Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Ray Auxillou, photos re-discovered from the past!

Interesting to see the progression in my life cycle! From youth to old man.



****Ray and Silvia in their Miami home around 2001.
**** Ray and Silvia living on their sailboat Solitude in Miami, in 1994.
****Ray Auxillou in the Canadian Army, Signal Corps, at 16 year of age.
****Ray visiting Canada in 1986. Two sons Mark ( left ) and Steve. I´m in the middle. The occasion was the birth of a third son, to a traveling Canadian lady Merle MacKenzie in hospital. This was the hospital photo. She wanted a baby and I had obliged by cruising with her in the Bahamas on a 48 ft stainless steel ketch, borrowed from a friend, for half a year.
****Ray Auxillou on Caye Caulker in beach front tourist cabin. 48 years old. Seperated from wife Ilna an island girl for a number of years and living alone.
****Grandpa Ray Auxillou on left in 2010 at age 73, holding gift of MARMITE from friend Bob. Hell to get old!

** The twin diesel, 34 ft. motorsailer ATOLL QUEEN, I built by the house on Caye Caulker and my Hideway Lodge is in the background on the beach. My four daughters have subsequently built condos, guesthouse and hostel on this property. This photo would be about 1971 and that homebuilt motorsailer gave me the best 13 years of my life. I adventured and sailed the Western Caribbean seas and explored up jungle rivers. Had a great adventurous life, fullfilling my childhood dreams.
**Winnie Estelle, in better shape than ever in Jan. 2011, this was in San Pedro, Belize. But she is kept in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, at Susana marina at the old Spanish Fort area leading into Lake Izabel. Captain Roberto Smith lives aboard in retirement and maintains the wooden boat in tip top shape. Think the boat is now over a 100 years old. Been rebuilt and re-engined a couple of times in a century. Silvia and I go down and sleep aboard for a few days periodically for a mini vacation. The Winnie Estelle is for sale though, all the old gang are now too old to do tourists, or cargo anymore. Great life for somebody? Wish I was forty years younger, I´d love to live that part of my life again.
***In the 1970´s and I took my young kids Wendy and Diane here, to Puerto Cortez, Honduras to buy a load of lumber ( 18,000 ft of finished pine house lumber ) with the MV WINNIE ESTELLE a 67 footer Cheseapeak built boat ( 30 ton ) originally and still going strong in 2011.
***Some of my grandkids and two boyfriends, late 2010 on vacation in Colorado.
***Me, Ray Auxillou around 1959 on Miami Beach a few days before going to Havana,Cuba and getting into the fall of Havana and President Batista fleeing from approaching Fidel Castro. What a wild two weeks that was in Havana.



****Ray Auxillou the travelling stage magician. Lordy me, this must be at least 30 years ago?

***Me Cap´t Ray Auxillou in Miami, with sailboat SOLITUDE ( Soveral 30 ft fiberglass ) and grandson Tyler Loeper and wife Silvia Pinzon. ( year mid 1990´s )