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Terra Firma on a mooring at
Saiananda on the Rio Chone in Ecuador
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(Updated 01/20/2008):
Well we're finally back on the boat! Back on the boat?, you ask. Where
have you been?
As you may remember from our last update, we arrived in Ecuador April
1,2007. Shortly thereafter, we received an email from Pat's Ex-employer
asking us to come back to help out on a project for 3 to 6 months. So
we buttoned up the boat and flew back to the States. After working for
6 months we decided to visit family and friends for a month back in
Arizona.
Finally the day came to fly back home to the boat, but with a
short stop in El Salvador. A friend of ours from Arizona recently
bought a home there, so we decided to stop in, see the place, and say
"Hi".
Our arrival home in Ecuador happened to be Thankgiving Day.
So we were immediately treated to a feast that had been prepared by
Puerto Amistad and
all the cruisers there.
Not all our time in the States was spent working. We did have a few
adventures which are detailed in this update. In the next update you
will find us exploring South America. |
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Well
it happens to the best of us .... Work calls. We were busy
minding our own business somewhere between Panama and Ecuador when
emails started arriving requesting our presence for 3 to 6 months.
We helped out at CryoCor on a cryogenic balloon catheter project
they took on with Boston Scientific.
Here is Pat on our last day of work pointing and laughing at Jim (our
Boss) and Joe (some other people's Boss). They were on a phone
conference with Boston Scientific at the time.
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We
were put up at the Residence Inn for the 6 months of work and felt like
one of the family by the time we left. The staff and
accommodations were awesome. Pat was going to leave me for Lolita
because she would sneak some cookies to our room from time to time.
Here are the managers and Lolita presenting us with a gift.
It reads, 'Time flies when you're having rum' and was signed by
everyone. From left to right: Pat and Carrie, Lolita,
Charlie, Nicole and Zen.
On Friday nights we reverted to our usual routine of going out for
sushi and decompressing with the aid of a few sakes. We didn't
know the area very well when we got there but happened upon a really
cool sushi bar, Happy Sushi, in our very first week. The sushi
and sakes were wonderful and it was close enough for us to hit the
happy hour specials. What a deal. The photo below is of the
owner and one of the main chefs. He is actually from Laos and
very talented! |
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We
took a few road trips during the 6 months of work. We visited
Carrie's parents and brother in Palm Desert and Colorado at timeshares,
did some wine tasting in Julian and visited the San Diego Wild Animal
Park.
Right: The tram just outside of Palm Desert. It takes you
from the valley floor where it 100+ to ~8,000ft where it is a pleasant
80F. Needless to say a short hike to a spot with a great view was
capped off by a picnic and a bottle of wine!
Bottom Left: The Steam Locomotive between Durango and Silverton.
We took the ride with Carrie's parents and brother. The
views all the way to Silverton were beautiful. The aspens were
just changing and the air was crisp and clear.
Bottom Right: Cheetahs at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The CryoCor annual picnic was held at the park.
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After the work was done, well our 6 months came to a close anyway, we took off for Arizona to visit family and friends.
Left: We spent a week in Sedona and did many hikes, played a
round of golf and tried to remember what it was like to be retired.
We were also trying to lose the 10+ lbs each of us gained while
working!
Bottom Left: Friends Shelagh and Randy became restaurant owners
in Cornville (very close to Sedona). We had a fine dining
experience and enjoyed catching up with our friends. From left to
right: Shelagh, Carrie, Pat, Steve, Marnie and Bob.
Bottom Right: After a week in Sedona, we spent a week in
Flagstaff at our friend Bob's house. One night we had a
Sushi-Fest party and learned how to make our own sushi. Lots of
fun! |
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After
Flagstaff we visited with Carrie's parents and brother in Tucson with a
weekend visit to the Bay area. While in Tucson we celebrated
Thanksgiving and Christmas. This was October by the way!
Right: Carrie's brother and Mom went to a Browns Backers bar to
help cheer on the Browns in a game against their biggest rivals, the
Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns led 21-9 at the half, but proved
once again that they were capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of
victory.
Bottom Left: A Bridge. Friends Eric and Sarah Ryba invited
us up to the Bay Area for a weekend. We had a great time and saw
many of the sights. We also visited with friends Tim and Laurel
Konkol.
Bottom Right: Muir Woods in the Bay Area. We took a hike
through Muir Woods and stood in awe of the massive redwoods. |
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