Still in Panama,recovering from Shakira...

last night we joined many other Panamanian Shakira fans in an open air concert that was a FUN inoculation to relieve our symptoms of boat mania.
We have been here for too long,another stretch of boat repairs,provisioning,waiting,lists; a very very tense pressure and focus for our skipper,and therefore,all of us aboard Rhythm.
The heat is cloying,I described to Olivia as we walked together on Sunday,it feels like How it must feel when you are a new born baby: with a warm coating of vertex to protect our body from the amniotic fluid. It astounds me to see Panamanians in JEANS!!!! HOW HOW HOW can they!!???
Aboard,trying to work /not to scream it is like being hungover with hives in an incubator along with your Siamese quadruplet appendages. HOWEVER,we have moved from the shipping lane side,Balboa Yacht Club to the Las Brisas anchorage,much nicer,water a little cleaner,many cruising confreres Majority of the sailing vessels are heading to Galapagos as we are. we still have a desire to sail to Ecador first,park Rhythm for about a week ,bus to Peru,hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. I'm waiting for the decision to present itself to me.
Recently I have been hot with the bug about the plastic Pollution.We have seen plastic floating where you can see no land,we see plastic in otherwise pristine desert islands and my most loathed,styrofoam take out containers wedged in mangroves on the sea shore. I just feel sick about it. Initially,way back,I'd expressed to David that I would like, and feel it is important ,to be very conscious of the world,a perspective viewed through the filter of mass media back from my little world of Toronto.Here we see the sky,wake to the sound of the ocean against the thin hull of our home and eyes come to focus with tie dye like patterns of light reflected from sun to sea to a wall inside. We are on it,floating upon a tomb of garbage. It
makes me so sad I could cry. I know how it feels to read vigilantes and Debbie Downers,so how in Gods name am I going to use this ardent emotion ? I have some ideas and would welcome yours,another Blog...and Japan! I just read about the flotsam like a land mass with full houses,cars and bodies in a cruisers website cautioning vessels to, "heads up!"


So,today Im off to attempt to outfit the ship with enough stores to last 40 days!! Yikes,my perspective is this: at the cottage,weekly I would do the shlep to Perrysound,I would spend the day,and return with a ton,just loads of groceries...so it is that times 6?!!!

I've done enough complaining,now hear this,I am aware of the JUMBO ,boundless and immeasurable adventure that is as multilayered as our very human selves. Perspective -learning is the magic carpet we ride.It is hard to see even from a boat,with all that sky and all that sea.
The very key ingredients are the world class characters we meet,the stupendous geographic sights that surprise us and the however arduous lessons of love in commitment for us as a family.



Anyway,

Day two Panama Canal

Day two Panama Canal
It's 6:30 am and day two has begun.I'm hiding in bunk as I hear the clink of cutlery as Margaret finishes last nights dishes.I should help her shouldn't I .Lastnight She and Trevor were ."on dishes" but we were all totally spent. She, a kind and compassionate Madre,she let her boy/ line handler crash to his port side bunk right after our late dinner. To stay present for a minuet ,we are just now motoring along in Gaton Lake to reach the second half of the locks,three up and three down. I just loved filming almost the entire experience last night with officious bright lights flashing up the dark night like a film set. I got some everlasting worthy footage.To have the Smiths share this has been a real boost for us,I too wish Jeremy and Philippa could also have been here.I really missed their ever ready expressions of enthusiasm ,knowing what a blast they would have had and what a fun dimension they could have added. In preparation we were delivered tires to add to our own fenders to attach to a French sailing vessel whom we shared the lock space with. On the other side is the Pacific Ocean,Balboa,where we'll stay at a marina.The Smiths depart on April2 nd..we look forward to spending time together in the famous city.I look forward to greeting John and Wendy aboard,Beyond and will be very sad to say so- long to Wendy as she flys back to midwifery and grandkids in NZ
To backtrack,beginning with night before last,we stayed at ShelterBay Marina in a very prime dock location,right by the pool.we arrived from Portobello midday and David had reserved two rooms at Marina for the hearty adults/ parents..grownup members of the cast of crew. The" treat "backfired a bit as the balcony looked right at Rhythm! David couldn't relax as the poor guy had gone through so many details ;the multilayered red tape and at the eleventh hour- last minuet green light .. Or not!? Then,after a flimsy meal that we shared with Smiths,enjoyably on the porch,colonial,sultry steamy humid night,we couldn't sleep!! It's hard to get sleep on a comfy solid bed with clean sheets and air-conditioning...I woke hungry at 3 something am and decided to go out the sliding glass doors to the balcony to get on Davids laptop which we'd fought over in wake time. I received two newsy emails from Jennifer and Mary,I just live for good long or just emails from all my precious friends.I can't beg for them because friendship is a two way and there are so often times I just can't technically connect. maryAAnn reminded me,it's been since Feb.since I've blogged.We ll overdue
We have spent the last month in preparation for this day and the Smiths vIsit.We were very anxious about details and last night filming Skipper David dancing through the locks with music vamped by DJ Stephan and the cousins dancing together was really a culmination of even more than a months anticipation.

Smith visit
The Smith family really,I need an entire blog to devote.Margaret; little sister of David, Aunt to look up to and always there ,you join in or kick ass- love to have a like minded woman aboard!! And,ever generous and giving and fun and game! Stephan,a life enthusiast,engaging,participating,gorging on all aspects of the sensual stimulants of the world surrounding us,often reticent,just watching,listening,always present.I love the way Stephan is so magnanimous with every single person of every size shape nationality class,he loves people and wants to open his heart and arms in a bear hug of love.
SanBlas.....last night he cooked up the second half of an18 lb snapper he bought off a Kuna,via dugout in San Blas Islands
San Blas,another blog; stunning national Geographics,the KUNa,such a rich unit of the tapestry. Selling stitched colorful graphic in fabric squares,a very old tradition in the matriarchal society as the woman waited for the men to return from hunts fishing ,they stitched. The water,colour of magic eyes of the sea......The veggie boat- rescued my fear of not enough produce,arrived in " the swimming pool" of the Holandes islands,they pulled up out of the vapors,in a massive dugout ,three guys,mucho fruit and veggies,an old scale,a pad and pencil and Margaret and I jumped aboard to shop- I love it!! We then spent a night anchored in the Lemmon Cays where we participated in a cruisers happy hour on beach at a bar.There was an adorable,however,skanky Scandinavian backpacker with blond dreads selling jewelry,Furry stuff,an ocelot ,a Brazilian dude gave her the pelt,he'd shot the feline for going after his chikens,so what to do? I had no cash,she promised to catch us before we lifted anchor early the next morning.I was surprised she made it,6:30am looking like she had not ended her night,and I bought a pelted bracelet.
Portobello,another blog
Day Two Another Blog

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