I came to Orlando for the warm weather???

Today would have been my Dad’s 83rd birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

I want to wish all of you a very wonderful New Year. I hope that you and your family are granted bountiful blessing is 2011!

I went to my 1st Hopkins Christmas party on Sunday 12/19 at the Help Age Center (Senior Center) with Ron and Conan. I guess now that I’m old I can legally join in their fun (I turned 60 on 12/22). I met a lot of very nice people, both locals and ex-pat Americans and French. Dinner was turkey, ham, potato salad, pasta, and of course rice and beans, plus beer and soda. I was doing OK until the Anisette came out… Needless to say I slept like a log. Thank God I don’t get hang-overs!

I’m in the states now and it feels so weird! One of the hardest things to get used to is wearing shoes again. In Belize you can go into most places barefoot, including restaurants. Most of the restaurants will even serve you sans shirt. I’ve even been in the American Embassy twice barefooted. Here in the U.S. everyone wants your feet and chest covered. Of course there is more broken glass and rough pavement here and less sandy roads and floors so it’s an incentive to wearing some form of foot wear if nothing else than to not leave bloody footprints behind you. I think the only reason for the shirt is to be fair to women who have to keep their breasts covered. Hey why not just make it optional??? I see plenty of uncovered women at Kismet, although they are almost always Europeans. They have a different idea of what is acceptable beachwear. We Americans are much more prudish than they are. To me it’s no big deal. When Dave and I were in Playa Del Carmen there were 6 young British women lounging just below our room topless and it was no big deal. Neither he nor I stared and they just sat there reading and talking, minding their own business. It was an American woman who convinced the hotel that it wasn’t proper and they were forced to don their tops. So, anyway, I brought the “Jesus” sandals that Ron gave me and a pair of sneakers that I hope not to have to take out of my suitcase. I checked the weather before leaving and the Orlando forecast showed 70’s and low 80’s for the next 10 days so I might not suffer too bad having to wear my sandals. I’ve always been a proponent of bare feet since I moved to Orlando the 1st time in 1987 and when we lived in Alpharetta GA for 5 years. I just hate the restrictive feeling of enclosed feet for some reason. I met a Canadian couple in the Belize City airport who have a house in San Pedro on Ambergris and they said the same thing about it feeling odd wearing shoes again. They though, are headed home for the holidays and MUCH colder weather. They’ll be back in a month though.

I’m staying in Sanford Fl at my son Rich’s studio apartment, sleeping on my blow up mattress, and getting to see TV whenever I want and having a wonderful visit. I really don’t miss TV though. The past few weeks I’ve even been without my movies because of the cool people staying at Kismet. (Conan was talking about extending his stay so I may see him when I get back.) Rich and I plan dinner tomorrow (Tuesday) at a restaurant that he’s been itching to try, The Ravenous Pig (www.theravenouspig.com), that serves locally grown veggies. Matt and I will hit the Route 46 restaurant for one of my “must eats”, all you can eat BBQ ribs. I’ll miss taking Carrie to the Cracker Barrel though for her Chicken/Broccoli casserole because of scheduling conflicts, but did make up for it by taking her to see the latest Harry Potter movie and a nice sushi dinner, with dessert in an Irish Pub (me a Guinness of course and Carrie a Bailey’s and a bread pudding). Today (Monday 12/27) it’s FREEZING!!! It was 31 degrees when I woke up and it’s 37 right now. Rich’s heater doesn’t work well so I’m thinking about checking us into a local hotel for the rest of my stay. I had to run off to the library just to warm up!

I’m downloading as many movies as I possibly can before returning to 13 Casa Del Mar (my trailer home). My daughter Carrie is downloading the latest TV series episodes that I follow (Warehouse 13, Fringe, Dexter, etc) as well as some of the new ones. But TV and watching movies has become less and less important to me over the past couple of months. I’m deep into my 5am and 5pm fishing and that doesn’t leave much time for anything else. When I get back the place should be jumping and in January some of the regular guest, like Bruce, will be returning and I’ll be in the thick of it with them too. But I do lend Tricia and others copies of my downloads, and they’ve seen much of the 650 that I already have, so I need some new stuff.

Carrie and I plan to go to Disney to see the Christmas lights on Thursday 12/30. It’s always a nice thing to see as they do such a nice job there. It all started years ago with the Osborn Family lights and they’ve expanded it every year so now it’s several million lights. They do the soap bubble snow on the main movie set street too.

And so, life, and good eats, goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Another day in a life...

JP and Renny from Montreal, Conan, Tricia, and I went on a snorkel/fishing trip to the reef on Saturday 12/18 and had a great time. We got to the marina earlier than Patrick (our boat capt.) so I started fishing right off the bank. The 4 of them all made their comments about how I just couldn’t wait and how I wasn’t going to catch anything so it was a waste of time. Boy did I fool them! Not 5 minutes into it I hooked and landed a 9lb 12oz 3foot long barraCuda. My comment was, "Oh you non-believers!” They just don’t understand that “fish fear me and men envy me” when it comes to my fish catching ability! I laughed the rest of the day over it. It actually turned out to be the biggest fish of the day. While JP and Conan fished a bit they were more interested in snorkeling. JP was now hooked on fishing though. Again, while he has fished a bit, he never truly got into it. Seeing me catch the Cuda sure changed his mind. Conan and I watched as he mastered the art of tossing a lure from one of the docks on Bread & Butter Caye and both commented on how he was hooked. While I was filleting the fish he even commented on how he was going to buy a rod and reel on Sunday. Anyway, as soon as we docked on B&B I started throwing lures. While Zeppi was here he left me with a bunch of lures that I fell in love with, and caught great fish on, so I was throwing my favorite, a Kastmaster single hook feathered lure that I’d caught several snook and jacks, and the Cuda at the marina on. A minute later I landed a 10” Sand Diver that wasn’t much bigger than the lure. Ugly as sin and great sharp teeth! It looked like a prehistoric fish. I had to ask what it was because I’d never seen, or caught, one before. The tide was low and the water shallow so I didn’t get the big Cudas following my lures. Patrick was floating out in the water trying to fix his engine so I called him over and we went back out to the deeper water so I could fish while he continued his repairs. Everyone else except Tricia and I went snorkeling and loved it. Me, I just threw and didn’t catch anything. After lunch we headed out for some trolling and more snorkeling. At one point it was just Trish and I trolling but not catching anything while the other 3 swam. I did get a few hits and finally caught another Sand Diver about the same size as the 1st one. (Conan made the same remarks I did after seeing it.) Finally a big hit and I landed my only other big fish of the day, a 4lb 10oz Caravelle Jack. Unless the line broke I wasn’t losing that fish because it took both treble hooks deep in its mouth. Thanks Zeppi for your 8” silver finish minnow lure! Our dinner was assured now with 2 nice fish in the cooler. That proved to be the last fish of the day too. But, again, that insured JP’s new found love of fishing. I love introducing people to the activity I love so much and seeing them enjoy it.

Lagoon fishing has been exemplary lately. Tarpon, snook, and jacks all running at the same time; either onto or out of the lagoon, both early morning and early evening. Zeppi and I have been catching almost enough to feed our crowd of 8 with our daily catches. Tonight (12/15) Conan has a jack to throw in the pan. He caught his 1st last night and was a VERY happy boy! He was laughing about wanting to “catch like the big boys” (Zeppi and me) because he’s only caught catfish in the lagoon. He did make a reef trip and did catch a barraCuda so he’s at least caught something bit I know how it is to see others catching while your hook stays shiny and bright. So no he’s one of the big boys! Hopefully that will keep up. Zeppi hooked a small tarpon this morning that broke off so both of us came home empty handed. Tricia and I have enough fish in our freezers for group dinner today but we need to get some fish on the stringer tonight or it will be chicken for dinner tomorrow…

We’ve had a really nice crew of people staying at Kismet of late, some staying in rooms, others camping on the beach but all interesting and fun. One of the guests, Rob (he goes by Red because of his red hair) drove from Florida with his 2 dogs Tootsie and Onyx. A few days ago Tootsie, a Daschund, went missing. Were all concerned but Rob, of course, is devastated. He’s been papering Hopkins and Dangriga with handouts announcing a BZ$200 reward. That is a lot of money here so everyone is looking. But so far nothing. Please say a prayer that Rob gets his kid back. He’s such a nice guy. Thanks!

Zeppi left on Saturday 12/18 and I missed him as soon as he left. I did howere buy his fishing rod and he gifted me a bunch of lures that I liked, and what I used to catch my fish that day. Sadly I lost my favorite of the lures fishing the reef. I added it to my Orlando shopping list. Conan is still here to share fishing with and will be may be here still when I get back. He's mulling over buying land or possibly having a Mennonite house delivered to Tricia's property. His moving here would be great. We hit it off as soon as we met and have been constant fishing companions. He reminds me so much of my friend Joe from Orlando that it's scary. He's a born near Chicago, grew up in the D.C. area and now lives in Utah. I don't hold any of the last 2 locations against him though...

I’m readying myself for my trip home, putting together all my travel docs and packing a few clothes. I left some clothing with my son Rich last time I was there so plan to use those plus buy a few things so I can travel from Hopkins more lightly. I now have a doc that says I lease property and the tax doc that shows I paid duty on my trailer. That, plus my monthly visa stamps, should meet the Belize government requirement for having a return ticket to the states without having a resident card. I got caught up in that the last time I came back and had to buy a 1 way return ticket for US$691. That’s what I’m using for this trip. The round trip fare was US$7 more. Anyway, it will be good to be back in the land of my kids, better junk food (I have my “must eat” list all ready!), and more fishing tackle. Coming back to Belize I’m allowed two 50lb checked bags and, as always, I’ll fill my suitcases to the max! I carry a folding duffel inside my large check bag, and carry my 2 carry-ons so I have plenty of packing space. This time though I’ll have to buy a new large suitcase because the wheels broke off in Playa Del Carmen last time I was there. Cobbled roads are very hard on the wheels…

And so, life, and good eats, goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Fishing, fishing, and more fishing

I finally trapped my last mouse using a string on the handles of the bag he was crawling in. I was napping on my couch when I heard something rustling. I thought at first that it was the wind in the leaves but then I realized it was in the garbage bag I keep in my sink. I looked over and saw the bag moving. Getting up from my couch made too much noise and he ran away. See I keep a small garbage bag in my sink for the compost waste I generate when I make my meals. Anyway…I thought of a plan for trapping him. I tied the 2 bag handles together and put the bag back in the sink with just a small opening for him to enter through. I passed a string through the upper cabinet handles and tied it to the bag handles. When he crawled in again I pulled the string, the bag flew up 1 foot off the sink, and he got trapped in the bottom of the bag. I took him outside and… (You make up the answer you like the best. I either set him free or smashed him into mouse pudding.) Hopefully he was the last one. He was too smart to walk on the sticky traps they sell here. I just got back from visiting Ron in Corozal for 3 days (actually I rode up with him…more later) and it looks like I may have another one. Hopefully Zeppi will be bringing REAL traps with him today. (He forgot.)

The Austrians left this morning (12/5) and it’s pretty quiet now. They were such a nice group of kids and we’ll miss them. Last night was Kathryn’s birthday and we went as a group to the Driftwood Pizza joint to celebrate. Tricia even baked a rum cake which Elvis delivered after it cooled. Lots of food and drink and a great time was had by all! Kathryn traveled off to Honduras to catch her return flight and Lisa, Julia, and Hans Peter to Cancun for theirs. There was a bit of confusion though. No one remembered that it was Sunday and the Hopkins bus to Dangriga doesn’t run Sunday mornings. So Tricia called Patrick to act as a taxi service so they didn’t waste the morning. Cancun is a good 8 hour, 2 bus, trip and I’m not sure how long to Honduras but it has to be at least equally as long. Now we’re waiting for Zeppi and Louie to make their appearances…

Tricia baked Kathryn’s cake in a Pyrex bowl that literally exploded when she took it out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove. Luckily she wasn’t hurt and the glass when everywhere but on the cake. She plopped the cake into a rectangular pan and added the rum sauce. While it wasn’t particularly pretty to look at it was still delicious and we all had a good laugh over it. I held a hurricane lantern over it so Kathryn had a candle to blow out and she actually did it! So I guess her birthday wish will come true.

I took a ride up to Corozal with Ron on Monday (12/6), to look at the truck his boss is selling, and stayed until Thursday (I took the bus home). It’s an ’87 Ford F250 XLT Club Cab, 4X4, diesel, 4 speed manual, and it’s in really good condition. The only problem with it is that the actuator for the clutch pedal needs to be replaced (master and slave). We tried to fix it by replacing the hose that connects the 2 (one is in the engine compartment and the other down below) because we did find a crack. That didn’t fix the problem though so Ron is going to take a ride to either Orange Walk BZ or Chetumal MX to get the parts. I told him not to hurry because I won’t be back up until after I come back from Orlando in early January. I did leave a small deposit though so the truck IS mine.
Zeppi, his brother-in-law Louie, Louie’s son Louie and his son Max and Max’s wife Robin all arrived from Dangriga on the 5:15pm Hopkins bus and at Kismet around 7pm on Thursday 12/9. Introductions all around because I’d only met Zeppi before but had emailed with Louie Jr. I quickly learned they are a nice bunch of people. The 4 newbies are staying at least a month while poor Zep has only 10 days to stay out of cold and snowy NJ. Everyone but Zep were supposed to drive down here with a trailer (remember I mentioned about possibly having a trailer buddy a few blogs ago?) but because of the drug war in Matamoros MX the border has been closed a few times and travelers advised not to cross into Mexico from Brownsville. So they drove to Ft. Lauderdale FL and that’s where they parked the trailer. Little did they know they would meet Robert, who had also arrived that day, who had just driven through Matamoros a few days before. Oh well… Zeppi and family all stayed in the large 3 room. 4 bed room. Friday morning found Zep and I at the lagoon with Peter around 5am and Zep soon had a 3 pound jack on the shore. (It made a nice breakfast for us all.) While we were at the lagoon we booked my fishing buddy Damascus for a reef fishing trip at 7am on Saturday. Louie and Max showed up a few minutes later but the fish has gone to sleep and we walked home. Louie, Max & Robin had been to Hopkins 2 years before and rented a house on the south end for 6 months so after breakfast (around 10am) we all took a walk down (south) the beach so they could renew old acquaintances and look for another house to rent. Two hours and 6 or 7 stops later, plus a few stops for beer at the stores, we finally left the beach for the main road and the trip north for more visits and beers. We also stopped at Kaitlin’s bakery so Zep could order his carrot cake birthday cake for Saturday. Anyway Zep and I left them after another 45 minutes (around 2pm) so Zep could start lunch, which actually turned into dinner at 6pm. They were all stopping to talk to someone they were told may have a place to rent. They finally came back around 2:15pm with the news that they had rented a 2 bedroom house 12 houses south of Kismet and right on the beach. They immediately packed and moved into the house. So now there are only 4 guests remaining, Conan, Robert, and a young Greek lady from Holland named, Sadie and its much quieter now. Zep says he will finally get a good night’s sleep because the 4 others snore terribly.

Saturday 12/11, Zeppi’s 45th birthday, found us being picked up on the Kismet beach by Damascus for our fishing trip. A cold front had come through so the fish were pretty closed mouthed. Zep did catch his 1st barracuda, and, I also didn’t know that it was his 1st trip out to the reef to fish so it was doubly nice to see him and his 1st catch. He also caught a couple red snapper when we fished the 200 foot drop-off. I trolled a houndfish (like a barracuda but with a gar type mouth) and also caught a yellowtail snapper. At least we had enough to feed 11 people and I have 3 red snapper dinners in my freezer. We’ve been fishing the lagoon every morning at 5am and every evening at 5pm. Zeppi has caught 2 jacks about 3 pounds each while I’ve caught nothing. Conan went on a snorkel/diving/fishing trip to the reef with the Austrians and Conan caught a barracuda. So he’s at least caught more than the 3 catfish he got on his 1st and 2nd lagoon trips. He and Zeppi have been keeping my crab traps busy and have a nice pile of blue and red crabs to boil up. Zeppi’s family members haven’t caught anything but swear that they will because they bought US$700 worth of new fishing gear before coming to Hopkins. They’ll be here for a while so maybe I’ll be able to get them on a reef fishing trip to end their dry spell. It’s funny but we’ve been fishing every 12 hours the past few days. We start at 5am and fish until about 7 or 7:30am and then again in the evening from 4:30pm until about 6:30pm. It’s a great way to spend the day but with Zeppi and family, Conan, and Robert here I’ve not gotten in my normal naps and reading in the hammock lately. My body is starting to tell me how old I am because of those missed naps. But I wouldn’t miss a minute of time with all of these folks!

A good fishing day for Zeppi, Louie Jr. and me! Louie caught his 1st Belizean fish, a small barracuda and Zeppi added to his stringer with a 4lb 13oz black snapper. I started the day with a 4lb 8oz caravelle jack in the morning (Zeppi was too hung over to join Conan and me) and finished the night with a 4lb 3oz snook. My jack was part of tonight’s communal dinner and the 2 from tonight are a start toward tomorrows. We’ve all been congregating at Louie’s house for most meals and having a great time. Zeppi is too good a cook and I’m sure I’ll be commenting on how he needs to leave because we’re all gaining weight from his cooking. He laughingly reminds me that I wrote the same thing in this blog when he was here in April. If anything his cooking is better that April so I’m sure I’m gaining back some of the 30 pounds I’ve lost. Thank God he doesn’t live here!

And so, life, and good eats, goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

A new friend...

I'm sitting at Thong's Cafe in long pants and a long sleeve shirt freezing today! A cold front moved through during the night and with the dampness it's downright chilly. Conan (more on him later) is sitting here in tee shirt and shorts but admits it's a bit chilly. At least it's good sleeping weather...

I've met a new friend here at Kismet this week. His name is Conan and he is from the D.C. area. He drove into Kismet on Tuesday and it was another case of “I know you!”. He reminds me so much of my friend Joe in looks, voice, and actions that it’s scary. We’ve not had a chance to cement our friendship though fishing though because it’s been raining every day. We make plans and have to change them at the last minute. We’ll get there though. He’s here until the 26th or so. Since Zeppi will be here, and we’ll get in some reef fishing, maybe we’ll break the jinx yet. (Actually I’ll be leaving for Orlando on 12/21 so we have 1 less week to accomplish our mission.) Today (Thursday 12/2) we took a long ride along the beach road looking for beachfront property for him to buy and had a great day. I’d love it if he moved here permanently! The 3 girls and the guy from Austria are still here too and making things interesting. They are a fun bunch and with Conan here too it's been a lively place. I think they only have another day or 2 here before 3 of the 4 have to head back home. Sad to say their last week has been plagued by rain but they did enjoy their snorkeling/fishing trip the other day. Hans-Peter caught a barracuda, as did Tricia, and the also caught 3 porgeys. So, needless to say, dinner that night was great.

I've given up hope on the Jeep, and the Toyota T100 (here in Hopkins) is too light to pull my trailer, so I'm headed to Corozal on Saturday morning to see the 2 trucks that Ron's boss is selling. Keep your fingers crossed please! It would be nice to have a vehicle again that I can use to move my trailer before a storm and to see more of Belize. It's tough having to rely on the buses.

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Thanksgiving & more fishing...

Here’s an odd bit, and I can’t believe I’m writing this. You all know how much I love to fish, and how I look forward to fishing the reef. Well tonight (Friday 11/26) I passed up a chance because…now get this…my freezer is still full! I have almost 2 weeks of frozen fish stockpiled and nowhere else to store more. Even Tricia’s is full. There is a Danish couple who are taking a snorkel trip out to the reef tomorrow and once they are dropped off at Bread & Butter I’d have the boat to myself for 5 hours. I know I can do a lot of damage in 5 hours because I’ve proved it. But I’m not a catch and release kind of guy when it comes to the delectable assortment I’d catch out there. It would gall me no end to throw fish back, except those that are illegal like tarpon. Anything else would bring visions of fish in the fry pan and make my mouth water. So…I’ve declined the trip and I’ll wait for Zeppi to get here, and make sure my freezer has plenty of room. And the story continues…

I woke up at 7:35 and quickly decided I would be a fool to miss a chance to fish the reef, no matter how full my freezer was, and quickly got ready for the 8am departure. Ed and Mieke, a really delightful couple from The Netherlands (Holland) staying at Kismet, were the cause of the trip because they wanted to snorkel the reef. Ed had told me how he’d NEVER been fishing before. Well, we had to fix that didn’t we? So I asked Tricia to call Patrick, the boat captain who was picking us up in his car, to bring his 2 fishing rods. Off we went and, just as we were nearing the reef, a torrential downpour started. Patrick docked at a small Caye with a house on it and everyone, except me, ran for cover. Me? I immediately began fishing off the dock of course! I got several hits and many more follows. I did have a small barracuda on for a few seconds but couldn’t land anything. The rain finally stopped and we all piled back into the boat. Patrick took us to Southwater Caye and netted some sardines for bait, with Mieke mentioning that she’d never seen one that wasn’t in a can. Too funny!!! I fished while Patrick netted. More follows and a few hits but nothing in the boat. At least Ed and Mieke got a chance to see their 1st barracuda up close and personal. A few minutes later Ed and I had bait in the water. I was the 1st to catch and it was a nice barracuda. I was also the 2nd, another barracuda that Tricia got a nice video of. She caught a couple of jumps it made before I finally got it over the side. Ed had lost a few sardines to short striking fish but finally hooked, and landed, his 1st ever fish, a 2 foot barracuda. He was a happy guy! My next fish hit and I was enjoying a nice fight when all of a sudden the line went slack. I knew by the weight that I still had something on the hook. What I pulled up was the head of a snapper. Some MUCH larger fish had bitten off the entire body! (I’ve posted a picture of it.) Judging by the size of the snapper we figured that the fish had to have at least a 6 inch mouth. We also guessed that it was a barracuda and not a shark. So it had to be a monster because, even the biggest barracuda we’ve caught to date, hadn’t had a mouth more that 3 or 4 inches. So I’m crying about another fish that got away, although, with my hook already in the snappers mouth, I couldn’t have hooked the 2nd fish. But I can still dreaming! And, one day soon, I will land one of the really big fish and put an end to the scoffing I get from you doubting Pats, Jays, Daves, and Zeppis. Third trip is the charm??? Anyway Ed and Mieke got 2 snorkel trips in and loved them. They were amazed at the different corals and the fish they saw. We had more heavy rain while they were in the water and some on the way back and I filleted the fish in a rain that felt like someone was pouring buckets of water over my head. Mieke had a pretty good laugh over it as she stood in the relative dryness under the palapa. All in all it was a great trip, especially since I got to introduce someone to my favorite past time of fishing and he and his wife got to eat his 1st catch for dinner. Next trip to the reef is with Zeppi and Louie in December.

Ron missed our Thanksgiving feast because he had work responsibilities in Corozal on Thursday. He did make it home around 10pm though. He missed an absolutely scrumptious meal too. We had an international gathering of people from England (Sonia); Canada (Dave and Lilly); and Barry, Tricia, and I from the states. Dave also brought his Belizean girlfriend. So it was a nice crowd and we had a great time. Our menu consisted of a 14 pound turkey (Tricia and I split the cost), stuffing, mashed potatoes (my contribution), broccoli and cauliflower with hollandaise sauce, a cold sweet potato dish (Dave), and cake (Barry). The ladies brought the drinks. Peter and his family had other obligations. Ike (from Tennessee) and Charles (from France), who are our farmer friends never made it and we haven’t found out why yet. We ate at 2:30 and I finally had my sandwich (see my last post) around 9pm. I also had one for breakfast in the morning. Tricia also made us a turkey pot pie for lunch. The bones are already soup and that will be a snack after she and her guests come back from the reef on Saturday.

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Happy Thanksgiving and the rain has stopped...

I want to wish everyone, and their families, a very happy Thanksgiving. Blessings to you all!

It’s been raining for days now. It started last Thursday and today is Sunday and there’s no let up in sight. I guess I jinxed us when I said in my last blog that I hoped it stopped raining so the parade could be held on Garifuna Day (Friday). Well it started raining right after that and hasn’t stopped but for a few minutes at a time since and G-Day was mostly rained out. Some of the cultural dances and drumming took place but that was about it. I woke up Sunday at 6:15am and didn’t hear any rain. I did hear the drums of a funeral at the end of our road (someone died last Thursday), but there wasn’t the sound of rain on my metal roof, so I thought I might go to the lagoon and fish. Not 5 minutes later the rain started again so I guess my jinx must still be holding still. At least it’s not flooding (I sure hope I didn’t jinx myself again!). It’s Monday and its still raining but I have to go to Dangriga for my monthly visa update. Good thing I have a ride! More showers on Tuesday so more movies and reading in my trailer… Wednesday dawned sunny and dry!

We bought a 14 pound turkey and a couple cans of cranberry sauce Monday but couldn’t find any sweet potatoes. We’ve never seen canned pumpkin, Tricia for 12 years, so she’s baking a cake. It will be sad not to have pumpkin pie though. So it looks like our menu is roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, salad, and cake. Ron will be back from Corozal for a while so he’ll be here for dinner. I know she’s invited several others but don’t know where the invitations stand. It will be nice to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal (well almost) and, as always, I’ll be looking forward to my favorite holiday sandwich…turkey on white bread with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mayo. It’s funny but sometimes I think that I Iook forward to the sandwiches more than the dinner. It will be sad not seeing my kids for this holiday but in less than a month I’ll be back in Orlando for 13 days and will see them and we’ll have Christmas together.

Finally, I’d like to ask you, as you pray for all of our family and friends with issues, to please add my brother David, my cousin Ed (on Mom’s side), and my friend Sheila’s sister to your prayer lists. All are suffering VERY serious health issues. Thanks so much!

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Garifuna Day

Today (Friday 11/19) is Garifuna Landing Day, when they 1st arrived in Belize. The Garifuna people are the largest ethnic culture in Belize. There are also Mayans and Cajun Blacks. While Landing Day is celebrated all over the country Hopkins is considered the cultural center of the country. There was a recreation of the boat landing (I’m told that it is “attempted” by the same 4 drunken men every year) early this morning and later will be drumming, singing, dancing, storytelling, and mass quantities of food. And, as with every other holiday in Belize, copious amounts of alcohol. The celebration actually spans the weekend. There will be an international full house here at Kismet for that. Five people camping (from England) under the sea grape trees on the beach, 1 other person from England enjoying 1 of the rooms, French and Austrian couples, and 2 local friend of Tricia’s from San Ignacio. I actually met up with the French and Austrian couples waiting for the bus from Dangriga on Wednesday evening and escorted them here. All in all it should be an interesting and fun weekend. Bad thing is we had torrential rains last night until 9am this morning. Hopefully it won’t rain anymore today.

I got an email from our friend Zeppi on the 17th that was an invitation to go fishing on 12/9. He was here for a week in late March and we had a great time fishing together. He’s coming to Kismet for a another week and will be spending his birthday here (12/11). His brother Louie is supposed to be here late in November, driving a pickup/camper and will be parking here for a while. So I guess I know about when my next reef fishing trip will be… Can’t wait to see Zep again too! Last night Dwayne, the owner of Bread & Butter Caye, stayed at Kismet on his way back to the states. I’ve met him a few times and he’s a really nice guy. Anyway, he’s invited me out for a couple of days starting 1/9 to fish with him. Can’t wait!

Tricia bought a butane (they don’t use propane in Belize) hot water heater from a shop in Dangriga a few weeks ago and it’s finally been installed in the shower outside the cabana (the shower under the stars). It’s been a little tough taking showers now that the cooler weather is here because there’s not enough heat from the sun to warm the 2 cisterns up on the roof. I have to admit I’ve been hesitant about taking showers a time or two because I expected to come back with icicles hanging. Lord knows I’ve done plenty of the “cold water 2 step these past few weeks! But tonight I was able to take a hot shower for the 1st time and TRULY enjoyed it. She had originally planned to install it in the shower under the house but there wasn’t enough water pressure to turn the unit on. So the only time we won’t be taking showers is when it’s raining…

Kismet has had a nice bunch of guests of late. Matt and Angie, who left on the 16th; Ike and Charles, who are building an organic farm 2 miles into the jungle out around mile 28 on the Hummingbird Hwy and left on the 14th; and William, a Frenchman here to film Belizean cultural things, who is still here. They are all very interesting people. I spent a few hours talking to Ike about his venture. He is building their house and outbuildings right now and clearing the land. His dream is to open his farm up to Woofers (World Organization of Organic Farmers). Woofers are people who donate their time and energy to learn about organic farming and living off the land in return for food and lodging and Ike is well known for his teachings. There is a website that they all join and blog their thoughts on farms they did or didn’t enjoy, things they found interesting, and the like. He and Tricia have worked out a deal where the women who come will be hosed here at Kismet and have the use of a car and he and his group will start part of the farm here. I’ll get a plot too so I’ll finally have my garden plus learn about organics. The plan is to start sometime in March/April. He also hunts wild animals, among them pig, for his own food and I said I’d trade him fish for pig. So I’ll get to try something different.

Thanksgiving is coming up and we’re planning a traditional U.S. feast. I’m going ½ on the turkey with Tricia and of course will be cooking something to add to the menu. At this point she hasn’t invites anyone yet but Ron will be here, and maybe Barry, and she said she was going to invite Peter and his family plus a few other friends. I’m sure Peter’s kids will be asking where the rice and beans are! They will definitely not on the menu!

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!