The Apartment

Today we completed the move into the apartment.  We like it very much and think that we will enjoy our stay. 

It did not take Brenda long to discover that there are humming birds in the large old flowering tree that reaches to our balcony.   Today while enjoying our coffee on the veranda one of the humming birds did his feeding thing no more than 10 ft from us.  They seem to have adapted to city life and are oblivious of humans.  The humming birds share the tree with hordes of bees buzzing around the blossom.

The apartment building looks like something from the 1960's.  It has seen better days and the owner has been running it like a hotel, renting the units for short term.  So it isn't exactly the Ritz but we like the setting, the spaciousness, the feeling of security, proximity to the marina and city center, and the creature comforts that we require.  I'll publish photographs over the next few days.

I met with Neil this morning to settle accounts with Mercedes for his second bout of carpentry work.  The charge was less than 3000 pesos which I consider great value.  Neil had visited the boat and discussed the fiberglass work with Salome and his partner.  The engine mounts will be completely fiberglassed from the bilge on the inside, over the top and to the hull on the other side.  Salome is to work toward an inside measurement between the mounts of 12.75" with a 12.5" minimum.

They went to the cockpit and discussed the job of making the recessed engine instrument panel.  They soon realized that making the panel a little bit longer would eliminate the need to fill in any of the holes left from the previous instruments.  I enthusiastically approved the idea.  The accompanying photo shows the engine mounts after the first round of fiberglassing.  Note the plyboard in the insides of the mounts to bring the gap to specifications and to square off the corner.

Tomorrow Brenda and I will become tourists.  At the hotel we became friends with Larry, who has been a regular visitor to Laz  Paz and really loves the area.  We are going to share expenses to rent a car which he will drive to Loretto and beyond to a mission in the hills where he has friends.  Brenda and myself will have the benefit of a knowledgeable tour guide who loves to talk about the area (and everything else).  ... And to Brenda he has guaranteed the sights of road runners and coyotes (and who knows what else).  This is a sneak photo that I took of Larry in a contemplative mood under the palapa.

I returned to the boat yard to capture some more photos of the Falmouth Cutters.  As fate would have it Mike's  Narwhal, hull no. 1, was placed next to another Falmouth Cutter 22 in need of much TLC.  Is there a young and energetic Romantic out there interested in a project?

Brendas Bird of the Day is the Verdin, tiny and fast-moving. One appeared briefly in the tree outside our apartment, easily recognizable by its yellow head, pointy bill and petite build.