Solo Meggo Update

       Our dogs are smart, well most of the time, they are above average I will give them.
      Or maybe it's that they don't want to miss out on a good time. They get all excited when they see us pack a bag and get bathing suits on, they know they are in for a fun beach or canoe day. It was no different when I was packing Conor's bag for his trip back to the USA. Penny, especially, was very interested in the bag, where we were going, and how she was going to fit into the plan. So, when the dogs saw us leave in the morning with packed bags and then I returned without bags and without Conor, Penny was a little pissed.  Bubby just seemed relieved that someone returned.  For the next few days Penny seemed to be giving me doggy silent treatment, as if she wanted to say to me, "What did you do to make him leave us?" in a real accusatory, bitchy tone. After about a week, since I have been feeding her and taking her to the beach, I guess she decided to forgive me and accept that this was her new life. She has started loving on me again and sleeps in my hull, protecting me. That is one big plus for having the dogs. They are a great alarm and security system. They bark at all boats, dug outs, jet skis, dingy's, and swimmers that come too close to the boat. And, yes, if we are in a high traffic area this can get a little annoying after a while but I never scold them or tell them no, I tell them what good dogs they are each and everytime. Although I don't think Penny will ever actually bite somebody she sure as hell looks and sounds like she will, and people here are scared of dogs. In the United States, dogs are treated like a member of the family, a loving buddy that gets special treats once in a while and lots of love. That's how we treat our dogs as well, I am not judging. I am bringing this up because that is not how dogs are viewed through out most of Central America. Dogs are dogs here. Kept outside, chained up and bought for protection, not to sit on your lap and learn cool tricks. So when the unsuspecting dug out gets too close to our boat and Penny unleashes her fierciest bark, the local's eyes go big and they double time their paddling efforts. Good girl, Pen. I do seem to be leaving Bubby out a little here, he is a great guard dog as well. He has a slightly more, uh, girly bark but it still serves its job as an alert system. He occasionally barks at jumping fish, lights on land, and boats that are VERY far away, and he has really been giving hell to a 4 foot long barracuda that has been hanging in the shade of our boat lately but, again, I always encourage the barking of anything suspicious,even the occasional false alarm. With my dual alarm system, I feel pretty safe by myself. I sleep with a spotlight, a fog horn, and a machete by my bed but I have only used the spotlight so far.

       Although I miss Conor, (I won't really go into how much because that will be a long, sappy tearful entry that nobody wants to read) I have been enjoying my alone time. I have been getting a few projects done around the boat, finished quite a few books (on the kindle no less, Con usually dominates over the kindle while he is here), cleaned, cooked, gone to lunch solo, chilled at the beach, played with the dogs, paddled around in the canoe, but all of these things done by myself. It feels kinda good to only rely on me. I have also done a few "Conor type" jobs. I dive the anchor a few times a week to check how well it is dug in, I run the engines, I get up in the middle of the night when its blowing and stay up to make sure we are not dragging, I filled the propane and hooked it back up, and I learned how to manually release the trim/tilt on the engine after it gets stuck in the up position (I did get some email help from Con on that one). I mean, by default, I am the captain. I am thinking about maybe having Con call me Captain Meggo for a few weeks after he gets back. We'll see how that goes.
M.

The dogs took this picture for Conor while I was napping one day