Snapshot from the life

A couple of nights ago, we were treated to another lovely sunset... I remembered to get the camera out on time. Niall and Mairen were soaking it up from the bow.

You have to be rich to go cruising?

One of the biggest misconceptions of cruising is that you have to be rich to realize the dream. It’s just not true. Sure, it can be very expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. There are cheap ways to go as well, but most importantly: anybody can do it. It has far more to do with making a choice to be different, to sticking with it while lining up your life to make it happen.

In early January, the question, or assumption, of personal wealth was posed to me four times in the space of a week. That’s enough of a personal zeitgeist that some rumination was in order, and the result became our article for the February issue of 48 North (available at chandleries and boaty places around Puget Sound, or online the 1st of the month).

Most people are too polite to ask. The people I wished would ask usually didn’t. I’m afraid a lot of them are making incorrect assumptions. We have no trust funds fueling our journey. We planned, anticipated, and made choices that weren’t always easy. Some bets paid off (thank you, turn of the century real estate market). Others didn’t (same to you, Wall Street and currently screwed up economy). We often lived differently from others around us. One modest car, no annual ski trips, no seasonally refreshed wardrobes- unless thrift stores count. Out here, we have some very big fixed costs that we can’t do much about, but our daily living needs are minimal. Groceries cost a fraction of what they did at home, and we have beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables readily available. But those fixed costs? Mortgage, insurance, that kind of thing? That’s just us. They’re not part and parcel of a cruising plan or budget. We spend a small fraction on daily living, even compared to what felt like a reasonably conservative lifestyle before cruising.

Still, we didn’t talk outside a circle of very good friends and family about our cruising plans until they were very close to becoming reality. As a life choice, it’s a little too different for some people to grok- especially when we share our goal to make it a way of life as long as we can, and not a short sabbatical. My absolute favorite contrary reaction was from the parent of one of our children’s schoolmates. In telling her that we wouldn’t be around much soon, her face opened into one of surprise, shock, and ultimately dismay. “But what about the WASL?” she cried (non Washington residents: this is the state-mandated standardized learning test issued at regular intervals to those unfortunate to be in a school requiring compliance. It’s a total waste of time). Well, gosh, maybe we should forgo the opportunity for our children to learn through travel and unique experiences, and stay here so they can prep in a Quonset hut for a meaningless test. Um, no.

But I’m getting off track. This was about money.

Culturally, in the US, we define ourselves by our possessions. Sad, but come on…how many people can honestly say they have not fallen into this trap? The obsession we have with material things limits us in realizing our full potential. Anyone following me on Facebook knows I have gone through some gyrations recently, debating the purchase of a Kindle eReader. It’s over. A lovely piece of unnecessary accoutrement, it would cost us most of a month’s worth of groceries- our highest variable cost of cruising. That’s not worth it! I’d rather stay out here one more month, even if I have to read a few crappy pulp mysteries from the book exchanges instead of more rewarding or current content. Jamie will just have to deal with the port list we have from the weight on our bookshelves…let’s face it, I probably wasn’t going to shed any of those books anyway.

I don’t want to be defined by what we have. I want to be defined by our courage to take the less traveled road, and live every day to the absolute fullest as a family.


Pictures of dolphins, drawn by the girls from what they saw next to Totem one morning

Comfort food

I try to restrain myself, really, but I’m incredibly food centric. What we eat, where it comes from, the literal flavors of an experience… after my family, it would be fair to say that my life revolves around food.

Living in Mexico this past year has meant a world of new things to try, new flavors to differentiate, new techniques to understand.

It has also meant missing old favorites. I remember in high school, when we moved to Taiwan- and said goodbye to peanut butter and cheese which was more than a “food product”. When we returned to the states, a simple sharp cheddar never tasted so good!

Before we left to go cruising, my morning routine was a latte. Jamie made it for me every morning, and I’d carry it to the ferry in a steaming travel mug. It was comfort in a cup. The familiar comfort flavors I crave now? A few bites of good dark chocolate, every now and then. (My parents sent a bar of 70% chocolate for my birthday last month. Not that I worried, but I think this is proof they truly love me). A shaved bit of reggiano on a perfectly ripe tomato slice (plenty of gorgeous tomatoes around here, but you can forget the cheese. It’s… different). Basil. Lamb. Organic anything. A childhood friend of mind has a food blog, and I like to torture myself by reading about the exquisite kitchen adventures she has with her children… the ingredients I dream about finding by accident in a Mexican tienda... usually nothing we can come close to replicating down here.

Here, though, I’ve discovered a fantastic new comfort food: chilaquiles. It’s basically stale tortillas, cooked in an enchilada sauce, usually served with topped with sunny-side up eggs (if it’s for breakfast) or shredded chicken (any other time of day). A dollop of crema (which is somewhere between crème fraiche and sour cream), a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, and you have the makings of a delicious, comfort meal. Better yet: I believe I may have hooked the whole family with this new, spicier take on comfort food.

I’m told that Mexican women are supposed to learn how to make this before they get married. It’s got to be the best way to use leftover tortillas around (and we do accumulate them sometimes- those warm, fresh pillows of masa can get stale fast).

It’s ironic: in looking for a new comfort food, I think I’ve found something I’ll be hard pressed to replicate after we’ve left Mexico. I wonder what will be next?

What on earth do the kids do? Version 42.

Mostly, they have a lot of fun, making the most of their environment.

After a morning in Chamela that involved a little too much excitement (Capaz discovered their anchor had wrapped around a sunken panga, and had to untangle it by hand- freediving in 30' of water), Jamie brought the kids from around the anchorage (Capaz, Evergreen & Liberty) for some fun swinging out over the water with a line tied to our spinnaker pole.

A few days later, down in Tenacatita, we took ourselves on a "jungle tour": cruising with our dinghies up the river behind the inner bay, winding through mangroves into an open lagoon, feeling for all the world that we had stepped into the heart of darkness.

There were a pile of other kid boats in the anchorage. Cue the beach party! In addition to our swabbies, the junior crews from Ohana, Oso Blanco, Sabbatical, Evergreen, and Capaz had a day of boogie boarding, sand castle building, and other water games.

In the outer bay, nicknamed "the aquarium", we had a great afternoon of family snorkeling. Everything finally connected for Mairen, who was so excited about all the colorful fish she could barely contain herself. There are few things more entertaining than listening to a child squeal with delight through a snorkel. I didn't get any pictures of her, but when PJ and I swam back to the boats later, I did see a stunning eagle ray come ghosting past, making it look effortless to fly through the water.

Amid the excitement, there's always some quiet time too.

More indelible memories

We had an amazing opportunity this past week: hands on participation in the release of endangered turtle hatchlings.



Thanks to the effort of local volunteers and a small nonprofit, Olive Ridley turtles nesting on beaches in Banderas Bay have a stunningly better chance at survival. Nestled between mega resorts outside of Puerto Vallarta, a glorified shack surrounded by chain-link fence makes a positive dent in the future of this species. Volunteers patrol the beaches at night for signes of turtles nesting. They bring the eggs back inside the fencing for safe incubation, away from predators or the innocent but harmful curiosity of people. This time of year, the nests hatch at a rate of approximately one per day. As the turtles emerge, they are placed in a large kiddie pool for safe-keeping until the sun sinks toward the horizon. Arriving about a half hour before sunset, we were treated to in

But really? This was the real treat. Watching with wonder as these tiny turtles made their way toward the crashing surf. Watching them tumble in an oncoming wave, flip back over, and immediately resume their progress toward the water. It's hopeful, this steadfast determination to survive. Seeing joy and hope in the children's faces as they disappeared into the bay and into their future.



It's still only 1-2% of a given nest who are expected to reach maturity, but the numbers have improved dramatically in recent years. For us, it's another opportunity gratefully lived to teach ourselves and our children how delicate this beautiful marble really is, and how tangibly we can each have a part in making it a better place.

Living the lush life in La Cruz

Pardon the radio silence, but Totem has somewhere between 1) insanely busy with, and now recovering from, the holidays and visitors and 2) soaking up the lush beauty that is La Cruz. I'm offering this bit of visual candy as a kind of apology.



Thanks to an extended Pineapple Express weather system (yes, they affect us too) we've had more clouds than usual here- which translates to spectacular sunsets. This one actually included a rainbow, completely tinted pink in the sunset- one of the most amazing weather vistas I've ever seen! We've even had- gasp!- RAIN. This is unheard of, frankly. Average rainfall for this area, at this time of year, is approximately... zero. Well, we've had rain several times and even some spectacular lightning. The crew of Totem is hustling to get ourselves out of Banderas Bay (or at least, La Cruz)...posting will resume more routinely once we can extract ourselves...

Indelible memories

Our travels opened opportunities to create some amazing memories with our children. This past week, one such gift came in the form of an encounter I'm not sure any of us will forget: holding month-old tiger cubs at the Vallarta zoo.

Their bellies full after guzzling down bottles of formula, the cubs were undeniably adorable. For almost ten minutes, the children held them mostly on their laps as they rolled, played, and generally acted like the cute babies that they are. It was a little overwhelming just to watch the interaction. I can't imagine doing anything like this back in the States.

It was a zoo like no other we've seen. Visitors carry bags of food with carrots, peanuts, bread, and other snacks inside for feeding the animals. Printed on the side of the bag are guidance for which type of food to feed which type of animal. It it really incredible to have a giraffe sneak up on you looking for treats (they have the softest cheeks!), or a camel surprise you by poking way over his enclosure to see what you have to offer. Then there are the hippos.

It's more than a little sad... hippos begging for carrots? Isn't this one of the most dangerous animals in Africa? It doesn't seem right. I'm pretty sure I should feel worse about this, but it's hard to let that overcome the wonder of the close-encounter experiences for all of us. From having our fingers held by little capuchins, to being goosed by a giraffe, I can't regret our visit for a moment- and I'd like to think the children's memories of the cubs will only enhance their sensitivity to the wonders of the world around them.