We're back at Bocas del Toro Panama and back aboard Windfall!
     We took a deep breath, opened the hatches, and peaked inside to find the boat was in great shape. The dehumidifier worded wonders with not a bit of mold or mildew inside or anywhere we could find. (Whew!)
     The past few days have been filled with projects to ready Windfall for cruising and family visits  due soon....or as we say "Cheap Crew".
     Our trusty Honda 15 horse outboard was giving us a bit of problem with varnish in the carburetor - even though I ran the gas out of it 9 months ago. UHG! Doug (Aquadesiac) helped me tear the carburetor apart a few times, breaking a METRIC screw in the worst of places. I found "A guy" who had the specific screw we needed...3 screws for $5..a bargain when you have no choices. Finally, our trusty steeds roared to life, I felt like the doctor in Frankenstein..."IT'S ALIVE...IT'S ALIVE" !

Still bringing in more canvas to the cockpit !

This (dead) bug is about 4" long and found in the water by our neighbors boat - it eats fruit...you're safe!

      We toured the local Smithsonian Institute Tropical Research Station and learned that, in fact, the sea levels may NOT be rising, but that the land may be SINKING! Tough to tell the difference when you're standing on sand. The scientists are now wondering if the monitoring stations are moving (sinking)...Hmmmm. If you're standing in mud is the earth growing around you???

2 or 3 toed Sloth just "hanging around"

Smithsonian Institute - Bocas del Toro

The dock at Smithsonian Institute -We spotted a small barracuda in the water here

For you surfers - nearby Red Frog beach at it's best for you!

Typical tourist wanting to buy everything she sees!

     We needed to do a little repair on our main sail, breaking out her repair kit filled with needles, tapes, special threads, and things I'm not sure of.  Nancy had to hand-stitched the repair - Nice job Nancy! Try sewing a full main sail in your cockpit sometime...not much room to move around in for sure! While she was in the sewing mood, she re-stitched our canvas as the sun had damaged the UV thread. Now, she's ready to re-work our main sail cover that's in need of some TLC.
    Plumbing....let me just say it took 3 days to install a new faucet in our back head. Yes, 3 days of total frustration, and I even came up with a whole new list of swear words to make up for it. (Sorry, Nancy). It's not like you go to Home Depot and get everything you need in one place, no no...here you have to take your dinghy to a dock, walk about a mile, (not forgetting your list of things you need), try to find the right fitting (which they won't have), and then rework the whole plumbing design in your head while staring blankly at the wall. Once you've made your purchase, you have to pack your items back..stopping at the store to get a "few more" items from the grocery....now that you're packing about 500 pounds of a "few more" items you have to get it into the dinghy, back to the marina, and back aboard. As you can see, life aboard isn't easy...but the rewards are well worth the trouble in the end.
     I bought fittings that didn't fit properly (China bastards), new hose clamps that failed (China bastards), and even a new hose that burst apart AFTER 1 day of being installed! Oh, plus the plastic fittings on the faucet itself broke - China bastards. Good thing we brought two faucets to install in both bathrooms. I've had it with ANYTHING made in China!!! Bastards! Now that the US has sent the manufacturing jobs to China we have only ourselves to blame for the cheap products.

     We've enjoyed several dinners and lunches at the local marina open-air restaurant....delicious foods prepared by local woman. The views overlook the anchorage on one side and the marina on the other....nice to say the least, to sip a cold beverage, and gaze across the views with a tropical breeze to help cool you. Ahhhhhh....life is good!
     March 13 - It's a SAD day aboard Windfall, we just ordered 250' new anchor chain and 7 HUGE boat batteries...Boy, this is going to cut into our "fun stuff" fund...but, it's necessary.  Nancy, Linda, and I went snorkeling yesterday...82 degree water...looking for the elusive Seahorses, but found none.
     We really enjoyed the swim after working sooooooo hard aboard (Insert your thought here: "You poor people, we really feel sorry for you!")