July 3, 2010

abandoned classic

today we went over to help our friends

pack up their house

they had to leave the island due to medical problems

so bob, bless his huge heart, offered to pack up their house for them.

as i was in the kitchen i saw this car

from the window

i couldn't believe it.

an old Ford mustang sitting in overgrown grass

i almost died.

the first car i ever drove was a 1967 mustang convertible

white leather

baby blue color

ever since then it has been the car of my dreams!

although i must admit i am not normally a Ford girl.

i am going to ask around and see who owns that car

can you imagine it restored?

i can!

:-)

July 2, 2010

la orquídea 

sometimes beauty just hits me deep in the pit of stomach

not in a painful way of course,

but that beautiful, aching, delightful way

when i saw this 

i felt that way

i just sighed and went ooooooohhhhhh!!!

so i knew right away that today  i wanted to photograph

it in all it's glory

sounds easy right?

not.

when the orchid was on the tree, the light was all wrong!

it was dark and it was covered ants 

and just not what i wanted

so i picked it

whacked off all the ants

which i should mention i got bite severely out there

trying to get the photo...

 feel sorry for me??

anyways,

i put it in a lovely little vase but it still

didn't look right

so i saw one of faithful seashells on the railing

and thought

perfect!!

yup.

the seashell was the perfect vase.

thanks mr. shell

thanks God for making such beauty

and thanks to you

if you are still reading this rambling blog...

xoxo

July 1, 2010

golf anyone?

sorry for not posting or blogging yesterday 

but i was out all day.

literally from 8:30 am til 10:00 pm.

so here i am up early this morning posting

one of the many pictures (over 100) i took while taking a 

few friends out on a tour of the east side.

this is a shot of the new pete dye course in roatan

called The Black Pearl

the view was spectacular up there!

i was excited to go on 'new road'

as we hadn't ever gone up there.

i can't wait to take bob up the steep drive to the course

to show him the views.

it was breathtakingly beautiful and 

enough to make me want to take up golfing!

not really folks!

click here 

for more information about this amazing place.

for all my canadian friends i hope you had

a great canada day yesterday!

we didn't have a parade here, 

or cake, 

or a pancake breakfast,

or fireworks

but even in the midst of touring the east side

and seeing amazing ribbons of blue sea mixing 

with the colors of the sky,

and meeting new friends,

and having a wonderful dinner with friends

i just couldn't help myself from 

singing our national anthem

and celebrating the great country called canada.

why did we leave then you ask?

we feel called here and yet
it doesn't negate our love for our own country and people.

:-)

June 30, 2010

looking out

today i went to a bible study at laura's house

in turtle crossing, west bay.

it was a good time together.

we looked at matt 11:28-30

what an invitation to
come, to learn from Him and to rest!

i kept looking out the window towards the sea 

it made me think how important to it to have an 

outward focus.

not just on me.

do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

phil 2:4

i can still remember the first time i read that verse

it was years and years ago 

but it radically changed the way i live

God ways are always focused on others.
not on self.

He has helped me to 'look out' to the interests of others.

this afternoon i went to the shop to volunteer.

a gentleman came into the shop and was looking at some jade pieces

that we have in there.

but he was really interested in a large piece of jade stone.

i couldn't sell it because it was a gift.

i just couldn't 

so i decided to take him next door to samuel

(who had given me the jade stone)

i was so happy when that man bought 

2 pieces of jade from him

and also a mayan piece that was found in the hills

here.

i didn't matter that the man didn't buy from us

because it isn't 'our shop'

it is a shop to help the island.

so i was happy to 'look out' for samuel.

what about you?

who are you 'looking out for?'

having an outward focus,

a focus on others is so liberating.

so freeing.

so fun!

try it!

i know you will be blessed as you give.

:-)

June 29, 2010

a must stop!

there are many many little places like this on the island

i am glad that an island friend introduced us to this place

because

her baking is delicious!

our favorites?

pine cookies.

sounds gross, doesn't it?

but pine is short for pineapple.

it is basically a sugar cookie with pineapple puree

in the middle.

delicious

and truly she makes the best coconut bread on the island

this little place is in flower's bay

it is on the south side of the island.

we don't typically travel home that way 

but every now and then we say...

let's drive through flowers bay and

we both know that will also mean a stop at

the 3 Brother's Sweet Shop.

the interesting thing is I have never met

one of the brothers yet.

as far as i know it is run by one lady who does all

the baking:

cookies, cinnamon buns, coconut bread, banana bread.

all made fresh.

i used to work in a bakery and that meant starting work in the

wee hours of the morning in order to have the bread and buns

ready for the public by 9:00

not here in roatan

her baking is ready around 3:00 in the afternoon.

it's brilliant.

we all know when to show up
just as the bread is still warm.

isn't that truly brilliant??

why get up at the crack of dawn if you don't have to...

just let folks know...

it will be fresh in the late afternoon!

they have their own way of doing things here

i like it.

and i love pine cookies!!

yum!!!!!

June 28, 2010

i ♥ cantaloupe!

yes this is as good as it looks!!

on a hot day 

there is nothing more refreshing then a slice or two or three

of sweet cantaloupe.

mmmmmmmmm

i bought this from a small vendor on our way 

home from church in french harbour

when we first moved here i wasn't sure if the 

fruit was 'safe' 

(whatever that means?)

from the local vendors but now i shop there all the time

it is some of the freshest fruit on the island because

these guys get it brought over from the mainland

this is a  typical fruit stand

the tarp isn't for the rain

it is to keep the hot sun off of them as

they stand out there all day hoping to sell something

i always stop.

they give me good prices!

they usually charge around 1.50 for either

a cantaloupe or a pineapple.

can't beat that!

speaking of hot sun

it has been unbearably hot

these last few days!

even the fan is blowing warm air.

we had a couple of days of rain which is wonderful

but now the heat and humidity is higher then ever

i am getting really excited to be going to canada

in a couple of weeks.

the break from the heat will be a blessing.

June 27, 2010

fell from the nest

we came home from snorkeling sunday afternoon

and marco had this baby bird in his hands

apparently it fell from it's nest and

moto, the dog

had decided to eat it for lunch

glad marco intervened!

i am not sure what kind of bird it is but 

looking at the huge beak and the  size of it's feet

i would say it is a turkey vulture.

we looked around in the yard to find it's nest but i think

it was high up in one of the bread fruit trees and well

there is no way we could climb up those.

perhaps when carlos comes back to work

he can climb up

i find islanders are amazing tree climbers..

i guess that comes from years and years and years

of stealing fruit!

either way, marco took it to his house and they 

are keeping it alive.

i was tempted to take him but bob, being not a bird lover at all

is already subject to one.

what do you feed a baby bird??

i told marco he needed to find some worms

then chew them up 

and then give them to the baby.

haha.. needless to say i was given

'the look'

:-)

ps

sorry for being absent the last couple of days

we ran out of tigo internet and

neither of us seems in any hurry to get it.

that is the scary thing about living on a tropical island

for so long:

we are getting more and more and more

laid back

definitely on 'island time' these days..

manana..