Texas Trip and Panama

July 2007
Texas Trip and Panama

We arrived in Texas on June 28th  to celebrate our youngest son, Gentry's wedding on 7/7/07 to Jennifer.



We started the trip out with a family reunion on the Sides family.   There were a lot of people there and it sure was good to see everyone.

7/4

Of course, there were fireworks, hamburgers, watermelon, and a parade to celebrate the 4th of July.

                         







7/5
Sonny's brother, Billy, is the activities director
at the Sterling House in Waxahachie and asked Sonny to come to the center to play the harmonica.
                             
7/7/07
Wedding Day......We are not losing a son.....we are gaining a good daughter.  We wish them the best in their new lives together.



Some pictures from the wedding........
































7/12
After ordering and gathering lots of boat parts, we got to spend time with old friends, Ken and Karen (S/V Bear Necessity)


And Kay's first boss at Holcim and good  friends, Barry and Judy Lower. (S/V Remedy)

Then, we headed to Taylor's in Austin, to return the borrowed truck, {thanks} go with Pat and Jim to catch up with Kenneth and Leta in Kemah, to celebrate  the 37th anniversary of Kenneth and Leta..

We all ate together with Greg and Judy (Lone Star Love) and Glen and Mary (Wave Dancer) former neighbor at Kemah Boardwalk Marina.

We all got together for a great meal of oysters, shrimp, and fish at the
Top Water Grill.

7/15
We stopped by the hospital again at M.D. Anderson to see our friends, Mike and Karyn (S/V Suenos).   If you have cruised our website, you have seen tons of pictures of Mike and Karyn.  We first met them in Cozumel and cruised together and shared so much laughter and memories since.  Our lives, along with many other cruisers, have been touched and blessed.

Mike has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we all covet your prayers for him, Karyn, and his family in the coming days.
So many cruisers have shared so many good, good memories with them, as Mike and Karyn live their dreams cruising aboard Suenos.   We are all so thankful for each day and we all strive to live it to the fullest.   That is one thing cruisers do well.

Our friends, Ken and Karen on S/V Bear Necessity shared the following Chinese parable with us before we left to go cruising.   We memorized the parable and have it framed on Valentina.

The Clock is Wound But Once

On an ancient wall in China
Where a Brooding Buddha blinks,
Deeply graven is the message -
It is later than you think.

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell when the hand will stop
At late or early hour.

Now is the time you own
The past is a golden link.
Go cruising now My friend,
It is later than you think.

Cruisers....like most people, enjoy each day of God's beauty and take nothing for granted.

7/17
We enjoyed the day with three of our seven grandchildren.   We went to the park, the movie, and made beaded anklets with Kylie, Claire and Chase.   We enjoyed the day with our grandkids.

7/18
After packing up our little house at Billy and Jeanie's, we headed to the airport to say "goodbye" to family and friends and return to Panama City.  One step closer to Valentina.
We will spend a couple of days in the City to make a final decision on a new dinghy and also visit a local dentist.        We met with Judy and  Greg on Lone Star Love and Damon on Bruadair at Dominoes for pizza. and walked around the city and shopped at the local boat stores.   We happened to find some good deals on some new spear guns.   Yes, we now have a his and hers.
                     
7/19
At the local artesians shop, Kay noticed a Kuna Indian lady, named  Bonabibbi who makes molas which takes hundreds of hours to stitch.   This Kuna Indian lady  was such a sweet lady, Kay purchased this mola of a Christmas bell for $10.

7/20
Today, we did our last minute shopping in Panama City and had dentist appointments to clean our teeth.   Sonny was told he will need a root canal in the near future, so we will make a trip back to the City.

Aboard the ferry

We caught the 8 p.m. bus from Panama City to Almarante.   We arrived at Almarante at 5:30 in the morning, then took the ferry to Bocas Del Toro, then a water taxi to our marina.   We had so much luggage and boat stuff, we had to take the bus and ferry to make it easier.

7/21
We arrived back at Valentina, excited, but tired.   We started pulling all of the goodies out of the suitcases one-by-one.   Our boat was full.   We have new motor mounts for the engine, filters, new speakers for the cockpit and laptop, Sirius radio and antenna, bilge pumps, regulators, Panama Guide books, water filters, spear guns, his and hers, new stuff for our new dinghy, that we do not yet have, an anchor, tiller extension, locks and cable, and gas tank.   I think it is Christmas!

7/23
We ordered our new dinghy today from Panama City.   It should be delivered in a few days.   Our new motor is coming from Florida and the ship left Miami on Friday, the 20th.  So, in less than a month, we should have our motor and dinghy.   And, chain, and locks, and chain, and locks, and....Wow.....we are excited to get a SUV again.
We have been using Mike and Karyn's dinghy and are so thankful for that.
We now have our "Valentina" mola on the wall.   Looks good!


We met a lady in Panama City that made this mola for us.   It is made from layers of colored material, then the design cut and hand sewn to make the finished mola.

7/25
When we arrived back at the boat,  Sonny was opening the ball valve to the head, when the handle broke off inside the ball valve.  After a thorough inspection, the ball valve was made into the thru hull, and you cannot unscrew the thru hull.  So, we have to punt.  In Central America, that calls for an exciting game.
We went to town to see if we could find barbs and fittings to re-route the water line to the head.  Of course,  Sonny got to experience some creative plumbing.  But, we have it now working and all is well.
We also got the wind instrument display on, and 99% of the stuff in the suitcases put up.   We can now sit in our settee again.

7/27
Wow.   We are getting projects completed and things are going well.  Today, we installed the new regulator for our alternator and tested to make sure it was working properly.....it was.
Then, our striker on the grill had quit, so we installed a new one on it.  Believe it or not, this was the worst job.   You have to hold the nut between the two narrow walls of the grill and then, screw the screw into the nut.  We lost a few to the bottom of the grill, but, finally, another successful project completed.
7/28
Time to equalize our batteries.

Now, for equalizing the batteries.   A simple job, but our batteries are beneath all of our stuff in the quarter berth.  So, we have to empty the quarter berth in our salon for the duration of the equalization process.







We went for a walk this morning, and found an interesting trail.
  When we got back to the boat, our phone rang and to our surprise, our dinghy had arrived on the ferry this morning and the transport agent was waiting for us at the ferry dock.

So, we got in Mike's dingy and headed to town to pick up our new dinghy.  It was sitting on the dock, next to the horses, and wrapped in saran wrap.  So, we aired her up and towed her back to Valentina.   She is up on our davits, awaiting a new motor (to be here in another week).

7/31
It was a sad day today, our dear friend, Mike on S/V Suenos died this morning with Karyn, her son, and his daughters at his side.  He fought a tough battle and is at peace after living his dreams, (Suenos).  We were just blessed to be able to share so many good times and memories with Mike and Karyn.   Our lives have forever been touched and enriched.


Mike Shropshire
3/13/46  -  7/31/07
S/V Sueños
Our cruising family has felt the loss in our hearts of a dear friend, Mike Shropshire, who fought the battle of pancreatic cancer.   Now, he has been promoted to the position of Guardian Angel watching over sailboats cruising in the NW Caribbean.
Mike and Karyn got married five years ago with the dream to cruise the Caribbean in their own sailboat, S/V Sueños, a Tayana 45.   They cast the lines off the dock in Corpus Christi in April, 2006, and went to Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Belize, and spent hurricane season in Mario’s Marina at the Rio Dulce.
While in the river, he helped teach the Spanish classes at Mario’s, was one of the early risers for coffee at the Cayuca Club, did some inland travel with friends, and loved to play games.
After hurricane season, Sueños sailed the Bay Islands of Honduras and San Andres, then, in mid-June, made their way down to Bocas del Toro, Panama.
Mike was a person who met no strangers and truly was liked by everyone.   He had such a good sense of humor; he loved taking fun photos.  He and Karyn loved life, each other, and made the most of everyday together.
He is a graduate of Texas A&M University, yes, he was a proud Aggie.
He is survived by his first mate, Karyn, and has two daughters, Chris and Meredith, and two sons, Chris and Morgan.
His life will be celebrated with a funeral mass at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Corpus Christi on August 3rd at 2 p.m.
Although our hearts feel a huge loss, we have all been blessed by knowing him.