We Finally Took the Big Step

For the past couple years I have had a dream of getting a fishing boat. A boat that I can go out in and fish for pike and bass, a boat that I can take out on the lake and troll for lake trout and salmon. I looked at various models and contemplated my needs but it seemed that every time we got close to the big purchase, something came up that required that we postpone the event.

Last year Linda took a leave of absence from work and we practiced for our retirement. One income equaled our base pay and then we supplemented each month which gave us a good reading on our retirement. We had to wait.

So now that we are back to our usual situation we felt it was the time to make the dream come true. Fall came and we spotted a boat that I really liked. It fit all the criteria I had for the boat. Linda and I looked at it and actually went to Qdoba to talk it over and make a final decision. We decided that we couldn't finalize the deal until we replaced the roof on the house.

Last weekend we went to the Spokane boat show and looked at what was offered. There wasn't a great selection of fishing boats, very expensive and mostly to big. We returned disappointed. As we drove north of Coeur d'Alene to do some shopping I suggested to Linda that we head out to Tobler's Marina. Tobler's was having a sale, their own boat show.

We arrived and went into the show room. Boats were all over the place. Again, most were too big or too expensive. Our exploration lead us outside to the exact boat we were looking at in the fall.

The boat is a Crestliner Canadian 1650. It was fitted with a 60 hp Merc four stroke. We started the negotiations and began adding the extras that I felt made up my retirement boat. We added a Minn Kota motor for the front. A Merc 7 hp kicker for the back. Full canvas. Two electric downriggers and a fish finder.

Linda and I have always hated negotiations on vehicles, campers and anything you have to dicker on. This started out about the same as other deals. We got all the pricing and were talking about the additions when the manager of the place, Brent, came in to where we sat. Immediately Linda lit up and his smile widened. Turns out that they knew each other from the fitness center they had both attended. After a few minutes of talking, he took our order sheet and walked to his office. He returned and told us he had taken $489 off the price. That was very nice and it made our decision a little easier.

We had to think about the deal so we gave them a deposit to hold the boat and went home. Over the week I visited the boat twice, climbing all over it, talking about the pros and cons. On Saturday we went back out to finalize the deal. I had decided that this was the boat I wanted.

When we arrived, we met with Lois, their financial person. She explained that they reworked the offer and found that they had made a $250 mistake in our favor. We filled out the loan paperwork and then headed into town to wait for it to be accepted by the bank.

About two hours later we got the call that everything was ready, Lois also said that they found another little mistake. We met in the office and she explained they had made a $400 mistake on the rebate. So at this point we were $460 better then when we first walked in. It made us feel a bit better about the deal.

Lois went over all the paper work and showed us the work order for the shop. Linda stopped her and had a question. On this paperwork and the final sales papers, there was no mention of the Minn Kota. We showed her the paperwork that stated our first offer and it clearly showed the Minn Kota. So, she wrote it in without changing the bottom line. A free Minn Kota!

This made us feel a lot better about the price of the boat Of course I looked up the retail price on the web when we got home. Retail price for that motor was $689. Our deal now sat at $1300. We were feeling a lot better about our deal. All the dealings, mistakes and successes really was stressful. By the end of the day we were beat. It was all worth it in the end. I pick up my boat in a few weeks and then you will have to read about all my fishing trips. You might be the losers in this deal.

January - February Doldrums

Just sitting in my old chair drinking hot coffee and eating oat meal for breakfast, we haven't done much since we got back from our trip. Traveling home was uneventful. No plane delays. No missed flights. I got my share of pat downs at the TSA areas, but I have got it through my head now that the searches are going to happen so let them have their fun.

Since we returned, the most asked question I have gotten from the people at work or who know we go to Mexico is "do you feel safe down there?" I hope our posts of the night life in Melaque answers that for our readers. I always reply "It's like walking around in Hayden Lake or Post Falls in the 60's."

We don't go places that look like we should not be there. We are never our with the drunk crowd late at night. We don't frequent large town party areas. We never walk the beaches at night. So we have never had any problems in Mexico.

I am a faith full reader of a on-line forum that deals with truck campers and their issues. It is called NATCOA (North American Truck Campers Owners Association). Lately they have been talking about Mexico and how dangerous it is to travel there. One of the posters is an avid Mexico traveler and outspoken member of the forum. He spends a lot of energy defending travel in Mexico saying that it is safe, but very few listen to him. I believe that the nay sayers are the ones who have never traveled down that way and get their opinions based on news about deaths in the Mexican drug wars or have heard from a friend of a friend who got in trouble across the border. They don't see the demographics of the mass deaths when the news focuses on them. Young Mexicans in their 20's, heavy into the drug industry. We are never anywhere near that demographic. Our demographic is Mexican families, taco vendors, rug makers, pool cleaners and house cleaners. These are the people that we have gotten to know and love.

I read the posts like looking at a bad accident. I can't help my self. Yes we have never driven down to Melaque, but our friends have and we listen to their stories of how wonderful the people are and how sad it is that tourism is down due to the economy. John and Loretta Sutherland recently traveled down to their place on Baha and had no problems on their trip. Larry and Maggie did the same, only down to Melaque.

I just think that traveling in Mexico is like traveling anywhere. You have to be careful, you don't put yourself in situations that you are not comfortable in, you stay out of big city areas where trouble might be, you don't frequent bars and nightclubs and walk home drunk late at night, you stay away from drug areas, and you keep to the places that local families go. Sounds like what you do in the big cities up in the United States doesn't it? I'm not saying that sh*# won't happen. It does and there is no stopping that, but minimize the possibilities and it may not happen to you.

Enough with the rant. I have to go walk the dog in the 20 degree weather of north Idaho.

The Eve of New Years Eve

Our family of friends gathered at Bigote's on the final night we were together to celebrate Don's 69th birthday. This small group has grown close over the years. It was great to celebrate, yet we all knew that within a day we would be back in our homes, not seeing each other for another year. This mixture made the night special. Don and Caroline created a wonderful dinner of coconut shrimp and we talked into the night.

The drinks and conversation prior to dinner covered many topics. All of our roots go back to the place where Don and Caroline are staying, La Paloma. We met Don and Caroline there in 2003 when we were drawn together by the parallels in our careers.

Grant and Jackie became friends with Don and Caroline who introduced them to us about two years ago. Though we are separated in our daily lives by many miles and in the case of Grant and Jackie, a country; we have many common interests and feel very comfortable together.


We have a lot to be thankful for: the trips to Melaque, the friends we have met, and the special friends we keep coming together with. It makes these trips special in many ways. We probably would not be drawn to return each year if we didn't have our friends meeting us in this small town.

I don't know how many necklaces that our three lovely companions have purchased from Gaston, but I think we keep him and his family in business for most of the year. He is a very good looking man, and his wife isn't hard on the eyes either. Our women gather around him and his artwork like flies to food on the 4th of July. They touch each necklaces and listen to the stories of where each stone was found. Gaston's descriptions, all spoken in an almost musical Argentinian accent. I think he sold most of his jewelry because of his looks, voice and stories. Grant, Don and I kidded constantly about how our significant others swooned over him.