Caye Casa Sleeping Dogs

     Every once in awhile, one of my guests will ask why I moved to Belize. 

     Usually I explain that I just don't like wearing shoes; but, one of the real reasons is that I got tired of wearing layers of clothes.  In Vermont, no matter what the season, I always wore at least three layers – not to mention shoes.   

                Here, I usually can get away with one layer and no shoes.   

            However, on a day like today, even one layer feels like too much.
                                     It's 90 in the shade.

Tropical Storm Isaac and Belize

Tropical Storm Isaac is so huge it has stolen all our wind.  Even in tiny Belize, we are affected. Here's a picture of the Belize Barrier Reef off our pier in San Pedro. Usually we always see waves breaking on the coral.  Not so today.  Let's hope it doesn't become a hurricane.

San Pedro Lobster Fest

Saturday night we ate:  lobster burgers, lobster sushi, lobster sliders and lobster "wings" as we watched others eat whole lobster tails, lobster ceviche, and lobster everything else you can imagine – all accompanied by appropriate rum drinks. And then the music started.  The Garifuna Collective is still my favorite.  The rain held off until late when the clouds produced a spectacular thunder and lightning show in honor of this great San Pedro festival.

Catamaran Sailing

 

    A few days ago, a number of San Pedro women rented the Lady Leslie, a catamaran, for an all day sail and sunset cruise. The conditions couldn't have been better – blue skies, east breeze, water and air about the same temperature – 80's.  Of course, there were refreshments on board and given the characters also on board, stories were shared. Gesturing to make a point, one very valuable camera flew overboard.  While water proof, it was also supposed to float.

   Captain Martin immediately turned the boat while his son, Jody, donned fins, mask and snorkel and held onto a rope to be towed behind the boat in order for him to capture or find the camera.  We were in shallow water- less than 10 feet. We made four passes in a very deliberate grid pattern. Another young crew member joined Jody. All the women stood on the sides of the boat as lookouts. The water was clear and the visibility excellent. We saw fish, a star fish or two, and some sea grass. The owner of the camera thanked Captain Martin and said to stop the search.  No sooner had she said that when:

   Shouts! Clapping!  Cheers! Jody dove and retrieved the camera from the bottom of the sea. The camera didn't float after all.  Needless to say, it remained tied to a wrist for the rest of the trip because the stories and laughter continued even as we watched the sun go down.

   I highly recommend the Lady Leslie, her owners and crew.

Local Gossip and Other Not Very Important Things

No one talks about the roads, the clock, or the elections these days. Mostly we talk about the wind.

Incredible March winds have been blowing at over 25 knots all day and night this week. Huge waves crash on the reef and smaller ones break on the shore – threatening retaining walls, piers and beaches. I think the wind is simply a reminder that Hurricane Season starts in a few months. It's much more dramatic than this photo.

On the other hand, it's perfect weather to sunbathe, read, sail, kite surf, go on an inland adventure, or simply stare at the reef.

If you feel like shopping, the clock in the center of town is complete – it will remain in the center of the main street blocking traffic and proclaiming the wrong and different time on each of its four clocks. The elections are over – all the candidates in favor of moving the clock were defeated; but, a few independent thinking men (no women) got elected to the Town Council. We'll see what they do or change in the next few months. Some of us have long lists……….

For now, most people just hope the wind dies down soon.

Road Construction Problems

Something has caused a slowdown. Maybe it was this broken cement mixer - again in front of Caye Casa. The weather's been fine.