Calderitas, Mexico

Last year, Papi & I spent a couple weeks exploring southeast Mexico. An easy adventure as it's just over the Belize border with so many places to choose from within an hour radius of Chetumal. We prefer the coast so we explored Calderitas, Chetumal proper & Baccalar Lagoon. Of the three Calderitas was our favorite. A bayside town just northeast of Chetumal, it is known for its boardwalk stretch of Seafood Restaurants, friendly people and good traditional Mexican music. The sunrises & sunsets are spectacular!!

What is unique, to us anyway, is that during the week, by 7pm most of the restaurants close and by 8pm the only sounds you hear are children playing in the parks.  For the party people on vacation, this may not be appealing but for us old quiet folk it is quite refreshing. On weekends they stay open a bit longer, and is home to many who come to enjoy beautiful beaches, great food & a little revelry.

This year we wanted to stay an extended period of time and as fate would have it a couple we know from Hopkins were looking for a place to rent for the month of January. They were expecting their first baby and planned a home birth attended by our good friend Gail Johnson (http://www.midwifewithoutborders.com). This was a God send as it would give us a "house sitter" in exchange for rent free accommodations while they wait for their bundle of joy. BUENO!!

Part of the desire for an extended stay had to do with improving my Spanish speaking skills. I know a hand full of words but that's it. The hotel we stayed last year has apartments for rent by the month, so before we left I took a tour with the manager. The apartment in the main hotel building on the top floor with a kitchen seemed perfect. Papi came back a few months ago and paid a visit to secure the apartment only knowing the "top floor" part. The hotel also has a separate building of apartments so when he came that's where they took him. After climbing four stories of stairs (NO, there is no elevator), he viewed a two bedroom apartment with living room, a dining area and nice size kitchen. The view was great and breeze even better, so he locked in the reservation with a deposit.

I returned from my trip to the states with a meager three days with Papi before he would head to Calderitas, set up the apartment and wait for my arrival on the 5th or 6th. I delayed my departure so I could spend a day or so with Cheryl who would arrive on the 4th, get her settled in and acclimated. With her mom & sister arriving on the 7th everything was going as planned. She & her husband run a tour operation in Hopkins and with this being the "busy" season, his arrival would be closer to the due date as to not miss out on high season.

Papi mentioned he was having a few issues with the apartment getting the gas hooked up, but when I arrived 5 days later and it still had not been hooked up, plus being the "woman of the house" I saw some other issues that most definately need to be addressed. Not that he had not been diligently reminding them daily about the gas, but by the time I arrived, enough was enough, so off to the office I go with my limited Spanish skills. Lina had a favorite word, "Horrible" (pronounced har-eb-lee) when describing something terrible or completely unsatisfactory.

By the time I left the office, the girl at the desk knew I found the apartment horrible with no gas to cook, but since the details were "lost in translation" I indicated I would come back with "mi amiga" to help translate. As it turned out a friend named Elizabeth from Peru with perfect Spanish and an understanding of the culture and customer service skills went back with me to talk to the office staff a couple days later. After a tour of the apartment and notepad in hand, the office receptionist understood clearly that there were many maintenance issues and indicated she would talk to the general manager about moving us. She also came to the knowledge that I had expected to be in the main building, but said those apartments were a great deal more and she wasn't even sure there was a "monthly rental price".

The next day we stopped at the office and the General Manager generously offered us an apartment in the main building at no extra cost. The fridge was a small one and the open floor plan meant if we had visitors that wanted to stay overnite it would be more like a pajama party (a second bed but not in a separate room), but the furnishings much nicer, a TV, better internet, a private balcony, ... well let's just say we smiled, said "mucho gracias" more than once and planned a raving review on Trip Adviser.

Mean while, back in Corozal, Cheryl went into labor within hours of her mom & sister arriving and a "hurry up & get here papa" call made to her husband. The birth went very well and these two diver parents delivered their 6lb 14oz baby girl underwater in a pool birth, .... in our living room. How awesome is that?!!!! Now they have a leisurely 3 weeks to bond as a family before returning to Hopkins were it will be non stop visitors as they have many friends & associates that will be anxious to meet Khaya.


Stay tuned for my next post which will describe more of our adventures in Calderitas!

Ahh the holidays!

Goodness gracious, has it really been three months since I posted a blog? Well, there is much to catch up on. I left Belize mid November to spend the holidays with family. I arrived in Atlanta and was met by Sonia and beautiful little Mady Lu! What a site for sore eyes!  The next day we embarked on Mady's first long car ride. I didn't even have to unpack my suitcase just throw it in the car. Sonia on the other hand had to take half the house with her. I had forgotten how much you need to carry when you have a small child, but goodness me, we had a toy box full of toys, a high chair, playpen, gads of diapers, bottles formula, etc etc etc: you get the picture.

We knew the trip usually takes 8.5 hours and figured more time would be needed for extra & more lengthy stops. Mady did really well, .......... until the sun went down and there was nothing to look at outside the window. We were 8 hours into the trip and the "fussies" began, so as the intelligent people that we are we pulled into the nearest department store and purchased a portable DVD player & a Bubble Guppies CD. The last 4 hours whizzed by hardly needing a stop. We arrived in Portsmouth at the Great Grandma Powell's. Sonia unloaded the car while the grandma's played with Mady Lu.

Thanksgiving brought me another blessing, the "younger" Charles brought our other two grand daughters from Maryland to Portsmouth to see grandma!! My how they had grown! This was the first time they met their new cousin Mady Lu. We made a trip to City Park to feed the "Ducks" (actually they are geese but we have always called it feeding the ducks, go figure). This is a time honored activity Great Grandpa Powell enjoyed with Sonia from the time she was old enough to to tear bread into pieces, so it was time to introduce the next generation. It was so much fun. Lexi now 9 and Laci 4, they had both recently had birthdays. With Mady's first birthday coming up we decided to have a "Cousins Birthday Party" We all made birthday cards and had a wonderful time celebrating all three birthdays. Grandma enjoying it the most I think! Having all three together was "Grandma Heaven" I know Pop Powell looked down on it all and was smiling from ear to ear.  The visit with Charles, Lexi & Laci was short but oh so wonderful. Papi and I are so thankful for the wonderful children and grand children that we have.

After returning to Atlanta, it was time to go visit our youngest son Sean. Sean picked me up at the airport and took me back to school with him. What an outstanding opportunity to see him in action as a teacher. Yep, he definitely has the gift, made me quite proud. I was thrilled to meet his students and they all seemed to be interested in meeting Mr. Thomas' mom. Wow, how weird did that sound,...... Mr. Thomas. Of course he is, but I had not heard that before and as much as I recognize intellectually he's a grown man, it kinda made me feel old. Well of course I am old, not decrepit, but not the young chick I used to be. Sean was very good to his momma, and we had a great time, we walked hundreds of miles (or so it felt) and we did some interesting things. 

We went to Night at the Zoo, all lit up for Christmas, we went to a college basketball game, I don't think Sean expected me to "cheer so much" for the home team and we went to" Christmas in the Heights"

Christmas in the Heights started as a neighborhood event to encourage meeting each other and going house to house to see decorations and share treats. Over the years it grew to include people providing entertainment on their porches. The phrase, "if you build it they will come" held true here as the years passed, it got bigger and bigger, people from all over would come to enjoy it. It got "too big", so this year they scaled it back a bit, but to me it was like Mardi Gras in New Orleans!! People walking around all dressed crazy, pulling their wagons of children, beer or both, but it was GREAT!! Two different houses had hand-bell choirs performing, now you know how much I like hand-bell choirs, I was thrilled! I saw one decorated yard I had to get a picture of, they must be affiliated with the local Sail Club!
I helped Sean finish decorating his tree, made drop cookies with him, did his laundry, cooked for him and he took his momma shopping. It was a perfect visit!!

Back to Atlanta for Mady Lu's first birthday! Sonia & Scooter did it up right for their little girl!! She had a good time (probably had no clue what it was all about, but when shes older she will see the pictures). A good time was had by the adults too!! Mady doesn't like gushy things on her hands so the whole cake smashing thing was a struggle for her, momma had to show her how to do it LOL!! But she was a good sport about it all!! Wow, hard to believe its been a whole year but alas, time holds still for no one, not even grandmas!

And finally CHRISTMAS!! We decorated, Sonia baked cookies, we shopped, we wrapped, we hid the presents (like Mady was going to go looking for them LOL). Mady went to see Santa for the first time,...... she wasn't impressed, LOL! Christmas morning Mady came downstairs with her momma to find that Santa had come! Oh Boy!!! She learned how to rip paper and pull bows and for the most part mom, papa & grandma had the most fun seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child again. Scooter & Sonia put on a Christmas dinner spread that was scrumptious!! What a wonderful holiday; filled with love and joy!!  Mady went from crawling to full fledge walking and has discovered the tupperware cabinet in the kitchen!! Get your running shoes on Momma & Papa, Mady's on the move!!!

Made it back to Belize in time to celebrate New Year with Papi, but you'll have to wait for the next post to hear all about that!!!!!!  

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to All

Our Little Zoo

 
But it's such a lively little zoo,

and always something to do.

The entertainment is fierce, 

and the barking can pierce.

What was I thinking , my dear!!!

Yes, it's true. We are up to 3 dogs, a cat and some strays that hang nearby for sympathy feedings. How did this happen? Well let me introduce them while I explain.

ANNIE, a Black Mouth Cur was adopted in Florida and has been a faithful companion. She is currently 9 years old with a reported life span of 12-16 years. Rescued at age 1, Annie had a rough start in life. It's obvious she was either shot at, lived through a hurricane on the street or just treated badly by humans, but our loving home has healed her heart for humans, ... storms, fireworks and gun fire, ... not so much. She is in fact a fierce opponent to animals that run. She is fond of chasing anything that will climb a tree and she will sit at the bottom until the cows come home. 

We didn't know she was a Black Mouth Cur until a couple years ago, when a visiting Floridian identified her breed. After researching the characteristics of that breed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmouth_Cur) it all began to make sense. 

Bless her heart, all this time, she has been treeing prey and waiting for her hunter to come & kill it for her, but since we didn't know that's what she was doing she has lived a very frustrating life. 

She has learned not to attack "select" indoor cats. Wifi taught her that. No, Wifi belongs to a friend of ours in Hopkins and she has her own story, but we'll save that for another time.

KHAN, as in Genghis Khan. Yes this big boy is a Rotterman (Rottweiler- Doberman Mix). A local boy brought him to us when he was 4 mos old. He couldn't afford to feed him. We indeed had been looking for a large breed guard dog so Charles became his master. He is currently almost 3 years old. The first year he grew in height & length, the second year in girth and this coming year is when his head will widen and more closely match the size of the rest of him. WHAT A POWERHOUSE!! He is still a puppy and has no idea how big & powerful he is. 

He loves the water and if allowed will spend hours stalking and chasing fish. Our front gate is 5 feet tall and from a standing position he can jump straight up til his head and part of his chest clears the the top of the gate. Needless to say, we don't have trouble with strangers approaching the gate.Good thing he can't get a running start!! His musculature is massive and I wouldn't want to be caught in the grip of his jaws. 

As protective and loyal as he is, he has his loving side. Every night he wants his "puppy massage". It starts with the muscle on top of his head and the back of his neck (we spend a lot of time there), then down his spine. By the time I get to his hips, his knees get weak and he slithers to the floor. He has the softest most expressive eyes. He's a talker too, in a variety of sounds he will carry on full sentences. Usually pertaining to, "But why can't I come on the porch?" and "I just need one minute alone with the white fur ball, just one minute, P-L-E-A-S-E!!!"

BRUCE LEE - Yeah, he's just a big dog in a little Toy Poodle body!! Bruce belongs to some friends of ours that left Belize (but promise to come back for him). We consider him our canine house guest. His papers say he's a Toy Poodle, but I think he's got a wee bit of Terrier in him. OH, & he speaks Spanish. That's right, his female human owner taught him all his commands in Spanish, so to stop his barking, jumping, licking & pestering, the command is "THAT"S ENOUGH" In Spanish it's "YA" (pronounced JA)!! Works most of the time. "AFUERA" means OUT. That's about all you need really. We taught the others SIT, STAY & DOWN. Bruce doesn't know any of those commands, but he's only a house guest, right??  

He does get his biweekly bath and grooming, courtesy of moi. Such a tolerant dog, it really is a pleasure and he smells so nice afterward. I wish there was a real groomer around here. I would love to see him trimmed like a REAL POODLE.  Bruce thinks he can take on Khan, which is hysterical, growling & showing teeth, running to hide or getting caught by Khan and being bulldozed into the bushes. Khan doesn't hurt him, just puts him in his place from time to time. Annie has no patience with Bruce, he's way to high energy of a dog and she's an old broad that doesn't like to be disturbed!!

SIMON - Our most recent acquisition. Simon is a stray, Siamese mix Belizean kitten, probably no more than about 3 months old. He was rescued by Charles from the bushes outside our gate where he was starving and scared. In the week that we have had him, he has doubled his weight and looks like he will survive, so off to the vet we will go to get shots, etc next week.We have needed a mouser for a while now and Simon will serve well in that respect.

In the mean time he has Charles & I perfectly trained already. His cries usually mean, "feed me" or "help me find my litter pan because you moved it again, stupid human!!" Well, in my own defense it's usually only in one of two places. On the porch or inside the sliding glass door (because Khan is on the porch). Simon's advantage is being small enough to fit into a mouse hole, or other similar small space and his ability to jump to high places. This is particularly helpful when Simon is tired of playing with Bruce Lee. It's true!! 

Bruce Lee & Simon have a great ol time playing Chase, Stalk & Pounce. Most of the time Simon has the upper hand. It's quite entertaining! None of this escapes Khan's watchful eye though. Through the screen doors he watches as they run through the house and just doesn't understand why he can't join the fun. 

Actually, he did on one occasion and I thought he was going to devour poor Simon. It was all I could do to pull him off and drag him out the door with a stern punishment for attacking what is mine. I told him, "NO Khan this is MINE! Of course since then he has made it his life mission to "EAT THE FUR BALL" the first chance he gets.

The others,..... well there have been several stray and locally owned (but not well cared for) dogs that know they can find safe harbor and a cup of food from time to time. In gratitude they assist with guarding the outside of the gate. 

Two at the moment have started collecting frequent visitor points. Red (the local hotel dog) and Lela (don't know who's dog she is these days). They are not any trouble but we will certainly be happy when the pack of 10 dogs hanging out with a female in heat breaks up. It's loud and upsetting to everyone, including Our Little Zoo!!

Never Forget or Always Remember?

Never forget for most of us is an individual action so it truly only applies to people born prior to 1999. I include the 2 year old's born to the families of anyone that was lost that day because they will be taught to never forget. Never forgetting is also directly proportional to the effect it had on you personally. What exactly is it that we will never forget? Mostly, every emotion that was seared into our memories & hearts.

SHOCK and disbelief that something so horrible was happening. It's that slow motion break down that occurs when your mind says, "What is happening? An accident, a horrible accident, .... No, it seems more than that."This can't be happening, not here, not to us!"  "WHY is this happening?"  

The people around you start to react as well. Maybe you are in a location with people you need to keep calm. You go into control mode. Keep people calm, hysteria will only complicate what needs to happen. Information, you need more information, distraction, provide distraction with a promise of more information as it is available. But that only last a very short while, because the additional information strikes at the core of all that you know and took for granted about living in a free and protected nation.

FEAR sets in because you see or hear the events unfolding not just in New York, but in Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. "Where else is this going to happen?" "Where are my children, parents, family, friends?" "Are they there, will it happen here? For maybe the first time in your life you feel uncertain of the security of the land you live in."Am I safe where I am, should I be someplace else?" You start calling everyone you know, your family first, within an hour the phone lines can not support the load.

ISOLATION in a crowd of people because the people you need & want to be with are your family and you know that's not possible in the immediate future. You immediately start to pray (actually you started an hour ago in whispers only God could hear, but hear he did).

HOW could this happen?  We live in the UNITED STATES of AMERICA. Land of the FREE, .... and very soon the phrase "Home of the Brave" is real, being played out before your eyes that seep tears for the tragedy of it all. Every word of what you have just read was also true for the almost 3,000 people who died that day and the millions that were there, physically, mentally and spiritually. It was true for the people in the planes as they came to the realization of what was occurring. It was true for the people in the buildings and people on the streets. It was true for the people in their homes, at thier work places, in schools, in stores, at the post office, in cars, buses, trains & airports. The uncertainty of continued life, liberty and pursuit of happiness was at the doorstep of this nation.

So what YOU will "Never forget" is one thing. What YOU remember is another thing. One catch phrase I saw was, "Never Forget means  Never Let it Happen Again"  There are countries in other parts of the world that have experienced war in their homeland for centuries, ongoing loss of life and destruction of homes, businesses & lives. Political Wars, Territorial wars,  Drug wars, Mafia wars, Religious wars, Civil wars, Family Wars.

The aftermath of what happened on September 11, 2001 showed America to be what it is at it's best; Patriotic, Unified, and Willing to Protect the very essence of what our founding fathers wrote about in The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. 

Fourteen years later and our country is more divided than ever and its sad, very sad. I pray unity for our country, I pray for the families of those lives lost in the September 11th attack on America and I pray that every American REMEMBERS and prays with me. 

What is the purpose of history if not to learn by? How do you teach patriotism?  What has 9-11 taught us and why are we not dedicated to passing on to the next generation a better world than was handed to us?

Now I Understand: Simplicity and OCD

As the sun crest the horizon, the only part of my body awake is my bladder. That's usually anywhere between 4:30am and 6am. Once my feet hit the floor, our little canine house guest contributes to  my awareness with a bounty of energy, tail wagging and soft kisses. On occasion I disappoint him by going back to sleep, but the majority of time I am up for the day. Glasses go on my face and flip flops on my feet. Turn off outside lights, let the small jumping, tail wagging beast out & get a tall glass of water and on to the front porch.

The front porch is one of my favorite places. Concrete half way up & screen on 3 sides to the ceiling. Two layers of screen go on porches: Mesh & the heavier square wire for reinforcement. This double layer puts me in stealth mode while on the porch. People walking by can't really see if you are on the porch or not. I like that. I can watch Corozal wake up without being disturbed. It's my quiet time.

While the little energetic canine beast is having his outside time, the other two enjoy a couple hours sleeping heavily on the porch, a reward for having been on watch all nite outside.

There is a stillness that early. It's relaxing yet invigorating as the sun continues to rise, the breeze starts to massage the leaves & branches of the foliage and the sounds of town start to creep in. Tennis shoes hitting the pavement as the early morning runners & walkers course the bay front road, voices in conversation sharing thoughts while exercising their legs & heart. Roosters start to rouse the neighborhood and the waves wash up on the rocks in a rhythmic cadence. In the distance you can hear the bus terminal awaken as the buses start their daily runs, transporting a large part of the population to destinations north and south.

A sound from inside the house and the alert ears plus wagging tails of all the canine family  members, indicates that "Mister" is awake. Treats are issued and the coffee grinder announces that the aroma of fresh brewed Belize coffee is on it's way. The bed gets made, an outdoor alarm buzzes as Mister opens the storage unit (Khan's favorite hang out during the day) and the sound of the Thunderbolt fast water taxi tells me it's 7am.

Mr. Gilharry rides by on his bike to his workplace where he picks up fresh made meat pies that he sells throughout town and the night watchman from Help Age returns to his home. School children will start to fill the streets, walking or riding their bike, backpacks full of knowledge they have learned, are learning or will soon be learning. Mom's, dad's, aunts and uncles escort them safely to the school yard and proceed to jobs or home to start their day.

This existence is simple, but consistent. Seems I like it that way now more than ever. In years gone past, I struggled with the lack of spontaneity in my parents lives and wondered where I got it from, for truly there was a time I lived a life full of spontaneity. The truth is they had it at some point and settled into a reliable routine that gave them a sense of security, purpose & fulfillment. I know this thing, as I have found it for myself. List are made & checked off, chores get done early while it's cool, errands get run and then it's lunchtime. The day has a better outcome when a nap follows lunch and the most productive part of my day is over. Afternoon brings activities I enjoy, be it club meetings or visiting with friends. 

The vast range of pinks, reds, oranges, purples & blues in the sky says it's time to think about dinner and by the time the street lights come on, I am safely settled in, as is most of the town. Weekends have a different flavor and set of sounds, but we'll save that for another blog. 

Suffice it to say, NOW I UNDERSTAND, but even in my OCD driven routine, I generally stop & smell the roses, then pick them and bring them in the house!

Note of credit to Dave Rider who took the sunrise picture.