Life here is El Salvador just gets slower and more relaxed everyday. The only time we hurry for anything is when we are at the pool, and realize that not only is a storm coming up fast, but all the hatches and windows in the boat are open. Then you have never seen people move so fast from pool to dinghy to boat. We always end up drenched, but it doesn't matter because it is almost always really warm. But back to the relaxation part - even Mike is sometimes lazy and doesn't do anything. There are about six boats here counting us, and all but one are planning to spend the whole of hurricane season here. We are too far south to get hurricanes on this side of Central America - of course the Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico side is a different story entirely. The last time El Salvador had any hurricane problems was when one of them managed to cross over from the caribbean and was not shredded by the mountains. But that is pretty rare. Even though the Sea of Cortez is Mike's favorite place, he was nervous all summer about the possibility of hurricanes. So we are pretty safe here.
Another reason it is safem here is because we are moored in a protected estuary rather than a cove off the ocean proper. There is land all around to help shelter us from the worst of the winds. And with hurricacnes, sometimes the waves are more dangerous than the winds, and there are minimal waves here, although very strong currents are the norm.
I tried again to make bread yesterday and like always, it refused to rise. I can't figure out where I am going wrong. One of my sisters is the best bread maker ever - I wish I was like her!
I got two new aprons. All the Salvadoran women wear these ornate, frilly aprons when they are working - not just cooking, but anything. The aprons have special pockets to put your money in. I got two - one with a bib and oine without. I wanted examples as soon as I saw them. I love aprons and always have, nit just because I am a messy cook. These are way to cute to cook in anyway - I will wear them only to serve the food.
This is the regular apron. It goes all the way around the waist, like a little skirt.
Here is the the bib model.
And finally - here is me wearing the bib model.
This is also a shot of me in the kitchen (galley in boat patois). I hid as much of the clutter as I could.
There are mangroes all along this long estuary, and right now it is nesting season for the herons. These pictures do not do it justice - you round a turn and there are literally hundreds of these birds nesting beak-to-beak in the trees.
Never a dull moment down here. And the birds that nested in the sails have had their babies - sa far only one baby bird dead on the deck. We can hear the babies but haven't seen them yet. Amazingly, the parents are acting a bit less aggressive than they were when the eggs were incubating. Maybe they just got used to us having the nerve to be on our own boat.
"I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world's variety and
uniqueness." (Maya Angelou)
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