The day at the boat dock

07/28/2017 I hate having a kitchen, dishes, pots and pans, the whole works. I hate cooking, preparing any meal of any type. I hate washing dishes, drying them and putting them away. I am NOT a foodie. I’ll take a peanut butter sandwich over any fancy meal there is. There. I said it. Food prep is not my friend. I go to bed hungry most nights because I am too lazy to make anything to eat.

I wasn’t always like this. When my boys were little I made everything from scratch, even their baby food. I baked all my own bread, canned, froze, you name it, I did it myself. I even grew chamomile and made the boys tea if they had upset stomachs or were fighting sleep. It’s odd, then I really didn’t have the time but I knew, nutritionally for the boys, I needed to do it. Now I have the time and have no desire whatsoever. None. I used to eat salads all the time but I don’t even make them anymore. Too much work.

I truly am one of those people who eats to live. If I could take a pill and not have to eat, I would be so happy. PLEASE, Someone invent one. If you have eaten at my house, I like you.

DISCLAIMER: I still relentlessly save food links on FB and on Pinterest. I should change the food category on Pinterest to: Meals I’ll never cook. It goes along with all the exercise videos in: Exercises I’ll never do. I’m such a damn phony. OMG. I just saved a banana bread recipe on Pinterest and a fried pickle recipe too. WTH?

We won’t start discussing my issues.

My new friend Emilio and I finally met. He found me online (somehow) and we connected. He has started the Roatan Community Online. We have been chatting online for months. He was in Roatan awhile ago but the stars didn’t align then for us to meet. This time, we were doing TOM’S shoes and I invited him along. Emilio is an amazing photographer/videographer and she got some great photos of us fitting at the Spanish Town school. You can find his photos on IG as roatancommunity and on FB at https://www.facebook.com/RoatanCommunity/  Take the time to look at his photos, excellent.

We met at Petrosun and set off for the day with my lovely friends, Barbara Blue, Trish Nixon and Judy Brownfield. Talk about a group of fun ladies. Shaken, not stirred.

The following day I picked up another new friend who wanted to help with shoes at a store close to the school. The school was right across the road from where we met. We started setting up shoes and chairs. Right before we started passing out the shoes, Miss Peggy from Clinica Esperanza arrived with some volunteers and a family who was on vacation and wanted to help out also.

After we finished up with the shoes, I dropped Lynette off and came home to see my buddies. They were awaiting my arrival and barked and howled like they always do. OMG, so loud. Gringo sounds like a wolf howling at the moon.

We had Chef Carl and his boys to our house for a swim day and pizza. What nice, polite, well spoken boys they are. I really enjoyed being around them. It was nice to cook for him for a change. Most of you know him as the owner of Cal’s Cantina.

It was nice to be able to really talk to Carl, he’s always so busy at the restaurant. Such a fabulous chef. I’m currently addicted to his chicken Caesar salads with a glass of Sauvignón.

We are still doing TOM’S shoes. It’s a lot of work and I give mad props to my bestie Nidia. Honestly, I don’t know how she does all that she does. Total amazement and so blessed to be a part of all the joy she brings to Roatán. She is the vision of what every woman wishes to be. Beautiful, confident, strong and capable of saving the world, if she had the time. I want to be her in my next life. But since that will never happen, I’m content to help her how ever I can. Because We Care was fortunate again to have the Live Again Ministry team down here with us, some stayed for 2 weeks.  These people are the real deal! They had a medical brigade with them, several young people, a Mother, her son and daughter and grandson. {Yes you, Honeycutt’s!} These groups have been working non-stop, day in, day out. They painted a kindergarten, they passed out shoes, they played with the kids, they checked their health situations and they gave out lots and lots of love. That’s really their biggest gift to Roatán. Plain and simple. LOVE.

Not only do they raise money so that BWC can do things for the island, they bring toys and shoes and hats and all kinds of wonderful goodies to give to the people on the island. This is my 3rd year volunteering alongside them, makes me feel very lucky.

On Monday we (Because We Care, BWC) and (Live Again Ministry, LAM) teamed up with a medical brigade with our sights set on St Helene. We were at Clifford, the Vice Mayor’s dock at 8AM, boat was to arrive 8:15.

The whole time we waited I never heard one person complain. Sure, we were all hot and tired but we made the best of the situation and just did the only thing we could, wait.

While waiting for a boat, any boat, the kids were coming to the afternoon school. I caught this little girl jumping off the boat, her ride to school.

We decided to try to go again on Friday and when I got to the dock Crosby was already waiting. Except we needed more than 1 boat. Once the other boat arrived we loaded up and set off for Serene Helene.

Our boat had to make a stop at the new Madeyso hardware store that opened in Oak Ridge. Just another location of a store that we do a lot of business with. Nice people, nicely run store. Once we got their pipes loaded on the boat, we were on our way.

So we’re on the way home and the tall guy on the boat asked where I was from. I said I lived here and was friends with Keyna and Woudsin in Helene. Everybody in Helene knows Keyna and Woudsin. I then asked if they knew Dr Perry? Perry Adelson was a well known dentist from my hometown, Williamsport. He and I met in the late 60’s. We hung out often around that time frame of our lives.

I knew Perry and Kay had land on Helene but I had no idea where it was until he was on island and took me to Helene for the day. I ended up spending the night, so beautiful there. Anyhow, these two guys could not believe that I grew up in the same town and have known Perry for 45+ years. Small world. These are my new friends Crosby and Eric.

We had a fast ride home, a little wet but we made it in good time.

I was so exhausted from the boat ride to Helene and back, passing out shoes and keeping the flow of students going that I asked Bill if we could go to Cal’s. I came home, washed my hands and face, took off my Mermaid hat, raked a brush through my knots and said, let’s go. We had a quick meal there, after glass of wine number 2, I was almost asleep on the table. I came home, fed the dogs, showered and crashed.

I met Nidia at 11 the next morning to pick up the wash basins that we were using for the senior dinner and to order cups for Marlon’s school. The cups have been ordered and are in. I’m picking them up tomorrow after I take Barrio to ProVets and then pick up Lynette for our beach day.

Marlon is the Principal at Froylan Turcios school. This is the same school that Bill made a loooong handrail for the steep uneven concrete steps going up to the school. Marlon wants to discourage sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks for the kids. He plans to begin on Monday with natural fruit juices and washable cups. My friend Julie generously donated money to buy the coolers and I have enough of her money leftover to buy 125 reusable plastic cups. Normally the schools serve things in plastic bags and they add sugar to everything, even milk. He wants that to stop.  I applaud him for his efforts!

The senior luncheon happened but that will be in a post all by itself. It was an epic event. I was there for 9 hours, setting up, making baskets, cleaning chairs and taking photos while chatting with all the amazing people that came. I didn’t help with the serving because I tend to stay away from any situation that would allow me to spill things on people (no grip strength). This was the liveliest Senior Luncheon I’ve ever seen. Even the minister from St Helene was dancing when they played and sang to “Kick the Devil Out.” After I left there, I stopped at the fire station and gave Alexi the T-shirts and suitcase from Ryan. I was so exhausted that I kind of passed out, then made stove top stuffing for dinner and went to bed.

I was up early the next morning because I was finally getting my mermaid on again. Kelly was picking me up and we were going diving at Blue Island Divers, of course.

We dove Wrasse Hole, with a plethora of fish. Ernesto finds the teeny tiniest things ever, he must have absolutly perfect vision. He spotted a minute sized drum fish, a small eel in a hole, tiny little cleaner shrimp, lobsters and a fire worm. I found a brittle star in a sponge but Kelly spotted the best thing of all. A big turtle. It was on the surface with it’s head out of the water, then it ever so slowly descended, swimming past us all. We watched as it descended into the deep blue. Magnificent. That’s my first turtle sighting in Roatán in my 10 years of being here. We also saw grouper, a large permit and Kelly’s favorite fish (to eat) a hogfish. So sorry I didn’t have my camera.

It was a fabulous dive as always with my favorite dive shop. I equate going to Blue Island with Cliff or Norm going to Cheers. Some of you may not be old enough to get that reference. Where everybody knows your name.

Bill is keeping an eye on a project for a friend down by the water. The night watchie found 2 dogs chained together, running through the woods. They got caught in the barbed wire so the watchie separated them. One ran away and the other stayed. Now she is in love with the watchie. She’s warmed up to Miguel, who will be living there and he wanted a dog so hopefully this one has a happy new home. She will live down at the property. I met her this afternoon and gave her some worm meds and cleaned her ears. On Monday we’ll start her on Heartgard and some fipronil for fleas and ticks. If she sticks around I’ll take her to get spayed very soon.

Just a few more pics.

I’m wrapping this up, have to go put the clean sheets on the bed and relax. Hope everyone has a great weekend. I’ll be at the beach all day tomorrow, don’t hate me too much.