Dear Anonymous

Dear Anonymous
Thanks for clearing up the points that I missed on your comment. How did you know? Were you lurking about in the bushes? Me and Candy thought it was a private survivor BBQ. Next time bring the cocktails. We do not need another dog though.

The Fox & Flowers in Placencia

Just a short bit on the fox. He or she came to grab the tortillas we threw down in the garden. There is a whole family living behind Candy's house but only one came out for a portrait.

Beauty on the Beach:

Visit to Placencia

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting my good friend Candy in Placencia. Every time I go, there are so many changes it makes my head spin. The best change is the road in! It's not finished yet, but boy is it nice to drive without shaking my car to pieces and scrambling my already fragile brain. It was hot & dry so I still had to endure a little dust and dirt but at least my car was still recognizable when I got home.
First thing we did was drive to Seine Beight for beer to wash out my clogged throat. Relaxation and chat is how we spent the rest of the day.

Day two was for BBQ survivor style! We got potatoes & wrapped them in foil. We got corn on the cob and wrapped it in foil. The chicken thawed in the fridge. We had no matches or fire starter. We didn't know any boy scouts in the area. We were roughn' it! We had to use primitive methods to start the fire. Newspaper, kindling gathered by hand (okay... it wasn't our hands), and a lighter. But we did it. We got the fire going and before long we could put a bigger log on.

Two hours later we were ready to throw in the potatoes.
Candy's question: "How long will they take?" - My answer "I dunno."
A little later we turned the potatoes and added the corn.
My question: "How long will the corn take?" - Candy's answer "I dunno."
We turned & waited & repeated several times.
question: "Is it time to put the chicken on?" - answer "Sure.. why not."
We put the chicken on the grill that had been rubbed with an onion to keep it from sticking. A little later we turned the chicken. It stuck! Next time we should use a bigger onion.

We continued to turn everything until we were too hungry to wait any more, took it all upstairs and proceeded to unwrap the potatoes. They were done. A little burnt all over, but some was still edible. The corn was next. See above sentences following the word potatoes. Next the chicken. A little bit of burn here and there, raw in the middle but perfect around the edges after taking the skin off. We ate... we enjoyed... we survived!!! We went to bed.

Next time we're going to kill our own food and rub sticks together to make the fire.
Well okay by me, as long as there's beer.

Engagement in Belize

Yesterday I met my daughter and her boyfriend at the Tourism Village in Belize City. They were cruising on the Norwegian Jewel and decided to look at the diamonds in the shops. Well... they found one, bought one, and right there and then. Carlos got down on one knee, looked into her eyes and said, "Sabrina, will you marry me?" She smiled, then cried. They hugged, I hugged her, I hugged Carlos, I cried, Then we went and had lunch at the Biltmore to celebrate. We had a great day, but it went way too quickly. Back at the dock we said our goodbyes, cried some more and they were off to Mexico.
Congratulations you guys. Love you.

Name that Fly

Hey! I've been visiting Placencia and spotted this fly but I don't have a clue what it is. The lady was laying her eggs on a sea grape leaf. My hope is that it is not a doctor fly. They are usually yellow but maybe the females bearing eggs are orange. Any one who can enlighten me?

To my faithful readers (I know I have at least 3) I will start with my continuing saga of Hobo the wonder horse. As much as I love that horse, he was no fun to ride anymore so I traded him in on a pregnant mare. She is absolutely beautiful to ride, and gives me no trouble on the trail. Hobo is now up in the Orange Walk district being a cow horse. He herds cattle and is in training to be a rodeo horse too. I can't wait to see him in action! (With someone else on him of course).

My new horse, Sexy Sadie will give birth to a paint pony if it takes after it's dad. She will be ride-able for a while yet, but boy is she getting fat! This picture was taken before she really started to show. I'll post a more recent one soon.

By the way... I've moved again. I'm now living in Santa Elena on the river. It's gorgeous here! I have a beautiful view of San Ignacio Town and the broken bridge. Yes, the bridge that was rebuilt in November of 2009 is now being rebuilt again in January of 2010. Not a great record for bridge builders that's for sure. Also, not very convenient for the thousands of commuters that need to cross at the Hawksworth bridge and wait at least 5 minutes (I imagine it's much longer in rush hour) in a long line up to continue traveling along the Western Highway or especially people who now have to walk an extra mile to get to the market on Saturday. But... I'm sure it will be much better once it's finished and back in operation. In the meantime, I'll relax in the hammock and watch the iguanas.