As we approach the end of our time here at Casa Alegria it occurs to me that I should post a final report.

We have enjoyed house sitting here.  It was especially fun to have Carol and Frank visit with us.  And having a car available made all the difference as to sampling so many great lunches at various restaurants.  The pool has been delightful and when we are alone and I am quite sure no one is coming over I have been known to go skinny dipping.  74 years old and this is my first skinny dipping experience.  Kind of wish I'd done it sooner when my body was in better shape and I didn't have to creep, fully covered, to the swimming pool's edge and look furtively around once more to make sure there was no one in sight before going into the water.  I have learned one interesting fact though.  Fat floats.  And even at 74 some fat filled parts can take on an unaccustomed perkiness while unencumbered in the pool. And that's all I'll say about that!

The animals have been fun.  And especially so since our travel schedule does not allow us to have pets. The orange cat, Ruby, remains aloof although she occasionally, and grudgingly, allows a small amount of stroking on her back.  The fluffy and mischievous Tiki delights in pouncing on me at unexpected moments (usually while I am asleep) at which time she declares her affection by sharpening her claws on thinly covered or unprotected parts of my anatomy.  Because it is such an affectionate gesture I grit my teeth and bear it, for a while.  She like to nap in various baskets some of them far to small to be comfortable and requiring much maneuvering to finally settle in.  And she can not be trusted with open cupboard doors.

Blackie is a sweetheart.  One would hardly expect it at first meeting (and maybe even 2nd and 3rd)  She is fiercely protective but once you come under her  protection and one of her accepted people she becomes your best friend.  She guards the house (and the furniture - just let one of the cats start to sharpen claws and she is immediately there with a reprimand.) She loves to dig for crabs on the beach and one night I woke to find her tossing a rather large one in the air in the bedroom.  I was concerned that she might manage to toss it in the bedwith me  but Les got it outside before that could happen.  She likes to catch other critters as well and for several days we kept smelling something dead in the bedroom.  I checked and Lester and I were still alive so it wasn't us.  Finally we found a dead lizard in her bed next to the wall where she was obviously enjoying the tantalizing aroma!

Yes, it has been another grand adventure in our already much blessed life.  A big thank you to Jon and Cathy for allowing us to stay here.  I wonder, what next?

Carol and Frank arrived and just in time for the great turtle search.  It seems that this is the time of year when the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs and this is a popular egg laying site.  Unfortunately this is an activity that occurs in the wee hours of the night which is not convenient for me (I like to sleep then!).  I made it one night and have since mumbled my regrets and rolled over in bed and back to sleep.   Carol and Frank, however,  are soldiering on and should a sudden influx of turtles appear on the beach  we will be alerted.

I am enjoying the cats, Tiki may suddenly drop into my lap or snuggle next to me in bed.  Ruby continues to be aloof but if I happen upon on her, resting on the couch for example, she will reluctantly allow me to pet her.  She tries to pretend she does not like it but that paw reaching out to knead is a dead give away.  I have fallen in love though with Blackie.  Once we got past the initial period of adjustment (the barking) she became the most loving dog.  Now she is my shadow and I am becoming more attached to her every day.

The house is awesome! We are enjoying the pool, playing games and dining out!  Couldn't ask for any more!

Mexico Adventure

A report from our latest adventure here in Isla Navidad, Colima, Mexico.  We flew into Manzanillo on Saturday, August 17, and are about 20 minutes from the airport near the towns of Barra de Navidad and Melaque.  The house we are watching  is called Casa Alegria and is about a block off the ocean.  WE are near enough to hear the waves breaking on the shore and can see the water from the third floor crow's nest viewpoint as well as from the balcony off one of the upstairs bedrooms.

In addition to watching the house we are caring for three pets( Blackie, a Labrador mix, and the cats, Ruby and Tiki)  This is an awesome house and the pets are becoming more comfortable and affectionate with us every day. Lester has started Spanish lessons with a young man in Barra.  He is learning the language as they stroll around the streets and go into shops, etc.

We spent the first few days with the owners of the house (Jon and Cathy). They were our tour guides, driving us around the area where we enjoyed the sights, all the while pointing out the best places to eat (many of which we have already visited.) and where to shop.  We have been on our own since they left on Tuesday  for Seattle.  The maids (three of them) came on Tuesday and swept, dusted, changed beds, etc.)  The pool guy/gardener was also here..

We had a pretty spectacular storm Wednesday night with lots of wind and rain and lightening strikes close enough to make the hair on your arms stand up.  It was this storm that began the bonding process with the animals.  They wanted to be close during that time!  It rained again on Thursday and this all really cooled things off.

We made a practice run to the   airport this morning to make sure we would not get lost tomorrow when we go to pick up Carol and Frank Rosa who will be joining us here for a while. Also stopped at the Bodega (grocery store) again and stocked up on more supplies.  The restaurant food here is so good I originally announced my plan to eat out every day but have since decided that is not exactly practical.  Besides I do enjoy learning to cook some of the local products.  Lester came home with a recipe to cook chayote and we had it with our dinner last night.  This is a very good thing as they have these in Belize as well and I never knew what to do with them.  This afternoon we went swimming in the pool (a skinny dip!!) and we are going to drive down the beach a little later to a place called Coco Cabanas for a margarita before coming back here for dinner.  (Life is so hard!)


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Oh dear!  Here we are in April and I am way behind in posting to this again.  We only have a week left before we leave Caye Caulker and start our sightseeing travels on the way home.  WE will be going home through Guatemala and Honduras, leaving from Guatemala City for Sacramento on April 30.

But for now a report on the activities here at our second-home base.  Les is getting ready to pull Gypsy Wind  up out of the water for this year's absence.  He has some work he wants to do, one of which is painting the bottom when we come back. In preparation for this he has been building a cradle for her to rest in and the other day we rode our bicycles out to inspect the site and make final arrangements with the manager of the marina.  On the way out we stopped to see Gilbert  (the resident crocodile)at the pool where he hangs out.  Well, Lester saw him.  I never have seen him as my eyesight is so bad.  But, according to Lester he was on the other side, resting in the shade.  I am scheduled to have my cataracts removed this summer so expect I too will be seeing Gilbert next year.  Or, I will find out someone has been pulling my leg and that dark form over there in the shade is a log.  (Gilbert seems to have the same level of activity as a log.)

On the way back we stopped to visit with Carlos (of Carlos Snorkeling Tours) and that made my day as Carlos is cute and charming and a bit of a swashbuckler (obviously descended from pirates).  Then we went over to have breakfast at Amor Y Cafe and that made Lester's day as the owner, Micah (Dutch lady) is very attractive and also possessed of her share of charm.  A further bonus - they serve the best breakfast on Caye Caulker.

Today we went over to San Pedro on the water taxi to renew our visas.  They run out on the 6th and we won't be leaving until the 11th.  You are supposed to get 30 days whenever you renew but they only give you 29 days so at the end you are always short and have to pay another $25 for a few more days.  Some people refer to that as being "Belized". We came right back on the return water taxi as we are not great fans of San Pedro.  Too busy for us!

The other day we had a perfect sail.  The water was so beautiful, the breeze just right.  It was a good way to end the season. One more thing about the boat.  Because of maintenance problems (like the motor mount breaking and the motor falling in the salt water, etc.) we have not been able to sail as much as we wanted and while waiting for parts to arrive Lester has concentrated on installing and renewing the woodwork in the cabin with really awesome results.  I am proud of the amount and quality of work he has put into the boat. Now we have to just keep our fingers crossed that no hgurricanes pass over Caye Caulker this year!

Last night we went to Habaneros for dinner and I swear that  is the best place to eat in the entire world.  Granted, I don't really have the expertise nor even the experience  to claim that honor for them but instinct tells me it is so.  I have a new favorite there.  My old favorite was the Brazilian Pork (and those who have tried it will back me up as to how good that is!)  However, hard as it is to believe, there is another dish there that edges it out for first place.  It is a seafood stuffed pasta with a sweet coconut sauce.  Oh my, to die for!!

And then there is my story about the fish I caught.  I like to go riding on the bicycle early in the morning when there is hardly anyone out yet.  Rules of the road here seem to be based on whim and you never know when you will round a corner and find someone smack dab in your face on your side of the street,  To make matters worse, people here often carry their babies  in the bicycle basket and I have nightmares about running into someone and knocking their baby flying.  But anyway, I rode down to the split and watched a fellow fishing there with just a hand line, a hook and sinker, and a piece of sardine for bait.  It looked like so much fun I went and bought the same equipment and the next morning tried it myself.  Guess what!  I caught a nice yellow tail snapper!  I brought it home (stopping to show off my catch to some of my friends on the way, and, okay, I admit it, even to a few people I'd  never met before)  I took the fish out back, scraped off the scales, cleaned it, and brought it in and wrapped it in foil with veggies and seasoning, cooked it in my mini nu-wave oven,  and we had it for lunch!  It was delicious!

So that's some of what has been happening here with us.  We are torn between wanting to stay on forever and wanting to get home and see everyone there.  But it is time! So goodbye Caye Caulker.  See you in November!

Well, shame on me!  My last post was at Christmas!  Guess I'd better get busy and get in a few more reports before it is time to go home.

One problem was that my computer was on the fritz.  All of a sudden a portion of the keyboard was frozen and it is very difficult to find words that do not contain e,r,t,d,f,g,h,c,v,b,and n.  And then, since the space bar also did not work, what few words you might be able to make would all be run together. Example- sixisquizjoy.  Not only is that hard to read but it doesn't make any sense and certainly does not pertain to nor describe our adventures here in Belize.  But that is still no excuse.

Anyway, the quick trip back to Northern California to take care of business enabled me to take the computer in for repairs and for only $71.00 I again have the use of all of those letters plus the space bar.  The time in Live Oak was busy but well spent.  Went through mail, paid bills ahead again for next three months, closed out Mr.S. books, did taxes, went to Dr.appt and Eye appt and renewed drivers license (missed one on written test), and was able to spend precious moments in between chores with friends and family. Main focus- Grandchildren!!

But I was ready to return to Belize and had a wonderful homecoming when I arrived.  Lester at the airport with golf cart taxi waiting!  Brought my friend, Lee, and her son back with me.  They are renting #3 house in front of us for the month.  Lee and I have already made a trip out to south end by my property to take a yoga class, eaten dinner at the Wish Willy, and are making plans for Habaneros and the ultimate in fine dining, their Brazilian Pork Chops! They have taken the Lamini (Mayan Ruins) trip today and probably in a couple of days we will don our bullet proof vests and venture into Belize City to visit the museum, the culture center and the farmers market. Oh yes, and we did go out snorkeling which consisted of Lee and I bobbing about in somewhat choppy water and finally climbing back in the boat to have a nice visit while the other two passengers went off with the guide.  (I really could not see the guide managing two flailing women while trying to take the other two on a tour.)  But the sun was warm, the water was beautiful and it was worth the trip just to be out next to the reef!

I'm in a cooking mood so today will be making a curried shrimp and vegetable dish for dinner and chili for tomorrow.  A local lady makes the best flour tortillas so will pick those up to have with the chili.  At the same time I am going to experiment with making an earthquake cake (recipe from neighbor Mary in Panama) in that little round express cooker that I use to bake corn bread, etc. It will only make about a third of a cake. We'll see how that works out.

And finally, one of the best things about Belize and especially Caye Caulker is the local children.  Besides being so very beautiful and sweet, they play outside at all the old games I played as a child.  hide and seek, marbles , rolling tires down the road, building things in the sand and dirt.  Very simple entertainments.  Brings back good memories to watch them.  Of course, soccer is very popular and living by the soccer field, as we do, gives us the chance to see what talented, agile and determined ball players they are.  And they start young.  You hear very little crying or whining here and on the rare occasion that you do, you'll probably look around and find it is coming from a tourist kid.  Children wear white shirts and blue shorts or skirts to school and most ride bicycles, often older siblings with the younger ones on the handlebars.  They are extremely well groomed.  The families seem to take great pride in their young ones being well dressed and  tidy.  A local once told me some years ago that the children here belong to everyone and everyone watches out for them.  This has proved to be so very true.

More later.....