While I was in Bismarck visiting Mom and Zona in late February, Barb stayed aboard Tusen Takk II to hold down the fort.  Not that “holding down the fort” is a chore.  The new Magnum inverter/charger is so efficient that we seldom need to use the generator; the thousand-watt array of solar panels coupled with the 1680 AH battery bank keep the domestic-style GE refrigerator cooling just fine.  Our sailing friends have learned that we always have ice cream in the freezer.

Good friends Bill and Colleen and Buck arrived in Bonaire for a month-long visit.  They stayed at the home of Paulein, where they kept themselves busy with a number of major projects on her home.

Here are some of the activities Barb and our friends indulged in during my absence:

When I returned, the ‘gang’ participated in the annual Bon Doet day, an island-wide day in which teams of volunteers work on worthy projects.  Our project turned out to be so large that it took two days to finish:  painting the roof and exterior walls of a community park and playground.

Barb’s sister Audrey and brother Tim came and spent a week with us, and we kept them busy with social gatherings. Audrey arrived in time to help us with our final day of Bon Doet painting (which happened to also be on her 70th birthday) and got her photo in the local newspaper.  Tim’s arrival was delayed a day or two since a blizzard in the Great Plains prevented his departure. 

 

On February 21 Tom & Gigi, residents in the building directly ashore from our vessel,  showed us a lovely hiking trail with some unique trees in the Sabadeco area.

We were thrilled that daughter Nellie and her husband Michael (who visited us at the end of December) had such a good time, that they came back for another visit in April.  They spent a great deal of time snorkeling and now know lots of the fish by name.

We had to say goodbye to a number of friends on the island who were leaving and we don’t know when or if we will see some of them again.  The mooring field is beginning to feel lonely.