SailingKnitter

Finally - I re-finished the neckband on this little Dale of Norway sweater for a 6-month old baby in super soft, machine washable wool. What? I don't have grandchildren yet. Hmm...So here's the deal: Produce my first grandbaby and you will win this handknit baby sweater.

The pewter clasps are here somewhere...I've seen them since we've lived on the boat...just don't know where. I actually cleaned out a large storage cubby thinking that they were there. Nope. So many other places to look...

SHOPPING: We went into the central Mercado market with our friends the s.v. Baraka folks on Saturday to pick up some groceries and just look around. Saturday is the BIG shopping day for Mexican families and the markets where bustling with activity.

First, we had our mid-day meal at our favorite little food stall...a rich guisdo del dio or stew of the day with rice, beans, and freshly made tortillas - $30 pesos or about $2.50US each. Jonesy had the chicken with a mexican sauce of chopped tomatoes, onions, and chilies, and I wolfed down the beef cubes in a wonderful, smooth spicy chili sauce. Then it was back out to the streets to shop.
Would you buy a chicken out of an orange plastic cart? Well, at at least they haven't been sitting out in the ambient temperatures in the 90's for hours as in the chickens in the little stalls at themercado.
Each of these concrete block "cells" had a woman, a chopping block, a big knife, and a line of plucked chickens waiting to be purchased. No product differentiation - how do you choose? I gotta admit I haven't bought my chickens this way yet. I still go over to the Commercial Mexicana supermarket, and buy my meat in those nicely plastic wrapped styrofoam trays.

So, I needed fresh green chilies - those mild Anaheim/California/Ortega green chilies. Nope. Not in this part of Mexico. LOTS of green chilies, but not the right ones. LOTS of dried chilies, and plastic baggies filled with different types of dried beans. And, of course, the ususal Mexican dogs sleeping in the aisles. I figure that they must be happy if they can sleep right out in the open with all of the activity and food around.

As we were crossing one of the busy streets, we heard a loudspeaker. That's fairly common - trucks drive around town and make announcements over a loudspeaker - shrimp for sale, propane gas, pineapples, whatever. This one was saying something about children costing $10 pesos. As I'm in the market for children (grandbabies)...no...wait...that's not what they mean. It's the circus and they were announcing the admission price for kids. Dang.

So here comes the circus wagon - with a full grown male and 2 females LIONS. Right out there in the street! Kinda scary after that tiger escape in San Francisco recently and sad for the animals.

After a while, we walked back to the cruisers' hangout here in Zihuatanejo, Rick's Bar, passing these colorful hammocks hanging on the side of a building. Nope, don't need one - got mine already. We just socialized for a couple of hours. I knit too (duh!). Then it was back to the boat for all of us.

Dave (s.v. Baraka) kayaked out to his stern anchor line to check out the damage caused the night before from a motor boat running into it in the dark. That's Dave in the foreground. I knit.