Colorful LaPaz

This is our final week in La Paz, where the streets are quiet - many businesses are closed between Christmas and New Years, and the traffic is light. Great conditions for exploring the streets, and discovering amazing color juxtapositions. The small work boats in the Sea of Cortez - called pangas - are traditionally painted some shade of blue, but not just one shade. Where a bunch of pangas are pulled up together, there is a study in blue.

Virtually all the buildings in La Paz are constructed of concrete and finished with plaster, which is then painted. The colored plaster surfaces mellow quickly in the bright sun, and shadows are interesting variations on the color of the fully sunlit walls.

And if that's not enough color for you, there are the sprays of Bougainvillea draped over walls and escaping from courtyards.

Some of these color events found their way into paintings - see them here: http://sailingstudio.us/news

Colorful LaPaz Christmas

We have had a crazy, mixed up Christmas here in LaPaz. We have observed a few treasured family traditions: baking and sharing Orange Teas, the favorite Christmas cookie; taking a long, long walk on Christmas morning; and preparing a savory Christmas feast (Leg of Lamb, braised in wine and vegetables).

On the other hand, we have been cut loose from lots of other Holiday obligations. Clearly there have been fewer trips to odd stores, less gift wrapping, fewer holiday parties. Can't say whether one Christmas is better than another, but we do confess to having a transitory feeling of lightness about the holidays.

Plus an accompanying feeling of missing all of you whom we would see during the holidays. Merry Christmas to all!

Blue Footed Booby

Let's get down to some serious stuff here. This is our best yet view of the Blue Feet on the Blue Footed Booby. I love it when nature delivers something so colorful and funny. If you want to see those feet in action, check out this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYmzdvMoUUA
More serious funny stuff: we've uploaded new photos on Flickr - click on the link to the right for "Photos from Indigo's Crew.

Punta Tintorea

We took a few days off from chores in La Paz, and sailed north the twenty-odd miles to Isla Partida, where we anchored at Ensenada Grande.  This anchorage, in fairly calm seas, provided an opportunity to ease back in to the kayaks, which had been disassembled and stowed under the forward v-berth since we left Barkley Sound in British Columbia.

It also gave a a chance to hike up into to desert shoreline, where we discovered a host of wildflowers blooming, almost certainly as a result of the recent rains. These dark blue morning glories were growing next to oyster shells, which were abundant near the beach. In some places, there were piles of shells like middens - it must have been good eating at some time in the past. 

The skies have been unsually gray for the past few days, but early Tuesday morning, as we were pulling up the anchor to head back to LaPaz, the first rays of the sun illuminated Punta Tintorea, the northernmost point of Ensenada Grande, providing the odd and wonderful light in the photo above.  

Settling in La Paz

We have been in La Paz for a little more than a week, and we are slowly adjusting to a new kind of schedule.  We are tied up in friendly Marina de La Paz, and the Captain's days are spent on myriad boat chores amidst the general chatter along the docks. The Mate has rented a small studio, and her days are spent tucked away in a small, second story space, trying to relearn the discipline of painting. 

We are happy to return to LaPaz, and fascinated to see what has changed (more middle class homes, more gringos, some interesting new venues for art and music) and what is the same (the old part of the city retains its frontier infrastructure, even while individual structures are being renovated).  Lots of north wind this time of year, and lots of dust. It is a small city where cruising sailors can tie up for awhile and relax into the routines and adventures daily life.