegetables for 50 pesos! ($2.50)

All I can say is that, just like the 3 previous years, it has been a different year but an unforgettable season and as we drive north, we laugh at all the fun times we have had.  But, the adventure we find, is not quite over.  We decided to stop in Lake Havasu and visit a great friend, Karen.  She, being the great hostess that she is, arranged an afternoon kayaking under the London Bridge and an early morning walk around the island.

What a great way to unwind because once we hit Park City, we found winter wasn’t quite over!

While Bill continued north to Canmore, Alberta, I decided to enjoy the last week of skiing at Park City Mountain Resort.

I’ll let the sign speak for itself!

Now we wait for spring to bloom and new adventures!

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Introducing Sol Seeker!

Where and what have we been doing all winter? Well, buying a new boat, Sol Seeker and selling our old boat, Just Dandy!

just-dandy

While it feels like that is all we have done we have also had some adventures.

Let me introduce you to Sol Seeker first… translation: Sun Seeker not Sole as in the bottom of your shoe or Soul as a religious term but Sol as in the beer!screen-shot-2017-02-20-at-9-38-43-am

Cruisers sometimes get the 2 foot itch to get a bigger boat.  I guess we ended up with the 9 foot itch.  We have gone from 32’ length and 10’5” beam to 41’ length and 13’5” beam.  It is like going from a tiny sports car to an 8 passenger van. Sol Seeker has everything we wanted…especially Ice, ice, baby!!!   We now wonder how we did it for the last 3 years and especially the sail from San Diego. I guess ignorance is bliss!

The best part about Sol Seeker is the perfection in which she was kept by the previous owners, Graeme and Sherry Horne! What wonderful people they are! Not only did they bring her from San Carlos on the mainland to La Paz but they stayed around and shared everything they could about her, repeatedly, as we were slow learners in some cases. Maybe the transition was so perfect as they are also named Horne and from Alberta! The cruising community is truly going to miss them!

Once we felt comfortable on Sol Seeker and threw a little gathering on her,

ss-party

celebrated New Year’s,nye

conchita

and had a ‘Safety Meeting’ to say farewell to the Hornes,

safety-meeting
donald-who

we headed north to Loreto and Puerto Escondido.  We learned something new everyday and had a grand time getting there.  We then caught a ride back to La Paz to pick up the truck.  In fact, a couple of days turned into 2 weeks as we got an offer we couldn’t resist and sold her to a great guy, Vic.  This is his first boat and she will be perfect for him.  He not only bought a boat but a lifestyle.

Sadly, I quickly went from Admiral of a Fleet back to Admiral of the boat.  Actually, it is such a relief to be one boat owners again instead of two and the costs and responsibilities involved in that.

We are now back in Puerto Escondido, enjoying friends here,

potato-bakeand have just finished a great 10 days with dear friends, Brenda and Robert.

princess-seats

 

kayakkim-ss

lupesbrenda-fish

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They were brave enough to scrunch in with us last year on Just Dandy but really enjoyed having their own cabin and head!  What a great time we had and how fun was it to entertain on Sol Seeker? She is perfect and we love her more each day!

Especially when we have to weather a blow of 50+ knots!

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All is safe and sound on Sol Seeker!

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In Search of a New Boat!

Here we go again, Season 4 of our sailing adventures, starts again!

We are back in La Paz, BCS, Mexico and now anxiously awaiting the finalization of the purchase of our new boat, Sol Seeker!  It has been an adventure.  We arrived here about the middle of November and put Just Dandy back in the water, shined her up and hung a For Sale sign on her.  screen-shot-2016-12-26-at-11-54-36-am

We then headed to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico to look at what we hoped would be our new boat.airport

 

 

We arrived on Thanksgiving Day and reunited with Ron and Delise, who we had met there a couple of years ago. They invited us to join them at some friends to celebrate Thanksgiving.  The hosts were Canadian, as were many of the guests, but cruisers will celebrate any holiday, no matter what country, given the chance.

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At the party, we ran into Ron and Diane from the SV Batwing, who plan to meet up with in March.

Although the boat we had flown up to see was a bust, we enjoyed our stay in San Carlos, hiking in the hills around San Carlos,

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and catching the Grey Cup at the Captain’s Club.  While there, we ran into some other friends who recommended that we stop by and look at SV Sol Seeker before we headed back to La Paz the next day.  We did, we saw, and we have bought her!!!!  She is big and beautiful and perfect for cruising the Sea of Cortez.   The best part is the owners are going to sail her to La Paz for the inspections and closing.

 

In the meantime, we are patiently, well really I am impatiently waiting for her to arrive.  We are keeping ourselves busy, however, attending celebrations…

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and making new friends.  My brother, Jim, texted that some Park Cityites were now in La Paz on their boat and when we saw the Ute flag flying high, we knew that was them, Argan and Gloria Johnson.  We took advantage of fellow fans and watched Utah play football.johnsons

 

 

 

I have been playing Mexican train with a great group of fellow lady sailors,

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and dining out a lot as we have pretty much have taken everything off Just Dandy, to help make her look good and not too cluttered.

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Terry & Heidi, Jim and Diane, Joe & Sharon, fellow dock mates.

 

 

 

Before heading south of the border this winter, I was able to attend the beautiful wedding of Brooke and Levi. Brooke’s mother, Karen, is a dear friend and we have watched our kids grow up and shared fabulous memories.  The wedding was in Pismo Beach, CA.

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Brooke and Levi

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Karen and her son, Zac

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Zac’s cute family

I also took advantage of my trip to the central coast and hung out with another favorite person of mine, Jane Harrison.  It was so great to spend time and catch up.  I also got to catch up with people in San Diego!

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Back in Park City, Bill drove down from Calgary and we spent a couple of days getting ready to head south for the winter as well as saying goodbye to my kiddos. One day we kidnapped Abby from pre-school and went out to lunch.

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From Park City, we drove to San Diego and were able to hook up with our Little Bow/Canadian kids or brainiacs who were in town for a Neuro Science convention. It was fun to see them and show them a little of San Diego!

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Sadly, while in San Diego, my life long friend, Judy passed away.  I like to think she knew I was there and heard my heart felt goodbyes and choose that weekend to leave us.  She will always be the bearer of a lot of my memories!  I will miss her dearly.

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But, back to La Paz, and the holiday season and all the activities, like a beautiful Christmas program sung by Katie, a White Elephant Christmas Exchange, led by Diane and Myself. (I guess some think I talk a lot and am a little bossy, so I would be good at this, go figure), and a Christmas morning potluck brunch on the dock with Bloody Mary’s and Cesaers!  We have also had some Christmas elves decorating Just Dandy.….

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What a fun way to spend the holidays and I hope yours was just as eventful and merry.

screen-shot-2016-12-26-at-9-59-25-amFor everyone near and far, know that we love you and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a great New Year!!!!  We can’t wait to introduce Sol Seeker to you in our next blog!