Life in the Emerald City

Oh my poor blog…how I neglect you.  I am sorry, I have been too busy to post lately.  Alas, there is no excuse and though I’ve promised this before, I will try my best to visit you more often and keep you posted!!

So, if you read previous blogs, you see Sean and I went on a little adventure that got side tracked.  But it was for the best as we ended up having an amazing summer!

We spent time in Panama, a country we thoroughly enjoyed and believed we’d probably never have visited if not for this opportunity.  Below are some highlights:

a cat who joined us on the patio for lunch, he ate french fries; entrance to the rainforest; Sean and I found a Baskin Robbins: we knew we’d survive!

the Philkade going through the MiraFlores Locks (what a coincidence); the MiraFlores Locks control center; one set of locks closing after the boats went through

a pond turtle posing for food; the sunrise at 4:30am from our hotel balcony; a beautiful white flower we saw just off the walking path

fireworks on the 4th of July at the Balboa Yacht Club; Sean found the french fry cat; me enjoying a hotdog by the Panama Canal

an abandoned building now filled with plants; a quirky house down by the market; cool old buildings line the streets in Casco Viejo (old downtown)

eagle’s view of Casco Viejo and the surrounding neighborhoods; balconies fully enclosed look like birdcages; there were many balconies filled with plants in the area

view of the Chagras River before our hike to the Indian Reserve; a beautiful waterfall tucked back in the rainforest; a creek leaving the waterfall headed toward the Chagras River

Sean and I take a long boat to the Indian Reserve; the band played us a welcoming tune; the women served lunch with banana leaf platters; fried fish and plantains in banana leaf cups…yummy!

the old bell tower lit up at night; part of the old fort wall lit up along the old highway to the airport

We really had an amazing time in Panama…what an adventure.  Though we didn’t plan to spend much time there on this trip, it was a nice surprise to see this beautiful country!

We left Panama and flew to Florida to visit family for a while.  Aside from some knife incidents in the airports, the trip went smoothly!  Check out the next post for more details about our trip back home!

At roughly 7pm tonight, we motored our way out of the boatyard in West Palm for the last time!!  We are headed to Panama!  It’s about 10pm now and all systems are working properly, everything is going well!  We are in calm seas with beautiful weather…smooth ride!  As we came out of the Intercoastal Waterway, breaking out into the ocean, a small pod of dolphins started playing in our bow wake!!  What a surprise…we were all hanging off the bow taking pics and video to share!!  See below…it truly is an amazing sight!  A good omen to start the adventure (along with a beautiful red sunset for good luck)..whoo hoo we are finally on our way!

Dolphins playing in bow wake

Love you all…full video in Panama!

I decided not to bring all my toiletries and personal stuff from LA because a.) it’s all old and used and b.) it would have just added more pounds to my suitcases, which were already overweight!  I went ahead and bought all the personal supplies I hope Sean and I will need yesterday…….

Voyage Supplies

1. Double shampoos
2. Double deodorants (his & her)
3. Huge coco butter lotion (w/ shea)
4. Q-tips
5. Double baby wipes (for in between showers)
6. Extra sunscreen (I brought 4 bottles from home)
7. Face wash
8. 3 months of tampons
9. Extra toothpaste
10. Contact solution
11. New hairbrush
12. Extra set of toothbrushes
13. Shaving cream
14. Leave-in Conditioner

Obviously there is more stuff to be gotten, but this is a good start.  I’ll be posting photos of the boat hopefull this evening, so check back!

***11 days till expected departure!***

So, I’ve slacked off and let my blogging go by the wayside for many months now, but I promised my family and friends I’d take tons of photos and keep everyone apprised of our adventure…here goes….

I had a wonderful week visiting family and friends in Arizona and Florida, and I thank you all for hosting me!!  I got to go to Gainesville to see old friends for dinner thanks to Christi, and had such a wonderful time!  I left Tampa today around 1pm headed for West Palm Beach, FL via an amtrak train.  What a ride!!  I was originally supposed to rent a car and drive down, but because I’m under 25, the fees for renting a car are through the roof!  My sister, Missie, suggested I take the train and low and behold, there is a train route from Tampa to West Palm…what luck!!  So for a mere $26 (down from $80 to rent a car for one day), I took the train!  Below are some photos from my trip:

Outside View of Train

Inside the train

Florida Oranges

Deli Pack Picnic

The train was really quite nice!  I sat next to an elderly woman from Cuba who loved dogs and we talked a lot about her train travels in the past.  There was a separate dining car where I purchased the cutest deli pack filled with Salami slices, asiago cheese spread, crackers, chips, applesauce, cookies and even an Emergen-C drink mix packet.  It was a bit much to finish all at once, but everything was de-lish!  Each seat has a 12-volt outlet plug, so I was able to work on my laptop the whole time, while keeping my battery alive!  The seats reclined all the way back with a foot-rest and they were very comfy.  The people kept to themselves, but were friendly and they really do come around and check for your ticket!!  The only downside was the temperature…freezing…but I should have thought to bring a sweater, thank God I brought a blanket!

The ride was fairly quick (roughly the same time it would have taken for me to drive) and when I arrived I was refreshed and ready for work!  One of my new boat mates, Scott, picked me up and it was a short drive to the rental house.  All in all a fun day of travel!

I’ll post pics of the rental tomorrow and hope to take pics of the boat tomorrow too!  Night!

Rain

Every year from December to February in Southern California it rains pours.  Now anyone who lives in Seattle or somewhere else where it rains almost everyday can just stop reading here.  I am going to complain about the 10 inches of rain we get here, but for good reason (as if there is a good reason to complain)!

We live on a sailboat…yes, a boat.  We anchor out in the ocean about 4 days a week….rain or shine!  Last week, it rained from Thursday through Monday…we normally anchor out Friday through Monday.  Now for the complaint, OUR BOAT LEAKS!!!  We bought a boat not thinking it might leak, so when it started raining, we were surprised and have tried to take it in stride.  Last week, we stayed in a hotel all weekend, just to stay dry.  Attempts at fixing the leaks are slow and only helping little by little….limited funds and knowledge have us stumped.

Anyway, weather.com is forecasting rain for this weekend too…through WEDNESDAY!  I’m just sending out my prayers (in the form of a complaint) for less rain…do we really need green grass this summer??  How does rain affect you?  I’d love to here your comments (or suggestions) about how to deal with wet days!  Also, any suggestions on wet towels (to stop the leaks), leaky windows/portholes (where we think the leaks are coming from), or cheap hotels around LA (for the tougher days) are more than welcome!  I’ll be drying out…with a smile on my face for now…no rain till next weekend!

So, I needed a 2 month break to get all my thoughts together!  I guess.

Actually I have been very, very busy, but that’s really not an excuse!

Since September,

1. We bought a boat, the one mentioned a couple of posts ago.
2. We moved onto the boat…got rid of the apartment.
3. We moved the boat to a new marina…meaning we MOVED!
4. My old restaurant closed its doors…so sad, goodbye Chez Allez.
5. I got a new job…SOUS CHEF at Catalina Restaurant!
6. We got married back in Florida…best day ever!
7. We went on our honeymoon cruise in Mexico…a week of bliss!
8. We came home and got back to work, spending Thanksgiving on the boat and making another huge decision!  I will share this later this week once I catch up on all the photos and posts!

Check back, I will be getting photos up of these events and catching up on my life!  Then I’ll let you in on our next BIG adventure!

Ciao!