Amazing streets

While we are here in the Canary Islands, the local communities celebrate their thanksgiving for the good fishing they have had for the year. I think this is what they are celebrating. They carry a statue of the Virgen and child through the streets. The night before they decorate with colored salt and charcoal and sand. And this is the result. It is so interesting. A great feeling of community and loud party music and BBQ's along the street. Very friendly. Very interesting

A Day in the Life of a Ship in the Shipyard

O.K. this is a day in the life. Lots of cutting and grinding and welding. Which also means smoke and fire detectors going off, keeping the receptionists and the Duty Officer on their toes. Lube oil purifiers being lowered into the engine room and installed. CT Scanner making its way down the corridor and into its new home. Sounds easier than it was. Smile. Radar being installed on the mast. New Walk in coolers being installed in the Galley. And that does not include the multiple pipe projects going on in the Engine room. The deckheads down and back up, the sprinkler work, the cabinet repairs, the Lab remodelling, the repairs, the routine maintenance, the pages and pages of requests for jobs to be done on board while the hospital is shut down for 2 months each year and we are in a country where we can get supplies and receive containers of supplies. All that being said, Ken and his team are now checking off completed projects so now maybe Ken will stop waking up at 3am with a pipe plan and a trip back down to the engine room.

Big smile

This was the day the new CT Scanner arrived into the cargo hold. It was exciting but not as exciting as trying to move the actual scanner down the corridor and turned into the Scanner room. What teamwork! And only a fraction of an inch to spare. We call it a 40 point turn!

A Sunday Visit to a Little Village

Today we went to the small village or Teror with some friends. It is an adventure just getting the bus there. We enjoyed visiting the market and the little lanes and a great Cafe for a Canarian pizza for lunch. Just a couple of hours for relaxing time. Nice, friendly people, unusual sights, a basilica and lovely balconies with flowers.

What do you see out your front door?

Yes, this is a very interesting view out our front door. Even I think this is a great shipyard. It makes me smile to think this is normal.

Beautiful little villages...

On Sundays when Ken is free, we like to explore little villages by local bus. This Sunday we went to Teror. The bus ride was fun. About an hour and it is so twisty and turny that the bus driver toots the horn to warn anything coming around the bend. We kept going higher and higher. There is a Sunday market there. Local cheeses and sausages and olives and West African women selling purses and any bras you could ever want all out on display.... Then we walked around and stopped in a cafe for Canarian Pizza with Chorizo sausage, BBQ sauce and thinly sliced potatoes. Very nice. Back down the mountain and along the beach to our favorite place for ice cream on the beach. Dark Chocolate like frozen frosting. Yummy!!!! A very nice day indeed.

How Do They Do That????

How do people take pictures of themselves? I see photos and you would never know that they took it by holding out their cameras and pushing the buttons. So here is our best shot. Ken giving me advice so here goes.....

In the Shipyard

Just a quick post to show where we are at the moment....

PINK!!!!

Pink seems to be the color of the day. The new drills we brought for this Project time are pink and the quote of the day for me is when one of the men on the team said, "It takes a real man to use a pink drill." It is a great team and it is nice to work hard with fun people!

And....this is my new gift from Ken.....a pink hard hat!!

Beautiful!!

Waking up early....Ken woke up at 3am this morning with ideas for how to do a pipe project they have been working on. Breakfast is fun, lots of laughter, then lots of activity. We will be removing a CT Scanner...I remember when it was the only thing on the hospital deck, there were not even any walls, but the new one seems to be held up in customs. Lube oil purifiers are being removed and replaced, Galley coolers are being rebuilt, hospital flooring is all being replaced, deckheads are coming down and piping replaced....and that's only the things I can think of off the top of my head. And then dinner and a 6 mile walk into town and along the beachfront. It really is beautiful. Loving it!!

Back in the Canary Islands!!

Well, our last update was in 2009. Now that was a long time ago! Now it is 2013 and we are back on board for the annual technical 7 weeks maintenance time. And...we love it. Very busy days and lots of fun projects, like removing CT Scanners and pumps and lots of other greasy projects!!
Ken is overseeing this time in the shipyard and I am doing what needs to be done including taking photos of various projects going on.
We are catching up with old friends, making new ones, re-learning how to do laundry in community, enjoying breakfasts with lots of people and lots of laughter, taking 6 mile walks each evening, and falling into bed each night. Very satisfactory.

News from the Berrys