last days in mazatlan

lorie, gene and ken last night at pedro y lola

cello player at te amo lucy's

new tattoo

gene's hands on guitar

outside ken and lorie's patio

valentino's at night on sabalo

quinceanera photo op at sunsetconfirmation photo op at sunset

we've been in mazatlan for 6 months now and it's time to leave and head south. we had a test sail last week to make sure everything works and it does. weather was perfect and we even put up the mainsail and the jib for some light wind sailing. off on the horizon were 3 spouts and whales breaching. we're ready to go. our first destination is isla isabella and then on to la cruz and beyond.

marathon for everyone

i heard about the marathon on the cruiser's net. they started at 6:30am and would be going right past el cid marina so how could i not go? i was joined by 2 other cruisers and we stood on the median and cheered them all. what an experience. i made eye contact with so many who seemed very appreciative of our support. in the end, our voices were horse and our hands stung from 2 hours of clapping. but it was so worth it. there were people from all over the world participating, but but i was particularly touched by the people with physical challenges. the wheelchair men and women sped past at lightening speed. the blind runners thethered to their running partners went quickly. the amputees on crutches kept up with their fellow runners. young and old, fit and flabby jogged past us. two men really touched me - the guy in the wheelchair going backwards because he had to push with his left foot, the only part of his body he could move. and then the last person, on crutches, with obvious difficulty in the photo above.

turtle release in mazatlan

i dragged jim down to the malecon for the turtle release last friday. it was a loooooong walk as the road was closed for several events. i couldn't believe how many people were there. we climbed down a rickety ladder to get in line for a turtle. they're so cute and squirmy. we all stood behind the yellow tape on the sand. when they said put your turtle down we felt proud and sad to watch him slowly make his way toward the water. jim said it was worth the walk.

estoy satisfecho outside capula

and then lino took us to his favorite roadside diner - literally beside the road. there was a guy inside playing his guitar and singing. people kept coming to eat or pick up food to go. the owner was very nice and made me guacamole and brought me tortillas hot off the griddle. jim, of course, was in heaven with his meat. estoy satisfecho.

if you ever happen to be in morelia we highly recommend staying at lino's b&b la posada de san antonio - www.laposadadesanantonio.com/

capula cemetary

we stopped briefly at this cemetary in capula. i saw briefly because i could have spent all day here taking pictures. we were hungry and i was way over my limit of "oh i'll just be an hour in capula". never trust a photographer with time.

juan torres' studio in capula

we got to tour juan torres' compound which included his studio and chapel

pigs in waiting at juan torres' studio

statues in his yard

one of the wooden carvings in his gallery

he has his own chapel

and his own wasp nest on the chapel

katrinas in his studio

since we were in capula, lino offered to take us by juan torres' compound. it's a huge piece of property sitting on top of a hill overlooking the whole valley. i loved his work but it was clearly out of our price range, not to mention having bought so much ceramics already.

quick loan in capula

48 pieces will go where on the boat?

it was a quick loan

oops, we weren't prepared

so after i saw all the great ceramics at casa venezuela, my trips to tonala, and window shopping in morelia, i really really really wanted to buy a set of dishes. i was sure i could do it in an hour if i could get to capula which is about an hour away from morelia. lino was kind enough to drive us to this adorable little town. four hours later i'd made my decision. okay i didn't shop for four hours, we also visited an artist AND view the cemetary. you can see them packing up the 48 pieces of ceramics. i don't know who was more traumatized, jim or me.