Meanwhile, in Sand Mountain, Nevada

Some great pictures of Justin on his quad-runner:

Dinner at Roberto's

Roberto shows Alfredo how to cut the shrimp:

For another recipe, two raw shrimp are stuffed inside peppers which have been scored, the pith and seeds removed:

They are fried until golden - muy delicioso!

The view from Roberto's deck:

Roberto barbecues the halved shrimp, still in their shells, and brushes them with melted butter.

Francisca, sister Chuyita, and mother Doña Manuela:

Alfredo and Alicia from s/v En Verra. They have been sailing full-time for the last 15 years, the last 8 with each other. They've also hiked the PCT and recently completed an 8000-mile bicycle tour around the USA in 8 months.

Halloween in California

I took these pictures just before I left for Mexico.

Odin and Kellen as Panda and Woody:

Sophia is a butterfly but does NOT like her costume. Her mom got the tutu halfway on, even though she clearly said, "No."

As soon as the wings were on, she got ready to get them off her body.

Dia de los Muertos en la noche

We went back to the fiesta later that evening.

This is the altar created by students from Tec Milennio, a local university. It honors Miguel Hidalgo, el padre de la patria (the father of the country). This is the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence. There are 7 levels or steps that Miguel will follow to go home. Herbs or incense are burning to keep away the bad spirits. There are three crosses on the ground: one of dirt (we all return to the Earth one day), one of salt (for purity), one of ashes (in the end we are ashes). There are favorite foods for the journey, tequila to remember the good times spent on Earth. Candles, especially along the aisle, lead the way.

This student spent a long time explaining all the parts of the altar and what they meant. Another student translated his words expertly.

A Yaqui (the indigenous people) altar, a much more simple style. A good view of the crosses on the ground.

This altar was erected by family members honoring grandparents:

The audience cheered loudly after each song and chanted for another one from this singer:

Dia de los Muertos

In the morning, a couple of streets near the plaza were barricaded off

and various groups began getting ready for the evenings festivities. The sign says there will be altars for the dead, pictorial expositions, musical groups, artists' exhibits, dance, theater, and film.

Working on the boat

Work on the boat continues. Dick is going into the port hull to get it ready to store things that are now in the starboard berths. Notice how many boats are in the yard.

A shaded workshop under the boat:

The 4 sheets of marine plywood will primarily go to replace this bad wood.

Compras a Soriana

Shopping at Soriana, the best supermarket in Guaymas.

This is their display for Dia de los Muertos:

Pan de muertos chico (small breads with crossbones and sprinkled sugar):

Un vaso de fruta y postres

One of our favorite morning diversions is "a glass of fruit and pastry." Our favorite vendor arrives at this corner at 10 am, sweeps the street and gets his cart ready.

He chops fresh pineapple, melon, orange, cucumber, jicama, and coconut into a plastic glass. We have lime juice and salt over the top and skip the hot sauce and chili pepper.

The glass is piled full and secured with a few toothpicks and set inside a clear plastic bag. 15 pesos each, about $1.22 USD.

We take our vasos and walk a couple of blocks to Astros, a pastelleria or bakery. It doesn't have a sign anywhere. The sign in the picture is for a doctor up the street and indicates he can treat just about any condition.

Por favor, utilice los pinzas para tomar los postres. Please use the tongs to take pastries.

Then take the tray to the cashier who will package your selections

Delicioso!

To Guaymas

I picked Dick up at the Tufesa bus station in Ontario CA on Wednesday morning. The 3 hour drive turned out to be 5 hours thanks for commuter traffic into the LA area. We drove to a yachty's shopping paradise in Costa Mesa called Minney's Yacht Surplus.

We spent the next two nights in motels and arrived in Guaymas at 4 pm on Friday.

To Bakersfield

This is about to be a whirlwind round-trip drive from E Nicolaus CA to Guaymas Mexico. Leaving Justin's:

Please note the extremely long oars and the 8 layers of 1/4" marine plywood propped up in the back seat.

I spent the night at Carol & Jerry's in Bakersfield:

Carol in her art studio:

and I learned I should take more than one picture, preferably standing very still each time.

"What did you do all day?"

If I was feeling like a smart-aleck, I've responded, "I haven't been sitting on the couch, watching soap operas, and eating bon-bons. That's for sure." This has always made Dick smile.

Even though I've been collecting all the supplies Dick needs in Mexico to work on the boat, I've managed to get a few other projects done this week. This is a Dia del los Muertos stocking, the first one I've made out of fabric.

When Justin saw it, he wanted one for a friend of his. I improved on the size and used a blanket stitch to finish the edges. When I showed him the finished stocking, he paused and commented that the skulls were all upside down. Jeez, I should have noticed that. Since the other side of the stocking had the skulls going the proper direction, I embroidered Stacey's name a second time.

Of all the skulls on the pattern, Justin said he like this one the best.

I think I know why. They both have the same hat. This picture was taken recently on top in Pyramid Peak in the Lake Tahoe area.

I also finished this stocking based on a picture of Lenin running.