Monday musings - February 19

Monday musings....all weekend as we dutifully followed our schedule of medications, we considered what the coming weeks have in store for INTREPID II.  There is only so much flexibility that can be built into a cruising season and we didn't allow for as much 'under the weather' time. The "San Carlos crud" we referred to earlier was actually more serious for the Captain and understandably has meant less energetic efforts on the boat.  Progress is being made of course, but the weeks slide by; cruising is still our hope, even for a few short weeks.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, we made a second visit to the nearby Estero de Soldado on Saturday afternoon, as we had read in the local birding report of sightings of Roseate Spoonbills.  A bird we had never observed.  There are several 'off the road' tracks near the estuary and one led us to a gap in the vegetation, where we stopped and parked.  The first birds we spotted were not far away and not of the delicate, rosy variety.  A pair of Black Vultures ( Coragyps atratus) were standing quietly by observing.  The field guide mentions the 'wrinkled grey' neck and all blackish colouration of feathers with silvery patches on the wingtips.  Very conservative and still.

Black Vulture pair (Coragyps atratus)

Closer to the water we were enthused to view a pair of what had to be Roseate Spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) feeding in the shallows, although they were at a distance.  These wading birds nest and roost in low trees and forage by walking slowly, sweeping their bills from side to side to capture fish and invertebrates.  The 'spoon-shaped' bill is indeed distinctive when raised out of the water.  Based on our Sibley's guide we assume we were seeing 2nd year birds, as they were missing a distinctive reddish section to their plumage.  

Roseate Spoonbills ( Platalea ajaja)

Even from a distance, we were able to spot several other residents of the estuary and check our findings in the field guide.  Our 'best guess' is attached to each.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Wednesday, February 14th - Valentine's Day - thinking of all our family and friends who are special to us for very many and very different reasons.  Thanks for sharing our lives, interests and experiences and always being 'behind the scenes' to support our endeavors.

  💖💖💖

Misty San Carlos morning - so much like the West Coast magical mornings

A few additional photos to brighten your day and ours.  We have so much fun looking out to see who might be passing by our window or visiting the marina.  As well we look to the day to day scenes of San Carlos - always something new to admire or appreciate.  The Catholic church near Marina San Carlos is the site of a 'beautification' effort for the community - a fountain is being built on the square. So not a showpiece yet. I hope the lovely adobe style church is not overshadowed.

San Carlos church near Marina San Carlos

Eared Grebe sliding through the marina waters

Greater Roadrunner - showed up again to pose

Bullock's Oriole - so cheeky and cheerful

Carnaval Guaymas - what we did instead!

The City of Guaymas hosts one of the oldest celebrations of Carnaval in Mexico and the activities are almost at an end.  Here is what we chose to miss:
"Guaymas' beachside malecon will be transformed into a party promenade...the week of February 8 - 13 will be filled with the burning of the bad humor, crowning of the Carnaval Queen and Rey Feo (Ugly King), concerts, theater, poetry readings, fireworks, parades and all night parties."  "Four days of parades, food and beer stands, pulsating dance music, carnival rides."

We enjoy parties, parades and fireworks; we don't enjoy crowds, noise, and driving after dark.  In previous cruising seasons, when INTREPID II had sailed to La Paz and to Mazatlan, we certainly took advantage of the opportunities to see Carnavale activities first hand.  In La Paz, we walked along the Malecon and found excellent spots to view the parades. In Mazatlan, cruising friends had secured tickets for bleachers and fireworks viewings and we rode buses to and from the marina.  Somehow, this time around, the logistics for Guaymas aren't as appealing and we chose to stay 'close to home'.  Tomorrow is Shrove or Pancake Tuesday and that we definitely will celebrate!

Part of our lack of enthusiasm might be due to the effects of the "San Carlos crud" (which can and has occurred, anywhere).  Whether it is the desert dust and vegetation, the construction activities in this neighbourhood, the general wear and tear of the ongoing boat project complications or all of the above, we are once again 'under the weather'.  So we self-prescribe: everything from etchinacea, herbal teas, fresh sources of vitamin C, Tylenol, naps, Ricola and Fisherman's Friend lozenges.  If these remedies aren't effective, we still have doctor's appointments for late Friday afternoon.

INTREPID II still receives her daily visits, only we haven't tackled 'big projects' for a few days.  The Admiral has fine-tuned the hand-rail covers and the batik curtains to her satisfaction. Today the Captains of several sailboats stood on the dock consulting and commiserating - this is definitely a cruising season where "cruising" is still an elusive goal for many of us. There is often camaraderie and helping hands when needed.

Carrying roller furling to parking lot to unroll and fix set-screws

Ongoing consultation and commiseration

Dorade vent shiny once again

We followed through on our efforts to 'take a break' on Sundays, especially as we weren't too energetic and drove out to Playa Algodones (also known as Catch-22 beach).  The Soggy Peso is a long-standing San Carlos institution - a beach shack bar and restaurant - which we had yet to visit.
The view was impressive, the beach sandy, the water sparkling and shades of blue.  We ordered a light lunch and still brought home half our meals for later.  The band was setting up and every table full inside and out as we wandered out to walk the beach before driving 'home'.

Soggy Peso - worth a visit!

We had a great view on arrival

Happy Captain

Sun, sand and sniffles - oh well

Feathery update - February 6

The location of our rental apartment continues to provide an unexpected bonus.  Cliffs are nearby and there are numerous vacant lots in this residential development, with a variety of scrub bushes, cacti and other vegetation.  We keep binoculars and our small Olympus "point and shoot" 24X zoom at the ready as well as making use of our eyes.  While we are not 'birders', it is fascinating to spot and learn about the feathery creatures who make their homes in this area.  We thank the San Carlos bird-watching groups who report their findings weekly in the "What's Up in San Carlos" online newsletter. The bird sightings mentioned often confirm our best guesses in consultation with our Sibley Field Guide.

Most recent viewings with 'best guesses":
Costa's Hummingbird (Calype costae)
Common in low desert habitat, where it nests from January to March;  one of smallest birds, tiny and short-tailed.  Male has purplish crown and long flared throat feathers (pg. 260).

Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae)

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Population declining in open pastures and prairies with scattered bushes and trees.  Solitary; feeds on grasshoppers and other insects, small birds and rodents (pg. 295).

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) - on cactus perch

Loggerhead Shrike from back

  Still unidentified......

Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
Nests on cliff ledges, solitary.  Feeds mainly on small mammals, but also takes many birds and some insects. Best distinguished by sandy-brown color with contrasting dark flanks and under-wing coverts (pg. 115).

Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)

Mainsail is on at last - February 5

Monday morning - sunny and clear and calm.  Off to the dock to haul out the mainsail and hope the wind cooperated, meaning no breeze or wind at all would be very helpful to our endeavors.

It has been far too long since we folded and stowed our sails; this was a re-learning exercise as well as a chance to check the condition of our Sobstad mainsail.  We also have a Dutchman Sail Flaking System for dropping and flaking the main.  This requires feeding mono-filament line through fairleads in the sail, acting as vertical control lines.  We have two lines, attached to the topping lift and to pockets at the base of the sail. The theory is these lines guide the main down on alternate sides of the boom, all nicely 'flaked'.  Setting up the system took a bit of calculation and ensuring the lines ended up on the same side.  The Admiral spent her time under the sail threading line back and forth. The Captain ensured the lengths of the lines were accurate.

Dutchman flaking system:  Mono-filament threaded through plastic fair-leads

Adjusting length of forward line

A major effort was needed to attach the clew to the out-hall at the back of the boom to secure the foot of the sail.  Shrinkage? No - only a sail that had been folded and stored and a bit stiff.

Clew finally reached out-hall and attached

The slides on the luff (front, closest to the mast) were fed into the slot on the mast and Kelly slowly raised up the sail.   We intended to slide in the battens, but by this time, the daily breeze was noticeable, so it was time to drop the sail, and fine tune things another day.  Sail-ties and sail cover to tidy up.  One more 'to do' we could check off, more or less.

Mainsail cover on

Weekend Wrap up - February 4 continued

Sunday was indeed a day for exploring!

As we returned to San Carlos, retracing our route, we decided to drive through the communities to the east of the Guaymas airport.  Kelly and friends had located a church on a previous exploration only to find it closed; he had an idea where it was located.  At the four-way stop we headed north towards the farming community of La Cuadrita, according to the road sign. There are ruins of Hacienda Aranjuez along this road; we are curious about its history and will have to return to take photos.  We somehow missed seeing Rancho Pitahaya, the source of the organic produce we purchased at the market.  This farm is actually the only organic Dragon Fruit farm in Sonora and offers tours - another item on our list of  'take a break' ideas. We were unawares all through December and January about this vendor and missed out on the fabulous fruit - so focused on boat projects.

The rural road meandered through groupings of homes, then curved to the east and then southeast.  We entered La Cuadrita, but no signs of the church, only modest homes and a few "tiendas" - very small stores.  Onward we drove, looping back to the south and into the village of San Jose de Guaymas, which has the feel of a small village.  It is referred to as an "ejido", which is land held in common by the farmers, having been granted the use of the land by the government.  We understand that such a community was established, often from land taken/expropriated from large landowners, upon petition by the area farmers; plots and home sites were allocated, although the land is not owned by individual farmers. Families could pass the land on if it was worked continually. As well, no further ejidos have been established since NAFTA came into being.

We spotted a dome and a cross - success! The church sat serenely on one side of the 'village' square and there were signs that improvements were being constructed, with a covered kiosk of forged iron,  and playground in progress.  As it was Sunday, the doors were still open; inside, a man was putting items away.  The stained glass windows were open to a slight breeze. We paused for a few minutes, with special intentions in mind. 

Interior of church of San Jose de Guaymas

Exterior of church

By now it was mid afternoon. Time to drive to the marina to ensure all was well with INTREPID II and assure her we would be on top of outstanding projects tomorrow. 

Weekend Wrap up - Sunday, February 4

Why stop with only one day without boat chores?

We decided it was time to visit the Sunday Market in Empalme again - the weather was sunny and clear and a 'day of rest' was in order. [Teri:  we do listen to your good advice!]  
With a nod to Wikipedia yet again:

"The word empalme means "junction". At first, the community site was called Kilómetro Nueve because it was nine kilometers out of the port city of Guaymas. Unlike other towns or cities in Mexico, Empalme was built completely by foreigners, specifically the Utah Construction Company under contract to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Very few native materials were used in the construction. The founders owned a major railroad, affording easy transportation of materials and personnel. The purpose of the settlement was to provide repair facilities for SP operations in Mexico, with a large shop and roundhouse. They still exist today, although unused; repair and maintenance now being done in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Hundreds of the homes built originally still exist in Empalme, their design and materials unchanged."

Our drive is about 20 minutes from San Carlos, skirting Guaymas to the east via the "Libramiento San Jose - Puente Douglas" road, which connects with the carretera international (highway) at the large lagoon at the entrance to Empalme. The edges of the bridge (puente) are lined with 'shrimp and oyster' shacks were you can savour fresh catch of the day; fishing pangas pass under the shallow arches in the bridge and line the shallows; pelicans and other seabirds abound.  We park near the fire station (bomberos) and walk a few residential blocks to the north end of the line of stalls which comprise the weekly market.  As we mentioned after our December visit, searching for additions to Kelly's tropical shirt collection has become hard work!  And prices have escalated!  He found two at long last - 70 and 60 pesos respectively.  Carol found a mint condition gauzy white shirt which will look dressy for a dinner out.  

It takes effort to wend one's way down and back along the narrow walkway, especially as no one keeps to the right and sunshades tend to stretch and sag in the heat of the day.  We stopped for "gorditas" just before noon, washed down with a jamaica (ha-my-ca) drink, made from dried hibiscus flowers. 

What's on offer at the market 

Jamaica drink and condiments

On this visit, we walked from the market towards the centre of Empalme, thinking an ice cream cone might be an excellent dessert.  Too many people with the same idea when we came to the store. Along the way we stopped at the main plaza "Plaza El Tinaco", officially called Plaza Independencia.  No informative plaque for this symbolic statue; however, it is backed by a huge concrete water tank - a 'tinaco', which signified the discovery of water for the new community.

Plaza El Tinaco

The large water tank - a 'tinaco'

 No ice cream treat as mentioned, but across the street was the Railway museum, "Museo Ferrocarrilero", which opened in 1957 and is housed in a railway coach.  We stepped inside to view the historical exhibits, only to find an interview being filmed; politely we took a few photos and departed. 

Kelly and Caboose

Museo Ferrcarrilero Empalme

The location includes a statue to Jesus Garcia Corona, who was a Mexican railroad brakeman who died in 1907 while preventing a train loaded with dynamite from exploding.  He is revered as a national hero, especially in the state of Sonora, where the accident took place.

"Jesús García was the railroad brakeman for the train that covered the line between Nacozari, Sonora, and Douglas, Arizona. On 7 November 1907 the train was stopped in the town and, as he was resting, he saw that some hay on the roof of a car containing dynamite had caught fire. The cause of the fire was that the locomotive's firebox was failing and sparks were going out from the smokestack. The wind blew them and got into the dynamite cars. García drove the train in reverse downhill at full-steam six kilometers out of the town before the dynamite exploded, killing him and sparing the population of the mining town."

National hero Jesus Garcia Corona, Empalme

 [There is more...adventures to be continued!]

Weekend wrap up - Saturday, February 3

Time to stop and smell the desert and sea!

There is a monthly "tianguis" or flea market/swap meet the first Saturday of each month at Bahia Storage, with the 150 pesos fee to vendors going towards education needs in the community.  We had not found enough items to sell to warrant setting up a table, but we headed over to the Bahia neighbourhood to see what treasurers were on offer.  Items are often of a nautical nature, including outboard engines, various fittings, left-overs and spares no longer needed.  A crowd always converges first thing and most folks know that if you really want to find bargains, it is best to set up early as a vendor and buy your items before the general public are allowed in.  It is a social event as well as fellow cruisers stroll by.  No boat parts for us, but we scored a good length of light coloured Sunbrella fabric and some black screening - for the Admiral's fabric bin. 

The morning was sunny and bright after two gloomy grey days, so we parked at the marina and treated ourselves to breakfast at Barracuda Bob's, sitting out in the warm sun.  Eggs Bennie and Quiche, OJ and coffee hit the spot.  Paid our marina bill for February; walked to Star Marine, where we were pleasantly surprised to find the raw water impeller model we needed. The price was reasonable and 'a bird in the hand' was the deciding factor.  Our spares are 'somewhere' onboard.

We rounded out the late morning with a visit to INTREPID, then to the Altered Tails Bookstore and the vendors set up on the marina walkway.  Altered Tales is a used bookstore run by the SBPA (Sociedad Benefactra y Proteccion Animales) which accepts books and donations to support spay and neuter clinics in San Carlos.   Outside their door were boxes of fresh produce which caught our eye.  The vendor had a 'special' on offer - mix and match your choice of veggies and fruit for either 60 pesos ($4.25) or 90 pesos ($5.65).  Too good to pass up!  Our purchases will make for  tasty, healthy meals this coming week.

Valencia oranges and ruby red grapefruit - 60 pesos

Beans, squash, cherry tomatoes, cherry bombs, brussell sprouts - 60 pesos

On to the Rescate (volunteer emergency services) thrift store to drop off a donation and to check out the weekly market held in the compound.  Vendors there offer hand woven blankets, baskets, carvings, jewelry, veggies, food; we just missed a performance by some young dancers.  A lively place.

Weekly market at Rescate compound

February frolics!

Time flies and it is February!  And...we are still focused on boat projects.  And...we extended our stay at the rental apartment to ensure we have time and space to sort, organize and hopefully locate some of our elusive spare parts.  We have not given up on hoping to cruise - optimistic the remaining tasks will come together with greater speed and less need to order parts.

Tinkerbelle 

Yesterday dawned grey and overcast - what a difference after all the glorious sunrises and blue skies.  At the boat, Carol measured and adjusted the 'in the works' hand rail covers to protect our newly cleaned teak rails.  Kelly searched for, among other items, the spare raw water impellers.  Changing the oil is on the to do list and inserting a new impeller is part of the task.  We chatted with folks on the dock and were entertained by our exuberant neighbour Tinkerbelle as she enjoyed the opportunity to stretch her legs along Dock A.

A day for errands. We checked out the other Ferreteria (hardware) store in town, looking at alternatives to PVC pipe as possible coverings for the exterior teak when INTREPID II  is on the hard.  Then on to Ruth and Rudy's Bakery; this time we are looking forward to a vegetarian "Mexican Lasagna" made with squash blossoms which Ruth only makes a few times a year.  Of course, banana bread and pecan tarts somehow made their way into our bag as well. A few minutes in the Castaway Kids thrift store just to see what was new.  By then it was as well past lunch time - so a good reason to stop in at the outdoor seafood spot for tacos camarones (shrimp); and purchase a bundle of asparagus from the lady selling fresh produce on the corner.

One of the local water supply stores

On to the the purified water store - we rely on refilling the large containers called "garafons", on a regular basis, for drinking water.  You purchase the plastic containers (we had one supplied at our rental), then have them rinsed and refilled at a purified water outlet, which uses a reverse osmosis process. We pay 15 pesos ($1.05) to fill a 5 gallon garafon. The water is effectively de-mineralized, so we often drink a brand of bottled carbonated mineral water called "Topo Chico" A small bottle costs 13.50 pesos for 20 fluid ounces - what a difference.   We truly wish recycling was an option here as it is often difficult to minimize the use of plastic.

And finally, a stop at CI Banco, the one and only bank currently in San Carlos.  There is often a lineup to use the ATMs; yesterday only one was working.  These machines have both Spanish and English on the digital display, so the process is quite straightforward.  We do pay a tax for using the machine - a fee of 15 pesos plus the 16% IVA Tax on the 15 peso charge - a total of 17.4 pesos.

That evening we treated ourselves to dinner at Tortuga's restaurant - bar side.  A bit of a wait for our meals, but that gave us time to enjoy listening to the featured musician, Lorena Robles, who had a very attentive audience.  We first heard her singing and playing guitar years ago at Palapa Greiga and were pleased to have another opportunity.  According to her profile, Lorena sings in seven languages, and was trained in classical guitar and operatic singing. A relaxing evening and we now have a CD to revisit her performance.

Lorena Robles