I'm no longer in the coastal flatlands of North Carolina. I'm temporarily back in the "middle of nowhere" Kentucky while I look for a place in WA state.
06/05/2016 OK, I’ll share the secret that I was hiding from you in the last blog.
Teri’s new companion and Frito Bean’s new Mama deserve a blog post of their own. As many of you know I have been trying to re-home Frito for quite some time.
Frito, the day I found her. She was wandering a school playground, being teased by the kids as she rummaged through cans looking for food, all on 3 legs. Her right front paw had a compound fracture that was days old, the bone sticking right out of her paw. She let me take her quite easily. I lured her to my car with Fritos.This was the next morning after I found her. Doc tried to push the bone back in her paw but couldn’t do it and he said the infection had spread up her leg, he needed to amputate. We put her on the ferry that afternoon bound for Le Ceiba and his clinic.The poor girl. I cried rivers that day.This is the ferry returning the day she came home, March 15th, exactly one month before she gave birth. I was a wreck until I saw her crate being offloaded. She was standing up in her crate and was so glad to see us. I cried more.We were diligent about keeping her wound clean and washed it daily. Doc did such a good job that there was never an issue with her healing at all.She was ravenous. Was and still is. I imagine it’s second nature to a street dog.What a resilient soul this dog has.Cleaning her up was a nightly ritual for a few weeks.Then we just kept it covered after the stitches were out, trying to keep it clean in our dirty environment.
What I never imagined when I brought Frito home {aside from her being preggo} was that she and Lola, who I rescued from a car mechanic 4 months prior, would soon not like each other.
Lola was six weeks old and flea and tick infested.Lola was living under cars at my mechanics garage with her mother.
They were best friends when Frito came home from having her amputation. Even after Frito had the babies 1 month later she and Lola were hanging like BFF’s.
Frito and the 7 dwarfsHealthy little suckers, especially since we didn’t know she was pregnant until 2 weeks before their birth.Once their eyes opened and they were walking we started carrying them out to the grass to play and it was Lola who instantly bonded with them. She was only 6 months old then.They were hers and while she never went after Frito, her body posturing showed dominance.
Soon after Frito decided not to nurse the puppies, (5 -6 weeks) who had immense fangs, Lola stepped in as surrogate puppy sitter. Frito had less and less interest in the pups and Lola assumed the watchful eye duties. The pups were always wherever Lola was. By this time Frito was chilling like a villain elsewhere. She had other things to do and they did not encompass caring for her children. Unfortunately a mentality not uncommon on this island.
Frito was undecided about relinquishing parental duties.Lola had already laid claimThey were hers.
Lola was so good with the puppies that Frito began to resent her involvement and started to get aggressive with Lola. At first I assumed they would work it out but it got to be pretty intense, so much so that they were separated.
In the meantime, I had Frito and Lola spayed, hoping that may curtail the animosity between them. It didn’t phase either of them. Frito hated Lola, plain and simple.
The pups grew, 4 of them went to their new loving homes and Lola was even more bonded with the remaining 3. It got to the point that the fighting was out of control.
I went to Spanish class one Friday and afterwards Bill was to meet me at BJ’s. When I got there Roger gave me his phone to call Bill (guess I forgot mine) because there was a dog fight and Bill got bitten by Lola. She didn’t mean to bite him, he was trying to get Frito’s teeth off of Lola’s ear. Lola’s tooth went almost through his thumb. Nice puncture wound.
From that point on, they were totally separated and guarded. Frito escaped once and went chasing Lola upstairs, Lola ran into a crate to hide and I got Frito under control and back out front. We were always guarding one or the other, worrying about separating them and just plain scared that they would go at it again and one of them or the pups would get hurt. We tried to find a home for Frito two times on the island and neither worked out.
We kept Frito downstairs, she had a bed and a futon, food and water and we would have her come up and play with the boys while Lola and Highway were on the porch.
Frito is in the pink collar (the one with 3 legs)Frito on the left.L to R Gringo, Max, Barrio and Frito
Once the front fence was done we started letting the boys and Frito out together so they could rough house and play with their Mama. That’s pretty much how it was for the last few months, strategically moving dogs to avoid fights.
Little did I know that the answer to our prayers would be coming to visit us. Teri fell in love with Frito and after a few days said she wanted to take her home.
We did some groundwork and got things rolling. Since UAL does not allow dogs on board at all, except in the cabin, and Frito was too large to fit under the seat. We sent her north as a companion animal. I know, I know, abusing the system, but not really. It was our only option, UAL forced our hand and Teri had a legitimate need.
The day Teri and Frito were leaving we had the boys inside with Frito one last time. She was still rough with them, I guess they give it out and she returns it. She knows how to handle them.
The 3 boys and their MamaPutting Max in his place.Free for all, well, Gringo was more interested in the 2 green beans left in her food bowl.Frito on the left, Max in front of BarrioFrito and BarrioMy bean
Olivia and I took Teri to the airport, I held onto Frito while Teri checked in. Once again, Frito was a hit..
At the airport, she was keeping an eye on me. I think she was a little nervous, as was I.Waiting in line to check in.Saying hello to some kidsJust before they went through security and before I started crying..Frito flying from RTB to Houston, she was really good on the flight. Just like she’s done it many times before, no big deal.Flying First Class from Houston to Seattle. She was especially excited when they served food.
Teri had her car at SeaTac in Seattle and had a 2-hour drive N after the flight. She said Frito sat in the front seat, looking out the window. She wished she could have read Frito’s mind; the look on her face was one of amazement and total awe. She had never seen so many cars, lights and buildings before in her whole life. Frito was wondering where the hell she was. A new land, a new home, a new city, state and country and best of all, a new Mama who would love and care for her. It was a great new beginning!
Frito is luxuriating in her new home in the woods of Everson, WA. She has a one-level house to roam, lots of property outside, a brother who is bigger than her, 2 cats and some alpacas that she has decided not to chase.Her vet visit on Saturday. She is going to the same vet we took our animals to in Everson. They knew Highway quite well.Sleeping on her Mama’s lap, snug as a bug.Chilling on her brother’s bed. He likes her and she likes him, they will be fine together.
Frito really is an amazing dog. I rescued her, severely injured from the school grounds in Los Fuertes, she had a painful surgery and was pregnant (we had no clue) at the time. We were concerned that she was gaining so much weight, realizing one eve that she was pregnant when we saw a tiny paw push against her belly. Then she went into labor at the vets and had 2 pups there, one on the way home in my car, another as soon as we arrived, then 2 more. She ate a huge meal and had # 7. She never was nasty or super protective of the pups, she just went with the flow. After she had them, we kept her and the pups downstairs where it was quiet. She would come upstairs and wake me when she had to go potty. For a street dog to never have an inside accident, well, that’s just incredible. She never destroyed anything, never did things she wasn’t supposed to (except eat 40-50 beef flavored heart worm pills at once that I was storing for the traveling vets and the beef jerky out of KP’s suitcase), she really was an excellent dog and she deserved a better life than we could offer her.
This was meant to be. Teri needed a dog and Frito needed a home that was free of conflict. She needed to be where she could be appreciated for the fabulous dog that she is. She has that now, 100+%, Teri adores her and Frito will have an excellent life in the States. We miss the bouncing Bean, but know we will get photos and updates all the time.
Enjoy your new life Frito Bean, you deserve the best and Teri, thank you a million times. XOXO
06/06/2016 Obviously my absence indicates that I’ve been busy living the island lifestyle. And, oh what a life it is. I am so happy I figured out how to live this life I have been blessed with.
My BFF from WA. arrived the 19th, it is her 5th trip here with us. I went to Nadia’s in Sandy Bay to do something about my wretched roots (I went brown with blonde highlights, we’ll see what this looks like when it grows out) and when I was done there I had a meeting at the airport and was there to meet Teri when she arrived. We made a few stops before we got home. Teri was tired so we hung out here and just chilled. She had not see the house yet so we had a few (sic) drinks and caught up on life.
Teri is a cancer survivor and a tough lady. I have not seen her since her diagnosis and surgeries. She has been through a lot in the last 2 years and I feel bad I wasn’t closer so I could have been there for her. She does have a great family and lots of friends so she didn’t go through the cancer and surgery alone. Still. She is now cancer free so this trip was a celebration for sure. Celebrating seeing her and the fact that she is cancer free. Like I said, tough lady. A survivor.
Teri was staying in our downstairs condo for guests and along with the condo you got a dog for a companion. Frito was living downstairs because she wanted to rip Lola’s face off. Frito is a survivor too, pregnant, found by me and rescued, leg amputated and 1 month later has 7 healthy puppies. Survivor to the max. They bonded instantly and Bam! Frito was sleeping with Teri. OK, back to the other story, this one will be competed in another blog. (you know you’ll have to see what happens)
On Friday morning as soon as Alexi got here we went to the soccer field at Froylan Turcios, a school in our area. We had 2 sets of soccer jerseys to pass out to the kids there. We had been in touch with the coach and he was very eager to have them. Many thanks to Dave and Trish Symons for ALWAYS bringing things to the island for the kids and the clinics. They have brought (and given to me to distribute) so many soccer uniforms, many of the island kids have been blessed with their gifts. They also gave me some soccer balls, almost new. Brand new compared to what these kids have.
Their eyes got huge when Alexi kicked the new ball onto the field.Starting to pass out the uniforms.Teri B with the kidsMe passing out goodies.These kids were so excited, I got several hugs.HAPPY HAPPY HAPPYThe 2 teams, nice kids, very appreciative.
We took Alexi with us because the coach doesn’t speak English, always nice to have an interpreter. The coach was extremely grateful for the uniforms and said that he would keep them in his possession and only pass them out at games. There was even a coach’s uniform for him, I doubt he has ever had one. Thank you Trish and Dave!
I am a firm believer that if kids are involved in extra-curricular activities, such as soccer, they are less likely to go down the wrong path that seems to be the easiest path on this island to follow. We are keeping a close eye on Alexi, the 17 year old who has adopted us. He would much rather be here than home (I tell myself it’s not just because of the wi-fi) and has told us that many times. I am always buying him clothes at Mega Paca and he is very grateful for anything we give him. We spend time with him, encourage him, support him in his school endeavors and tell him all the time that he must learn to read and write English (that’s what he is going to school for.) He speaks English and Spanish but can barely read or write Spanish and has no English reading or writing skills, he is another lost soul due to the inadequate education the island kids receive. What the hell will these kids do when they finish school? Where will they ever find a job? Manual labor is their only option, we want more for Alexi. We are encouraging him to learn to read and write English in the hopes he can get a job on a cruise ship and do some traveling. It’s much better than the job situation here and the only way he will ever get off of this island.
Recently my car horn has begun randomly beeping. It happens mostly when I’m coming up our driveway. The other day there was a good sized Monkey LaLa lizard running up the drive and I stopped so I wouldn’t hit it. Every time I started to go, my horn honked. I felt like the damn road runner, beep beep beep beep. By the time Teri and I made it home we were laughing our butts off. Bill can disconnect the fuse but then I won’t have a horn and driving on Roatan requires a horn, turn signals and brake lights are optional.
Friday afternoon Teri and I made our way to BJ’s, of course. Marilyn’s daughter was there and she was singing with the band. She was very good! We hung out there for a few hours and visited and danced. Well, I danced but I didn’t take any pictures.
We got home in time for Teri to go to Cal’s Cantina with Mr. John. Bill and I stayed home because the pool was being delivered and I didn’t want to miss another grand island ingenuity episode. I was not disappointed.
The truck arrives. I see it, I see my pool.The other one is for our neighbor’s, they got the same as us. They backed this big truck up to the base of our steep hill.How many men does it take to lift a 1000# pool?A lot of muscle.They flipped it over onto the bottom so they could drag it up the hill.Heave ho!Really, this happened. The guy in the orange shirt is Leo Arch, cousin of my friends at the Iguana Farm. He is the boss.And this is where it hung out for a few days which on the island equals mañana.
Yes, we are the only people on the whole damn island with a 20′ pool tied to a stump on our hillside. Really, that sets us apart from the others. No slouches here, we go for the opposite of ordinary.
Saturday Teri and I were meeting my friends Mike and Liza at their rental in West Bay and spending the day together. We snorkeled and then went to Bananarama for lunch. It was a gorgeous sunny day in West Bay and the beach was empty.
When you stick your head in the water and see this. Awesome, love starfish.Tangs galoreFrench Angelfish swimming with the TangsOne of the most amazing fishTeri B taking it all inwell hello Mr. Fishfish lipsLloyd Bridges aka Mike ClarkI think this is a coney fish??Parrot fish eating algae and coral and then they poop sand.French AngelfishBeautiful living coralNeon gobey on brain coralMy favorite, a Christmas Tree worm.Beautiful BananaramaTeri B chillingThis dude on the flyboard was amazing. He must have been a rep for the company or something because I’ve never seen anyone that good before.Mr. GQ. (Mike)Teri and Mike floating at West Bay beach
We had a great day with them and didn’t get home until dinner time. I had planned to take Teri to Mega Paca on Sunday morning but she was sick, as was Liza and they both had the same dipping sauce with their meals at Bananarama. Not pointing fingers, just saying. Teri was pretty much down and out on Sunday. I messaged my friend who is a nurse and she said to start her on Zithromax, which I had on hand. She felt better in the morning. Liza was sick too and she was traveling. UGH…
We spent another one of our days at Parrot Tree pool and got eaten alive by the bugs there, it was as bad as being at their lagoon. It was still a good day because a day in the water is better than anything else.
Still beautiful despite the bugsTeri floatingUnder the falls
I’ve been trying to help Nidia finish the TOM’s shoe deliveries. Teri and I went to Alexi’s English school in Politilly and I measured the kids there. We also got the list of sizes needed at El Higuero, a kinder near me and I measured all the kids at Miss Norma’s school in Jonesville.
This is the kinder in El Higuero.We delivered the blue desks a little over a year ago, thanks to Linda Edwards, who bought them.The kids in Jonesville at Norma’s school.Then we had to go to where Nidia and Live Again Ministries were fitting shoes in Barrio Los Fuertes. This is the school where I rescued Frito March 10, 2015. This is also where I got the name for Barrio.They had a supply of shoes there so we took what we needed but still had to go to the storage unit to get the rest.Luckily my friend Dave from Live Again Ministries went with us because neither Teri nor I could have opened this door.I brought all the shoes home and separated them so they could be distributed to the 3 schools.Checking my list..And when I was done, I went down to John’s pool.
Teri and I spent a lot of time in her future pool (Mr. John’s, the neighbor), it felt so good and immediately lowered our scorching body temperatures. I think we were in there almost daily because the temps have been HOT! In between dips we delivered the shoes to the kinder and to Alexi’s school. Marcia and Dennis picked up the ones for Jonesville and delivered them since they live out that way.
Teri and I got a little pre-occupied the last few days before Olivia came, in fact Wed. and Friday mornings we were taking care of business. (to be disclosed later) Once business was done we went to BJ’s again Friday and visited with the gang and ate some french fries, yums. There was a good crowd there and we danced a little bit and got a little crazy.
Jonna on the left, then Casey, Tara and Marilyn. Casey and Tara are Marilyn’s kids.Marilyn and family (and Jonna)Gail giving her husband Mike (second from L) his birthday cake.Terry’s shirtBJ giving a little speech and thanking people.Kids sitting next door waiting for a boat ride home.
Sunday Olivia arrived so Teri and I headed to the airport to pick her up. We took Frito with us. She was the center of attention and she ate up every second of it. She is such a good dog and is so easy to have around. Frito was great at the airport, very well behaved, she let a few kids pet her and even some adults wanted to visit with her. She is an attention monger for sure.
Frito getting some head pats from this cute little girl.
It was nice to have Olivia join us, it’s the third time the 3 of us have been together on Roatan. Never a dull moment.
Olivia, Teri and I headed to West Bay beach on Monday so we could have a beach day together. We parked ourselves at Bananarama again but this time, no dipping sauce for anyone.
Our chairs at BananaramaBeautiful beach, beautiful dayThe water was so warm and the beach was deserted. Just the way I like it.
While at the beach we saw the crowd of people out on the boats watching the Caribbean Cup Freediving Championship. After West Bay we stopped in West End so Teri could do a little shopping before she went home the next day. We even made a stop in Shawn Jackson’s gallery, always a pleasure.
After we got home and washed the sand and salt water off of our bodies we had dinner and sat on the roof talking and thinking of fun things to have on up there. Like an ejector bar seat that would catapult you into the pool, unless we didn’t like you, then it would set you down on the main road to get a taxi. I need this in my life.
On Tuesday Olivia and I took Teri and her companion (not telling you yet) to the airport and said a tearful good-bye. After that we ran some errands, stopped at Mega Paca and then came home and floated in John’s pool. Again.
It is absurd to me that I have a pool that can’t be used. It’s like a big freaking tease.
After hammering out 2 blogs in a few days, I’m going to go chill and watch them hook up the pipes for the drains and skimmers and jets on the pool. It’s getting closer, I can’t wait to be the first one in.
06/05/2016 Between getting my house ready for company and helping to host the East End Senior luncheon, time has flown by. The last I blogged was before my company came, May 19th. I have been busy entertaining and having fun with Teri and Olivia, I’ll fill you in on that in another blog or two.
The senior luncheon was held at Turquoise Bay on the 18th of May. It was a glorious sunny (hot) day with a nice breeze on the beach. I couldn’t go as early as I wanted to because Bill had to run errands and I had to stay here until he returned so the dogs didn’t harass the worker guys. I got there around 10:30. The tents and tables were all set up and I was amazed, there was already a group of people there from Helene. The party didn’t start until 2 but they were there before I arrived. When you boat from Helene you want to give yourself enough time to arrive.
The seniors were being driven right out on the beach so they didn’t have far to walk in the blazing sun on the steaming sand.
It was a beautiful venueTrying to keep everyone in the shade
The food was not scheduled to be served until 2 PM and the staff at Turquoise Bay was preparing all of it. They brought the cake out quite early and I was sure it was going to melt but it didn’t, it stayed nice and chocolately and yummy looking.
It was so big they brought it on a sheet of plywood.
The Live Again Ministries provided financial support and helpers for this event, as they did last year. They brought hand fans for everyone, nice handkerchiefs for the men, a colorful assortment of wash cloths for the ladies, bracelets that said Live Again Ministries on them and small key chains. We had many pairs of reading glasses donated by Jan Walkeden and Trish Nixon and friends, thank you for those also, they were a huge hit!
Many thanks to all of my friends here on the island and in the states who donated money to buy the food baskets. We were hoping to get enough $$ for 25 baskets and ended up with enough for 32 so we raffled off the extra ones and made several people happy.
A vast array of colored washclothsNice men’s handkerchiefs and gllassesAll the pretty baskets lined up in a row.Pastor Ronny Russell of Live Again Ministries helping to pass out baskets. This is the second year in a row this group has been instrumental in helping Because We Care make this luncheon happen.Daine’s granddaughter learning about giving to the elders. She was a great help.I was worried that this gentleman was sitting alone. Nidia went up and talked to him and he was enjoying the view and waiting for his buddies.So nice for these people to be together and have time to chat and catch up.Auntie Clara in the pink. She is 100. I went to her 100th birthday party last year. Across from her is Miss Catherine Wood. She turned 90 the 23rd of May. Her daughter Daine is a friend of mine. Miss Catherine is an island gem.The royalty tableThis sweet lady was so into the music she was clapping and moving to the beat.Nidia giving Auntie Clara a lightweight fleece blanket made by the industrious ladies on Brass Hill.Miss Catherine, isn’t she beautiful?After the people had eaten they did a traditional “maypole” using a tree. There were assorted fruits tied to the tree branches and everyone danced around the tree. They took turns getting in the circle and dancing.So much fun, music was supplied by Jimmy Connor, but he was in this circle dancing.Jimmy is the guy on the left with his arm up.Nidia and Jimmy dancingThen the music stopped and someone yelled Rob the Tree and everyone ran and pulled the treats off of the tree.One of the men with his new handkerchief.My sweet friend Carly helping to pass them out.No cake left, it was delicious.Miss Catherine, Daine and Daine’s granddaughter Maddie.This lady was leaving and even though she had a cane she was dancing to the music as she passed the band.Nidia getting Auntie Clara in the swing of things.Then there was the clean up.
Many thanks to those who donated:
Kevin and Claire Bloor, Robert McNeill, Marcy Schwartz, Franklin and Francie Christopher, Walt and Judy Kaiser, Eric and Carly White, Alex and Marilyn Poirier, Trish Nixon, Pam and Pete Peters, Wendy and Andrew Flood, Kathy Shupe and Leif Shaver, Janice Carter, Lisa Blythe and Rob Baker, Ana Svoboda, Brian Harris, Jeanie and Roger Moore, Infinity Bay Resort, Turtle Beach, Bob and Debi Cowan, Made in Roatan, R Church, Peggy Stranges, Nicole Brady, Erika Galindo McNab, Ron McNab, Theresa Renee Arriaga, Steve Hasz, Milesse Kennedy and Duane McNab. And a huge thank you to Pastor Ronny Russell and the Live Again Ministries group, you are all amazing people, we couldn’t do what we do without your help.
I really wish you all could have been there to experience these amazing people. I get so much more out of these events than the people who they are for. This is a big social event for the island elders, they only get to see the people who live in their communities every now and then. For them to get to see relatives and friends they haven’t seen for years, it’s a big deal. It makes me realize how much we all take for granted, the ability to hop in your car and go see a friend, or to have lunch with a group of friends. This is not in their realm. They don’t have transportation nor the money to go and do these things. There is no Social Security for you when you retire, you’re on your own. It’s the main reason one of these events is so important, just acknowledging that we know they are there and that we care enough to bring them together, to raise money for gifts and to have people like the Live Again Ministries be there for us at each and every step of the way.
Would any of this happen without Nidia? She has the biggest heart on this island and in the few years I’ve known her I have seen her bring smiles to so many people, just doing little things and letting them know she cares. Sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most..
05/14/2016 My sweet friend Ann and I were discussing twitisms on FB messenger and she started sending me jokes from a “Broomstick” FB page. This photo: Ride it Like You Stole it, resonated. Thank you Ann, you saved me countless hours searching for what I wanted to convey.
Ann and I were obviously meant to be friends, we seem to share the same humor, we speak on FB often. We have secrets. We make plans, cheer each either on. We drink wine together, virtually, because you see, we have never met. The power of FB. I know when we meet it will be like planets aligning. Things may even be momentarily right in the universe. This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius. Dammit Ann, see what you did?
I’m amazed that it has been this long since my last blather blog. I haven’t been busy, have I? Maybe I have and it’s all been a giant blur.
Well, except we had sweet boy Barrio neutered on Wed. That kept me busy for a good week.
So stoned…..
He did not do as well as his brothers and ended up with an infected incision, (probably from licking it every time I looked away). He also got a cone. He was a cone klutz. I have had many dogs wearing cones before but none at clutzy as Barrio. I don’t know if he is mentally capable of “getting even” but he did. He would ram the back of my calves and lower thighs with the damn cone. It was like jet propulsion except there were no rockets shooting up my ass. Damn. Anyhow. It hurt like a mother. He was capable of moving me along at the speed of light, I have scars on the backs of my knees to prove it.
Barrio AKA Conehead with his bone from Linda and Mike.
Doc always gives Cephalexin and says use iodine, for everything, but it is really not a broad spectrum drug and in the case of Barrio’s oozing incision, it was the wrong medicine. And Iodine, well, I won’t even go there. I contacted a vet friend and she concurred with me and said to put him on Clavamox (dog amoxicillin) for 10 days and to use antibacterial cream. She said it probably got infected by him licking it and introducing dirt into the incision. Two days on that medicine and he was a new dog, except for the &%$*#@^ cone of shame. He slept with us for a week, I would wake up with his conehead laying by my pillow. I felt so bad he had to wear it and am so happy we are done with it.
Bananas out the wazoo. Too bad I’m too lazy to bake.Yes, Gringo slept like this.
For those of you familiar with my Orca shoes. They died. These were the coolest shoes, the left one fit my foot perfectly and it was very comfortable, the right one, not so much. I spent the 10 years I owned them trying to alter my right foot so that shoe felt good and I could wear them. (My opinion is they were seconds when I bought them at Ross). I recently cleaned out my closet, 2 garbage bags later, it was down to the final shoes, this was one pair I decided to just wear. After about 2 hours with them on my feet {remember I’ve only worn flip-flops since Nov. 2012} I took them off. It was then I noticed that they were disintegrating before my very eyes. I was devastated but I tossed them in the trash.
The elements here are nastyRot took over
Last week I dog sat while Bill ran countless errands acquiring things for the myriad of shit we have going on. Construction on the garage, patio, deck. it’s everywhere. Construction=DIRT. Obviously I am too stubborn (stupid) to admit defeat. I don’t remember a thing from that week except binge watching Project Runway while I kept the dogs from eating the workers outside. So much fun, I kid. Really, I do. It was sheer hell.
Awhile ago I met Marcy on FB (I was determining whether to admit her to a closed Roatan group that I am an admin on). She was coming to Roatan and arrived this past Saturday. The rest is, well, as they say, history. We are friends. Friends enough that she stayed with us this past week in the guest condo. She owns a doggie day care in Mass. so she was very comfy with the dogs. She looked at properties and decided on a piece of land not far from here and made an offer on it. While she was looking at property all day Tuesday with Alex, I worked at BJ’s with Marilyn and the crew. Then Marcy came with me on Wed. and Thurs. to work at the bar.
The day after Marcy arrived we went to Mega Paca and met Pam who needed some ground rules for shopping there. After we were done shopping we met my friend Melissa and drove down in to Juticalpa. I had 2 giant bags of clothes for her and Marcy had coloring books, crayons and shoes for the kids.
CutieNew shoesShoes for both the girlsShe brought her little sisterI love this photoAnd then there was this pup, starving.Marcy feeding another oneThe cat was so hungry it was eating the dog food.We had no more pink shoes in her size, she didn’t care, she loved her black Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle crocs.Passing out the last of the booksKeon, my friend Melissa’s son. He is well cared for and a real sweetheart.
We actually put food out for a few dogs who were starving and they ignored it, which is a bad sign. They are past the point of being able to eat and are waiting to die. What they need is to have IV’s with fluid and stuff pumped in to them, but this is Roatan and that doesn’t happen. Very sad and depressing not to be able to help.
As you know (if you read my blog or saw me in the last week or so) that we, as a community, lost a good friend. I am still dealing with that. I did not know them as well as others did but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care a great deal about the two of them. A small group (10) worked this past week in the bar, cleaning up, sorting, re-arranging, recovering bar stools, painting, just little things, and we did it for BJ, so she would have a place to come home to after what she went through losing Carmen. I only helped 3 days but I worked really hard. So hard that I couldn’t stand up straight, my back was protesting. Even my house guest helped 2 days and she busted it, painting, scrubbing, cutting contact paper, hard work. Thanks Marcy! There were only a few others and those few individuals worked their asses off, they did the majority of the blood sweat and tears to revamp BJ’s. It’s still BJ’s, it always will be, only better!
The new bodega, we moved the freezers and extra frig in there. We also had shelves added and put pots and pans on them. The floor was painted, as were the walls and the shutters.We cleaned and cleaned. We scrubbed refrigerators, thawed freezers and cleaned them.Marilyn, passed out. Really, she was giving her back a break, it was hard work!New bar stool covers, we tacked them all down. The old brown ones can be seen laying on the bar.Me holding them down while Marilyn staple gunned them.Yep, it’s how we roll. It was a labor of love and for the nay-sayers and people who are bitching because we did it, go away, find something constructive to do instead of finding fault with everything. Dig a hole and crawl in it.
After working 3 straight days at BJ’s we decided Friday was fun day so we set off for the Reef House at around 1. When we got to BJ’s a few people were still busting butt, finishing up the place so it would be presentable when BJ arrived. Jimmy picked us up in the boat and took us over. There was a small crowd but some of the usual suspects were there so it was a good day.
The Banditos minus Alex were playingMarcy and meIt was Larry’s birthdaySo pretty thereI found this in the water, there was nothing living in it.The Reef House Rockettes, Charlene, me, Marcy, Marilyn and PamPam and MarcyMe and Charlene, who was swimming in her braCharlene, Pam and meKeri
We had a great time there, wandered home around 4’ish. Marcy and I both ate there but Bill threw something together for dinner anyhow. It was an early to bed evening for us all.
I had airport duty in the morning and Marcy was moving to the Calabash Bight Resort for the second week. Bill took her to meet Pam, who was boating Marcy to CBR and I met Kim at the bottom of the driveway and we went and did our thing at the airport.
Sunday morning is my Mega Paca day and this past Sunday was no different. I got there at 9 AM and noticed the generators were running in the mall, meaning, no power. Our power had gone out but it came back on very quickly. I went in the store and the power was on, then it went off. I’ve been there before when this happens and it usually comes right back on once they get the generator working. Well, it didn’t. So I did what any normal obsessed shopper would do, I used the flashlight on my cell phone and shopped. Soon after I turned my flashlight on, others did too. Soon the store was lit by cell phones. The power came off and on many times, mostly off. I had a few dresses I wanted to try on so I did and an islander shined her cell phone on me and said yes or no to the dress. I did the same for her.
The light you see is the light from outside and a small light from someone’s cell phone. Total darkness. It was fun.
I bought 2 beach towels, 2 bath towels, a nice red bucket, a Banana Republic dress for $2.30 and an awesome skull shirt, along with a few other things. It was a good day shopping in the dark.
My cleaning gal came today and is coming back tomorrow to do the downstairs. The garage will soon be ready for the roof and windows, the huge concrete patio is poured out front and more exciting news to come out back.
Everyday is an adventure, and I’m trying to live it to the fullest. Tomorrow we are setting up for the senior luncheon that happens on Wednesday @ Turquoise Bay Resort. We expect about 300+ seniors for lunch. I’m looking forward to it and will take lots of photos for my next post.
On Thursday one of my BFF’s from WA is coming for 2 weeks and while she is here another BFF from Maryland is joining us. Lots going on in the next few weeks.
05/01/2016 This is an old post that I hid for almost a year due to a request from someone. I’m not hiding it any longer. Sometimes the truth hurts.
Fridays the gang usually meets at BJ’s Backyard but BJ is in the hospital on the mainland so the festivities were held at The Reef House. The Reef House is just a short boat ride away from BJ’s. Dave and Trish came to our house and we rode to BJ’s together. From there Jimmy picked us up and took us to The Reef House. My friends Davey and Dilcia own The Reef House but they were in Atlanta, returning the next day. They missed the fun!
Just beautifulMy own private poolcrystal clear and super warmPlaying cornhole
All the usual suspects were there and then some. The Reef House is situated right on the water and unlike the water at BJ’s, this is nice and clean and swimmable. We ladies got in the water and floated around, it was fabulous, felt like it was 90 degrees. I just wore a swimsuit and a cover up, I was amongst friends, who cares. Trish and I were in the water for quite awhile, just hanging out and chatting.
Trish and I enjoying the water. Photo by Melanie Wood.In heavenTrish and meAwaiting Marilyn. She was slow because she had precious wine in the glass..Marilyn, me and Trish
After 1 too many glasses of wine I gathered the ladies for an epic plank on the concrete dock.
Bill is the picture takerThen we got more people to join us. I think this photo is Melanie’s tooPeople thought we were looking for fishFor a moment we considered a pyramid but then we remembered we were drinking and we were on a concrete pier. Thanks Melanie for the photo!My friend Kelly, he so rocks this hat!!Bill and Terry talking.Dave, Grizzly the dog and Bill.Marilyn and me, photo by Gail.Keri and I, maybe we were dancing, not sure. Photo by Gail.
I am pretty sure I had a blast there. We left around 3:30-4, came back here, Trish and I showered off the salt water and we went to Cal’s for dinner. Mr. John, our neighbor was there eating alone so I drug him over to our table and then my friend Mitch came, so he joined us. We had a great meal at our favorite food hang out on the island.
Saturday was airport day and I had a fabulous group of ladies working with me. Marilyn and Cindy rode in with me and Laine, Kimberly and Jill all worked too. We got 539 PAX in and out of immigration in 2.5 hours. It was super smooth. I came home and fell asleep on the couch. Woke up, ate something, and went to bed.
Sunday is my Mega Paca day, I was there at 9 AM. My new friends Erik and Jan (they went to Guanaja with us) were meeting me there. We shopped until after 11 and then went to my house to grab some onions before we went to La Sirena for lunch. I really wanted to show them more of the island since they so graciously give their time volunteering here, doing whatever they can to benefit Roatan. Bill decided he wanted to go with us, he’ll never turn down a meal at La Sirena.
It’s a good thing I took onions because when I went inside to hug Jimmy, the owner, he said, we’re out of onions. I said, no worries, I brought 2. No way was I NOT having onion rings.Love this placeWhile we were sitting there Betty and Joe and Llyn and John and Lucy came for lunch too. Plus there were friends inside when we got there.Diego. We first met him when he was a little pup (July of 2012).Bill, Llyn and JanWe stopped at our Mondays Don’t Suck beach so Jan and Erik could see it. There were a lot of locals and a considerable amount of trash.So gorgeous!
We dropped Jan and Erik off at the mall and they got a taxi back to Sandy Bay. The dogs were happy to see us when we returned, it’s like we’ve been gone for years! Of course, we had “other” dogs smells on us so we were in trouble for that.
This past week has been a slow hot week. Monday Bill and I ran some errands but didn’t really do too much. The temps keep creeping up and the humidity is a killer. Once again, I cleaned, then let the dogs in. I don’t know why I even bother, if I allowed the dog hair to accumulate we could be transported back to the 70’s with a shag rug look! It’s never ending.
On Tuesday we took Alexi home, armed with new soccer uniforms for the guys he plays soccer with. They play on the beach right next to the water in Politilly. He was so proud to be able to be the one handing out the uniforms, it made him feel important.
Alexi, first row, rightThe guys were happy with matching jerseys and shorts, the other teams don’t have them.Their fieldGuys kitesurfing! Pretty awesome to watch.
Thanks again to Dave and Trish Symons for bringing all of these uniforms from Canada. There are still a whole teams worth to take to the school down the road from us @ the Froylan Turcios school. There is a soccer field right across from the school and Bill already spoke to the director, she would love to have them.
Wednesday was snip snip day for my baby Max. I normally would have had him neutered a long time ago but shit happens and I was busy many Wednesdays. I am super protective of these pups so I wanted him to be done when I could spend time with him and keep an eye on him to make sure he was eating drinking, peeing, AND, not licking. Of course, my vet didn’t have any cones to discourage that.
I hated watching this but wouldn’t/couldn’t step away.
We had taken Gringo with us because he has two lumps on his chest. I was afraid they were hematomas like the one he had before but Doc said he is fat, and they are fat deposits. Gringo is on a diet. Bill took Gringo home while Doc removed Max’s family jewels and then came back to get us, poor little guy was wiped out.
I sat with him all day and kept him in front of and under a fan. I fed him ice chips and kept rousing him to wake up but he wouldn’t. Finally, later in the day he began to come to. Bill carried him downstairs and he wobbled around, {looked like me last Friday at the Reef House}, and then he peed. We brought him back upstairs and let the rest of the crew inside with him.
We wanted him inside with us at night so he got the luxury of sleeping with us. I spent most of the night awake making sure he wasn’t chewing his stitches out. The next morning he had an appetite so I gave him some eggs and yogurt. He was still either stoned or felt the loss of the testosterone, he was just off. I had a hell of a time keeping him from licking. I did find a place that has cones so I’ll get one for Barrio for next week when he gets snipped. The real feel temperature yesterday was 108. Hot as hell.
We have guys here working in the backyard so the dogs can’t be out there running loose and Bill is pouring concrete out front. This means I am running a poorly funded, barely functioning version of Deb’s Doggie Daycare for Dysfunctional Dogs. And I wonder where all the dog hair comes from.
Last evening we had just finished dinner and the power went out. It was weird. We have 2 feeder lines coming in here, don’t ask. First one went out, which meant part of the lights, then the other one did. I am so thankful my new laptop battery works and we have battery backup for the internet. I posted on the electric company page that our power was out and saw that friends from one end of the island to the other also lost power. It was island wide. One whole island in the Caribbean sea was dark. I laid on the couch and aimed a flashlight at Max’s man parts so I knew what was going on there and dozed off and on. Very grateful we live where we do and that we usually always have a breeze because last night and all day yesterday I was sweating uncontrollably and I did NOTHING. I couldn’t, I was too damn hot. With no fans when the power was out the breeze was appreciated.
While I was on Guanaja I saw a dog that was hurt, sick and bleeding. When I took Max to my vet on Wed. I talked to him about the vet there and he gave me her phone number. Bethany, Doc’s assistant told me, “you know who she is Deb.” I said nope, I don’t. Bethany said she is the lady who was caught with 63K in cash traveling to Belize. Turns out the $$ was properly accounted for and she was charged with nothing, however the government, being as crooked as all others, kept 1/3 of her $$. She does a lot for the island of Guanaja, which is more primitive than Roatan is. I called her on Wednesday and explained the situation to her. I told her I had a photo of the school and the dog so I posted them on her vet clinic FB page. She owns the clinic and said she would have the vet go get the dog and they would take care of it. Aside from being a dog rescuer, she has a very distinguished past, she is uber famous. While alone in South Dakota she discovered the largest T-Rex skeleton in history, it is named after her. Read her article here, click on Highlights at the top of her page for the T-Rex story.
I spent almost 30 minutes chatting with this lady on the phone. I’m telling you, this island life is so freaking amazing. I love my rock!
I made the dogs some new treats, no bake because who can bake when your boobs are melting off?
Peanut butter oatmeal balls
3/4 c peanut butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 water
Mix well, add 1 1/4 c oats, 1/4 c at a time.
Shape into balls, freeze on cookie sheet w/ wax paper on it. Once frozen store in ziploc in freezer. My dogs prefer them slightly thawed when eating them and they LOVE them. Well, Highway won’t eat them because he thinks there is a pill in them. He’ll eat the pumpkin ones though. And he thinks he’s so smart!
Friday is my day to misbehave with my friends, however, I spent it at home, dogsitting. Bill poured 1/3 of the concrete garage floor and his back was killing him, he was done for the day.
Friday afternoon Nidia called me. She had been in Oak Ridge at the school when she heard a shot. Not thinking too much about it, she went to BJ’s to see if I was there. She realized when she got there that the party must have been at The Reef House again because none of the usual misfits were there and BJ’s was closed. She saw the lady who sells pineapple cookies every Friday and she told Nidia that Carmen, BJ’s husband, had shot himself. He was dead. Nobody is really sure what went down other than the week before, on my way to the Reef House, I went in and hugged Carmen and asked about BJ. He was upset, saying he didn’t know how BJ was and he was told he had to move out. He was 78 years old and he felt he had nowhere to go. (My friend recently told me that three different people offered him options. She also said, most suicides in elderly are successful because it’s not a cry for help, it is their choice of a solution.) She’s right. What happened was Carmen’s choice. Knowing that helps, but it doesn’t make me any less sad.
A week later (Friday) the lawyer and the cops came to evict him and he got a gun and killed himself. We are all in shock, profoundly hurt, not sure why someone didn’t recognize that he was desperate. There is a big black cloud of anguish hanging over the east end of Roatan. Oak Ridge and BJ’s will never be the same. BJ is out of the hospital but none of us have seen her, she is in Sandy Bay, hasn’t returned to Oak Ridge yet. She is doing much better, the internal bleeding has stopped. I hope she makes it through this. I hope we all do and that at some point we can accept what happened. Blink, and your life changes.
BJ and Carmen at the Pirate Party Feb 4th. He was pointing his finger at me (I was in the pool) and saying, “girl, you better behave.”
RIP my sweet friend Carmen, you will never be forgotten. Oct 2, 1938 to April 29, 2016.
Carmen’s obit was just shared on FB so I am sharing it here so that those of you who never knew him have an idea of what the man was like. This is the best written obit I’ve ever read, it’s like Carmen wrote it himself.
He was born Feb. 12, 1938, in Pascagoula to Floyd and Ava Byrd, passed away in Roatan, Honduras on April 29, 2016. Carmen was a graduate of Pascagoula High School Class of 1955 and University of Southern Mississippi. He was a beloved brother, a prodigal son, a well-intentioned father and probably a better husband in theory than in practice. Carmen loved women–probably too many–and was loved by them in equal measure. As a young man, he dove from the Pascagoula Bridge at midnight and swam home to Gautier, was rumored to be the first to waterski jump barefoot, and taught Elvis how to waterski. His career spanned days as a proud Marine in Oki Nawa, where he once played a trumpet solo for the Emperor of Japan; as an orderly in the psych ward of a hospital in California; ups and downs as an elevator repairman in his then father-in-law’s business; a successful general contractor in New Orleans (until he wasn’t); an owner of a dive resort and marina in Roatan, and most recently, as the chief entertainer at his wife’s restaurant, BJ’s Backyard in Roatan. His suspected career was imagined by some to include stints as CIA operative, DEA agent, drug smuggler, jungle guide and exotic fish consultant. We may never know which were true and which were someone’s fantasy, but we do know Carmen thoroughly enjoyed the speculation. Hearing issues caused by firing deafening artillery in the Marine Corps led to the title of his as-yet unwritten biography, “Consonants and Context Clues; the Life of Carmen Byrd.” And when that book is written, it will tell the story of an adventurous spirit, a teller of tales that seemed tall but always rang true, a debonair rake, and a lovable scoundrel. His ego was large, his heart was larger and he could strike just the right pose for any occasion. He has left a throng of heartbroken survivors, including his wife, BJ Ebanks of Roatan; his devoted sister, Carolyn Byrd Norton of Washington, DC; his children, Kimberly Erwin of Louisiana, Ashton Byrd of Phoenix, AZ, Shannon Byrd of Roatan, and step-daughter Tracy Ebanks of Roatan; his nieces Amanda Norton Miller of Alexandria, VA, and Julia Norton of Washington, DC; his grandchildren Amy Harris Schwendimann and JJ Harris, James and Maegan Byrd and his great-nephew Ryan Miller. –
04/25/2016 Two weeks ago on Monday morning I was trying to get in to see my dentist because I had a miserable toothache. I could see his assistant but not him until Thursday so I said I would wait until Thursday. About a year ago he put a temporary crown on a tooth but won’t put the permanent one on until I go see an endodontist on the mainland. I was to do that last year. OOPS. What can I say, the tooth didn’t hurt until now. So, I waited.
Monday my cleaning gal came and did the upstairs. It stayed clean for a while. Well, until I let the dogs back inside. I’m a walking oxymoron it seems. Pay a cleaning lady to clean up the dog mess and when she’s done, let the dogs in. What makes sense about that? Nothing.
Our friends were coming over for a long overdue pizza dinner that night. We had a great evening, drinks on the roof, pizza on the porch, back on the roof for after dinner drinks. They don’t mind the dogs, they have one of ours so they were cool. Even the dogs got treats.
Peanut butter and yogurt whipped, put in Kongs and frozen.Siamese twins
It was a fabulous evening with good friends and great conversation.
I started to help deliver shoes again on Tuesday at the Juan Brooks school in downtown Coxen Hole. It was hot and humid, sweat was the word for the day. When I got there they had just started fitting shoes. We had a family from CA. and a group of young women from The World Race. Take the time to click on the link and see what these ladies do. They travel 11 months a year to very remote places and do mission work, strong, amazing young women. They spent their second week here on the island at my friends home.
When I got to the school, the fitting was in full swing.
The 3 girls seated on the left and the girl on the left standing were all part of The World Race.This is a big school in the center of town.Nidia, checking her list.It was just the boys in the photo but the girls photobombed.So many kidsDoing school work in the cool breezeway.
Once we finished Juan Brooks we went to a small school by the airport.
The schoolThe fitters and the fetchers..our helpers, The World Race ladies had to leave part way through the day so we got teachers to help fit, and my friend Jan, in blue scrubs. She is a volunteer nurse at Clinic Esperanza and is from Park City, Utah.Old for newThere was a never ending stream of kids.WaitingThe sink at the store by the school. I got to see it close up because I LOCKED MY ONLY KEY IN MY CAR. Bill had to drive 40 min to where I was, get a mechanic on the way, so he could break into my car. UGH!! Need to get a new key made, soon.
I made it to the dentist on Thursday and he was shocked I hadn’t had my tooth taken care of. He doesn’t know me very well. It didn’t hurt, why bother, except he reminded me, I still have a temporary crown. He once again said I need to go to the mainland so I need to fit that in to my schedule soon. After that I took my car to get the part fixed where the guy broke it jaibreaking my car and also got the oil and filters changed. Good to go, again!
On Friday Nidia came to my house and we headed east to BJ’s. We hung out there for awhile visiting and then we left to go do a soccer equipment delivery at a field near Pandy Town, could be considered Fiddlers Bight. Pastor Ronny Russell and the Live Again Ministries and Theresa Renee Arriaga helped with the money for this donation. The coach took the stuff to the field but the kids didn’t know what was in the box.
The coach had the box on the back of his motorcycle. The kids were beyond anxious with anticipation.Nidia talking to the kidsSilly boysHuge field in the middle of nowhere. I think this land separates Pandy town and Fiddlers Bight.Nidia asking the boys if they know what is in the box..Who wants new soccer stuff?What an assortment of stuff, shoes, balls and uniforms.Could he have a bigger smile?Nice shoesHappy kids with new uniformsThis little guy was adorableExciting, soccer shoes.WOW! Soccer shoes are rarely worn here, nobody can afford them.New soccer balls!A goalie uniformSent from Diunsa on the mainland.Perfect timing!The coach and 3 boys standing near their community water supply.
After there we scouted out another potential place for the senior dinner and we think it’s a great spot. More on that later.
I did my airport gig on Saturday, fast and furious as usual. The next morning was my usual foray at Mega Paca and let me say, I got the PERFECT Pirate Party dress. Can’t wait!!
We were going to go to Bonacca and Guanaja to deliver shoes on Monday but that fell through so we were shooting for Tuesday. I met Nidia in Oak Ridge Tuesday morning. Let the adventure begin. OMG, it’s a good thing I’m pretty much game for anything.
We were going in the big boat. The OLD slow boat. The boat with few seats.Nidia found a perfect seat..It was rough on the way over, took 4 hours, I was sitting on my butt on the boat floor and I was soaked. FOUR HOURS!!Some people slept, or tried to.You can tell which way the wind blowsGetting off the boat in Bonacca.The Venice of the Caribbean
Bonacca is a small town made of homes on stilts connected by waterways and walkways. There are no cars or motorcycles on Bonacca. To read more about Bonacca and it’s history, click here. It was really amazing. Clean, very narrow streets, everyone smiled or spoke to you, education is at about 97%, which is amazing. We got to meet the mayor, a very young guy, progressive thinker, he seems to be doing quite well. We also met the director of all the schools on Bonacca and Guanaja.
View from the restaurant.Bonacca springs water.Not sure why the clothes were out on the roof, my guess was to dry them?Kids on the street
After we had lunch we gathered the shoes from the Municipal office where they were stored and went to the first school on Bonacca. It was a medium sized school and it was spotlessly clean. There was no trash laying in the schoolyard, outside, in the rooms, NONE. How impressive that the Mayor has set these standards and the teachers and students are held accountable.
Schoolyard. These boys were playing soccer with a ball of paper wadded up into a ball shape.New shoes, thanks TOMS shoes!D, Jan, Tony and Erik waiting for the next class to fit at the school.These boys had big feet!Bonacca is so cool!
After the 4 hour boat ride, fitting the kids with shoes, most of the people wanted to shower and chill for awhile. Nidia, Cookie (her daughter) and Nidia’s sister Rose Mary and I wanted to go on a boat tour so we found a guy to take us out. It was so beautiful. He took us east, around The Villa on Dunbar Rockand through the little stilt homes built off the shore of Guanaja.
I have wanted to see this place for years. It is magnificent!The Villa must have cost a fortune to build, all the steel and concrete beams sunk down into the rock, what an incredible place. You can rent all or part of the house. There are 10 bedrooms!!There was a small village of stilt houses off the shore. In the background of this home you can see Bonacca.These two homes have a bridge between them. Of course, we went under it.Bonacca
We were asking the boat driver where to eat and all of a sudden he manuevered his boat into this small space, tied it up and we got out.
We followed him down this narrow hallway, up some stairs and there was this cool little restaurant! We decided to eat there.Many evacuation signs posted all over.We meandered back through the maze of streets to our “hotel” to find the rest of the gang. They were scattered all over.Internet cafe??This sign is classic.These boxes were stacked in every nook and cranny in Nidia’s room.
Some of the guys were down on the dock so I walked down to them with a wine bottle and a plastic cup in my hand. I really wanted some wine but couldn’t get the cork out. (it was uncorked but I stuck the cork back in it). Erik to the rescue (all the while Tony is saying he has pliers) but who needs pliers when Erik’s teeth work just fine. POP came the cork. I had VINO!!
We gathered the group, 12 of us, and went to the restaurant. It was a really nice place, cool breeze and they were very busy. It was aptly named Sea View.I happened to take some cars with me and gave a few to the owners son. Thanks again John and Lizeth, I’m still passing them out.This sweet little guy was there with his family, the littlest one and the only boy. I gave him 2 cars and he was immediately busy running them up the chairs, on the table. I think he was occupied for the evening.On the way to the restaurant we grabbed another bottle of wine. It’s a good thing because Nidia, Rose Mary and I drank 2 for dinner. This is Nidia leaving the restaurant.
After that we meandered through the streets and back to our hotel where we all crashed. We were meeting at 7 for breakfast and 8 to do shoes.
Jan put this back on but the shower still sucked and it was cod water.Maybe the rubber band was to hold the shower head on.Expert air/co installationGood thing we didn’t need drawers!
I slept very poorly that night, even w/ the air conditioning I was still hot and the pillow felt like it belonged to Wilma Flintstone. I was happy to see morning!
Some of the people went to breakfast, I had packed a week long supply of food. (I know, odd for the girl who doesn’t like to eat) so I had a bagel. We started carrying the boxes downstairs and loading them in the wheelbarrow or carrying them to the school. This school was right next to the one we were at the previous day. It seems like the schools on Guanaja are much better equipped, the library was full of books, world globes, pencils, crayons, impressive.
Well stocked libraryFitting shoesYes, they all want new shoes!!Nice classroom
When we were done with this school we loaded the boxes onto the same tired old boat and set off for Savanna Bight on Guanaja.
We even fit kids on the boat!The locals call this the egg house. It has 3 bedrooms, a bath, full kitchen , living space and a deck all around it. It is for sale and it’s built well enough that it withstood Guanaja getting hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.Leaving Bonacca for Savannah Bight, GuanajaAnother view of Dunbar RockKarl, Nidia’s son, King of the World. He just left for Germany, by way of Miami, to go to college.This is what drew me to the Bay Islands!Getting ready to dock at Savannah BightCarrying shoes from the boat to the school.BeautiesThe girls were sweeping but as soon as they saw the camera, they were posing.So cuteI love their responses when they see their photos!They spoke English also, at least the majority did.Nothing better than smiling kidsView from the schoolCleaning the classroom before we set upAll handsome, the boy on the left had beautiful eyes!!Not camera shy and silly as anything.Waiting their turnThese kids were so darn adorable!A school deskCookie (Nidia’s daughter) Tony, a volunteer with the Roatan Marine Park and Rose Mary, Nidia’s sister on the left fitting shoes. I was sitting next to Cookie.
When we were done there a truck came and we loaded the boxes and ourselves onto the truck bed and set off for another school.
Rose Mary on the top of the truck, she had to watch for low hanging branches.There are very few cars but a fabulous concrete road. This is the service station.School # 4Another nice school. There were kids from 4 schools here to get shoes. I spotted the dog right away and called it to come over to me. It looked sickly. I noticed a few ticks on the dogs eye so I pulled them off and squished them with my finger nail. I was petting the dog when my friend said blood was dripping off of my hand. I looked at the poor dog’s ear and it was lacerated and infected. I immediately went to the director of schools and requested that he have the principal take this dog to the vet. (There is a vet on the island.) I told him if the dog didn’t get help it would die. If Guanaja wasn’t so far away I would go back and take care of the poor thing. I reminded the director 3 times. He more than likely thinks I’m crazy but I don’t care.Kids from 1 school in pants, another school (dressed like the girl in the plaid skirt) was there too.Yellow shirts are another school and kids in white and blue are a 4th school.My friend Erik, the pharmacist from Michigan. He is here volunteering at Clinic Esperanza.What adorable kids they were!!Leaving the school heading back to the boat dock. The man on the right is the school director.The director of the schools, Dennis, D and Rose Mary, on our way back to Bonacca.It was a smooth ride, we were inside the reef so some people sat on the roof of the boat.This is Graham’s Place.
Grahams Place has quite a following. I’ve not been but it’s on my list. It is a tiny tiny island surrounded by gorgeous calm waters and beautiful deserted beaches. Sound inviting? Click on the link and check it out. Truly a one of a kind place.
Our boat was old..Handsome Karl, what a great guy. He and Cookie will do well in Germany and make their mother even prouder than she is now! Fabulous kids!It was fun watching this guy off of a little cay.Back to Bonacca. The building on the right is where we had dinner the previous evening.Nidia was exhausted.When we returned to Bonacca we planned to get our stuff from the room and head back to Roatan; however we were greeted by kids wanting shoes. We had them go back to the hotel (sic) lobby and we fit them there. Then more kids came and more and more. We were there for quite a while. Since there were only 4 seats in the lobby it was mostly stand up fitting.Jan and Tony fitting. Jan is from Park City, Utah and Tony is a journalist from British Columbia. Jan and I shared a room.Rose Mary doing some stand up, sit on the floor fitting.The line stretched down to the corner and then some.
Once we were done here, we consolidated shoes so we had fewer boxes to take back with us. We were hoping to get a faster boat and after about 45 min of waiting, we did. It was a much smaller boat though, no top on it and it barely held all of us. Several times when we were out in the open ocean, all you could see were the swells of the water on either side. We were all pretty soaked when we finally returned to Oak Ridge. It only took about 2 hours to get home and we took a really cool cut through mangroves on the island of Guanaja. It was an interesting ride home to say the least.
The neat and tidy streets of BonaccaTaken from the second floor of the visitor centerBoats..everyone has a boat!Lots of kids with their new TOMS shoes on.Black spiny sea urchins in the water by the docks.A lot of our view on the way home was big waves and salt spray. The sea calmed once we got along side of Barbareta Island and was pretty calm the rest of the way. When we were out in the open sea in that small boat though, it was super rough. We would drop down in between the huge swells. Very exciting.
We got home around 6 PM. I was whooped and just wanted a hot shower and couldn’t wait to wash the layer of salt off of my skin. I got free exfoliation on the way there and back, a perk for sure.
I never quite know what to expect when I go on these escapades with Nidia but I do know that all of the kids (except for less than 6 who didn’t show up that day) on Bonacca and Guanaja have new shoes. ‘
TOMS shoes really does rock and I’m so blessed to be able to be a part of it. It’s tiring leaning over all day, carrying boxes, fitting and sizing but when you see the smiles or get the hugs you forget about any discomfort you may have and revel in the joy on the kids faces.
04/15/2016 The babies are 1 year old today. I am happy to report that the 7 pups and their Momma are all healthy and living fabulous lives. It breaks my heart every time I see a starving dog or a hugely pregnant malnourished dog wandering the roads of this island. People need to be educated and they need to understand that allowing a dog to continue to have/make pups is inexcusable and irresponsible. It needs to stop. My 7 pups were unplanned, due to a dog I rescued, I did the best that I could. Please spay and neuter your dogs and cats. This is a success story, but 99% of them are not.
I already had Lola, Lucky and Highway when I found Frito on Tuesday, March 10th at the school in Barrio Los Fuertes. We were doing a TOMS shoe delivery. There was a bone sticking out of her paw and it was infected. I lured her to my car with a bag of Fritos, scooped her up and left. I had already called Bethany, Doc Calderon’s assistant and also called Bill saying, “there is a dog..” Once we were home, I fed her, gave her fresh water and made her a nice bed. I then tried my best to clean her paw and started her on antibiotics immediately. She went to the vet on Wednesday (the only day there is a vet here on the island) and he wanted her sent to his office in La Ceiba. She left that day, the 11th, on the afternoon ferry. She was operated on Friday the 13th and came home March 15th. EXACTLY one month later she had 7 puppies. I just figured this all out the other day when I was getting sentimental about it being the pups first birthday. All along I have been saying, about a month later she had pups, when it really was exactly 1 month. More of that “it was fate” stuff.
Frito had a good life here after her surgery. I fed her a lot and she gobbled it up, after starving for most of her young life. She started gaining weight rapidly though. Three weeks after she came home from having her leg removed I realized she was pregnant. We were out on the lower deck and she was laying on her back on the bench and I saw her belly move several times. I put my hand on her fat, huge, burgeoning belly and sure enough, a little foot kicked me. DAMN.
The day I Frito gave birth to 7 puppies was more than a little change in my life. It was huge. I am all about responsible dog ownership. I would NEVER breed a dog, it is stupid to even think about that. Finding good homes is very difficult. Puppies are adorable but they grow up to be dogs and they become eating machines. They MUST get heartworm meds, flea and tick meds monthly, regular shots, wormed, all things that most people don’t think is important. Most of all they must be fixed to ensure that NO MORE PUPS are born. Here I was with an unintentional pack of puppies. I had no idea that when I saved Frito I was saving her and the 7 babies she was carrying.
Not gordo (fat) but prego!!3 was a good numberSo was 4How about 6?And then there were 7. Seven little dwarfs.Hungry little buggersThese 2 were destined to be together and we knew from the day after they were born that they would be. Sable and Bandit bonded at birth and are lucky that they were adopted together by 2 people who love and adore them. Thanks Lisa and Rob!He’s not heavy, he’s my brother.Sable and BanditSable and Bandit doing balletSable with LisaBandit and RobHungry pupsOnce their eyes were open we started taking them out to the grass. We had to make umpteen trips up and down the steps to get them all carried outside. Frito was still the milk truck but Lola was already forming a bond with the pups.Nursing in the grass. Frito was eating like a queen, she got spinach and eggs and yogurt, anything to keep her healthy so the pups would be healthy.They loved their outside time. Bill built an enclosure on the lower concrete porch that was shaded and dry. We put them in there for naps so we weren’t constantly carrying them all up and down the steps. Lola always sat guard. ALWAYS.They had an enclosure in the living room that grew to take up half of the living room. I was totally anal keeping it clean. I did 3 loads of dog laundry a day, washing bedding constantly.Lola guarding her pups.
Frito soon lost interest in nursing the pups, they had teeth and were biting her. She had mastitis too so I wrapped her teats in warm wet cabbage leaves. Yes. I did do this. When she recovered we kept her separated from the group so she would dry up. This is when Lola really took over as momma dog. She did everything but nurse them, not that they didn’t try. She never left the pups alone. If they were downstairs in the pen sleeping, she was right there with them, sometimes in their pen.
About the time Frito lost interest in nursing was when she and Lola started fighting. Frito usually went after Lola when ever she got near the pups which was all the time, since she was their self appointed guardian. It got to the point that we had to keep them separated because I was afraid the pups would get in the middle of all of the nastiness going on.
I took over feeding them. We went through containers of yogurt, eggs, evaporated milk some Karo syrup and rice cereal like crazy.I always had 2 containers of yogurt filled with their special AKC recipe in the fridge, ready for late night feedings. By the way they grew, I know they were getting proper nutrition.eggs, yogurt, milk, Karo, cereal..check.It was my life. I unknowingly allowed these pups to be born, I was responsible for their lives.
I started looking for homes but was very cautious about who I would give a pup to. Living on an island like Roatan, you must be selective. You have to be sure the people you give the dogs to will have them fixed, no more proliferating puppies on the island. You also need to be sure the pups will be fed, get regular vet check ups and be loved. It was tough, really, it was. I knew 2 were going to Lisa and Rob and was totally chill with that. They loved the dogs and would be good to them. After many conversations and messages I finally got Marcia to have her husband come over to meet the pups and he fell for Buddha, now called Duke. When Dennis took Duke I bawled. Tears of joy and sorrow. One of my babies (remember, I had myself convinced I gave birth to these pups so it was natural to be experiencing post- partum depression) was leaving the nest. Then Lisa and Rob took their two. I was prepared for that though, I knew they had a good home. That still left me with 4 pups and 3 other dogs, Highway, Lola and Frito. {Lucky, a dog I took from some people leaving the island who couldn’t take their 3 dogs with them, had by then moved to a friends house where he is much happier without puppies nibbling on him.}
Max had been spoken for by another couple but when he got really sick from Giardia and we almost lost him, they had lost interest by then. Thanks to Doc Calderon and Bethany, Max is fine now and a total love. Brindle (now renamed Gringo) also had a home but at the last minute things changed there too. We still had 4 pups. Bill’s sister was coming to visit and we took Max with us to pick her and Jenny up. While at the airport I saw Kevin and Claire. Kevin grabbed Max and took him to show Claire. Then he came back to me and said, ‘We want the big one showing his teeth in your pictures.”
They wanted Tank. I was happy and sad again.Lola watching the pups..Lola and Tank and Max, chewing on her tail.Lola with the 4 boysShe was so good with the puppies..so gentle, she allowed them to crawl all over her, chew her tail, her ears, her face..she was just chill.
Let me just say this, I may have been the one making all the food and cleaning up the messes but Bill agreed to my every whim to build things needed to keep the puppies safe. A big box downstairs, a box upstairs, a bigger box upstairs, backs on the steps so they wouldn’t fall through, rails on the porch, rails on the deck, barriers in the yard, you name it, he made it. All for the puppies. Or maybe to protect himself, because if anything had happened to one of these pups I would have lost it. He knew that.
The living room crate.. Thanks to Lynda for bringing me all kinds of towels and things for bedding.Sound asleep in the Le Creuset dishPassed out in their upstairs crate.When the pups were about 5 months old we all met (the pups and their parents) at Parrot Tree lagoon and let them swim and play together for a few hours. It was so cool to see them figure out who the other dogs were. And Sable was her regular kick ass self. Being the only girl, she was feisty as hell and took nothing from her brothers.Brothers and a sisterBandit, Barrio, Sable, Max and DukeGringo, Max, Duke and BarrioTwo peas in a pod, Sable and Bandit..Their love for each other is amazing.Our 3 boys and their MommaThe Beach Boys at Big BightBill hooked a water spritzer on the deck, they loved it.I’ve never allowed dogs on the furniture. These 3 wore me down.Rooftop rumble
We are down to 6 dogs. Highway, Lola, Frito, Max, Barrio and Gringo. They are all loved immensely. I can’t even begin to tell you how any times a day I kiss the dogs and tell them I love them. Bill is always loving on them too, they get a lot of attention. We have extended the fenced in area to enclose the whole drive way, they have the roof, the back deck, the lower deck and two yards to play in. Hopefully we will soon have a pool for them.
I consider myself very fortunate to have found good homes for 4 of my babies and I am good friends with their parents so I always know what is going on.
This is Duke. He has it made with Marcia and Dennis and their rottie, Shay. Thanks Marcia and Dennis. XOXOThis is Tank. I used to call him Tankerdoodles. He also has a life of leisure running and playing with the other dogs at Kevin and Claire’s. Kevin claims to not like him (hahahaha) but rumor has it he and Tank share kisses.. Thanks Claire and Kevin. XOXOAnd then there is Sable and Bandit. I stopped to see them one day and they went crazy kissing me. Lisa just marvels at how they remember their birth Momma. These 2 also have a fab life with a pool to swim in and parents who love them. Thanks Lisa and Rob. XOXOOur boys swimming last Sunday.The 5 that live upstairs. Unfortunately Frito still has to be kept separated because she wants to kill Lola. We feel really bad that this is the case and we are trying to help them to get along. Frito isn’t chained, she has a big yard to run in, she is Bill’s shop dog, always wandering around with him. She gets to sleep inside on a nice bed and gets food, the most important thing in her life.Every night, this is what our floor looks like. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
In closing, Happy Birthday to the 7 most loved pups on the island. Huge thanks and much love to Rob and Lisa, Marcia and Dennis and Kevin and Claire. You guys probably saved my marriage. If I hadn’t found good homes for the dogs, I would have kept them all. My love for these dogs grows daily and what they have given to me can’t be measured..it’s too perfect.
And remember people, SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. Don’t be an irresponsible schmuck.
04/13/2016 The TOMS shoes arrived and the shoe drive began. We started at the east end of the island. The first week we had volunteers here on a medical mission at Clinic Esperanza and the people from the Hogar Emanuel Orphanage in SPS. I also rallied some ladies from the east end to help out.
We all met at Barrio Lempira in Oak Ridge and split up into groups. My group (Marilyn, Gail, Cathey, Kathy and Marcia) went to Pandy Town. Pandy Town is one of my favorite schools, I like the teachers and the kids there. It’s the school I went to the very first time I helped with TOMS shoes.
A truck load of shoes, truck courtesy of the Municipal of Santos Guardiola. Thank you Carson and Clifford!He needed new shoesKathy and GailSorted and sizedKids waiting in lineOld TOMs for new onesMe fitting a little boy with new TOMS. Photo by MarilynPam and Cathey Photo by MarilynCathey, me, Kathy and Gail all fitting. Photo by MarilynHe thought he was getting a shot. Photo by MarilynNurse volunteers and also volunteers from the orphanage in SPS that is instrumental in us getting shows for the island kids. Photo by Marilyn
My helpers left after Pandy Town and the rest of us finished up at the other school in Barrio Lempira.
These are students at the kinder in Barrio Lempirawaiting to get new shoesAnxious facessuch cute boysThese are the students from the orphanage fitting shoes at the high school.The High School
After that we went to Punta Gorda to fit the kids there. Since the schools have 2 shifts we missed the younger students the first day at Punta Gorda.
Students helping us unload box after boxSoon to be replacedThis is the school “cafeteria”One of the Garifuna drumsThese drums sounded really coolPunta Gorda school and a boy in the traditional Garifuna clothes.
The next morning I met my friend Llyn and her 2 friends and we went to Punta Gorda. From there we loaded shoes into my car and went to a small kinder that I never even knew was there in Lucy Point and fit some kids with shoes. I think that was the most hugs I’ve ever gotten at a school.
These kids were too cuteThey all love cameras.Adorable
It didn’t take long to fit those kids so Llyn and her friends headed home and I went back to Punta Gorda. The power was out so they moved the shoe fitting outside. It was stifling hot in the rooms. Two people stayed inside and handed the needed sizes out the windows to the fitters.
The swings and seesaw need fixed here too.There were a lot of students.She was a volunteer at Clinic Esperanza.Really? This is in the garden walkway that the kids use??These volunteers deserve a huge thank you. It was super hot with no breeze at all.Garifuna kidsThe girls look so pretty in their dresses.This little boy was putting this toy together, except he didn’t have enough pieces to finish it.He was still pretty proud of his accomplishment. What a handsome young man!Dusty TOMS shoes on the playsetHis eyes
After they were done there they went to Barrio Los Fuertes. That’s where I rescued Frito. Nidia said not to go because 1) Frito and 2) driving west to the school, then driving all the way back east to home. I came home.
My friend Marcia volunteered to do another day with me on Wednesday, along with Bob and Rosalie who wanted to help. We met them at the 1500+ student Modelo school in Sandy Bay. Wowsa, what a huge school bustling with activity. There is a sports court on the roof, nice and hot up there in the blazing sun, but at least there is somewhere to run and play ball. We had a lot of volunteers this day. We even had a family who helped us last year.
Once we got all the shoes in the room we had at least 15 fitters and the rest of us were runners and fitters too when needed. I know I fit a LOT of shoes that day. Christa (AKA Cookie, who is Nidia’s daughter) did the kinder class at that school, about 100 students. We had around 1500 that we did in 3 hours. We rocked it!
The Modelo school in Sandy Bay, right where the tumulos (speed bumps) areNot camera shyBob and Rosalie walking up to the schoolLittle beauties, waiting for shoesTake my picture!So prettyFitters. The girl in the red hat got dizzy from leaning over and then sitting up so many times. I took her place when she left to get some fresh air. People think it’s a simple process, hand them the shoes and go. Nope, doesn’t work that way at all.They are all wearing their new TOMS except for one little boy who is holding his new prized possession.Loved his hairOld TOMS for brand new onesThe mayhem in the room. The runners were tossing the shoes to the fitters. It was kind of chaotic, but fun.Another old pair of TOMS being replaced with new TOMSWhat a great smile..The two young boys were brothers and they were super nice boys.Rosalie running with shoes for the fitters. The fitters use the size chart to get an idea what size, then they yell out the size. The runner grabs the size shoe they need and gives them to the fitter. If the shoes don’t fit the runners put that pair back in the right box and grabs another size to try. It’s a process..Marcia helping out. I’ve discovered that I need to check my camera settings while I’m doing this. I keep my camera in my pocket and in the process of pulling it in and out, the setting gets changed, therefore my pics are blurry.
After we finished that school we were taking a lunch break. Marcia, Bob, Rosalie and a lady we met who was helping named Jan all went to The Salty Mango restaurant in Sandy Bay for lunch. It was excellent.
After that Marcia and I went to a school in Flowers Bay. That wasn’t a very large school. The rooms had no lights or ventilation/fans at all so we fit the kids outside.
The schoolI just love these kids..The smiles they get when you show them their photo makes me wish I had an instamatic camera so I could give them all pics of themselves.It was just the girls at first but the little boy photo bombed them.Nidia giving her speech about getting new shoes. The girl on the right in the gray t-shirt is from Maryland, she volunteers at the Orphanage in San Pedro Sula.Marcia being a runner for the fitters.Nidia’s daughter Christa aka Cookie (in the blue shirt) fitting.The fitters, hard at work.
After that school was finished we called it a day. We planned to meet at another large school in the same area the next morning.
I arrived just as Faber and a few other people did and we waited for the shoe truck to come. Once they came we had the students carry the shoes into the school yard.
They actually had a fruit cart but the girls were all adding sugar syrup to the sliced mangos. There were 2 other food stands within the school grounds.Loved this bikenot a clue what this is.Students carrying in shoe boxesInside of the school yard.Cynthia, me and Nidia.Girls waiting for new shoesThe fittersOld TOMSNew TOMS
We took a lunch break and then had to wait for the next shift of students to arrive. Instead of waiting, Cookie and I took several pairs of shoes and went to Miss Valeries Charmont Academy and dropped off shoes there and then we went to Las Brisas kinder. It is out a road called Steel Pan Alley.
This is the kinderCookie with the students..The inside of the school. There are no windows and there are cinder blocks and bags of cement in the class room.Sweet young girlCookie fittingThe kinder teacher. She is expecting another baby.Last year we were able to drive up alongside of the building in the background. This year there is a large drainage pipe and they built a concrete bridge over it. Seems odd, only a few homes back there.This is an old boat but it looks like there is someone living in it to me.
After the other school was finished we called it a day. I didn’t help out on Friday because I had to volunteer at the airport for the United Flight.
Friday before the airport I stopped to get meds for a dog at a little store that we stop at. Bill sent me the photo asking if I could help the dog.
Covered in mange.
I got some Ivermectin and also took some flea and tick drops for the dog. On my way home from the airport I stopped by Cattleya School. Cattleya is the school for mentally and physically disabled children. There are Autistic children, Down’s kids and some who can’t walk very well. They have 2 teachers and are in dire need of another Special Ed teacher. The teachers do the best they can but are for the most part, overwhelmed.
I had cleaned out my scrapbook stuff, since I no longer do it, and I decided to donate the bulk of it to my friend Connie’s school. I got a tour of the new school (they recently moved) and saw some of the students who I know, like Terren and Stephanie. Connie was very appreciative of the things I took there. She has some of the mothers of the students decorating empty wine bottles to sell to make $$ for the school. I offered to help show them some different things they can do to the bottles. I plan to stop by there next week and help out.
When I got home from there we ran over and gave the dog a shot of Ivermectin for the mange and I put some Fipronil on him for the fleas and ticks. How someone can allow their dog to get in this condition, I’ll never understand that. So sad that the dog has to live like that.
It was a busy week with a lot of smiling children and a lot of exhausted volunteers. I am so glad my friends volunteered to help out, at least they got to see what is involved and how time consuming it is. Many people are familiar with the TOMs one for one program but until you actually see it in action, you have no idea what is involved.
I am so grateful that I am able to be a part of this, it makes me feel so good knowing that the kids have a new pair of comfy TOMS shoes. Many thanks to all the volunteers, the group from Clinic Esperanza, the families, my friends, The Municipal of Santos Guardiola for donating their truck and especially to Nidia, her family and the amazing volunteers from the Hogar Emanuel Orphanage in San Pedro Sula, this wouldn’t be happening with out you!
I actually missed a Saturday at the airport (first in 3 months) and a party at a friends house on Sunday due to a damn toothache. My dentist was on vacation so I had to wait until he returned to be seen. It’s odd because it hurts, then doesn’t hurt, then hurts again. It comes in waves but what bothers it most is hot or cold, eating can be painful. I had a low key weekend and after the previous week, I really needed that. I was beyond the point of exhausted. (dental update, need to go to mainland to see an endodontist)
Sunday morning we took the boys for a swim in the lagoon. We go really early, like 7 AM, before anyone is there. They had an absolute blast running around.
Barrio in the frontBarrio, Gringo and MaxGringo, Barrio and MaxI can’t even begin to describe how much I love these dogs.Gringo, Barrio and MaxNo clue what Barrio was doing, he just stood there and stared at me.Gringo and MaxMax is lightning fast, Barrio is pretty fast too but Gringo is such a hulk of a dog, weighing in at 65#, he doesn’t move that fast but if he runs in to you, look out. It would be like having a steamroller run you down.They LOVE the water..Like little ottersI love that they are all marked differently.Barrio, Gringo and Max3 tired boys on the way back to the truck
We brought them home, I bathed them, fed them scrambled eggs and yogurt and we all took a nice long nap.
That was my week in the tropics, hope yours was as fun filled and fulfilling as mine was. Until the next blog..
04/03/2016 I had company the past week and before that I was getting ready for my company to come, so I’ve been MIA.
OK, so, life on the rock. Robby and Julie are the couple I met online, spent the day with them and their girls when they came on a cruise in December and spent a week with them when they recently came to visit. I had a blast showing them my Roatan.
I was able to greet them at the immigration door, however I failed to utter the magical words, Welcome to Roatan when they entered the building. DAMN. Once they got through immigration I left my “job” and took them to the grocery store and then brought them back to the house.
They chilled for a while and got their stuff put away and then came upstairs for some roof time and then dinner.
We made plans to go to the beach on Sunday, Semana Santa or not. We got there early and set off to do some snorkeling. It was a sunny gorgeous day and there were hardly any people in the water. All the better for us. We snorkeled out through the channel in front of Infinity Bay and then swam west towards black rock.
This was one of the first things I saw when I stuck my head in the water. It was on Julie’s bucket list.Intermediate blue tangsStoplight Parrot fishDamsel fish, yes, they are neon blue..A pair of 4 eyed Butterfly fishschool of Blue TangMy first ever Hog fish. The water was not super clear, lots of stuff, looked like fish poop, in it. In fact, we saw the big blue Parrot fish poop.Trumpet fishScrawled file fishThis is a huge blue parrot fish. I saw him poop.Another Parrot fishcool channelsuch a gorgeous fishNeedle fishWest Bay Beach, my favorite spot, BananaramaMore crowded than I am used toknees over the seaCheck out the front of the paddle board, there is a dog on it..He cruised for a while.They liked my raftThese teen boys were having a great time on the floating dock. Looks like they were trying to sink it.
We spent the majority of the day at the beach, sitting at my spot, Bananarama. After that we made the hour drive home and crashed for the night.
Monday morning we went to Mudhole Rd, picked up Nidia and drove to Corozal to finish the swing set repair and re-repaired the seesaw that we had temporarily fixed a few weeks ago.
Loving the swings that Linda and Brittany Edwards brought down with them for this particular school.This little boy was there the first day we went and fixed 2 swings. That was the day I passed out some cars from John and Lizeth Fowler. They very nicely donated their sons old Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars to the kids on Roatan. We’ve made a lot of boys happy with these cars.I also took a soccer ball donated by Trish and Dave Symons. They brought suitcases of soccer uniforms and a lot of balls. These boys were thrilled to have a soccer ball.Julie helping the little girls on the seesaw.I was freaking out because they were going so high!CutieRobby and Bill hanging the last 2 swings.Pastor Ronny Russell from Live Again Ministries has been down here with his group many times. Recently they started doing water purification systems on the island. Since the Corozal area is small they donated this water filtration system so they can get clean drinking water for the 35 families living there.Another thing we are trying to do is get the glass repaired at the school. This window is right above a row of desks.I caught her with a mouthfulRobby and Bill fixed the seesaw, it’s nice and sturdy now.It’s just amazing what a difference four swings can make in a playground. These kids were on them non-stop the whole time we were there.
We came home from there, ate and went to Parrot Tree pool for the afternoon. There were a few people there but not many.
320′ long poolThe man-made lagoonMe and my shadow
The next day my company made plans to dive with Subway, right down the road from us. I dropped them off and came home and immediately got a call to come get them, the dive boat was full. They did have reservations, it was an error that could have been avoided. I ran and got them and came home and started making calls. Finally got them set up to dive with Reef House, which my friend Davey owns. We had time to kill so we drove through Punta Gorda and then over to Oak Ridge Key before we went to BJ’s.
Punta GordaThe lone MangroveI love this house on Oak Ridge Key, water behind it and the sea in front.The new extended deck at BJ’sRoadside animalsThe Radical Catamaran returning from a day on the waterReef House’s dive boat that Robby and Julie were on.
Davey picked them up at BJ’s and once they got there they decided to do 2 dives and were really happy they did. The second spot was fabulous, they had a great dive and saw lots of stuff on Julie’s bucket list. I was there waiting for them at 5. We came home and we all got ready to go to Cal’s for dinner. There were a lot of people from the hood there that night. We had a good meal and all came home and crashed.
The next morning we were meeting Carmen and Brett at BJ’s for a day of food, drinks, fun in the sun, snorkeling, stubbing toes, floating, mangroves and Hole in the Wall. Carmen and Brett live on the point on Calabash Bight Key. It’s a fabulous spot right on the water with their own private beach and a yoga deck at the water’s edge. What more can you ask for?
Once again, the Radical CatamaranJulie being a trooper despite her totally damaged stubbed toeEven Bill went along and got in the water..Bill and Carmen chatting, see the ladder? That goes to her yoga deck..View from their yardCarmen and Brett’s homeT-shirt ceiling, Hole in the WallRoatan’s motto, A Sunny Place for Shady PeopleWhat a view. Drew Bledsoe was here last week with his family.A part of Roatan historyMartina taking a pic of usCarmen and RobbyJulieBill and BrettCarmen had the cameraJust do itThey dropped us back at Oak Ridge after a perfectly splendid day.
On Thursday Robby and Julie dove again, this time with Subway. They did 2 dives out on the north shore and were pretty pleased with them. I think it was an early night for everyone.
Friday we were going east, way east, to Camp Bay and La Sirena. There were a few people on the beach at our Mondays Don’t suck spot and there was still a lot of trash left over from the Semana Santa festivities. I was surprised to see my friend Kathy there with her son and friends.
Looking at Alligator Nose makes me miss Roger and JeanieI love this beachRobby and Julie
We left there and drove to La Sirena where we had a leisurely lunch and rum punches. Man, those things pack a punch.
The dangerous rum punchesLove La Sirena
We left La Sirena with one destination in mind, BJ’s. Robby and Julie had been there twice this week but not for a Friday fun day with the EXPAT group. I haven’t been there for awhile and I missed the place. All of my friends were there (well, almost all of them, I don’t want the Duchess chewing my ass out for saying that). I’ll blame it on the rum at La Sirena because the three sips of wine in a champagne flute @ BJ’s did nothing for/to me. I was wound up and couldn’t stop dancing. Or planking.
Marilyn and I did a good bye plank with CarmenThen more crazies joined in.Marilyn going home
I had so much fun at BJ’s, at least I think I did. I have come to the realization that when they change the words to the song and put your name in it, maybe you’ve been dancing too much. Mustang Sally was changed to Mustang Debbie, Ride Debbie ride. It’s OK, I was amongst friends..
We stopped at Chuck and Nancy’s on the way home so Robby and Julie could see their home. It was a pretty night.
They packed that evening and I passed out, I was exhausted from dancing and planking and, I had to work at the airport the next day.
I got Robby and Julie there in plenty of time to beat the crowds and said good bye to them in immigration. I was sad to see them go, we enjoyed their company. Next year when they return they are going to spend more time upstairs and not worry about invading our privacy, right guys??? Don’t hate me because I have on a classy orange airport vest…
All in all we had a good week, I hope they enjoyed seeing my version of Roatan compared to the touristy one that so many only see. I wish they had been here for some of the shoe delivery because they would have enjoyed that. Maybe next year we’ll start sooner and they can take part in the hot, tiring sweatiness of it all..
03/15/2016 My niece’s daughter Jillian and her friend Caeli arrived on Saturday afternoon. Since I was tied to the airport I had Bill pick them up and take them to the grocery store before they came back here. I got home around 5 and de-stressed for a bit before we got the girls some dinner.
Sunday morning we were all awake bright and early for another day of adventure on the Radical Catamaran EXPAT day. There was supposed to be a full boat but approx. 10 people cancelled due to the weather. Both of the girls were really excited and looking forward to the day. I have to say I was very lucky to be able to go two Sundays in a row. We started out sitting outside, enjoying the scenery until just outside of Oak Ridge, it started to rain. And it rained hard for a little while. Most of the people were under cover, eating cookies and muffins. The sea was a little rough then too. As we neared the first snorkel spot the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. I told the girls the guys from the boat would pick up on them right away and as soon as we hit the water, they had personal tour guides.
Jillian and Caeli at the start of the 7 hour day.Snorkeling the cow with the guys from the boat.Tube coral, this same shot may be in my last blog too.Christmas Tree WormsYou can see the actual worm in these photos. It’s the flat thing closest to the coral, the trees are appendages on the worms back.Intermediate blue tangA cluster of feather dustersMore flamingo tongues. The Flamingo Tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum) grows to an inch (25 mm) long. Its shell is cream-colored, but can only be seen when the animal is disturbed, as under normal circumstances it is covered by a fleshy, yellow-to-orange mantle decorated with numerous irregular, black-edged spots. If the Flamingo Tongue is disturbed or stressed, it withdraws its mantle tissue. Only then does its attractive cream-colored shell become visible. (Coral Magazine)weird coralNot a clue but I think it was alive..Feather dusters, they retreat into the little hollow tubes when disturbed.Obsessed.Banded Butterfly fishurchinCoral is so fascinating, I could (and have) snorkeled for hours.Sea Rodsred coralA Flamingo tongue on a sea rod. I usually see them on sea fans. This looks like the covering is partially retracted.Barrel Sponge, I think??A smooth trunkfish, it was so gorgeous!Another barrel.Spiny blue seastars on the tube coralEveryone else was back at the boat, hanging around in the water or on the boat. I was still snorkeling around the south side of the cow and decided to swim out to sea more. I am so glad I did. It was a different world out there. The coral was bigger and more dense, there was a larger variety of fish and I saw this guy lurking about. I started to swim closer to look, not wanting to get too close and he started to move so I moved too, quickly. I knew it wasn’t a green moray, duh, because the damn thing had spots. But I’ve seen spotted morays before and this looked different. Then again, who am I to say, I’m not an expert. It was a gorgeous eel, probably around 2′ long.People vacation here. I live here.Caeli, about as big as a minute..So, story is, when Capt’n Ron comes on the Radical Cat, Ed brings him a nice big chair. Someone (Rob B) changed Ron to Rob. However he used the incorrect color of marker. The evidence was blatant.Really Rob?? Too funny!It was dark and ominous that morning and again coming back at night. We did get dumped on for a little while but then it stopped, the sun came out and it was gorgeous.A fun group of people!CaeliJill talking with a group of ladies who came to Jazzercize on the beach, or something like that.My friend KathyRain cells off in the distanceDidn’t realize how dark the sky was until looking at these photos!Coming back into Oak Ridge/Pandytown.
Monday was the day with the least amount of cruise ships on the island so we headed for West Bay Beach. I was able to snag chairs at Bananarama for 1/2 price because I sweet talked the guy. They are all so nice there anyhow. It wasn’t very sunny and we kept hoping for the sun to break through the clouds and bless us with sunshine but that didn’t happen until we were half way home. Jill and I snorkeled, I took her out through the channel and to the deeper water then swam up towards black rock and along it. Great array of fish but what was the best was the huge parrot fish that was almost posing for me.
Parrot FishParrot Fish are a recycling machine. They turn coral and rock into fine sand in the process of grazing algae from them. This particular one is called a Stoplight Parrotfish.Gorgeous fish! The colors were brilliant.Parrot Fish and a blue head.Under the seaNot sure of the fish here, blue is a blue tang, I think the one with yellow is a spotfin butterfly fish, the other may be a brown chromis.Bluestriped gruntStoplight parrotfish in the red phase.SquirrelfishAn elusive DoctorfishNeedlefishMr Parrotfish showing his denture like teeth, all the better to graze the coral..FishesCaeli was exploring the beach while Jill and I snorkeled.LobsterI think this is a schoolmaster snapper, but not positive..Another stoplight parrotfishSergeant majors. These guys nibble on you because the stupid tourists feed them. Fish don’t need fed, they have their own eco-system. Feeding them is not cool.Caeli and Jill at BananaramaThe sea as far as you can seeJill’s chilling..Bye bye United # 1434Perfection in blue
When we were done snorkeling we drove to West End and parked. I wanted to go to the Shawn Jackson Gallery and the girls wanted to do a little shopping. I bought the coveted Faces of Roatan book at Shawn’s gallery. After that I called Lisa and Rob to see if we could stop and see Bandit and Sable on our way back down island.
Bandit, he’s the swimmer and spends his free time swimming around the pool.BanditGetting some loving from Bandit.Sable got in on it too. These two pups were meant to be together, they are side by side 24/7. So grateful Rob and Lisa gave them good homes.Sable baby!Double loving. Bandit is marked like Barrio and Sable looks like Max, except my two have floppy ears and these two have pointy ears.I was in dog heaven.
The next day we went to Mega Paca where Caeli scored a Burberry sweater for 28 LPS, about $1.00 and Jill got some cute tops. Then we went to the Iguana Farm. We went down to the water and checked out the huge tarpon and other fish and admired the stunning view of French Cay.
Big old maleEnjoying the sunshine.Another lizard on the wall of Sam and Chelsie’s house.Coco drinking some gatorade.BeautifulJillianJill and Caeli
After there we went to Parrot Tree and hung out at the 320′ long pool. It was pretty nice, very few people around at all. We swam, floated, napped and ate there.
JillianJill under the waterfall.Caeli and JillianMe and JillianI love this pool!
On Wednesday we picked up Nidia and two guys and then met Rosalie and Bob and Bill and Alexi across from the airport. We were taking the new picnic table that Kelly Flowers built for Doña Maria to her. The table he so kindly made will last her for the rest of her life. Until now, she had no table to grind her corn on or to sit and have a cup of coffee.
The hired muscles practically ran up the path to Doña Maria’s house.Nidia and Doña MariaNidia’s brother, one of our muscle guys looking at the food Bob and Rosalie brought for Doña Maria.Nidia’s brother, Nidia, Caeli, Jill and MariaShowing her the goodies Rosalie and Bob brought her.A hug from RosalieCaeli, Maria and JillBaby chicksDoña Maria’s one room home. Bob said he wouldn’t spend 1 night there. Me neither.Alexi went along in case we needed more muscle. He is teasing the chickens here..Bob and Rosalie with Maria. It’s kind of funny, she is always smiling but when you take her photo she’s not..The girls and I with Maria. I took photos of her when we took her to get her hair done and this trip I gave her the pictures. She couldn’t stop looking at them, I’m sure they were the first photos of herself that she has ever had.Nidia, Abuela (what Nidia calls Maria, it means grandmother) and Nidia’s sweet brother.
What a rewarding day, everyone enjoyed meeting Doña Maria and are all ready to go back and see her. My next visit I am taking corn for the chickens, some chicken meal and of course, cold coca cola. My friend Ann has some chairs and cushions for her so I’ll more than likely get her to go along with me. It’s so sweet how people want to help Maria, she has so little and when we give her things, we benefit more from the giving that she does receiving. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Thank you Kelly for making the table, a perfectly honorable gesture from a pirate like you.
Thursday we were planning to snorkel with Eduardo, my friend the cop. Wednesday evening he messaged me that he was on the mainland and wouldn’t be home until Saturday. The girls and I went to Barefoot Cay anyhow. The plan was to snorkel and float in the calm protected area near the palapa. With the wind blowing, there was NO calm protected water. The winds were howling and the sea was churning. The current was so strong that we would have been swept to West Bay in no time, maybe even off to Utila or Belize. We stayed at the pool the majority of the day, it was so peaceful and relaxing.
View from the pool, there was a huge boat anchored there too.Seating area by poolThe pool is amazingThe walk out to the palapaSo pretty but look at the hammocks! They were upside down from the wind.Waves breaking on the reefGetting some strong wavesFabulous table made with hand made tiles.
Friday was the last full day on the island and we were planning a trip to the school in Pandytown, then going to Camp Bay to eat at La Sirena and ending up at BJ’s of course. We drove out to Pandytown and stopped along the way when we saw little boys playing by the road. I had a full bag of Hot Wheels cars that were brought down by my friends John and Lizeth Fowler. The first place we stopped the boys were sitting along the road. The one looks like he was going to cry but he was happy, honest! Next stop there was a small boy standing on the table while his mother scrubbed clothes in a basin. He was very excited to get a car.
Spanish Hill going into Oak RidgeCute cute cute!! So cute, he got 2.How can these little boys be so darn cute?This little boys mother was doing laundry when we stopped. She was really nice, spoke perfect English.These 3 came from the blue house in the background.The girls at La SirenaCaeli eating Jill’s rum punch laden pineapple.Wall artI really love la Sirena. EXCEPT, I went there for onion rings and they were out of onions. I cried, well almost and the waiter magically got an onion from somewhere!!We met this dog is 2012, he was a puppy and looked like Highway did as a pup. His name is Diego and he is much bigger than Highway is now.The pristine end of the islandAnother friendly dogLa Sirena has a new signThe girls with Miss PiggyWe were on the beach when someone said, I’ll take your picture Deb. It was my friend Jill, so thanks Jill for snapping this photo of the 4 of us.The turn off to Camp BayWe made it to BJ’s while the band was still playing. My sandals broke at a school in Pandy town so I was barefoot the rest of the day which isn’t a big deal except I hate having dirty feet. I think the girls had their fill of Rum Punches, laying on the dock is not a normal adventure for BJ’s. Now planking, that is normal for BJ’s.Next thing I know, they are going for a boat ride with Keri and Doug’s neighbor in their boat. Caeli left her sandals on the dock, luckily Evereld picked them up and took them to the bar.The Banditos, missing AlexKathy, doing an Irish jig.Evereld’s rasta boat.
All in all, I think they had a great time, they met a lot of people, went a lot of places and saw things they have never seen before. We came home Friday evening and miraculously found stuff to eat. The girls did some packing and we all went to be early.
I had to work at the airport again on Saturday so they rode in with Cindy and I. It took them forever to get checked in and by the time they were done I had to go inside to get ready for the first flight. I hugged them both good bye and they were off, until the next time.
Before I close, I met a new friend at the airport, her name is Chris O’Dell. She is not just ANY Chris O’Dell. She used to work for Apple Records in London and personally knows / knew all of the Beatles, Yoko, The Stones, Dylan, Clapton. She sang in the chorus of Hey Jude, she was on the roof for the Beatles last ever concert as a group, she is the real deal. George Harrison even wrote a song about her called Miss O’Dell. She wrote a book by the same name, I am slowly reading it, absorbing and processing every word she utters. I get to see this woman every Saturday. I am in utter awe. Check it out:
Since I have nothing that tops that, I’m outta here..
05/14/2016 My sweet friend Ann and I were discussing twitisms on FB messenger and she started sending me jokes from a “Broomstick” FB page. This photo: Ride it Like You Stole it, resonated. Thank you Ann, you saved me countless hours searching for what I wanted to convey.
Mermaid on a Raft 