We had Christmas dinner at the Sandbox with our new son, Fred. Was going to post a picture of us but they all came out too blurry. I'm not sure what that means but will try again soon. Anyway, it was nice.
We went to San Pedro yesterday to renew our visas for the next 30 days. As usual we planned to take care of that business and then spend some time hanging out there. But it was so busy we could hardly wait to get back so took the first water taxi heading this way.
Tomorrow we will welcome in the new year, Of course, in my case that probably means I'll be doing it in my sleep. I don't have a very good record of late night celebrations. Well, not in recent years anyway. There was a time, if dancing on the table and, even further back, dancing under the limbo stick count. But that was another life and another Diana.
Now, the sailboat news. It is a slow process but we are getting there. First it took longer than expected to paint the bottom of the boat (due to some extremely rainy weather.) Then it took longer than expected to arrange to have the boat set back in the water (due to workers being on Caye Caulker time.) Then when we got the boat out behind the house we found it could not be brought into the dock like last year (due to sifting sands that have made it too shallow near the shore. Where is global warming when we need it?) Then we found that the sail Lester bought last year just before we left is too long. So we found Fernando - the sail mending or sail making man, who is busy but will be able to get to it the end of next week. Since we had no way to get back and forth to the boat so Lester could continue to work on the boat and ready it for registration inspection he bought an old plastic kayak. This works for him but just barely. I won't be able to get on the boat from it.(due to getting old and feeble. Darn it!) So we are looking for a dinghy or skiff, which we wanted anyway. We have located two that are "maybe" for sale but both parties are not ready to sell yet (due to the hope that when the main group of tourists arrive later in Jan. there will be someone willing to pay top dollar.) While in San Pedro we did stop at the boat shop where Lester was able to find about half of the parts he wanted to buy for the sailboat. And that is probably the biggest problem. It is so difficult to find the things you need to fix anything. But, anyway that is the story of the sailboat, Gypsywind!

In the meantime I have been watching that split leaf philadendrum (sp does anyone have a dictionary?) grow and it is like watching a time lapse film. The leaves are huge, almost 2 feet long and one day I saw a new one unfolding, a process that took just that day. A few days later I found a new a shoot, maybe 3-4 inches long. Within 4 days it had grown to about 2 feet long and had unfurled another new leaf as shiny and beautiful as a new baby's bottom! I was so proud of it! And treated it with such love and care. So imagine my surprise one evening when we were sitting at our little outdoor table, sipping our regular end of day refreshment when all of a sudden a puff of wind caught my new beloved leaf and caused it to whip across the table sending my glass of wine flying all down the front of me. Naturally, it was a white blouse and one of my favorites. I ran into the shower and tried to soap down and rinse, but no good. But even worse than loosing this blouse was loosing the glass of wine. That stuff is so expensive here! As a result of this traumatic experience I have since decided to cut back on my wine as not only is it expensive here, but it is all settling in a roll around my midsection. Maybe the plant was just trying to tell me something!
Well that is enough for now. My backside is getting sore! Happy New Year to everyone!

I bought a big sack of dirt to use in planting our hanging baskets and to perhaps add a little color along the retaining wall out at the property. The dirt is extremely black and clumpy. Actually, it resembles a sack of horse manure and I have had some experience with that in previous years. But I plunged my hands right in and worked it into a softer more plantable consistency. Already the basil and arrugala is popping up and a few of the flowers are beginning to peek out. I plan to take the rest of the seeds out to the property soon and after planting there will save some to plant in several sites on the route back to the village. Kind of a Caye Caulker Diana flowerseed!

We have a giant philadendrum (sp) growing up the front of the house. Lester draped our Christmas lights over it in the shape of a tree and we are snapping pictures every evening and morning trying to find the perfect lighting. Maybe this is next year's Christmas postcard?

Today is Saturday which is the best shopping day here as the barge from the mainland comes in on Friday evening. All the produce is fresh and plentiful on Saturday and gradually dwindles over the week. It is all so good! We are eating well. okra, beets, tomatoes, eggplant, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, etc not to mention the to-die-for seafood! We have been eating at home as I kind of enjoy the challenge of cooking here and there has been a lot of rain. But if this evening is dry we are going down to the Wish Willy. Yes!

Lester is closing in on his goal to get the boat back ion the water by the end of next week. He has been repairing, chipping rust off the keel and getting ready to apply a coat of anti-fouling paint to the bottom before the crane moves it back into the water. Then a little fine tuning and we'll be sailing! Exciting!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Caye Caulker 2011/2012

As we pulled in to the water taxi dock here on Caye Caulker we felt a strong sense of coming home. A feeling that was further confirmed when we heard Fredrick, our 40+ year old adopted son call out "Mommy! Daddy!" He turned to the other taxi drivers waiting for passengers from the boat."I told you my family was coming back today" he said. Then he gathered our luggage and put it on his bicycle cart. He delivered it all to our porch, traveling all the way with a gap toothed grin on his face and a song on his lips. We love Fredrick! He carried my first suitcase here 8 years ago and I hope he is around to carry my last when the time comes.

Besides Fredrick, we were greeted with a cold front that persisted the first few days here. With the wind coming from the west (backside) of the island we are enjoying a cool breeze and the sound of water sloshing about in our little cove. Occasional cloudbursts alternating with bright sunbursts make life pretty interesting. You may start to the store in sun and return only minutes later in rain. It should be noted though that a cold front here just means that you may want to wear a long sleeved shirt. Not to be confused with a cold front up north which, by the weather reports on TV, seems to require more than that. A snow shovel perhaps?

I arrived a bit off healthwise. The details of said ailment I will not inflict on the readers of this blog but will just hint at the problem with these few clues: Urgent - visits - bathroom. Time and a trip to the local pharmacy has restored order in that area.

We have unpacked the storage containers downstairs and made our little cabin comfortable. A number of visits to local grocery outlets and fruit stands have resulted in a good supply in the cupboards and refrigerator. At least we have the important items like One Barrel rum and 5 lbs of lobster tails.

It turns out that the boat inspector due here in mid December, and for whom we made plans to come early enough to catch, has already been here. He was here on November 30, the day before we arrived. But it probably does not matter, as getting the sailboat back in the water has turned out to be a bit more complicated than expected. The woman who is in charge of the place Lester left the boat has left the island and only returns about once a week. Catching up with her is next on the agenda.

But we are happy and well and hope all those at home are the same. More later.

I am thoroughly ashamed of the blog this year. If anyone out there is reading it(and I have serious doubts about that possibility) he or she has probaly given up by now.
But I will try to write a little more now as we are finishing up our time here on Caye Caulker and about to move on to Glovers Reef and some travels in Guatemala.
Les has done a lot of work on the sailboat and we came close to being able to sail it. But when we rolled out the sails we discovered that we had two jib sails and no main sail. For those of you who have some knowledge of sailing, you will immediately recognise that we need one of each, not two of one and none of the other. That was kind of the last straw as our time is drawing to a close and we needed to make storage arrangements.

Fortunately, there is a marina out close to the airstrip and my property that has a big crane to haul the boat out of the water. Lester built a cradle to set it in and so that's where it now is. He cleaned the bottom of the boat and will paint it before it goes back in the water when we come back in December. Unless, of course, there is a hurricane that takes it off to sea or into the mangroves somewhere on the mainland before we come back. Cross your fingers!!

We had to have it hauled out with a crane because it has a fixed keel. The keel is the thing that hangs down below the boat and keeps it from turning over. The keel is my favorite part of the boat!

I hope you are impressed by my increasing knowledge of boats. I am learning all kinds of new terms and will probably become an old salt. Well, I'm not sure about a salt but the "old" part is certain.

So with the boat taken care of we are turning our attentions to the kayaking and our gardening project out on the property. So far we have a number of cocnuts started and a small banana grove as well as a flower bewd. Also we are going to the mainland to see the end of the annual canoe race (the Ruta Maya) and to attend the horse races (I didn't know they had horse races. Should be interesting)
On March 17 we leave for Hopkins village, then on to a week on Glover's Reef before spending some weeks in Guatemala. Home on April 14. See you all soon. Take care and love!

It was hot yesterday but there was a cool breeze on the porch where we ate lunch. We had a salad with nice fresh tomatoes, a deviled egg spread to eat on whole wheat crackers and perfectly ripened mangoes. Oh, and of course, our usual lunchtime rum and coke made with the local brand {One Barrel).
We rode the bicycles out to my property that morning and carried water for the newly planted coconuts and banana trees. Also checked on the progress of my latest sand delivery. Lookin' good! This should be all the sand I'll need for some time.
Stopped off at a friend's house to check on boat parts and got some good advice on how to solve some of the repair problems. In fact, the advice was so good that Les is hard at work and we are hopeful about being able to sail soon.
We are staying busy. Went to a neighborhood barbeque the other night, went out to dinner with Canadian friends (to the Sports Bar for Trivia Night.) We did not win but had a great time and some outstanding beer battered fish, and are going out tonight with Italian friends. We are going to try Don Corleone restaurant. I have lobster thawing in the refrigerator for tomorrow night! Ya'll come down and join us for an "All you can eat lobster night!
Kayaking planned for this afternoon. Wish you were here!

Apologies for not posting to this as intended and promised. Will try to play catch up now.
The time since our return from the adventure tour through Guatemala and Southern Belize has passed so quickly. We have been back and forth to Belize City a number of times for Les's dental appointments. While over there we do our shopping which, after much exploring of other stores, now mainly consists of purchases from the Ace Hardware and Brodies Department/Grocery store. They are within a block of each other and conveniently located near the water taxi terminal. We take a rolling suitcase to town with us and manage to fill it as well as several large bags.
Lester is buying parts and supplies for the boat (recently someone remarked that a sailboat was a hole into which one throws a lot of money. Pretty accurate description as it turns out.) Little by little he is finding necessary items or figuring out what else might work instead.
Besides groceries that cannot be found on island, I have been buying little items for the house. My redecorating project is about finished for this year. I have bad news for those of you who were fond of the lilac interior. It is now desert sand although I wish now that I had gone with a lighter shade of sand. (Jackie I need you!) But it does have a fresher look. In addition to painting, I bought a wall fixture for the bathroom so that we now have a place to put dental and grooming tools instead of trying to balance them on the little ledge by the sink. I bought a scrub brush and attacked the shower walls and floor while Les installed a new shower drain in the floor so we no longer have to stand in ankle deep water while surrounded by mildewed walls. A great improvement. We now have a rolling cart with shelves for towels. etc., another hanging basket in the kitchen for misc. gadgets that before we searched for and complained bitterly over "not being able to find anything!" (Actually that was me complaining.) A plastic canister set allows us now to store packages of salt, rice, flour, sugar and various seasonings in a relative humidity free location.
In the bedroom I now have nobs on the drawers instead of stubs that were hard to grip and open but were waiting to stab you if you came too close.
Meldy supplied us with a small table for the balcony and I bought a couple of plastic chairs from the plasticware salesman who tours the island with a mound of plastic items tied to a wooden basket attached to his bicycle. Now we can sit outside to eat or clink glasses (while smugly congratulating ourselves on enjoying the "good life" at the end of the day.)
Another thing we have been collecting on our trips to the city is potting soil. Big 20 lb. bags of the stuff. we have been planting sprouted coconuts out on the property and are getting ready to plant a small banana tree grove just as soon as we can find some sprouted bananas, (Ha!) Actually new trees sprout from the roots of older trees and we just need to collect a few and plant them out there. Also had 10 boatloads of sand delivered and spread out there. Back at the house we now have two hanging baskets in which I am planting herbs and they are sprouting up and doing very well. You do have to be careful when you say you are growing herbs here though as I've been told that an herb garden here could have an entirely different meaning.
The boat is coming along slowly. I offered to help this morning but was assigned a cleaning chore inside where it soon became too hot to work. I managed to stay a while by shedding some clothes which I won't specify except to say I had to stay out of sight of passing boats as it was not a pretty sight!
Anyway, we are extremely happy and enjoying our time here. It has been a bit cool at times but I won't go into that as we have been watching weather reports from your areas and know not to expect any sympathy when I tell you that occasionally we have had to pull a light blanket over us at night.
You all take care and I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog up to date in the future.