SailingKnitter

So, where do cruisers go when they go ashore? Although I love just sitting on the boat knitting or reading in the breezes, there are times we take the dinghy to shore. Besides grocery shopping and sight-seeing, we cruisers tend to hang out together at some sort of local joint. In Zihuatanejo it's Rick's Bar. Here's a pic of Jonesy doing just that - hanging out in front of Rick's. He's watching the foot traffic to see other cruisers pass by.

Why Rick's? Well, he provides a FREE book/magazine exchange library, internet service, bulletin boards, TV, music, beer, and showers. Many of the smaller boats don't have showers on board (we do!). We paid a little less than $50 US for unlimited access via wireless out at our anchored boat for the season.

Today, it was pretty empty at Rick's - and in the harbor. Many of the other sailing vessels have either left to "puddle jump" over to the South Pacific, or have headed north up the coast of Mexico. We got down here late in the season, so we're still hanging out here. We found Redmond today (from the sailing vessel Moon Me) at Rick's using his computer to "phone home". Yep. We all use Skype as our phone service. It's FREE computer-to-computer, or just 2 cents a minute if you call a regular phone or cell phone. Landline telephone companies should be very afraid.

You many have noticed all of the (empty) plastic chairs in the photos. One of our cruising buddies has wondered aloud "Are there more plastic chairs in Mexico then live people?" Seems like every little/medium/large restaurant has many, many cheap plastic chairs with various beer brands on them. But, most are unoccupied. All the time. What gives? Are plastic chairs some sort of Mexican status symbol? Do the beer companies force them on the owners? Do they self-reproduce? I just don't know.

Here's the view from our boat of some cool hotels hanging on the rock cliffs. If you want a great place to vacation check out any of the hotels on Playa La Ropa here in Zihuatanejo.

On the knitting front: I finished another (#3) pair of ladies' leisure socks for the Socks For Soldier's Yahoo! group. Nothing special, just simple socks in a German self-patterning wool & nylon yarn (thanks Harry for bringing this back to me from Germany!). And, I started my first pair of BBS (Big Black Socks) for my son's friend in Iraq. No, I don't support the war. Knitting socks for this kid is about keeping his feet warm and showing him that I'm proud that he did something with his life. Period. I'm loving the yarn - Essentials by KnitPicks! It is a lot softer than most of the other wool/nylon blend sock yarns that I've used in the past. Okay - back to cruising....