Blogs from Ambergris Caye, Belize Barrier Reef, Belize, Central America Caribbean

Note: This is a rerun of a previous blog published a week ago that had formatting problems and to which I was unable to add any photos. Many thanks to Ali for resolving both problems and restoring my faith in the TB platform! So, here we are ‘back on the horse’ of international travel again after a frustrating three year hiatus. Joan and I have just completed three weeks with the grandkids in Virginia/Washington DC, with a number of visits to the latter, but I haven’t bothered to post a blog about it as no one wants to see pics of the White House, apart from Donald Trump, who wants to live there again! Now the six of us, three generations in Damon & Sarah, Elliott & Layla, Joan & myself have ventured over to Belize ... read more

Chapter 9: Getaway Day I am up early while my love slumbers on. The coffee pot comes to life as do I at this quietest time of the day. I do love early morning with no sounds: No TV, radio, traffic; nothing but ambient noise similar to what might have been decades or even longer ago. There is no escaping the hum of the refrigerator or the low rumble of the circulating HVAC fan but those things are less here because there are fewer of those devices nearby. Cayo Espanto is at its best in the earliest part of the day. There is the sound of this morning’s ripples on the shore, palm fronds rubbing against each other in the breeze and, most pronounced, the morning birds announcing the news of the day to their fellows. ... read more

Chapter 8: Stormy Weather Dinner was, as it has been every evening, superb. The table is set beautifully in an amazing environment: beneath palm trees on sand decorated via rake or stick with symbols, our initials and a warm “Welcome.” There is a soup course, an appetizer, a main course and dessert; always too much and always quite good. Our final bottle of Kim Crawford goes down easily. Earth has one moon, Mars has two and this night Cayo Espanto has three: one full from the heavens above and two full from Casa Ventanas to our left which, now that there is something to see, somehow seems more visible than I had noticed before. It is the only accommodation thrust out on the water so it is more visible to its neighbors as our neighbors are ... read more

Chapter Four: Red Sky at Morning Both students of sunrises, we seldom sleep late enough to miss one. Today is no exception. But It is still dark beneath a nearly full moon when we, in our waffle robes, stroll down our short dock to look up in the hope of seeing stars and we are, in patches at least, rewarded. The water is crystal clear and only about two feet deep, light green over a sandy bottom punctuated by dark green patches over vegetation. Perhaps unfortunately, the dawn’s sky is red. Often heard is the saying: “Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” Upon what is that unattributed saying based? If morning skies are red it is because the sun is peeking through a gap of clear sky on the ... read more

Chapter Two: Arrival From my iPhone, quickly Bluetooth paired to the Sony music player In Casa Brisa, Corinne Bailey Rae sings in Choux Pasty Heart, “Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose.” The weather has made us losers this afternoon. Immediately after I came to that realization, God sent a lightning bolt too near for comfort to Cayo Espanto, momentarily drowning out the sound of pounding rain that reduced visibility to fifty yards or so. Our roof served as drum heads for the onslaught of water which, thankfully, fell straight down influenced by not a breath of wind. The downside to that was that the interior of our beautiful lodging was heavy air, open on four sides to the 100% humidity, stirred by a pair of ceiling fans that struggled to keep up. But I am getting ... read more