We left Belize this am, first in "collective" taxi to the border and then a collective mini bus to Flores. The collectives collect passengers til they are full to bursting....it cost $3.oo for a 2 hour trip! Belize was really wonderful! The people are charming and kind and helpful and the country itself is beautiful. We spent our last few days staying at the Parrot Nest in Bullet Tree Falls (named after the rapids there in the Mopan river...and the trees which are made of very hard wood...bullets will bounce off them). The Parrot Nest was great....the manager, who is the owners' daughter, cooks breakfast and dinner for guests and the food was delicious.... Many Americans are settling in the area...both to retire and to start tourism businesses. It is very easy to become a Belize ... read more

We have decided to stay on here for another day....it's relaxing and friendly place to be! And, as you can tell by now, a hard place to leave... Today we took a boat trip to another part of the reef and then on to Ambergis Caye..this island is really built up now..full of cars and people (50 thousand in the main town) and shops and hotels...It's much nicer here! Snorkeling today was good..we saw a giant "ball" of fish all swimming together.. a moray eel, a giant lobster, and spiny black sea urchins..along with the usual colorful fish and coral. We've been watching some of the local TV programing, and we're really impressed with the initiatives to bring tourism and protect the environment... It rained really hard off and on again yesterday..and we got caught in ... read more

We are in the midst of a cold front, believe it or not....Everyone who lives here is freezing, and we had to ask for blankets last night! It was warm enough to go kayaking this am, but tonight is cool and rainy. We moved to a less expensive hotel today, away from the beach... It is near a school, so I'm attaching photos for the kids! The next day: It rained hard all night....! Today had a few sunbreaks but was windy..so still no snorkeling or swimming... But it is warmer now... We went jogging this am, since it was cool enough, and explored more of the island on bike (they come with the hotel...)this afternoon. We are settling into life here and really relaxing.....naps in the afternoon! We have booked two more nights here and ... read more

We left around 8:30pm on Tuesday, after cleaning the trailer in LaConner, loading up the storage unit, returning to Seattle and cleaning the Queen Anne house... The drive was easy. We didn't run into any heavy traffic, except for an accident in Oregon that blocked the freeway. We were near the front of the line when they managed to get the driver out of the pickup truck..the truck was crushed but the driver survived! We arrived in Santa Barbara on Thursday afternoon...it was sunny and hot! A great change from the Northwest rain of late...We spent time with my son Luke who goes to college here and met his girlfriend, Kim. Our hotel is across from the beach, arranged by Kim who works here part time. We will leave for LA this afternoon and fly out ... read more