Touching base!

The beach in La Paz

Loving our new paint job

First of all, thank you so much to our many friends who have reached out to inquire about our whereabouts and our silence these past 3 months. We are happy to report that we’re safe in La Paz and plan to work our way north to Guaymas via the Baja, starting March 31^st.

A lot has transpired for us in recent months and especially this last month, as I am sure it has with everyone. I’ve been reticent to say anything about my own (frankly, our) situation because I figure my story is just one more tough situation. 

Our art gallery

An MRI I had in La Paz last month identified a cyst on my spine that I need to have surgery to resolve. It’s a long story, one that’s very much still in process. In light of the current medical situation in the US, my surgery is considered ‘elective’. In my book, that’s not really the case however I don’t get to vote. And so I wait until at least the summer for notification about scheduling. It’s frightening for me, and for us, let’s just say.

Like everywhere, things are changing very rapidly so we are keeping an eye on the changes in Mexico. There are few reported cases of corona virus here, and they’d like to keep it that way. There are plenty of closures everywhere, essential businesses and some restaurants open with well-spaced tables and all staff wearing masks. The ports across Mexico have been closed to tourist boats of all kinds and as of this moment, still open for private vessels like ours. We hope it remains this way at least for a while.

Out on the town during Carnaval - up until midnight!

Candy vendor - don't your teeth hurt just looking at this stuff?

Carnaval from the tram

Sunset from the tram 

We've been having a great time and enjoyed our time in La Paz. Great fun during Carnaval in February, great music, festivities and we did the aerial tram along the malecon to enjoy the sunset.

Absolutely no dog popping

We hope all of you are doing well and staying safe!

From our slice of heaven to yours!

Our festive cockpit loaded with projects

Holiday shopping displays

On this winter equinox, the days are short even at the 27^th parallel and we look forward to longer days ahead. The sun shines bright then it’s quite cool in the evenings, wind blowing through the dirt yard here in Guaymas. And for those who wonder, we are working toward our splash before the end of the year.

Painting and cleaning

Fun with hoses and clamps

Generator, without cover to fit through the engine room door 

Progress

We undertook an unplanned, but required, project of replacing the engine room insulation. The black dust residue from the failed insulation welcomed us as we peered into that important real estate on board, where the brains of the operation live (except for the brain of Captain Mike). Start to finish took more than three weeks. The filthy and lengthy removal process, cleaning, prep and installation of all new insulation, spraying and painting. Then Mike had to redo all the fixtures, fittings, hoses, cables and more so things actually work again.

3 guys installing in a small space,
sitting on top of our engine

Installation complete. Now starts the next phase of work.

Once completed, that paved the way for installation of our new Fischer Panda Generator. Hauling the awkward 350+ pound beast through a very precarious route was completed successfully by four of our work guys in the yard. Special shout out to Alejandro, Alejandro David, Aldo and Moises. Fist pumps and very cold beers were shared post-project, to everyone’s delight.

In between those big projects, we've been doing a ton of smaller scale updates.

Judy's first drill press project

New v-berth cushions rock!

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick!

The screw and bolt guy. Great local resource.

Christmas glitz on a boat? Nope, a
through hull waiting it's new home

We are thankful to be on board our own little slice of heaven, no matter where she is and where she takes us once we are floating. And from our happy home to yours, we send our best wishes for a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year!

Merry Christmas! 

Hillsides are very green after heavy rains late November

After a rain storm, car wash guy filling his buckets. Actually they totally
detailed our Ford Escape inside and out for $13.00 -with clean water

Ann's apple was too much excitement for this butterfly who fluttered
around her until she set it down. It was a big meal for that little guy.

Guaymas and beyond

Dia de los muertos
display at the grocery store

It’s been a month since we left Portland and began our journey to new adventures. We stopped along the way to visit family and friends and finally made our way to Pura Vida after a long, enjoyable trek.

The keel needed some repair and new fiberglass

Overall, things looked good on the boat, which is always a concern after several months of the super-hot summer sun drenching the boat daily. Even with our custom-made cover, we worry about our boat on the hard. We did have two small piles of termite shavings which we’ll deal with – first time for that. Two other boats nearby experienced the same. We need to be careful as our entire boat is teak inside except for vinyl ceiling panels which have teak slats – walls, floor, hatches, cupboards, shelving. And, the teak is 43 years old so needs love.

Giant Yaqui statue welcomes
you to Ciudad Obregon

Our first trip out of the bustling city of Guaymas was to Empalme for the Sunday market. We bought shrimp, flounder and a pair of shoes that I can wear walking miles in the dirt yard so I don't wear out another pair of Chacos. Empalme is getting sketchy with the gang/cartel activity (sad to report), but we went during the morning hours and the market is very busy.

We then made a trip to Ciudad Obregon to get a PET scan for dental work Mike will have done, so we rented a car - as Obregon is beyond the 'free zone' for US cars. 

As I write this, we are in Nogales, Arizona to pick up parts – our charger / inverter died after just 18 months so we needed a replacement. Local repair shop tried but to no avail. We did our shopping excursion, also picking up items for several other boaters while in the US. Tropical storm Raymond toned down to a tropical depression which brought rain and wind so it’s been a wet and chilly trip (comparatively speaking).

Alejandro (the tall), Alejandro David,
Aldo & Edmundo helping Mike

The head was out of order in the "old bathroom" so you need to walk
another few hundred steps to the "new bathroom" at Marina Seca

We’ve got a new generator to install so we can run our cherished watermaker, and Mike will install our wind generator on the mizzen mast as an additional power source. 

Engine room fun - the glamour
of the sailing life!

We also decided to remove and replace all of the engine room insulation – a long overdue project and one that wasn’t on this year’s list but really needed to be done. We are sharing the joys of that project, tag teaming on hanging out in the engine compartment. NBF = nothing but fun.

Coctel Campechana - yummm!

Mike with our many boxes
at the hotel in Nogales

We’ve been enjoying outings and catching up with our many friends here, going to some of our favorite taco stands and local eateries. It's great to buy some of the local treats we love, see our favorite family at their fish market, Jorge and Elvie at the hardware store, Lupita at her laundry ("ahh, Pura Vida. ¡No Suavitel!" - she knows we don't like the fabric softener and it's part of our persona with her). 

We are blessed every day with the experiences of life in Mexico.

Pura Vida beckons. We heed her call.

12th anniversary at the fountain
where we had our reception

As summer wound quickly to a close and fall weather is upon us, we find ourselves ready and eager for another winter of adventure and plan to head south, hopefully tomorrow. We’ll wind our way south visiting family and friends along the way. Word back from Gabriel at Marina Seca Guaymas says Pura Vida is looking good and awaits our arrival. We’ll bring gifts for our yard crew guys who take good care of her while we are gone. Along with a heavy car load of boat supplies and parts for projects that await.

The Mueller family

Mural in my home town

A very rainy Badger football game

We just returned from a week visiting my family in Wisconsin, always very thankful to have that time to visit and reconnect. We attended a Badger football game with my sister Joanne, a fellow UW Madison graduate, and her husband.  My alma mater - plus we won! No trip to Wisco is complete without a visit to a cheese factory, this time Kraemer's where they have vintages of aged cheddar by year. So we stocked up.

Pre-game Bloody Mary

My sister Jan has been very busy researching our heritage through Ancestry.com and shared some of her findings. What a treat to explore our past on both mom and dad's sides. Here is our Mueller coat of arms from around 1816 in Prussia.

Hard working delivery guys - 4 boxes at 225# each, down the
steep ramp, along the dock, up our steps and over to the float.
Needless to say, it was a hot day and I tipped them well!

We enjoyed our summer filled with friends, work, substantial home projects and importantly, fun.

On the work front, we worked as a team on the BrewBarge during the week, with Captain Mike at the helm and me serving as the trusty deckhand, reminding beer-drinking bike riders that there is no bathroom on the pontoon boat and the ride is an hour and a half. And, that tips are always appreciated.

Coaxing the float upriver, Tony in the
dingy, Mike in the Boston Whaler
maneuvering behind the trees.
Next, tight space
90 degree turn twixt us &
our neighbors' dock & boat

Prepping the trusses

Installing the steel supports

Mike worked extensively for Passion Yachts instructing various levels of sailing classes from the moment we arrived in Portland. Lots of interesting students and their stories filled his weekends and more.

Thankfully, my long-time marketing clients continue to rely on my creative energies as well as another short-term project promoting renewable energy for the largest Michigan utility company.  

West Marine filled out our work schedules. Funny though, our list is always bigger than our paychecks. But hey, it can be fun working there and we had a great team this summer.

One of our big home projects was replacing the entire back deck with hem-fir that are not warped, don’t have huge holes, protruding nail heads and might actually last for a few years. Yea! We own the quarter lot next to our home and have been wanting storage since we moved in. Fortune fell upon us and we purchased a newly constructed 8x30 float with nice logs and stringers that wasn’t approved by the neighboring moorage’s HOAs. We scored on that.

Our new 8x20 mansion adds 25% more square footage to our lives

Current "storage area" over our 1 closet

Mike and his friend Tony did the Tom Sawyer move and brought the unwieldy dock up river to fit into the tight space next to our home. Next came installation of the supports, approval of a shed by our HOA and delivery to our dock of 4 huge boxes containing zillions of parts and a 110-page installation manual. Very thankful for Doyle and Gary who signed up for the 2-day construction project.

I enjoyed some biking

The shopping starts!

We are in heaven – storage for our stuff and room for guests in an 8x20 deluxe mansion. 

So, consider yourself invited for a B’n’B experience on the Columbia River!

Our last dinghy ride of the season.
Mt Hood has snow, so time to go!