La Paz

Ah, finally a city that we can enjoy and get to know a little bit. And they even have recycling and composting bins along the main tourist thoroughfare, though apparently nowhere else. Patti and the boys signed up for two weeks of Spanish at a very good school (Se Habla La Paz, in case you or someone you know are in a similar situation). Despite our worst fears, the boys have been doing so well - and almost enjoying it, as far as we can determine - that they get to go to a Spanish kids movie tomorrow, while Patti has to go to a boring old graduation ceremony and learn more about the past tense and the difference between ser and estar (forms of "to be").  Jan has been putting in some hours at work, and a bit of working on the boat, though there seem to be precious few hours for that.

As for the pics - ospreys are a wonderful powerful marine raptor that builds gigantic nests, often on transmission towers.  They also have a strangely small-bird chirping cry; and they poop a lot.  Especially when perched on the top of a mast.  So I now have a love-hate relationship to these magnificent birds, whereas before it had just been amore, amore.

The boys are our deckhands when entering or leaving port, partly because they enjoy it and partly because they are the only crew who can consistently jump ashore or aboard without stumbling or falling in the water.  Here they are in a frequent configuration when preparing to enter port - Tino practicing his balancing skills while Valence chills.  We have all been getting a bit more relaxed every week, Patti says my eyes are green more often, and I know hers are getting softer and more relaxed.

The manta ray is one of many statues along the main boulevard (Malecon), we had to get a snap of it with this boat's connection to them.

Here we are at Jerry Libertore's wonderful house (or should I say ranch - he has a number of out buildings, and a great patio which is used more than the living room).  Jerry is a great diving buddy of Patti's bro Dan, and we had a great evening with Jerry and Lilly - and their parrot Din Din and three dogs. He gifted Valencio with a good mask for snorkeling, after the previous one sank to the murky depths on the Doo-Dah.  Jerry is a great cook, his pasta sauce was incredible. I'm really glad he read my slightly peckish expression when we arrived, because I've found it hard to get enough calories somehow, I keep getting thinner.  The rest of us are experiencing the same thing, but more slowly - so I tend to eat all leftovers, appetizers, ask for more chips and salsa at restaurants, whatever.

We spent a wonderful 24 hrs at Ballandra Bay last weekend - snorkeling, sunset-gazing, full moon-gazing, fish pursuing and the like.  The boys are enamored of puffer fish so they were corralling one so I could get a better picture.  The little guy in Tino's hand was already dead, he threw it to the mob of pelicans and other birds who had come to pick off little fish in the shallow waters of this sizable cove.

The tube things are made by a strange-looking worm (perhaps a parchment tube worm), and are all over the place in shallow water.

Happy Thanksgiving to all - we had quite a feast hosted by our marina and the cruisers' Club Cruseros, for once I had perhaps too much to eat.  We brought a homemade pumpkin pie, but more appreciated was the whipped cream, which was applied to pies, brownies and the occasional cookie.  It was very hot in the sun during the dinner, now pretty cool with a decent North wind blowing through the marina.