Girl's Weekend

 "Adventure is worthwhile"

-Amelia Earhart

Living in Midland has is truly beneficial financially, but that's about it.  Ask anybody what there is to do around here and they'll run out a long list of places to go:  San Antonio, El Passo and Lubbock have offerings (5, 5 and 2 hours away), Carlsbad Caverns (2.5 hours away), Balmorhea State Park and Springs (2 hours away) and some scattered lakes (2 hours for the little ones, 5+ for anything serious).

 I'm no stranger to travel for recreation since my family and I used to travel regularly traveled 2-3 hours to go to the Stanley Basin, (video clip borrowed from You Tube),  but we also had a world

of weekend and afternoon recreation available to us  at our front doorstep by-way-of nature trails, the south hills, hot springs, caves, lakes and the Snake River Canyon.

Although making the best of Midland, sometimes it's nice to get out of dusty old Midland a bit, and a trip to Texas by my dad and Brenda was the opportunity we needed.  They were flying into San Antonio on their annual pilgrimage to Corpus Cristi to visit Greg and Gail Lossing.  John had to work, (big shocker there) so Karlie, Zoey and I decided to make a weekend of it and go together to not only have dinner but visit Sea World again and see what else tickled our fancy.

We started off dark and early Saturday morning through the back roads of West Texas, because that's the only way to cross from the I-20 down to the I-10.  Along the way I had seen a historical marker on our previous trip and I was not going to pass it up this time.  The pull-off was more of a drop off so I passed the exit and circled back on the wrong side of the road, onto a dirt road dodging cavernous ruts in my rough-and-tumble Toyota Camry.  We got as close as the road would allow to the Stiles Courthouse (built in 1911) and walked into the ruin.  A dilapidated fence surounded the structure so we felt it imperative we cross the missing barrier and explore.

Impressive stone steps and walls, a few burnt timbers (dumb arsonist in 1999 burnt the beauty which was a residence at the time), and rusted metal was strewn throughout.

 We climbed, posed and photographed ourselves throughout the building as we explored. 

The back side had a rounded stone roof structure with no supports.  No knowing it's purpose it left us to speculate if it was storage, an oven, or what.

Cold from the chilly morning air, we hurried back to the car and set off for Sea World.  It was a special event at Sea World, Wild Days.  Although I knew it was Wild Days, I had no idea how fun it would be for the little one.  We started off at the aquarium to view the sharks and spotted eagle ray feeding.  If you've never seen these animals, find them, they're hilarious and amazing as they glide through the water with their long cartoonish snouts.

We made our way next to the Wild Animal show, a bit early, and made a cockatoo mask, got Zoey's adventure discovery map stamped, enjoyed petting a young (4 year old) alligator, and feeding and petting a young wallaby.

The show had many other enjoyable animals, each of which Zoey declared she wanted to hold when it went on stage.  We wandered the park enjoying the animals, riding roller-coasters and rides, and stamping Zoey's adventure card at each of the educational booths.  Five stamps earned her a free whale-tail necklace which she cherished.  We finished our day at the dolphin tank, feeding and petting the sweet, almost smiley animals as they clicked and whistled at us.

We found our hotel with ease, cleaned up, and met my parents and our gregarious friends.  It was great to see everyone happy and healthy and having a good time.  Memoo, Grandma Brenda, gave Zoey a pretty little purse that she has yet to take off 3 days later.  After  some great burgers, lots of laughs, and warm hugs, it was time for them to hit the road and us to hit the sack.  

The next morning we started our day out with a walk through Olmos Basin Park, which made me sad to live in a town devoid of such beauty.

We next went to the San Antonio Botanical Garden and wandered through the numerous exhibits: the fountains...

 ...sensory garden, cactus, palm, fern, and such. 

We walked around the small lake, feeding the super friendly ducks and geese (I caught a goose, cuz why not...) and reading about the many local and foreign plants along the way.  They also had several replicas of historical Texan residences throughout which were fun to explore.

Little one poking her head out from behind Karlie.

Our feet tired from two days of walking and our weekend an adventurous success, we stopped by a local Korean market for a lunch snack and set off for home. 

We may have to travel far and wide to have fun while living in Midland, but we make the most of it when we do.  I'm so glad have my sister here to share these experiences with me, it wouldn't have been half as fun without her.

Trailer Park Livin'

"A bad neighbor is a misfortune,

as much as a good one is a great blessing."

 -Hesoid

Moving into a trailer park in Texas has not been without its challenges.  Although the majority of residents are great people thanks to strict management screening, a few slip through the system and then we have the dreaded trailer-trash.  (That may not be PC, but nothing else truly describes it).  Karlie and I both have had issues with this.

Busted!!! (not the white trailer, the building behind)

My former next-door neighbors, now across the street neighbors, approached us repeatedly to use our phones to either call the police because of domestic violence or get a ride across town.  He and she both had clear signs of drug abuse and their friends were loud and obnoxious at all hours of the night.  He asked me for rides repeatedly and I refused until he gave up. Although unpleasant neighbors, I never felt my safety was highly at risk and kept my distance when possible.  Recently two raids by the US Marshals has lead to them vacating the premises....problem solved...for now.  Rumor has it they were looking for him...I'm glad I never let him in my house or my car.

When we first moved Karlie in, the only space for her trailer was in the middle of the park.  Although the spot is parallel to us it still is four streets away and we wanted to have her as close as possible to help with her safety and possibly share internet. I asked to have her moved closer if  a space opened up, but the new managers were too engulfed in learning the basics of running the park to bother giving time to my request.

In front of her trailer was an empty mobile-home spot and large tree in bad need of grooming with numerous trunks branching out at the base.  The tree was a favorite hang out of the local neighbor underage kids who enjoyed hiding in the foliage as they snuck a few cigarettes here and there. After a few weeks, the management moved in a mobile home and cut the tree to the ground.  That solved the loitering problem, but created a privacy problem, not to mention took away the only shade she had on the property.  Busy with other things, we let the issue rest.

A few weeks back, Karlie came home from work to a blue piece of paper stuck to her door with electrical tape.  The note declared that one of the neighbors had seen her from afar and wanted to see if she would be interested in dating him, a 35 year old, good-looking, "shy" male.  He left a name and number.  Karlie has received fan mail before while waitressing , but at home it made her uneasy.   She quickly started to pay extra attention to locking up her home, to keep an extra eye on her surroundings and some pepper spray nearby.  A few days later, in the wee hours of the morning, she heard footsteps approach her home and then heard a tug on her door.  Unsuccessful at opening it, the footsteps retreated as she lay petrified in her bed eying her pepper-spray by her pillow.

I awoke to a text she sent saying that someone tried to enter my her house, I decided it was time for action.  I approached the management with the note and requested he check the residents of a trailer we suspected her admirer/stalker lived in.  With no record of the 3-4 guys who live there he couldn't verify anything, but after seeing the note he also felt it urgent to move her.  The only spot was previously reserved but he said he would see what he could do.  In the mean time he would send security by to keep an eye on her place.  John and I proceeded onto Lowe's to purchase a solar-powered-motion-detecting flood-light to mount to the top of her trailer covering her driveway and the entrance of her trailer.

A few days later the management called and said they had a spot for her, apparently they exchanged the reserved spot, and she need to move asap.  Although excited to get her moved, it did present a problem.  John's truck is in the shop, awaiting parts on order, and he was scheduled to work long days for the entire next week.  He knew we may not have another chance to get her closer to us, so he talked to a coworker to borrow a Peterbuilt he had never driven or hooked up, but had been told could haul the trailer.

Mostly grease... the corner is damaged. 

At 10pm he showed up with the loud Semi truck and backed in as we secured her personal effects and essentially 'broke camp'.  The tall truck barely slid under the hitch and latched on, ready to circle the block, John pulled forward and as the trailer crossed the sidewalk, it jumped the fifth-wheel hitch (we still have no idea why) and went crashing toward the ground, catching the front corner of the overhang on the edge of the truckbed.  Although painfully slow and sounding like they could quit at any moment, to our good fortune her trailer does have hydraulic jacks in the front.  Slowly, John lifted her house from the middle of the street and attached it again to the noisy truck.

After testing the attachment, we set off again, my stomach in knots.  Slowly we crept to her new spot and woke the neighbors as we backed her in, in the dead of night, dodging trucks parked along the side of the street.  Unable to get her level, and unwilling to continue with the ruckus so late, we settled her, a little sideways, in her new spot.  Leveling will be later this week.

She's now parked just around the corner from us, backing a field.  Her neighbors both have dogs which is a comfort to Karlie as they will announce any unwanted late-night visitors.  The on-sight tree is healthy and beautiful and the grass is actually there.

We're glad to have her finally moved closer thanks to the quick action of the management.  The truck came through unscathed and the trailer, a little worse for wear, is still upright, it's contents jumbled but not broken.  I think he new spot is going to serve her even better and I can sleep a little sounder knowing she's a little safer.

Some Crazy Post About Medical Stuff

   "There is  difference between the two temporal blessings-

health and money; 

money is the most envied, but he least enjoyed;

health is the most enjoyed but the least envied;

and this superiority of the later is still more obvious when we reflect."

-Charles Caleb Colton

 This is my crazy, possibly uneducated-in-the-subject rant post about medical/insurance, so sorry if it bores, irritates or otherwise negatively affects you...so here we go. 

 As a child growing up in a larger family without access to affordable insurance, I rarely went to the doctor.  Doctors were for when you're sick and I mean life-threateningly sick, none of that I have a cough, fever, headache, tummy upset sick.  Most maladies were treated with the wait and watch your body overcome on it's own mentality, and it almost always did.  The times we were taken to the doctor were well warranted necessities and always handled perceptively and promptly.

Growing up I saw some of my friends go to the doctor for sniffles, coughs and the like and always wondered why the bother, the doctor will simply tell you what you already know:  'Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take something to relieve the symptoms.' I also heard the adage that doctors are there to keep you healthy, not fix you when you're sick, but I feel that unless you have a 'condition' warranting regular care, what can a doctor tell me that I don't already know:  Eat healthy, exercise often, drink plenty of water, and the proper amount of sleep.

I continued to adopt that attitude, not wanting to contribute to the epidemic of over-prescribed antibiotics or pay the exorbitant price of medical care. (I tend to be very frugal). Reasonable health habits, though I could always use improvement, have resulted in few doctor visits.  In my thirty-two years I've visited the dentist four times and gotten a passing grade of cavity-free teeth and healthy gums every-time.  A few doctor visits for various maladies have resulted in quick health care with less cost to me than insurance premiums would have been.  I went through pregnancy and childbirth with the aid of a mid-wife and paid far less than my deductible would have been on the mediocre insurance I was carrying at the time through my employer, and had a satisfying dare I say enjoyable experience.

I eventually took Zoey to the doctor to start immunizations when she was 5 months old and received her first well-baby check-up.  The doctor told me she was growing and developing fine (all things I knew from reading child-rearing books and the internet) and charged me a small fortune.  At the time, with one income and an infant in diapers, it took me 2 months to pay a bill that was "supposed" to incur monthly.  I decided to return only for immunizations which cost a mere $15 without a check-up.  Note: I only did immunizations up to age 1 requirements, though she will receive all of them, just at a later age, due to the hugely controversial information online and lack of evidence on both sides to prove their point, but that's a whole different subject entirely.

Not that the no-doctor policy is always the best, I do admit I let some small things slide health-wise, so since we moved to Midland, and since one of us, John, is finally working for a company which can provide decent health coverage, I decided to address some of these health issues and get Zoey into a pediatrician to get a check-up and finish her immunizations.  I started to call around and schedule appointments.  Some doctors were easy to schedule, but pediatricians are impossible in this town.  Many will only accept family, infants, or older kids, and nobody could get us an apointment.  Those who would take her put us on a waiting list.  If they didn't ask me to come in and apply, the conversation always went something like this:

 "How long is the waiting list?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, I don't know."

"Can you tell me if I'll be waiting days, weeks, or months?"  --I'm not asking for her to be exact.

"No ma'am, just till the doctor tells me to call ya'll."

"Okaaaaay, put me on the list...."

Scheduling the appointment is easy for some doctors, but what I found is this:  Even with insurance, doctors are still expensive, although we can afford it, the frugal me is often cringing as I write the check.  I find that I easily pay the same to double what I paid for same services I received  without insurance.  Admittedly, I've never had a personal doctor and I often went to the income based doctors whether or not I qualified for a price reduction, but these are not life-threatening  maladies I'm seeking treatment for and the final result has proven to be the same.  I know insurance is there for the big-what-if's, but I also thought insurance was supposed to make health care more affordable....I might have been off on that one.

I guess the medical/insurance game is all new to me, but I'm jumping in and trying to learn as I go.  Over the next few months, I have a general doctor appointment, 2 specialists, 2 dentist appointments (Zoey and I each),  and that waiting list I'm on.  After it all I'll see if I feel the insurance is pulling any weight.  Either way I'm trying to use it as much as possible while we have it and make sure we're as healthy as I think we are and want us to be, but I'll probably always grumble when I pay the doctor bills.

Death of a Dream

 "A dream is a wish your heart makes." 

-Walt Disney

Enjoying a double rainbow on the fence in Idaho.

Leaving Idaho the first time was so difficult.  That small corner of the world had been the only home Zoey and I have known, and where John and I bought our first home and became a family.  But the second time I left, I felt less the loss of my home as I focused on moving forward.  It feels good that we are a close little family once again and moving forward in our plans for the future.

In front of the house-1 year old-new landscaping.

Despite all the excitement of moving forward, we are sad to leave the place where so many great memories were made.  Our first home renovations and the many challenges they presented helped us grow to learn who we are and what we are capable of.  Our daughter was born in that house, slept her first night in the comfort of our home, said her first words and took her first steps down the hallway.  Our first, and second (stupid killer dogs), flock of hens were raised to laying age and provided us with much childhood education, entertainment, and delicious breakfasts.  

The hardest thing to leave behind is our dreams. Now that we've accepted an offer on our house (if all goes well we close the end of February), we mourn the death of dreams we had for our family-sized home and what it could be. 
 Update: We closed the end of March.

Now the chicken coop is only inhabited by wasps; the trees we planted will now be inherited by another, their fruit eaten by other children, not our own; the garden will lie fallow another season; the deck off the master bedroom will never be; and the beautiful renovations, some realized, will not be enjoyed by us.

Feeding the hens.

C'est la vie, sometimes, some of our images of the future change.  The picture you worked so hard to paint, the details that were so important suddenly don't look right when you see the whole thing come together, so you decide to scrap it and rethink everything.  For us the picture was pretty good and so close to our dream, except, we were so busy working to make ends meet that we were never there to enjoy the home or our little family.....time to rethink, re-plan, and redraw.

Good-bye old friend.

We are daring to act on a dream, which means we must leave the other dream behind. Our old dreams laid to rest, we look forward to a new future, a new home, new plans, new adventures, and new dreams.  Midland, Texas is not our dream, but merely a steppingstone toward the realization of our future yet to come.  As I revealed recently in my blog, our dream is to move somewhere exotic, explore new lifestyles, climates, and cultures.  Untold hours of research has pointed us to Belize, Central America, but we fail to commit to it completely, knowing our future is open, and winds of change may catch our sails and blow us towards other or even many shores.

Little One's Vacation is Big Fun!

"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust 

over the lives of little children." 

-Alex Haley

(Archive photo from last spring)

Mom and Dad weren't the only ones who had a great vacation, so did another little member of our family.  When I told Zoey we would be going on a big boat, John and I were considering taking her also.  I introduced the idea to her and she said, "No thanks, I'd rather go see Grandma Donna."  Since John's mom had, at some time in the distant past, offered to watch Zoey while we visited Belize, Zoey had her heart on staying with her while we went abroad.  With her heart on going to grandma's, we worked out the details- happy it would leave us to have our vacation as just a couple. 

Although Donna wanted to try and visit us in Midland to see our little home and pick up Zoey, John's work schedule didn't permit him any time to spend with her.  Instead I decided to drive Zoey down a few days prior  to our departure.  The drive is no small journey, ten hours, with brief stops for lunch in Las Cruces and a quick photo op at Texas Canyon, AZ.  Zoey was an angel as always and took the trip in stride, only saying the famous "Are we there yet?" for the last hour.

Grandma G modeling putty bracelets

I stayed a day to stretch my legs and visit with Donna, Zoey's great-grandmother (Grandma G), and Zoey's Aunt Joan, then I left my little girl in the capable hands of her grandma.  Knowing this was the longest I would  have left her with anybody else, I prepared a bag of "artsy" goodies  and gifts for her to open each day so she be counting down to mom, but up to the next present.  As I left we were worried she would be upset, but she showed little concern over my departure.

Little did any of us know, there was to be more on Zoey's agenda than planned.  Shortly after I left, Grandma G injured her collar-bone as she fell while picking oranges, so Zoey had her first hospital experience (she wasn't even born in one).  The next days she got to spend some time getting closer to her Grandma G at her house, picking oranges and grapefruit, juicing, and even making silly-putty bracelets for the both of them.

Feeding the birds with grandpa.

Next, she got to take a road trip to Diamond Mountain to pick up Grandpa Rob after another stint of volunteer work up there.  She spent some time making an art project of her rendition of a map of the world.  The only existing places are: Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (all states we have been in), South America, South Africa (Aunt Joan brought her a trinket elephant from there), Belize, and Hawaii.  Art project done and Grandpa retrieved, they made their way back for another adventure in Tucson.

Grandma had scheduled for a special someone to come for a sleepover, Zoey's cousin Hayden.  Although there are a few years between them, they play like siblings.  Zoey looks to Hayden for direction and Hayden lovingly caters to her wants and needs.  Grandma had as, Zoey says, "the coolest day ever" planned for the girls.  She took them to the Children's Museum of Tucson to play, explore and learn.  They drove an ambulance, fire engine and a motorcycle.

They shopped in a market where the fruit was picked off of trees, veggies pulled from the garden, and they could take turns as cashier.

 They cared for the welfare of stuffed animals.

Who knew they had bones?

They stuck their head in eyeballs, climbed in mouths, and pulled on boogers (I guess that's gross and fun).

ewwww

Zoey's favorite part was where " you stick a thing in one end, then it goes whoosh through the tube and out the top- then you catch it"...I guess you had to be there...though this picture helps explain.

(Insert squealing sound effects here.)

Per Grandma, they did everything at least twice...whew, thanks Grandma!

The next few days were full of scooter and bicycle rides, art projects, feeding the birds, helping with dinner, and playing with Grandpa Rob. I'm sure they wore her out and vice versa.  The last day John, Karlie and I met her at Brent and Le Aynne's (John's brother and his wife) and Hayden's house for dinner.  We had a super delicious dinner and after we shared a few treasures we had brought back from our trip, Zoey was showered with gifts from her cousin and Aunt Joan.

That's one happy fairy princess.

Another long drive back while Zoey gushed over the Children's Museum and sang us Grandma's favorite song, Three Little Birds.  Funny thing about my little girl is she doesn't recount the details of things unless I pry and sometimes I don't hear about it until much later when she's thinking back, but these are the highlights as they were relayed to me, who knows what adventures I don't know about.  What I do know is, I'm so glad Zoey got to spend such quality time with her grandparents and her cousin, and I'm also sure she wore them all out completely...she's good at that. Thank you, again.

Caribbean Holiday - Part 4 - Cozumel, Mexico

"My driving abilities from Mexico helped me get through Hollywood."

-Salma Hayek

The wind worked the sea into large rolling waves which raised and lowered the boat at unpredictable intervals.  As the ship rolled into the port of Cozumel, Mexico, the captain, Giovanni, announced in his thick Italian accent that all water based tours were canceled.  Oddly I was delighted we hadn't scheduled a snorkeling tour here so we wouldn't have to deal with the disappointment that was apparent on so many people's faces.  For this day, we had chosen to wing it, and wing it we did.

With eight ships in port, averaging 4000 passengers each and all water based tours canceled, we eagerly raced ashore to find a vehicle to rent.  The scooters looking unpleasant on such a windy day and the dune-buggies  already gone, we found ourselves in a third-world jeep.  Driving down the road we noticed that the rear view mirror was missing, the glove-box fell to the floor when I opened it only to find an empty beer bottle, none of the climate control knobs were still around and the heat was stuck in the on position(good thing it was soft-top), the speedometer didn't work,  fifth gear was non-existent, reverse only worked when holding the stick into gear, and it rattled loudly as we drove.  All-in-all it was a great exciting vehicle.

Cozumel is a tourist town so you would think all things would cater to tourism, but they still forgot to put up roadsigns, mark one way streets (which most of them are), or make it easy to pay for curbside parking.  Fortunately for us, Google Maps works in Mexico and the locals look out for you by honking repeatedly when you try to turn the wrong way on a one-way street.  We also found side streets and market place garages had free parking.

Logistics worked out, we spent the day exploring the island.  We admired beautiful scenery, scoped out the working class neighborhoods, walked through a large department store, and dickered with the many shop owners trying to make their day's wage.  

The department store was reminiscent of a Wal-mart and had most prices comparable to the US but with different offerings than we are accustomed to, like basin-style washing machines and mini propane cook-tops.  I was tempted by the many varieties at the deli-style ceviche bar, but decided that it may be "too local" for my American stomach.  Too bad.

The street vendors often had items "gringo-taxed"(overpriced to sell to tourist), but tried to call you over using the same tag lines: "Cheaper than Wal-mart", and "So cheap it's almost free!" Most wanted to give us shots of tequila, I'm sure to loosen our wallets, but it was a tactic I didn't mind.  We were even offered a few Mayan calanders yet it was Dec. 21st and we felt it would be a poor purchase since it was no longer good after that day (dumb joke).  They offered, we dickered, and by the end of the day we had a small stash of treasures in the back of our jeep.

Highlights were: The Puerto de Abrigo Marina where boats cruised in and out with a cool castle/fort  in the background; 

 ...driving the rugged coast, a little lost, a lot enthralled; getting to wander the streets sipping my $1.50 Sol beer (cheap and open containers are okay); and getting our pics with two lovable Macaws. 

 Cozumel is a fun place, but super touristy.   Perhaps we'll be able to visit again and explore some of those water sports or a beach during calmer weather.  Our ship was the first of many to leave port that day and as the sun set we saw the lights of yet another tourist town, Cancun, in the distance lit up to attract yet more tourism dollars.   

Back aboard and heading home.

The last day at sea was marked by choppy waters, so I  downed a few pills to keep my sea legs and we left the beautiful Caribbean in our wake.  Sad to see our adventure end, but invigorated by it all, John and I ended our vacation with a drive back to Midland, then onto Tucson to pick up our little girl.  Thank you Carnival Magic and all those who helped us make our vacation a carefree dream.

Caribbean Holiday - Part 3 - Belize City, Belize

 You betta Belize it!

-All  the corny people who have been to Belize (include me)

The morning of the 20th was particularly exciting.  One of the major reasons we chose this cruise was because it ported in Belize, currently our top choice for a future tropical home.  John and I have researched  Belize extensively, but had yet to set foot on it's shores, so it was about time we did.

Baron Bliss Lighthouse 1885

We chose an excursion  through the cruise line which included a tour of Belize City, off-roading through the jungle, a hike through a small cave, and a boat ride down the river.  Unfortunately the first day of our cruise we were informed that the excursion was canceled, so we quickly re-booked a kayaking tour at Bacab Eco Park.

The morning of, we watched the ship's location channel as Carnival Magic snaked it's way through the shallow coastal water ways and around Belize's barrier islands.  Without a deep-water port, the cruise ship has to have passengers tendered ashore.  We followed the cruise ship's schedule and waited for our tour group to go ashore. We waited anxiously hours after the first tenders began transporting for our number to be called and many others bypassed us (as they called out numbers they called this cruise ship bingo).  Once ashore we waited on the dock in the sun and heat for other passengers bound for Bacab to join us.

Crossing the Belize River...guarders really that close.

The day half over, we were herded along to board the large charter bus.  While boarding a man offered us bags of Cashews.  How much you ask?  Too much, but since we are tourist in a hurry, we paid it and loved every little morsel of creamy nuttiness as we drove across the city toward our destination listening to the guide spew national and local facts all-the-while giving the group a Belize Creole lesson (which is different than the French Creole we are familiar with in the states).

The large bus lumbered through the narrow streets and at one point plowed it's own way over a pile of gravel as it navigated  around a construction zone, aka five guys hand laying a cement square of road.  As we crossed the BelCan bridge, a gift from Canada to Belize, it became apparent why the windows don't open on the bus...an open window wouldn't fit on that bridge, yikes.  Finally the large city-style bus bumped awkwardly down the dirt road leading to Bacab.

Bacab Eco Park is an oasis of natural beauty at the edge of the city.   We walked along a palmetto pathway which lay through the palmetto forest with fronds spanning over us blocking out the sun.  We were led to a large palapa restaurant bordering a Lilly-pad pond where we set in our canoes.  

We were guided down a narrow meandering stream once used by the indigenous Mayans for transportation, food, and laundry. We could see the evidence of their activities in the eroded stone shelves carved by eons of hands arduously scrubbing the dirt from loved one's garments.  The stream opened up into a sunny brackish lagoon frequented by alligators, snakes, tapirs and the like.  One group was fortunate enough to spot a young gator sunning himself, but we missed out.

The word was given we would head back and the race was on.  John and I fought hard but came in second place...I think they got a head start. We might have been in third if John wasn't a fast thinker and ran our competitors into a bank so we could make a fast escape.  Hehe.

Pond where we set-in... Palapa restaurant behind.

Back at the Palapa, we filled our tummies with a traditional Belizean meal of roasted chicken spiced with Recado Rojo, Roasted Plantains, Rice and Beans stewed in coconut milk, Potato Salad made with salad cream (it's an English thing I'm told), and of course Marie Sharp's Habanero Sauce for the brave.  John and I washed it down with Belekin beer and a One Barrel Rum and Coke.  Delicious!!

Lunch was followed by a brief walk through the jungle to admire the large flowers...

This grouping is about an arm's length.

...cool plants....

I love how these were climbing the trees.

... lizards....

Don't eat these ones, only the green ones!!

...birds and many fluttering butterflies (of which I'm not quick enough with a camera to catch), then a cool dip in the large pool.  A short water slide was quickly an attraction for all ages as it shot riders into the pool at surprising speeds, John and I rode it twice.   After a few hours of sun and water, we made our way back to the bus for another drive along the river, through the city, and back to port.

At the port, Tourism Village (that is really the name, creative isn't it), we had a mere 30 minutes until boarding our boat.   We rushed to find a few keepsake treasures loosing eachother in the process and feeling a bit frustrated, but then we noticed the line for the tender boats was quite long.  We slowed our pace, shopped a little more, and entered the tender line once it shortened to nearly gone, taking the last tender across the beautiful light cyan waters as the sun set on another beautiful day in the Caribbean.

The trip to Belize was exciting and memorable.  There were no surprises-as far as what we expected from the country of Belize-but as first time cruisers, we found some things we would have done differently: 1) Take the first "self-tour" tender ashore to make the most of our day.  2) As we did in Roatán, book an outing separately from the cruise line or possibly accept one of the offerings on the dock to avoid the large crowds.  3) Make sure we left enough time to find some of that One Barrel Rum....mmmm.

Aboard ship we gazed at the setting sun and bid goodbye to beautiful Belize.  The ship slipped along the Central American coast, north toward Cozumel, Mexico.

(to be continued)