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.