June 19, 2010

my kind of traffic

today i took a couple of volunteers for a tour

to the east side

my favorite area of the island

this photo was taken 

while in jonesville

jonesville could be called the venice of roatan

since most people live along the shores of the bight

and use boats as the main way of transportation

we had a great tour through the mangroves

explored punta gorda

and gave the girls a chance to swim with  nurse sharks, turtles 

and stingrays
(yes it is safe)

a great day!!!

the plus was that bob decided to come along too

which makes any day better!!

where do you go to get away from all the madness, traffic and noise?

my advise:  Go there!

 then just stand still.  

It is good for the soul

be still and know that He is God

June 18, 2010

moonflower

we planted this a couple of months ago and 

it's vine has been growing steadily over that time

tonight we came home after being over at patti's 

and as soon as we walked out of the car

i said,

bob, my moonflower has bloomed!!

the aroma was intoxicatingly strong even from the driveway.

sure enough there were two large showy blooms

in all their glory.

their scent is heady, heavy and almost sickenly sweet.

we have closed all the windows and the front door

and still i feel like i can't breathe.

maybe i am allergic to moonflower.

yikes.

beautiful but apparently the seeds are extremely toxic

and if the flower is ingested it is also hallucinogenic

apparently it is believed that the flowers were

used for making a love potion.

i believe it.

it is very powerful

in fact i have never smelt anything like it 

i don't know if you know what a stargazer lily smells like

well

times that by 25 and you have what this flower smells like.

the interesting thing about them is they bloom at dusk,

and are out in all their glory through the night

exuding a powerful scent 

they attract moths which helps with pollination.

once the sun touches them, ever so gently, in the morning

the flowers fade.

so much for sleeping with the window open tonight

hmmm.. why did i listen to what they wrote on the seed package.

it said:  plant by a window so the aroma can be enjoyed.

oh well live and learn.

the next plant i will put closer to the gate!!

beautiful

moonflower

i'm so dizzy and it's you girl making it spin!

note:
i took the following photo the next morning
it is still beautiful.
it only lasts one night and then as the morning light
comes it begins to fade and curl up

it is still very pungent though...
i think i will need some more antihistimine
my poor sinuses are aching!

:-)

June 17, 2010

FIFA!!!

i am not a sport chick at all

i don't follow any games or watch it on tv

but i have to admit i am really enjoying the 

soccer world cup this year.

i think partly because Honduras is in it.

that makes it exciting.

we got up at 5:00 am the other morning to watch the game.

it was an awful, disappointing game.

they lost.

oh well.

it is sooooo hot today so i was happy when bob

suggested we go to the hungry kiwi for a cold drink and 

play some crib (card game)

they have air conditioning!!!

hallelujah!!

what?

who won?

you need to ask.. sheesh... i won two and bob one.

:-)

and the soccer game?

mexico took it.

back to the heat though...

alot of people think it is glorious to live on a tropical island

and yes well it is beautiful

but truly the heat is draining.

day after day after day

of high temperatures and humidity that almost hits the 100% mark.

it is wearing.

so it was a treat to sit in the a/c, play cards,

watch soccer and sip on iced tea.

and then we went to get some fresh snapper.

oh yeah....

now that is one of the really great parts about living by the sea!!

June 16, 2010

can we play together soon?

i am blessed that this is a common sight for me

but lately,

due to my neck and back being out

i haven't been able to snorkel much.

i miss it dreadfully.

i was supposed to snorkel on tues. went to the made in roatan shop

instead

because due to high winds the ship that was supposed to dock 

at mahogany bay came into coxen hole.

then again today.

apparently there is a big storm in the pacific

so it looks like we will be going to the shop again tomorrow.

it is interesting what being around poverty will do to your soul

i can no longer ignore it and just 'go have fun'

i am compelled to help in any way i can.

today the man in the next shop hadn't sold anything

all day.

no sales means no food.

these people live from day to day literally

i went and hung out in his shop and tried to sell

things but couldn't.

later i saw a van of oriental people go towards him

and i prayed that they would buy.

they did.

then another lady came and bought a painting.

he made $50.00 

instead of nothing

you may think that is nothing

but here it isn't that uncommon for people to work 

for 12.00 - 15.00 a day

so samuel did well.

so do i miss snorkeling?

you bet.

but am i glad that i was able to help and be a blessing?

most definitely.

so...my underwater friends...

wait for me

i shall swim soon enough.

wait for me

by the way, 

this is a beautiful wood carving that hangs in our dining room

it belongs to the people whose house we rent from.

isn't it truly a work of art?

hondurans are so talented!

June 15, 2010

breathless

i live on a small island

at times i feel like i know it like the back of my hand

(so to speak)

but 

just this week i have gone to two new places.

it does my soul good to discover these spots.

this is taken at the meridan in the lighthouse area

of west bay

i was blown away by the beauty of the place.

the one thing

i love about having a camera is i purposely go out

and find beauty.

as i said it does my soul good.

my.soul.is.good.
i thank God for that

how's yours today?

June 14, 2010

barefoot cay

i don't know about you but it is easy to live in a place

and drive by it,

and drive by it 

and drive by it

(yes you get the point)

without ever stopping.

such is the case with barefoot cay.

we drive by it every time we go to french harbour 

which is often about 2-3 times a week.

well today we went

we met a fellow canadian in the icecream place

this afternoon who has a sailboat moored there.

we decided to go check out his boat.

he had a beneteau 45' sailboat

a beauty of a boat.

i was impressed with the 'grounds' 

and the view.

this palapa is at the end of a long dock

and the breeze is delightful,

the sea hails her many shades of blue

and there is good snorkeling off the dock.

so we may go again to check out the waters on the 

south side of the island.

my advise:

if there is a place you have seen over and over and you

haven't ever stopped,

well, stop!

you may be surprised at what you see.

i know i was!  

:-)

um... yes please!!! 

i think bob was drooling at this point!!

June 13, 2010

wha chu lookin' at??

i was walking down the beach this afternoon
and spied this boy playing in the sand
i waited til i was literally walking right over him
to take the photo.
it was a 'walkby' shot.
i am actually surprised by the way it turned out
because i didn't stop,
i didn't look,
i just waited,
and took it.

it is more then i had expected.
the little bit of palm over his face makes it for me
as well, as the infamous glare.

as if to say:
'wha chu lookin' at?

what??
YOU!
because your skin is as smooth as the sand,
you are lined up perfectly with the edge of the sea,
and you rock in yellow

that's why!
:-)

i hope you had a great weekend.
we sure did.