going to miss our girl

click to see large

~~sigh~~

we are going to sure miss her

she leaves on monday

and all this week

we have been doing 'last things together'

i love to see the kids come

i HATE to see them go

my insides haven't been right all week.

my gut is in knots and i want to follow her home

or keep her here.

it is the hardest part about living on this island.

truly.

i am grateful for the times we had together.

it's been wonderful.

BUT

who am i going to watch girl movies with?

who am i going to run down to the beach to capture

the sunset?

who am i going to play yachtzee with?

who is going to do the dishes everynight?

who am i going to take photos with?

who is going to help me make supper?

who am i going to have fits of giggles with?

the loss is real

and painful

i will not kid you.

i don't like this one bit.

i don't.

a drive with emily

the weather lately has been unbearably hot.  neither emily or i had the energy to go snorkeling so we decided to go in the air conditioned car and take some photos of spots on the island that we see everyday but that emily had photographed yet.

we had a fun time together!
here are some of the photos for you to look at:

this guy just rode by us like it was the most natural thing to do.  apparently horses were the main source of transportation not too many years ago and a man treats his horse like gold.   a man would take care of his horse if it is sick before himself.

if you don't have a horse then a bicycle is the next best thing.  i actually hadn't planned on this guy being in the photo.  i loved the bend in the road but he rode right into it.  i actually like it because i often say:  hondurans can wear orange like no one else can.  it's true.  it looks great on them.   this guy had a little transitor radio that he was listening to as he drove this road towards west end.

i have wanted to take a photo of this yard for a long time now but i just never stopped.  today when we stopped, the usual white wooden gate was open so i couldn't get the photo that i wanted but still:  look at that sea of bougainvillea!!!  gorgeous!!

we'd either stay in the car, roll down the windows, a/c still on or get out of the car for a short time.

i heard the temperature tomorrow is going to be 32C ... feeling like 38C.  to quote emily:  "it feels like a snorkel"  I think so.

i liked the sunset in the window.  can you see it?

 i wish we had a boat!!

isn't this funny?  emily spied this!   the poor puppy is so afraid.  i would be afraid to have a scared dog

sit on my head... could get.. messy!!  :-)

west end beach... almost sunset... this little boy was busy trying to kick his blue ball to the setting sun!!

thought i should put a photo of emily too... this was actually taken on sunday evening.  we spent the day at the beach with the mitten family snorkeling, making sand castles, watching the fire dancers!  it was a great day  (hey maybe i should have blogged about that too!  *s*)  

the mitten family were given a little kitten that is only 6 days old, it's eyes aren't even open so here is emily
'loving on it'.  so sweet!  they have to feed it with an eyedropper.

Iguana Farm

We have lived on this island for almost two years and I haven't gone to the Iguana Farm.   Why is that you ask?

 click to see large

Well I have seen enough photos and to be honest:  they scare me!!!  They are sooo huge and there are 1000's of them on the property.   I had seen photos of the whole walkway covered in iguana and well... it just wasn't 'my thing'

 ummm... scaryville!!

BUT, Emily wanted to go and so.... as a good mama.. we went!!   Fortunately we went late in the day and the lady apologized because they weren't that hungry.    Which meant there were maybe about 20 iguana on the ground at one time.  Okay, fine by me!

 look at that brave girl:  feeding them and taking their photos!!

My little tip:   if you go, don't wear green flipflops because they thought my shoes were leaves and kept licking me.   Okay, I am exaggerating... they did it twice!!  But that was enough.  I kept saying will they bite???  I was a little freaked out.


Emily loved it!   That's good!
They also have birds, monkeys and a small area corralled off in the ocean full of big fish, barracuda, turtles etc.  That was neat.  

 this is a barracuda... so scary!

this makes snorkling not fun for me

you can't really get the sense of how big this one is

about 4 feet long!!!

sheesh!!

We really enjoyed watching the monkeys!!   One little guy had more energy than any creature should have!!  It was fun to watch him climb, jump, swing rope etc!!   He had a little tshirt that he liked to put on his head.... what a card!!   At one point, he took the tshirt and climbed up to the very top of the cage to a little loft to hide it there.  It was the only time we saw the 'elder monkey' move.   He darted up to the top and throw the tshirt on the ground as if to say:  "don't put your stuff in my room!!"

 what a cutie!!

So fun.
As we were leaving there was a big iguana blocking the way.  I admit, I was still nervous of them so I was relieved when Emily went stomping over there and got him to go off the sidewalk.   What a girl.   So brave!
She is my hero!

Go Emily Go

clear the path for me!!

Back online!!!

Sorry for being absent lately but our internet ran out on our tigo stick and because of some honduran holiday then the weekend, we weren't able to get to a store to refill it.  Oh well such is island life sometimes!!

All is well in our world and I hope with you too.

I think I will affectionately rename April to Island Birthday month as we have been to 3 birthdays in the past week.  It's been fun to say the least!!  

don's birthday (emily made the cake!)

jeanette birthday lunch with the girls

pauline's birthday bash

The day of Jeanette's Birthday I also worked at the shop

Some days people just don't buy things and then other days

it is very busy.

I thank God for the busy days as it does provide income for 

the artists who have their things in there.

I know that several have really grown to depend on what sells

in the Made In Roatan shop.

One couple came in and was wondering about taking a tour

to West Bay

I called several of my local friends but they were all busy with tours

Then it dawned on me that I was going to West Bay for Jeanette's Birthday lunch

so I offered to drive them.

At first they said no and then I am glad they came to their senses.

So I drove them to Infinity Bay, told them where to snorkel,

had a great lunch and then picked them up again.

What a nice couple!!

We had a great visit together.

Later one of my island friends asked how much I made for the tour.

I laughed!  

"it wasn't a tour... I was going to West Bay so I gave them a ride!"

I didn't expect anything from them.

Kindness is love in action and I was happy to be able to help them. 

chris and his family out in their boat

We went to Infinity Bay on Sunday

and met up with Dee our friend from the states who is here for a couple of weeks.

Chris and his gang in the boat showed up too which was fun.

it was a bit rough to snorkel but we did it anyways!

a couple of times I almost smashed into some coral due to the 

current and high waves.

we saw a scorpion fish which is very rare.

these are really hard to see because they camouflage so well

bottom left corner.

 click to view large

On Monday i went out to visit Stephanie up in the Colonia.

She is the lady in the orange shirt.

She cleaned for me the day the marshall's came for a visit here

the unfortunate thing is that as she was walking home a truck

went around the corner and a door fell off,

hit her in the stomach 

and it landed on her foot.

she suffered a bad bad sprain

and a broken toe.

we are grateful to amy, 

our friend who is here for sending some money to 

get her some food as she hasn't been able to work.

she was overjoyed to see me come.

we had a wonderful time of fellowship together

and a beautiful time of prayer.

you can see maria in the photo too.

she lives with stephanie .

i am happy to say that baby david is doing very well.

he was sleeping peacefully on the bed while i was

there.

i wanted to take a photo but i was concerned that i would wake 

him up.

We are enjoying the last couple of weeks with Emily here.

Hate to see her go!!!

Yesterday we went to the Iguana Farm in French Cay.

I will upload photos later.

Well I need to go ...

Meeting with Melissa this morning for coffee and

then ladies bible study at Kris'

Have a blessed day!

garifuna festival!!

once a year on april 12th there is a deluge of color, costumes, drumming, dancing and celebration that comes to the small fishing village of punta gorda.  .  it is the  celebration of the garifuna arriving to roatan and this year marks the 213th year of them living here.  it is rather astounding that they have been able to maintain the authenticity of their culture and customs amidst both a south american influence as well as a north american culture.   not only do they have distinct customs, food but they even have their own language.  a total separate people group living on the east side of the island.

 

i find them very intriguing.  i remember the first time bob and i drove through punta gorda with lisa, our real estate agent.  i was amazed at such a simple, quiet lifestyle by the sea.  i remember taking a photo of a little naked baby playing under the shade of a palm tree and i thought, have i somehow slipped back in time? to a simpler time. to a beautiful life.

today the JOY amongst the people celebrating their life on these shores was hard to miss.   it wasn't a tourist event.. it was a time to remember and honour their heritage.  jeanette and i walked for over a mile to see where the parade had gathered and then we slowly made our way to the grandstand.   there were many dancers and drummers in the parade and children dressed up with masks.  it is told that at one point there were people threatening to invade their village so the men of the tribe dressed up as woman and as their enemies approached they were unsuspecting until the 'women' began to fight with a vengeance and needless to say overcame them.

the parade made it's way to a small grandstand where they was more music and dancing.   we enjoyed seeing the young people in particular drum and dance.  it was amazing to see their energy and the drumming skill in that hot room as the sweat ran down from their faces.

there was an wonderful assortment of foods to enjoy:  fish stew on rice, bbq chicken, beans, tortillas, roasted corn as well as fresh fruit and many cold drinks.

i loved to watch them dance.   the young, the old,  all together joyfully celebrating and singing at the top of their lungs.  the colors swirled before my eyes ... a blur of hot pink, deep oranges, bright yellow.... with matching hats and even matching shoes!!   what a celebration.  what a day.

emily took this!  that lady in red could dance!!

this is my friend catherine wearing a dress she had made on the mainland.

house of blessing

not many see this side of roatan

i call it the 'real roatan'

this is where patrick lives,

he is the young drummer at our church

who is only 17 and is orphaned.

both parents died and he and his 2 brothers and 2 sisters

are being raised by his grama.

after church today,

i felt compelled to take patrick to the store to 

get groceries.

we have  friends who send us money from canada
we are so grateful for their willingness to help. 
luba sent us some money to help out a family and

this morning i knew that family would be patrick's.

he was thrilled to come groceries shopping.

bob jokingly said,

now patrick no chocolate bars okay?

and he seriously said,

what is a chocolate bar?

can you believe that?

so we loaded him up with rice, beans, flour, sugar,

pasta, plaintains, payaya, mangos, milk,

chicken and many more things.

the cart was full.

so was his heart.

i asked Patrick if he liked peanut butter and he said

oh yes but that peanut butter would be gone in one day

at our house.

i laughed and said,

well let's get it then!!

who cares if it only lasts one day.. it is probably because you love it so much.

he smiled,

his white teeth glistening against his beautiful dark skin

and said,

yes miss debi i sure do!!

bob helping bring the groceries in

we drove to his grama's house.

i call it the house of blessing because

today they felt that God has visited them

and i agree wholeheartedly.

they were so overwhelmed and grateful.

after this photo we all gathered in a circle

for a time of prayer

it was such a blessing to meet them

and share with them.

You may look at this house and see only poverty

I walked into this house and i saw 

family 

and 

love

and faith

and 

gratitude

and 

JOY

remember the poor..

they are everywhere around you. 

xo

palmetto bay

1. 
   

on thursday

chris, our neighbor, at seadancer

offered to take us out to palmetto bay

to see the coral garden.

it was a perfect calm day

the sea was almost like glass

you don't get many days like that here

so it was a great day to go out in his boat

i love being out in a boat here

you really get to see the variation of the water colors
the water over sand is turquoise
the water over grass is a greeny blue
the deep water is deep deep deep blue!
you put all of that together and it takes my breath away!!

it is so wonderful to be able to go out in a boat
i was surprised again to see how 'hilly' roatan is.
you can really see that from the sea.
our friends, chris and carla are from prince george, bc
and they are wonderful, funny and down to earth
people

 let heaven and earth praise Him
the seas and all that move in them.
psalm 69:34

the coral garden was a maze of sea waving
plants and coral
it is hard to capture with the camera
it is hard to write about
it is a relatively shallow area
say about 12 feet
with many different type of coral and fans
flowing rhythically to the current
at one point we were close to the reef
and the current was quite strong.
even the little fish were being tossed
back and forth
back and forth

 this gives you a sense of the movement


i just relaxed and let the current take me
was really cool.
good thing i don't get seasick!!!

see how green the water is.. that is because of the sea grass

carla spotted a scorpian fish
which i had never seen before
we had fun 'chasing' it around so chris could get some good video footage
they are really awesome looking fish!

he camouflages really well.. he is on the left side at the bottom

after our snorkel we had a lovely
lunch at palmetto bay resort
and then lounged in their fresh water pool.

it was a wonderful way to spend a day.
thanks chris and carla for taking us out there.
you are great folks!!!

birds birds and more birds!!!

 mangito
which means little mango

after much thought, 

and even some tears 

i decided that mangito, the lovebird

wasn't a good match for me or i for him.

he just wasn't happy.

he would screech and squawk all day long

and once he tried to escape his cage 

and flew into a window

then smashed into a wall

and then smashed into another wall

this was after his wings were clipped.

i felt he needed a mate.

some birds just refuse to bond with a human.

such is the case with mangito.

he was such a beautiful bird

but very neurotic, nervous

and LOUD!

when i ordered the bird i had asked 

for a lorikeet which is an australian parakeet

the store owner couldn't get them in so i 

got the lovebird instead.

but i was uncertain for the beginning

so when i brought him back 

rick wasn't surprised.

so i got a little sweet parakeet instead.

no name yet.

that will come.

but i was pleased that after one day he was

willing to eat out of my hand.

i think he will be more tameable.

no name yet for him
his tail feathers are the color of turquoise
so bob thinks
turquoise bay
baylee
for short.
i am not sure.
any ideas?

highlights from our visit with the Marshall's

some of you know that the power cord on my computer fried  so i have been computer-less for the last week

it's been tough. i wasn't able to recharge my computer so these photos of the marshall visit have been just sitting on my little dead computer. well..last evening i asked chris our neighbor if i could borrow his power cord (it fit!!!)

so i was able to recharge my computer and take these photos off my other computer and upload them to the computer that susan lent me for the week.(another miracle!)    thanks susan for doing that.. so very kind of you.

  

so here we go....

the marshall's week in roatan:

please click on the collages to see them better

wednesday: 

leisurely walks on the beach,

kayaks to see the dolphins,

visits on the deck

 afternoons snorkeling and hanging out 

at the infinity bay

thursday:

morning walk then

seadancer dock

a great place to visit

relax and snorkel

friday night:

games night

fun times

saturday:

turquoise bay

snorkeling

with alejandro montrerosso

$10.00 a person

what a deal

AND 

he took us on a snorkel tour.

was amazing.

i have his phone number if anyone wants to go.

well worth it.

plus he has a pen with nurse sharks, stingray, turtles and lion fish.

a great day to be had by all.

sunday:

church in french harbour

nancy can dance like an islander!!!

then snorkeling at west bay,

dinner at bananarama

5.00 burgers!!!  woohooo~

 amazing sunset photos

and dancing on the beach at dusk

then the crab race.. which we WON!!

20.00 bucks which helped pay for dinner

then the most awesome fire dance show ever!!

a wonderful last day on the island.

thank you to the marshall's for coming to see us.

such a blessing

to have dear friends like you.

xoxox

catching up....

a sunset is a wonder to behold

but a sunset with the ones you love is a pleasure beyond words

this past saturday we moved from our place in sandy bay 

to seadancer for one week since the owners (of our rental)

are here on holidays

i enjoy seadancer

it is wonderful to be right on the sea and have a long dock

to enjoy snorkeling from and to sit and watch glorious sunsets

 introducing...

MANGITO

which in spanish means little mango

he looks like a mango that is ripening up!!

bob gave me a gift certificate for a bird for christmas

and well... finally we got him

he is an african fischer lovebird.

at this point he is very shy 

but is getting more and more used to us each day

we enjoy watching him play, climb, and soon i will be 

training him 

he loves to go for car rides

 today i took him to the butterfly gardens

and dylan clipped his wings for me.

that will aid in training him.

sweet little mangito....

click on this to make it larger

our friends denise, and luba's family

brought down school supplies and many pairs of shoes for the children

it was unfortunate that their cruise ship wasn't able to dock

but we still were able to receive the donation through the children's home

here and yesterday jeanette, emily and i met up with lydia

and she took us to several needy families at the point in

french harbour

there were many smiling faces that day!!

happy belated easter everyone.

we had a wonderful day.

starting, of course, with the traditional

sunrise service out on the dock

later we went to jeremy and melissa's church 

where little sebastian was dedicated

and we had a wonderful afternoon together over lunch at 

mayan princess.

 in the evening don and jeanette came over and we had 

a lovely easter meal together:

ham

scalloped potatoes

 green beans

 glazed carrots 

and 

several varieties of cheese cake!

 yum!

it was a wonderful day although i admit:

i found myself missing my boys and wishing they were here.

 as much as i love roatan

i find lately there is a powerful pull to be near them again.

it isn't easy for me to not have them near.....

 a mother's love can reach a long distance

but at times i long to hear their voices, the sound of their laughter,

the warmth of their hugs.

if you have family nearby then please don't take them for granted

go and give them a big hug.

really...  go do it...  

 blessings..

xo