June 12, 2010

saying goodbye

today we said goodbye to our friends

jeanette and don

they live here in roatan for 6 months 

and they live in st. louis for the rest of the year.

i went over this morning to help them 

clean and close up the house.

it was the least i could do.

for some people they avoid goodbyes

the pain is too great

and so they get stand off-ish as the day 

approaches

well.. not me.

we have moved many times

and have said goodbye to many family and friends

and i value those brave enough to stick around

til the end.

i took this photo from their house.

i will miss this view from their place.

we have shared meals, sunsets, and games

together at their place

and i will miss them greatly.

a true friend helps themselves to whatever is in your fridge!

today, if you have friends nearby

let them know you value them

and that life without them would

be awful.

i am telling you... it isn't easy
but...

"it is better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all.."
lord tennyson

June 11, 2010

in the light

while i was waiting for pizza in west end

i had my camera set up with the following scene

and waited for the 'right person to come

into the scene and be a perfect silhouette

i took about 3 other photos and once

i saw this girl coming i knew she'd be the 'one'

friday night has been pizza in the cowan household

for over 25 years.

some traditions are hard to break.

tonight we went to jeremy's to practice music.

it was a great time.

bob on keyboards, jeremy on bass, jim on electric

and kinsey and i singing.

a good time.

pizza,

music,

friends,

sunset.

nice.

June 10, 2010

only a face a mother could love

today carlos, the gardener dragged me 

(not literally)

over to the avocado tree

i thought he was going to show me the little avocados 

that are growing

but 

instead he showed me this nest

i got so excited because i thought it was a hummingbird nest

but nope... just a small little island bird of some kind.

still pretty cool.

bob held the branch down so i could take this photo.

rather ugly in a cute sort of way!

can't wait to watch them grow

June 9, 2010

 i need you

as soon as i took this photo i started to sing that old song 

"i need you"

i think the sweet little grouping of flowers made me think of it.

I need you
Like the flower needs the rain
You know, I need you
Guess I'll start it all again
You know, I need you
Like the winter needs the spring
You know I need you
I need you 

it's true

we need each other don't we?

i have been feeling rather 'drained' lately

we have been 'putting out' alot lately

giving to the needs of the locals,

trying to get tourists to buy local art,

taking gringos on tours of the island.

running hither and yon

on empty for the most part.

i need help

i do 

but i need more then that

i need Him.

yes we have talked about that.

glad He forgives me for sometimes trying to do it alone.

sigh.

June 8, 2010

stuck on green

i love parakeets. they can be such wonderful companions and funny little critters.   it takes time to establish trust but once that happens they are enjoyable and lovable pets!

buddy has a love for millet which worked in my favour because he would do anything to have some.  that is what i used to hand train him.  yes i bribed him into loving me!!   now he comes on my hand willingly, gives me little kisses and chatters happily on my finger.

i clipped his wings about a month and a half ago in order to make the training go smoothly.   but just recently i have noticed that his flight feathers have grown back because he has taken to flying. the only problem is that he hasn't learned the skill of 'landing'. so it is really BAD flying!!  it can be dangerous for them as they fly into windows and mirrors and can get hurt.  plus it has been so hot here so even just a small flight will set him to panting heavily 

due to the exertion and the heat.

so you can imagine my relief when he flew and landed on the screen.  i couldn't believe how beautiful he looked with all the early morning green light behind him.   i told him to 'stay' 

(and of course he obeyed me!) 

 i was so glad to be able to get this photo.

on another practical note:

guess what?!

it looks like our internet is now working.

i was able to upload this so that is a good sign

and really good news!!!

June 7, 2010

tigo smile? NOT!

our internet is with tigo. 

for the past 4 days we have had problems connecting to the internet

for longer then a minute at a time,

then it take 2-3 times to try to connect.

for another minute.

ugh!!!!!

so when i saw this sign today i thought i wish

i could photoshop that smile into a big FROWN

but i didn't take the time to do it

no one knows what the problem is

or when it will be resolved.

i am at my friend jeanette's house now to upload

since uploading is impossible

so thankful for that!!!!

well i guess if that is my biggest problem

i am doing okay.

just feel out of touch since the computer is the main

way of staying in touch.

some people have called the mainland to complain about the internet

problems

i would never waste my time doing that because

things happen at their own pace in honduras and 

there is really no point in calling.

it is a lesson in patience.

how am i doing?

well.. i have my moments....

:-)

so since i am not on the computer i have been out running

errands with bob.

today he had to pick up some wood at the shipping company.

i took this photo of a shipment of food and veggies at 10:00 am

and we came back at 1:00 and it was still out in the blazing hot

sun ...

no wonder things can be a little 'wilty' in the stores!!

June 6, 2010

so how did it do that?

i have had grapefruit for breakfast for years

but have never been this before!!

can you believe it?

the seed was growing right inside.

the fruit wasn't good anymore.

kind of fibrous and

although i found one section that looked good

it tasted: green.

like sprouts!

i kid you not!

:-)

June 5, 2010

enjoying the view

this is appropriately named

'the view'

i took a few girls who are on the island volunteering 

at the clinic on a tour of the east side.

i love that side.

why?

i think it is because it feels more raw

unblemished, unpopulated, 

a rugged type of beauty.

many people never seen the quaint fishing villages,

 the magnificent views,

the jungle-esque palms that sweep across 

the hills towards the sea, the herds of cows

meandering down country roads,

the people waiting under shade trees for a bus

that comes every hour.

we had such a wonderful day together

letting things unfold in beautiful ways.