Thursday, April 28, 2016

Back in La Paz again...and leaving again

Official La Paz Carnaval 2016 Poster
Wow!  We've been here in La Paz for just over four months now since our last update. 

We got settled in at our old slip in Marina Don Jose to do some jobs that we needed the dock & electricity for.  

Picking up where we left off, we again started playing tennis on Mon, Wed and Friday and Darts on Tuesday and Thursday nights. 





We spent a "vacation" week at a nice motel in Cabo San Lucas, leaving the boat at the dock and riding the bus for almost three hours to San Lucas.  We walked from the downtown bus stop to the marina area, had lunch, then took a cab to our hotel.  We were pleasantly surprised by the upgrade we'd received.  We were expecting a studio room (shoebox with two beds - standard stuff) but were treated with a one-bedroom "suite".  Full kitchen, washer/dryer, two full baths, a walkout back patio, and so on.  We had a pleasant week, then it was off to the airport.

We flew to Seattle for one day to get drivers' licenses renewed.  They wouldn't let us renew online anymore due to our advanced ages.  The 50+ dollar fee per person didn't hold a candle to the amount of money we had to spend getting there and back!  Luckily, they were open on the 30th (we called in advance) and the wait was not significant.  We then flew to San Francisco to spend a couple of days with Hal's Mom & Dad.
Picked up a hitch hiker while pulling into the Marina








Back in our old slip at Marina Don Jose

Christmas Vacation!

Hotel Villa del Arco

The pool area

Walking back from Wal Mart.  Hotel on left, Land's End
straight ahead

Christmas Day dinner



Breakfast in the room (by Chef Hal)






Nancy enjoying view from breakfast buffet

Breakfast Buffet

The feet belong to Hal

Football playoffs

January

Arrived back aboard Shakedown on the evening of the 5th. 

While playing tennis the morning of the 26th, Hal managed to make an amazing save to get the ball over the net.  Unfortunately, a little tangling of the feet and the extremely low posture making the shot ended up with Hal  bouncing off his right knee and kind of cartwheeling forward, resulting in his kissing the concrete!  Lots of blood, swollen split lip, chewed-up inner lip where bottom row of teeth attempted to get through.  Hal had to sit out the rest of the morning and just watch.  Little did we know that the right knee, which showed no visible sign of injury would eventually cause Hal to hang up his tennis racquet for the remainder of the year.

We both celebrated our birthdays at the end of the month with friends.  Even went shopping for birthday presents at what we call The Liverpool Mall.  Nancy got a new purse and a couple of pairs of sandals.  Hal got a new socket wrench with extendable handle to replace the rust-frozen old one (very cool).  

Jellyfish 

Our neighbor, Chris, on Serenity

There are always sunsets...


Tennis, anyone?

After a great morning of tennis, we head back to the Marina

Birthday shopping break...phwew!

Our friends Eric & Pati on shopping
spree with us

New sandals for Nancy

Hal is lucky recipient of his Birthday Meatloaf!

A little birthday party with friends at our favorite pizza place

And birthday wishes from El Cayuco restaurant



February

Carnaval 2016 kicked off this month, with parades each day and a lot of rides and carnival atmosphere, all down at the Malecon (waterfront).  














Newly modified sheets for the master suite

Anniversary flowere - Mexicans are very creative with food!

Our good friends and sailing buddies Robert and Margo (s/v Nomad), whom we'd met in Turtle Bay early last year arrived in La Paz once again and we had coffee and caught up with our respective adventures.  We subsequently had them over for dinner along with Shearwater crew
Nancy, Robert, Margo, Pati & Eric


Fishing licenses were renewed as were Park Passes.  Everyone needs both if you expect to anchor inside the Sea of Cortez or do any fishing in the Sea.  

Finally got a chance to break out the golf clubs and head to the Paraiso del Mar Golf Club on the Mogote peninsula.  We played the front nine and then called it quits, with a promise to play the back nine later on....which we did.  



Joined Shearwater for a day sail.

Haming it up!

Nancy and hostess Pati


The view from our mooring out by the Magote

A final sunset

We are expected to depart La Paz today and head back North into the Sea....