Merle is Back!

Well, Merle is home now, safe and sound from his northern adventure. He returned a few days ago now, but we've been having so much fun with him that I forgot to let you all know he is safe!
He had a great adventure, loved seeing those of you he managed to see in his 'work from dawn till dusk' schedule! And we are still very grateful for the love that poured out of you, both online in the form
of help offered and also in person with places to stay and big hugs.  And many times, over the course of his adventure, the universe helped him out in ways we could never have imagined, as is often the case.

So this is a Big Fat Thank You - all the way up and down the coast, as far north as Williams Lake, BC, Canada! - to those who helped Merle on his journey. Thanks to Richard for packing the big heavy dinghy for us, and doing the crazy re-route that made Merle's northbound journey so much easier! Thank you for the delicious food, Haru (and the books!), and Alice, thanks for being so cool about Merle taking over
your V-berth, and for babysitting little Grenadine! And of course Tona for the car insurance, and Javier and Tara for a place to sleep and good company. And thanks Manny and Lola for the crazy gum; always
something to keep us laughing! And Fito and Hilda for being so kind to us, whether our boat is there or not! Thanks Victor and Andre for just being you! And thanks Dan for offering connections, even tho you
are so far away! And Wildflower for the sweet offer of a berth. And Merle says thanks for the hugs all around; in delivering hugs, he was almost overwhelmed on the other end - receiving them! I am sure I
have forgotten some thank you; I know that the universe has it's own way of saying thank you, and I am sure it will!

Thank you thank you thank you.  Muchicimas gracias!

Well, it is the beginning of summer here in La Cruz, Mexico. It is hot here early in the morning, and lasts till late at night. In fact, Chilko stays on the boat in the shade (we have half of our boat covered, and what a blessing it is!!) unless she has to get off, because the dock is almost too hot to walk on! We are going to try
frying an egg and see if it really frys! The boys did an experiment the other day with some pieces of wax. They hung a wick in a glass jar, and tossed in some old pieces of wax around it to see if it would get hot enough to melt it into a candle. It did! I could hardly believe it! Anyway, people say it doesn't get hot here until August, so this tropical summer will be a good experiement for us.

We are grateful to have a car now. Grenadine made it down the road a-okay after Merle replaced the seals on the tranny (a one-day job in Nogales for about 1/10 the price it would have cost in the US!) and a
few other small things that make a big difference, like windshield wipers and an oil change. What a sweet car, she is! Thanks again, Michael for pointing us in her direction! We still marvel at her ability to take a lickin and keep on tickin!

Last night (it is cool enough after 7pm to go out and play), we played a game of baseball. Our field was the gravel parking lot - which made the whole sliding thing a bit hard on the knees! But there was not one sob despite many slides into home plate! The boys are stoked to have discovered the game. And Merle and I like it too, so it is a family event.

Well, it is the full moon tonight! I wonder what kind of fun that will bring? Maybe some drumming. We keep a pretty close eye on her.

Luna llena (pronounced Luna Yayna). Nice!