Back On Ariel

We are back on Ariel. Before we started this adventure we expected we would be off Ariel to visit friends and family for about a month, two at the most each year. Never did we expect to be away for four months. With hurricanes and the rainy season in Guatemala it didn't make sense to stay on the Rio Dulce. Our travels home and returning could not have been smoother. We were concerned returning to Guatemala as we we maxed out on luggage with four checked bags, each weighing just under 50 pounds, and each with carry-ons. The luggage included boat parts which we kept our fingers crossed would clear customs in Guatemala. We sailed right through. The taxis here are very small so it was a real pinch getting our bags and us into such a tiny vehicle.

A day before our planned departure last June, we got word that my brother Bill died. Our plans had been set to spend a week in Antigua, Guatemala before our flight out. Given plans for the memorial service and the cost to change the air tickets, we decided to stay with our original schedule. Despite the circumstances we enjoyed Antigua and highly recommend it as a tourist destination. While there, we both visited the dentist for checkup and cleanings and Linda saw a dermatologist. The cost savings are substantial and the quality is excellent. We are anxious to get back to Antigua and plan on doing so later this year.

When not traveling, we stayed with my mother. We have done this before, but for shorter periods and knew it would work out. We are able to help with work on the house, yard and garden, which we appreciated to have something meaningful to do. We thank her so much for putting up with us and for agreeing to have us back next summer.

The highlight of the summer was spending time with our grandchildren. We managed to spend extended time with all them without their parents. We had Thomas with us while his parents went on vacation to the Adirondacks and Vermont. He attended Vacation Bible School at my mother's church and had a great time.

We went camping with Michael and Evelyn on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie. We hadn't been camping for a number of years but we all did pretty well. We then took them both back to upstate New York with us for a NASCAR race at Watkins Glen.

And then in early September Scott and Pamela were in a wedding party so they decided to add a few days on to make it a vacation. We moved into their home and had Camyrn and Claire to ourselves for a few days. It was at times exhausting (Camyrn almost 3 and Claire just turned 1) but wonderful.

Of course we visited family and friends beyond spending time with our grandchildren.

We made the first step toward life beyond cruising, but not to be mistaken that we have plans to give this up anytime soon. We bought some land just outside of Corning, NY. We bought the land to eventually build on, but it does have a small house on it now which we are renting.

Right now we are getting Ariel back in shape and getting back in touch with old cruising friends and meeting new cruising friends. Our calendar is already becoming booked with social activities. We found the interior of Ariel to be exactly as when we left with no mold, mildew or insects. Our sealing it up and setting up the dehumidifier worked perfectly. The exterior is another matter. It was pretty black, especially the teak. A film of mildew covered everything and the spiders had made quite a mess. The good news is that the mildew cleaned off easily, but not so for the spider messes which takes some serious scrubbing.

We are getting our plans set to haul out and have the bottom painted. This will be the first time we have not painted it ourselves. Hooray.