Voyage of Rocinante

Bus Ride

vlbyers — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:05:28 +0000

our bus

Fender bender on the bus

Antigua, Guatemala to Playas del Coco is about well lets just say about 500 miles, give or take since mapquest can’t seem to compute today. if you look on the map you will see it is a long way. During this trip we would cross 4 countries borders, visiting a total of 5 countries, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. We would be taking a bus instead of flying which would enable us to see more of the countries we were traveling through and be easier on our wallet. The cost of taking a bus would be about half what plane tickets would be. We would begin this trip at 0400 in the morning taking a shuttle into Guatemala City and arrive at our destination at 7pm the following evening, a total of 39 hours-23 of those were scheduled to be actual bus traveling time, the other was interval between buses which we could rent a room to wait our last departure bus on the 2nd morning.
So 23 hours on a bus is a long time but as we entered the first bus our eyes rested upon the extra wide, thickly padded seats that were better than executive class on the plane, the hostesses preparing food and drinks, the plastic covered pillows (nice and fluffy) and blankets, I’ll take 2 thank you. This is why the King Quality line was recommended, Ok this is going to be great.
We went through the border of El Salvador with ease, the hostess handled all the paperwork, taking our passports and the passenger list, and whatever money was needed. The next 2 hours were more comfort as we watched a few movies in English, rested and read. As we neared San Salvador the hostess began collecting the pillows and blankets, did I mention none of the attendants or the driver spoke English, no announcements were made in English, hu, wonder what is going on??
It was finally apparent that we would be changing busses in San Salvador. What the brochure doesn’t tell you. The wait at the station wasn’t long and soon we saw our new bus pulling in, another King Quality type, I anticipated my comfy seat and the nap I was going to take advantage of, 4 o’clock this morning came very early. As we entered the bus it was quickly apparent that this was not the same type of bus, the seats were narrow, thinly padded, the leg rest wasn’t quite elevated to horizontal, there wasn’t much space for a purse, book ect. Ok well this could definitely be worse, we’ll be fine.
Everyone settled is as we pulled out of the station in San Salvador. So far we hadn’t had much traffic as we were not in major cities after we left Guatemala City. The road is pretty well kept, 4 lanes in some places but mostly 2 and the highway winds around going through all the towns along the way, not like in America where the roads are built to bypass most cities. This is just another way to see the country, its people and enjoy the trip.
It was 4pm, we had been traveling for about 4 hours in this bus when the bus braked, swerved a bit, not unusual since we spent much of our time passing other vehicles, and then braked a bit more causing some of us to grab our seats and wonder what was going on. Our wondering only lasted a split second when we heard the crash, felt the bus lurch and heard the expletive from the driver.
Damage to the bus was caused from us hitting a truck, a regular pickup truck with the pipe rail built around the perimeter about 4 feet higher than the bed, the kind that has many people standing in the back going to or from work or various other activities. Speculation began among the passengers as to the next steps, hopefully no one was hurt, cops would have to come, report filed, a new bus may be needed, we may have to stay the night in El Salvador waiting. We all started filing out of the bus slowly to check out the damage, stretch our legs and see what we could find out.
The right fender received extensive damage, the windshield glass was cracked but remained in place, the headlight was intact. None of us ever went to see what the truck looked like as I recall, one older gentleman from the truck was taken to the hospital, we would have to wait for the result of that. Group consensus was that it would be at least a 3 hour delay. Hmmm, as it turned we had pulled to the side of the road right in front of a restaurant, many folks went to have a cold beer and watch the activities.
Darkness began to fall, we had been waiting already about 4 hours and there was no real idea about when we may leave. The police had been a few times and were gone, the bus remained on the side of the road as did the truck, partially blocking the road, the cones were still in place guiding the 2 lanes of traffic around both vehicles. Many of us wondered why they didn’t pull both vehicles off the road leaving it clearer for the traffic, we all hoped there wouldn’t be another accident.
I am sure the owner of the restaurant was happy that day, she sold out of most everything, best day in the whole month for her I’ll bet as this wasn’t a destination by any means. Since she was out of food and it was getting late we all started making our way on the bus and by 9pm things were taken care of, we were ready to go. I guess there was some sort of compensation, the older gentleman was not hurt that we knew of and the plan was that we would continue on this same bus to Nicaragua, bummer I was hoping for an upgrade.
Our 5 hour delay meant that we arrived in Nicaragua at 0500, sleeping was difficult but we both managed to get some after the excitement of the crash. A taxi was outside the bus station and it would cost 5 bucks to get to the area where the Tica bus station was, our plan was to rent a room and grab a few hours sleep and a shower. This taxi was one of the worst I have ever ridden in, there was only bare metal on all the doors and the floors, I am sure light could come through if there had been any, thankfully it was dark and I couldn’t see what we were sitting on. The driver was unusually rough with Larry’s guitar even after we asked him to be careful with it. He led us to a hotel, probably his cousin, brother, sisters brothers place, we got a room, coffee in the morning and did catch some zzzs for the next segment of the journey.
Tica bus makes more stops along the way and this is the reason we changed lines. If we had continued with King Quality we would have gone to San Jose and had to return, losing 6 more hours and spending another 6 hours in some sort of vehicle. Tica bus would drop us off in Liberia which we thought was only about 45 min out of Coco beach.
This part of the trip went without incident, the bus was comfy and clean but not for long-term travel, definitely more cramped and no food or drinks. We arrived in Liberia, listen well, the driver will only say it once and there will be no announcement prior to the stop. Thankfully he was able to stop a little further down the road and let the 4 of us ‘novice travellers’ our luggage out. We split the taxi ride to Coco beach with 2 girls we met on the bus, found their hotel and went on to ours, checked into our hotel and since my stomach was about to explode, I headed for the bathroom and straight to bed. Unfortunately I would spend much of the next day in bed, at least we had separate bathrooms, AC, a TV, pool and running water.
Welcome to Playa del Coco, Costa Rica
Vicki

Antigua Spanish School

vlbyers — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:05:05 +0000

Garden area outside house

Larry enjoying our room

Annamarias house

View from our window, must be noisy when it rains

View of Agua volcano from Picaya

Some terrain on the way to the top

Me and the girls at the volcano

Our first night in Antigua found us without a homestay family because we arrived after nine at night. We were able to find a hotel for the night without much problem that was near the school. The hotel was comfortable with 2, little more than twin but not as big as double beds, a refrigerator and a bathroom, we slept well.
Before heading to the school in the morning our first agenda item would be to get some coffee. The hotel served a breakfast but not until 8 o’clock, what? we were supposed to be at the school at 8. We walked around confident we would be able to find something, after about 15 minutes we found one open coffee shop. In the states we would have found at least half a dozen starbucks in that same time right.
At the school we talked with the owner/boss of the school and arranged for our instruction and our homestay with a family. Our family would meet us at 1030, our first day of instruction would start at 1pm so we had time to find some breakfast and another cup of coffee.
At 1030 we met Annamaria Nunez at the school and we walked the 7 blocks or so to her home. Annamaria was friendly and spoke clearly and slowly to us, she understood that we were learning Spanish and seemed eager to help us. For the next week we would stay in a modest 2nd floor room with a double bed, table with 2 plastic stools and a wire shelving rack for our stuff. The bathroom would be shared with the other room where one other female person was staying at the time. Thankfully we had brought our own towels because those were not provided, there wasn’t even one in the bathroom for wiping hands.
At 1pm we met our teachers, we had one on one instruction for 4 hours each day for 5 days total. Our instruction would be on Thursday and Friday and then resume on Monday through Wednesday. I figured this would give us 8 hours of brain work with 2 days off and then finish with 3 more days of intensive Spanish thinking. After the first day my brain was working overtime but I was able to understand 95% of what my teacher said and we had some great conversations, all part of the instructional style. This is what I wanted anyway, someone to speak with and who would correct my mistakes kindly.
The 2nd day we reported with our homework completed and received 4 more hours. Larry hit the wall at the 4 hour mark and we were ready to meet our friends for dinner before they left on the rest of their trip to Rio Dulce Guatemala. I am not sure but I think I am able to understand Spanish better than ever before, it may be because my instructor is very clear in her pronunciation or because I am listening intently to understand everything she says. All I know is that I hope this week brings me better understanding and speaking ability of the Spanish language.
The restaurant we were going to was Bistro 5 and we had the cross streets where it was supposed to be. Where we are staying is in the NW corner of the city and we needed to go to the SE corner, a total of about 16 blocks, a healthy walk. With map in hand I was the navigator so we headed out. As is often the case we check our progress against the map several times during the trip and we did this that night. It was approaching nighttime and the light was fading, that coupled with the fact that there are street signs on the streets oh about every 3rd one or so, they have also renamed the streets and both names are not on the map, hey what is life without a little comedy.
We arrived at the place we thought it should be, couldn’t find it, asked a gentleman and he sent us the other direction about 4 blocks. Nothing there either, we walked a few blocks asked a woman, she sent us back where we came from, nothing. We walked several more blocks, asked another person, he sent us in another direction. By this time I was doubting weather we would be able to find the place, it was dark and the lights are few and far between. We were talking with another lady about where she thought it should be when a man approached us and said, with a confident voice, ‘it is 3 blocks down this street on the right’. Well we could hardly not follow his directions. As we entered the restaurant our friends’ smiling faces were all we needed to forget our little challenge.
On Saturday, Sabado in Spanish, you’re already impressed I can tell, is the Saturday market which we were told is one of the busiest during the week, lots of fresh veges, yum. No matter what city we are in Larry likes to go to the market, I like going if we need anything and this day we were thinking of getting some fish and possibly some shrimp for our ‘host mom’ to cook, so we both had a reason to go. We were warned to be careful of your purse, wallet in your pocket and personal belongings.
The market was busy and at some points it was almost impossible to make our way through the crowds but we found the fish and the shrimp, some fruit and veges too, exercised any opportunity to practice our Spanish and didn’t have any problem with theft.
Annamaria cooked the food we got, it was delicious and we had a nice night of chatting in Spanish and English. She is helpful to us and we are doing great with our new word acquisitions. This was a full day, I didn’t sleep very well the night before, we had been walking most of the day to the market and then travel agencies attempting to book our travel to Costa Rica and I was beat. Her son Juan caught me as I took some dishes to the sink and started talking with me. It took me several minutes before I was able to excuse myself, he seemed so interested to talk with me but my brain just didn’t have any power left.
After breakfast on Sunday we returned to the travel agency to continue attempting to book our bus tickets. So far it has been quite difficult, the agency does not have the information at hand so has to call. The line was not being answered yesterday for the ½ hour the agent tried. Then she got another number and tried that one but kept getting the answering machine. No we can’t just go online to book it, we can’t even find out the schedule or the cost until they talk with an agent at the bus station. Once we have agreed to the price they have to make copies of our passports, give all our information names etc. they take it into the city, ½ hour away, make the arrangements, buy the tickets and then bring them back to us, whew way too much work. We were able to book our bus tickets and we think we will actually be arriving where we need to go! While we were there we booked a trip to the volcano for tomorrow, Monday, which includes a 1 ½ hour shuttle ride there, 2-3 hour hike up and down and another 1 ½ hour shuttle back. The volcano is alive but there is much monitoring of it and it is safe to hike to it.
Monday, School bright and early at 0800. Larry woke up very sick, up all night having to use the bathroom…bummer. He wasn’t able to go to school or the volcano but we got some Cipro and after about 12 hours was back among the living. We had arranged to make up our missed day, since we needed to leave early on Wednesday we would do 2 hours more on Monday and Tuesday. The school was quite accommodating to helping us fit it into our schedule. I would highly recommend Antequena Spanish School, the teachers were great, the homestay was very comfortable and safe and the whole experience was good. The only bummer being Larry missing so much of it, oh well he is way ahead of me anyway.
Picaya volcano here we come. It is an active volcano but we were told it is dying and the last eruption in 2010 may have been it’s last. I was in a group with 5 others, 4 women and a man who spoke Spanish fluently. It was in the afternoon and after the morning of Spanish school I was just needing a little rest from talking and listening before the hike up the mountain. Everyone was quiet on the ride there so I didn’t feel compelled to be chatty anyway.
We arrived at the beginning of the hike, received by small children renting walking sticks and men with horses eager to rent a ‘natural taxi’. I was the oldest of the group by far but I was confident in my ability to complete this hike on my own, without needing the ‘taxi’.
Our guide met us and we began the hike. The caballeros were close on our heels, apparently they were going to follow us up the mountain, every opportunity to make a dime. After several minutes our group was being overcome with dust, it felt like the horses would trample us and at the minimum prevented us from walking freely as they were so close. We complained to our guide and he had a talk with the men, they backed off for the rest of the trip, never too far away should one of us request their assistance.
The hike was not for the out of shape, it was steep and we needed to keep our pace up, getting back before dark would be important. There were times when I had to stop to catch my breath and gulp a mouthful of water, also to take a look around as the trail commanded my attention most of the time. Much of the trail was loose sand and rock for a bit, hard dirt covered with loose sandy soil in others and light, very sharp lava rocks, there were areas where you could just walk but moest of it was at more of a climbing incline. I am quite proud to say that I made it without much of a problem, one of the girls (25yrs or so) was convinced she wouldn’t be able to make it and had to be coaxed and calmed before she was able to continue.
As we approached not the summit, but the area where there had been the most recent activity, we were welcomed by the heat. The wind had increased, and at this altitude was actually cold. Our excitement was increased when our guide took out of his pack a bag of marshmallows and a stick for roasting..yes for real!!
The views as we were ascending and at another point on the way down were astounding, the day was a little cloudy and we were at the level of the clouds, the mist and wind added an element of otherworldness. Descending can be more difficult that ascending especially with regard to falling. There were many opportunities for this and some of our group took advantage of the opportunity, a couple of them more than one time, yours truly was not among them. Iphones are just a wonder aren’t they, especially when you forget to bring your flashlight and you have downloaded an app of a flashlight! Our guide had one, a flashlight, not an iphone, but that was just one and our group was at least a 3 flashlight group.
We made it back, celebrated with a beer and during the ride home continued with the camaraderie that had begun with our hike. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with my new friends, the exercise of the hike, the views and especially the marshmallows roasted on a volcano.

La Libertad and Antigua Spanish Immursion

vlbyers — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:11:01 +0000

Larry, Sherry and Steve at the 'bar' at the hostel

Our room at la Roble

Our patio at the hostel

Vicki with a baby turtle

When you just can't miss that TV program!

Making trips via land instead of taking our boat is usually a pleasant experience and full of adventure. The trip we have planned at the moment is to go to La Libertad and spend the night at a hostel there, head by shuttle to Antiqua, Guatemala and spend a week with a family doing a Spanish intensive. Then on to Costa Rica for a week in a timeshare. The Belize part of the trip (my idea) was nixed, it will have to remain on my top 10 places in the world to go.
The first day was complicated by Larry having to get a replacement passport. I guess that will have to be another post, or maybe you can ask him in person about the story, anyway the good news, he has a replacement passport and visa and we are able to continue our trip as planned.
The hostel, El Roble, in La Libertad was a bit of a challenge to find, a few wrong turns (actually if you read the instructions AND follow them..) Anyway once we found the road there were great signs to follow. As usual you can’t tell what a place is going to be like by looking at the surrounding areas. We were 4 blocks away from the ocean, the property is quite large and well-kept with 2 pools. The common area for eating, lounging, reading and socializing is full of interesting art and other funky collectibles. The entire place was very clean (funky does not equal dirty), the owner Darrin and his wife are friendly and very helpful. Since we took our friend Steve’s word on this place, we (and he) was happy that it turned out to be such a jem.
Darrin told us that they would be releasing turtles on the beach at 5 pm so we took off in search of place where this would take place as this was also one of the things on my top ten. The hike was a nice pre dinner exercise but we made it in time to help some of our little 4 legged creatures make their way to the great ocean they call home. The turtle project is something Mexico and El Salvador participate in to protect the turtles from their predators on the land. The eggs are un-earthed the moment they are laid and re-located to a safe caged place where they are watched for signs of hatching at the appropriate time. These little guys were only 5 hours old. This was definitely a highlight, and it is only the first day of our trip!!
Dinner was equally delightful, sharing it with some of our new friends enjoying the warm evening breezes and listening to some music. A nice end to an eventful and enjoyable day.
We are now (blogging, lounging, talking) waiting for the shuttle to take us to our next stop, Antigua for a week-long Spanish intensive.
Next stop Antigua, Guatemala
Vicki

Finished Cushions- Yeah increased comfort on Rocinante

vlbyers — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Before

Comfort complete with pillows

So I guess this would be day 7 of the working part of the project. I had gotten 13 of the 14 cushions made and anticipated at least 2 hours to make the most complicated cushion, a corner back piece with wings of sorts.
It took me the better part of 2 hours but by carefully fitting each piece before sewing it I think it turned out fairly well, I must admit though that this cushion was the most dissappointing of them all, not quite the fit I was looking for, but hey it’s done and it is functional for sure. There will be another time to adjust the fit slightly but for now it is almost not noticable, as is often said we are our own worst critics.

CP- Day 4, 5 and 6

vlbyers — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:37:46 +0000

3 completed back cushions

Day 4 I was ready to tackle it full steam ahead. My first cushion was completed, all the calculations were right on and my goal today was to complete 2 more. I started thinking that i should try to to more but I tend to push myself to the extreme when working on a project like this and then get worn out and frustrated when I start to make mistakes. Setting manageable goals would be a first for me!
The day started with a whirl of activity in the room I was using, chairs being brought in, tables and a screen set up. After a while I asked the waiter what was going on. It seems they were going to be using the room but it wasn’t a problem, wouldn’t be until later that afternoon. I went back to my sewing.
Only a few minutes later I was told that I would have to move. One of the other waiters came over to ‘help’ me, I appreciated his help but I was trying to gather all my stuff while looking out for him trying to disassemble my machine to move it. Yikes.
After being relocated, none the worse for wear, just a bit of a set back having to stop move and set back up, I was on my way to my next cushions. Thankfully I stayed with my goal of slow and steady wins the race! I completed the next 2 cushions which are on the side where Larry likes to sleep so now he has a complete new bed.
Day 5 I was able to remain in my new location without disruption. I had cut out enough material so number of cushions I completed today was 3, this brings the grand total of completed cushions to 6. 8 more to go.
Tomorrow I start on the backs, remember the angled back support!
Day 6 I continued with my slow but steady progress, every day getting just a bit faster as I perfected my routine and didn’t question my measurements. I was able to knock out 4 complete cushions today and also sewed 2 more covers, all that remains for those is to put the foam inside and zip them up. So far all is going well, I haven’t even had to rip much out, it really pays to be methodical sometimes. For the last day I have 2 cushions to make-home stretch!!!
Vicki

CP-Day 3

vlbyers — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:01:10 +0000

First cushion

Zipper looking good! I'm very happy

The next day brought much better luck for me to use one of the hotel rooms. Much thanks to the Bahia Del Sol people for letting me set up all my stuff and use their room!! Many of the people had cleared out and I was told I could use the room by the pool. It is a huge room, one we have used for parties, the hotel uses it for their buffets but I was told it wasn’t going to be used for a few days.
I set up 2 long tables for cutting and sewing, several round ones for my computer, various other sewing items including the batting and material. Then I set up my sewing machine. After I removed the cover I turned the wheel, nothing, it wouldn’t move. I used 2 hands, nothing, still no movement. Just a moment of panic set in before I talked myself into the fact that it would probably be alright with a little bit of oil, it has been sitting for months on a boat. Out came the instruction manual with pictures of where to put the oil (thank goodness for pictures), so I followed the instructions exactly, oiled it up real good then tried to turn the wheel, it moved, barely. Well I knew I was on the right track so I continued to coax movement, placing more oil where I saw any movement at all. After several minutes I was able to get the machine going well, whew, crisis averted.
I spent the rest of this day cutting out the material and batting for the first cushion. Not wanting to make a mistake and wanting to be sure of my measurements before going wild and cutting into my material, making the first cushion completely would give me confidence to cut away on the rest of them.
The pictures say it all, it fit like a glove. Happy day.
Vicki

CP-Day 2

vlbyers — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:57:38 +0000

On our return I have been doing more calculations and investigation regarding the best (easiest) cushion for me to make. This was actually part of the first day of the cushion project. I had envisioned one way to make the cushions and made all the cutting instructions for the fabric based on this. Upon further investigation I realized another easier way for me to make them and so this starts the 2 day of cushion making.
By noon, it was Jan 1, new year’s day by the way, we were on our way to the dock in our little dinghy with the material, batting, one cushion, zipper material, thread, scissors, pins, computer….and all the requisite materials needed to begin the physical active process of making the cushions. It was new year’s day, I think I said that already.
The room that we thought (were told) I could use to cut and sew was being used, the place was crawling with people enjoying their vacation, buffets were being served, the pool was full and well, there wasn’t a place for me to set up. So back to the boat with all the materials to wait for everyone to leave, I am sure tomorrow will bring a quieter day for me to start.
I think I will ask first before lugging.
Vicki

Cushion project-Day 1

vlbyers — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:11:57 +0000

Moulded seatback pieces

Vicki holding corner piece

Foam and base of settee

Actually the first day was long ago when I began planning for this project. The project I am about to embark on is replacing the cushions on the settees in our salon. We have been ‘living with’ cushions with no ‘cush’ for 21/2 years. I put slip covers on the old ones and placed blankets underneath for a bit of padding but now was the time to get all new cushions.
I measured, figured, contemplated and measured again before purchasing the fabric, foam, zippers, zipper pulls, batting and glue in Santa Tecla. Before we left for the states, I cut the foam and replaced the old cushions with the bare foam, covering it with towels and blankets, I was able to get rid of the old cushions making sure this project could not be put off once we returned to the boat.
I am excited to be in the middle of this long anticipated project, and part of the first day I decided that a square back would not provide any back support. One big reason for making the new cushions was to increase our comfort on the boat since I had enough foam left over I added the additional foam for the support that I wanted. I spent the best part of a day measuring, cutting, angling and gluing the pieces in place. The end result (so far)makes me smile!
The cushions with back support are in place, complete with their towel/blanket covers waiting for their final covers-much less foam on the boat!
Vicki

Arrival back in Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador

vlbyers — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:34:57 +0000

A 12 hour flight, red eye, and we were back in El Salvador. Quick and painless through customs, we found William our driver without much fuss and we were on our way to the store to stock up on some essentials and then back to the boat.
At 3 pm we made it back to the boat, our friend Sam picked us up in his panga with all our boxes and bags and took us to Rocinante, waiting on her mooring. At first glance all looked good but I didn’t want to get my hopes up, knowing we would have some work ahead in all likelihood, to get her habitable again.
Rocinante was actually in very good shape on our return after a 6 month absence. Clothes needed a bit of airing, a blanket needed to be washed and of course the expected cleaning. Larry’s end was a bit more of a challenge, we had a water pump leaking the first night so no water and the generator wasn’t charging the batteries so we couldn’t use much electricity-no worries I didn’t want to clean or stay up late anyway!
The first day back on the boat gives me a little bit of a problem, the movement coupled with the lack of sleep and little food was just the combination for an upset stomach and a headache. I did a little straightening, making up a bed, putting some of our clothes and suitcases away and I was ready to call it a day. There’s always tomorrow.
Vicki

Christmas time in the NW

vlbyers — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:21:50 +0000

Addison and Daphne picking out the tree

We don't need no mistletoe!

Julie and Emile decorating

They look YUMMY!!

For me Christmas means family, food and fun and I am getting all of that this year spending the holidays here in the NW surrounded by family. True the holidays are much more hectic in the city, I remember our first cruising Christmas spent with Rita and Steve of Lady J in Chamela, Mexico. We had a few gifts for each other, hung our stockings and a few ornaments for holiday decorations and got together for our Christmas meal. It was simple, no last-minute shopping-there was no place to ‘rush’ to. No fighting traffic-we were the only ones in the anchorage as I remember. No worries about gift giving since we live very simply and we don’t have the room for all kinds of extra stuff anyway. The time was spent enjoying the anchorage we were in and enjoying the time with our friends.
This year I am trying to stay in that space, making time for family and not having the consumer pressure take over. We joined in with picking out the Christmas tree, it was a frosty night, the christmas lights were shining and the trees smelled well, like Christmas! I am not sure if our suggestions made the top 10 but it was fun.
Making cookies, baking or generally cooking is a tradition that we enjoy during the holidays and we wanted to make some goodies to enjoy, find a new recipe to try, and make a plate or two to share with friends. This year I thought it would be fun to get together with all the kids and grandkids and make some cookies. My kids are all at the age where they can make their own cookies, the grandkids like to shape and decorate cookies and of course so do I.
We decided on a day that we could all get together (whew), bringing our recipes and ingredients. I made a big batch of sugar cookies for all to make and decorate and we mixed and beated and sprinkled all day. This year I found out that one of my daughters would stress out when she was younger, because she couldn’t make her decorated cookies as good as mine, and she admitted she still does. Her daughter was getting frustrated also with her ‘perfectionistic’ qualities so we did our best to laugh it off, I could however see that they would be jealous of my designs:)
We had a great day, made a great mess in Lauren’s kitchen (thank you Lauren) and have some tasty cookies to eat and share.
Making memories day by day. Thankful for my family and these memories.
Merry Christmas to you all. Next stop El Salvador!
Vicki