Saturday, October 9, 2010

October 9, 2010

a green jewel

this morning while out walking with brandi she pointed
out these little green squishy balls
that were all along the edge of the sea,
nestled in the seaweed.

i was quite curious as to what they were
i went out again in the afternoon to get a better photo of them
and  i asked a number of local people
what the squishy green balls were

most didn't have a clue
but some ventured a guess:
a flower from the coral reef,
or maybe planktin,


i had to go online to find out what they were
i had never seen them before so after doing a bit of research
i found out that they are called codium bursa,
which is a type of algae

the one i found is quite small but apparently they can
grow to be the size of coconuts
they typically grow at about 11 metres deep 
 here is an  underwater photo of them in their natural habitat
(the algae is the second photo in the gallery, just click on it to see it large)

i guess with all the high winds churning up the sea 
that these little bits of algae have broken off and are
now littering the shore.

there is so much to learn everyday about life isn't there?
i find it fascinating to learn new things.

it is a wonderful world we live in
absolutely incredible
i hope you continue to enjoy small wonders
in your corner of the world!
glory glory glory
hallelujah
all around me
i am blessed

Friday, October 8, 2010

October 8, 2010

windswept seaweed

i love the rainy season here!
we don't have snow to shovel but the beach does
get awfully messy with seaweed, driftwood, and tons of garbage.
i am trying to recondition carlos because he was told he 
didn't need to clean the beach except when the owners come down
but i say...
yes you DO need to clean the beach
it is part of our property and it needs to be cleaned
so i guess there is some shovelling but at least it isn't cold!

 today is a lovely day for us in the rainy season
ahhh blue sky, mild temperatures, and a vigorous wind blowing
if you look at the photo you will see the waves in the background
usually the sea is very calm but i love the fringe of white caps
that are roaring over the reef these days
so picturesque 

before coming here i was concerned about the rainy season
since i read on the internet that it is from october to february
and i imagined days and days 
and months and months of rain
with dreary grey skies and depressing weather

we do get alot of rain
but often the sky breaks, the sun comes out,
and it is just a beautiful day with wonderful moderate temps

in fact i love the rainy season!!
it is a time for drinking tea,
reading books,
and turning on the oven without turning the house into a sauna.
an adjustment to the rainy season is learning to drive in the pouring rain
many of the taxi drivers don't slow down, and with their balled tires 
they are more accidents due to slippery roads.
driving in the rain is like learning to drive in the snow
you need to slow down and be a bit more cautious

one of the highlights for me 
(other then the cooler temperatures)
is gardening!
everything grows at a phenomenal rate in the rainy season
carlos and i have been planting like crazy.
this is how you do it here:
you take a branch of a plant 
(hibiscus, plumeria, ginger.. whatever!)
you prune it back,
you stick in the ground,
and within a week it starts to sprout!
amazing!
i know alot of people put their tender plants in plastic bags 
and transplant them
but we just put them right in the garden and hope the dog doesn't
run them down.

it is a joyous time for me!!
this weekend is canadian thanksgiving
we are having carlos and his family over for dinner on sunday.
that ought to be interesting since none of his family speaks a lick of english!!
haha..
oh the joys of living cross culturally!  

i am thankful for this wonderful opportunity to blend, and love and learn here 
on this island
the only thing that would make it better:
  YOU!





Thursday, October 7, 2010

October 7, 2010

white caps!

today i went to see laura
at turtle crossing, west bay
i had to stop when i got a glimpse of this view
out the corner of my eye.
amazing isn't it?!

the winds are picking up
normally the sea is calm here but lately it has been rough
i think it looks so majestic!

had a wonderful visit with laura
 she is the type of person
 who makes everyone she meets feel special
when i got out of the car she told me my hair
looked like i just got out of the hairdresser!!
i had to laugh because we all know that one of the drawbacks
of living in the caribbean is that our hair is dry, and very windblown
but i did blow dry it and she noticed my 'attempt'

we had a wonderful time together catching up,
laughing, sharing, eating salad together.

as we were cleaning up i asked if she used compost
and she told me she didn't but sometimes they throw it out in the yard
for the turkey vultures

she told me to toss it far
okay!
well i tossed it alright but forgot to take in the wind factor
and the next thing i know all the bits of salad were
sailing through the air  and landed in her pool!!

it was hilarious.
i then imagined her having a pool party and the surprise it would 
have been for her guests to have a 'spray' of wilty salad in their hair
and stuck on their expensive sunglasses!
it is good for the soul to laugh

and...
you should see my toes!
she gave me a french pedicure.
yes i was spoiled rotten!
it was a belated birthday present

was a wonderful way to spend the day.
so thankful to be able to spend unhurried beautiful time together.
blessings to you laura
xo


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

October 6, 2010

a posie

anyone know what these are called?
i am not sure
i love them!
they also come in yellow too
so cheery
i am doing a week of autumn colors 
through
flickr 
todays color is orange

i am keeping this short because my back and elbow is still
really sore and typing irritates it alot.

i think tomorrow i will get an xray of my elbow just to 
make sure i haven't fractured it
the pain is unbearable!


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

October 5, 2010

sold!!

we spent the day at the shop today
and it was slow due to all the rain
yes it poured almost all day!!!
i had just said to bob,
"honey let's go home"
when a couple came in from australia
i showed her around the shop.

i showed her this piece.
it wasn't cheap
cost 35.00
i told her the artist, yourgin, had said that it was really a show piece
and he couldn't budge on the price 
just wanted people to see how beautiful it was.

she said,
it is lovely 
so lovely
in fact 
i want it!

sold!!!

the proud new owner!


it is lovely isn't it?
to be honest i am sad to see it leave the shop as i would often
walk to the window, hold it up to the light
and admire the colors of the blue and the streaks of iron pyrite
weaving its way through the stone

this was handcarved and polished by yourgin..
one of the many beautiful pieces of work 
in the made in roatan shop.

on a personal note,
i slipped and fell down zenola's wooden steps today
they were sooo slippery
as i was going down
i just prayed
'oh Lord please help me not to break anything'
i am happy to say i didn't break anything
but i have a big bruise on my back, elbow and i basically feel
like i was run over by a truck.

i wish i had a bathtub
because i would soak all the aches away.
so tonight if you have a bathtub (which is highly likely)
i hope you will give thanks for it
there are so many conveniences in north america that it 
makes it easy to forget that they are luxuries in most places of the world.

a tub...
a hot sudsy tub...
ahhhh.. i wish!


Monday, October 4, 2010

October 4, 2010

from the top

this morning brandi and i hiked up to the top of lawson rock
she hiked,
i huffed and puffed!
the view was soooooo worth it!!
can you imagine waking up to that view?
wow!
hey have lots that are for sale up there.
what a nice place to build a house ...


i wore shoes for the first time in months 
and i got blisters so decided to hike up in bare feet
i am becoming more and more and more
'island' every day


brandi and i had such a good time
sharing together, laughing, and as i stood
there looking at that view i had to stop
and just thank GOD!
so blessed

i am heading to coxen hole to get my sandals fixed
since my feet are rebelling against shoes.
there is a man in the market who can fix any type of shoe
and he is cheap.
it is hard to get good sandals here so i am happy if they can be fixed.


i hope you have a beautiful day
beautiful inside and out.
xo



Sunday, October 3, 2010

October 3, 2010


house on a hill

i went for a beach walk this evening
it had rained literally all day
no, not rained:  poured!

but i am not complaining
i love rain
and we need rain so badly here

but it was delightful to see the sun come out 
just as it was time to set
so i took the dog and headed to the beach

i loved the light on the house
such a warm hue
so i thought i would show you where we live
we are renting this place
and are blessed to live on 2 1/2 acres
with every imaginable tropical flower and
fruit trees like quava, avocado, plaintain, lime,
orange, papaya, bread fruit, and mango
plus coconuts and bananas in abundance
we enjoy sharing it with our island friends

this rain has been wonderful
things are growing so rapidly
i can literally see the growth from day to day
no, i am not joking!

and to top it all off
we get to enjoy this view


as you can see.. there was ALOT of rain earlier as we were coming home from church!!
church, by the way, was awesome!!!!!