Growing Up in Belize

It is said that one never quits growing, and I think that I can attest to that if it means learning so many new things and gaining so much new confidence at the age of 64+.  This week has certainly affirmed this truth.

The week promised to be a busy one as I planned on doing two all-day trainings on Positive Discipline to staff.  The trainings were successful and fun to present.  One thing that I learned is that I don't have too many symptoms of dementia, which is good to know.  In having the group learn activities (and break the ice) appropriate to play with the children, I had them play that old game "I went to the market, and I bought "Apples."  Then "Bananas," "Cantaloupe," etc.--repeating all of the alphabetical purchases before adding one of the next letter!  In both trainings, I was able to remember them all!  In fact, I could write them all here, but then that would be long-term memory and wouldn't count!  Given that part of my goal is to build teamwork, I encouraged the participants to help each other out, and it was such fun!  The trainings went well, too, as the groups were a little smaller than usual.  Plus, Ms. Augustine really wanted the staff to feel appreciated so we had snack in the morning, a big lunch, and dessert in the afternoon!  I think I have learned that I can still present a workshop, even when there is fiery disagreement during part of it!  And everyone is still speaking to me, as far as I know!

One of the goals that Ms. Augustine and I have discussed for the older children is having them work outside the Centre and begin learning what it means to have a job, be accountable, etc.  She has worked hard in finding volunteer positions in different organizations, and the Board of Directors has agreed to pay a weekly stipend to each of them for a job well done.  The program begins next week.  Part of the program is that each teen will open a credit union account to save half of their money, which will be very important on the day that they turn 18 and leave the Centre.

Ms. Augustine invited Mr. Karl Menzies to present what a credit union is and to answer any questions that the teens may have.  He is president of a local credit union, he is the husband of Dorothy Menzies (who is President of the Dorothy Menzie's Child Care Centre), and he is a very successful businessman in Belize.  I'd never had the opportunity to meet Mr. Menzies, so I asked to sit in on the presentation. Ms. Augustine had to suddenly go to the Ramada Princess Hotel that morning to receive donated televisions (and I saw her on television that night receiving them).  Consequently, I was the hostess of Mr. and Mrs. Menzies and charged with the task of keeping nine teens in line!  Mr. Menzies was absolutely delightful to hear!  And the teens were appreciative, asked good questions and were well behaved!  I loved his story of how he began in life, one of 18 children in a poor Belize family.  His first job was picking up horse manure and delivering it to people for their gardens.  And he also sold okra, four for a penny!  He said that his mother always told him that "it is not how much you earn, but how much you save that will make you successful."  Today he owns Karl H. Menzies Ltd. and the Heineken franchise in Belize.  His daughter went to the University in the U.S. and now runs the operation.  He was a good resource, not only in talking about the credit union and the importance of saving, which is how he built his business and his success, but also in talking about what qualities he looks for in a good employee.

After the children left, Mr. and Mrs. Menzies talked with me for a while, and I felt so privileged to get to know them a bit more.  Such lovely people!  And I learned that I could suddenly fill the shoes of hosting an influential person with a measure of grace, when my shy (yes, I know people are rolling their eyes, but really I hid behind my mother's skirts) and unsure nature has no chance to win!  I don't think that too many people will be able to intimidate me after this adventure!

I then brought the teens back into the conference room, and having absolutely no "lesson plan," I began working with them on how to enter a room, communicating confidence and willingness to work.  I think it is no accident that Nathan graduated with a degree in drama, as I dramatically demonstrated incorrect ways of being in the workplace, and each teen had to correct my errors!  I even heard later from a teen that she remembered what we'd discussed when she went to meet the workplaces the following day prior to the first day of work!  And so I learned that I can improvise at a moment's notice with a presentation to a group on some random subject!

The week was busy, too, with dinner at our house with Yvette Burks.  And one night Dave and I went to dinner with nearly 20 people from the Florida team who are still in Belize.  And we had dinner with Laura Connelly and her husband, Bill, who spent a week in Belize and who will return with their son later in the summer.  I failed to work out in the evenings, but made it on Friday evening.  I had no idea how exhausted I was after my week, which happened to include a midnight text from one of the parents of one of "my" kids, but I soon found out when not 5 minutes into the work out, I felt ill.  No real harm--I just walked more slowly than usual and slept nearly 12 hours that night!  I guess I was tired...and perhaps have learned that I am not as young as I once was!

The above picture and these are the outside walls decorated by volunteers at the Children's Centre! They just make me smile each time I see them!

Short Blog

Beginning with the end of the week, the picture above is of children gathering at ITVET behind my house to celebrate Sports Day, hosted for the second year by the Department of Human Development for the children in residential care throughout the country.  The day was hot, but dry, and the children seemed to have a great time!  One group of children could not get here due to rain and flooding in the south part of the country, but others came and provided the opportunity for sibling groups to see one another.  (An attempt is made to keep sibling groups together, but for a variety of reasons that does not always happen.)  I walked back and forth from my house and even did some errands that day, which was the Fourth of July.  I guess I took most of the day off!

Early in the week, the Florida mission team from Dunedin came to the Children's Centre to host Vacation Bible School, take children on outings, and do construction on the facility.  The first day, which was the first full day of vacation from school for the children, was a wild day with children going in all kinds of directions: sports camp, art camp, summer school, etc.  By the second day, things were a little more organized, and I think that children and volunteers had a good time.  The children went bowling, went to the park, went horse back riding, and cooked dinner at the house that Laura Connelly and Natalie Lanni have rented for the summer.

On Monday evening, the staff was invited to Laura and Natalie's house for dinner.  The house sits on the sea, with a beautiful view from the big veranda.  The house itself is very spacious and beautiful, and the evening provided a wonderful respite for staff.  The staff and the volunteers were able to party together!  And most special, perhaps, was that Laura and Dave and I drove the staff to their individual homes in South Belize City late in the evening!  Something of an adventure on small, dark streets!

An irritating factor in our lives has been the intermittent internet service for the past month.  BTL, the provider, has told more than one story as to the reason:  the power outage affected the service, they are upgrading the system, they are under cyber-attack.  Whatever the real story is they seem to have no idea how to fix things.  Unfortunately, Dave and I have followed their advice in "fixing" things on our end. We shut off and rebooted our Wi-Fi modem.  We changed the DNS address on our primary computer, after which absolutely nothing worked.  And then Dave went to the other provider of internet in town and purchased a mobile wi-fi hotspot, which is what I am using at the moment.  We don't know how much service we need to purchase in a month, so I guess we'll see how this first month goes.  But this is costing us money, since the modem was provided by our neighbor.

Dave did not fly much during the week and then only late in the day, meaning that we did not work out as often as we should have.  I seemed to have an "off" week, yelling at kids that seemed to get under my skin more than usual.  I am ready to present a one-day training on positive discipline, and I think I need to pay attention to my lessons!  At least the officers and I can feel that we share the same rocking ship!  Perhaps next week will seem a little more under control--or not.

Lots Happening!

This blog covers essentially the whole month of June!  And the reason is largely a power outage. While the power outage lasted only a few hours, it took 10 days for BTL to resume "normal" internet viability.  I am not sure that it is even working now, as I frequently encounter a "server is not available" message when I'm pretty sure it should be!  Additionally, the man next door who hosts our internet as a contribution to BERT changed the service to a slower version.  With any luck, I can finish this blog today!

I have posted some items on Facebook as they have happened.  Graduations of students have been taking place throughout the month.  The first that I attended was Kamiesha's.  She is a brilliant girl who was the first in her neighborhood to go to a prestigious high school.  She transferred from St. Catherine's High School to Wesley College for 3rd and 4th Form.  She actually graduated with the highest grade point average, but missed out on being valedictorian since she had not completed all four forms at the school.  No one can take away her awesome performance, though!  And I was honored that she included me with an invitation to the ceremony!  With her permission, I am posting these pictures!

 The ceremony included the students walking in with lanterns lit.  So many people attended!  Graduation was held at the Ramada Princess Hotel, and invitations were color coded.  I was in the yellow section, while her mother and family were seated in another section.  I never did find them at the end of the ceremony!

Now we wait for word whether Kamiesha will receive a Taiwan scholarship for four years of university study in Taiwan!  Fingers crossed!

I also attended a Primary School graduation for two of our residents.  Melissa and Jervis Fisher came from Punta Gorda and their Laugh out Loud Children's Center to attend, as well.  It was great fun to see them and share in the ceremony!  However, after two hours, I left before it was over!  At first I was a bit dismayed that a Primary School graduation would be so lengthy and ceremonious...until I realized that it is the end of mandatory education and the only graduation that many of the students may ever attend.  That fact concerns me.

Another adventure was my opportunity to go to Price Barracks, the Belize Defense Force base and former and current British military base.  I say former and present as the British government gave part of the base to the Belize military, yet maintain a presence on another part of the base.  I was headed for the Flagstaff Mess in the British part to meet a young woman.  I passed through the gate, turned over my drivers license, then followed directions:  go over two humps (it was actually 3), turn right, go over two humps, stay left...you can't miss it!  I was not so sure!  But I made it!  And what a pretty area...trimmed grass, full of trees, and a cool breeze.  To get to the base, I drove down the opposite (to the terminal) side of the International Airport, past the Coca Cola plant and the Belikan Beer plant! Very interesting!

Summer brings many volunteers from the U.S.  An interesting group came to the Children's Centre and performed dances for the children, as well as to interact with the kids.  The group performed beautifully on what must have been a very different stage for them:  a rough, cement outdoor basketball court!  The DMCCC children were captivated, then learned dances with the visitors teaching them new moves!

Last Wednesday, I got up at 4:30 AM to get ready for my next adventure (see below).  I heard a siren about 15 minutes later, and ran upstairs to see lots of smoke coming from the east.  As it turns out, a fire began in Kimmie's Bar along the waterfront.  The buildings in that area are old and wooden and a strong breeze was blowing.  The fire spread rapidly.  I watched a You-Tube video taken at the scene, and it differs from the "official" story from the fire department, as I saw only one small hose directed at the fire, with people yelling "there's no water!"  It was an odd sight since a whole sea of water was just to the side.  Unfortunately, a young woman was killed in the fire (one of the hazards of burglar bars on the windows).  A fact of life in living here is the weak infrastructure, exemplified by the response to the fire.

The next adventure was a trip to Corozal, the northernmost district.  As I was riding along with a social work supervisor and four children, I was at DMCCC before 7:00 AM.  "7:00 AM Sharp" meant 7:30 AM, but who's counting.  So picture this:  a small, red Nissan pickup with front and back seats, the driver and social worker up front and four children and me in the back seat, of course with no seat belts!  We drove north to Ladyville where we stopped at the Shell station to get gas.  Well, the credit card would not work, so we headed back south to Belize City to the Shell station there.  No luck with the credit card.  Then we went to the Department of Human Development headquarters in downtown Belize City to inquire of the powers-that-be what the problem with the card might be.  Apparently, the fuel credit allowance was at its max.  So the children and I returned to the Centre.  I went back to work in my office, seeing children.  Then I received word that we may be going to Corozal after all!  So I called Dave to bring me some lunch and quickly ate it, not a bit sure what the rest of my day would look like.  About 12:30 PM, the social worker and driver again showed up in the red pickup.  The children were in line to go eat lunch, so they took a bit of time to eat and change back into their "decent" clothes.  We had fuel in the truck!  But we also had powerful food smells, so everyone rolled down their windows (or as they said, "lowered the glass") and off we went at 20 miles per hour above the speed limit!  I had been as far north as Orange Walk, then began seeing new territory.  The fields of cane are still being harvested, and it was a pretty rural area.  We rounded a turn two hours after leaving the Centre to a beautiful view of the Sea!

 
In the town of Corozal, we stopped at the Department of Human Development district office.  We picked up the acting social worker of that district to go to the children's family home.  Now we had EIGHT people in the pick-up truck--one small child went to the front seat to sit on the social worker's lap, while the 3 other children, the acting social worker, and I squeezed into the back seat!  We managed to get the door closed and locked, laughing all the way!  The social worker and I had worn the same colored blouse, and we commented that we just blended into one blob of teal in the back!  We drove through a few small villages until we arrived at the village where the children lived.  The house, set back in a field of green, was a small cement home, expanded from two rooms to four, three of which had beds for sleeping and one kitchen.  The out-house was in back, as was running water (I think).  The house was clean as could be, and we all sat in the "living" room where a wonderful breeze blew through, keeping the house very pleasant.  The television was on, and as any of you who have worked in in-home therapy will understand, the mother immediately turned the T.V. off!  Wonderful manners (and not my typical experience with in-home counseling).  The hour long session was really difficult with my job to confront the mother on how she will do things differently so that the children remain safe.  (The step-father did not attend, which is a story itself.)  Apparently, the social workers were satisfied, and over my objections, left three of the four children with the mother, with the teen-age child returning to gather belongings together before going back by bus in a couple of days.  (For the sake of understanding the kind of issues with which I deal, the teenager ran away the following day, not wanting to return home.)  Then, after 5:00 PM, the two social workers, teenager, and I returned to the main office, where we picked up another social worker, whom we drove to downtown Orange Walk.  The news was correct when they said that week that construction would begin on the main street of Orange Walk!  What a mess to drive through!

Our poor driver then had to drive us all back in the dark (sun sets about 6:30 PM), first taking the social worker to Hattieville to her house.  We returned to the Centre to drop off the teenager and then went to my house to drop me off at 7:45 PM--13 hours after I'd left home!  What a day!

On Friday I did not go to work, as I went to the airport to pick up the first of the Dunedin, FL mission team!  Laura Connelly came, as did Natalie Lanni, this time with her husband and two children!  What fun to meet them!

(Are they coming?  Oh, yes, here they are!)

We loaded the volunteers into three SUV's and went to the home that Laura and Natalie have rented for the summer.  On Saturday morning, I returned to the airport to pick up more volunteers who have arrived to work at the Centre this next week doing Vacation Bible School and facility construction.

In between the tasks of this challenging week, I planned and organized a dinner party for the 20+ volunteers, plus a few dedicated people from Belize City.  I wanted the Florida people to have food of Belize:  Puerco Pibil, pickled red onions, black beans, coconut rice, tropical fruit salad, corn tortillas from the local tortilleria, and homemade ice cream in 5 flavors from the "Ice Cream Shoppe!"  I hope that everyone had as much fun as Dave and I had in hosting them!  Dave and I moved furniture to line the walls so that all could fit!

The weather cooperated with heat, but a strong breeze to help keep the temperature bearable.  After dinner, Laura held her devotional, a part of the Belize team's custom.  I was amazed to hear the volunteers, who come annually, talk about how different the Centre feels to them, with children being kinder and more patient and respectful!  While I wonder if they just hit a good day (!), they (and Dave) made me cry with their acknowledgements of my part in the changes. Perhaps it is a case of watching grass grow, but I see only what needs to be done.  What an overwhelming end, for me, of the evening!

And now begins a week of busy-ness!  Volunteer activities, end-of-the-month duties, beginning-of-the-month responsibilities, crises, and an all-day training in 10 days that I have to finish preparing!

June Gloom

Interestingly, we've been experiencing "June Gloom," not unlike the L.A. area, but without the coolness.  Everyday for the past two weeks has been gray and overcast with a threat of rain.  Yet the rain does not fall!  The Weather Channel tells me that there is a 100% chance of rain on Tuesday, but I will believe it when I see it.  The temperatures are high, but a significant breeze has continued to blow, especially at night.  I am not complaining!

On May 31, the annual Cancer Walk from Ladyville to Belize City was held.  I bought my shirt, and really intended to walk...or not, as it turned out.  I stayed awake all night in order to be awake at 3:30 AM, but then I thought it a better idea to go to sleep!  So I missed the event!  Dave took Yvette and her mother to the start line, and Yvette said that it was a perfect morning for walking!  I have a shirt, I donated to the cause, but I feel a little guilty wearing the shirt!

Dave seems to be on an alternate day schedule for flying.  He'd rather it be a daily schedule.  He frequently flies in rain, but nothing too severe.  And the rain, as I've said, has not been in Belize City!

I have been working on an all-day training for the staff at the Centre.  The training will be held in July. I am also working on a manual that gives more specific directions for responses to misbehavior.  It is quite a challenge to think of all the mischievous things these children can think to do!  Most important is again communicating the non-violent, problem-solving mindset that we hope will guide the staff in responding to the children.

Dave and I went to Wine Tasting on Thursday night.  While it was a small group, the evening turned out to be great fun!  I sat beside the Deputy High Commissioner in Belize from Great Britain.  She was very engaging!  A man came over to sit down, wearing a shirt with my maiden name (Sharp) on it!  Of course, I had to comment.  He is related to the Sharps of "Marie Sharp's Hot Sauces" here in Belize.
As we talked about our family heritage, it is likely that we are related!  We also met Bob, who retired from the British Army, and retired in Belize.  Both of these men are very involved in veteran activities at the BDF base. In fact, they invited us to join them at the Mess on Friday, Saturday or Sunday to watch BBC broadcasts, especially of rugby.  Each year there is a large group of British rugby fans who gather in Houston to watch the finals at the Richmond Arms Pub.  Dave has been invited for the weekend!  With the Pub having 122 different beers on tap, I really think that he should go!  In the meantime, I am planning on visiting the same Pub (ok...I'll have soda there) with Candace when we are in Houston for the APT Conference in October!  I thought I should check the place out!  The area is lined with bars with lots of music on Friday and Saturday nights, so Candace and I will see what we find.

In other news, Lorenzo, Maria's son, graduated from 8th grade!  Hurray!  And he's an excellent student!  Maria and kids will move to another town for another, better school district this summer.

Sharks & Iguanas Reprise

Having received some pictures from Jennette from her visit to Belize, I'm adding to the photos already included in the previous blog.  I loved the above picture of the blades of the propeller captured in flight!

Here are a few more pictures from our snorkeling adventure.  Note the frenzied sharks!  And Jennette swimming with them!  But then, notice why it was all deemed safe...Shamir!

I have taken and posted many pictures from the Belize Zoo, a favorite place of mine.  I particularly liked these pictures of the Jabiru Stork, the largest stork in the Western Hemisphere, and of the Keel-billed Toucan!

Here are a few additional pictures of Jennette enjoying iguanas!

Our trip to Cayo to see Cahal Pech, the Mayan ruins, included scenes of Mennonites taking crops to sell at Saturday markets.  I love the step back in time!

Now the question of the day is whether Jennette can find anyway to get the underwater film developed and put on the computer!  If so, there may yet be another installment to this series!

Jennette--Hugging Sharks and Feeding Iguanas!

Jennette & Noam

Jennette Fisher arrived from Albuquerque on May 19th, beginning a week of adventures for both of us! 

We wasted no time in beginning the first of many firsts for Jennette with Dave flying us to Ambergris Caye!  Jennette had not been in a small plane so this short flight was a fun adventure with beautiful views of the Reef!

Jennette and I stayed at the Sun Breeze Hotel, which is just across the street from the San Pedro Airport!  The hotel has a beautiful courtyard and pool, and we spent the afternoon lying by the pool.  Lots of talking and laughing with great drinks from the poolside bar!  Dinner was at one of the best restaurants in Belize, Elvie's!  

The following morning we were told that the electric company was shutting down electricity in the whole town!  And I was pretty desperate for a cup of coffee!  Luckily, we left the hotel early in the morning and quickly discovered Mesa Cafe run by Joann and Shelby from Australia!

While they didn't have electricity, they fixed us icy drinks, chai for Jennette and a Machiato for me! Heavenly!  Then we went shopping--about the time that the electricity returned!

Lunch was at Ramon's Village Resort.  What a beautiful place!  Jennette had her first chance to dip her feet in the Caribbean Sea.    Ramon's burned a few months ago, and our waiter said that 250 people worked to rebuild the resort in 5 months.  The plants are new, and the landscaping is spectacular!  It would be a fun place to spend a few days!

The Sun Breeze Hotel did not have enough people signed up for a snorkeling trip, but they found us a trip a couple of docks away.  Mystic Adventures, with Shamir as the guide, turned out to be a great alternative! A family joined us...grandparents, parents and three children...and they spoke only Spanish! Gave me a little practice!  

We first went to Hol Chan Marine Reserve where we began snorkeling.  The current was strong coming in through a gap in the Reef at high tide.  Shamir led us out, as we looked at colorful fish--large and small!  We saw a green eel and a small shark!  Jennette caused Shamir no end of grief.  To me: "do you know where your friend is?"  Well, I was trying my best not to be left behind and not to drown, so the least of my worries was where Jennette was!  She was very competent at snorkeling and simply was following the fish..but not following Shamir so much!  She was also in charge of the underwater camera, so she was busy taking pictures.  (Shamir took over the camera at times, and dove down to take close-ups!)  We also saw big loggerhead turtles!

After a long snorkeling experience there, we climbed back in the boat and went to Shark Ray Alley. Shamir threw in some fish, and the sharks swarmed!  They were on top of each other, fighting for a bite to eat!  Wild!  What a turmoil of water!  On the opposite side of the boat, Shamir, Jennette and the parents of the children dove in to swim with the sharks!  Shamir caught a shark in his arms and gave it to Jennette to hug!  He also caught a stingray, which Jennette "pet" and said was "slimy."  (I preferred to stay in the boat and took pictures!)

After returning to shore, Shamir dropped us off at our Hotel dock.  By this time, Jennette had noticed that she should have been following Shamir the whole time!  And I am pretty confident that he was happy to have Jennette on board!

Jennette and I collapsed at the pool to recover for a while, then ate dinner at the Blue Water Grille at the hotel.  Excellent food!

Thursday morning we went to the water taxi to catch a ride back to Belize City.  We had done so well with our sun screen up to this point, but we grabbed the chance to sit up on top of the water taxi, sadly without sun screen.  We had a wonderful ride in the SUN and wind, stopping briefly in Caye Caulker before reaching Belize City. Jennette, especially, was scorched.

Given that we still had time on Thursday afternoon, Jennette and I drove to the Belize Zoo.  We were lucky that a "Jaguar lick" was going on with a couple of people, during which the Jaguar does somersaults and eats treats from the hand of a visitor (not us) and jumps atop the cage that holds the visitors!  The day was particularly hot, so the Howlers didn't howl much and the Spider Monkeys didn't play much.  But it was nice to be in the jungle!

Friday was a laid-back day.  I needed to do some work at the Centre, and Dave took the airplane to International Airport for an oil change.  The three of us had lunch at a Lebanese restaurant, and Jennette returned to work with me to see the facility and meet the children.  Dinner was at the Riverside Tavern.

Saturday was another day of firsts!  Jennette and I climbed into the car for a trip to Cayo District.  We stopped first at the Orange Gallery where we both found great things to buy!  We had lunch in the outdoor restaurant.  Then we drove on to San Ignacio, stopping at the San Ignacio Hotel & Resort where we took the Iguana Conservation Project tour.  

Playing with iguanas may not be my favorite activity, but watching the faces of my friends as I take pictures is worth the creepiness (to me) of being with the lizards!  Jennette loved it!  She started out by petting an iguana, and with our guide, Bert's, encouragement, she then held one...two...three...and pretty soon a dozen (baby ones)!!  She held one of the big ones, Noam, and he thought he'd take a bite of her shirt--and wouldn't let go!  The iguanas were hungry fellows and swarmed around one's feet, looking for some leaves.  One leaped from the hand railing onto the back of a very surprised man!  I also enjoyed watching the children, particularly one little guy who appeared to have Aspergers/Autism.  He hung back for much of the tour, watching his brother play with the iguanas.  In the baby nursery, though, he held eleven of them!  What delight on his face!

We still had time for one more adventure!  We went to Cahal Pech for a brief look at one of the many Mayan Ruins in Belize.  Jennette, who has had a couple of surgeries on knees, discovered that her knee felt better in Belize, and she was able to climb a bit at the Mayan temple.

And so the week was over.  We had a wonderful time exploring Belize, and I think that she went home with an appreciation of air conditioning and paved roads!

(More pictures will be added as I get them from Jennette!)

Two Weeks of Adventures!

Sunrise over the Sandias

Two days after returning to Belize from Springfield, MO, Laura Connelly arrived from Florida.  Her mission this trip was to introduce Belize Hope to the Standard 6 students at three schools, students who will be attending high school next school year.  (Go to:  http://www.belizehope.org/ to read about this worthwhile organization!)  She stayed with us, at the Brown B & B, and we had such fun having her here!  While we all worked, we also had time to sit around the table and talk.  

Laura and I took a trip to explore places she might take the children and family for outings during the summer.  Actually, it turned out that we explored places NOT to take the children!  We found two roads that led to Rio Frio, which one of the DMCCC kids said was a great place to visit.  It may be, but to get there, one has to drive on a terrible road!  Now I had the four-wheel drive vehicle, but I asked Laura if she knew how to change a flat tire, which was my biggest concern, and when she replied that she called AAA (my technique, as well), we turned around!  We did make it up to Cahal Pech Village Resort for a lovely lunch in a little rain.  And we took the ferry to Spanish Lookout where the fields were all plowed and ready for planting.  (Here is a picture of Laura crossing the river!)  We wanted to find a road that took us an alternative way into and out of the Spanish Lookout area.  Looking at the map, we felt that we were on the right track, but the yellow gates blocking our way seemed to indicate differently!  After a couple of brief stops at art galleries and after being stopped numerous times at police check points, which were due to the "state fair" that was being held in Belmopan, we made it home before dark!  We had such fun!

On Monday, May 5th, 2014, Laura left for Florida, and Dave and I took off for Albuquerque.  Dave and I had lots of friends to see, and didn't get to touch base with all of them, sadly.  We had lots of appointments, too.  Dave passed his flight physical with flying colors, so to speak.  And he passed his written exams for his CFI, i.e. towards the flight instructors' certificate.  Dave also went to the audiologist in Corrales, and we had dinner at Flying Star, sitting beside a fireplace in May!  

I made it to the dentist and to the eye doctor, who prescribed glasses apparently coated in gold leaf (for the price).  I didn't get much of an answer as to why my vision in my left eye has deteriorated so much, so fast.  I, of course, had to play a little MahJongg and see my friends there!  And I had "Professional Development" with friends who all once worked where I did.  Dave had lunch with former professional friends, too.  And we had to shop!!!  Actually, other than a couple of computers, we bought mostly Swiffer refills!  

Dave and I did go to Edgewood and look in the hangar.  He wanted to get several flying things to bring back to Belize.  I was hesitant about seeing all of my things packed up in the hangar, and was surprised that my reaction was:  "I don't need any of this stuff!"  Interesting!  What I also realized quickly is that I don't want to live in Edgewood again.  The wind was howling, blowing dust and pollen.  It was down in the 40's, and I started sneezing non-stop, eyes streaming!  The allergies in New Mexico are not good for me!

Dave and I loved walking/running along the Rio Grande bicycle trail, so we made time on Friday morning to do that.  The weather was beautiful, and while the allergies persisted, I also realized what I loved about New Mexico!  Crisp, clear weather along the river!

Then back to Belize, where I am happily at home!  Observation:  the wind in New Mexico is not fun, filled with allergens and dust and cold, but the wind in Belize is heavenly, a break in the heat and pleasant to feel.  I will admit that we have smoke in the air from "slash and burn" agriculture, but I have no allergies here, and that in itself is a gift!  A Happy Mother's Day!