December 24

I am really enjoying Chacala. It is very relaxing. The other cruisers  are nice but no one with whom we are really hanging out. We met some little girls on “Sea Life” and went to a swimming party. Jonah didn’t seem much interested and acted kinda bratty. The boat is a catmaran and is very spacious but unfortunately they have a huge St Bernard and the boat is covered in dog hair.  There are two other monohulls here with a third just arriving -   a lovely wooden ketch with really pretty lines.  

Our day here seems to be: wake up, do boat stuff , go to the beach, play, eat and drink at a palapa, swim and then row back to the boat. I tell you the pace is brutal.  

I think what’s nice about this beach is that it is not all big hotels and American tourists. There are some Yanks but mostly Mexicans camping out and enjoying a holiday at the sea. The restaurants are very cheap and it probably costs more for us to cook our own meals.  

We walked the length of the beach today with Jonah. He loved it despite complaining a little – he skipped and ran the length. We found lots of tiny hermit crabs which he thought were just the coolest thing.  

Jonah was a good kid today. I have to work hard at keeping a mellow outlook on being a Mom. I get worried when he misbehaves and then I get tense then he gets worse and it is a bad cycle. His whining really makes me crazy and I just have to take a deep breath and talk to him. Sometimes when I make him talk and explain I find out the silliest stuff that he was thinking. For example, walking back from the beach to the area where we left the dingy, he picked up a rock and threw it at a fishing boat that was overturned on the beach. He just giggled and looked stupid. I got really angry but took a deep breath and asked him why he did that. It took him a bit of explaining but he thought the boat was a rock and was really surprised when it made a thud and he realized it was a boat. It scared him which is why he giggled. Oy.  

Jordan is napping after our demanding morning and I am considering doing some watercolors.