Hacienda Tijax
Rio Dulce, Guatemala
With Ole’s 10 on/10 off schedule, we
really have to cram life into a compressed schedule, and
July was no exception.
For the Fourth of July we were invited
to “Calamity Jane’s” birthday at the Crow Bar. Jane and her
husband, Roy, have a Beebee trawler called Steel Magnolia,
who came down here from Houston about a year ago. His boat
is written up in the December 2006 issue of Passagemaker
Magazine. A former newspaper owner, Roy has retired to
manage the Crow Bar with Jane and run the Rio Dulce’s online
newsmagazine
Rio Dulce Chisme Vindicator. Crow Bar Marina has its
own cast of characters, who were all on hand for barbecue
and rum.
|
Jane with either Maggie or Molly (rescue sea dogs) |
 The
usual suspects, female. |
The next celebration was the birthday
of 7-year-old Gaia, who has been cruising with her family
for 3 years. Originally from France, they have cruised
South Africa and South America, and are now embarking on the
Caribbean. We commandeered the palapa by the swimming pool,
and had a no-kidding French potluck, with crepes, quiche,
and tartes.
|
Gaia |
 Blowing
out the candles. |
 Very
civilized, with wine, crepes, tarts, and other French
goodies.
|
 The third celebration was Eugene’s 50th
birthday. Eugene is the owner of Hacienda Tijax, and was
kind enough to invite us up to his house for a barbecue.
Friends of his, as well as specialty foods, arrived from all
over Guatemala.
Then, on July 9, we left the Rio for
our biennial trip to Norway a year late. Not easy – 6 hours
on a bus to Guatemala City, an overnight, then
Houston/Newark/Oslo/Bodo and an overnight, then a 4 hour
ferry ride. When we arrived, we found that three years of
vacancy on the property had taken its toll – all of the
sheep fencing was down and the sheep were partying all over
the place. We had always had a “live and let live” policy
with the weeds – but after three years, found they were
actually birch trees. So we spent three and a half weeks in
hard labor, cutting and burning brush, re-fencing the
property (by hand – no power tools here), interrupted only
occasionally by a visit to the relatives or a trip out to
fish for fresh cod and sei. The best part, though, was
cool days and gorgeous midnight sun.
|
The
illicit partyers |
Jan
and Petter vs. the Birches |
Ole & Petter vs. the sheep fence
|
 All
of us vs. the "creeping damp" |
A
late evening walk...
 |
Typical
Norlands fishing boat
 |
A
little bit of heaven.
 |
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