Amy had wanted to get the boat and crew up to Florida so we could spend Christmas with my mom in Georgia.  This request required that we speed through Mexico and Cuba and then find a reasonably priced marina to leave the boat in while we rented a car and headed to Cartersville, Georgia for three weeks.

The other day, Robert asked me how do you call Superman.  "What do you mean, how do you call him?" "You know, how do you call him to tell him you need help?" Now I'm catching on.  The Commissioner uses a bat-shaped search light to call Batman, so how is Superman contacted?  "Ohhhh," I say, playing along, "you don't need to call Superman.  He just knows."

Our final destination was Livingston - Guatemala, entrance to the Rio Dulce, but it would take us a couple of days and a couple of stops to get there.  Our first night we stopped in Utila - Honduras, another divers' paradise, but we did not go ashore here.  Our next stop was Puerto Escondido.  Funny name, because it is not a port at all, but it is hidden (escondido means hidden in Spanish).

We are currently in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, hiding from hurricanes.  We watched the news with awe and horror as Hurricane Ike ripped through Houston- our final destination.  We pray for all of our friends and family there, some land-based, some boat-based.

The mom, Susan, was tired of sand and sun and palm trees.  She was looking for some culture, some history.  She thought there must be more to life than sitting under a  palapa drinking a cerveza.  She was home-schooling her two daughters, aged eight and ten, on the boat, and she was really enjoying their American History  curriculum, so she thought maybe she'd like to head to the East Coast of the US and visit all the historical sites.

Then I looked at my calendar. In order to go, I’d have to catch a flight the morning after my two kids finished school for the year, missing their first swim meet and leaving my husband, David, to manage on his own teaching Sunday school for that week. I could only stay in Panama three days, returning before David was scheduled to go out of town to play golf with friends.

Regular readers of this blog will note quickly how different my life is to Amy’s right now. I, like every suburban mom I know, am scheduled. ]]> http://goreads.com/2008/07/a-man-a-plan-a-canal-panama.html http://goreads.com/2008/07/a-man-a-plan-a-canal-panama.html Panama Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:34:16 -0600 After celebrating Mothers Day with the  red Macaws flying around town in Puerto Jimenez, we finally ended our two-week stint in Golfito, Costa Rica on May 13 and headed for Panama.

People who are in a hurry can make it from Golfito to the Panama Canal in about a day and a half.  We were not in a  hurry and planned to spend ten days in the islands of western Panama. 

We have continued to poke down the Costa Rico border, finally having made it to Gulfito, the last stop before Panama.  As we turned into the large 20 mile wide bay which Gulfito sits in, I pointed out to both Amy and Robert a small sliver of land which ran down the back of a mountain and down to the sea.  I told them that that skinny piece of land was Panama.

Amy broke out into the David Lee Roth song, "Panama."  She told us she had been waiting an eternity to be able to sing that.  Robert quickly learned the words, added his own dance and then modified the tune to "Panama Canal".  It appears the crew is excited to be getting closer to Panama.

Since arriving in Costa Rica, we have had the "opportunity" to learn A LOT about various animals and insects. 

In one day Amy made a list of "friends" we currently had visiting in our home.  A mouse, one brilliant blue/green moth, several small translucent crabs which had crawled up our drain pipe into our bathroom sink, one medium size crab which has taken a liking to our rear swim step locker, and a small gathering of fruit flies in our refrigerator.

We have enjoyed our time in Costa Rica; I cannot believe we have been here six weeks.  We arrived in Bahia Santa Elena, the northernmost bay in Costa Rica, where we spent two days hiding from the wind (see: Old Man and the Sea).  We spent a few days in Playa del Coco, where we checked in to the country, and then went on to Bahia Portrero, where the Marina Flamingo used to be. ]]> http://goreads.com/2008/05/self-service-central-americans.html http://goreads.com/2008/05/self-service-central-americans.html Costa Rica Thu, 08 May 2008 00:20:41 -0600 A Few Journal Entries:

March 8, Saturday, Mark's 40th Birthday, Barillas Marina, El Salvador to Gulf of Fonseca, El Salvador

Crazy day. Ponga shows up at 6:00 am to escort us 9 miles down river out to open ocean.  Due to sleep deprivation, Mark could not find key to start boat.  30 minutes later, find key hanging on the hook it was suppose to be on.  I still had terrible back pain.  Mark ran over mooring ball.  Departed 6:30 am.  Mid afternoon winds picking up.  Late afternoon, jib sail caught on radar dome.  Early evening radar antenna torn off mast.  Later, gale force winds. Winds would not stop for 40 days, and two countries later !!!

As we sailed passed the Guatemalan coast and decided not to stop, our main regret was that we were missing the volcanoes.  We had been talking about volcanoes for quite some time with Robert, and he had been asking to see a volcano that is "on."  He had seen dormant volcanoes from afar, and there was a volcano we could see from Barillas Marina in El Salvador which was releasing steam, but these would not do.  He wanted to see some lava.]]> http://goreads.com/2008/03/volcan-pacaya-1.html http://goreads.com/2008/03/volcan-pacaya-1.html Guatemala Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:30:22 -0600

While in Guatemala, I witnessed one of Central America's most beautiful traditions: The Lenten Processions of Antigua]]> http://goreads.com/2008/03/the-floral-rugs-of-lent.html http://goreads.com/2008/03/the-floral-rugs-of-lent.html Guatemala Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:19:13 -0600 What are you looking for from a vacation? 

Culture?

Adventure?

History?

Hiking?

Shopping?

Beautiful Architecture?

Inexpensive cuisine?

Breathtaking landscapes? 

Come to Guatemala!