SailingKnitter

Yes, we are still in paradise (Guatemala), but we're not the turkeys I'm talking about. It's the five delicious Thanksgiving turkeys that were pit roasted for the potluck here at Mario's Marina. There's Jonesy checking out the pit. The birds were wrapped in aluminum foil and put down by the hot coals sometime early in the morning (when we were snoozing). We just had to take a peek underneath the corrugated tin roofing material which covers the pit and check them out.

The turkeys were cooked to perfection and had a mild smoked taste in the white meat. The dinner was fabulous with all the fixings including two new to me items; cranberry sauce with horseradish and orange-ginger carrots. I have to get the recipes before these folks to go out cruising!

Speaking of which, we are NOT leaving tomorrow. No biggie. I need to visit the dentist for a cracked crown and she is totally booked up until December. I tried to go in October, but the electrical power was off in town for the whole day and then I flew up to the states.

Then, we still can't just leave just yet because there are no high tides in the morning until later in the month. We need a high tide to be able to glide across the sandbar that blocks the exit out to sea! We're talking just an additional foot and a couple of inches difference, but it may make the difference between getting out and getting stuck. And we need it to be in the morning so we can check out of this country and get to a safe harbor before dark.

No hurries, no worries. In the meantime, I'm working on my bamboo knife rack and knitting needle holders. Well, not "me" exactly, but Innes is hard at work sawing the bamboo into different sizes. He sure worked up a sweat even while working in the shade. I'm thrilled with the results! Now, it's time to get creative with jute rope and twine to bind some of these together for the rack.

Oh! A giant Blue Morpho butterfly just flew by! I'm sitting up in the thatch-roofed palapa right now to catch the breeze and there it went. The leaf-cutting ants are hard at work chopping up the hibiscus plants and carrying the bits down to their underground fungus farm and I'm watching a swarm of bees up in a palm tree nearby. So much to see.

KNITTING: I knit and gifted a baby blanket to a new young mom who works here in the marina. Luckily I gave it to her the day before she had the baby! Unluckily, I was in such a hurry that I neglected to get a single photo. But, I did write up the pattern and it is being test knitted for next year's Holiday Mystery Gifts knitalong.

Then, I just finished test knitting a project for another designer. Very cute. Can't share yet, but I will soon. It's drying on a (stripped-of-leaves) hibiscus bush in the sun. The high humidity means that it takes a long time to dry wool knits.

These last few days, Jonesy has replaced our raw water wash-down pump, installed more LED amp-saving lights & bulbs diagnosed & repaired the faulty battery meter, and replaced the engine room exhaust fan. At least that's what I've seen him working on. There have likely been more jobs but he likes to work on the boat when I'm off somewhere so I don't fall down in the bilge (again). As such, I'm sometimes oblivious to the work. He knows when I've been working...because he gets to eat. We have blue jobs and pink jobs on the Niki Wiki.