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.
12/30/2015 It’s over. The holiday parties for the kids are completed. There were 3 and they grew in intensity and insanity as they progressed. I am blessed that 3 was the limit. I don’t know how Nidia does it. Yes, she is younger than I am, but holy crap, this girl gets shit done. She is well enough known on the island that her name is recognized almost everywhere you go. EVERYBODY KNOWS AND LOVES NIDIA. It’s very chaotic but she really has things totally under control. It just doesn’t seem that way to me and I think intense organization is needed in this type of situation. I chilled.
The one and only Nidia Webster. Photo by Ana Svoboda
The final party we did was a big one with about 500 kids. There were lots of toys donated by so many people, it’s really cool when people who don’t even know these kids or their situations, donate money so we can buy things to help them. It’s humbling. Thanks again to Walt and Judy, Beth and Aaron, Trish and Dave, Cathilee, Ginny, Ralph and Rick.
I got there around 11 Wed. to help set up. A few representatives came from Carnival Cruise Lines with lots of toys and stuffed animals. There were some really really nice things there. My friends from Alabama brought 4 backpacks and a suitcase full of toys and sandals. A lot of the sandals they brought were brand new Reef sandals and were totally fabulous. Thanks Robby, Julie, Cortnee, Jessie and Molly!! Miss Peggy (Clinic Esperanza) brought some people to see the children and to help us out for a few hours. Peggy helped cut the hundreds of hot dog rolls for lunch.
This will be an un-wordy post because I have so many pictures I want to share, so bear with me, I’ll be back in a few days with the stories about island life.
This was the best, a donation from my cop buddy, Eduardo. This is the first time Nidia has ever gotten a donation from the Police department. Thank you Eduardo Fuentes Torres!!The party was held in an open walled bar across the street from the water. Right down the street was the Cruise Dock terminal. The tables wrapped around 2 sides of the building and were full of toys.The photos are terrible because the lighting was weird. The room was round with open walls but a roof overhang, difficult to get decent lighting. More toysMinnie Mouse and Barbie bags, jump ropes, crayons, ringsStuffed toys everywhere. Some were brand new Beanie Babies..4 tables of stuffed toysMiss Peggy (Santa hat) cutting rollsToys from Carnival Cruise LinesMore Carnival stuffThe little girls will love these shoes1 huge table of sandalsBags of candy and small toys, gold for babies, red for girls, blue for the boysCarnival Cruise’s stuffed animals
And then there are the faces…and the big dark eyes with the insanely long eyelashes!
beautiesPlease take our picture..Too cute!!With his older brotherPretty girlA new friend named Greg snapped this w/ my camera..Showing me their toysWaiting for SantaLousy shot, gorgeous girlsLove the shirtLook at her shirt, it has a candy cane tucked in the beltThey love to have their photo taken, such a novelty. So different from the kids in the states who take selfies all day every day and post them for all the world to see.My friend Jeanette and I. I met her and her husband Don last year doing the food drive.Another brutal game of musical chairs. We ended up with a broken chair and a crying little boy. He was OK..It was like the Fight Club of musical chairsThe clowns were all dressed up. One did face painting and the other balloons.Cool clown shoesForming a circle to play another game.These kids..The balloon was bigger than himThis little cutie pie is 4. She was in my pics from Helene, her Mom is my friend Darla. When she saw me today she gave me a big kiss..Dimples much??They did lots of waitingAnother pretty girlbeautiful young girlsHe’s here!!a cutie with some ears..Nidia’s fabulous hat from Jeanette’s daughter. The girl to Nidia’s left with the baby (her niece) is my friend Darla, she teaches school on Helene.Santa is looking serious..love Santa’s flip-flopswaiting for SantaJust like in Punta Gorda, everyone got a Santa hat or Minnie/Mickey ears..Santa’s everywhereBeautiful smile and teethsecond pic of this girlSanta hugged all of the kids.No matter how big they were.Santa played a sleight of hand kind of game with the kids bags of candy. The boys were all giggling.HugsMy friend Darla’s nieceShe is so prettyFranklin, Nidia’s oldest son took a pic of us w/ my camera..Adorableher sistercaught her mid bite with ice creamNidia surveying the situationAfter Santa passed out the candy to the kids then we passed out the gifts.Cruise ship anchored out at sea, 3 ships in port, can’t all be at the dock.And, to end the day, my friend Ana came by with her sick German Shepherd dog Coco. I was a part of Coco’s Bucket List, places for Coco to visit. I can’t think of a better way to end my day than hugging Coco.This photo was taken by Captain Carlos Aguirre Lopez of Taca airlines. You can see the 3 cruise ships in Coxen Hole dock, then the airport runway, then the white area to the upper right of the runway is the 4th cruise ship at Mahogany Bay. It was a busy day on Roatan!!
So there you have it, the end of the holiday season on Roatan. This was the first time in a few years that Nidia didn’t do a food drive. It’s always nice to feed the needy but when it comes to the holidays there is nothing that kids look forward to like Santa and the whole legend surrounding him. Santa is not a big part of their Christmas because their families don’t have the money to buy them things. If it weren’t for the Christmas parties sponsored by various groups on the island, many children wouldn’t really have a Christmas.
Thank you so much to all of my friends who have so generously donated. You DO make a difference.
** All of the leftover things from the party were shipped to Helene, the small island that is separated by a mangrove channel but is still part of Roatan. The people there were asking for help with Christmas. Many of them have next to nothing so anything to give their children would be a blessing. They received toys, sandals, stuffed animals, bags of candy and other toys.
12/22/2015 Aaaah, yes, holidays on the island. It’s so different from what I am used to, from what was brainwashed into my head for so many years, the unrealistic expectations of Christmas. Here it’s different, people don’t get new cars and big trucks for Christmas or another diamond necklace, people are happy with a bag of rice and beans and the kids take a jump rope or a stuffed animal and they smile. In the states kids want Wii, Xbox and iPads, here a truck or a frisbee or a Beanie Baby is wonderful! No excessive gift giving on this rock.
On Thursday we had the kids party in Fiddlers Bight, an area with water access only. The kids from Calabash Bight came also, we think there were around 175 kids total, more than the previous year. When our boat arrived at the party spot the kids were busy making and flying paper airplanes with this cool set Marilyn and Alex bought for them. They were having fun with that, seeing who could throw theirs the farthest. A few of the girls were drawing with chalk on the macadam. It was a calm, hot as hell day, my shirt was soaked by mid afternoon and Francie was glistening.. At one point I thought my calves were melting. Too bad the sun can’t melt your ass off, or your gut..
The coolest paper airplane kit that Marilyn and Alex broughtSo bizarre, part of a doll hanging on the fence. RandomSanta’s new chair, made by Bill, painted by MarilynI love DUBAI?? The country?? HUH?Kat, BJ’s gorgeous daughter, explaining the folding process for the airplanesFrosty in a box
The kids played for awhile, then the story lady told her version of the birth of Christ and Kat translated it to Spanish and rearranged some of the story to keep it on track. Lets just say the story lady has a slightly different version. Kat was great though, she told the story in a very animated way, the kids were really paying attention to her.
Story lady on the right holding up a picture.gorgeous little girlsreally, could she be any cuter??Derek, my favoriteMarilyn and her jester hat
After the story lady was done we gave the kids a stick and let them take turns beating the candy out of poor old Frosty the Snowman. I kept getting freaked out, afraid they might whack Francie a few times, the boys were slammimg the crap out of Frosty. Once they got a hole torn in it, it was all over. The kids dove on top of one another for the candy, as always, some get a lot some get a little.
My new friend Judy staying WAAAYY back from the stick.Yes Carmen has on 2 sets of antlers.. It’s a look. Bashed Frosty
Then someone spoke the magic words, “here comes Santa”. Sure enough, standing up in the boat that was coming across the water was Santa Claus. Pandemonium. In all reality, for as little as these kids have, seeing Santa is a big deal and they were exceedingly excited. Second year in a row I’ve had tears running down my cheek when Santa arrives. You can feel the excitement.
Waiting for SantaYou can see by this little boys face that he sees Santa’s boat comingThe one and only, SANTA!!Kids of all agesEven Santa’s boat captain is a reindeer.
Santa (we have a fabulous Santa) insists on wearing the full outfit, boots and gloves too, despite the 90 degree heat. He spoke to every child and when they left he told them “Santa loves you”. How cool is that? Mrs. Claus, chief elf and organizer Francie did a fab job too, hoisting the kids from their Mom’s arms to Santa and then back to Mom when they were done. She was the one glistening. Elf Joe helped keep the gifts flowing, Dave did crowd control, Melanie was the main photographer while Rosalie marked their hands, indicating they already got a gift. Smooth as clockwork.
Twins were having none of this Santa stuff..Love the little boy’s lookSuch gorgeous kidsHe looks a little shyThis kills meAnxiously waitingNo Santa for this boy eitherThis is the first little boy I ever fit for Tom’s shoes. He’s the one who hugged me before I even fitted him. His name is DerekMom must have a busy night planned. All the Moms want to sit on Santa’s lap too, that’s why he needed a sturdier chair.
Melanie took 465 photos in a few hours. For over an hour she knelt on her knees, on a piece of cardboard, on the dirt ground, taking photos. Amazing.When Santa had seen everyone the ladies there (many mothers) served the kids food.
This little girls hair is so long, just beautiful.The most gorgeous kidsNice looking young boyAnother good looking boyThese kids are all cutePensiveSo prettyWith her new dollFamily rowing home after the partyParty is over, time to go home.
We left shortly after that and went to Alex and Marilyn’s house for dinner. She is so phenomenal in the kitchen, she can whip up an impromptu meal in no time and it rocks. Tonight was no different.
Brett AKA Cute Boat Guy and CarmenThe guys chattingKathy and JudyMarilyn’s recycle binLounging in the living roomThe tree looks great
Great meal, yummy salad (Carmen). There were quite a few friends there, we sat around and chatted for awhile. I met a new lady from Cali that lives here too. She had further to drive than I did and it was dark so we had Alex deposit us back at BJ’s and we each drove back to our homes.
Ride home
Friday was BJ’s, I went there after my fiasco at the municipal. Late Saturday morning we took the dogs to Parrot Tree swimming. They haven’t been for a while and they knew exactly where they were and they were uncontrollable. Once they got to the other side of the lagoon, we set them free.
My babiesBarrio chilling on the chairThey are water dogsHandsome Barrio, out of the 3 pups he has the sweetest demeanor and is the calmest, also the most skittish.Sweet boy BarrioL to R, Max, Barrio and Gringo in the front, he is the biggest by far, pushing 55# of solid muscle.Gringo, Barrio and MaxGringo, I’m not positive but he might have been taking a whizz..Barrio in front, Gringo, Max
These puppies have a serious hold on my heartstrings. I can’t really describe the depth of the emotions but I feel so responsible for them, even responsible for their happiness. I worry that they are bored, maybe they need exercised, maybe we need a bigger enclosed area, how about a pool for them to swim in? Is their food good enough, do they eat enough? It’s an issue for sure. I truly feel like I gave birth to these dogs but obviously I didn’t, and I do know that, but it does not lessen my feelings of motherhood to these 3 pups. Plain and simple. They own me.
Saturday afternoon we went over to our friends, Chuck and Nancy’s for drinks and dinner. It was a nice break from our daily busyness and it’s always nice to visit with them and see the progress on the building they are working on. It is almost done and it looks fabulous, amazing…I could live in that space.
Sunday was the first of Nidia’s Because We Care Christmas parties for the kids. I arrived too early, as is my damn style.
The Ark is taking shape..Just the view going into Punta Gorda. I make sure to NEVER take this view for granted.A house in townThe party was held on this beach.
Nobody was there so I turned around and drove back through town, called Nidia and then decided she wouldn’t be there for 45 min. so I went home, (10 min.) and kissed the dogs for awhile. On my way home one of the boys who was dressed in shorts and nothing else, his body covered in black oil, wearing a mask and brandishing a wooden spear, walked up to the front of my car and shook his belly. Then he came over to my open window and said ‘gimme 5 dollars. ” I said No, I’m not giving you 5 dollars, now move. And he did.
They call themselves something in Spanish that roughly translates to Barbaric Indian. I guess I was supposed to be scared.So beautifulYou can see foreverPhoto opI want this boat
When I went to Punta Gorda the second time things were starting to happen. Nidia and her two daughters and one of her sons were there, Santa was there and Nidia had lots of helpers. They brought the tables so we put the gifts out on the tables, which maybe is a mean thing to do. Mixed emotions on this one. After 2PM the kids and parents started to arrive.
Getting the toys outHats and jump ropesNidia arranging the dolls, mouse ears, cars, trucks and assorted other giftsFlip-flopsquite a variety of toysThese kids are so cuteNidia in the center, her 2 daughters, Krista in red and Janisha. Love them all.A little bit of everythingThey delivered chairs and all the kids sat on them while the adults stood. Finally Sully (Santa) stole 2 for us.She posed for me, OMG!!Blowing up a balloonCutieShe was also trying to blow up a balloon.Kudos for him even trying. They were long curly balloons, not easy to blow up at all.
Once there were lots of kids there, most all in Santa hats, Nidia had the kids play musical chairs for a while, the DJ was rocking the tunes. It always blows my mind to see kids playing this game and wondering, do kids in the US still play musical chairs, like ever??
Musical chairs using the chairs from the restaurantPretty girl in her Minnie Mouse earsCouple more cutiesHer dress, her barrettes, her ears and the balloon..Kids in Santa hats were everywhere…Once they were done playing musical chairs, Santa came.Such a doll!Getting organized into linesThese kids are so gorgeous…This is my friend Gail in the pink. I met her the day I picked my friends up at the cruise ship, she was hanging in my friends store. She is from eastern Canada. She is with 2 Barbaric Indians. The kids all ran and screamed when they saw them.The little girl in the pink frilly dress had 2 balloons stuffed in the front of her dress.hmm, one of everything pleaseAnd here he is, Santa. Sully (Santa) also helped out last year with some toy and food delivery. I believe he has helped Nidia many times, really a nice guy. This Santa was a tropical one in flip flops!!He was swarmed by the kidsIt was a sea of Santa hatsHo Ho HoAdorableSanta and the kidsMy friend Miss Linda from Camp Bay and her grandsonSanta, in between passing out gifts..FeetI always find the shoe choices interestingGorgeousSweet boys eyeing the goodiesSanta passing out candy bags, then I passed out toothbrushes..Lunch, hot dogs, juice and ice creamKids waiting for their giftsyou could cut the tension with a knife..they wanted giftsThe gift guardersHow do you keep a few hundred kids in lines and quiet when all they can see is gifts?? Answer: YOU DON’TPlease, something for me…Gorgeous twins. I walked over later and gave their dad 2 toothbrushes for them and 1 for their little brother. He thanked me in perfect English.He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.eating ice creamThen something happened and he started crying and there was no adult with him. We kept trying to find out why he was crying but could make no sense of what he was saying. Poor little guy.
It was a long afternoon, 5.5 hours there and I was done. I headed towards home around 5:30 and became a vegetable. Sheer exhaustion set in. I tried like hell to get this blog out that night and just COULD NOT DO IT.
I did some stuff around here this morning, ran to town, got groceries, brought them home and went to Oak Ridge to pay for the permit. I did the Pay To line on the check before I left home b/c it’s long and with my shitty hands, I have a hard time writing legibally. I did NOT make out the written dollar amount, I wanted to wait. I also took a SPARE check, just in case. Well, it’s a damn good thing I had that extra check because I did the Payee name in blue and the amount in BLACK, dated and signed in BLACK and they would not flipping take it b/c it was in 2 colors of ink. They said Davivienda Bank is very fussy. WTF? At that point I wished I had a sharpie because I would have written the damn check out on his forehead. Good thing I didn’t because when I left the office I saw the Mayor and got a hug and kiss before I left the Muni. He was sitting out in the waiting room watching TV. He’s a really nice guy and I do like him and, I think he tries his best.
When I left today, this was in the road. Bill took the photo. Not a soul around, no glass, no signs of blood, no bodies. Really, nobody came to investigate this accident??
I got home and was working on the blog and picking up around here when Trish called. They were on their way home from Mondays Don’t Suck (I missed it again, too busy) and stopped by here for a drink on the roof. It’s the first I’ve seen her since she arrived last Monday! Looking forward to hanging out with them while they are here.
The wonders of Facebook continue to thrill me on a daily basis. It allows me to be in touch with people I used to see daily while working for Bank of America. Believe it or not, you make friendships with those people and being able to maintain those friendships via Facebook is incredible. One of those friends is Chris Castle, Chris was in the bank daily and he and I became friends. I knew he and his wife had 2 sons and that Chris was a soccer ref. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Chris and his boss Phil. After I left the bank I would run into him every now and then but when we moved, we lost touch. Until I saw him on my friend Katy’s FB. The rest is history, except for the fact that Chris’s wife is a very talented artist. I really enjoy seeing Julie’s work that Chris posts. He recently set up an Etsy shop for her. Please take a few minutes to look at her work, she is really good. The web address is https://www.facebook.com/Sand-Castle-Shack-Studio-448528448665578/?fref=tsand her Etsy address is:https://www.etsy.com/shop/SandCastleShack?ref=hdr_shop_menu. Merry Christmas Chris, Julie and family!!
It’s 10 PM, I have to get 4 dogs outside and drag this tired old butt to bed. I have the one big BWC Christmas party on Wednesday then it’s fun and games and partying with our friends this Christmas season.
To all the amazing people who follow my blog, thank you. Bill, Highway, Lola, Frito, Gringo, Max, Barrio, Emmy and I wish you a fabulously Merry Christmas and an enchanting New Year..XOXO
JINGLE BELLS, ISLAND STYLE. Thanks to Jeanie for this one..(sung to the tune of Jingle Bells)
We sit with drink in hand
Without a hope of snow
Under spreading palms
A hurricane’s sure to blow
Santa Claus will find
That things can turn to shit
He won’t be riding eight reindeer
He can’t get his permit
Oh, hells bells….coconut shells
Cervezas all the way….oh what fun it is to ride….in a pick-up truck today
12/19/2015 The big day is fast approaching but it seems rather subdued here. I think the mere simplicity of Christmas on the rock helps us all realize the gifts we have every single day and to truly appreciate the friends we have made. It’s a much different lifestyle, more down to earth, more people cherishing their friends, meeting and making new friends and not looking for material things. Simple things, simple life.
Sunday evening we had some new friends down for pizza. I met Daryl and Tarra on FB and then met Tarra the day she arrived on the island with her dogs. I had previously given her the low down (via FB messenger) on what would happen and how it would be handled with her dogs. She carried 2 on the plane and 1 came cargo. I put her in the fast line to get her through immigration, she was carrying 2 dogs who had been in a carrier for 10 hours. Then I checked to make sure she was getting through customs w/ her other dogs. That was the only time I met her. We have stayed in touch before, and since they’ve arrived, sometimes they message me w/ questions or they ask them on FB and I always try to help them. I had never met Daryl but we have talked on FB often. Tarra loves dogs like we do, they had 10 when they lived in the states. She likes white wine, doesn’t eat fish or seafood. Hmmm. This all sounds familiar. It was a gorgeous evening to have dinner on the roof (with 5 of the 6 dogs in attendance), an enjoyable evening spent with new friends. They just shipped a huge boat down here and are starting a business. Check it out here.
I really enjoy meeting new people and making new friends. I can only hope that the knowledge we have gained living here, can in some way make their transition a bit easier. Packing up and selling most of the world as you knew it and moving to a third world country that is so different from where you came from, is a bit of a bitch. It’s NOT easy and as I’ve said before, it’s not for the faint of heart.
Pizza dough in the makingCocktail cornerSouthern viewIt was too bright up there to take a decent photo.
This week has been a busy one. Monday I had lunch with one of the police officers on the island. We met at the Beach Grill, a place that my friends own (along with Bandit and Sable, 2 of my Frito’s puppies). He was accompanied there by 3 other cops. After Eduardo and I ordered I called the waitress over to order something for the other 3 guys and she said they were already being fed, by the Beach Grill. Way to go Rob and Lisa, that was so awesome!! Eduardo and I had a nice chat in his broken English (actually he is pretty good) and my pitiful Spanish. He is a young guy, joined the Police Academy at 16, is now 28, his wife is an English teacher and he has a 9 month old son. My opinion of him is; he’s a nice smart young man who really wants to do a good job. Unfortunately the government of Honduras continues to do a 3 month rotation of police on the island, which is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of. No progressive thinking here at all. It is what it is.
We just got home from dinner at a friend’s house and I got a message from Nidia that said she got 3 huge boxes of candy canes from Eduardo, the cop I had lunch with the other day. What a sweet gesture on his part. Nidia does not know him and it’s the first donation she has ever had from the police. Way to go Eduardo!
Bill is busy with the fence construction and getting a foundation poured for the garage. It’s getting there, now we are waiting on material and for a gate to be made. Waiting is the name of the game here.
I went to pay for the permits on Friday before BJ’s and thought I would be all smart and make the check out prior to going there. I mean, I just had 3 Spanish lessons and we did numbers, I can figure this out. I wrote the check out for the correct amount but I inserted the word dolares. As in: Quatro mil, diez dolares and cuarenta centavos and that screwed the whole damn check up. You know, old bank brain going dollars and cents. Obviously it’s the first check I ever wrote down here that had cents in the amount. Foiled again by foreign languages. I have to take them another check on the way to Mondays Don’t Suck.
Digging the footer for the garageFence wall is up, just need fence materialBig area for the dogsThey will be happy with all this room to run!
Tuesday I ran errands, went to Mega Paca of course (ran into 2 friends there), went to ACE hardware to check on the broom I asked them to order and came home and cleaned up after the dogs, again.
On Wednesday I had my first foray into the world of cruisers. Never being on a cruise, it’s an unusual concept for me. Don’t ask if I would go on one because I don’t have an answer. I would enjoy being on a large ship for a day, just to look around but other than that I really can’t say yes or no. I left the house very early in the morning, headed to the cruise ship dock to pick up my friends Robby and Julie and their 3 girls, Cortnee, Jessie and Molly. I ran into Serranos hardware and bought Alexi a pair of nice rubber boots to work in and I parked there. I was walking up to the cruise ship dock and saw my friend Bob in front of his store. I went over and gave him a hug and went in to say hello to Debi. While waiting for her to finish with a customer I met a lady named Gail who was on the island, waiting for her family to arrive from Canada. They came last year also to help out with the Christmas food deliveries that Nidia did last year. Gail and I walked up to the port together and took some photos of the boats.
Norwegian Dawn pulling into the dock.People ziplining byNot much of a zipline but if you don’t want to leave the port, here is your semi thrill..
I hung around the dock and then walked back down to the Made in Roatan store and chatted with Bob until Robby and Julie and the girls got off the ship. Once we did our introductions there, we headed right to Arch’s Iguana Farm to meet Sam for our snorkel adventure.
Some of the older males at the farmMolly sat down and let the iguanas crawl over her and nibble on her feet while she enjoyed their company. She’s quite the critter lover.She is such a cutie!
We met Sam in the midst of the iguanas. I was very excited when Sam said that Chelsie was coming with us. She is Sam’s fiancee and a good friend. Sam is like a 3rd son to me, I just love him and his family and everything they embody.
We all got on the boat and while motoring out to snorkel, Sam gave us all a briefing on the green eels in the area. He said they have become aggressive and we should always be on the lookout for them. As soon as we got in the water there were conchs everywhere, more than I have ever seen in one spot. So cool.
Surrounded by conchs, some were so huge we could see them from the boat.Sea life is so amazingThere were these Jelllyfish everywhere and you couldn’t avoid them. I swam through so many and didn’t get stung at all. I asked Sam and he said if you squish them in your hands you will get stung. In all reality, I had no plans to do that. EVER. Who would?Feather duster, I am so fascinated by these.Sam and a puffer fishButterfly fishChristmas tree worms, another thing that fascinates me in the sea.CoralAnother type of feather dusterA bridled burrfish. It had the coolest eyes ever.The eyes are a different color nowThese are so fabulous!!
You have more than likely heard of Lionfish. They have invaded the Caribbean and are a huge threat to the reef remaining healthy. Lionfish are a stunningly gorgeous, incredibly destructive and poisonous to the touch, fish. To get a better understanding of what it is that makes them so damaging, read this. They are, I am told, delicious.
Lionfish, the scourge of the sea.StunningA rarity, a photo of me underwater, thanks Sam!
After snorkeling for about an hour we got back on the boat and Sam dropped us off at the Big French Key dock. Julie and Robby’s girls did super fantastic in the water. No complaints no nothing, they just swam. I was really impressed with them, cool young ladies with good manners and great personalities. And gorgeous to boot.. We hung out at Big French Key for a few hours until the girls were getting hungry. Rather than eat lunch there, they really wanted to try Cal’s, of course. Everyone wants to go to Cal’s, it’s the best. So off to Cal’s for a mid day lunch but first we had to get back to my car at the Iguana farm, not at Big French Key’s dock. When the boat pulled up I asked the cute young guy if he was Sam’s cousin, he said yes. I said, cool, Sam said you would take us to his dock because I parked at the Iguana farm. He said he would, we just needed to wait for the smaller boat.
We arrived back to Arch’s dock and walked back through all of the iguanas towards my car. We ran into Mr. Sherman Arch (Sam’s dad) on his way down the hill. He was all smiles when he saw me, I introduced him to Robby and Julie and we talked with him for a few minutes. Seriously, the Arch family is somewhat of a legend on this island.
Shawn Jackson is a Roatan native who recently moved back here and has just opened up an art gallery showcasing his amazing work. His underwater photos are nothing short of incredible, actually, all of his photos are fabulous. Check out the link in his name to see his work, it’s worth a look. He just started a series of work called Faces of Roatan. For this project he went from village to village looking for people who were born and raised here. Shawn photographed the people and gathered some info about each one. He is currently showcasing The Faces of Roatan Series in West End at his gallery.
This is Shawn Jackson’s photo from The Faces of Roatan Series of Mr. Sherman Arch.
After a great lunch at Cal’s I buzzed up to our house since we were so close so Julie and Robby could see we really do have a house. They are returning and staying here in March. Back to Coxen Hole to Nidia’s to drop off some stuff that Robby and Julie brought for the kids (like 4 backpacks full), thank you so much, it will all be put to good use. Then I had to say goodbye to them, they weren’t positive if they had to be back by 5 or by 6 because they got off the ship before the announcement was made, so we played it safe and chose 5 PM. It was a fun day spent with people I would never have known if it weren’t for this blog.
Next on the agenda is the Christmas Party for the kids from Calabash Bight and Fiddlers Bight. And you know what? I’m tired and don’t feel like thinking coherently right now. I’ll pick up with the kids party next time, right now I just want to lay down on the couch so I think I will.
12/11/2015 I went up on the roof and had a Dos Equis the other night, it was a beautiful evening and the view was as amazing as ever. We really have the best of both worlds, being able to see the N and S shores of the island. Sometimes the weather can be completely different if I turn around.
The dogs are having some issues running around up there, it’s much more slippery than when it was regular old concrete. But it looks so much better, they will just have to chill the hell out..
roof view, looking NorthwestGuess who this is? She is famous in Camp Bay, a Duchess of sorts.The wind blew her glass onto her shirt so I suggested she wring it back into the glass..She even brought her own vino, she’s a fussy Duchess…On Sat we went to Sandy Bay to pick up a friends new mattress. We stopped at the gas station and the guard in front of the former Banco Lafise was holding a phone to his ear with his right hand and he was holding his rifle with the same hand while the gun was balanced with his left hand which is HOLDING ANOTHER CELL PHONE. Surely he has no idea what is going on around him.We were picking up the mattress in Sandy Bay. and needed to do it earlier in the morning because the seller had to be at the airport by late morning. It was kind of a stormy, iffy day, Brett and Carmen brought a big tarp.Deserted beachcoral displayquartz towerThe sea looked angrySorry this is all the closer I could get to this place. The building on the far right has a chute to slide your kayak into the water. Pretty cool..Wee wees, or leaf cutter ants. We do not like the wee-wees.Bad wee-wees, die wee-weesA house that our friend is doing some work on. It was right across the street from where Mike and Liza were staying in West Bay Village.The people who bought this place made it bigger and it’s pretty darn close to the neighbor’s stairway.Bill, Liza, Carmen and Mike. Brett is just behind Carmen.Christmas tree at Bananarama. We walked up the beach from Mike and Liza’s and had lunch there. It was great!!Mike, Brett and Carmen.The sea was rough, we had a semi-nor’easter come through here.Bananarama had the shade sails down and rolled up. I imagine the wind would get those things flying and send these lamp posts off with them.It is a hard way to make a living, selling ice cream on the beach, especially on a severely overcast day.I was warned not to step on the gurgling sand as it was akin to quicksand and would gobble me up. I played it safe and just snapped a pic.Weird this pic turned out like this, I was walking when I shot it. The day wasn’t that dark.This shows how dark it really was.lonesome pierMike and Liza’s place, lower level, just a few seconds walk to the beach.Sports court (or a football arena if you’re Nathan W) Flowers Bay, right on the seaThis photo looks like a painting, not sure why a few of them turned out like this. Also shot while sticking my hand out the window w/ the camera and snapping away.Same situationNothing surprises me, I just like to document things for you all to enjoyBig ship in port, Columbian Navy Vessel. The video in this link was shot by Daine Etches as the ship was coming in to port.It’s beautiful!!Yes, I have seen pretty much everything.This is the ark looking nightclub El Boske is building in Politilly.This is the front of itBill and Brett loading the mattress and frame on the boat.Some Baaaaaa’s on the way homeThey are always wandering around the same spot..
A friend sent me this video, it’s pretty amazing, especially if you are a skier. Check it out here. I think I have watched it 11 times already, it mesmerizes me… not much does.
Sunday morning it freaking poured buckets. It was raining so loud it woke me up. Usually when I get up I can get 1 minute before D O G S happen, this morning they were inside and there was no escape. It’s ok though, they’re not a bad thing to wake up to, unless they are barking incessantly. Which they sometimes do. I ran to Mega Paca and grabbed some baby toys for the upcoming Christmas party then went and got groceries too. It was a crappy day earlier but it cleared up enough that I was able to walk 4 of the 6 dogs, Bill walked the other 2. Nothing like making 4 trips down and back UP our driveway.
Monday came and went and I did nothing except clean up the kitchen and cook eggs for the week for my breakfast. Bob and Rosalie stopped by so Bill could see if he was able to fix their generator. (He did) Rosalie and I visited while they were doing guy things. Tuesday was another do nothing day, the concrete bags were delivered and stored in the downstairs living room. Come on, isn’t that where YOU store your concrete too? Cement mixer and drill press in the kitchen, dog meds in the 1 bedroom, soccer jerseys in the other and a couch for a friend. I will fall down on my knees and praise the Lord when Bills’ shop is done. Just an FYI, it’s not started yet..Need to get our permit and to do that they want hair from your first born during it’s first 2 weeks of life and 3 sets of scorpion pinchers, other than that, no big deal..
Wednesday I met my friend Jan at the bottom of her road. She was going to Ceiba Thursday for her residency and was going to check to see if our cards are ready or not. If not, I have a friend going next week who will also check for us. Super pain in the ass. They sure don’t make it easy to live here or do business here.
We had a visit from Dave Symons, he brought me a gazillion candy canes for the Christmas parties Nidia is doing, along with a bag of toys that I picked up earlier. Thank you Dave and Trish!! I was going to take the canes the day I took the toys except I had errands to do and they would have turned into peppermint syrup in my car, and yes, it is December. Dave, Bill, 2 other guys who were here and the neighbors worker hoisted the couch over the deck railing and onto the porch, then inside. YAY, my couch is inside. AND THE DOGS THINK IT’S FOR THEM. They are not allowed on this or the other couch, especially not this one. It’s a game, they think. So happy to have the couch inside!
One of the people I met through my blog was Sean from Canada. Sean and I messaged/emailed often about Roatan and many things on the island. He and his wife were here over Easter last year (busiest week of the year) and decided to come again this Dec. They arrived, along with 2 of Sean’s wife, Caralee’s friends. Sean travels like Bill does and like Mike does, with sister wives. Kinda, but not. Anyhow, Sean and the group arrived on Monday. We were hoping to get together so we could at least meet. He messaged me today, “We are going to Parrot Tree, may stop at Cal’s for lunch.” I responded, “I’ll find you.” I ran and met Jan, then went to the ATM, which was down again. damn banks. I had to go inside and to me that is a hateful experience. I got done with that and then went to Parrot Tree to look for Sean. They weren’t there so I went home. I had a yogurt, loved the dogs and went back to look for them. On the way I noticed an X-Terra that could have been a rental (Sean’s car). I got to Parrot Tree, walked down to the water, no Sean. So I drove over to the other side of PT and checked out my friends house, looked at a house that has been being built for a long time and went back to the lagoon. I noticed the X-terra from Cal’s was there. I thought for sure that was their car. Seriously, I should have been a detective, I really like looking into things, getting to the bottom of it.. Anyhow, the super sleuth in me knew I was onto something. I saw a guy that looked like Sean with several women on the other side of the bridge that goes over the lagoon. They started to walk alongside the south side of the lagoon, thinking there may be beach on the other side of the wall, but there isn’t, it’s ironshore. By this time I knew it was them. They were walking W towards the N shore of the lagoon. I started walking W towards the S shore. When we were close enough to be heard I yelled, “You must be Sean, you’re the only guy on the beach with 3 women following you.” He gave me a big hug as did his wife Caralee. I liked them instantly. Caralee’s friends were very cool too. Funny thing is, all 4 work together in IT in a big bank in Canada. Bankers to Bankers..
We hung out along the lagoon for a while talking. Then I thought I would let them relax and come home to see what the dogs were up to. They said they had some toys for the dogs and would come over when they left PT. Now when these people say they have a few toys, prepare to be floored. A FEW TOYS??? My dogs got a whole aisle of a dog toy store. All super tough, chew resistant (really a myth) toys. Actually, these look like the strongest toys the dogs have ever had. I’m keeping all the toys inside and only giving them a few for now, although I did give them an adrenalin rush and gave them all of the toys at once. They freaked out.
The goods, these are not just regular toys, they are made for dogs like mine. Dogs that have an insatiable chewing desire..Oh wait, that’s every dog I’ve ever owned, except Frito. She has never destroyed anything.Max, Barrio and HighwayHighway has choicesThey all picked a toy and ran to their spots to play with it.Highway was a little testy, like, don’t screw with my toy young pup. He was all growly and acting macho.
Needless to say, these toys are a huge hit, they are loving them. Thank you again so much Sean and Caralee!! Hope to see you on Friday @ BJ’s.
On Wednesday I got a call from my hairdresser to see if I wanted to come in the next day. Did I need my hair done. Turns out she was leaving the island for a month and wanted to do the people she knew would need to have color. Poor Nadia, how selfless of her, her brother was murdered in Italy and she was trying to take care of her customers..Love that woman so much. She is off to Italy tomorrow, safe travels my friend..I went early Thursday to get my hair done and to hug on Nadia.
After I left Nadias’s I went to Plaza Mar to buy rice and beans for the Christmas bags and then went to Nidia’s to drop off the toys and candy canes from Dave and Trish, my super awesome friends from Canada. They are also the people who brought 2 suitcases full of new soccer uniforms. We hope to pass those out while they are here this visit..they also donated 3 bags of syringes for Clinic Esperanza, I dropped those off when I took Mike and Liza there. Mike and Liza brought a few dozen bottles of OTC pain relievers for the clinic. Liza said when she bought all the meds in Walmart the guy really looked at her strange, like, “are you really sick?” Mike and Liza are going to gather medical supplies while at home and start bringing them on their future trips here. Dave and Trish always bring something to benefit the people of the island. Thank you Mike and Liza and Dave and Trish. .
I got my errands done in Toxic Hole and headed home to pee, kiss the pups and get more ice water. Then I drove to BJ’s and was picked up by Carmen with the ever dashing boat guy Brett of the long eyelashes, (Carmen’s husband), escorting us to Miss Marilyn’s place on Calabash Bight. We helped Alex get the stuff out of their attic. Honestly, I had no clue people had attics on Roatan, interesting. Marilyn had a freaking shitload of Christmas lights. I mean, a SHITLOAD. Some worked, some half worked, some didn’t and were crap and we wanted to crush them. Well, I did, Carmen was more reserved and Marilyn kept pulling bags of lights out of I don’t know where, a secret light storage closet that she didn’t tell us about. Some were brand new, in the box AND THEY DIDN’T FLIPPING WORK. Let me state this: Christmas lights that don’t stay lit if one bulb is missing are shit. Lights that flicker are shit. Lights that don’t work are total shit. LED lights are the way to go.
After 2 bottles of wine the tree was up and decorated, it took a 3rd bottle to finish talking about it, have a yummy salad that Alex made and wonder why the hell Marilyn was still bringing out ornaments for the tree.
Pandytown, water side. On the way to Calabash Bight.Santa’s chairThe tree, fresh out of the box and leaningCarmen,”I got this.”We had an issue with the male female plugs and had to start over once. Only once..Random non-superstitious doglights and then someSo Marilyn pulls this out and I am speechless. It is bedazzled amazingly well.A most fabulous pieceI couldn’t stop looking at itSuch gorgeous piecesI covet thisup close and personalThe piece that looks like a planet is one of my favs..The finished tree3 broads, 3 bottles. I eased up on the last bottle, I still had to drive home after my boat ride to BJ’sAlex honey and his treeperfectoriding back to BJ’s w/ Brett and Carmenwe went through the little tunnel, across Oak Ridge bight to BJ’s..
Friday was the gift wrapping party at BJ’s. We had Spanish class at 12 and then went right to the bar. Several of us took tables so we weren’t wrapping on bar stools like last year. The tables worked perfectly..We got all the gifts wrapped, re-bagged beans and rice into individual ziploc bags to be passed out, gifts sorted by boy/girl and age group. While I was wrapping I noticed my friend Woudsin from Helene sitting at the bar. I went over to talk to him, give him a big hug and condolences for his Dad passing away. We chatted for a bit then I went back to wrapping.. A little bit later he called to me and I went over. He introduced the guy he was with and it was someone I knew from 40 years ago in Williamsport, my home town. Small freaking world..When I was walking in the door he was going out and I thought, he looks familiar..Nice to see Rick Benedict, I knew his wife Marika better than I did him, but still, to run into someone from home is random. He was here finalizing the sale of the property he owned with my friend Perry Adelson on the island of Helene.
Let the wrapping beginRice and beans, the mainstay of the local’s diet here.Santa will be busy. Thanks to Beth and Aaron, Judy and Walt, Cathilee, Ralph and Ginny, I was able to contribute a LOT of nice gifts for the kids.So the guy in the hat on the phone is Woudsin, a good friend from Helene, the guy next to him in the hat is Rick, haven’t seen him for decades..Then to run into him at my Friday hangout, pretty cool.Wrapping and drinking..Lots of papergifts and more giftssorted age and gendereach bag of toys will get beans and rice
I love Fridays at BJ’s. I love my east end friends, everyone is so chill. It was muy caliente in Spanish class, {no electricity} and hot hot hot wrapping inside BJ’s, lots of bodies, lots of activity. I was sweaty in my Christmas Story t-shirt. It was appropriate for the holidays but it was hot. Really good to see some people, like Kathy and Marcia. Hopefully I’ll be snorkeling with Marcia soon..
A virtual dog carpetI cleaned the dog hair off the ottoman Barrio is on, laid a clean blue towel down then one of my sarongs to protect it from dog hair and dirt. I can clearly see now that I need to nail the freaking thing on..Barrio, Lola and Max, (L to R)
It’s Friday night, I got home around 4 from the afternoon festivities and laid down on the new couch. I knew I had to meet Jan at 5 to get our temporary residency papers back. Somehow my mind woke me up and I jumped off of the couch at 4:57, I grabbed my keys and ran to Cal’s to get our papers. Grateful to Jan finding out about them. I think I was still in a sleep stupor when I went down to Cal’s. Day drinking, even 2 glasses of wine, does me in.
12/03/2015 The crud is gone, we are both still coughing and Bill still overheats anytime he does anything but we are better.
Last Sunday I met a new friend who found me through my blog. She was on the island looking at land because she and her husband have decided to retire from Canada to Roatan. She invited me over to Media Luna where she was staying so we could talk. I couldn’t stay very long because we were taking the cupboard doors to Jeanie so I invited Diane to ride along to Camp Bay. We drove over here, loaded the doors in my car and headed out to Jeanies. It didn’t take Bill as long as he thought it would to hang the doors, once hung, we headed back home.
The view out into Neverstain Bight from Media Luna resort. We can see this bight from our house quite well but we can’t see the resort, it’s tucked back in.Stunning, all inclusive. Mainly French Canadians I believe as the people don’t arrive through the US on Saturdays.Amazing vistas at every turnAn unusual way to shade a beach area..Looking towards mainland HondurasThe inside of the dining hall. Have heard food is typical buffet food, nothing spectacular but adequate.This is the new nightclub being built near Oak Ridge, thankfully not close to us. It’s going to be a big boat. It looks much more “boat like” now, will get some updated picsThe view from the road to Media Luna. It’s a good distance from the road, most of the road you drive on is newly paved so it’s quite nice.X marks the spot of our friends home. It’s on Caribe Point Bight, lovely place and a nice kayak to the reef from there.View of the bight and Jonesville to the right
On Wednesday my friends Mike and Liza came for 11 days. They flew in on Avianca from the mainland. We met Mike and Liza when KP was here and we were visiting La Sirena in Camp Bay. Then Mike found my blog via my friend Amanda Walkins blog, his wife emailed me and the rest is history. After being in contact for months via FB and email, it’s like we were best friends already. I offered to pick them up at the airport at 10 on Wed. morning. Once we got the car loaded with their stuff (Orlando was sweet and went and got their bags for them and took them out to the car) we went to the Re-Max office so they could get their property deed. Yes, they are land owners on Roatan!! After that we went to Eldon’s and got some food and drink stuff, then I took them to Cabana Lana, the place they are staying in West Bay for 4 days, then they moved down to a place by Infinity Bay. A little variety this trip.
Thursday was Thanksgiving and we were meeting Mike and Liza at the Beach Grill at 3:30. I had to meet Cristiana (our lawyer) in French Harbor to pay her for our residency papers, then I met Sam to pay the balance on the roof job. When I was done with that I ran into Lady Lee for the big Black Friday sale that started on a Wednesday. I spent $180.00 and got over $350.00 worth of toys. Thank you Beth and Aaron and Walt and Judy, Ginny, Cathilee and Ralphie! Another friend of mine from Williamsport sent me money for the kids, thank you Rick, I donated all of your $$ to Because We Care and Nidia is buying toys for over 1000 kids with the money we are able to raise. When my errands were completed, I hustled back home and got ready for turkey dinner.
Photo by Lisa Blythe, mama to 2 of our puppies, she and Rob own the Beach Grill. Mike and Liza and Bill and I, 11/26/2015The only girl of the litter, Sable. I adore this dog.Bill with Bandit & Sable. I am so blessed that Rob and Lisa took these 2, they were meant to be together, they have been inseparable since birth.Sweet boy Bandit, biting my arm exactly like Barrio does. He and Barrio look like twins.Beautiful and oh so loved pups, Sable and Bandit.
On Thanksgiving @ the Beach Grill, I introduced myself to Madison Keith, the owner of Roatan’s radio station, Blue Wave Radio, 101.1 FM. We have been friends on FB and comment back and forth. I had tuned in earlier in the day while running errands and he was playing Alice’s Restaurant. IT MADE MY DAY. Today after we chatted and I met his lady Greta, he had me say on air, “Hi this is Deb, broadcasting on 101.1 FM, Blue Wave Radio, Roatan”. It’s a fab station, he plays music that makes me go, “wow, it’s been years since I have heard that song”. That’s what good radio stations do.
Sable has a girl crush on Jefferson, one of the wait staff at the Beach Grill. He seems like a really cool guy and I can tell he really loves the dogs.Handsome BanditLiza getting kisses from the pupsView from the Beach GrillThis is where we had our fantastic turkey dinner with no clean up for me!!Our friends Rob and Lisa own this place. It’s very popular with tourists but mainly it’s an ex-pat hang out. Olivia and I stayed at the resort attached to the restaurant, Blue Bahia, in 2010. It had different owners back then.I love this photoDriving down the beach after turkey dinner
Friday and yay!! BJ’s. Mike and Liza came over around 11 and we headed to Oak Ridge for our Spanish lessons at noon. They wandered around Oak Ridge while we learned about conjugating verbs. When class was over we all (as in the whole class) went to BJ’s and hung out for a few hours. After we left there, we came back here for toilet break and then went to Cal’s for dinner. Yummy as usual! Mike and Liza headed back to the other end of the island after dinner. Mike said the headlights of their rental were both pointed in the ditch along the side of the road, makes for a challenging drive because the roads here are pitch black.
The BanditosBill and Dennis. Dennis and Marcia have another one of our pups, Duke.My BFF Jeanie standing in the background, and L to R, Kathy, Mike and LizaL to R, Llyn, Betty, Gail and Kathy, fun loving ladies..Our friends Keri and Doug’s boat. They just moved here permanently from Snohomish, WALove the boat name, Calabash Biter..
Saturday we cleaned around la casa. (I had Melissa over on Tuesday and she did all the windows and the tracks, it took her 5 hours to do the windows. And guess what?? They’re dirty already. It freaking rains dirt here.) Alexi came over and helped Bill clean up outside and I swept and dusted inside because friends were coming for pizza and they were bringing another one of our puppies, Tank, the big handsome brute that I had a terrible time parting with. Kevin and Claire own Blue Reef Properties . We had a fabulous evening with them, and the boys and Lola got along quite well by the end of the evening. Except Highway, who was a total freak and was banished to the bedroom with the cat.
I met another guy on FB via my blog, via Amanda’s blog. He contacted me on FB also. Sean and I have been emailing and FB’ing for a few months. He and his wife decided to come down again this Dec. from Canada and he asked me for info on where to stay; I hooked him up with Kevin and Claire and he is thrilled to be renting from them and will be here the 7th. I’m looking forward to meeting him and his wife and friends. Sounds like Sean travels like Bill used to, with my 2 girlfriends..his wife is also bringing 2 friends. My friends Mike and Liza travel with 2 other ladies, they call them the sister wives, what do you think Teri B and Olivia?? You 2 into being called sister wives??
Sunday morning we went down to Oceano to get my new couch and then made another trip to pick up one I got for my friend. We had to get Alexi to help us because they are too heavy for me to even begin to help, they are sleeper sofas and obviously well made. We also brought home the new dog bed. Well, it’s not really a dog bed but a floor pillow, however, the dogs love it and we bought it for them.
It matches the pillows on the new couch that we can’t get upstairs.
I had a fretful Sunday afternoon. I was really nervous because we were both flying to the mainland the next day and what if something happened, who would take care of the dogs, what would happen to them? would they be fed and spoiled and loved. And the boys, who would contact them? I frantically was making arrangements the night before thinking to myself how damn unprepared I really am. The Queen of Preparedness, the ex Girl Scout, the person who separated their rubber bands by size AND thickness. SO unprepared. I have made it a priority to do this by the end of the month. There, I’ve said it..out loud to the world, I have to do it. And girlfriend, you know who you are, let’s get on this..
Monday morning we arose at some flipping ungodly hour to ALARM CLOCKS. I hate alarm clocks. We had to get to the Roatan airport by 6. Bill sucks with airport arrival times, we were there before THEY OPENED THE DAMN PARKING LOT. And I forgot my book. Boohoo. (reading the Glass Castle) We were bound for the mainland, La Ceiba and it was currently (almost) cheaper to fly than to take the 1 hour plus Ferry. Bill is not a boat fan to begin with. We flew. I fell asleep probably before take off and I woke when the gear went down to land in Ceiba. We had 3 empty suitcases for shopping after we did our residency. Our lawyer had gotten all the papers for us and a letter from the Chamber of Commerce and we had a cabbie who spoke English (and was referred by many friends) pick us up right on time and whisked us off to the residency office. He took us in, told us what line to go to, talked to the ladies there, he had it down. I had the temporary residency papers for 4 of our friends also so Pablo took them and got their cards for me! We got our card stuff done and then we hit WALMART. Yes, a brand spanking new store too. However, it was a huge let down for me. Let me say right off the bat, I am not a Walmart woman, B U T, they do have good prices on so many things like shampoo and paper towels and soap, necessities that are so expensive here I thought I could stock up. I got a few things, like new heavy rubber floor mats for my car. Bill said they are so heavy they will decrease my mileage. hah. We left there and went to DIUNSA. They were having a big sale and we ended up buying a mattress and box springs for the guest room downstairs (Robby and Julie, Merry Christmas) and Bill got his outdoor cooktop.
It will be nice to not have to heat up the kitchen cooking dog food and other stuff. Really, why not use it all the time?
It’s easy to get stuff shipped over, our stuff came the next day. Our driver in La Ceiba could not have been any nicer and should the need arise to go to the mainland again, we’ll be hanging with Pablo. Thanks Joe and Betty, Cindy and John and Heather and Ron.
Brand spanking newThis is something I’ve not seen in Roatan. Yet.Pablos’ seat belt lacks a hook to fasten into the part alongside the seat so he just loops it over his head.He got his wife Poinsettias @ WalmartIt was a rainy drizzly gray day in Ceiba but Pablo took us to the waterfront. It looks like they have a nice Malécon too.Right next to the beachThe walkway to the beachThe benches and trash cans (and there were a lot of trash cans, unlike Roa where there are NONE) all looked very Fred Flinstoneish to me,They definitely decorate their trees differently, it was really pretty.Pablo said this place is owned by a cajun and he makes some mean gumbo.Nothing but the best when it comes to a boarding passCayman Airways at the La Ceiba airportGood sized mountains along the runwayYep, that’s a John DeereFlying over Ceiba, almost to the coastlineCayos Cochinos in the distance.
When we were coming in to Roa, I could see the runway and thought there is no way in hell he’s going to land, he’ll have to go around and get lower. Nope. This guy dropped the plane from a good altitude and set it down nice and smoothly on the runway. Blew my mind. He’s done this MANY times before. When we finally got home the dogs were very happy to see us, Bill ran Alexi home and I loved on the pups.
I had been dying to go to Mega Paca the last few days but they had been closed down by the DEI. They are like the IRS on steroids with flak vests and machine guns and a Terminator demeanor. I was going to write a whole blurb about it but my friend Jeanette Gartner already did so here is her link, check it out, it’s amazing what they have done and are still doing on the island. We do not feel threatened, it just shows how very corrupt and backward this country is. However, we do NOT have mass shootings like the US is experiencing on a daily basis (it seems). People think Roatan is an unsafe place to live and some have even left because of that. Honestly, I do not feel unsafe here at any time. I use precautions just like I would in the US, I drive all over the island, alone. Are there places I won’t go? Yep. Were there places I didn’t go in Bellingham or Seattle? Yep.
Rumor was Mega Paca would be open Tuesday and to my utter delight, it was. I strolled through the housewares and my favorite color of green caught my eye. I ran around to the other side of the shelf and grabbed it. I immediately flipped it over and it is a brand spanking new green Chantal baking dish. It was $10.00. It was also going to be mine!! Score.
So excited, the color is actually brighter, more of a lime green.
The next few weeks are going to be busy, BJ’s, Mondays Don’t Suck, a gift wrapping party and then 3 Christmas parties for the kids on various locations on the island, plus friends come in on a cruise for the day and I am picking them up and hanging out with them. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the month. Tomorrow is Spanish class, then BJ’s, Sat we are taking our friends to West Bay to get a mattress they bought then going to meet Liza and Mike, maybe snorkel, have lunch on the beach and visit with them before they head back to Oregon.
We have been dealing with foot issues with the dogs. Gringo has a sore between his toes, he was limping, Lola has her back feet licked raw and Highway’s one paw was swollen to twice it’s normal size. They are on a variety of meds right now. My concern is the meds are a band-aid because we don’t know the cause of any of this. If we stop the meds, the issues return. We may end up taking all 3 to ProVets and that will be super expensive. They come once a month from the mainland and they do testing, skin scrapings, etc.,but they charge just like the vets in the US. OUCH! 3 dogs at once..
Highway’s footLola’s pawMaxilliciousGringo, my love..Barrio, Bandit’s twinLola, the dog without a brainAll of them playing on the newly fiberglassed roof. Now we have to repaint the sides of the walls because they fiberglassed part way up to keep any water from getting underneath.
I need to get something accomplished today besides organizing my closet. I have too many clothes and don’t wear half of them. I gave Melissa, my cleaning girl, a big bag of stuff and I have more for her.
DressesSkirts and topsSleeveless tops and more skirts. I really am a skirt girl, I prefer them over shorts any day..
This time of year is hard down here, I miss my boys a lot. I wish I could be with them and my parents and brother and sister and Bill’s sisters for the holidays but I can’t. I get involved in so much stuff down here trying to help the kids on the island that it’s difficult for me to leave now, I’ve already committed to these things and I want to be a part of them so here is where I’ll be.
As I was surfing the net I came across this hysterical story. It’s about a man who borrowed his son’s GoPro camera to take a trip to Vegas. His son didn’t give him any lessons on how to use the GoPro, so the poor guy used it the whole vacation but had it backwards on the selfie stick. His vacation photos of Vegas are actually photos of him with some of Vegas behind him. Check it out, it’s pretty funny. Definitely a blonde thing, in other words, I could have done that.
I’ll attempt to do a better job at blogging, when I don’t have a lot of readers it almost seems like a waste of time and I get discouraged and grumpy. If there are subjects you would be interested in knowing about, please let me know and I’ll do my best to fill you in with the down and dirty truth.
This photo is my cover pic on FB. I did not take it, it was taken by a friend of my friend, Laura Osterloh. I got to know Laura because her husband worked at Grizzly. Bill and I were the first people to visit their first 2 children when they were born. Jack is the oldest, then Ellie, who was born with Cystic Fibrosis and then sweet Ava. Early September Laura got sick and was sent down to Seattle where they discovered she had pancreatic cancer. She was not able to eat or to go to the bathroom due to blockages. They put stents in, did procedures that were very painful, all in an attempt to get her ready for chemo. The first few rounds of chemo did not go well and after her condition worsened the doctors decided there was not much they could do for her. She wanted to go home and be with her children so Hospice was set up in their home on the Bellingham waterfront. Her multitude of friends in Bellingham knew she loved Glassybaby candles so they made this tribute to Laura on the dock outside of the window where her bed was set up.
Her husband posted today that she passed away this morning, she was 45 years old and leaves 3 children behind. My heart is broken. Please say a prayer for her family. Rest in peace Laura.
11/18/2015 Life is strange. It’s strange the way we meet people in our lives and what influences or doesn’t influence that a friendship ensues. What traits do we look for in a friend, is that how we do it, looking for “traits”? I don’t think I look for traits or tendencies, like oooh, are they OCD like me or not? Do they eat peanut butter with a spoon? If my friends were like me I would not like them much.
Last Monday I rode with Marilyn and Alex to Barbon beach for Mondays Don’t Suck. shortly after we got there it rained, then the rain stopped and it was semi sunny. Only a few people showed up but it was fun nonetheless. The women floated for awhile on our matching rafts and the men prepared the fire for lunch.
Marilyn’s wine glassPerfectionBoatersNorm and JeanieThe story behind this is hysterical. This is Bob and this is what his wife Rosalie posted on the pic I took. “Last Monday I neglected to actually look at Bob until we were shopping at Bay Island Electric. Yes he dressed himself. I had to apologize to the gang at the beach for his attire. Note to self…never let him leave the house without giving him the once over. I softened the insult by telling him that I was sure he wasn’t the worst dressed man on the island that day!”Beach gangMarilyn and Bob
It was a fabulous day on the beach. The next day I was meeting my friend Milesse at the resort she owns, Barefoot Cay. As soon as I got there the sky opened up and it poured. I had to take a barge across to the Cay, so I waited until the rain let up a little bit before I crossed. We went to Milesse’s house and ordered lunch from the restaurant menu. Let me just say this: Milesse has a fabulous home and Barefoot Cay is amazing. The grounds are spotless, the bungalows are decorated elegantly, it’s really an amazing small boutique resort. and you are very catered to when you stay there.
from the palapa over the waterThe water is so clearStunning poolSerenity
I had a great time with Milesse, we discussed the airport gig and what needs to be done to make it an even better experience for the arriving guests. {Milesse is the one who started the volunteer greeter program at Roatan airport}. After a great lunch I got a tour of the resort, it really is a beautiful place away from the hustle and bustle of the popular beaches.
Friday found us back at BJ’s, of course. Out of nowhere and after a few glasses of wine, Jeanie said, “lets plank here.” So I grabbed Marilyn and Bill and my camera and we planked. It’s funny but nobody really pays any attention when you are being crazy. It’s obvious that insanity is what I look for in my friends.
I go right for the craziness, the impulsivity, the we’re ready for whatever attitude. They are the people I like to hang out with. The adventurous ones. I like true friends, people who you can hang with so comfortably that they feel like home. What blows my mind is the life situation that we have on this island that gives us this type of friends. The people we are friends with here are ready to go to the beach with 7 puppies, tie up a kayak and snorkel to the reef, take a boat to Helene for the day, eat dinner standing around our kitchen island when we had to come home because our dogs were barking so much. There are women who will plank with me and those who will spend all day passing out shoes or an afternoon downtown providing fun for the kids. And their men look and watch without passing judgement. We are expressing ourselves.
Jeanie in front, me in pink, Marilyn, in black and white. Planking BJ’s!Then Jeanie says, “Take our picture” to Bill, “DO SOMETHING” to Marilyn and I. So Marilyn and I cracked up!ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!! Marilyn in her throne.
Actually, Bill made the chair for Santa Claus’ arrival at the Christmas party in Fiddlers Bight next month. Marilyn was taking the chair home to paint it. She may have it permanently affixed to the boat because she looks pretty freaking regal sitting there. Get that lady a crown.
My fabulous lady friends and I are going to start having Adult Coloring sessions. I got a few books online and I told Jeanie to buy one also. We plan to get together and color and drink wine and solve every issue in our little island world. During these times we may also vote people off the island..You know, like Survivor but without money. These are the coloring booksthat I bought.
Friends. I love my old friends, the group of people we partied with in the states. So many years with those people and so many memories. I love my new friends too. We are making memories here every day. Crazy fun memories. My good friend just returned home last Saturday, back to her island home. I was so happy to see her walking into the immigration building I wanted to turn cartwheels across the tarmac. I refrained because they would frown on that and I’d more than likely kill myself with a cartwheel. Faceplant much? However, I would like to try one. Just to see, without anyone else seeing.
I find it very interesting that people from my previous life are now a part of my current life because of FB. People that I used to hang out with when I got out of High School or after my sporadic college career {that spanned way too many years) and resulted in nothing being learned except life lessons. Hard taught life lessons. I haven’t seen some of these people for 25+ years. Some WAAAYYY longer than that. Friends I’ve know since 4th grade. Friends from my past, from the life I led before I became a Mom. Even after having the boys many of these people stayed in my life. Some went in other directions, some I haven’t really “talked” to in decades but we are in touch via Facebook. I love that I am able to be a part of my friends lives, to be able to see photos of their children/grandchildren growing up, to know what they are doing and to comment on each others daily happenings. It’s a good thing.
My friend Dolli just posted this photo of me on Facebook. I think it’s 1968?
Umm, yeah, I was a Hippie chick! I’m top left, with a cig in my hand. This photo is amazing..
One of my friends, Keri, from Snohomish, WA., sort of started the Pastafarian religion on Roatan. When a few of our friends went to visit Keri, they wore colanders on their heads. This articletells about a girl who is allowed to wear a colander for her drivers license photo because it is part of her religious headwear. My friend Llyn has to get her license renewed here on the island and I’m going along for the ride because she is going to wear a colander on her head. I’m going to take pictures and laugh my ass off.
Sunday we picked up Nancy and Chuck and they rode along with us to deliver Jeanie’s new cupboard to Camp Bay.
Dog toys come in handygetting it in placeReady to mountWe didn’t take the doors because there wasn’t any room for them to travel safely, they will go this week and Bill will then mount and adjust them.
Once Bill and Roger got the cupboard hung we all went to La Sirena and had lunch and rum punches. Always fun to hang out there and Jeanie and I even planked, again. This time it was my idea.
We planked on the overwater table.Very odd for the water to be so muddy, all the rain and resulting runoff makes it like this.Jeanie Bill and Jimmy. Jimmy owns La SirenaNot much to look at but fabulous food and the view is the best!The end of the worldJeanie Jimmy and Roger, Jeanie’s husbandThe place is covered with signed moneyBill, Nancy, Jeanie and RogerChuck, Nancy’s husband, surveying the propertyPorky
We got home late afternoon and hung out with the dogs for the evening. At around 1 AM I woke sick to my stomach and spent most of the night awake and feeling like shit. It wasn’t the food from La Sirena, but some turkey breast I made a sandwich out of. I know this for sure because Bill had a sandwich Monday night and was sick all night long. When I woke Monday morning I had a headache, fever and was coughing, the start of a mysterious island illness. This is day 3 and I am beginning to feel human again, although I think Bill may be getting it now. Time will tell.
The guys are here fiberglassing the roof, finally we have had some dry weather so they can get this done. Sam said it will take about 4 days to do and then we will be waterproofed.
I have given up fixing dog toys and resigned myself to the fact they can not have stuffed toys period. The only toys they don”t decimate are Kongs, Nylabone and Skineeze.
This toy lasted 2 hours.The pain these critters endureI have become quite the surgeonStuffing be damned.A blast from the past for all of my Seafirst/BOA friends.My new couch!!One of our critters that Alexi caught. We of course let him go unscathed after talking to Alexi about not killing them. Iguanas are so beautiful!
The pups are seven months old and weigh: Gringo, 49#, Barrio 45# and Maxillicious 39# and Lola who is 1 year old weighs 44#. Highway will be 3 Dec 1 and weighs 51#. I’m thinking Gringo is going to be our hefty one..He is solid as a bull..I bought bananas for the dogs, sliced them and put Xylitol free peanut butter on the slices for them. They love them. Then they stole 2 whole bananas from the counter, they ate 1 banana, skin and all. I only found a part of the other banana peel. Nice healthy fiber. Damn them. They eat everything. I did not take a picture of their latest destruction because I was disturbed that they did what they did. They ATE the heavy wooden cistern cover. Yes. No joke. You could see down into the cistern. Really, honestly, they were that DAMN bored that they ate the cistern lid. Needless to say, this did not make Bill’s day. I’m sure it was all 3 boys and Lola. I think Highway watched with dismay. Dogs, man’s best friend.
I haven’t mentioned this next thing because I didn’t want to jinx it but these people are coming to visit us this summer.
Our oldest son Chance and his wife Alecia and the girls. I am BEYOND excited to see them and am already planning lots of fun things to do while they are here. Neither of the girls have flown before and Alecia doesn’t like to fly so I really appreciate her willingness to put her fears aside and come to the island.Alexah’s school pic. What I love most about this photo (aside from the fact it’s of Alexah) is that she isn’t afraid to smile with her braces on. She is a gorgeous girl!Chloee, another beauty, she is growing up so fast. They both have their mother’s beautiful blue eyes!!Chance and his girls being goofy
One last thing, I am also helping out with the kids Christmas Party in Fiddlers Bight, a community accessed by boat. Last year Bill and I bought toys for the party and I helped wrap the gifts one day at BJ’s. We also went along with Santa to the bight for the festivities. This year Bill made a sturdy new chair for Santa which he desperately needs because so many women want to sit on his lap AT THE KIDS CHRISTMAS PARTY. This group is different from Because We Care. This is a smaller group of children, but still kids in need. If anyone wants to donate, $10.00 gives an island child a Christmas gift. Believe me when I say it’s the only gift they will get. You can donate for free to my PayPal account, just be sure to mark the money as a GIFT. I promise, 100% goes to the kids..my email for PayPal is ledfutt@gmail.com
And, I am off to bed, this cold/flu has kicked my butt. I really do not have time to be sick!
11/09/2015 I know why I missed my left knee when I shaved. The thing is NUMB. No feeling. I either skim over top of the knee hair or slice a divet in my knee, no feeling. Well, except for the blood, that would be a give away that something was screwed up. So yeah, maybe I need to shave with Nair.. Ugh, leg hair, when does it go away?
This past week didn’t turn out to be as busy as I thought it would be. Nidia had her weeks mixed up. Renee came Saturday and is leaving this Wednesday. She is here working on the sewing machine project. I offered to help on Sunday but they are not doing anything until Monday and I have plans Monday and Tuesday, so I am no help at all. This past Monday I went to West Bay beach, despite the fact that everyone else went to Barbon (Camp Bay) beach. I had a nice day on deserted West Bay with Lauren. It was D E A D. and stunningly gorgeous.
our viewWest Bay Beach, in all it’s glory and gorgeousness.Their new lights, want these for the roof
Lauren and I were in the water most of the 4 hours we were at West Bay and I have peeling skin on my forehead to prove it. I saw my friends Celeste and Milos, they own West Bay Lodge, while we were there. We stayed @ WBL the first 2 times we visited Roatan in 2007 & 2008, in fact, we were sitting on the front porch of their office waiting for our realtor to come. When he got there he shared the news that our offer was accepted and we were going to be property owners!! First visit ever to the island and we bought land. Yeah, I know, insane.
Lauren and I had lunch at Bananarama and then floated some more. As Lauren and I walked back to my car I recognized Shawn Jackson, a local photographer and his wife Maggie and their son. I stopped him and introduced myself (we have been FB friends for over a year but never met). I was so giddy after meeting them, it was like meeting royalty. Check out his work in the link on his name, he is phenomenal!!It was 2:15 when we left West Bay. I took Lauren home and went in and saw her apartment (the cat scratch post Bill made was sitting front and center), she’s pretty nestled in the jungle. When I left there and walked down to my car my phone was ringing, it was Lisa, Sable and Bandit’s mother. She wanted me to stop by and see the pups so I jumped on that opportunity. Sable is doing great, she looks good, her eyes are nice and clear and bright and she is all spunky again. Lisa said Bandit was beyond excited to have his sister back. I love these 2 puppies so much and I think they love me too.
Bandit, oh so handsome.He looks like Barrio but Barrio has floppy ears.The initial attackIt gets a little more seriousHe wasn’t humping me, honest!The only girl in our litter of 7, Sable. And this girl kicks ass.
We are still picking ticks off of our dogs. I gave the boys Heartgard (with the advice of a vet ) 10 days after I used the Frontline Plus, which clearly did not work. De-ticking since last Friday. Fun shit.
I hate ticks..however, I can pull them off with my fingers and squish them with a fingernail. I am an island girl. Gross huh?An Anole in the dog food dish??
On Tuesday morning we picked up Nidia (Because We Care) at the entrance to Mud Hole Rd. From there we went to the school in Corazol. Our friend Linda and her daughter Brittany were being filmed by House Hunters International and Nidia wanted us to go with her to help out. Linda brought school supplies for the kids and supply bags for all of the teachers, along with 4 new swings for the school. Bill came along too and helped with removing the old swings and hanging the new.
The school yardBoys in classCurly headed cutie in KindergartenThese kids love the cameraBoy on top of swing set helping BillCorozal school. The classrooms in this school were some of the neatest and most organized I’ve seen.The windows were in bad shapeWell, that’s one way to do it!For some strange reason the top of the toilet tank was laying in the yardPretty obvious the refrigerator doesn’t work, except for a place to hang a garbage bagThis is where they wash their hands, it’s a mudhole..House Hunters van on the left, Linda and Brittany with Bill checking out the new swings.Camera gear2 of the boysLinda always brings stuff for the kids and she thought incorporating some of this into her HHI show would encourage others to do so too.Nidia (in the white dress) jumping rope with the kids.A truck bed is a kid magnetTug of warTake my picture…Yes, the boys were on the peak of the roof. This would never happen in the US..Glad we had the truck, it helped reach the sky high swing set top.Cute boyHe’s a ham..Nice bright clean classroomBrittany passing out bags of school suppliesKids swinging on the new swings. Bill has some modifications to do on them.Balancing act on the tire fenceNidia and Linda getting hugs
It was super hot and humid that day, I would have killed to jump in a crystal clear blue body of water. We hustled home, took care of the dogs, I took a nap and at 3:30 we were at our friends home. We were introducing some friends who recently bought a home in Politilly, very close to our friends who just returned from the states for 3 months. We were there until after dark. We came home to barking (of course) hungry (double of course) dogs.
Wednesday we planned to get the remaining 2 dogs neutered but I just didn’t have the energy. Instead I went to Mega Paca and wandered shopped for a few hours and found some great deals. Having this store to shop in is the best thing ever, I’ll need to be heavily medicated if they ever close. On Thursday I drove to French Harbor to get Bethany. She is our vet’s assistant and she and I have become good friends. She came out and hung out with the dogs and I. She hasn’t seen any of them except Max when he was so sick.
Friday morning we took the pups swimming again at Big Bight.
They run and jump right inSee how murky it is??Playing chase on the little keytres’ hermanosThey get in the water and then climb on each other.Barrio and GringoBarrio in the backBarrio, Max swimming and Gringo.I love these boys so much!Barrio strikes a poseThere was a dead bird in the sand but they didn’t even drop and roll on it.It is really pretty but the murky muddy water freaks me out. I don’t think we’ll take the dogs back there.
They had a good time there but I got really nervous because something kept blowing bubble circles in the water and the clarity is worse than murky there (decayed mangrove). I got all freaked out and thought it was a crocodile so we left. The pups were tired anyhow, 15 minutes of swimming and running non stop will do that. We brought them home, all 3 got showers, a huge brunch and they passed out.
Friday afternoon we went to BJ’s, of course. Rosalie and Bob are back on the island, it was so great to see them! I had 2 glasses of wine and some downright delicious french fries (addicted after one order) before we came home. Saturday I was back at the airport. They changed things up there and it went so much faster for the guests coming in, however Daine and I were discussing the fact that the new way doesn’t allow us as much time to visit and chat with the people. What a difference a small change can make though, they whizzed through everyone, the wait was minimal. Many of our friends returned today so I am really looking forward to catching up with everyone.
Nelson, our mechanic, came for pizza brunch. He is the one who gave me Lola, I’m not sure how she will react when she sees him, she is such a space case, it’s hard to tell. Sometimes she barks at Bill or me when we come upstairs. She acts like she has no idea who we are, weird. Maybe that fall she took off the roof as a puppy made her brain come loose in her head, maybe she never had a brain. She’s a beauty but dumb as a stump.. Oh well, can’t have beauty and brains..
Here it is, Monday again and I’m headed to Camp Bay beach (Barbon) with the Mondays Don’t Suck gang. Looking forward to visiting and floating in the sea. Just another day in Paradise!
10/31/2015 Halloween was yesterday and we didn’t go to the big party. Bill is NOT into dressing up to begin with and I already committed to picking up our friends at the airport, even if I didn’t have plans I doubt he would go. It’s OK, I can miss a party, although from the photos I’ve seen, we missed a good one!
My pumpkin
I wasn’t scheduled to work at the airport but figured since I was going to be there, I might as well help out. I worked until my friends got through immigration and then left so I could take them to the store and then home.
Earlier in the week I went to the Daughters of the Island Moon gathering at Calabash Bight Resort on Tuesday night. Alex and Marilyn picked me up, we went to their house by boat, then Alex “boated” us across the bight to the event. There were 10 women there. We had a lot of yummy food {chicken salad, pasta salads, crackers and cheese, chips, bacon wrapped dates, tapenade and hot cheesy bacon dip} and of course, a few drinks. One of the ladies is a Reiki practitioner and she did Reiki while another of the ladies led the spiritual cleansing.
The woman with the ranger badge built the fire. She did a fine job.Shadows danced around the fireWell, we weren’t really dancing, just walking around.The view while floatingLooking W towards Calabash Bight Cay
After the cleansing we floated in the ocean under the light of the full moon with a nice small fire going on the beach. It was a nice quiet evening with a fun bunch of ladies. Marilyn and I and a couple of others spent the night in the bungalows there. When I woke up and walked outside this was my view.
Right outside the cabana doorStep through the gate and onto the beach.If you look very very closely you can see the mainland.
The ones that spent the night sat around and talked in the morning for a little while, then Martina dropped Marilyn and I off at Marilyn’s dock and Marilyn and Alex brought me home.
Cutting through the mangrovesAlmost back to BJ’s
They hung out here for awhile, Marilyn and Bill were chatting about some furniture, Alex and I were surfing the internet. We had brunch before they had to leave. Always enjoy spending time with them!
I was sweeping the other day and swept another lizard tail out from under MY side of the bed. That grossed me out. Earlier when I was cleaning off the bathroom counter I found a live lizard behind a wicker drawer set, then I found another green Anole on the window. Lizards everywhere. I hopped in the shower when I was done cleaning and immediately got freaked out because I thought there was a lizard head laying eyes down on the shower floor. I didn’t want to check to see what it was so I avoided it like the Bubonic plague during my shower. Just about the time I was finished showering I realized it was the dead green bug that had been laying on the counter previously. The wind must have blown it in the shower. Phew..
On Thursday I went to Cattleya to help Cynthia with a small art project. We were helping the students make animal masks out of paper plates. I worked with a young boy I’ve not met before named Kenny. He was quite a perfectionist. We made a mask of a monkey face but he wouldn’t let me take his photo with it on.
Students and helpersKenny cutting his out.Stephanie’s elephantTerryn in his panda maskKenny hanging his maskPart of the studentsAnother shot with Kenny in it
The school is quite small right now but after the first of the year they will be relocating to a larger place. I’m looking forward to helping however we can with the move.
On Thursday we had Betty and Joe, our friends from Punta Blanca coming for pizza. They got here around 3 and we ate at 4 or so, then had after dinner drinks and dessert on the roof. They, like many other people do not like to drive at night here. The roads suck, there are no lights, the edges of the roads are ragged and the whole island is pot hole ridden. Sounds like PARADISE doesn’t it. Anyhow, they wanted to get home before dark and I think they made it.
I kept the dogs busy while we ate with Kongs filled with peanut butter and frozen yogurt.
On Friday I went to Nadia to make my roots go away and then came home, changed and got ready to go to BJ’s for the afternoon. When I got home from the other end of the island and checked my email there was one from Milesse asking me if I could meet at the airport at 1 for a meeting with the tourism board of Honduras and the Bay Islands Tourism board. It was 12:30 when I got home and had driven past the airport, which is 20 minutes away, on my way home. We were meeting friends at BJ’s in Oak Ridge so I said that I wasn’t able to go. Sure wish I had know about it earlier, I would have loved to have been there and given my 2 cents. Not that anyone wanted to hear it, but I still would have given it.
We had a great time as usual at BJ’s chatting with everyone. Dennis (he and Marcia have one of our pups) brought Duke so Kathy could look at him. He’s having an allergic reaction on his paws and around his nose. Kathy gave him some medicine so hopefully he will get better. So great that you can take your dog to the bar and have someone meet you there and check him out. Island life. The update on Sable is she is home, her eyes look great and her brother was very happy to see her. They have never been separated since birth so I’m sure it was hard on both of them. Lisa said her vision is pretty good and getting better every day. Such great news, she is a sweet girl!
Today was a do nothing day. I got some laundry done, laid on the roof in the sun and removed ticks from dogs. In the past 3 days we have had a tick infestation. Previously our dogs never had ticks, Friday they had a lot, all except Lola and Highway. I used Frontline Plus on the pups on October 20th, I gave Lola Nexgard and Highway wears a Preventic collar (he’s allergic to all the neck drops, he has seizures from them). Lola and Highway only had a few ticks but the pups were infested. I’m writing a letter to Frontline and complaining and I’m sending them pics of some of the ticks we got off the pups today, day # 3. Unfortunately I didn’t think to take pics Friday and Saturday and there were A LOT. If I were in the states I would mail them a good old fashioned snail mail letter and INCLUDE all the ticks. You know, like people stick that confetti shit in letters, I would put ticks.
I’ve watched a few things on Netflix lately that I really enjoyed; A Sloth Named Velcro, The Story of JK Rowling (never read Harry Potter but now I want to) and a story about Iris Apfel. She is a very eccentric older woman who has style out the ears and then some. All great shows. I also watched the Story of Big Bird starring Carroll Spinney on Amazon Prime. And of course, I am watching The Voice, but I have to watch it the day after it shows in the states..No biggie. It’s been 12 years since we have had TV Cable and you know what, I don’t miss it. Our friends that came for dinner don’t even have a TV. We do and Bill uses it for Netflix, I watch my stuff on my laptop.
Next week is a busy week. I’m starting it off tomorrow with a beach day at West Bay with my friend Lauren. (Bill made her cats the scratch post). I seriously need some sun, I look like a damn tourist. Tuesday morning we have plans, Tuesday afternoon cocktail party, Wednesday neutering the last 2 boys, Thursday going to Brass Hill for sewing machine update with Nidia and Friday to Helene with Nidia, then BJ’s, again with Nidia. Back to the airport Saturday and yay, my friend Jeanie returns that day. I can’t freaking wait. Next Monday will begin my trips to Camp Bay for Mondays Don’t Suck.
I’m off to rinse the sweat from my body and shave my left knee, which I totally and completely missed the last time. How the hell did I miss the whole knee?
10/26/2015 Two years ago today we arrived in Roatan with 2 dogs, a cat, 5 suitcases and 3 carry-ons, making one of the biggest life changes ever for us. It was a big move, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I’ve learned a lot living here for 2 full years and I can honestly say I love Roatan. I love the people I have met, the Ex-pats and the Islanders. Now that the house is completely livable and the pups are rather self sufficient I’ve been able to really get involved with many different groups and doing that has given me the access to meet some fabulously wonderful people.
Earlier in the week we had another delivery truck stuck in the driveway. I “think” this is # 10. I could smell the clutch burning up before I even knew there was a truck down there. They were bringing building supplies to people living down in the valley and had too much weight and poor brakes {a very common problem on the island, we don’t need no stinking brakes}. They reach a point where their load is too much and the no brakes/poorly maintained vehicle issues rears it’s ugly head. They tried and tried to make it but in the end they chose slamming into the bank instead of dropping off into the ravine. Bill had been out running errands and came along while they were figuring out what the hell to do. They actually pulled the truck out with a chain hoist, which is usually used to move engines. Not trucks. (Bill had previously told me they used a come-a-long, that’s why I posted that on FB). It worked and they somehow managed to get backed down the driveway. It amazes me the condition of the vehicles on the island, bald tires, no brakes, bad clutch, insanely crazy alignment where the trucks actually look like they are going down the road sideways.
The bank eats another truck
Friday afternoon we again went to BJ’s to see our friends. It’s a great way to begin the weekend and make plans for the upcoming week. After we left BJ’s we came home, grabbed my car and headed to the grocery store. Grocery shopping after a few drinks is never a good thing.
This is the only one of three I could post. In the other 2 photos I clearly was, whatever. Thank you lovely Marilyn. I forgot that you took these but when I saw them on my phone I remembered you asking how to do the camera. So I did remember. I am with a friend, Kelly.
I worked at the airport again on Saturday, 5 weeks in a row. On the way in I saw my friends Rob and Lisa. They have 2 of our puppies, Bandit and Sable. Sable was the only girl in the litter. Sable had been having some eye problems and one of the numb nuts in the pharmacy gave them some eye drops which they said would be fine. Not knowing, they used them in Sables eyes. They were steroid drops and sort of ulcerated her corneas. Rob was flying her to La Ceiba to Dr. Bueno’s animal hospital. When I saw that sweet little girl, she knew who I was right away and gave me so much loving while I stood there crying. Her eyes hurt her so badly she kept them closed. Lisa said she is still at the hospital, waiting on some more tests but they said her eyes were open and she seemed to be doing better. I am very anxious for her to heal and come home. Please keep Sable in your prayers. I cried the whole way home from the airport just thinking about her.
The airport, I do love being at the airport. I have so much fun meeting people. This week as I meandered through the lines chatting to people a man said to me, “Good thing you don’t have a problem with shyness.” Nope. Not me. Several of my friends arrived this weekend, either coming back home or coming for a few months or for a vacation, it was so fun to welcome them with a big hug. I even met some people who remembered me from when they were here a few months ago. The flights were all screwed up with arrival times, from what we were told, all 3 would land within 15 minutes of each other. Delta surprised us and landed 35 minutes early, then American and United landed within 15 min of each other. Craziness. We kept it under control and got everyone through immigration and in a good mood to start their vacation. Carolyn and I seriously think we should be serving cocktails in Immigration.
Sunday we (I) made a huge mistake and decided to take 5 of the dogs swimming to Paya Bay. Highway whined the whole 25 minute drive there, he’s ADHD and can’t control himself. You could cut his lips off with a chainsaw and he would still whine. Physically, he can not stop. The boys were in the front and in the back, changing seats every time we hit a bump, which was every 5 seconds. Lola was terrified, she does not like cars. Or water. Or food. Or us. When we got there the first thing we saw were 2 stray dogs on the beach. SHIT. There weren’t supposed to be dogs, just sand and garbage. Lots of trash on this beach. . They did run off when we parked so we let the herd loose with leashes still attached so we could grab them easier. They weren’t interested in the water, they wanted to run. Then the other dogs came back and my fear was the boys would chase those dogs and we would never find Barrio, Gringo or Maxillicious again, so we left. It was a piss poor trip.
5 dogs in the backseat
After we came home, it was still early so I crawled back in bed with Emmy {after I bathed the 3 pups}. I slept until 11:40, it was a nice sleep, kind of light and dreamy. We got ready to go to our friends home for a late lunch. They live on Calabash Bight (Bay). When I say on, I mean ON. Alex picked us up by boat from BJ’s and we were at their place in 5 short minutes. I always love riding through Pandy town on a boat and waving to the people along the way. We hung out for a while on their superb deck talking, having some wine and enjoying the view. Marilyn made a delicious Caesar salad with home made croutons and home made dressing. I could have made a meal out of that. She also had chicken for the 2 of us (I don’t eat red meat) and steak for Bill and Alex and a great potato casserole. Yummy 5 ***** meal in a beautiful location with great friends, doesn’t get much better.
Yes, I know, their view is kind of sucky. Especially when the sun is setting and the moon is out. The colors are very defined. The huge blue house in the background on the hill is my friend Kathy’s home.Ummm, yeah, their deck. Water on 3 sides.South west edge of the mouth of Calabash Bight.A better view of Kathy’s. She just painted her roof, it was darker before. I like it.Skipper. What a love. Skipper and Scruffy and the neighbor dog that thinks it lives there.The mouth of the bight.What a glorious moon.How do I caption this? Perfection??1 full moon, coming right up.Water splashing, love sticking my camera off the side of the boat and snapping away. Good lord, I love digital photography.Pulling in to BJ’s to begin our drive home.
The dogs were all wild and crazy when we got home. Frito was doing her damn seal thing. I can’t believe Bill doesn’t think she sounds like a damn seal. It drives me up the wall. A few glasses of wine in the afternoon and I fade F A S T. I was in bed early.
This morning I had to meet our friend Sam to give him money to get the fiber glass to start doing our roof. It’s flat and we thought it would be a good idea for water damage prevention. The roof will be like the deck of a boat, non slippery and it won’t mold or mildew. I pulled into the Iguana Farm and parked my car. As soon as I began walking down the ramp, I looked at all the iguanas and said to myself, ” Do I have a cool life or what? Walking through the iguanas to meet my friend Sam.” Yes, blessed indeed, especially to have Sam as a friend. Sam showed me his new boat and his fiancee’s house that he is building for her, all the while there are iguanas wandering everywhere. So darn awesome! After that I ran to ACE and grabbed a few glow sticks for tomorrow night, knowing full well with the full moon at the Daughters of the Island Moon party, that I probably won’t need them. The party is on the beach at a very secluded place, so looking forward to a night with some crazy island sisters.
So yeah, 2 years here on the rock. Did we make a mistake moving here? I don’t think so. Our life is so different from what it was 2 years ago. When we first moved here we knew some people and got to do some fun things but the longer you are here, the more people you meet. Whether it’s in the process of finding homes for our puppies, meeting people on FB and then becoming friends once they get here, handing out TOM’s shoes, delivering desks, helping at Cattleya, volunteering for Because We Care or at the airport, the people I have met are fascinating. They are all different, come from different ways of life, live differently at home and here, had different former lives, have different points of view. However, the one thing they all have in common is: THEY CHOSE THIS ISLAND TO CALL HOME. It’s an unspoken bond. Island Insanity. We all have it.
I have loved my last two years on this rock and am pretty much ready for whatever comes next. No hurry. It’s called Island Time.
10/18/2015 Many of you probably wonder what the hell I do all day? I mean, I can’t shop, I no longer have a scrapbook room or a garden, what do I do? Sometimes I asked my self the same damn question. Many days it will be 4 PM and I’m still in my nightgown. That’s not to say I’m in bed, I’m not. I’m just not dressed and especially DO NOT HAVE ON A BRA. YAY for any time with no bra.
Every morning the first thing I do is feed my cat her daily scoop of wet food. If I don’t feed her right away she attacks me if I walk by her. Yes, attacks is the right word. She bolts out from under the bed and swats or bites my ankles. Depends how badly I’ve pissed her off. Once the demon is fed I go out on the porch to see the 5 dogs who are all waiting at the back door for me. This door is open all day long, we close it when we go to bed, there is a screen door, but due to the succession of 4 legged creatures in my house, it is a P.O.S. It does however keep the dogs out. Which lately, they are in WAAAY more than they are out. The pups idea, not mine. I am just putty in their hands paws. Speaking of which, yes Jeanie, I am your insane dog friend. My life now revolves around these 3 boys, I feel like I’ve given birth to triplets. To say I’m a “tad” attached would be a hugely gross mis-representation of facts. I ADORE these pups. Well, @ 40# each, they’re really not pups but 6 month old eating machines. They are eating 14 cups of dry food a day, along with yogurt at breakfast, 3 scrambled eggs at lunch and chicken rice and veggies at dinner. They get sweet potato slices, home made cookies and their frozen popsicles too. They eat better than Bill does, ask him, he will agree. He does make their chicken gruel, I just chop the veggies for it.
Once the pups are fed, I eat breakfast in front of the computer. I check a few sites daily, read what I want to read in the news, check face book and answer emails. Breakfast is the same thing every morning for 2 years now, scrambled eggs with red and green peppers and a jalapeno in them, with salsa and shredded cheese on a soft tortilla, maybe a cup of tea. Remember, I’m the weirdo that doesn’t drink coffee, ick.
Sometimes I peruse the internet sporadically during the day, other times I am gone or cleaning, baking (dog treats), cleaning up dog poop, walking dogs, watching the puppies don’t eat the couch, all of those fun things that I know make you really jealous you don’t live my life..
This past Friday I gave up my party afternoon with my tribal friends and went to a birthday party for a 100 years young woman that I met at the senior luncheon.I went to meet my friend Nidia at her store in Coxen hole, we were joined by our friend Mac. He’s the guy who danced with Aunty Jane at the senior luncheon. He and Nidia and I were walking to the event, carrying ice cream and deviled eggs. We made a quick stop in a store so I could get Aunty Clara a gift. I had no idea what to get her but Nidia knew. I bought her a nice lightweight housedress. That is a word I have not heard or used since my grandma passed away in 1977. The lady at the “store” didn’t have any bags or wrapping paper so I bought a gift bag that said Baby on it. I mentioned that to Nidia and she reminded me that Aunty Clara is blind, she won’t know. We got to the party and before the rest of the people came we went up to see Aunty Clara. Mac had a very generous gift for her and I gave her the dress. I pulled it out of the bag and described it to her. I told her my grandma used to wear them all the time and this was just like hers with 2 pockets on it. She seemed very happy.
The pins for Aunty Clara’s party. 100 years young!!Aunty Clara in the middleMy gorgeous friend Nidia. This beautiful woman has the biggest heart of anyone I know. I adore her!!
Mac and I hung out for awhile as Nidia got things organized. I asked Nidia where Aunt Jane was and she said home and we were going to get her. She, Mac and I walked to the corner of Coxen Hole’s main drag, went through a gate and up some steps to her apartment.
The wires outside of Aunt Jane’s home.Her porch and stairs to outside and her all important gadget, a tortilla makerThe wall in her home. It was immaculate but very sparsely furnished, a bench and an old TV.relatives, neighbor kids?? playing in the mango tree
Her hair was all dishelved and she was in her house clothes when we arrived. Mac and I waited while Nidia got her all spiffed up. She looked fabulous when she came out. She is 99 and a little spitfire with gorgeous blue eyes.
Look at this sweet face, 99 years old. This lady is a hoot!!Nidia walking her to the corner to get a cab
We put her in a cab to go the few blocks to the party and we walked. Once we got back there, the place was filling up. Aunt Jane was sitting with Miss Catherine, 2 beautiful ladies!
Miss Catherine and Aunt Jane
They were passing out plates heaping full of food and cups of soda to everyone, there were people inside and out.
We stayed for her to blow out the candles on her cake, then made our way back to Nidia’s store and our cars. Nidia had to go to Pandytown that evening for another concert to raise the rest of the money for treatment for Ursula
Nidia with Aunty ClaraAunty Clara blowing out her candle. She told Nidia to save the rest of the candles for her cake next year!
Saturday found me back at the airport again. It was sheer insanity, all 3 flights landed within 15 minutes of each other. American was over an hour late, Delta and United beat them by 5 and 10 minutes. Imagine 400 people trying to fit in the tiny immigration building. It got chaotic but we handled it and people, for the most part were happy. Odd as it may seem that 3 airlines from 3 different departure cities would land in the same 15 minute time frame, there’s not a damn thing we can do about it. It is what it is. I just allow my Bank of America training to kick in and as my friend Nathan W says, “I’m leading from the lobby.” Some of you will “get” this. Chaos or not, I LOVE being there.
On Wednesday, a day before his 6 month birthday Gringo lost his family jewels. He will be fathering no island babies. 1 pup down, 2 pups to go. We got to Dr Calderon’s at 7 and were out of there by 7:30.
My sweet boy Gringo getting neutered.
It took over an hour for Gringo to wake up and when he did, he peed all over. Another hour passed and I got him downstairs and out for a little fresh air and monitored movement. He was a peeing machine that day. Finally by dinner time he was getting back to normal but still had the “WTH did you do to me” look on his face! I felt guilty.
On Thursday Marilyn and Carmen came here and we all took off in my car to run errands, maybe do lunch and go to Cattleya to paint Christmas ornaments. We ended up going in Mega Paca (a big Value Village, Goodwill, second hand store). We were all in the skirt aisle and I saw a black tulle tutu looking skirt. When I pulled it out I noticed it was a BCBG Max Azria, then I saw the price tag was still on it. It was originally:
OMG! It’s a little big but it’s OK, it hides things. It will be great for Halloween, Pirate Party or NY Eve!!Evocative of Betsy Johnson, Cyndi Lauper or Debbie Harry. I was so excited I tried it on under my skirt right in the aisle!115L = a little over $5.00 but because of the color tag (blue) it was 50% off, I paid about $2.50 for it. SCORE!
We all made out really well there. I even bought some wine glasses for BJ’s. {They only have a few and I prefer my wine not to be in a juice glass}. After we left we were going to have lunch but only had 45 minutes until Cattleya so we went to the grocery store grabbed some stuff and ate in my car in the parking lot of the grocery store. Cattleya is the school that a friend started years ago to help mentally and physically disabled kids of all ages. There are autistic children, Downs children, children with motor skill deficiencies, it’s a fabulous school because otherwise these students would get no specialized help. The students made and colored lots of Christmas ornaments and the majority of them were decorated but we helped get the rest of them finished and another lady was there adding the strings. They sell the ornaments to raise money for the school.
Marilyn, Carmen and I. Photo courtesy of Connie SilvestriMarilyn on the right, Carmen and I. Photo courtesy of Connie SilvestriSome of the finished ornamentsOrnaments, paint and glitter..Carmen painted a reindeer to match her headband. If you like her headband (she’s bringing me a few when she comes back to the island) check out: http://strongholdheadbands.weebly.com/solids.html
Friday we went to BJ’s again. It is always fun to have some wine and visit with friends. It is the hang out for the east enders and every now and then people from West End make it down too. We didn’t used to go but have been in attendance much more lately. It’s a good group of people and there is always someone new to meet.
I worked at the airport again, 4 Saturdays in a row, I’m on a roll. I met a cool couple from Maine, they just moved here. Their home that they built was finished and the snow was going to start back home, so Roatan, here they come. I hope we get the opportunity to meet up with them again. Two other friends from Snohomish, WA., near where we used to live moved down today too. They have owned a house for a year or so, had to sell their business, cars and house in the states and, they’re here! We met them here, never knew them in the states. Weird how that happens. I was elated that I got to say Welcome Home to them as they walked in the building.
Such a stunning view from our roofMy friend Cheryl named this cloud Puff, the Magic Dragon. After all, he did frolic by the sea…Handsome Highway, the nut case..MaxilliciousLola and MaxI love our roof top deck
Well, it’s late, I’m trying to get this done so I can edit and post tomorrow. I’ll leave you with this little tidbit. Don’t pass this up, it’s too unbelievable, click on tidbit and be amazed. Then try to answer one question. WHY?
Mermaid on a Raft 