SHIBUMI is now nestled in the western part of the Angra Do Heroismo harbor on the Azorean island of Terceira.  We arrived last Sunday after a beautiful eight hour sail from Vilas das Velas on the island of Sao Jorge.

Each time we leave one island, I inform Chris that nothing could surpass the last.  And to date, I have been wrong each time!  Each island offers us  a unique contribution to the Azores and our venture.  Sao Jorge was hydrangeas, fajas, and cheese production at its finest.

Chris, Emily, and I are doing well with the exception that all of us have enjoyed the food more that our exercise level can absorb.  Each one of us proclaims daily that we must forego the excellent cheese, homemade bread, and local wine.  And we try, we try.

All of us on board would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the friendliness and cooperation of the many contacts from the Azores.  Our expression now for the lavish kindness we receive daily is "Only in the Azores ..."

On Flores, we were adopted by the staff of the Lages Pousada, the hostel or guesthouse run by the town government.  Not only did they feed us well, they made every attempt to educate us on their regional dishes.  Tony greeted us and poured our wine.  Fatima, the chef, personally served every dish after visiting with us before the meal to assure that we approved both her menu and style of cooking.  And Monica watched over us like babes so that nothing ever went amiss.  Some of the best food since we arrived. 

On Sao Miguel, we wandered into the hills one afternoon seeking the local jam factory.  By the time we found it, the proprietor was closing shop.  But she took time to stop, show us the compote manufacturing process, and then determined that we could not leave without samples of her fig and blackberry jam.  No charge, yum.

And then we traveled to Sao Jorge.  When we arrived, a local fisherman removed his dinghy from his mooring to offer us one of the best anchorages in the harbor. 

Then we decided to hire a driver instead of a rental car.  What a great decision.  Not only did Joseph Rodriguez know who to request to open the Church of Santa Barbara on a Saturday but he insisted on dropping by his garage to show Chris the lures he uses to catch "the big ones"  when Chris asked him what lures the fishermen used on the island.

Our only request was to visit a cheese factory which another cruising couple told us had been closed the day before.  No problem for Joe;  he even conducted the tour! 

And finally, here on Terceira, I visited the Cultural Center where free Internet access is offered.  When I asked Phillip, the head man, if I could use a DSL connection, he sat by me until we had it working. 

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