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Diane's DiaryMarch 28 Sunday We woke up very late for us- after 8am! I spent the entire day peeling shrimp! By the end of the day my hands were really cramping very badly. Guess I really do have something wrong with my hands- the doctor did say using my hands less would help the arthrosis. However, this is very difficult to do! Anyway, I was sick of seeing shrimp by the end of the day. Larry went over to Midnight Stroller to help them with a few things while I continued to clean the shrimp. So, guess what we had for dinner? Shrimp naturally! We need to use all this up before we leave for the US so I guess we'll be eating lots of shrimp! Anyway, I made a wonderful shrimp scampi that came out terrific. We had not had it in a long time. March 29 Monday I peeled the rest of the shrimp today for about 3 hours from 9:30-12:30am. Thank goodness it's all done. I froze it in packs for individual meals since we had so much to use up. We didn't even go to the potluck tonight because we had shrimp instead. I made some shrimp cocktail with a new recipe I had but I didn't like the way it came out. I made shrimp and feta cheese over pasta for dinner and it came out really good. We cannot get feta cheese here so I have just a little left that I bought in Bonaire. March 30 Tuesday We went to CM to pick up the T-shirts this morning and they came out pretty good so now we'll get some more shirts and get a bunch made. In the pm, I made some brownies to bring to Midnight Stroller for dessert as we have been invited for dinner tonight. We watched some videos Elias brought for us. He brought us 3 but 1 we couldn't hear the audio, 1 was in Spanish and we watched the other "Phone Booth". It was very weird but we both liked it. Midnight Stroller invited us over for dinner so we had some light snacks at 6pm and went over there at 8pm. They also invited S/V Shee Laa and Stormbird- we didn't know they had invited others but we all had a good time. Gaby made a wonderful stuffed cabbage for dinner- different than the one my Mom makes as it had tomato sauce in it. While it was very good I prefer my Mom's version- it could be that I am just accustomed to having it that way. We didn't get back to the boat until after 11pm- very late for us! March 31 Wednesday Larry went to the Internet café in the AM to look up some items for Midnight Stroller. Andrea then came onboard Destiny so Larry could show her a few things on a navigation software package. At 11am, Norma from Happy Hours and I went into PLC to buy some T-shirts to get embroidered. We had lunch in Mc Donald's and got back to the boat around 2pm. At 6:30pm, we went to the new opening of Transpacific office right here in BR with Charlie Apha and Kayla going independent- they are a travel agency and do lots of other things. It was a very nice party and we stayed for several hours. Afterwards we walked over to Midnight Stroller and had a few drinks with them. They will be leaving within the next several days. April 1 Thursday I was nauseous and had a headache the entire day and think it was a migraine. We went to CM to bring all the shirts in to get embroidered before our trip but when we got back I felt really sick so I just laid down the rest of the day. I made a wonderful shrimp and champagne dish that was superb - think we will definitely keep this one. April 2 Friday I wanted to go to Makro today but Midnight Stroller said they might leave this morning and I wanted to be around to say goodbye if they left. I always remember how no one was there on the dock to wave goodbye to us when we left for Bermuda almost 4 years ago so knew how important it is to have someone say good-bye to you. I always remembered how my parents and Aunt came to our going away party but my brothers and sisters did not. It definitely hurt my feelings that they didn't come to the party. Anyway, they didn't leave so I took the dinghy down to Plaza Mayor to get my hair cut. I got the worst haircut I have ever gotten! He cut my bangs way to short and cut 2 large pieces near the front on a terrible angle so it looks awful. To say the least, it was the worse haircut I have ever received in my entire life! I am not a happy camper. I got a massage to see if that could help but that wasn't so great either. Today was just not a good day at all. We went to Midnight Stroller for a little while tonight as they are going to leave in the am. We wound up staying until almost 10pm - way past our normal bedtime. However, we don't know if we will ever see them again so wanted to spend some time with them. April 3 Saturday Midnight Stroller said they would definitely leave this morning so we waited around to say goodbye. Larry went quickly to the flea market we have here in the marina once a month. Midnight Stroller asked us to take pictures of the boat departing and than give them their camera back. Their son arrived and Andrea asked if he could come in our dinghy so naturally we said yes. While waiting for them to leave I put water in the tanks, did the dishes and took out the garbage. They finally left and we enjoyed seeing them off. We know we will miss their company very much and wish them the best of luck in their adventure. We hope they will stay in touch. Leaving cruising friends is one of the toughest things about cruising. After they left, I made some phone calls and stopped at S/V Happy Hours- they will copy our passport on their color printer. We want to get lots of duplicates made. You are supposed to keep a copy of your passport with you at all times but keeping the original on you is dangerous. We can get them reduced in size and laminated in the US. Anyway, I also worked on the PC in the PM updating our finances in my Exel spreadsheet. April 4 Sunday We spent a nice quiet day relaxing on the boat. It is extremely hot out- 95 with no wind or clouds to reduce the heat. I spent the day updating my logs in the computer. I am far behind and would like to catch up before we leave for the US. I made some homemade spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. The temperature in the boat got up over 80 since I had the stove on for a few hours so I took a walk after dinner. April 5 Monday I walked to the store in the Am this morning to call Mom and get some bread. I also stopped by Happy Hours as they have been loaning us some VHS tapes. I also washed the dodger frame and washed the dodger. In the PM, I updated my logs for a few hours. I got sick with some cramps and loose stools so I lay down but made another excellent shrimp dish - shrimp Creole from my favorite cookbook again. It came out excellent and I'll have to make it again. April 6 Tuesday I washed the windows on the boat this morning. I had just finished cleaning the dodger and putting it up again when Luis the marina cat got on top of the dodger with all his cat hair so I am upset about that! Why couldn't he have done it before I cleaned it? Around 1pm, we took a taxi to Plaza Mayor- Larry wanted to go to Vemasca so we decided to combine it with a trip to the mall. We went to the pharmacy to bring some medication home, Larry got a haircut, stopped for drinks, got the passports laminated, went to the grocery and bought some necklaces for Larry's nieces. April 7 Wednesday I made some phone calls this morning. We finally got our boom vang fixed by North Sails. I was not happy with their service or the price- $331USD. I think they overcharged us by a great deal. Also, they took over 2 months to fix it so this was definitely unacceptable. I would not recommend them to anyone. I'm glad we didn't give our sail to them to be restitched as I know they would have overcharged for that also. Anyway, it's been extremely hot out this entire week with absolutely no wind or clouds. Elias told us this is traditionally the hottest month of the year. I think it's because the sun is moving north and is directly overhead at this time but I'm not sure. I went to the bus station to pick up our tickets for next week. Normally we just get them the day we leave but because it's Easter week with tons of people going to Margarita Island and coming to PLC we thought we might have problems if we waited. Turns out it was good I did buy the tickets as I got the last 2 seats together. If we had waited, we definitely would not have gotten on the bus. After I got the bus tickets, I had the taxi drive me to CM so I could pick up the embroidery we had done. All the shirts and hats came out very good and we were very pleased. We paid about $6 for a hat and $3 to put the embroidery on a shirt. Larry went over to EPA to buy some boat stuff- this is definitely not my type of store so I don't go. We took the AC out of the hatch so Elias could varnish it. He only put one coat on but it looks terrific. What an enormous improvement and we only have 1 coat on. April 8 Thursday Holy Thursday It is extremely hot out again- the temperature is up to 98! PLC is extremely crowded with people just pouring in for the holidays. The locals definitely like to party! The pool water is very cloudy and there are tons of kids in it so I am sure that has a lot to do with it. So, I won't go in the pool until they clear this up. I went with Janice to the mall. We left at 9am as we knew there was lots of traffic around and we were right. The pharmacy didn't open until 10 because of the holiday. We need B's and haven't been able to get any so another boater sold us some. We didn't want too much since we are going home as who knows what the rate will be when we get back. In the PM, I hand washed lots of clothes. I was afraid if I gave them to the laundry they wouldn't have them ready in time for us to leave for the US. April 9 Friday- Good Friday It is still extremely hot out and we have been staying on the boat as much as possible. I got a letter from the marina office saying our boat is here in case we have a problem at Customs. By the time I got back from the office it was too hot to do more laundry so I'll do more later this afternoon when it gets a little cooler. I worked on my logs some more- it's hard to keep up with this so I tend to do it in spurts. The marina had a Brazilian band playing tonight- I was walking in the marina and heard it but Larry didn't want to go see it. I have been trying to walk in the marina at night to get a little exercise. |