arch is here and the weather is perfect although a little windy at times and it begins with a trip to Cozumel.  We were hoping to go on Journey, but that windy weather did not corporate. Landon, and Robin, Dee and I, and karen set off.  Matt was unable to join us on this trip.  We left Playa Del Carmen on the Ferry and crossed over to Cozumel to discover more of this island that Dee and I have barely explored.

The first order of business was learning about cantinas.   These are local joints where if you are drinking the beer which is very cheap then the food will just keep appearing on your table.  It is tapas style but you get to try some unique, authentic, and different things!

Next, we set out to drive the island and find some bars on the “dark side”- limited electricity over there.  Our favorite stop was this little dive bar called Bar of Miami where they make the best Mojitos.  Check out the scenery and this production.

We made our way back around to grab a drink at the Thirsty Cougar along the main drag to watch the sunset.  Sunsets on the east coast of Mexico are difficult but easy while on the Isla of Cozumel.  We stayed at this little boutique hotel - Casa Deja Blue which is owned by a man from Texas and his Mexican wife who has a cafe on the corner.  A great spot!  The jeep was a little crowded a few times as Landon and Robin met some friends on a cruise while we visited but that is all part of the fun.  What was not part of the fun was that the winds would be so bad the ferry docks closed and we had to stay another night!  We all endured and survived and after breakfast, we made it back to the ferry dock and running ferries the next morning.  Just one little extra unplanned night but that made it an adventure to remember.

After catching some blackfin tuna, our friend Danny decided to try his hand at sushi, and the crew was invited to partake.  All I can say is it was so Yummy and he did an awesome job.  I will need to take some lessons from him.
Now my duties call as I head to Virginia to dog sit Harley while Jesse goes on an adventure of her own to the Bahamas to participate with a research team from Saving the Blue.  While I was in VA, Dee stayed back in Mexico and celebrated Robin’s Birthday which looked to be a good time and a good crowd.   While I took this time to watch Harley to drive down to NC and see Lilia who is getting so big!  I really loved having these few days with her, and watching all she learning and exploring in the world.  I realize how much we are missing.
Once Jesse returns we have a few days together and it is March and the Cherry blossoms are blooming in the cold fridge weather, but we endured to take a walk and enjoy the views.  This same weekend the crew in Mexico was preparing for Danny and Sandras wedding.  Our Swedish friends who moved to Mexico.  Danny arrived ahead of her and was able to secure his residency and to make it easier for Sandra, the recommendation was to get married.  Our crew loves a reason to celebrate!
I am back and Matt and Karen have a big crew arrive from NC.  They spend one evening in PA off their resort to celebrate a few birthdays and include us in their fun.  Sadly, March comes to a close with a fellow cruiser we met at the same time we arrived in Mexico.  Andrew and his wife on Two Moons.  They are from Canada.  This day they had been out for a cruise with their son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids when Andrew ended up on the reef.  Two nights passed but the Mexican crews working here finally pulled him out and got him safely to the dock.

We still feel so blessed to be sitting in such a gorgeous paradise in the middle of January.  Cheers!  We don’t get tired of these views. Of sunshine, palm trees, and blue water.  Including the Pelican, although he is not allowed to stay long on Journey.  The weather can be days when the seas are calm and flat and then there are days like this when the winds just rip across the bay and the waves are relentlessly beating the rocks.  The kite surfers love these days but those of us with boats don’t much care for the relentless beating.
We met Mario on the dock after he got his new boat.    He decided to leave the busy city of Playa Del Carmen for living on a boat here in Puerto Aventuras and exploring a new type of life.  Mario is from Italy but has lived in Mexico for 20 years, we finally made it down to the beach area of  Playa del Carmen got a look at the beach, and ate at this restaurant, Don Mario.  The Pizza was perfect with a yummy glass of wine.  The best part was the view from our table of the dog keeping watch over the street.  Yes, Playa Del Carmen is a busy city.
The guys in our group along with Dee dove into painting Landon and Robin’s panga the Joker and giving her a new paint job and bottom paint.  These video shows how she began to take on a new look and we are all excited to see her back on the water.
In late January, A new neighbor next to us was a very large catamaran.  This boat has 4 owners and a great captain named, Gonzalez.  We were able to exchange some information with each other as he was headed up to Key West and Florida for his next stop for one of the owners, and then on into the Caribbean.  He doesn’t plan to be back to Mexico for over a year.  Safe Travels.
On days when the water is clear and the wind is not blowing you can see so much happening below the surface like catching sight of this eagle ray.   This ray is beautiful and just spectacular as it glides through the water.  This is a must see in the video.
Dee and I tagged along on a fishing trip on the Solution and enjoyed the day and watched Danny catch this massive Amber Jack.  This fish was too big and full of worms so no eating this one. But I did see a shark in the grass line feeding but of course no camera nearby.  Next, it was time for a different adventure on the water, out on Journey.  It was just a beautiful day and  Danny of course had a line in the water and this time the score was a mahi mahi.  The blue water was so beautiful and it was time to just float and swim.  Thanks, Matt for these great shots from the water.  I believe everyone had a great time! The trip back in was nice and a perfect day was wrapped up.  Next stop Latitudes for some fresh Mahi Mahi and happy hour margaritas.
Mid-February brought changes for Dee and I as we found an empty lot we could move Journey to we will miss being so close to everything but will enjoy the quiet peacefulness of being away from all the people constantly walking by us each and every day.  Can you spot Journey in her new spot in the video?

We arrive in Mexico and begin the week by exploring Puerto Aventuras.  From the beach to the local market where fresh vegetables and seafood can be purchased to the experience of the grocery story across the highway.  An afternoon at the pool at the beach club was in order, but The water is what we love to share with everyone.  The rock jetty is a great place to see the entire coastline of PA and watch the boats go in and out of the inlet.  This area is also the perfect spot to enter the water and see what is below.  Mike and Karen had never snorkeled so this was a new experience for them both.
We like to take Shelby on an evening canal cruise and enjoyed sharing more of the community from the water.  And we each tried to learn how to work our GoPros.  The evenings just sitting and talking can bring about some interesting conversations like what is that on the wall and is it moving.  I needed to know so I went in to film and discover the sea peanut worm but some might argue it was a sea cucumber slowly moving along the rock wall behind Journey.  We had a few good laughs over this.  What do you think it is?
The fun continued enjoying boat life and the great weather provided the opportunity to move Journey over to The Hole and anchor for the night.  The beautiful blue water, good friends, and a perfect evening as the sun went down.  The best part about watching the sun go down is knowing while at anchor you can watch is rise.  This was a beautiful sunrise over the Caribbean waters of Mexico and I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
Once the morning had broken we are off to enjoy the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea and try to catch some fish.  Sadly, Karen was only able to snag a bonito to reel in but at least we got something on the hook.
Sadly the time comes too quickly to a close and we had our last tour around Pa and a nice dinner at Don Cafeto which became one of their favorite places.  Thanks for sharing an experience with us Mike and Karen.

December is just around the corner and after receiving some cute Christmas pics of our granddaughter, we can’t wait to get back and see her in person.  Dec. 1st we found ourselves in Alexandria, VA to kick off the holiday season as Jesse is ready to purchase her first new car.  After much exploring with Dee, she decided on a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. We are super excited for her.  While in Alexandria, we attended National Community church, the Christmas tree lighting in the Del Ray community, and went down to the Potomac to watch the Christmas Boat Parade from the banks.  It was quite the holiday event. 

Next, as we head to North Carolina, we stop to get our first squeeze of  Lilia.  Here are some more Christmas pictures of our little sunshine.  We had to of course make cookies.  New Christmas Traditions are being created while a few old ones stay tack like the mouse calendar.
Lilia made a visit to Mooresville before Christmas while we were staying with my parents to see Nana and Papa and meet Cousin Carson, they seemed to hit it off together.  Dee and I enjoyed catching up with lots of friends as well while we were home, but the cold weather was something we could pass on, and missed the warm sun of Mexico.
Christmas Day brought Lilia back for a visit and we were ready with a mini waffle iron and we started another new tradition for Christmas with Lilia.  She helped us prepare and ate her waffle like a pro!  We love all this time we are getting with her.  She stayed across the weekend with us and we just could not get enough of her smile, laugh, gestures, and snuggles.  Sorry this is serious Lilia overload.

Just a little more Lilia to share.  The Last weekend before leaving Hannah met us at a Brewery so we could get our last time with her before boarding a plane back to Mexico with the Pharrs in tow.  We will see all their fun next time.

Any time we can get a chance to get out on the water, we go. This was a Shelby day.  The waters were calm and a perfect day to just hang out on the water a little while and see if we could get a fish to bit.  We usually always take a fishing rod along but we are no match to the mate on the Sum Beach, Flaco.  Flaco hauled in a huge mahi and shared his expertise at making fish balls on the grill.   All I can say is melt in your mouth good!
We continue to enjoy hanging out at the Hole with all our friends.  This day we caught the eels in the rocks and Dee brought along chicken hawk and caught these spectacular views of the Hole, the area, and our friends boat The Solution leaving the The Hole.  
Sometimes on a beautiful calm morning, we just take Journey out to float in the calm waters and drink our coffee.  This was one of those special mornings when we could just float and take in the scenery.
We celebrated Dee’s birthday in Mexico with a Carrot cake and a few friends.  Of course, singing a round of Happy Birthday.  Anyone who sang received Cake!  We also took off on Metallica to explore Tulum and has it changed since we last visited in 2017.  So grown up and full of so much traffic.  We explored the coastline and took some great pictures.  We also road up to a little community Macario Gómez and walked around the little community.  We headed back to Tulum to try and spend the night but this is when we learned that I booked the wrong day.  OPPS!  But they were gracious and didn’t charge us.
Next Birthday was Cathy’s birthday, and we celebrated with a day on the beach and an afternoon out on Journey.  The last birthday in November was Landon’s which of course we celebrated at Tradewinds with a Modelo Cake and lots of Modelo to drink.
All our friends joined us at Lattitudes and Landon supplied the fish to have a farewell dinner before we head home for the holidays.  We will miss all our friends.

When we were home in September for Lilia’s birthday, two charter catamarans burned in the marina.  We were not here to see it and how the initial clean-up went to save the dolphins and as much of the sea life as possible, but we were back to watch as they spent weeks cutting these boats apart to haul them out in pieces or as you will see they got to the point they could tow the remainder to the boat ramp.  The process used to bring what was left of the hull to the boat ramp was a small panga pulling the hull with plastic jugs and barrels as buoys.  I am not sure you realize how difficult it is until you watch this 115 engine try to pull it through the water ( lots of water resistance).  The guys in the water are trying to ensure she stays afloat.  Opps she got stuck in the canal.  
Take Two got her very close to our mooring ball.  Yikes!  We didn’t actually see it make it by our boat as the original plan was they pulled it back to its spot and probably cut more off, but we did see it out of the water later that day,  so they were finally successful.
Boat work is ongoing.  Dee sanded and protected our gangplank which is beautiful now and everyone compliments us on it,  and he did some much-needed caulk work in the bathrooms.  I pulled the ugly black treads off our interior steps and added the clear and we love the new look!  Check it out in the video.
One beautiful evening as we sat on the front deck enjoying the calm waters and light winds, Dee put Chicken Hawk in the air…..  Here are some more shots of the beautiful community we call home for now.  Enjoy….
​Carlos and his wife Daylin visit PA to check out the marina and the area before moving their Endeavour 44 Fat Cat to join us in Mexico.   We will see them again…

Dee returns first to Puerto Aventuras in October, but I follow a week later after my babysitting duties for Harley.  It was so good to be back in the sunshine and blue waters and of course visiting Tradewinds.  I missed it all.  It didn’t take long for another canal cruise on The Joker which always happens when visitors come to town.

It is almost the end of the month and that means Halloween in PA.  The local school has a big fundraiser around Halloween and the restaurants pitch in.  We volunteered to help cover Tradewinds table and enjoyed a great evening hanging out with Cesar and watching adults and students have a great time at this huge costume party.  

The big Halloween event is the golf cart halloween parade.  We walked over and got set up a little early in front of  the Pa Beach Club but…. Well.. This is Mexico it took awhile to see that first golf cart.  Looked like lots of fun was had by all.  Some real winners decorating their golf carts.  Enjoy!
As always Dee and I love any chance we can get to enjoy the blue blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.  The weather can change fast, as we prepped for the rains and winds off of the hurricane Lisa passing close to Mexico.  The party boats didn’t stop… It is hard to stop a party around here.  But as quick as it came it was gone and back to beautiful skies and seas.  Dee and I always enjoy being by the pool on these perfect days.
IN Pa Community you never know what you will see like dolphins getting their treats.  The local birds found that Journey made a good perch but the one we left alone was the beautiful heron, and the Kingfisher as usual loves to fish from our lines.
Landon, Robin, Dee and I enjoyed a beautiful evening out on the Joker watching the sunset and the rain clouds pass.  The marina is always full of interesting boats. This might have been one of the most interesting, RockStar and this is how they left us….  They put on Quite the show.

It is getting close to the end of September and Lilia’s birthday, so we are headed back to states to celebrate.  We were back just in time for our church’s fundraiser.  So much fun with good food, good auction items, and listening to Kindred sing.  If you don’t know Dustin Chapman and Ryleigh Madison, google them.  Ryleigh and Dustin were both on American Idol.

Harley and Jesse drop in before the party so Harley could have her teeth cleaned and no Harley didn’t know her tongue was still hanging out when we picked her up and she was still a little goofy.  

Now, we are off to eastern NC all together - Dee and I, Mom and Dad, Jesse and Harley.  Harley believes that Chic Fil A stops should include her.  We get some early Lilia time before her birthday as we open presents, Harley was not impressed because she got no treats.  After lunch and some BBQ with Capi, Capi and Meems get some Lilia time as she spends the night.  We love, laugh, and explore.  We can’t forget the fun time in the kitchen sink for at bath time,

Happy Birthday, Lilia!  She loved her morning, bottle snuggled on the couch, and enjoyed eating my grits. She is a grit girl now!  Some last minutes Aunt Jesse love.  That afternoon was party time.  Lilia was ready, bring on the cake that Aunt Jesse made just for her.  It went perfect with her Wild One Theme, except she decided not to be wild with the cake.  We enjoyed every minute having our girls together and celebrating Lilia.  It was also a blessing to have my Mom and Dad here for Lilia’s birthday.  Check out her face in the video because she is a sometimes a Wild One!

The next day we headed out to Atlantic Beach for lunch and smell that salt air with Mom and Dad and of course Harley went along for the ride.  We ate at Idle Hour Biergarten because it was dog friendly and I enjoyed their Bloody Mary special which is a meal in one. With a slider, wings, shrimps, and so much more!  Then we walked out to the beach.  Always love to see the waves.  Harley was exhausted from our trip.  On the way back we stopped at NW Creek Marina where we spent last Fall 2021 waiting on Lilia to arrive and gave out a few hugs.

The rest of our stay in NC included watching all the devastation by Ian and keeping connected with friends.  We dog sat for Charlie while Bill and Angie enjoyed Mexico ahead of us and had a date night before going our separate ways for a week.  I headed up to Alexandria to watch Harley while Jesse traveled to Austria and Dee headed back to Mexico to get Journey back together and clean after leaving her in the middle of Hurricane season and hanging out in “The Hole”with friends.

We return to Puerto Aventuras, Mexico in mid July to join our South African friends who live in the state of Georgia.  We met them while we were Key West over a year ago.  They bring along with them more South African friends and their close friends, Jack and Buffy.  Jack who has a dream to live on a catamaran one day and Buffy who wants to know more about this life.  First things first, we need to get this crew out on Journey.  It was not the best of days as the seas were rolling, but we enjoyed a few hours out and Captain Jack got to take the wheel.  Finally, before coming back into the marina, we got a bite on the hook.  Gernot got the honors of getting the fish on board.  Success, we have a nice size mahi.  Jack and Gernot needed a selfie with this catch!
We all plan to meet at Latitudes for Happy Hour , dinner, and dancing.   We begin with margaritas and our fresh mahi for an appetizer.   Next, the boys share their big surprise of being Trophy Husbands for the evening.  They had purchased matching t-shirts to wear.  Everyone including our table enjoyed their surprise and they got all the attention they could want for the evening.  We had a great dinner and a great time!  Before the Trophy husbands could leave the ladies at the table next to us had to have a picture.  Theirweek came to a close way too fast, and then they were gone.
Dee and I were super excited that our cushions were finally done for the cockpit.  They look great!  We love them!   We are so glad to no longer be sitting on flat worn out cushions and finally sitting on these nice super thick cushions.  We are in heaven now.
Bill and Angie arrive for several weeks and we took this opportunity to cross the highway into the poblado to eat at LA PALAPA DE MARLON.  The food was fabulous.  Dee got the tacos de camaron estilo baja (fried shrimp tacos) and I had the tostada de camaron or  shrimp tostadas.  So yummy!  We definitely recommend this place to experience some of the poblado as well.  You will find lots of locals eating here.  
We continue to enjoy our times here Puerto Aventuras and have really become regulars at Dimelo a local bar that serves great food and cold beers at a great price.  Nachos are one of our favorites, but we have enjoyed the wings - which we would like to see a little meatier,  and some of their daily specials.
We also were able to catch up with Rudy and Shari while they were on a resort near Puerto Morales.  We met up at Unico Beach Club for the afternoon.  Good times catching up and enjoying a new spot!
One of our regular weekly trips now happens on Sunday afternoon when we head out to “The Hole”. Robin and Landon usually join us with some others on their boat and we make an afternoon of it!  We enjoy the people watching, meeting others, good libations, lots of laughs with good friends.  

Sunsets continue to be spectacular even though on the east coast of Mexico it is hard to get some great shots, but watching the sun paint the sky as it descends is still one of our favorite times of the day.  I can’t forget Rufino at El Pancracio.  We still love their fresh tacos and Rufino’s freshly squeezed margaritas.  Even had a Mexican shot! (The Mexican flag colors) - using grenadine, light yellow liqueur, and tequila.
The marina continues to share great wildlife with us.  As the rays come by once a day along the rock wall where we are docked.  The starfish returned and spent a few days off the front of our boat this time, and the turtles decided not to be as shy and did a drive by.
Before heading back to NC we spend another day over a El Cielo.  It wasn’t the best of days at El Cielo as the anchorage was rolling, but we were able to pick up a mooring ball. I guess the waters were foreshadowning the storms to come. Funny they came and barely rained on us but  it seemed all around us.  The best part of the day was catching dinner just as got back near Puerto Aventuras.  This time we headed over to Dimelo to let them cook our catch!  Perfect end to our day.
We continued to have water in the port side compartment and finally found it was the hot water heater leaking.  When Dee went to take off the check valve to clean it - well it broke off inside.  Finally removed and several trips to playa Dee were able to create fittings that would work because male check valves are hard to find.  We found they were hard to find in the states as well.  Mexico also sells a lot of brass fittings which we find seem to leak more than plastic.  For now no more leaks.
We are headed home to see the birthday girl!  Lilia will be one

In North Carolina

The end of May has arrived and we are headed back to North Carolina to see our granddaughter  who Dee has not seen since Christmas.  She has changed so much and it was so much fun to watch Lilia and Capi get reacquainted again.  We are back before Memorial Day Weekend to see our nephew graduate from high school.  He has endured Covid through his high school years and that makes me sad, but he is so ready for his next chapter…..  Dee and I were so glad to be here today and that Hannah was able to join the family with Lilia.  My mom and dad watched their last grandchild graduate from High School.  And the proud momma watching her baby graduate.  Now we will return to more Lilia time.  Dee and I cherish these weeks that we got to spend with her and watching her smile, learn and grow.  She is such a happy baby.  Sadly this time came to an end quickly as mid June arrives and Hannah and Aldo plan their move to the Chicago area for the next 4 months.

Now we can get back to focussing things here in NC like visiting local Yadkin Valley Wineries, seeing Fury and getting Messin Around ready to go on the lake for a few weeks.  She gave us a little trouble with the battery but finally we were on the water.  Loving our Friday night sunsets again on the water with friends.  We loved having a visit from Jesse and getting her on the water.  It was great to catch up and have Harley around even on the Messin Around.  Maybe it is because we are cruisers now, but watching people on Lake Norman especially trying to anchor on a windy day is now one of our favorite thing to do when we are home in the summer.  Enjoy our clips of boaters trying to figure it all out. We remember those days.

At the end of June we enjoyed dressing up and taking friends to the Evening with Dove House, a charity near and dear to our hearts.  This event is a big fundraiser and we were glad to be here to support this event.  Next, July 4th arrives and we enjoy a great day on the lake and fabulous local fireworks.


Now it is time to head back to Journey in Mexico.   Luis picks us up at the airport and transfers us safely back to Journey.  We are glad back in Mexico aboard Journey!