Our new estate

(alas, she’s not me, and he’s not Doug)

We came into the marina at the first of June, and it’s been nothing but work ever since. Well, okay, a little socializing too. Happy hour, potluck dinners, trying to figure out who will still be speaking to us at the end of the season, and vice versa. POT LUCK SALAD (green mangoes, cucumber, beet, onion, lots of lime juice. This photo is included because I wanted to try the ‘food’ auto setting on the camera. Does a nice job, doesn’t it!)
Actually, ‘they’ say it’s exceptionally quiet on the Rio this year – plenty of boats but almost all the people have gone home, and some businesses are crying the blues.
The work list: First the windlass, which has been manually operated for a couple months, came off and went to a machine shop for a new shaft.
Then the sun awning project: shade is proving absolutely essential, and the only fabricator available was me. No blood (except that drawn by some nasty ‘tabano’horseflies, but plenty of toil, sweat (dripping from the elbows) and tears. Luckily, right in front of the boat is a lightly used, shady little palapa, which made the task more pleasant.
Eero Saarinen-like it’s not but it is effective and is beamier than the boat, so the rain, when it comes, might drain too. Next week, the front end.
AWNING

Then, spring cleaning. Ah, the thrill of running a toothpick under a piece of trim and gouging out a pile of greasy grit. The excitement of buried treasure from ancient eras in the bilge. The drama of the plunger on the sink drain. The endless wonder of wood grain revealed by sandpaper. And the sick, guilty pleasure of peeling up loose varnish with improper tools. Folks, there’s just nothing like it!

But more about our estate. We have a cool dipping pool,and a beautiful tree- and bird-song-filled garden that will surely feature in every blog post henceforth.

The afore-mentioned palapa, serves as a porch and patio and has a lovely small view over a ‘fish pond’ and the kaleidescopically sun-dappled orange building at the top of the stairs. It’s not thirty steps to a bathroom big enough to dance in, should I feel the urge, and nearer than in some houses I’ve been in. It’s all mine to enjoy but maintained by someone else. There’s a store with good bread, fresh eggs, wine, ice and fun stuff too. I have a night watchman, resident musicians, I think I have satellite TV, tho I’ve never watched it, being too busy with the Wifi, on the boat. I could however chose from a variety of corner offices, or hammocks.

My fitness group does a brisk walk every other morning along the pipeline through the rubber plantation.
I even have a handsome hound, walked and fed by the folks next door, but barking for me. SAPPHIRE isn’t the only one hot but happily wagging her tail.