We all got up very early to see Craig and Deb off on their fabulous adventure. Craig got Deb's cold and is feeling like crapiola, so Freddie gave him a supply of decongestant. Freddie escorted Lizzie to the bus stop, then we had a leisurely morning...espresso with warm frothy milk while looking at Rome in the distance.....once the thick dense fog burned off!!! Doing laundry was a challenge...Deb had showed me how to use the washer and dryer....the settings on the machine are all in Italian so I really had to pay attention. The dryer, a.k.a. the big dehumidier, is really different....no external venting...there's the lint collector and a water collector. As you all have seen, I worked on the blog too...sitting at the kitchen table tethered to the inverter that changes the local electricity from ... read more

We had a lazy Sunday morning...weather was iffy with rain predicted for midday. Deb wasn't feeling all that great...still recovering from the flu, so it was Craig, Freddie and I that went to Ostia Antica...about a 30 minute drive. It's an ancient port built early 3rd century B.C. and almost completely rebuilt in 2nd century A.D. The ruins have been partially excavated and cover a huge area. for more info visit: http://www.ostia-antica.org/touristguide.pdf We spent the whole afternoon there...so much to see. We stayed in that night..I had huge blisters on my feet from the all the walking we did in Rome...it felt good to just sit and chill. Deb cooked a yummy beef roast, Lizzie had her favorite mashed potatoes and Freddie actually ate salad...WOW! After dinner we watched the movie "Ghost Town" and had gelato...doesn&# ... read more

Last day and night here. Very lazy morning spent blogging, watching TV and packing. Very windy and overcast...cold front moving through so good day to chill....ha..get it...cold front...chill!!! Checked weather channel for possible...hopeful...flights delays...none damn it. Did shopping in the craft stalls along the beach. Brunch at Caye Caulker Pizza. Talked with the owner and gave him suggestions for white conch pizza with or without bacon. Also told him that a friend of ours with celiac disease was able to eat his pizza with no side effects. He said he'd tried many combinations of water and different flours before finding right combination for his pizza crust. He has no definite answer to why his crust can be tolerated by those sensitive to gluten. His theory is that the water he has to use is bottled filtered ... read more

We went back to the split today, snorkel gear in hand. The wind had picked up but the underwater visibility was still pretty good. Have to give a nod to Ed Kelley...snorkeling to Bob Marley is awesome. The Lazy Lizard had Marley tunes pumping through their big outdoor speakers and were easily heard underwater. The fish didn't mind...I'm sure they're very used to it. Never had this experience in the Virgin Islands. Looks like the hurricane destroyed a metal and concrete seawall when it created the split. You can see the remains all bent and twisted underwater and it's created an artificial reef for the fish and coral. We went back to the Rainbow Grill for their cajun lobster burgers, shrimp ceviche and frozen drinks. Excellent lunch! After a lazy afternoon, a quick chat with Lisa ... read more

Fred and I had breakfast at the Sand Box this morning. Thought it'd be good to have a hearty meal before our 3 hour snorkel tour began at 10:30 this morning. The girls checked out and stored their luggage in our room and booked a room down the beach at Island Magic for the last two nights of their holiday. The golf cart taxi picked us up....had to make two trips because there were 6 of us. We could have walked to the dive shop but oh well. Boarded the boat, got a briefing from the captain and headed for the reef...a short 15 minute ride. The captain explained proper snorkeling etiquette in a marine reserve. He would guide us on the first two stops and we'd solo on the last. He'd spot a fish, dive ... read more