Sunday in Grenada

We love worshiping with other Christians of pretty much any denomination and we have found ourselves amazingly blessed whenever we step out and seek other believers anywhere in the world. This Sunday was no exception at the Grand Anse Baptist church in Grenada.  Not only did they feed us a snack after service, but we got rides back to the boat yard (Mark ) and the hotel (Christine and David).  Lovely and generous people.



Great music too!

We are BACK!

The Summer season in the Pacific Northwest went a little longer than we anticipated, but then again there are two new grand babies on the way and a bit more time with family was important.

Sorry that I did not post more about our adventures aboard the new land yacht which is now stored at Christine's folks home in Sutherlin.  Thanks Gordon and Clarita.

Gypsy Queen will be getting a new bottom paint job over the next couple of days along with a few more minor projects before we splash.  It will take a little while to get used to the tropical heat again with temperatures in the 80s and the same with the humidity.

David found a $100xcd note lying on the ground as we were walking around today.  We will take that as a pretty positive sign!

New land home

It looks like we are going to be splitting our time between land and sea meaning more time in the summer months in the Pacific NW.  So, after some careful consideration about how not to wear out your welcome living on your children's couches, we decide to buy a home.  However, in keeping with our Gypsy Queen lifestyle, this home has wheels!

This will be our third, and hopefully, final motor home.  It hasn't earned a trail name yet, but we are happy with the extra space compared to past crampers.  We plan to store it over the winter months in the Northwest while while aboard Gypsy Queen.

New Glasses

Turns out that Christine needs new glasses and while she was selecting a pair, David found his pair too!

Lay up in Grenada

We finally completed the thorny upwind path to Grenada visiting briefly in St. Maarten and St Lucia.  The rest of the Caribbean we saw only from the anchorages in passing.  There were some rough patches in the passages between islands where there are various cape effects that can double the wind and waves.  Exciting times.

But we did it!  Gypsy Queen is now resting on the hard at Spice Island boat yard, all laid up for a long season of lonely times.  We will see her again this fall, flying back to Grenada in October or November.

Ponce, Puerto Rico

One of the really cool things about living on a boat is that you can pull up to the water front in some of the most beautiful places, drop the anchor, go ashore, and have that silly grin on your face that comes from out-smarting 'the system'.  Everyone else staying there is paying big $$ for accommodations, but you are swing on the hook for FREE!  It just appeals to the cheapskate Yankee that resided deep inside me.  It comes from being raised by parents who lived through the depression, and having grandparents who asked 'are you really going to use that WHOLE paper towel?'

Ponce, Puerto Rico, is one of the destination resort towns where everything, including the air itself, has a price tag.  However, the mooring balls in the harbor are free which is a good thing because the water is over 30' deep and it is crowded (read impossible to put down an anchor).

The really cool thing for David is that where were LOTS of other little people his size just itching to have some fun.  Including some fun in things like fast plastic wheel-chairs that had me wishing I weighted 50lbs but with the arms of a gorilla.

Instant friends at Camuy Caves, Puerto Rico

I just love how David makes instant friends.  We normally avoid expensive tourist destinations, but in this particular case, we just had to visit the Camuy Caves in the mountains of Puerto Rico.  So we rented a car from the Marina at Puerto Real and drove several hours into the heart of the mountainous region of the island.

It is hard to get an idea of the size of Puerto Rico.  It is not a small island, but is only 35x100 miles in extent, so you can circumnavigate the island in a day.  So, I guess you would call it a medium sized island.  One odd result of that size is that everyone is within a few hours drive of home, so there are NO hotel/motels to speak of.  The only options are the resort palaces in San Juan ($$$$) or the hourly rental room, complete with "love machines".. just gotta wonder about that.

So, we paid our fees, then waited in the queue for the guided tour complete with audio players.  It didn't take David long to find just someone his size.  Instant friends.  No language barrier here, just shared fun.  We adults can learn some lessons.  Sincere friendship is a powerful force and only the most hardened could resist.



Of course there has to be one picture from the bottom of the sink hole (some 400' deep).  I am amazed at the pictures I am able to capture with the panorama mode on the smart phone.  Here is a 90 degree panorama looking straight forward to straight up.