Hacienda Tijax
Rio Dulce, Guatemala
May was a busy travel month, celebrating two family birthdays and a wedding in the States. From Tijax, via the internet, I booked travel from Guatemala City to Reno to Seattle to Orlando and back to Guatemala, over a three week period.
My sister Sara’s birthday was the tail end of April, and my Aunt Maybelle’s 90th birthday was in early May. As both families live on the US West Coast, we opted to make Reno the rendezvous spot for both activities. My lifelong friend Suzanne was able to join us at the Silver Legacy and the Peppermill (it helps on the rates to be a “frequent gambler”). I hadn’t seen Suzanne since our trip to Bimini for Thanksgiving in 2005, so it was good to catch up.
We first drove to Walnut Creek for dinner at the very exclusive Duck Club with Maybelle. Sara, her husband Lance, my brother Jeff, and his wife Kanchana were there, and we had one of the best dinners I’ve ever had. Maybelle is who I want to be at 90 – active, mentally sharp as a tack, and still able to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. It was a wonderful reunion.
We celebrated Sara’s 50th birthday the next night, with dinner at the Peppermill, and were joined by friends of my brother, along with my cousin DeeAnn, her husband Tim, and her daughter Hope. It was great – with the usual gag gifts, lots of laughter, and gambling until dawn. We had so much fun we decided to get together at DeeAnn’s house nearby the next evening for a barbecue. She’s got an incredible craftman-style home sided with river rock from the Truckee River, with a big front porch, Victorian garden, and back yard big enough for festivities.
Dale & Linda Working on El Capitan
After four great days in Reno, I flew back up to Seattle for a short visit, spending an evening at Suzanne’s and a couple of nights with Sara and Lance. We had heard from our friends Dale and Linda that they had their 49 DeFever hauled out in Port Townsend, and it just happened to be Cinco de Mayo, so the three of us drove up to Port Townsend to supervise the bottom painting and contribute to the Margaritas. A lot of the folks from Brownsville Marina have their boats hauled out at the same time, so they can co-op the sanding and painting.
Sara & Lance – Cinco de Mayo at Port Townsend
Then it was a long flight down to Orlando, to join Ole on the Sovereign and meet up with friends from our Ft. Lauderdale marina – Kevin and Erica – who opted to get married on the ship. Ole’s cabin was transformed slightly, and he enrolled the galley into making a beautiful cake. It was a short cruise for me – just a week – then the long journey back to Emma Jo on the Rio.
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