tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32523081315548928662024-02-18T22:06:01.900-06:00South Englishtown GazetteLife in South Englishtown, Toledo, BelizeWilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.comBlogger401125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-55682862954126271862023-01-15T15:39:00.000-06:002023-01-15T15:39:04.418-06:00Fat Red Bananas and Once-in-a-Lifetime Lasagna<p>Remember those red bananas in my last post? The Montezuma Oropendolas thought they looked mighty tasty and helped themselves before we cut the stalk down. I managed to salvage 7 that fell to the ground. They were still pretty hard, so didn't suffer real damage. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CMiY6RPKKtIhUhpgBZqso4k6NdkBQEL7DOeUhl5qwL9sWlXfQk2pulZKkF-e7DD0WY5BA8qPAAMxfzwkww0p2tmAbf0PijJ-HwvJRyCGGrkstIH0C5ipO2-5Ak3FtEordfsz9RJE8eupB8BCg4KfTGgcYbQxUoT68pDGUFZb-i53y81fqPoh6xut/s2157/20230115_145541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1817" data-original-width="2157" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CMiY6RPKKtIhUhpgBZqso4k6NdkBQEL7DOeUhl5qwL9sWlXfQk2pulZKkF-e7DD0WY5BA8qPAAMxfzwkww0p2tmAbf0PijJ-HwvJRyCGGrkstIH0C5ipO2-5Ak3FtEordfsz9RJE8eupB8BCg4KfTGgcYbQxUoT68pDGUFZb-i53y81fqPoh6xut/w640-h540/20230115_145541.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fatter than standard supermarket bananas and a little shorter, too.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We ate the one that was ripe in a fruit salad with papaya and star fruit. The taste was very much like a regular commercial banana, but the texture was delightful - silky smooth yet firm, but not mushy or mealy. The others will be ripe soon.</p><p>In other food news I made "Once-in-a-Lifetime Lasagna". I had intended to make Portobello Mushroom Parmesan, but things happened, as they do. I also had a nice eggplant and some leftover homemade red sauce that I wanted to use. A fruitless search through the freezer for the mozzarella cheese left me holding some frozen brie (made by our friend and former neighbor Chris, now of White Rock Farm), frozen previously rehydrated and cooked wild mushroom mix, frozen leftover filling for a pecan and mushroom tart. So I precooked the portobello mushrooms and eggplant and combined things in layers in a large lasagna baking dish topped with grated parmesan. Never again will these ingredients come into alignment. I told Dennis that I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing - we'll find out after we have some tonight. It made about 12 servings, so I am hoping that it tastes as good as it smelled cooking. More fruit salad for dessert.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7oskcQ-xi0UOQaTAcygd7MjPjeC_2tesU2T_RR5ffSdPA8xhwJyFa2r3ge1Tfcpw1jrnUsChLXm766s9kfMORqnqqF4rVqm4cN_1w8tbfOpAng9d2XqkBQuLto6y1PDnexZ5An3caqP2zHROOUOXYsSQXcdtsh0xXWeqcyqkaKgD2kaiwEGJC8Jy/s3381/20230115_145815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1881" data-original-width="3381" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7oskcQ-xi0UOQaTAcygd7MjPjeC_2tesU2T_RR5ffSdPA8xhwJyFa2r3ge1Tfcpw1jrnUsChLXm766s9kfMORqnqqF4rVqm4cN_1w8tbfOpAng9d2XqkBQuLto6y1PDnexZ5An3caqP2zHROOUOXYsSQXcdtsh0xXWeqcyqkaKgD2kaiwEGJC8Jy/w640-h356/20230115_145815.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smells bubbly delicious.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-43756270345241815822022-12-21T16:55:00.001-06:002022-12-21T16:55:24.604-06:00Seasons<p>They may be subtle, but Belize has definite seasons. I can track them by the way the shadows fall on west veranda. This afternoon of the winter solstice is shady and very pleasant. By the end of March, the afternoon shadows will shift south, bathing (baking?) the west veranda in direct sun. The screening that we put up to add some shade is working out very very well for the little plant nursery. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo8luLxKO-ZVkNx21IPWSV7DAKmURehhv55bq77zOy0p3hnc-Vg8HrgGonlWTgQ17jJxYQLp-FR39koHGdxoiqjZkjrrjUjNiuRVm7yPbcl-dhW71YmunJsebrCLFvQU7Vx9SVGaMZF6pLJJJvMl4-CRA4ipUPsrwNIYrMnqIIv-EVUQgK8ixQOuZ/s2733/20220930_120904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1671" data-original-width="2733" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo8luLxKO-ZVkNx21IPWSV7DAKmURehhv55bq77zOy0p3hnc-Vg8HrgGonlWTgQ17jJxYQLp-FR39koHGdxoiqjZkjrrjUjNiuRVm7yPbcl-dhW71YmunJsebrCLFvQU7Vx9SVGaMZF6pLJJJvMl4-CRA4ipUPsrwNIYrMnqIIv-EVUQgK8ixQOuZ/w640-h392/20220930_120904.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seedlings and kitchen herbs.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ezDWKd2yX5uO_Ow4H5nicIh0Z2lpeCuL8-F6oOHY9I9aevUPyv46e4u0PuTzRQgRUsBVTLo9p2_hp1mZDXLx1Jxd64vUf7L2r_gfe-17R3iUHUyxBYfQuPm_CoSO6EuVGZIRJhhcd04qcMcZ_3xSaG637VeHJPLjzJhmbJGGIOO2h17wMTB5splc/s2849/20221221_150222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2849" data-original-width="1896" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ezDWKd2yX5uO_Ow4H5nicIh0Z2lpeCuL8-F6oOHY9I9aevUPyv46e4u0PuTzRQgRUsBVTLo9p2_hp1mZDXLx1Jxd64vUf7L2r_gfe-17R3iUHUyxBYfQuPm_CoSO6EuVGZIRJhhcd04qcMcZ_3xSaG637VeHJPLjzJhmbJGGIOO2h17wMTB5splc/w426-h640/20221221_150222.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arugula, 20 feet from the kitchen sink. It prefers the shadier side of its little bed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WGJRuD80IwUzQRiiRYjL9UKnriUypT1mIiDpuZ9XvI3o2FHvMuHkiV1Hns3raLLHledkbMaQTu5kDUEpux3fDwfhn-H-yygo6Ju6w40R-kq46TmmJTp73gFRs71LInVbKWG_Lh05iMkyWm0QNDMvEoIvcF7AM0oQUxH7GW8lxL9mpivONoWzqQZL/s1822/20221002_114953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1822" data-original-width="1729" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WGJRuD80IwUzQRiiRYjL9UKnriUypT1mIiDpuZ9XvI3o2FHvMuHkiV1Hns3raLLHledkbMaQTu5kDUEpux3fDwfhn-H-yygo6Ju6w40R-kq46TmmJTp73gFRs71LInVbKWG_Lh05iMkyWm0QNDMvEoIvcF7AM0oQUxH7GW8lxL9mpivONoWzqQZL/w608-h640/20221002_114953.jpg" width="608" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malabar spinach seedling (back row) and Cuban thyme.<br /><div style="text-align: left;">I'm very thrilled with the provision tree seedlings. I started them from seeds I collected a tree about a quarter mile up the beach from us. The pods are giant fuzzy brown rugby ball sized things which crack open to reveal 50 or so large seeds.</div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8prEx63psXkQSy32WFf30SOMMm_gjlHuSUWa4K2U3XYX9tsdomyq_p1961wnKngyvmflFP_6qPfYs09WcEd82jk-qqivPLjoeUPvTryxDqqwNn90-7y2o7WJeeQ_dzhYbzCQMnRCA7DXjCuf1BHFYAmDGi0kC8rCqIFIZfVxKbfAOJR_yOdiyHXl/s3156/20220716_090054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3156" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8prEx63psXkQSy32WFf30SOMMm_gjlHuSUWa4K2U3XYX9tsdomyq_p1961wnKngyvmflFP_6qPfYs09WcEd82jk-qqivPLjoeUPvTryxDqqwNn90-7y2o7WJeeQ_dzhYbzCQMnRCA7DXjCuf1BHFYAmDGi0kC8rCqIFIZfVxKbfAOJR_yOdiyHXl/w640-h386/20220716_090054.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Section of a provision tree seed pod with seeds. The seeds are golf ball sized.</td></tr></tbody></table>I plunked each of the 8 seeds I collected into its own small pot, just nestled into the soil on 16 July. I watered and waited. And watered and waited. And watered and waited. Finally, 2 October saw the first little sprout emerge ...<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOo4J2Ep25-E5elwgfw4zMB_HljTwhGrgiYyxzDQw3dpyJUatP3rETYgdHlf0WwOf6HQspOA4sUxynqbqKcgUyZgtRW2npEMSxwg5DYIF8CeXkkW9IkqvScn9i5wp8qDGKNho66Yv4ICgioHhvK77tpwZ5BQZeEfZEeKNAsIOTDE6N2kuuPM-DaYy/s2287/20221002_115014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2287" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOo4J2Ep25-E5elwgfw4zMB_HljTwhGrgiYyxzDQw3dpyJUatP3rETYgdHlf0WwOf6HQspOA4sUxynqbqKcgUyZgtRW2npEMSxwg5DYIF8CeXkkW9IkqvScn9i5wp8qDGKNho66Yv4ICgioHhvK77tpwZ5BQZeEfZEeKNAsIOTDE6N2kuuPM-DaYy/w534-h640/20221002_115014.jpg" width="534" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first seed sprouted!</td></tr></tbody></table>In the end all but one sprouted, but in the meantime I planted one that washed up on the beach and it sprouted, so I wound up with 8 little trees.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2THcQLAFv2o5a7m56YkF2CXCxI2Up_2P6QyJ_cfVgIdYsH7zoMD40epVSa4YKDJJZgaSt-smJNsuBikj16dT5rSj853bKhTpPebcGMbhxlJPR0Ez2lHgBuASUzMgTT6esc_z4bxTVwWgLTzOvXKZ-tE20ZusMCPS_aMh9JdxhJhxVIfB55_9howC/s2868/20221220_072727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2868" data-original-width="1824" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2THcQLAFv2o5a7m56YkF2CXCxI2Up_2P6QyJ_cfVgIdYsH7zoMD40epVSa4YKDJJZgaSt-smJNsuBikj16dT5rSj853bKhTpPebcGMbhxlJPR0Ez2lHgBuASUzMgTT6esc_z4bxTVwWgLTzOvXKZ-tE20ZusMCPS_aMh9JdxhJhxVIfB55_9howC/w408-h640/20221220_072727.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to plant outside. on 20 December.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>I planted 4 of them out on the grounds. They are supposed to be able to tolerate wet, brakish soil, so I was able to put a couple of them in spots that get wet when Black Creek floods during the rainy season.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkod1b6zGBw1RIxyvZtwx9ok2uYXCnXej_afuYko54VbDRIHU5zxcLCVg77URObu_y6DerZ19Z3wpZ4QGJUP5sTrgqziU5EWOoQQ5I_61_J705Sht9AOlLlJPaG8vxYn78AZijLi8IrDPghA2ZbdMgm-sStzSnKcmGTgGwKQog3Cbkn92CleHNLEl/s2623/20221220_130748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2623" data-original-width="1762" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkod1b6zGBw1RIxyvZtwx9ok2uYXCnXej_afuYko54VbDRIHU5zxcLCVg77URObu_y6DerZ19Z3wpZ4QGJUP5sTrgqziU5EWOoQQ5I_61_J705Sht9AOlLlJPaG8vxYn78AZijLi8IrDPghA2ZbdMgm-sStzSnKcmGTgGwKQog3Cbkn92CleHNLEl/w430-h640/20221220_130748.jpg" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thrive, my brave little tree!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1GG9Va3tTNXeJRm9i2fbtcP52VvJae5P52dl2gZz1yaz1UA38yxdCq58t7TgQqJ2_MA9zC1JtiB6CKwEBxaKvIg7bdUoo0Sl0ePRSow9O24e5iGRvBwtf-qpABUi1dC0EYfDhfX2hqOEcKkqS55WRwjwwFrk4doGsNBZjNfbt53p7_Q-4T5-3E7m/s3024/20221220_131051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3024" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1GG9Va3tTNXeJRm9i2fbtcP52VvJae5P52dl2gZz1yaz1UA38yxdCq58t7TgQqJ2_MA9zC1JtiB6CKwEBxaKvIg7bdUoo0Sl0ePRSow9O24e5iGRvBwtf-qpABUi1dC0EYfDhfX2hqOEcKkqS55WRwjwwFrk4doGsNBZjNfbt53p7_Q-4T5-3E7m/w640-h404/20221220_131051.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put this one in the middle of iguana town, with prime nest sites about 12 feet to the east and west.</td></tr></tbody></table>Provision trees have the most gorgeous flowers. The buds look like a yellow banana and they peel open to reveal a mimosa-like spray of bright pinky red anthers. I know I have photos of them, but I can't find them right now. In the meantime <a href="https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/tropical-provision-tree-flower-belize-jungle-close-up-pachira-aquatica-taken-night-lamanai-lagoon-resembles-67147798.jpg" target="_blank">here</a> is a link to one that was photographed in Belize. I can hardly wait until these trees bloom.<div><br /></div><div>I also set out the Malabar spinach and the purple passion fruit that I had been nurturing in the shade nursery.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KAtRfINH5j2ruxOYeuGUnJSjruzg0nWn4ChY0FfuHF8WKp9P3N-f7Rm4AEG9YOwiQYrAPnASnptoMUZvGm2KKDWRHpZWm2xpwOgHsAEjhhP5MEkhMfISgLDO4fPrNyib0KfYEf-pKrnPTlRV_WeKf0TiIqsXeWvS7IOF2iEmG-Xc8lIVoQ0QQbsl/s2088/20221220_130557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2088" data-original-width="1371" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KAtRfINH5j2ruxOYeuGUnJSjruzg0nWn4ChY0FfuHF8WKp9P3N-f7Rm4AEG9YOwiQYrAPnASnptoMUZvGm2KKDWRHpZWm2xpwOgHsAEjhhP5MEkhMfISgLDO4fPrNyib0KfYEf-pKrnPTlRV_WeKf0TiIqsXeWvS7IOF2iEmG-Xc8lIVoQ0QQbsl/w420-h640/20221220_130557.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malabar spinach is a vine and a prolific grower. A couple of years we were able to share huge bagsfull of spinach with families in the village. I hope we will be doing that again soon.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHC_WyQlMU5yrNw3ULEVPPMPOY42pLv0u3VggRsBOb7R0WYT_mbjDMeijBzVm10wUXEwnLic269iP3PVahkCv5wpSa7IS36L6PivvFzKC9BxDhkCmV1ZKHz8zWBheUJ8l-jFDdSh6NDLHjf14R8NFOaGKbmGzf0EZFjA2VSlIzUUkStZXDcLVWHjX/s3190/20221221_150122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3190" data-original-width="1790" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHC_WyQlMU5yrNw3ULEVPPMPOY42pLv0u3VggRsBOb7R0WYT_mbjDMeijBzVm10wUXEwnLic269iP3PVahkCv5wpSa7IS36L6PivvFzKC9BxDhkCmV1ZKHz8zWBheUJ8l-jFDdSh6NDLHjf14R8NFOaGKbmGzf0EZFjA2VSlIzUUkStZXDcLVWHjX/w360-h640/20221221_150122.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The purple passion fruit seedling was given to me by a friend who knows how much I adore passion fruit juice. The trellis is half of a double security door that we no longer used. We have a sort of pergola thing happening above this bed that passion fruit vine will spread out over.</td></tr></tbody></table>Dennis has also been busy with various seedlings. He started kuri squash and got them set out in a raised bed a couple of weeks ago. They seem happy.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVORy-q0ZoXwiHR234FiPbWRfjzIvNzihWV4eA3rQz6DHkvYRAh35FMOxrtO0icRpeh-_TpVPsVMtfttAXykpZ7p3J8xZe0Hwm734SgGNqaOvV_FXut1nWCzkvueFNvFHLrdPxgbxBXeGEPVGxsjdkqHLYJhtYKU7z91bv73m9b2ZzH6xtQvSpwgKW/s4032/20221220_130616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVORy-q0ZoXwiHR234FiPbWRfjzIvNzihWV4eA3rQz6DHkvYRAh35FMOxrtO0icRpeh-_TpVPsVMtfttAXykpZ7p3J8xZe0Hwm734SgGNqaOvV_FXut1nWCzkvueFNvFHLrdPxgbxBXeGEPVGxsjdkqHLYJhtYKU7z91bv73m9b2ZzH6xtQvSpwgKW/w302-h640/20221220_130616.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kuri squash, getting ready to escape the raised bed and take over the world.</td></tr></tbody></table>A few years ago, we set out some jacks of red bananas. They are finally coming into their own and it looks like we will have plenty to share in a few weeks. These are not the tiny red bananas exported to supermarkets in the US. I don't think these are suitable for shipping. They are quite large and chunky. I look forward to trying them. They have the most gorgeous flowers.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHwyOgZh1FnAO1IAyCWs8mC0GG-ftshOfykjMVH4CgzcFcg0XBzQwzALkA_5X-pS6-1v2dygSHGiVLJRH8dnAhLZ7HxUpGIhJDX0BSYsSSA5QnGW554IJkAxsBP6Mbzui10yZG8FIBAjznkw4Rfu0T0edOaBDidfRe46zeLeB0nJz-NeZsQsBgRFa/s3186/20221220_130448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3186" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHwyOgZh1FnAO1IAyCWs8mC0GG-ftshOfykjMVH4CgzcFcg0XBzQwzALkA_5X-pS6-1v2dygSHGiVLJRH8dnAhLZ7HxUpGIhJDX0BSYsSSA5QnGW554IJkAxsBP6Mbzui10yZG8FIBAjznkw4Rfu0T0edOaBDidfRe46zeLeB0nJz-NeZsQsBgRFa/w384-h640/20221220_130448.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red banana plants and the bananas themselves are very robust.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8s0TMjk-QTDBlYgF4J6zZYHOx2iclyZB8tLIpY2Sub7KlgfiaDqRfvOyqqF06ProCULOAwhSUdRNgd2BbnXX8sS54wE37GF35LOAtCs8eHQivZrve-H2WHqzvWJSWUNmyXAlC_gp1-636r4XwQQJvVoZNAiyAYGSkNyHBJZBmElvNqJMxEC-lQxB/s3796/20221220_130502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3796" data-original-width="1896" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8s0TMjk-QTDBlYgF4J6zZYHOx2iclyZB8tLIpY2Sub7KlgfiaDqRfvOyqqF06ProCULOAwhSUdRNgd2BbnXX8sS54wE37GF35LOAtCs8eHQivZrve-H2WHqzvWJSWUNmyXAlC_gp1-636r4XwQQJvVoZNAiyAYGSkNyHBJZBmElvNqJMxEC-lQxB/w320-h640/20221220_130502.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing flowers.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Various wild creatures also enjoy the west veranda. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-Z13aB_2volyw2X8CGooxJRxN5pR-B5NuQ9S2CpRte9xjLY_R020JaWlMTDZ-ISza9eqVtN9SZ6isKEohIIqUxYTUJsk3hC8GXmt8ZAJMsIfgCbZDvtrZI1SonPTEExMnErZz5spVmG_hKQqwTbTkGOJCOzk6dkD-KP7VwzxTQlCriiSawjBmRSo/s2390/20221103_124429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1814" data-original-width="2390" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-Z13aB_2volyw2X8CGooxJRxN5pR-B5NuQ9S2CpRte9xjLY_R020JaWlMTDZ-ISza9eqVtN9SZ6isKEohIIqUxYTUJsk3hC8GXmt8ZAJMsIfgCbZDvtrZI1SonPTEExMnErZz5spVmG_hKQqwTbTkGOJCOzk6dkD-KP7VwzxTQlCriiSawjBmRSo/w640-h486/20221103_124429.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clove stood stock still, staring at the young basilisk lizard for about 5 minutes. She really wanted to get at it and shake it to death. Her prey instinct is very strong.</td></tr></tbody></table>I don't know if it is the same individual, but I have seen praying mantises on the veranda a number of times and just a couple of days found one right next to an egg case.<div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_riPkcPsMLHOGYWwctMQiDElgC7Qrff3TGrQACheEHJh_FXs751T2PMDiut6YEeMKuJSkIbiRPdNmHfcoCFvsqCG4lbSRrXqgICwG3GePlGXzpKjd92EO7gfxNW6Nhq33DpGjJnORvr9sgm2RlhoOBtS6gFjT_oGOywY_iynZGkbA2VtpkbMEmDl2/s1782/20221008_095358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1782" data-original-width="1355" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_riPkcPsMLHOGYWwctMQiDElgC7Qrff3TGrQACheEHJh_FXs751T2PMDiut6YEeMKuJSkIbiRPdNmHfcoCFvsqCG4lbSRrXqgICwG3GePlGXzpKjd92EO7gfxNW6Nhq33DpGjJnORvr9sgm2RlhoOBtS6gFjT_oGOywY_iynZGkbA2VtpkbMEmDl2/w486-h640/20221008_095358.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love their eyes.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01TtMz5bEmHpuomBZH0CZvDBQ5_wD7WQoRxvKwdgR8Feu5XZyXNak4yqZ2uJ3wAHrkjIt4273I7oCMLOucWQD711arYgS89TZ0N_k0bUj64jt5FHe7odwMcje8nAYQ1RPtSPTrZqmhxBJcw7TI5xRXtGvRu54SdH5WHt1mAzNqJQgDUaM15l_npph/s1634/20221008_095337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1634" data-original-width="1314" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01TtMz5bEmHpuomBZH0CZvDBQ5_wD7WQoRxvKwdgR8Feu5XZyXNak4yqZ2uJ3wAHrkjIt4273I7oCMLOucWQD711arYgS89TZ0N_k0bUj64jt5FHe7odwMcje8nAYQ1RPtSPTrZqmhxBJcw7TI5xRXtGvRu54SdH5WHt1mAzNqJQgDUaM15l_npph/w514-h640/20221008_095337.jpg" width="514" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same one as above, but arms up and ready to fight now.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK-Zv7vNsiv1HBFzKbuGzP-c673KwZflc3FQK82Ilwam1iRpKDAbBvpCeK4ARnuNQovdV0HfFs0ZrolU-DOMXezEYO1TyPowBkNtddg4nXo1tsmeNzYQNKNx-pYW_5akSsomjKAUgVpr-Ue6wZaAL-vs1ds-si7G_YPwqFMUF8iJaja0Os6PtEk9t/s2218/20221218_143142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2218" data-original-width="1436" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK-Zv7vNsiv1HBFzKbuGzP-c673KwZflc3FQK82Ilwam1iRpKDAbBvpCeK4ARnuNQovdV0HfFs0ZrolU-DOMXezEYO1TyPowBkNtddg4nXo1tsmeNzYQNKNx-pYW_5akSsomjKAUgVpr-Ue6wZaAL-vs1ds-si7G_YPwqFMUF8iJaja0Os6PtEk9t/w414-h640/20221218_143142.jpg" width="414" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could be the same one - who knows? This photo was taken 10 weeks after the 2 above.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0Do3WnrUmPg7SM2mOXls2juQg75z-J6tTjc8WRGAeJ1gXPDJa-1L6UkeWPpCB3E-Ed1SSyVxXrE0VNoRqsfOn-ozkq5qEMwsZpaxvZtagqcvW5dXlacBgVV-6LC3HnqceL1uuu6gQPeB-hkPTDdvfRYrhRGkggwqGbFWXS9cjbmvw-IfS9aWluRJ/s2261/20221219_102247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2261" data-original-width="1636" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0Do3WnrUmPg7SM2mOXls2juQg75z-J6tTjc8WRGAeJ1gXPDJa-1L6UkeWPpCB3E-Ed1SSyVxXrE0VNoRqsfOn-ozkq5qEMwsZpaxvZtagqcvW5dXlacBgVV-6LC3HnqceL1uuu6gQPeB-hkPTDdvfRYrhRGkggwqGbFWXS9cjbmvw-IfS9aWluRJ/w464-h640/20221219_102247.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg case. I will keep watch to see if I can catch them hatching. I don't know what the incubation period is, so I will have to be vigilant. Lucky for me, the egg case is right next to the clothes line and I can see it from the bedroom window.</td></tr></tbody></table>So, we have been busy and now I must post this right now and take the dogs for their last walk of the day before it starts to get dark on this winter solstice! Enjoy this longest night.Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-21880979425718992992022-12-10T18:04:00.000-06:002022-12-10T18:04:07.360-06:00Bright Star on a Cloudy Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKKwgknqNw6aSEl3l57Zc4tQ_4r6goPACXwsUuqMjquJEw0MKoh9BcvyjZzXdJIMzCi_z9H7Yv9O5UhJMLL36t5knCyC8j8faDTsqvq-35ClznihhN8I6IeKdKN9HZ6xmwIkEj_9XctlXLxAhSleVpo13E-64e4t1cuFUOnWFjpW9UhimTlm152m3q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1290" data-original-width="2722" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKKwgknqNw6aSEl3l57Zc4tQ_4r6goPACXwsUuqMjquJEw0MKoh9BcvyjZzXdJIMzCi_z9H7Yv9O5UhJMLL36t5knCyC8j8faDTsqvq-35ClznihhN8I6IeKdKN9HZ6xmwIkEj_9XctlXLxAhSleVpo13E-64e4t1cuFUOnWFjpW9UhimTlm152m3q" width="640" /></a></div>Still here, still busy. Always time to wade through still shallow water.<p></p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-54235481048236958102022-11-13T11:14:00.003-06:002022-11-13T11:15:39.219-06:00Moon, Sun, Clouds, and Lunar Eclipse<p>We've been busy working on several projects. Biggest one is repairs to our seawall and replenishing the sand on the beach after Hurricane Julia (no, not Lisa, Julia was the one before). That will take a month or more of hard work by our crew to finish. More fun is monitoring sea turtle nesting activity. So far this year there have been 18 crawls, the most we have ever seen. Of course that doesn't mean there are 18 actual nests; some crawls seem to be primarily exploratory. I'll do a separate post on turtles once the season is over. Another ongoing project is documenting birds and I am having great fun with the Merlin App using Sound ID. They have recently added more Belize birds to the Sound ID feature. </p><p>Did you know there was a lunar eclipse November 8? The best viewing time for us was between 3:00 and 5:00am. The sky was crystal clear at 2:00 and I got my first photo at 3:00 with just a tiny edge of darkness showing up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibs2_0rpRxiEhRlTKwMoSdHAdtlo9SvWeNybn79hWgeV7xY9O8pDAh__hGvFTi7k5_Z9UY6Ap1Jbr70Mp_wGkVRaqmN0fe3QVzc7SHXPXwPc2wMkc6g1AxtqUARNqb7cF5wOMq2lnMiI92q3cF7qGnt-3D8kM-TR1xM4nujJAq9pvuGHksUddpuHuO/s1121/20221108_025825.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1053" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibs2_0rpRxiEhRlTKwMoSdHAdtlo9SvWeNybn79hWgeV7xY9O8pDAh__hGvFTi7k5_Z9UY6Ap1Jbr70Mp_wGkVRaqmN0fe3QVzc7SHXPXwPc2wMkc6g1AxtqUARNqb7cF5wOMq2lnMiI92q3cF7qGnt-3D8kM-TR1xM4nujJAq9pvuGHksUddpuHuO/w376-h400/20221108_025825.jpg" width="376" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is with my phone. Mitchell should have been here - his moon photos are superb!</td></tr></tbody></table>Clouds were just beginning to show up and within 15 minutes, the view of the moon was blocked. So that was it for me. I went back to bed and didn't get up again to see if the clouds had blown over. <p></p><p>Two days later, the moon was in her glory rising over Great Monkey Cay.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRXqFLDY0135PHdtD9hqZ2Juna21i5o5zJn6py-ZmTAm5rJtlKgc4Z01F3_XjlNZD6DIElV0QXEzMHnAcRv7ZKMOvzMFBbjiX9LiuVfXaciCIo1bYs8PMUx5EMZlCBN7bTelygP5xq_z1WNM4GpTFURpMheZi7mHv7RYcdPFOWQiZMHAK8wdzeFDb/s2816/20221110_193649.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1736" data-original-width="2816" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRXqFLDY0135PHdtD9hqZ2Juna21i5o5zJn6py-ZmTAm5rJtlKgc4Z01F3_XjlNZD6DIElV0QXEzMHnAcRv7ZKMOvzMFBbjiX9LiuVfXaciCIo1bYs8PMUx5EMZlCBN7bTelygP5xq_z1WNM4GpTFURpMheZi7mHv7RYcdPFOWQiZMHAK8wdzeFDb/w640-h394/20221110_193649.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The moon is looking right at me!</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dK90m-U66dvruv1a1UQELBFRHai6KbLhL4PW2cwia8rvaqwc1pyKRPucUjREnmtabTeLPU0y_hQIw-7njMG73I1PhQa7OFAqWiFasO6hNVUm95jycJmF1JOcq1z1h7RCjvBo7i1BImFK64u-RuaoB8f2FVsbaMQWMuFW5u8IdkRHnSxwcZ2vjlfp/s1799/20221110_193734.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="1799" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dK90m-U66dvruv1a1UQELBFRHai6KbLhL4PW2cwia8rvaqwc1pyKRPucUjREnmtabTeLPU0y_hQIw-7njMG73I1PhQa7OFAqWiFasO6hNVUm95jycJmF1JOcq1z1h7RCjvBo7i1BImFK64u-RuaoB8f2FVsbaMQWMuFW5u8IdkRHnSxwcZ2vjlfp/w640-h524/20221110_193734.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reflection on a calm sea.</td></tr></tbody></table>Followed by the every day miracle of sunrise.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_q5s5zIiJ0VuVAL6PxmZaj-cU_S3HdQVtMHMTgtW0QzJAiGS2ej9o8630XdkxYTo2ZpxtHihLQiP-ilBkPQFz7e-Jgtui7shnFg_UZdnr18SNxtKeyrotdWvMszY4EaxotBRlq5R_JNPyXAVaqwg1c-WgmO96pvhzGv95AZoOR4wI0dA6CJYDSAa/s3588/20221111_060125.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1851" data-original-width="3588" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_q5s5zIiJ0VuVAL6PxmZaj-cU_S3HdQVtMHMTgtW0QzJAiGS2ej9o8630XdkxYTo2ZpxtHihLQiP-ilBkPQFz7e-Jgtui7shnFg_UZdnr18SNxtKeyrotdWvMszY4EaxotBRlq5R_JNPyXAVaqwg1c-WgmO96pvhzGv95AZoOR4wI0dA6CJYDSAa/w640-h330/20221111_060125.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also reflections on a calm sea.</td></tr></tbody></table>When a light breeze comes from the west, the trees block the wind from the disturbing the surface of the water closest to shore - it can be almost mirror smooth at times. A little farther out, and you can tell the sea is slightly ruffled.<p></p><p>This morning's sky view was of these super cool clouds.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RLpG1mgNo0hQ2oDgzQa8_TqJBGWBUVnVVoh9qWUj4KZRHHm3ODmzMi5tMXVeAj9YlBUeXwisiCrdJkue_NlT3L8wwn6L-42pHeVYdEX6pyL6bBX_S6Vl1VC-cNOGF3AZWpzQCMypIyKC8zOtpDFmxgiUE2suI553BDVGVo3td58qFYfJTQfZrJOz/s4393/20221113_064045.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2082" data-original-width="4393" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RLpG1mgNo0hQ2oDgzQa8_TqJBGWBUVnVVoh9qWUj4KZRHHm3ODmzMi5tMXVeAj9YlBUeXwisiCrdJkue_NlT3L8wwn6L-42pHeVYdEX6pyL6bBX_S6Vl1VC-cNOGF3AZWpzQCMypIyKC8zOtpDFmxgiUE2suI553BDVGVo3td58qFYfJTQfZrJOz/w640-h304/20221113_064045.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho311MPJzKhTMUov432y2tQSc7rQMAI78kn6rc0_FSRkeIXLB0zvrVqe5mFnxZd6bMEq9pglQaSfyTE6RDMwvIh2KTaybHv3zHK_GG-LPWiUDvdMvz2EEBfDUtQ2M_hwIAh4oiaTBK8mTUUQrRIDmtUM3_RS9dIOHJ-6rEVKYYEThSsTWVAGjxo5LB/s4524/20221113_063741.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1696" data-original-width="4524" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho311MPJzKhTMUov432y2tQSc7rQMAI78kn6rc0_FSRkeIXLB0zvrVqe5mFnxZd6bMEq9pglQaSfyTE6RDMwvIh2KTaybHv3zHK_GG-LPWiUDvdMvz2EEBfDUtQ2M_hwIAh4oiaTBK8mTUUQrRIDmtUM3_RS9dIOHJ-6rEVKYYEThSsTWVAGjxo5LB/w640-h240/20221113_063741.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like UFOs.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Then all hell broke loose, so Clove and I made a mad dash for home. No aliens, just 1/3rd an inch of rain in 15 minutes. Always something exciting going on.<br /><br /><p></p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-30679699678715198022022-11-07T20:54:00.000-06:002022-11-07T20:54:11.845-06:00We Are All Good<p>As they say - we dodged a bullet this time. What a relief for us - Hurricane Lisa shifted north prior to making landfall in Belize. Our relief was at the expense of Belize City - which experienced a sudden but impressive storm surge followed by extensive post-hurricane flooding. The brunt of the damage was to the poorest communities with sub-standard (even for Belize) housing. Although there was property damage, I have not heard of any lives lost. The only real impact Lisa had on me and Dennis was the nationwide outage of telecommunications. We had some limited phone service restored on Friday (Lisa made landfall on Wednesday) and then on Sunday had full phone service and internet again. Power was out over most of Belize for about a day, with it mostly restored by Sunday. That didn't affect us since we have our own solar power system. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz3uWON6qN2nW-B2eJQ_7pogaJCW3ZmIw5WF5dTair9XDl5cJLt1dghfFJPFSXp9X1Vg05lG-0qPxwM0Pu0aAcerjn6MCaQiE-zEFrx2yP2McdsZ8iPyOdgVeWUkAN1-u6neYwv8OhDsLPd213TOgGGyggSE9ExdjEHTvOr-fL4qgDWnnNr-I_KFK/s3745/20221107_123547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1655" data-original-width="3745" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz3uWON6qN2nW-B2eJQ_7pogaJCW3ZmIw5WF5dTair9XDl5cJLt1dghfFJPFSXp9X1Vg05lG-0qPxwM0Pu0aAcerjn6MCaQiE-zEFrx2yP2McdsZ8iPyOdgVeWUkAN1-u6neYwv8OhDsLPd213TOgGGyggSE9ExdjEHTvOr-fL4qgDWnnNr-I_KFK/w640-h282/20221107_123547.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking to the southeast this afternoon - clear, calm sea.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-ZnskjqOmbcX5GPkfc6VC4ZJ9ojmQsrH6FSWdvcacXh0VTTru-ub0KsRpF2QkuKxxd8tYckVjww41iqN2fej55OzDkJFyE24U6OiNMrYoyRr162_VICHP5Du-r43ahDXOjkDEdkL5_X2LbX5K_LXCGspry9uG-I_lSISTyXP3Q1WD0DR27RJtjuT/s2261/20221107_124453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1638" data-original-width="2261" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-ZnskjqOmbcX5GPkfc6VC4ZJ9ojmQsrH6FSWdvcacXh0VTTru-ub0KsRpF2QkuKxxd8tYckVjww41iqN2fej55OzDkJFyE24U6OiNMrYoyRr162_VICHP5Du-r43ahDXOjkDEdkL5_X2LbX5K_LXCGspry9uG-I_lSISTyXP3Q1WD0DR27RJtjuT/w640-h464/20221107_124453.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barnie enjoying a little sit-down after her walk.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcRc-_MwqwYo3OnuPMDouMvW7MXfg5xyXAIBRN_LVDPKtTano7T8srvFhE1jziTlBqkM8OXzPJLhTFP6TrBbWZyDGkM7YpytC7ghwW7AjVJLS-zhWw10V6xm6beTDDzLQfCF74knqaRdhHXWhWTz_Oa04ub3n1a_LT7f2ahcjpuDfTsU0CkwUAKuj/s1865/20221107_124515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1865" data-original-width="1790" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcRc-_MwqwYo3OnuPMDouMvW7MXfg5xyXAIBRN_LVDPKtTano7T8srvFhE1jziTlBqkM8OXzPJLhTFP6TrBbWZyDGkM7YpytC7ghwW7AjVJLS-zhWw10V6xm6beTDDzLQfCF74knqaRdhHXWhWTz_Oa04ub3n1a_LT7f2ahcjpuDfTsU0CkwUAKuj/w614-h640/20221107_124515.jpg" width="614" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just look at her gorgeous Little Richard eyes!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3E-2e2lWkK_G9HJKkubu6OsrvC7HDJK6fvhDMgoGF7mJX3oaj-o8zuLo5ko9LM4LvcNHqFqDVf1aIhBfDfbhzbCWAjyv21kY0mnL_W_FU_Q43maRm7JOdzS5uFFf2xXwSgpAVOG-cUjeEH1BY2icSyHfd2CbheYSp9elJr0FHOqrCrw1BYd9UApE/s1690/20221107_125749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="1690" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3E-2e2lWkK_G9HJKkubu6OsrvC7HDJK6fvhDMgoGF7mJX3oaj-o8zuLo5ko9LM4LvcNHqFqDVf1aIhBfDfbhzbCWAjyv21kY0mnL_W_FU_Q43maRm7JOdzS5uFFf2xXwSgpAVOG-cUjeEH1BY2icSyHfd2CbheYSp9elJr0FHOqrCrw1BYd9UApE/w640-h470/20221107_125749.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Clove.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx2HXzBMiF6G59RQ-3S6hmubDy4q5cRU8dp_NJshLzkGj1FaVtlIVka5_6suWsXpy6umNCYmAjqcw9w9DIWLQcbyGjBevRmeSwXM4bxzS1EOcc72Un1gQkBk1eSasIeLhCSpZ6gJa6HbGK86b91MqlECEZYWWuBXoAOMtJXh4Csw23zMis8_Y8iPT/s3248/20221107_130122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3248" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx2HXzBMiF6G59RQ-3S6hmubDy4q5cRU8dp_NJshLzkGj1FaVtlIVka5_6suWsXpy6umNCYmAjqcw9w9DIWLQcbyGjBevRmeSwXM4bxzS1EOcc72Un1gQkBk1eSasIeLhCSpZ6gJa6HbGK86b91MqlECEZYWWuBXoAOMtJXh4Csw23zMis8_Y8iPT/w640-h376/20221107_130122.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happier Clove.</td></tr></tbody></table>Clove thinks that everyone would benefit from a good roll in the sun-warmed sand. I think she's on to something.Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-62890360007507037632022-11-01T14:09:00.000-06:002022-11-01T14:09:25.003-06:00Hatches Battened<p>Tropical Storm Lisa will make herself felt in Belize starting tomorrow afternoon. Will she be a hurricane then? Almost certainly. Landfall is estimated to be to our north, so it is unlikely that we will experience hurricane force winds, but we are expecting winds as strong as 50mph and a possible storm surge. We plan to stay put unless the forecast changes dramatically for the worse. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHJO-7bihu3KGbMr-WyIWnSK4uNBmESVjLepwtO49eGYWHwGQqRGFXfIgxYrBqHzwxlk5KFDqukL8JTUVWvxzSkJupIilFMkFeC54MID6hcE-ZECt3MrbQkpWEqGoYpvq9eoPPtG0ODIzsljN5685PX2yDAvBLl4CrzJFYHFb2TybzwWmcVRssdTr/s3297/20221101_123124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2133" data-original-width="3297" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHJO-7bihu3KGbMr-WyIWnSK4uNBmESVjLepwtO49eGYWHwGQqRGFXfIgxYrBqHzwxlk5KFDqukL8JTUVWvxzSkJupIilFMkFeC54MID6hcE-ZECt3MrbQkpWEqGoYpvq9eoPPtG0ODIzsljN5685PX2yDAvBLl4CrzJFYHFb2TybzwWmcVRssdTr/w640-h414/20221101_123124.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These shutters serve as shade awnings under normal conditions.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNRzT9XVEZsZnH9CwRi9FP98A8p13iAoO4F-lLz4kBNirM1n0TVlEsp9TyYWDCYigzxEu-jUIE2sbTd6jFSzzlY6F1ikH0mfe874aN_GQmsURMSOfdKcdQ1AvMWVHVRyiV3HgYdcoETPBkz_FCXZA8ATPOOmfSaPUTh2GXj70qqEZpOfyRiEVO10l/s2448/20221101_123242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1753" data-original-width="2448" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNRzT9XVEZsZnH9CwRi9FP98A8p13iAoO4F-lLz4kBNirM1n0TVlEsp9TyYWDCYigzxEu-jUIE2sbTd6jFSzzlY6F1ikH0mfe874aN_GQmsURMSOfdKcdQ1AvMWVHVRyiV3HgYdcoETPBkz_FCXZA8ATPOOmfSaPUTh2GXj70qqEZpOfyRiEVO10l/w640-h458/20221101_123242.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside one of the screened -in verandas with the sheet metal hurricane shutters in place.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdcHzvzSNJZZLHOh3Jg6fbT6DLtsVAV-2ff1aBZCVBOKd4kMBqO5RVItsQ_iT_NEsiHSRaTgg9bnzNprmx0-IFA-BOM7UMjxch9uI30WFkwWog8FUfdjZqIDJ7g85MgpzeloElCeGZ4miDk4HX5-S5Q4PxdicdtGWz7ZUfuMxYIHhsT7CSEejfFvU/s2982/20221101_123314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2982" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdcHzvzSNJZZLHOh3Jg6fbT6DLtsVAV-2ff1aBZCVBOKd4kMBqO5RVItsQ_iT_NEsiHSRaTgg9bnzNprmx0-IFA-BOM7UMjxch9uI30WFkwWog8FUfdjZqIDJ7g85MgpzeloElCeGZ4miDk4HX5-S5Q4PxdicdtGWz7ZUfuMxYIHhsT7CSEejfFvU/w640-h392/20221101_123314.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other sea-facing screened in veranda. It's like being inside a container unit! The sheet metal panels are numbered because they are custom-fitted.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGE3hqKj0Y8mNxAIqF6iuSVIejxqGvUOoUM-oB5eq_OrBOOTqTbXTX1lMrVE29jeuBK5OcgWmX34G3zkCfoUEPdLCpLH8CI11j-TlSX0pwrZYjWbhHOJSg9SfyLmo3lUqhDJHQu9LT5m_M_3sjgNAK5Jh5mAmzx1Xq-zSOUiIuoaCTc3TPOSstiGA/s3737/20221101_124514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3737" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGE3hqKj0Y8mNxAIqF6iuSVIejxqGvUOoUM-oB5eq_OrBOOTqTbXTX1lMrVE29jeuBK5OcgWmX34G3zkCfoUEPdLCpLH8CI11j-TlSX0pwrZYjWbhHOJSg9SfyLmo3lUqhDJHQu9LT5m_M_3sjgNAK5Jh5mAmzx1Xq-zSOUiIuoaCTc3TPOSstiGA/w640-h326/20221101_124514.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look closely, you can see the hurricane shutters inside the screen.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our workers got up all of the hurricane shutters, so our hatches are battened except for the few that Dennis and I will put up tomorrow morning. Everything that could blow away has been moved into sheltered space - kayaks, wheelbarrows, plant stands, etc. Battery-powered tools are fully charged as are flashlights, power packs for computers and other electronic. With any luck, the wild weather will pass overnight Wednesday while we and the dogs are snug inside.</p><p>Right now the weather is beautiful. Hard to imagine that Lisa is just over the horizon. Our hatches are battened and we are as ready as we can be. See you in a few days or perhaps longer if the internet goes down.</p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-9490966337183308532022-10-13T16:49:00.001-06:002022-10-13T16:49:35.420-06:00 Getting to Chan Chich Lodge - or - Driving 140 miles in 5.5 hours<p>The drive to Chan Chich went quite well, but was very long. The last 35 miles on dirt roads of varying quality took nearly 3 hours. Here's the route from Google maps. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGSuGFDaXt8mh6iIdWkXI9_mnVXtFKS94NVPpQHdyIyAjJaKG6U2brvjj7fcaz574P0IGIwEBZaJDemm4ExfwLVkWNrsoUF_3TbBHFeA7Fkvy8NHjk2SHxtOVp3oOAFs50Hih0InA_iol90mL6incsC1-Ga8ETbwJtoZmlVboM8dGGsbhT9FytxqY/s1080/Screenshot%202022-10-13%20at%203.37.03%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="818" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGSuGFDaXt8mh6iIdWkXI9_mnVXtFKS94NVPpQHdyIyAjJaKG6U2brvjj7fcaz574P0IGIwEBZaJDemm4ExfwLVkWNrsoUF_3TbBHFeA7Fkvy8NHjk2SHxtOVp3oOAFs50Hih0InA_iol90mL6incsC1-Ga8ETbwJtoZmlVboM8dGGsbhT9FytxqY/w484-h640/Screenshot%202022-10-13%20at%203.37.03%20PM.png" width="484" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks easy and fast. Google Maps says less than 4 hours start to finish!</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>And here is what the last part actually looks like according to Google Earth.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz568VVufM47ZVGUskG0RJnZtR14ym7LdF1F2mxu3FmEHt_vFUxoxmQT4c4kpQ8QPGFRw6lqBGr7ZfE2yGMxbDjEhUbY1XlDdOlsYQw9XzpG1n_E89YUj_0eH6nZkGY5oIOcTf99JwePamUckKLo8PEeAziO87qevUj-OLmpDbOebew7hU55bzjQXK/s1906/Screenshot%202022-10-13%20at%203.43.45%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1906" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz568VVufM47ZVGUskG0RJnZtR14ym7LdF1F2mxu3FmEHt_vFUxoxmQT4c4kpQ8QPGFRw6lqBGr7ZfE2yGMxbDjEhUbY1XlDdOlsYQw9XzpG1n_E89YUj_0eH6nZkGY5oIOcTf99JwePamUckKLo8PEeAziO87qevUj-OLmpDbOebew7hU55bzjQXK/w640-h480/Screenshot%202022-10-13%20at%203.43.45%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We left the paved roads when we turned north near the Crique Blanco Zibal. Did I mention no phone service after the first 5 or 10 miles on the dirt track?</td></tr></tbody></table>I left home at 7AM. Dawn on the beach was promising. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT04YvlFSWQBKoWebru7LVHJq-7CfE2D9JGG8RMmDI1EobrJP0WgYeHeT7SLFhyqRSY-lUbZn7Dm7qyDIVwcCqlriXrirwZyAIu2U18Ai9w6fMONBY4o1EHdfuPpzwq7Q7kELKeirjxGH_joiJlIWLedO-ZPfzhNOT-UVe-1sic62GzZbOZ1dVexV/s3341/20221004_055129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1872" data-original-width="3341" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT04YvlFSWQBKoWebru7LVHJq-7CfE2D9JGG8RMmDI1EobrJP0WgYeHeT7SLFhyqRSY-lUbZn7Dm7qyDIVwcCqlriXrirwZyAIu2U18Ai9w6fMONBY4o1EHdfuPpzwq7Q7kELKeirjxGH_joiJlIWLedO-ZPfzhNOT-UVe-1sic62GzZbOZ1dVexV/w640-h358/20221004_055129.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice calm sea made for a fast and easy boat trip to Placencia to meet up with Melanie.</td></tr></tbody></table>We left Placencia at 9AM with me driving Melanie's Kia. We planned to reach Chan Chich before 2PM, just before the restaurant stopped serving lunch. We made our first stop near Dangriga at a service station that has clean bathrooms. I took this photo of the sign on inside of the bathroom stall.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR_xIuaafgXxzUAplTGXTMLVtq96nuqOvv41Z7V_FLoGo1W42HlpHEG_UnU7GNYjMNCgw9d11ig101dPenYwsx6rHWrmP5__4EerpcTzSI615CxIXJJcIbFFvXvEKh4dFv8eqzLjpFaMiWSWP-3_f4GIT-7hWzkXJ6LGpLuQ8WfRTdtxZ4jJ6Mn_w/s3991/20221004_101945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2070" data-original-width="3991" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR_xIuaafgXxzUAplTGXTMLVtq96nuqOvv41Z7V_FLoGo1W42HlpHEG_UnU7GNYjMNCgw9d11ig101dPenYwsx6rHWrmP5__4EerpcTzSI615CxIXJJcIbFFvXvEKh4dFv8eqzLjpFaMiWSWP-3_f4GIT-7hWzkXJ6LGpLuQ8WfRTdtxZ4jJ6Mn_w/w640-h332/20221004_101945.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Belize, and many developing countries, you do not flush any thing down toilet except poop and pee, not even toilet paper. There is always a conveniently placed trash can beside each toilet. Hang on to your dreams.</td></tr></tbody></table>I didn't take any photos along the newly engineered and resurfaced Hummingbird Highway. It goes through the stunning Maya Mountains and is now a joy to travel on. We missed the turn onto the dirt track and stopped for directions at a hardware store not too far from the Mennonite village of Spanish Lookout. These Mennonites have embraced many aspects of machines and technology and have massive modern farms that supply Belize with all manner of vegetables, meat, poultry, dairy products. The clerk I asked for directions to get to Yalbac Road was not able to help me, but he did suggest asking another customer in the store because "he should know". So I did. Mr. John Roberson, as it turns out, knew exactly how to get to Yalbac Road because <b>he built most of the roads in the area!</b> He drew a map, gave me his phone number, and said to turn around, take the first major right on Farmers Express Road and then take the next left onto <b>Roberson Road - his road.</b> Did we find the right person or what?! Coincidentally, he and his wife were taking their visitors down to Monkey River Village the next day. Belize is such a village, you will discover some link with anyone you speak to for more than 5 minutes.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv6gR-2irqPiFFe8wrn270mIF6oVoPAOnQQYa_2OP0PtJ87H_da_lsMpmFJ_z7TGYrNQ2zobQlK4HBU5dDIVKodN5mCIhKCLyxjA_br5v9Zo3l6z9IoLUOhweyU2qWjmA514XoemjOViEHS1kYJIakwUryrY9OG4pyk-7Om5We6mLOeTIzl4b8iMJ/s4032/20221006_145349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv6gR-2irqPiFFe8wrn270mIF6oVoPAOnQQYa_2OP0PtJ87H_da_lsMpmFJ_z7TGYrNQ2zobQlK4HBU5dDIVKodN5mCIhKCLyxjA_br5v9Zo3l6z9IoLUOhweyU2qWjmA514XoemjOViEHS1kYJIakwUryrY9OG4pyk-7Om5We6mLOeTIzl4b8iMJ/w640-h302/20221006_145349.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corner of Farmers Express and Roberson Road.</td></tr></tbody></table>Finally Yalbac Road, which went on forever! We did not see another vehicle until we reached Chan Chich.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUBT10W8hQEDRSPYLWRxBJCiSk2Zku-5m_CtDUFGAgm2MHMSO2BNQ0S_IolmwBoTwaO9d86o4cj89X_zvrraNB0CL_vF0oDdxRpRAdPny58dqdJzrnLnMdaKlnmFAqUn8BC8JnJVjjm8d4JZOG09Brl8BQEUfAXtYnwkdCM-SDtSJ5G4bEdl7itvY/s3302/20221004_122506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1662" data-original-width="3302" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUBT10W8hQEDRSPYLWRxBJCiSk2Zku-5m_CtDUFGAgm2MHMSO2BNQ0S_IolmwBoTwaO9d86o4cj89X_zvrraNB0CL_vF0oDdxRpRAdPny58dqdJzrnLnMdaKlnmFAqUn8BC8JnJVjjm8d4JZOG09Brl8BQEUfAXtYnwkdCM-SDtSJ5G4bEdl7itvY/w640-h322/20221004_122506.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still surrounded by farm fields, jungle is up ahead. No phone service from here on. No electricity and only a couple of homesteads.</td></tr></tbody></table>At some point we entered a reserve that is used by US and British military for jungle training. We had to go through checkpoints and show that we had reservations for Chan Chich.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YNqU8d1FkY4qwHYnewrHduUoAtz1X9nIo7yOgP7dUmJ0ZVz66T0en8zTK_sskwmaiGvbkwJYmsd4ajz6M9zc7lSFwvWUtZUAQ3HueG6kPFvjFGyyUp2NwZ44WDv2B3ih228eYkzdW7IRLn4FsFZKvjgPMLMISuTDu4h414ZenYzBJgzcBuyXIQiq/s4032/20221006_141030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YNqU8d1FkY4qwHYnewrHduUoAtz1X9nIo7yOgP7dUmJ0ZVz66T0en8zTK_sskwmaiGvbkwJYmsd4ajz6M9zc7lSFwvWUtZUAQ3HueG6kPFvjFGyyUp2NwZ44WDv2B3ih228eYkzdW7IRLn4FsFZKvjgPMLMISuTDu4h414ZenYzBJgzcBuyXIQiq/w640-h302/20221006_141030.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First checkpoint.</td></tr></tbody></table>The road become much hillier and a bit rougher, probably due to army vehicles. We passed through Busby Camp, which is where the military folks stay while on training missions.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU3SF3Y0I4KqA7lGCy0bwQxFHqiM6zJwETcandaMahDZi32aG9iE5Gpchba6QG3pEfYJxj6mPpiS6duSH8SH7quArU71Z4UZrJC-eFf3s4chVChZZDMz3OcgBUKFbsU60QgYlAaGQcf1QdjjuWf5E3PVLCGGe5G5L9o6e2aIQXwHlGp-Kkx51aYEw/s3275/20221006_132757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1607" data-original-width="3275" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU3SF3Y0I4KqA7lGCy0bwQxFHqiM6zJwETcandaMahDZi32aG9iE5Gpchba6QG3pEfYJxj6mPpiS6duSH8SH7quArU71Z4UZrJC-eFf3s4chVChZZDMz3OcgBUKFbsU60QgYlAaGQcf1QdjjuWf5E3PVLCGGe5G5L9o6e2aIQXwHlGp-Kkx51aYEw/w640-h314/20221006_132757.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a few old-fashioned barracks type buildings were up ahead.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvtVLHI-txOiGCnGN_Rm8Gcf0CWZxlj3MYJuTT1a5RQWNe7VsSN40mjACt67aQJladcIwZrE7fEv0SM5xzlQAQxKdcPENYVzS4wlrGl_smSlSRdhI88nOBtrnwKxN8j5TUBVyUWQ5VtoRyRbP-Nq1HQZkiin24i-lenA9Tr8W4VB7TO-4OGOOb-bI/s4032/20221006_135716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvtVLHI-txOiGCnGN_Rm8Gcf0CWZxlj3MYJuTT1a5RQWNe7VsSN40mjACt67aQJladcIwZrE7fEv0SM5xzlQAQxKdcPENYVzS4wlrGl_smSlSRdhI88nOBtrnwKxN8j5TUBVyUWQ5VtoRyRbP-Nq1HQZkiin24i-lenA9Tr8W4VB7TO-4OGOOb-bI/w640-h302/20221006_135716.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back south toward fields.</td></tr></tbody></table>There were 3 or 4 very tricky spots of mud with steep ditches on either side. I actually had to get out of the car to scope out the best way to get through without getting stuck or bottoming out the Kia., which fortunately is fairly high.<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielSbUE36aOjmk-0VtTXgZ1FnZul8KTRElc7GFXujQ16qGGr2t7NT9ok1Q6ngr4NPch72HmC-zEKkZvGZmY6hcekvkeqCbmRL4W1no-WsA0dwMPKYcNTbyCaYZgwkPe_vhx3ox1ChbaZ8MYd5JjSrPrNuxfN7rr7YcdwWIhR2BrfARVfNFSwcjSY2Y/s4608/20221006_125116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="4608" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielSbUE36aOjmk-0VtTXgZ1FnZul8KTRElc7GFXujQ16qGGr2t7NT9ok1Q6ngr4NPch72HmC-zEKkZvGZmY6hcekvkeqCbmRL4W1no-WsA0dwMPKYcNTbyCaYZgwkPe_vhx3ox1ChbaZ8MYd5JjSrPrNuxfN7rr7YcdwWIhR2BrfARVfNFSwcjSY2Y/w640-h304/20221006_125116.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second checkpoint</td></tr></tbody></table>Not too far now . . . <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeSSXcOOvA4shcZTxe3VAfM-hGQERYrry6sFmbQT8OzOyWsZ38GOEV-PXe6kNt59HaAam2IbZ7trcsIFLvViBY2izi4OTH9o3RLrGpGLd9vMPsyHld1zfQOiltftE1vD0ICtcAliCqrxhILb2lsqFnLbwl-ho2bMKztucJWWSfRRiv-mGP0SppY9z/s2970/20221006_124425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1635" data-original-width="2970" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeSSXcOOvA4shcZTxe3VAfM-hGQERYrry6sFmbQT8OzOyWsZ38GOEV-PXe6kNt59HaAam2IbZ7trcsIFLvViBY2izi4OTH9o3RLrGpGLd9vMPsyHld1zfQOiltftE1vD0ICtcAliCqrxhILb2lsqFnLbwl-ho2bMKztucJWWSfRRiv-mGP0SppY9z/w640-h352/20221006_124425.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chan Chich Road - only 7 miles to go!</td></tr></tbody></table>And finally we're here. Too late for lunch, but we were greeted with deliciously cold allspice tea and promises for an early dinner.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHo75mLKyRTxAeBR9bWJ3vZtKoUOBDSIL2nYdvSIVbpmPyKZJhrTO_YKlH7joa4YCSRKm3VuDYbpyh-vsoblADfLF8L72hSJS6Rt7TyC7ezGCXGSyWnoJrAc_6eU89gySaD27-QdGGd-VQ9GWPi_ZYDyO-BNxZ4qENbLikqCN3nKEmOPHVrVRgNJX/s4032/20221004_160151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHo75mLKyRTxAeBR9bWJ3vZtKoUOBDSIL2nYdvSIVbpmPyKZJhrTO_YKlH7joa4YCSRKm3VuDYbpyh-vsoblADfLF8L72hSJS6Rt7TyC7ezGCXGSyWnoJrAc_6eU89gySaD27-QdGGd-VQ9GWPi_ZYDyO-BNxZ4qENbLikqCN3nKEmOPHVrVRgNJX/w640-h302/20221004_160151.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melanie in front of our accommodation.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We averaged 25 miles an hour overall, much slower through the jungle. Good thing I like to drive. Silly us to trust Google Maps to account for dirt roads when calculating driving times! In the end, it was worth it.<br /><div><br /></div></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-75278205250314137082022-10-05T14:22:00.003-06:002022-10-05T14:33:12.225-06:00A few more photos<p> The wifi is making me crazy, just something quick for now. First is a heliconia flower. Next is an ocelated turkey. And finally an overgrown, unexcavated part of a Mayan ruin. Except blogger on my phone put the ruin first and I can't change it. Oh well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSD5PxPwRUIbiuRwAMmAQyjKZNgBPTrYVzmsjyFGRkBozapRh1Oom8o1yqe-BXyt5EJFil0InIsWc8LeBXg30BF3kxpMzPPcNd_LKrn_0TGeT0aF_FurkvskmO6dUJVAyM4PFc7b_B_GKvef0K9xzW9ub_5lOh3mfUA0c3gWVEpDkhnTtnqUlf6Un/s4608/20221005_095850.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="4608" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSD5PxPwRUIbiuRwAMmAQyjKZNgBPTrYVzmsjyFGRkBozapRh1Oom8o1yqe-BXyt5EJFil0InIsWc8LeBXg30BF3kxpMzPPcNd_LKrn_0TGeT0aF_FurkvskmO6dUJVAyM4PFc7b_B_GKvef0K9xzW9ub_5lOh3mfUA0c3gWVEpDkhnTtnqUlf6Un/s320/20221005_095850.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw884EYbrDitLw-Z8vTQpnDF9GmMUfW7oEE4-l1XhuvuuK7bhQJR1UR1HO_75GRjs2xmEtk-3ZSO5kQ_4NiEHxkg78nc5l-_JYKfN-q-fEV3tIJO8lD0Rgba9vHbyERac1K4VouffDNfzAl0xZ8mtz0PWbNiEGYJuj4u2tm_E5BcHMNPBOG-O88hKE/s4032/20221005_094753.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1908" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw884EYbrDitLw-Z8vTQpnDF9GmMUfW7oEE4-l1XhuvuuK7bhQJR1UR1HO_75GRjs2xmEtk-3ZSO5kQ_4NiEHxkg78nc5l-_JYKfN-q-fEV3tIJO8lD0Rgba9vHbyERac1K4VouffDNfzAl0xZ8mtz0PWbNiEGYJuj4u2tm_E5BcHMNPBOG-O88hKE/s320/20221005_094753.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwF3gs_hNCJQZUzdxWvlPr--IcKlwX3MbXG8gXdVltd4v517LLBVz5Sh0czg1-Lhry38kfEwv1D9Vrr80HAGd2WRxNY-JN-lxQu4LF64hMUE2qtlRVwMRq_u7BfNmzhrcz1v1-S2dTuwHMlPMUnhPOaGh0EayoXErZ-Mu1XWx7hIIirOGT62unGs3/s1762/20221005_094832.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1762" data-original-width="1267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwF3gs_hNCJQZUzdxWvlPr--IcKlwX3MbXG8gXdVltd4v517LLBVz5Sh0czg1-Lhry38kfEwv1D9Vrr80HAGd2WRxNY-JN-lxQu4LF64hMUE2qtlRVwMRq_u7BfNmzhrcz1v1-S2dTuwHMlPMUnhPOaGh0EayoXErZ-Mu1XWx7hIIirOGT62unGs3/s320/20221005_094832.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm02QgvUlRCsxpmMOO6s3YLJUkXf2yMuTfUnwO-SJVelYzdilyvnXXtxRXnIblkFVCcvm-EvtVZkVVMB4IIgVEpXEOfN9NOe60196vPioRrw8eXpKKoZrmo0w0elzNLG3IlA4c3PiQSbkTbEIUhlgnX0DouZpz5_QWVQXfobwqLQ39Xv_IDgmX_3YC/s4608/20221005_095850.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="4608" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm02QgvUlRCsxpmMOO6s3YLJUkXf2yMuTfUnwO-SJVelYzdilyvnXXtxRXnIblkFVCcvm-EvtVZkVVMB4IIgVEpXEOfN9NOe60196vPioRrw8eXpKKoZrmo0w0elzNLG3IlA4c3PiQSbkTbEIUhlgnX0DouZpz5_QWVQXfobwqLQ39Xv_IDgmX_3YC/s320/20221005_095850.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-42398802148981443302022-10-04T19:49:00.001-06:002022-10-04T19:49:13.648-06:00Morning by the, evening in the highlands<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Posting this from my phone. My friend Melanie and I are on a mini holiday at Chan Chich Lodge, a 5 hour drive from Placencia. Will write more in a few days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBLmtnFZ_VV5BFROD6hRm04HKxtwv4jrpkgyMKW_nz9pov7bn2qobrJR1OsW8AWodTasmG9kIHWxrIlRbwEwaY2o-e4Tspti49csdFKjW4L71Yc6lPIDB64BTc68i4Bgc0aZuN2fqhMTsqmZkZg-cF3lZcSPEI1BcavGYorEyBPtaHUUtuFfkbBtS/s4032/20221004_160948.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBLmtnFZ_VV5BFROD6hRm04HKxtwv4jrpkgyMKW_nz9pov7bn2qobrJR1OsW8AWodTasmG9kIHWxrIlRbwEwaY2o-e4Tspti49csdFKjW4L71Yc6lPIDB64BTc68i4Bgc0aZuN2fqhMTsqmZkZg-cF3lZcSPEI1BcavGYorEyBPtaHUUtuFfkbBtS/w640-h302/20221004_160948.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Pecaries above and our veranda below.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4EYcnen0Tct4CIVjLoT_fzl9WQkQuw2ppV4LasuLNoOyvZTHzWB9NOBiE3tBRhVQaHl-iXOFwvDfd_HNC8EDXuhFOkm6lx8Fw5UUPXEYq3IsRleGLKaZm88XslajswPzUeTW8OUEIubMmYATZ4JDFbpbYwkLpyjSC1ikFhUFLyH7sOJhA_s17UO8/s4032/20221004_160435.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4EYcnen0Tct4CIVjLoT_fzl9WQkQuw2ppV4LasuLNoOyvZTHzWB9NOBiE3tBRhVQaHl-iXOFwvDfd_HNC8EDXuhFOkm6lx8Fw5UUPXEYq3IsRleGLKaZm88XslajswPzUeTW8OUEIubMmYATZ4JDFbpbYwkLpyjSC1ikFhUFLyH7sOJhA_s17UO8/w640-h302/20221004_160435.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-51808953454558348542022-10-03T14:34:00.001-06:002022-10-03T14:34:17.925-06:00Tiny Project. Big Difference.<p>This project took me 15 minutes to complete, and 10 of those minutes were spent finding the hooks. (It took far longer to write this post than to complete the project.). I had noticed that the dominant rufous tailed hummingbird at one of the feeders would try to perch on the 2x2 inch support for the window awning. It kept sliding off the smooth, slanted surface. I thought a slim dowel held in place with 2 screw-in hooks might be the answer, and so it was.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26LrR8ZnRx6pnbuO35vn3LlkICG371C7RW0AgZ-OxtaqHRac7-AU2SJIZUvnebLUBVXGaNMTBfnnytWkUmF69_AcUNqe-N_Bxi369wY6TY2fd6Pd_yE9WhG9oUXwc6Z_nwyMWbBx8Vsf5jN8CtJ1nObtIkyn290o_K0CW-uDqSGqHMC5qTIZpAinR/s3705/20221003_122302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3705" data-original-width="1753" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26LrR8ZnRx6pnbuO35vn3LlkICG371C7RW0AgZ-OxtaqHRac7-AU2SJIZUvnebLUBVXGaNMTBfnnytWkUmF69_AcUNqe-N_Bxi369wY6TY2fd6Pd_yE9WhG9oUXwc6Z_nwyMWbBx8Vsf5jN8CtJ1nObtIkyn290o_K0CW-uDqSGqHMC5qTIZpAinR/w302-h640/20221003_122302.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dowel in place. That speck of bright green is the hummingbird flying away before I could get the photo. (Hmmm - looks like the next project should be applying another coat of UV protective oil-based stain to the siding.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gAo0aQZsRjvZJR_EgCBrVUzaYWEqfDwzYoqJrSe4iLe1l63Ufm8CudRNyagnRDD_U1cQkpOFA2vP9WEUMwikDaiCkBUKJCZE7h5Bn8LZJw2UUhbNF9n_VoF_cfwitrJLiN6__ZmZJjV568mb-4YHLXZ-SH158o25Gj1IuGQWej16aq2e1QFFjCZ3/s3304/20221003_122333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="3304" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gAo0aQZsRjvZJR_EgCBrVUzaYWEqfDwzYoqJrSe4iLe1l63Ufm8CudRNyagnRDD_U1cQkpOFA2vP9WEUMwikDaiCkBUKJCZE7h5Bn8LZJw2UUhbNF9n_VoF_cfwitrJLiN6__ZmZJjV568mb-4YHLXZ-SH158o25Gj1IuGQWej16aq2e1QFFjCZ3/w640-h354/20221003_122333.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dowel was just long enough to span the space between the supports.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoswxqAb59Y9uhYjklN87qiTPdJM435cDFM7eh4EFDGBV74lGrektv451t6jFZPSRnWy9kKkJr9VeWU4UkhH-4XV8LdkcR3uR-WLiYvXz4YDa6Vc3gONpTgxDsle2-FOtuGUi_aZ-8l6n9z1KPcnTSnFMh04ZP48sbth2Yi2rvolbK12MaNUWNXD1y/s2246/20221003_122319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="2246" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoswxqAb59Y9uhYjklN87qiTPdJM435cDFM7eh4EFDGBV74lGrektv451t6jFZPSRnWy9kKkJr9VeWU4UkhH-4XV8LdkcR3uR-WLiYvXz4YDa6Vc3gONpTgxDsle2-FOtuGUi_aZ-8l6n9z1KPcnTSnFMh04ZP48sbth2Yi2rvolbK12MaNUWNXD1y/w640-h504/20221003_122319.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummer on guard!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnUd0_rZqGi9enhAYtb3XXm2xhMDNDeeepR5fUCMDYs8EHIfQ0QFYN90Ns7w9Yxije3k1sbl9QY5AtPEkzHTaXjtN7FJS7bMCuxhGj-uBo9omamWHXKERpXXdFUH4WTlVG_jY4PORzRWZVpftMH0v137xRwcoWiQ-MZ6j9lTuMQ30wVJoXkve0ZY7/s1162/20221003_122320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="1162" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnUd0_rZqGi9enhAYtb3XXm2xhMDNDeeepR5fUCMDYs8EHIfQ0QFYN90Ns7w9Yxije3k1sbl9QY5AtPEkzHTaXjtN7FJS7bMCuxhGj-uBo9omamWHXKERpXXdFUH4WTlVG_jY4PORzRWZVpftMH0v137xRwcoWiQ-MZ6j9lTuMQ30wVJoXkve0ZY7/w640-h632/20221003_122320.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even this slim dowel is huge compared to the hummer's tiny toes.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I took a couple of videos through the screen of the window so you could see and hear the hummingbird using the perch. Turn the sound up to hear the fussing!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzrYu7ACfFdnZQopsfp7CblMFzoIQG0daHUzKQ5NxljHqZ4N6gcIKjpomEqzkvdegRBLFIM9D2w061xGaRgmQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxCUmoBq773VjYJnq1Gk1h_342YjZKg-DXYW3gXh-0YDUH8UgzrWBum5Nc6YZy6ZeT7UWK38iHBUpMHS-CEvg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used to worry that this hummer was chasing all the others away before they could feed. But then I noticed that while one hummer distracted it, others would fly in to feed. I wonder if they draw straws for distractor duty? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br />Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-23743214766381346862022-10-02T14:47:00.000-06:002022-10-02T14:47:24.525-06:00The Two Birds, One Stone Solution<p>We always have some sort of project going on here - to keep us out of trouble, you know. Here is our "Two Birds, One Stone Solution Project"! This project started with the aim of minimizing the accumulation of afternoon heat along the west side of the original cabana (bird #1). Over the years we have made several attempts to do this, with limited success. The addition of a partial veranda roof to provide shade helps quite a bit, but is not sufficient and sometimes it seems to act like an oven, trapping heat under the roof. Planting a replacement tree for the big old fig tree that fell down after Hurricane Earl sideswiped us with tropical force winds in 2016 was a great idea that will yield some relief <b>in about 10 more years</b>; the coral bean tree we planted in 2017 is still pretty short! The shade curtain that we hung along the edge of the veranda roof seemed to have helped a bit and yet at times contributed to the oven-effect. We needed a new plan. Dennis found a very tough screening material that filters out something like 90% of UV light. We got a huge roll of 7 foot wide material in white to use in a new design. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11HYK9JFqIMCGmDzd0SkO5lzqJF72Vk3H2yb2ckuD3dkY1sVqF8SkHOlZAR0cw4jQskCYW2CX4sx3bRnERMqyIFkyMJ4dI-1aJ-UlumSTU1pEYN_oVwEhZH8TwFsrmFvqaicn8XEzKx8ooPnROo8utnMG5Yhmg4_JcZV-pyDT5QAH07Wwos_I40Lk/s2374/20221002_133513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="2374" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11HYK9JFqIMCGmDzd0SkO5lzqJF72Vk3H2yb2ckuD3dkY1sVqF8SkHOlZAR0cw4jQskCYW2CX4sx3bRnERMqyIFkyMJ4dI-1aJ-UlumSTU1pEYN_oVwEhZH8TwFsrmFvqaicn8XEzKx8ooPnROo8utnMG5Yhmg4_JcZV-pyDT5QAH07Wwos_I40Lk/w640-h372/20221002_133513.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very durable UV screening material.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Rather than have it hang straight down like the shade curtain we are replacing, we incorporated the rolling planters (that we have never used to great advantage) as a wall over which to drape and secure the screening material. farther away from the wall of the cabana. The planters had been located on the sunset balcony (located just under the satellite dish in the photo below) and were very much <i>out of sight, out of mind.</i> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpyOGhB8flXsD4aYzqiF8-8KBQQcRTp9YWYFFzh_UPXpuUd7lYyACqm78uKHTRNrW-9ejJRD7YDRX7IVtwG3kZ_X_BUfsP2SCfP4RkUg75pDGCV-R8RpAy-0oV2zpFRaWvqtUfzLuO1APpQFnPLGRXNpwNMdbdEJJoF_VctIncaZUFZaBsZBhbO6u/s3442/20221002_115347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3442" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpyOGhB8flXsD4aYzqiF8-8KBQQcRTp9YWYFFzh_UPXpuUd7lYyACqm78uKHTRNrW-9ejJRD7YDRX7IVtwG3kZ_X_BUfsP2SCfP4RkUg75pDGCV-R8RpAy-0oV2zpFRaWvqtUfzLuO1APpQFnPLGRXNpwNMdbdEJJoF_VctIncaZUFZaBsZBhbO6u/w354-h640/20221002_115347.jpg" width="354" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KHVxVc3lBMVr-nZ0PyxNKARl8y0ZzEBVbbWZPctfeStwwKrO5TYfKaIgKJvsDJmP9v2R3s5jH_4Txgs7NMyTISDLHSGAAfNG9YRi0ezC4oORNP3S6j-taL-Sh7am7RiQla61L_uJ1Y3rZET_I3JUchSNIO4kwsjEInIStDEA85c8aYkHPvKOR-jH/s3929/20221002_115359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="3929" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KHVxVc3lBMVr-nZ0PyxNKARl8y0ZzEBVbbWZPctfeStwwKrO5TYfKaIgKJvsDJmP9v2R3s5jH_4Txgs7NMyTISDLHSGAAfNG9YRi0ezC4oORNP3S6j-taL-Sh7am7RiQla61L_uJ1Y3rZET_I3JUchSNIO4kwsjEInIStDEA85c8aYkHPvKOR-jH/w640-h356/20221002_115359.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The advantage to using the rolling planters rather than installing a permanent support is that these can be moved up against the house and the screening taken down if a hurricane comes our way. <div><br /></div><div>We still have plenty of room on the 17 ft wide veranda to use the clothes line and to access the back door and the shed door. And underneath the roof there is plenty of room to get to the battery bank and have space to tend the plants.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPI1S8-SZwZKb6iLwEnxetve8oVpCLkhA2BTw5ZlCGhDkIxpWydd4yMxFoIE6DabXbNfDsIqTr0uwXEvC-7eNfukBq0BxHByYWLPPkLoOQmopjzNDuk0uPYNbkBto2R1aBHc59BrgYWWNmix8NlPBdMFTZQ1vP3kOvz8ojwiqULwvu4271utR6Nu-W/s3631/20221002_115540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="3631" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPI1S8-SZwZKb6iLwEnxetve8oVpCLkhA2BTw5ZlCGhDkIxpWydd4yMxFoIE6DabXbNfDsIqTr0uwXEvC-7eNfukBq0BxHByYWLPPkLoOQmopjzNDuk0uPYNbkBto2R1aBHc59BrgYWWNmix8NlPBdMFTZQ1vP3kOvz8ojwiqULwvu4271utR6Nu-W/w640-h384/20221002_115540.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battery bank is the long white box along the wall of the house. The shed door is at the far end. Take a look at the shadow of the fabric on the veranda floor.</td></tr></tbody></table>A major drawback of the former shade cloth curtain that hung straight down from the edge of the roof was that it limited the natural airflow. This design doesn't hinder the breeze as much, yet keeps the direct sun out.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFif3Yr1fofPBSEJZ1v-vlL3LlGbdpaEoNctNIzXpvVa-WIa0YvtcYugu7PFeAQYzQI1lG9Gpo_4ddsn3djA5AZvOSsoyJ7SLc3jM9PFz9oB4QPHF9nFaeyZX-co4D7-gYMdCaVIuLIHUHFc_j3t934JedtoQPmbF-GkHrlvHX1KWwOM01O8FfxVVo/s4608/20221002_115122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="4608" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFif3Yr1fofPBSEJZ1v-vlL3LlGbdpaEoNctNIzXpvVa-WIa0YvtcYugu7PFeAQYzQI1lG9Gpo_4ddsn3djA5AZvOSsoyJ7SLc3jM9PFz9oB4QPHF9nFaeyZX-co4D7-gYMdCaVIuLIHUHFc_j3t934JedtoQPmbF-GkHrlvHX1KWwOM01O8FfxVVo/w640-h304/20221002_115122.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the shadow here, too. And you can also see how much room there is for breezes to pass through. </td></tr></tbody></table>The fine mesh of the screen creates an amazing mist when it rains! The plants love it, which brings us to bird #2 - growing space for tender plants. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-lzSI_qt0J3H_hDkZWzuLpCe3nuUWnqrBAGA9sAghjZ41ThZEYGU9tB7aePWhugX1BzB5ipCOjXP0adGKy7pCPn8pU_fWWBu7EagRMB7WDmWzXCXCPtHIxoWvx0D4WG5ndMihB8PgG0yKfVj-6Sx3TSEmpX72n7yjQhVx3BpN8NTL789y9fQNtfJ/s3441/20220904_100740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1895" data-original-width="3441" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-lzSI_qt0J3H_hDkZWzuLpCe3nuUWnqrBAGA9sAghjZ41ThZEYGU9tB7aePWhugX1BzB5ipCOjXP0adGKy7pCPn8pU_fWWBu7EagRMB7WDmWzXCXCPtHIxoWvx0D4WG5ndMihB8PgG0yKfVj-6Sx3TSEmpX72n7yjQhVx3BpN8NTL789y9fQNtfJ/w640-h352/20220904_100740.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 2 inches of rainfall in less than 2 hours, the plants look great!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6DJL_NxdTQEx2uBKTx5Ao2hJxakokeoVsb3rz0q6WKitbCUPeYQZBN-V2lvnaenMucoYnid-Rb9p0P-A7UofOgAZc2F9NbR3XeLa9lgAtu2jGey99bqq2lnSkYC0g41L1aqveTFaYxzmANmeh4zFCwjs6XeRpGpzvBnvsI1QLJ2YFl2UFMWdYwrW/s3309/20220904_100756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3309" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6DJL_NxdTQEx2uBKTx5Ao2hJxakokeoVsb3rz0q6WKitbCUPeYQZBN-V2lvnaenMucoYnid-Rb9p0P-A7UofOgAZc2F9NbR3XeLa9lgAtu2jGey99bqq2lnSkYC0g41L1aqveTFaYxzmANmeh4zFCwjs6XeRpGpzvBnvsI1QLJ2YFl2UFMWdYwrW/w640-h370/20220904_100756.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornamental palm seedlings in the black pots on the decking and pots with provision tree seeds on the shelf.</td></tr></tbody></table>I have big plans for the planters. I am going to re-install the sections of rain gutter as containers for micro-greens and small herbs and create supports for the climbing Malabar spinach. Pots of other assorted kitchen herbs will find a home there - in fact the Cuban thyme is already there and thriving. This will be the perfect place to start seedlings for things destined to be planted in the raised beds or directly in the ground like the palms and provision trees. This time (I promise!) I will tend the rain gutter planters more faithfully. <br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-77731056062523721112022-10-01T13:14:00.004-06:002022-10-01T13:14:35.851-06:00Before the Break<p>My brother and I were visiting the Dallas World Aquarium back in <a href="https://southenglishtown.blogspot.com/2022/06/fishy-goings-on-in-dallas.html" target="_blank">May</a>. Here is more of what we saw.</p><p>Flamingos! The flamingos get to look down on the people tube that runs through the big aquarium. I don't think they paid a bit of attention to any of the people. They did their best to ignore us, going so far as to put their heads under their wings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2qWDlYZT83CtFDTzfB3712f-KoWCVp1LJatTFsqCv_GHjOWozry2aq2scAwXJZ9N1BOtSRCxB-7RFpkEynhPqtODq7kQpfJ2wr8JqgLwLiGs4Fb_RNLWQ0mvx4Z1Bs5U3cIOVXvpIxRjfQQoI_FOzzY1q6LzxixiezHGP_YDovPFU_PVgR9IhHGP/s4032/20220515_093721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2qWDlYZT83CtFDTzfB3712f-KoWCVp1LJatTFsqCv_GHjOWozry2aq2scAwXJZ9N1BOtSRCxB-7RFpkEynhPqtODq7kQpfJ2wr8JqgLwLiGs4Fb_RNLWQ0mvx4Z1Bs5U3cIOVXvpIxRjfQQoI_FOzzY1q6LzxixiezHGP_YDovPFU_PVgR9IhHGP/w640-h302/20220515_093721.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the flamingo habitat with part of the people tube visible at the bottom.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYiz78BjbPjwW-QG8ZbWDisqVIbq9kTpaXPss4cp-bK-XuJu8KHKBChj1b-szEk9o_B2-2eC0Ec22FH_8hitI3MAzMLSZ3l-Zb1bh2tei5cAaNmMbkC-YowgGRxtlJb704ABAN6FldTE6Wf3mZ-GP5_d9yiEExEEoTsG1lgFl7I9cRnpc9IVkCqcr/s2450/20220515_113109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2450" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYiz78BjbPjwW-QG8ZbWDisqVIbq9kTpaXPss4cp-bK-XuJu8KHKBChj1b-szEk9o_B2-2eC0Ec22FH_8hitI3MAzMLSZ3l-Zb1bh2tei5cAaNmMbkC-YowgGRxtlJb704ABAN6FldTE6Wf3mZ-GP5_d9yiEExEEoTsG1lgFl7I9cRnpc9IVkCqcr/w640-h498/20220515_113109.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headless, one-legged flamingos.</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFDeFQZUUrRuzphWb3vNbDCbV9sDCzbl33L0e7zeZ-FegZm1Qah4s2R4DRX5igFayVRPSxAoBNHIbxn2nEFZU-63O4P4M5ZsQ6n-yKd1_1WUiwyNcX5xDtUlC4I34vGidHAzsuUYn9l7BGL0KZZEaosAv3_V9n18bGZIaKNX5gf1kXqB8pkQoYoqQ/s3029/20220515_113048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3029" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFDeFQZUUrRuzphWb3vNbDCbV9sDCzbl33L0e7zeZ-FegZm1Qah4s2R4DRX5igFayVRPSxAoBNHIbxn2nEFZU-63O4P4M5ZsQ6n-yKd1_1WUiwyNcX5xDtUlC4I34vGidHAzsuUYn9l7BGL0KZZEaosAv3_V9n18bGZIaKNX5gf1kXqB8pkQoYoqQ/w404-h640/20220515_113048.jpg" width="404" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sentinel flamingo checking to see if their are still people around.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCs7-4h5CzYEe3iS0qz9iWmfnHhz1bSCihB082_ftXXWd_N7zExVX3gBIwRmtbdBjBudrOEYgwwjVQYUpzJVSEa4xDPEWahi-4UFZoLO7eRcThC34_VCq_hBL-HBoQOmMOVTY6HAXsUGsaM69OZDhfodbm-Jvguk1Ha2PSqQue4TLWGuj5qp1PVjn/s3032/20220515_113141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3032" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCs7-4h5CzYEe3iS0qz9iWmfnHhz1bSCihB082_ftXXWd_N7zExVX3gBIwRmtbdBjBudrOEYgwwjVQYUpzJVSEa4xDPEWahi-4UFZoLO7eRcThC34_VCq_hBL-HBoQOmMOVTY6HAXsUGsaM69OZDhfodbm-Jvguk1Ha2PSqQue4TLWGuj5qp1PVjn/w640-h402/20220515_113141.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, people are still here.</td></tr></tbody></table>Toucans and Aricaris! The keel-billed toucan is the national bird of Belize. Always a treat to see them. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlpd0xZpGYDQU5fKu7CTWDkJ3EA7Ub5R79OlsT7w9KYcdUPG-4_ebJVzyuiEqq8herhIu7LKMKHf8VZBcBIoMkl1IhNuoQpI99TRBE3RjXme5dgFgIKsLZ4PYZxpr_S3Tcw-Jnj95A_BMrfhsxe34vl-LGwd2H2G7ks-oACIF_8jfTjslQtskq2Nb/s1614/20220515_094118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="1614" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlpd0xZpGYDQU5fKu7CTWDkJ3EA7Ub5R79OlsT7w9KYcdUPG-4_ebJVzyuiEqq8herhIu7LKMKHf8VZBcBIoMkl1IhNuoQpI99TRBE3RjXme5dgFgIKsLZ4PYZxpr_S3Tcw-Jnj95A_BMrfhsxe34vl-LGwd2H2G7ks-oACIF_8jfTjslQtskq2Nb/w640-h378/20220515_094118.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfhqUYPBk_gjXZJE10g4zowMAp2cMCV94f8fYn-4jPvoODIibQBCZHc86vowduuMkcd4BxsZDMFqSH--pbP7dWXmg7slQJvUIAH-Fxlz9EmiHb8Vmz7IDdjVp8XhbCEw5mYpgtF2Sbq5qS7p24tSvv51mB5SvxeeaYW5CLNwuQ9hfDQbkuKUY9XeH/s2394/20220515_094119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1585" data-original-width="2394" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfhqUYPBk_gjXZJE10g4zowMAp2cMCV94f8fYn-4jPvoODIibQBCZHc86vowduuMkcd4BxsZDMFqSH--pbP7dWXmg7slQJvUIAH-Fxlz9EmiHb8Vmz7IDdjVp8XhbCEw5mYpgtF2Sbq5qS7p24tSvv51mB5SvxeeaYW5CLNwuQ9hfDQbkuKUY9XeH/w640-h424/20220515_094119.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Belize is also home to several aricari species, but I don't know if these particular aricaris are found in Belize. For sure their cousins are!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaT0krHiqOFE0nKqPMHqxzk8CsjrSteTjd0UDCQv2kU1vpD6fmp1ao7SZ6TBSc5eZSW7GqniF2Df-RcZBkAKhjAmpJlUelW9W2G8po1GgFcZHqsK05wZA_DBbkHa9nKsedX8Xrn6T4wGSBqdNJ1AJyuqiZ4GXr6hs85vOwczUOQ-hj6ynfC2PRmB4/s2705/20220515_095509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2705" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaT0krHiqOFE0nKqPMHqxzk8CsjrSteTjd0UDCQv2kU1vpD6fmp1ao7SZ6TBSc5eZSW7GqniF2Df-RcZBkAKhjAmpJlUelW9W2G8po1GgFcZHqsK05wZA_DBbkHa9nKsedX8Xrn6T4wGSBqdNJ1AJyuqiZ4GXr6hs85vOwczUOQ-hj6ynfC2PRmB4/w640-h452/20220515_095509.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ni2ba-GL9JX_G_x8th0vDYsqNgl7UXBoC1HBU0gkrWDKGj1QDhuWzSxvXnfMX6geT0KEV-jLynakgRrabDRWMcogTqRQwAzrOlHwM62mh0lDhvkubChb8c54a41sXBXCRc-FWuW4n2u9K85sVX14svXfh_yNYLfCeNzqSrMeswiGKuARiorPUH0R/s1639/20220515_104817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="1574" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ni2ba-GL9JX_G_x8th0vDYsqNgl7UXBoC1HBU0gkrWDKGj1QDhuWzSxvXnfMX6geT0KEV-jLynakgRrabDRWMcogTqRQwAzrOlHwM62mh0lDhvkubChb8c54a41sXBXCRc-FWuW4n2u9K85sVX14svXfh_yNYLfCeNzqSrMeswiGKuARiorPUH0R/w614-h640/20220515_104817.jpg" width="614" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Colorful birds and poison arrow frogs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKx8PH-5Zda0N3rUW4s4esUVuYAy7MCHHtfTYmu9Dx0xKu97NF-wxNYrAGQ8UH1MG_EUicydJ4iYy6G9KA_pz1QPt8H0w4ZQmOMTVlUaXiuVX6sk2rCsg8GCdLCbZL957qKa30jBS_KgxLjFzwG1CwAJUpy7Ej0Dsx4k6gUEIXld5_8gaR-XF7qSt/s2666/20220515_101657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2666" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKx8PH-5Zda0N3rUW4s4esUVuYAy7MCHHtfTYmu9Dx0xKu97NF-wxNYrAGQ8UH1MG_EUicydJ4iYy6G9KA_pz1QPt8H0w4ZQmOMTVlUaXiuVX6sk2rCsg8GCdLCbZL957qKa30jBS_KgxLjFzwG1CwAJUpy7Ej0Dsx4k6gUEIXld5_8gaR-XF7qSt/w458-h640/20220515_101657.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyffd6aTQrLnLFHk6ewJWMkYzVy4DHyYqg-bWu0SIJGVY3uWDj-fX3V7MdOHTJ-fwCx9_InBV6M3JyucaXrFO-X4RJQ63ldEr_sz7RW7FT7UnH40hAbL34BoaQZD4fHA3M-HSiUqUBTD-2FQweg4iX8XNaPaPqdZngm5Py0DfJvZEeCFpdVCE6Bi_/s1175/20220515_101346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyffd6aTQrLnLFHk6ewJWMkYzVy4DHyYqg-bWu0SIJGVY3uWDj-fX3V7MdOHTJ-fwCx9_InBV6M3JyucaXrFO-X4RJQ63ldEr_sz7RW7FT7UnH40hAbL34BoaQZD4fHA3M-HSiUqUBTD-2FQweg4iX8XNaPaPqdZngm5Py0DfJvZEeCFpdVCE6Bi_/s1175/20220515_101346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBgOg36Bv1f27SLuX0VR7SExnGWjIldEL_esmhNL0iPOL9Tmg3-2vmDtupTNlG5Vc0LvUSI-kwNktObEaQUwF6AvOveRhHL88kXWqPrJ_ljhcHIYDiCkc6-hWhqddkT5UeOzM--NGDMv629yO2I5DfL6S7arGOuD0AgR7q1kTeBTbGiDWbcM7-w_R/s2222/20220515_103558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="2222" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBgOg36Bv1f27SLuX0VR7SExnGWjIldEL_esmhNL0iPOL9Tmg3-2vmDtupTNlG5Vc0LvUSI-kwNktObEaQUwF6AvOveRhHL88kXWqPrJ_ljhcHIYDiCkc6-hWhqddkT5UeOzM--NGDMv629yO2I5DfL6S7arGOuD0AgR7q1kTeBTbGiDWbcM7-w_R/w640-h396/20220515_103558.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyffd6aTQrLnLFHk6ewJWMkYzVy4DHyYqg-bWu0SIJGVY3uWDj-fX3V7MdOHTJ-fwCx9_InBV6M3JyucaXrFO-X4RJQ63ldEr_sz7RW7FT7UnH40hAbL34BoaQZD4fHA3M-HSiUqUBTD-2FQweg4iX8XNaPaPqdZngm5Py0DfJvZEeCFpdVCE6Bi_/s1175/20220515_101346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1175" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyffd6aTQrLnLFHk6ewJWMkYzVy4DHyYqg-bWu0SIJGVY3uWDj-fX3V7MdOHTJ-fwCx9_InBV6M3JyucaXrFO-X4RJQ63ldEr_sz7RW7FT7UnH40hAbL34BoaQZD4fHA3M-HSiUqUBTD-2FQweg4iX8XNaPaPqdZngm5Py0DfJvZEeCFpdVCE6Bi_/w640-h584/20220515_101346.jpg" width="640" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseK4fN6paf4-rFij4ROX3wyD-VlcO0oe40PNC-D-FWMxWmwnEyQCHEa7-O_ETeGoHfrkpteGpWhxsg6hvG81M5Biw3kfWoAge4_tkWwpwNedZYBL-B3b39nqwM_3CTXj6yIqB5zxMoDi5I01_RZ2rcAFrYavR2bOtt61YYEyuW2ZFCW_kM2DtF4JY/s1888/20220515_101004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1747" data-original-width="1888" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseK4fN6paf4-rFij4ROX3wyD-VlcO0oe40PNC-D-FWMxWmwnEyQCHEa7-O_ETeGoHfrkpteGpWhxsg6hvG81M5Biw3kfWoAge4_tkWwpwNedZYBL-B3b39nqwM_3CTXj6yIqB5zxMoDi5I01_RZ2rcAFrYavR2bOtt61YYEyuW2ZFCW_kM2DtF4JY/w640-h592/20220515_101004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There were many other animals and gorgeous plants. I don't like to see large cats and primates held captive, so I don't have photos of them. The cats, held singly (probably a good idea), were pacing with boredom in areas far too small. They really need to be in the wild. The smaller lemurs seemed OK, but the larger lemurs and monkeys probably need more stimulation and larger habitats. Otherwise, I enjoyed the zoo and highly recommend it.</div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-83737176735039969482022-09-30T11:00:00.000-06:002022-09-30T11:00:48.114-06:00Easing Back Into Blogland<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hello, hello. Break time is over, so here I am again. I've been busy, but today I am just gently easing back into blogging with a single image and a few words.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9Et-nHwX2NmtvVJQjUHuZTh1_vcVtC8mnzY-DsBHkD7o3h4Qbh8BqZKa43uwdoS5z7KsTLefr58eHogfH23TjEEHkk4_-vNcqIQrlCs5CMoL_kGyB8YWvYRypiB4c3o0gRNS4zn7GRoK5a1xTkiNp4A0r4VRhelCjFeGkAZaRmxZ_sUSjt3EZxHx/s4608/20220930_064253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="4608" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9Et-nHwX2NmtvVJQjUHuZTh1_vcVtC8mnzY-DsBHkD7o3h4Qbh8BqZKa43uwdoS5z7KsTLefr58eHogfH23TjEEHkk4_-vNcqIQrlCs5CMoL_kGyB8YWvYRypiB4c3o0gRNS4zn7GRoK5a1xTkiNp4A0r4VRhelCjFeGkAZaRmxZ_sUSjt3EZxHx/w640-h304/20220930_064253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reflections of sun dogs at sunrise.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">September was very wet, with almost 25 inches of rain very considerately falling mostly during the nights. Today is gorgeous. The dogs (and I) bathed in the sea this morning. We smell pretty now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See you tomorrow.</div><br /><p></p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-16290284041777790712022-06-02T10:27:00.000-06:002022-06-02T10:27:38.936-06:00Fishy Goings On In Dallas<p>My brother, who came to be with me for my eye surgery, and I both arrived in Dallas on Saturday afternoon (night in my case) before my Monday procedure. We had all day Sunday to play! It was very hot with highs in the mid- 90sF (~35C), putting indoor activities on the agenda. We spent the morning at the <a href="https://dwazoo.com/" target="_blank">Dallas World Aquarium</a>, which also includes an indoor zoo specializing in tropical and subtropical habitats. In fact, with the zoo portion being larger than the aquarium, the name is a little misleading. The photos below show that there were plenty of fish and marine habitats, though! It was crowded on a Sunday morning, but still had plenty of room for folks of all ages to take their time and enjoy the exhibits at their own pace. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXl1ARA6zolbUSOOonu7U-3SCpVAYVbWeciBN8bOT4OzT1h6sXEySvNCHGbEbFk-JiyEL7Ei9kY_26vhRQw1AZ7_dR3LiXAiVZLLg5RgkQsGUD0qqBq_dmW3HjGbGIVkdwA_5Sr9HlvtZ3tzn4-Is7kOV8MiEpfUmF7M_FqGNowQTtufuO0XrboKc/s2804/20220515_105902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2804" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXl1ARA6zolbUSOOonu7U-3SCpVAYVbWeciBN8bOT4OzT1h6sXEySvNCHGbEbFk-JiyEL7Ei9kY_26vhRQw1AZ7_dR3LiXAiVZLLg5RgkQsGUD0qqBq_dmW3HjGbGIVkdwA_5Sr9HlvtZ3tzn4-Is7kOV8MiEpfUmF7M_FqGNowQTtufuO0XrboKc/w640-h436/20220515_105902.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoZrRCxU5WWkuQS57CSVeA5W0jj-wIe0kZJk31N2xw9K4O5YdCSXSxSkULEJaUJccyKfBFbuZm2uYpb_CMOCcbKr4pH5bH4ySNZOI6mXwjfDU6IZdzLYTxGN6gx7sgm10ftVKKSt94GROgEy1qmhTLHMhWtQK0fbOfAE-7fyZEUi1oJ2-g6BMHdIz/s2152/20220515_110340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="2152" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoZrRCxU5WWkuQS57CSVeA5W0jj-wIe0kZJk31N2xw9K4O5YdCSXSxSkULEJaUJccyKfBFbuZm2uYpb_CMOCcbKr4pH5bH4ySNZOI6mXwjfDU6IZdzLYTxGN6gx7sgm10ftVKKSt94GROgEy1qmhTLHMhWtQK0fbOfAE-7fyZEUi1oJ2-g6BMHdIz/w640-h326/20220515_110340.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhje363tC-etOfwExPkEbz4M9LXnC8mY0577fmajMkX36muM_JHtgzfTCf1mIW8F5BeA-bBnLmez-8k9KLHZloxwBZw6dlPCEvKJF0rFeiezecVKtstsrbZ7LwSUXEfe8ct4j_MxxJiWxUeYtQOnWRMp-43YzXRHc0KD_DJ07sUK68lex4PgxDMj8zC/s3518/20220515_110457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1627" data-original-width="3518" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhje363tC-etOfwExPkEbz4M9LXnC8mY0577fmajMkX36muM_JHtgzfTCf1mIW8F5BeA-bBnLmez-8k9KLHZloxwBZw6dlPCEvKJF0rFeiezecVKtstsrbZ7LwSUXEfe8ct4j_MxxJiWxUeYtQOnWRMp-43YzXRHc0KD_DJ07sUK68lex4PgxDMj8zC/w640-h296/20220515_110457.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZJr5HL-d_FfWWja44ZJE1qp18fZT_ImQoSYX7_Ef_1nPUitvYrVu20UK1sCziwO100XTSr9ktUurQfUbPd0DDGrVkPQ60ZGJwkTFvNEdn5iuAEl_boGLx_ggfClOyZ5p_Cw3RTVrpQI5WQfuJbBdVAQkjjTlGmsgfmQB5NDewfsd2ytWIpXwnj4R/s2251/20220515_110513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2251" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZJr5HL-d_FfWWja44ZJE1qp18fZT_ImQoSYX7_Ef_1nPUitvYrVu20UK1sCziwO100XTSr9ktUurQfUbPd0DDGrVkPQ60ZGJwkTFvNEdn5iuAEl_boGLx_ggfClOyZ5p_Cw3RTVrpQI5WQfuJbBdVAQkjjTlGmsgfmQB5NDewfsd2ytWIpXwnj4R/w640-h542/20220515_110513.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrwy8Cn7lxi8Mv3n5O8hH46Bchti-jU9tb0zhyKo27YpikpxdrbjHkN-pNtvMLj72lpEONxYfbXmM9aZ2xlUYVu2nRSZ1ePSOE55mQroLcf2_GV_GP362zMNORA4gy2z8wcT57FZU8bng_fj_5wmk0BgmYWhBvBwhVOB3HGRKRJY3UZbiJNxYMcQD/s3960/20220515_114519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3960" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrwy8Cn7lxi8Mv3n5O8hH46Bchti-jU9tb0zhyKo27YpikpxdrbjHkN-pNtvMLj72lpEONxYfbXmM9aZ2xlUYVu2nRSZ1ePSOE55mQroLcf2_GV_GP362zMNORA4gy2z8wcT57FZU8bng_fj_5wmk0BgmYWhBvBwhVOB3HGRKRJY3UZbiJNxYMcQD/w640-h308/20220515_114519.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurHFTmSxT3kIeZ6mbN2t0oNwxnFZZAHbmAu-RThHdVeC09smktEkpw7nsxzWsWlkgiLlXBvO1N4i3yjzxXuE3fYUH54TUJ-voEjxWfwP7rmWcve_XxFAqgyuzFkXABU50U0AALjAehtZ7WoQwYaD8djnXJdfyMF1KmcaHY3VqKIv6D65Jf9taEpj9/s4032/20220515_111603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurHFTmSxT3kIeZ6mbN2t0oNwxnFZZAHbmAu-RThHdVeC09smktEkpw7nsxzWsWlkgiLlXBvO1N4i3yjzxXuE3fYUH54TUJ-voEjxWfwP7rmWcve_XxFAqgyuzFkXABU50U0AALjAehtZ7WoQwYaD8djnXJdfyMF1KmcaHY3VqKIv6D65Jf9taEpj9/w640-h302/20220515_111603.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Axolotl. These are a kind of salamander that never go beyond their aquatic juvenile phase. They look like little dragons with their neck ruffles of gills. </td></tr></tbody></table>One of the coolest features was the glass people tunnel that ran along the bottom of the large cenote aquarium with sharks, rays, sawfish, stingrays, and groupers. It was so cool to see these huge creatures swimming over and around you.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJSsSLcc93pN_av8sne3DotDxWaXr7i-H0R-a3-j44huDMseQkCfJD1WD2WIjKV7H44dkl1ZQ8lZjBuJetgr2oM8W0-O1roNn5BYde_LVu0qMOGqBw9cMLRbi0bnywq3FOJIXuN2UiSdnw_xAN745kMR0LEnE3Tgdnjzt5HaFNqilaQ8cTA22cwhP/s4032/20220515_093721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJSsSLcc93pN_av8sne3DotDxWaXr7i-H0R-a3-j44huDMseQkCfJD1WD2WIjKV7H44dkl1ZQ8lZjBuJetgr2oM8W0-O1roNn5BYde_LVu0qMOGqBw9cMLRbi0bnywq3FOJIXuN2UiSdnw_xAN745kMR0LEnE3Tgdnjzt5HaFNqilaQ8cTA22cwhP/w640-h302/20220515_093721.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flamingo exhibit overlooks the cenote aquarium. You can see part of the submerged glass people tube at the center bottom of the photo.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrwgsXbMH96Hjhx_tjcPFWC4OrgQ4bL5LGAMwxQxcxjrwFYb8uutbFpp9rlL7qh2eFAwpvg57YxYMop-dIIedH4QJzVSma8QQt0YKafpxv0nsxeqq7lzZx2fXdyC9cR27Nkg6BDMM7pfvmY5dA6oaQb9sVynM_NP63FgrGzVi-9ERgOrtRE6_G0lr/s4032/20220515_113258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrwgsXbMH96Hjhx_tjcPFWC4OrgQ4bL5LGAMwxQxcxjrwFYb8uutbFpp9rlL7qh2eFAwpvg57YxYMop-dIIedH4QJzVSma8QQt0YKafpxv0nsxeqq7lzZx2fXdyC9cR27Nkg6BDMM7pfvmY5dA6oaQb9sVynM_NP63FgrGzVi-9ERgOrtRE6_G0lr/w640-h302/20220515_113258.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the people tube from a different angle running along the bottom edge of the photo.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT8Z1XUNGIzOI399d_0hApXGoairl28Tv6mhdE1ZznORpimHr5n4M6OBKceiuPAZPxaSOxihYAeDbMU8kxuTlYYZs7h-DrKAXTruWjG7pEulvaj3O7RwAAJSHkIfEZFbvGMWmrmQKGW7-3xKkJlXtKnNf5fcsVP0N2ddcBTH8xASoITwPXtqIRu2m/s4373/20220515_111727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="4373" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT8Z1XUNGIzOI399d_0hApXGoairl28Tv6mhdE1ZznORpimHr5n4M6OBKceiuPAZPxaSOxihYAeDbMU8kxuTlYYZs7h-DrKAXTruWjG7pEulvaj3O7RwAAJSHkIfEZFbvGMWmrmQKGW7-3xKkJlXtKnNf5fcsVP0N2ddcBTH8xASoITwPXtqIRu2m/w640-h320/20220515_111727.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the tube, it is hard to see the boundary between the air and the water. It looks like this sawfish is making a beeline for my brother!</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Lots more to the zoo/aquarium, but that's it for this post; more next time.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD8ECGE2BIMjkpyhJbUx1ZxqCpFND5e-YP1W-OMJVGD1xS8LRUVU_ww_3hepbZ70IDZHEDQT4qCqiip0vvL9_we6khPTxX4KfWptZcMrs27pblt1TYNDUSeaCxqTJTp21zicS980wCY4VHIzz6I492Gz04rUbsfG1MNz4kSP1Rw-6bbERdbQLRMeB/s3313/20220515_121322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3313" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD8ECGE2BIMjkpyhJbUx1ZxqCpFND5e-YP1W-OMJVGD1xS8LRUVU_ww_3hepbZ70IDZHEDQT4qCqiip0vvL9_we6khPTxX4KfWptZcMrs27pblt1TYNDUSeaCxqTJTp21zicS980wCY4VHIzz6I492Gz04rUbsfG1MNz4kSP1Rw-6bbERdbQLRMeB/w640-h368/20220515_121322.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parasol ceiling art at the Thai diner where we ate lunch.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-7991654986314878242022-05-23T13:03:00.000-06:002022-05-23T13:03:47.614-06:00Home Again!<p>And I can see! The surgery was easy, with dramatic results. I stayed in Dallas a week and returned home Saturday. More about the stay in Dallas in the next post(s); today I am focusing (get it?) on the last leg of the journey home. I left DFW at 11:04am Central Daylight Time and arrived at PGIA in Belize at 12:30pm Central Time - a flight time of just under 2.5 hours. Belize stays on standard time year 'round since we are so close to the equator. PGIA, Belize's only international airport, is pretty small with only one runway and one taxiway. It was about maxed out on how many international fights it can accommodate when we landed, so the airport with its extra covid screening process was a zoo. I just did make my connecting flight to Placencia at 1:30pm. I was able to sit in the co-pilot seat, my favorite spot on these small planes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cb-liBeNDBNwyECImHofoRl2DmqDjrsYbMgFinb4UVaVvPwHWnDdGkA2UXSPrSzODfr8jOpdoAN0QaNyJG8LopTI6xrpw3eH7S6nN-RkWEYwAe8RMC4lYV_GF5BGco6iYpB01T6Jlw75jmJBue1AdEk1OX1GZPbehba1irBpVmz6_M5QWg4pX5xD/s3045/20220521_133420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3045" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cb-liBeNDBNwyECImHofoRl2DmqDjrsYbMgFinb4UVaVvPwHWnDdGkA2UXSPrSzODfr8jOpdoAN0QaNyJG8LopTI6xrpw3eH7S6nN-RkWEYwAe8RMC4lYV_GF5BGco6iYpB01T6Jlw75jmJBue1AdEk1OX1GZPbehba1irBpVmz6_M5QWg4pX5xD/w640-h402/20220521_133420.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posted placard just in case I get a hankering to try to fly the plane! </td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1c-9T1c1b3YDFbxa3Pmn_1YAE4RSflSbRZgselj8h8Oqf2fxnOfo3Rtw2_m4-XXDqhd4KVBTdUEFcxvP1lR7tpJMMqELy6slS4CQeoAKucfD_nL0wjJYYd9mxOzpGii57CfYOdl6czkcfWgom3m3xRNkaED2RcbJsOXcIVXgqK2-8Vw0uwD6dkRe/s3481/20220521_133333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3481" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1c-9T1c1b3YDFbxa3Pmn_1YAE4RSflSbRZgselj8h8Oqf2fxnOfo3Rtw2_m4-XXDqhd4KVBTdUEFcxvP1lR7tpJMMqELy6slS4CQeoAKucfD_nL0wjJYYd9mxOzpGii57CfYOdl6czkcfWgom3m3xRNkaED2RcbJsOXcIVXgqK2-8Vw0uwD6dkRe/w640-h350/20220521_133333.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big planes lined up at the terminal. My American Airlines plane is second from left with the striped tail. </td></tr></tbody></table>The day was perfect for flying. Once we were airborne, the pilot switched on autopilot and was hands off until we neared our first stop at airstrip in Dangriga.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BKgEjqs7k_PMM2sLHA6JTMD6wY0EYj8DwNDzAK49UTj0OXEaPzaQbvsouWhQbB7AAkqmHhbdFy1kCnHqJnVqCk_hOXff_ZiaUnYIlpA3w0_W2kQABxCe2RvK8eJa5afOlWFc2NmLZ9SBk9wFzFmaCINGDVK6ZN97O8WhY4gaMdIo79ACyFPrmZel/s4032/20220521_133425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BKgEjqs7k_PMM2sLHA6JTMD6wY0EYj8DwNDzAK49UTj0OXEaPzaQbvsouWhQbB7AAkqmHhbdFy1kCnHqJnVqCk_hOXff_ZiaUnYIlpA3w0_W2kQABxCe2RvK8eJa5afOlWFc2NmLZ9SBk9wFzFmaCINGDVK6ZN97O8WhY4gaMdIo79ACyFPrmZel/w640-h302/20220521_133425.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful Belize River adjacent to PGIA. Several times I have been lucky enough to spot manatees swimming in the river as we flew over, but not this time.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjk4HUZp1-e-vdwYvFF2aHyUvLIN24SlXYMzdpbia5tIEruBAic2B_8BAPu_TONqtvmZw3yOkijT6lyx7B3lZSTn35BPn6AstZuvavz0Ugv2BxCORf7eFbfa2nJ94FwStidgLV4m4jm4aTkOUOwQ0O0Q0nBABvpf0mXEO7aSqVH0r2UdO_RyF5rs9/s2939/20220521_133547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="2939" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjk4HUZp1-e-vdwYvFF2aHyUvLIN24SlXYMzdpbia5tIEruBAic2B_8BAPu_TONqtvmZw3yOkijT6lyx7B3lZSTn35BPn6AstZuvavz0Ugv2BxCORf7eFbfa2nJ94FwStidgLV4m4jm4aTkOUOwQ0O0Q0nBABvpf0mXEO7aSqVH0r2UdO_RyF5rs9/w640-h328/20220521_133547.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belize City, the capital until it was levelled by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. You can see the municipal airstrip jutting out into the sea at the upper left of the city.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6Pb9mmcjDEd3ttGh4lc4_23nvYJFMmX4IiV5JdX5zqjiIfhOaKXP-Gg2z1wYWw8OzqkSDEASqVWZLwqsYCzbSGb0-m_rIwSAkuR6mnAnuRc4Q5dxCh0q3F7v4NweOs4NaEMa2xfrtCzZRdiQTpVqWpvZfjzAwf9pk6skNeFmGp-wmAE1huKITTnz/s3543/20220521_133806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1743" data-original-width="3543" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6Pb9mmcjDEd3ttGh4lc4_23nvYJFMmX4IiV5JdX5zqjiIfhOaKXP-Gg2z1wYWw8OzqkSDEASqVWZLwqsYCzbSGb0-m_rIwSAkuR6mnAnuRc4Q5dxCh0q3F7v4NweOs4NaEMa2xfrtCzZRdiQTpVqWpvZfjzAwf9pk6skNeFmGp-wmAE1huKITTnz/w640-h314/20220521_133806.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the Northern Lagoon with the sea to the left. The strip of land between the lagoon and sea is very low and marshy during the rainy season.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbzmSh_--tjsqzAMS-cIQ26ALM3GSu2FpGbE1sUnKYrmTP-Ik13ufMQCQCn7AgZzt934i1PB74BAuSC0IwtBJDMHLjUR7kLj99mFr135NcBbNaYP_ke6Wbm9FzT_OwCR2i-yZ4MJnI9kXAMTEupEVaNQJpMiyoRn80cRS3ulXcyrFQ1YoPsarzwfh/s4032/20220521_134219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbzmSh_--tjsqzAMS-cIQ26ALM3GSu2FpGbE1sUnKYrmTP-Ik13ufMQCQCn7AgZzt934i1PB74BAuSC0IwtBJDMHLjUR7kLj99mFr135NcBbNaYP_ke6Wbm9FzT_OwCR2i-yZ4MJnI9kXAMTEupEVaNQJpMiyoRn80cRS3ulXcyrFQ1YoPsarzwfh/w640-h302/20220521_134219.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just south of the Northern Lagoon is the equally creatively named Southern Lagoon. We are over the sea here, and the water is so clear you can see the sandy bottom.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Mi_jLEK7XqNeqpBfYIQ8syH5oDPGJUqj8-bV-FB9i-njlZwhOix1r9r1JZmKZuoJgVR9DERsyzH9rhczFA8T_Fwym83sK9-zCBrANteIOoougOwjjrg8alBXi2MVu_fWPrt-jPK7rA0K5IBFkuYc5b9VssWsQ3DUPaDLW2JzESRQkjRALAlU-VJg/s4032/20220521_134438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Mi_jLEK7XqNeqpBfYIQ8syH5oDPGJUqj8-bV-FB9i-njlZwhOix1r9r1JZmKZuoJgVR9DERsyzH9rhczFA8T_Fwym83sK9-zCBrANteIOoougOwjjrg8alBXi2MVu_fWPrt-jPK7rA0K5IBFkuYc5b9VssWsQ3DUPaDLW2JzESRQkjRALAlU-VJg/w640-h302/20220521_134438.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea, shrimp farms, mountains in the distance.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOkikSAfJKJX-XaJTHvk9lICIj4YyYRRjaDorKN6o5URZ0cCst-sOHIGeIC4w3dPiAWO4vDkOavs0UR43pcyoQBM5McSdE0Uw4g6hbaaTaaD87gXMTNTiNMLFP55irxcZfFqn06R9HZ-XabvDTkzsfmK3bzK_Pua2QKcaSm0UtsiCgHkkkDek1Vb6/s4032/20220521_134702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOkikSAfJKJX-XaJTHvk9lICIj4YyYRRjaDorKN6o5URZ0cCst-sOHIGeIC4w3dPiAWO4vDkOavs0UR43pcyoQBM5McSdE0Uw4g6hbaaTaaD87gXMTNTiNMLFP55irxcZfFqn06R9HZ-XabvDTkzsfmK3bzK_Pua2QKcaSm0UtsiCgHkkkDek1Vb6/w640-h302/20220521_134702.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying low over former shrimp farm ponds on the right as we make the approach to the Dangriga airstrip.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL5jwN2pPolOcgvIM3Ains9sfJl4cdmFRshLYkG4KciQcB3nRoZ2A8VAolENfZxgHaPbcXiYVmt5t-ZSWVB6KSb8jIMACHHfMN5HwV2Aj-pDFYfQTSie1pWCf9wOhUXiEobsQ6W5dNOBofGnHZZQbqjVUe0bShSaO5aJ4FGYVhU9LFlELbp5b3svc/s3320/20220521_134758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1701" data-original-width="3320" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL5jwN2pPolOcgvIM3Ains9sfJl4cdmFRshLYkG4KciQcB3nRoZ2A8VAolENfZxgHaPbcXiYVmt5t-ZSWVB6KSb8jIMACHHfMN5HwV2Aj-pDFYfQTSie1pWCf9wOhUXiEobsQ6W5dNOBofGnHZZQbqjVUe0bShSaO5aJ4FGYVhU9LFlELbp5b3svc/w640-h328/20220521_134758.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jungle below and then the airstrip up ahead. Dangriga is to the right.</td></tr></tbody></table>We made a 10 minute stop in Dangriga to let a couple of passengers off and then continued flying south to Placencia, total flight time of 40 minutes.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCz20wu6B9tmX6kERdXI3MBrUOnc2TA4P2Id_b2WB-GANh36XDFc-ZjZvXdOxstd19qQQUPC4F16CPdAWKx2T5PX2RqIzFCXwpJjo4GazJnNzBwCklyst1xPxNHVhIwNJzfBfOwWQS4VVGqSp_dMl10YDFTSwi0W2akpIdc7cwGJmq_QulkXWTjqW/s1068/20220521_140500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1068" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCz20wu6B9tmX6kERdXI3MBrUOnc2TA4P2Id_b2WB-GANh36XDFc-ZjZvXdOxstd19qQQUPC4F16CPdAWKx2T5PX2RqIzFCXwpJjo4GazJnNzBwCklyst1xPxNHVhIwNJzfBfOwWQS4VVGqSp_dMl10YDFTSwi0W2akpIdc7cwGJmq_QulkXWTjqW/w640-h466/20220521_140500.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placencia airstrip, spans nearly the entire width of the narrow peninsula.</td></tr></tbody></table>Until 4 or so years ago, when we landed in Placencia, once we got off the plane and collected out bags, we would walk back down the runway to the canal you see on the right of the runway. Someone would be waiting for us in a boat to bring us straight home. After a little oopsie at the airstrip in which a plane clipped the top of a car on the road at the far end of the runway and fell into the sea (minor injuries, car and plane totalled), national aviation safety had a review of procedures at the airstrip and changed things up. Now there are barricades that come down to block the road when a plane is landing and no one is allowed to walk down the runway. Now we must take a taxi to the dock in the village. Probably safer, but not as much fun.<div><br /></div><div>I got home around 3:30 on Saturday and was ecstatically greeted by Dennis, Clove, and Barnie - it was a grand welcome. The only bad thing is that I caught a vicious cold somewhere along the way and have been taking it easy except for walking the dogs. I haven't even completely unpacked. Today is rainy with lots of thunder this morning. Scaredy-cat Clove decided she was a lap dog so I could properly comfort her.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GCDIK2a7xUHIUzz1hqWKXhBGGhpJXOuDVV397Qth5nl2LTQC5bLe84VyeX_XsqxMKsArP_PLILFOJ6ycX-yaQ9njyRhVYyPngGyLNm-yaGfRZ9ujNzIcbiXb_YrzSMoC6KSebjkIFwibz7XpPAEVzgRdNuVQs3LV5g03fK6kXnTUD6jCCBrrm8YO/s2727/20220523_083940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1818" data-original-width="2727" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GCDIK2a7xUHIUzz1hqWKXhBGGhpJXOuDVV397Qth5nl2LTQC5bLe84VyeX_XsqxMKsArP_PLILFOJ6ycX-yaQ9njyRhVYyPngGyLNm-yaGfRZ9ujNzIcbiXb_YrzSMoC6KSebjkIFwibz7XpPAEVzgRdNuVQs3LV5g03fK6kXnTUD6jCCBrrm8YO/w640-h426/20220523_083940.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8:40am</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtUwC6Vmlis4SmmBv8bOd4EKMqyHO1lpohlOn6R41bQ6k8HdRjzji_LETzlEOnVtrL0uW1SEzrGCSSspOGo_eLUQBvSyLgaGNVDCdE2OnE_aZPWKNRFhvl9u3afonAtJIcSjZ13z8cOyuymsRH1z6RP-WcExq4VeauU3nDedHeauesicIJRryiFlz/s2082/20220523_104541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2082" data-original-width="1638" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtUwC6Vmlis4SmmBv8bOd4EKMqyHO1lpohlOn6R41bQ6k8HdRjzji_LETzlEOnVtrL0uW1SEzrGCSSspOGo_eLUQBvSyLgaGNVDCdE2OnE_aZPWKNRFhvl9u3afonAtJIcSjZ13z8cOyuymsRH1z6RP-WcExq4VeauU3nDedHeauesicIJRryiFlz/w504-h640/20220523_104541.jpg" width="504" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:30am</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xOXVX5LZu0yShztjYmfwJ6-uIEXhQygA3baSHQucEqW7LLGq6NN503xG8eIqepxvfIH_0ssERCFGeXAYunc_sSog0y5JOCOYbFKPmsla_kr5NMifsKTSJM-4d5PTxcULDKsqOcOdaJKZstqhOliof_tMNyKcSpnQ0jWGHeOFhDsRit_AZmR0Sacq/s2182/20220523_104947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2182" data-original-width="1522" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xOXVX5LZu0yShztjYmfwJ6-uIEXhQygA3baSHQucEqW7LLGq6NN503xG8eIqepxvfIH_0ssERCFGeXAYunc_sSog0y5JOCOYbFKPmsla_kr5NMifsKTSJM-4d5PTxcULDKsqOcOdaJKZstqhOliof_tMNyKcSpnQ0jWGHeOFhDsRit_AZmR0Sacq/w446-h640/20220523_104947.jpg" width="446" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:45am</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>She is on the foot of the bed now that most of the storm has passed, but she still insists that my foot must be touching her. What a wuss.</div><div><br /></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-54872989640296667722022-05-08T10:17:00.002-06:002022-05-08T10:17:44.628-06:00A Few Photos<p>It's hot down here; highs in the mid-80s F (>29C) with "feels like" topping 100F due to the high relative humidity. We venture out in the morning and again in the evening with a quick noontime walk in the shade for the dogs. The weather pattern will break in another 3 days or so. Whew!!!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmc3qFVPeSOHAa5SU-Dl93GyduqR5tenRQuTCFiiZRScFwgTl536RUklg6h8ury8ZGsAx-VRirGI8ZfPmursYCmdIWDCMGDve7n5gITG3KIwkMYk47h_Es_vMRWDe3nfLm0XawXMxuxABT94zOxSEYiWF7_BhrpDKTpG0uZI_ruIC2nn39r84kyLo/s4032/20220508_060154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmc3qFVPeSOHAa5SU-Dl93GyduqR5tenRQuTCFiiZRScFwgTl536RUklg6h8ury8ZGsAx-VRirGI8ZfPmursYCmdIWDCMGDve7n5gITG3KIwkMYk47h_Es_vMRWDe3nfLm0XawXMxuxABT94zOxSEYiWF7_BhrpDKTpG0uZI_ruIC2nn39r84kyLo/w640-h302/20220508_060154.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barnie in a sploot. Or is that a semi-sploot?</td></tr></tbody></table>It was so miserable even at dawn this morning that Barnie refused to walk more that the bare minimum.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtFG5J8TjXGAoIV2LmEYfPnHogu7gw9eKmE3CbGNzdxyaoy-jnuNfgnJR9qqCmbrgSRtajNxORBMcvcbyZRS4HsUglWgGk7sekYUYf8R7LTJFxW1qR7BtljutyZmQDRaqvgH-aHi9VtfqbpXi23LUh66lTte9oYP2o29zTlFZM68LzKJ6ZXoHaduC/s4032/20220508_060234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtFG5J8TjXGAoIV2LmEYfPnHogu7gw9eKmE3CbGNzdxyaoy-jnuNfgnJR9qqCmbrgSRtajNxORBMcvcbyZRS4HsUglWgGk7sekYUYf8R7LTJFxW1qR7BtljutyZmQDRaqvgH-aHi9VtfqbpXi23LUh66lTte9oYP2o29zTlFZM68LzKJ6ZXoHaduC/w640-h302/20220508_060234.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The air is thick with moisture, but no rain in sight.</td></tr></tbody></table>Lots of bird nesting activity, though. I have been watching a pair of Social Flycatchers tending the nest they built at eye level just off the veranda where I sit every morning with my coffee and computer. I think they may have a helper, too. Good thing since they have to fend off big, marauding Brown Jays who want to eat their young! And they also have to chase off the Kiskadees who want to steal the nest for their own use. The parents are doing a fine job and it won't be long until the nestlings fledge out into the world. The Kiskadees finally settled on another nest site.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoiXgnE4FZdK_7seU1Ho72Pe167dWVeI-Zfbvf9Hhdc_O5QsrtTxJuDG-Ik2lxbNg5SYjcGuOU8lRK-MGKXYMZqF-HZxfdcKHxDATMKZHfWCwk571z3Cta_SHyndkVGXG5QKoRVBJVg7sS16Bydz7f2SrIOzQCtg_u--sNPR1eWTZHbNmeKnrrQDC/s2698/20220507_161901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2698" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoiXgnE4FZdK_7seU1Ho72Pe167dWVeI-Zfbvf9Hhdc_O5QsrtTxJuDG-Ik2lxbNg5SYjcGuOU8lRK-MGKXYMZqF-HZxfdcKHxDATMKZHfWCwk571z3Cta_SHyndkVGXG5QKoRVBJVg7sS16Bydz7f2SrIOzQCtg_u--sNPR1eWTZHbNmeKnrrQDC/w452-h640/20220507_161901.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiskadee nest in the crotch of a gumbo limbo tree. Their favorite place to nest used to be the rain gutters until we put an end to that with gutter guards. Don't want nest debris and bird poop in our water supply!</td></tr></tbody></table>A little farther afield I came across these sizable owl pellets. Fur was visible upon a closer look. Not sure what kind of owl it might be.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtEwVARb88N6wiceXhRb8FRY6FTiNJ630z8KD0I8vdbamSUuosfFEI5Xf0BfnCirVAQ_chSDT-okT8we-faMcV_ZZI6r9ojXkdc0DcSXhSZYJAaYLGVFbzqrVAb81MlejSYpUHmoK0j9jR9a5EU2DOVJd6pNkNDWX4vZ2EV6EwwQBvOTRx3A80YdD/s3345/20220507_055946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3345" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtEwVARb88N6wiceXhRb8FRY6FTiNJ630z8KD0I8vdbamSUuosfFEI5Xf0BfnCirVAQ_chSDT-okT8we-faMcV_ZZI6r9ojXkdc0DcSXhSZYJAaYLGVFbzqrVAb81MlejSYpUHmoK0j9jR9a5EU2DOVJd6pNkNDWX4vZ2EV6EwwQBvOTRx3A80YdD/w366-h640/20220507_055946.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><br /><div>Life and death go on in our backwater world. We watch as the world at large goes to hell, with the trampling human rights and real freedoms - not bullshit freedom to not wear a mask, but actual freedom to live and speak and to procreate or not procreate without the will of others being forcefully imposed upon you. We continue to send financial support (ACLU, Planned Parenthood, subscriptions to various news outlets to support journalism) and try not to feel helpless to change things.<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-9004757053074171802022-04-22T15:51:00.000-06:002022-04-22T15:51:32.887-06:00Things you may spot at DFW Airpot<p>I left Dallas Thursday on a direct flight back to Belize. It is good to be home. I had some time to spare at DFW Airport before the flight left, so I had a walk around Concourse D, the international concourse. They have commissioned some very nice public art for the airport and I discovered that Concourse D is the permanent home of some really cool floor medallions. The medallions, which are large at 20 feet in diameter, were each designed by a different Texas artist. I took photos of all the ones I saw on my nearly 2 mile walk along the concourse and back to my gate. The lighting was a challenge - glaring and reflective, but I think you will be able to get the idea.<br /><br /></p><p>Not my favorite, but fun never-the-less.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RfgX5E8FBgQOlnfO8wf0KfWNo_Z_2mn1na_b3a_lWmji51QyLyoPtqIdgImbilypJpuIX6JseE0ZYxFx31pzlmeT02jLPt5bs-bNbo0_g7ilVSHdsZyAQkrq6mqcG4noByxafC3hVUZcZUMgC8NwTwcyjDfHLbMvHxmGcgeDknQCZuAQpO8vXKQo/s2852/20220421_085322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1637" data-original-width="2852" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RfgX5E8FBgQOlnfO8wf0KfWNo_Z_2mn1na_b3a_lWmji51QyLyoPtqIdgImbilypJpuIX6JseE0ZYxFx31pzlmeT02jLPt5bs-bNbo0_g7ilVSHdsZyAQkrq6mqcG4noByxafC3hVUZcZUMgC8NwTwcyjDfHLbMvHxmGcgeDknQCZuAQpO8vXKQo/w640-h368/20220421_085322.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda Guy. "Dance! Don't Walk" 2005</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>It was so cool to watch this toddler stagger around this one, stopping to place its (boy or girl? - I couldn't tell) hand on each of the blue hands before running to the next one. I imagine the mom was happy to have her child so entertained while burning off some of that crazy kid energy.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxECY6pOBTG2MxSjyavW5DFiuYayBH92GvWH9GqX2do2uIbleYvPym2oyS3ytjZxni17zn4JHGOKbmcIgdFswl56CMrcSMNdh8tKg5kaGeN99BhhcGBO4qlxW1E_CUh6Wpg0PX1HG_BR2mn5be45b9Mr-c6raDHj8fREFXG3xpfTHAqWov95fRQGsj/s3345/20220421_085425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2170" data-original-width="3345" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxECY6pOBTG2MxSjyavW5DFiuYayBH92GvWH9GqX2do2uIbleYvPym2oyS3ytjZxni17zn4JHGOKbmcIgdFswl56CMrcSMNdh8tKg5kaGeN99BhhcGBO4qlxW1E_CUh6Wpg0PX1HG_BR2mn5be45b9Mr-c6raDHj8fREFXG3xpfTHAqWov95fRQGsj/w640-h416/20220421_085425.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viola Delgado - Untitled, 2005</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><h3 class="css-3g7h8b eu3xi622" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #585858; font-family: NeueHaasUnicaW1G, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.388; margin: 0px 0px 4px; max-width: fit-content; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywanVqunYzEArMvNyak8NsPTZo8QB6jlmwCaclQ1LMeb9KWaAYmTUk6bYxhbHeRieNL-op-C4ON--Cidf8ARnGyAhfty-LeHJ45Kh1qSmpeEQqdQcRAMpCUH8jcZKp4GgdIlZ-mxBTNEyJoVvmgU3GanZh3Nu0K5yjTUNk6p9YHyPN8lAC5GAQE73/s3829/20220421_092037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="3829" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywanVqunYzEArMvNyak8NsPTZo8QB6jlmwCaclQ1LMeb9KWaAYmTUk6bYxhbHeRieNL-op-C4ON--Cidf8ARnGyAhfty-LeHJ45Kh1qSmpeEQqdQcRAMpCUH8jcZKp4GgdIlZ-mxBTNEyJoVvmgU3GanZh3Nu0K5yjTUNk6p9YHyPN8lAC5GAQE73/w640-h366/20220421_092037.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't find the artist or any information.</td></tr></tbody></table></h3>I'm not sure what this one is and it is the only one I couldn't find any information on. I can see all sort of images in it ranging from animal totems to cityscapes. What do you see?<p></p>Not its real title, but I thought "Onion Rings" was fitting.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfgwMZxT-nqmGDOsJE2bdiwr8k-Pk0Jbjmx1DuSL-zSjb3yCmGpoX0FiCy_xyNnQiDDFUtcwCG1XNhinWPfxQis1wTNr-BMfH8lAcHEiBxJKXPf8O0SatJ2OzPc242Z04RwstDiQAAahFI7BON0O3Y6D-stD9RH9ChGjG14rSYtaCagMiWoDwE8JI/s3829/20220421_091935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2064" data-original-width="3829" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfgwMZxT-nqmGDOsJE2bdiwr8k-Pk0Jbjmx1DuSL-zSjb3yCmGpoX0FiCy_xyNnQiDDFUtcwCG1XNhinWPfxQis1wTNr-BMfH8lAcHEiBxJKXPf8O0SatJ2OzPc242Z04RwstDiQAAahFI7BON0O3Y6D-stD9RH9ChGjG14rSYtaCagMiWoDwE8JI/w640-h344/20220421_091935.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane Helslander "Floating in Space, a Waltz" 2005</td></tr></tbody></table>This was the most difficult one to photograph. I hope you can see the mockingbird on the fruit tree. The Northern Mockingbird is the state bird of Texas.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HLVUqopEDt0SRHtFC6N27cQaPdgu6gbcmaSvZogvV2VH0vdfTo8KKceatMl_8Bx4oaQioNaMKp8KarI7HwY0cyIBlspkJ7qMCThIYfsAEAdr5b36SkrWfGGZ2BhbrNBWfEeERGPSi8ZatgP569oy5XJCQ94MLjAog5qT0isq1aBvCBlfGLcdyVvf/s3822/20220421_091647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="3822" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HLVUqopEDt0SRHtFC6N27cQaPdgu6gbcmaSvZogvV2VH0vdfTo8KKceatMl_8Bx4oaQioNaMKp8KarI7HwY0cyIBlspkJ7qMCThIYfsAEAdr5b36SkrWfGGZ2BhbrNBWfEeERGPSi8ZatgP569oy5XJCQ94MLjAog5qT0isq1aBvCBlfGLcdyVvf/w640-h366/20220421_091647.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Hassell. "Early Morning Flight". 2005</td></tr></tbody></table> I found this one very calming.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPJl-nbh0yQf3YzTmX_bEobsKN1oFSaINcwoT7J9RTpKCbKV6PY-0WA2MMqliGHfO04CE4KG43IYpifC_poL3EucOPFuD37YOYlfPRcvYnHzRq4NRyq7JVLmn7JfbMSqAF8ZdecnfiOEgwfN_t7H7NpuJHijyiEw-XMrLcMVnSiLaKk79HUL_q7lP/s4176/20220421_091546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="4176" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPJl-nbh0yQf3YzTmX_bEobsKN1oFSaINcwoT7J9RTpKCbKV6PY-0WA2MMqliGHfO04CE4KG43IYpifC_poL3EucOPFuD37YOYlfPRcvYnHzRq4NRyq7JVLmn7JfbMSqAF8ZdecnfiOEgwfN_t7H7NpuJHijyiEw-XMrLcMVnSiLaKk79HUL_q7lP/w640-h334/20220421_091546.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ted Kincaid, Untitled, 2005</td></tr></tbody></table><div>A lot going on in this one.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7zzsxjxdkur5EQ5H1mVjd1EETwkr8zeIjrdt8MueNBKsLL82bOHAw2aF4ps9uv35mq8gvfsquDG2ROAztGpPhvpm7WWGYsaApWaQCvGX9olNRjWCE5x12jP5SwyDXy33dB2JTe5GKoaPqspmpBa40I3GKkw-miKthL2ia5KUwZwEVgcMiEvqPC-i/s3988/20220421_091349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2182" data-original-width="3988" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7zzsxjxdkur5EQ5H1mVjd1EETwkr8zeIjrdt8MueNBKsLL82bOHAw2aF4ps9uv35mq8gvfsquDG2ROAztGpPhvpm7WWGYsaApWaQCvGX9olNRjWCE5x12jP5SwyDXy33dB2JTe5GKoaPqspmpBa40I3GKkw-miKthL2ia5KUwZwEVgcMiEvqPC-i/w640-h350/20220421_091349.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beatrice Lebreton. "Celebration" 2005</td></tr></tbody></table><div>I wish I had taken the time to explore all the airport orange-colored 3-letter designations in the yellow rectangles on this game board. You are supposed to be be able to get to DFW in the center from lots of other places. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnNyUTmYZF4p6X7PvoNWdpa7Ms99kZUs17WBEQDrQCrBV7MgZsBSBlW3Bmc6LHzZrLMj2jzrSMHQXI5HzKdIvZ2YL-pvvBTH-B31psTitsHV9tpGERGmAMqWtF1baGXs_VDyF6Ae_f5h3V34nFHijehof1WbRZMqZfB4Od5rYHF-BNGMaAWk_fI0p/s3713/20220421_091257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2138" data-original-width="3713" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnNyUTmYZF4p6X7PvoNWdpa7Ms99kZUs17WBEQDrQCrBV7MgZsBSBlW3Bmc6LHzZrLMj2jzrSMHQXI5HzKdIvZ2YL-pvvBTH-B31psTitsHV9tpGERGmAMqWtF1baGXs_VDyF6Ae_f5h3V34nFHijehof1WbRZMqZfB4Od5rYHF-BNGMaAWk_fI0p/w640-h368/20220421_091257.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pamela Nelson. "Destination Game". 2005</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fantastic and fantastical horses in 3 colors - gold, blue, and red.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqF1vJNC1H1-3w1sdglONjto98bBw07AnL8e4Tm_ytcz8zve8bCDquSQfMOJdShmFHHJqXMK5cXwbcnvYubYcvti4ksI8ijsvKg5nY7FpScyf15v-aWgrIyVDwwZuyxEiN2Mc-Nztg1Mn1d3bBp5yw-z39GWLoxgE33G-bNrqshRf0sO4I8qbz55FC/s3249/20220421_085611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="3249" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqF1vJNC1H1-3w1sdglONjto98bBw07AnL8e4Tm_ytcz8zve8bCDquSQfMOJdShmFHHJqXMK5cXwbcnvYubYcvti4ksI8ijsvKg5nY7FpScyf15v-aWgrIyVDwwZuyxEiN2Mc-Nztg1Mn1d3bBp5yw-z39GWLoxgE33G-bNrqshRf0sO4I8qbz55FC/w640-h354/20220421_085611.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Zapata. "The Highest Power". 2005</td></tr></tbody></table>My favorite is this very peaceful depiction of a cypress swamp.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNtw2DrDIbgkYt4Gw-cebHNe4sgAplU9HucS_80C8HySCzMK7PyctMpGvg1u1O71BcoCSiWC7oR0TMHcM79VF6NMrTpD1ti4FC_Sf-JiCceNTsP7ZnYwWkQryoiV5WA1O6HZEO5d4GWB3UOcAj_OjPSYlO9T_WzUNgtzTzU_YvJD5u_08JiNwb3Tc/s3570/20220421_091831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1850" data-original-width="3570" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNtw2DrDIbgkYt4Gw-cebHNe4sgAplU9HucS_80C8HySCzMK7PyctMpGvg1u1O71BcoCSiWC7oR0TMHcM79VF6NMrTpD1ti4FC_Sf-JiCceNTsP7ZnYwWkQryoiV5WA1O6HZEO5d4GWB3UOcAj_OjPSYlO9T_WzUNgtzTzU_YvJD5u_08JiNwb3Tc/w640-h332/20220421_091831.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arthello Beck. "Cypress Trees". 2005</td></tr></tbody></table><div> I also saw this:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7mC4x2JO6RlQ5HYeHEw9B83LDDaN_fwuRvFTuAZ1anRlUzSZ-j-E6aRZ-jlKIL4nPSFC7BB9uioqauSMN8voY6l8PqokD52eJbLUZmKwwOwTzhTY5ZlxM4qjtxnUibhTY81OynCZGWqO5-Y9WfWag_wdZUQzDH8mJHganDBDtp9eZgErQZZPW4RN/s3234/20220421_085945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3234" data-original-width="1408" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7mC4x2JO6RlQ5HYeHEw9B83LDDaN_fwuRvFTuAZ1anRlUzSZ-j-E6aRZ-jlKIL4nPSFC7BB9uioqauSMN8voY6l8PqokD52eJbLUZmKwwOwTzhTY5ZlxM4qjtxnUibhTY81OynCZGWqO5-Y9WfWag_wdZUQzDH8mJHganDBDtp9eZgErQZZPW4RN/w278-h640/20220421_085945.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilma Lingle. "Airport Bathroom Selfie" 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The DFW website shows 2 other floor medallions that I didn't find and it doesn't show one of the ones above. I'll have to do more exploring next time. Which will be pretty soon. My procedure is scheduled for May 16. </div><div><div><br /><div><h3 class="css-3g7h8b eu3xi622" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #585858; font-family: NeueHaasUnicaW1G, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.388; margin: 0px 0px 4px; max-width: fit-content; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><br /></h3></div></div></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-67829889142872531822022-04-19T16:21:00.000-06:002022-04-19T16:21:32.603-06:00Spring Colors in Dallas<p>I'm in Dallas for a few days, enjoying the gorgeous spring weather in between medical appointments. I always stay at a hotel next to Bachman Lake City Park. I enjoy walking around the lake and the location is fairly convenient to the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Clinics, which I where I come for healthcare that is not available in Belize. Healthwise, everything looks good, but I do have to come back for a procedure on my left eye. The vision in that eye has deteriorated in the last 6 months to the point that it gets hard for me to read or use the computer unless I make the font pretty large. And the left eye image conflicts with what I see in my right eye, so it pretty much makes me crazy! Problem diagnosed now and a simple(-ish) solution, if eye surgery can ever be called simple. I'll come back to Dallas for surgery and hopefully can get it scheduled before the weather in Texas gets super hot! A few photos below to share the beauty of spring in Dallas.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8A_d0l8LFZRbAEE0DHjZ7jT1MrzLugQJIWOQYj8vXYU37yOlD3cSQ628gL_0NRSKJEqMARu9wUkPOkOpNOHF7OXtiLSwWD4-E5QjwrjbE1yRQJG5n_ZDEXwUmzGH7VUICHihMgSqNBK188OTLK-9pfRb7iuIUVqkerZfDUWkAf-uvLh0uEqAOu-H0/s3733/20220418_144212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3733" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8A_d0l8LFZRbAEE0DHjZ7jT1MrzLugQJIWOQYj8vXYU37yOlD3cSQ628gL_0NRSKJEqMARu9wUkPOkOpNOHF7OXtiLSwWD4-E5QjwrjbE1yRQJG5n_ZDEXwUmzGH7VUICHihMgSqNBK188OTLK-9pfRb7iuIUVqkerZfDUWkAf-uvLh0uEqAOu-H0/w640-h328/20220418_144212.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the turtles on the log? I also saw some very large fish in the water. This is the shallow end of the lake where the stream comes in. I can almost see the turtles from the window in my hotel room.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn2XK2eTiFs7hhddqqZsRmxqRFp3iUozf301OFK1tlJhkHijsp_ztF5tNWmUs9fEdIheO_C9EqYR_RbFfB6jRJFGE0CV58PC7OVBYJbDVbvTHdfiiIoi1qvM2pSHeRd2HyRIUXW-bBGfEGeSZKu-mEn7gigHnNjQP_ues58AymhbATL0OkxP5n2PF/s3432/20220418_144355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3432" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn2XK2eTiFs7hhddqqZsRmxqRFp3iUozf301OFK1tlJhkHijsp_ztF5tNWmUs9fEdIheO_C9EqYR_RbFfB6jRJFGE0CV58PC7OVBYJbDVbvTHdfiiIoi1qvM2pSHeRd2HyRIUXW-bBGfEGeSZKu-mEn7gigHnNjQP_ues58AymhbATL0OkxP5n2PF/w640-h356/20220418_144355.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Texas is known for its roadside primroses - here are lakeside primroses.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60QpwidMUMNsOUQitmArb7rF28y5x8dE04l8lsqEkTSmfJekMMTtVdienrVlrXxU2cAKIo2G587v_axB48iksFdKFaBN9de3ujhzZGoYbfCe10nXwgF_AmA0s9EUtQr3xqUVr8QGCrBPbGwMnIu2y1wMQws_8vIUu4OePVDJ40HIBpYTApZldhS28/s2691/20220419_102946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="2691" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60QpwidMUMNsOUQitmArb7rF28y5x8dE04l8lsqEkTSmfJekMMTtVdienrVlrXxU2cAKIo2G587v_axB48iksFdKFaBN9de3ujhzZGoYbfCe10nXwgF_AmA0s9EUtQr3xqUVr8QGCrBPbGwMnIu2y1wMQws_8vIUu4OePVDJ40HIBpYTApZldhS28/w640-h398/20220419_102946.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These colors look like autumn! I think this is a Japanese maple.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXYrJNfB8m_obUR9GTlgr-2xDUMTRa4H4AmYVLvm1t3YkLDfyWMaQYEZiLp_j1EqhEsQhjIf41bVUB5iTyB50qHzttFcDZwfOdUmH__xiF5UsZgsDVu8AES_b3vwPQg7Gjf4Jrt-zTsV5r24252cuZWmFEnzHgYtBY8CKwHxDfW78xOuxWpwTOXXx/s3900/20220419_113110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1845" data-original-width="3900" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXYrJNfB8m_obUR9GTlgr-2xDUMTRa4H4AmYVLvm1t3YkLDfyWMaQYEZiLp_j1EqhEsQhjIf41bVUB5iTyB50qHzttFcDZwfOdUmH__xiF5UsZgsDVu8AES_b3vwPQg7Gjf4Jrt-zTsV5r24252cuZWmFEnzHgYtBY8CKwHxDfW78xOuxWpwTOXXx/w640-h302/20220419_113110.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lakeside flag irises.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUI86Fbwk_r0X8vHEEDyT4zwha-Jlg4ZtVeJZ4y2qMNHgo1maUZo07PxwCDvWdAaEf5UJ4WjLkK4NEy-6xH2aiOKiuOSXLUycPlJSFRVioRU6EJ89CygVVRGzdfDXPdrFEHZaaFscqqbCAi1E7x3JDPxG7yVtHD4RN3-2gIV_ec745t6-SP7YX21h/s1816/original_8c14ed3b-62fd-4f5e-90e1-273f646726be_20220419_113142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1753" data-original-width="1816" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUI86Fbwk_r0X8vHEEDyT4zwha-Jlg4ZtVeJZ4y2qMNHgo1maUZo07PxwCDvWdAaEf5UJ4WjLkK4NEy-6xH2aiOKiuOSXLUycPlJSFRVioRU6EJ89CygVVRGzdfDXPdrFEHZaaFscqqbCAi1E7x3JDPxG7yVtHD4RN3-2gIV_ec745t6-SP7YX21h/w640-h618/original_8c14ed3b-62fd-4f5e-90e1-273f646726be_20220419_113142.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer view.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The weather has been delightful - cool at night and low 70sF (~22C) as the daytime high. Still, I will be happy to get back home on Thursday.</p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-71461539455755994632022-04-06T14:56:00.000-06:002022-04-06T14:56:22.848-06:00Buzzy, Buzzy<p>One of the Gumbo Limbo trees is in full bloom. Not a very impressive sight, but the sound was stunning - when I walked under it, sounded like I was in a beehive!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzhYWJFw_gYFgdUXw6q7jXMAo6L8OUTQh0hAWwhyg7M9jZlpaho9QiB3fXbbYymcvN0dSvlj9ZDj8sgnnbFuA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>Later on, multitudes of birds will come to feast on the young fruits and, later still, the mature seeds.</p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-49617001388650827842022-04-05T12:41:00.001-06:002022-04-05T12:41:43.657-06:00Still Hung Up on Red<p>Back in January while walking the dogs along a path that passes through the site where a little eco resort used to be, I heard a vigorous tap, tap, tapping from up in a dead tree. Searching in the tree canopy, I was able to spot a flash of red and saw a lineated woodpecker busily working on what I thought might be a nest hole. It was too obscured by foliage to get a photo, but you can see that the chips had been flying!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJRoOieEZ9w9hJG5anYXUIRvJQudxLr5ckrWJp6JM7qzcdwS_wTKzwvG27ACahZfo2JqpOGKP_YS8geYx_m2RliEDpCQLajjksTUv149QSctaEVjrRfq5-JnDmoF0bG9N-fZIg6KfMem_aMtbkWLzbARFPPcGPFFvACmuGYBlQ7cR2xWAH4Up5wvJ/s2713/20220324_064756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2713" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJRoOieEZ9w9hJG5anYXUIRvJQudxLr5ckrWJp6JM7qzcdwS_wTKzwvG27ACahZfo2JqpOGKP_YS8geYx_m2RliEDpCQLajjksTUv149QSctaEVjrRfq5-JnDmoF0bG9N-fZIg6KfMem_aMtbkWLzbARFPPcGPFFvACmuGYBlQ7cR2xWAH4Up5wvJ/w450-h640/20220324_064756.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood chips on the ground.</td></tr></tbody></table>I walk the dogs this way a couple of times a week and heard the woodpecker at work on several more occasions, with more chips collecting on the ground. Then nothing - not another speck of wood, not a sound - until early March. In March I saw and heard lineated woodpeckers making a grand commotion whenever I would pass by with one of the dogs. I assumed they had an active nest and were busy with their young. Finally on March 24th I saw this:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrfWXWS155bgKBNEFIlN3Mj3AAYb0h-hmum4yf66w0JXfE_zqLCu4jIc67xp0KVf7J8oXCSUUxaa79O3X2t0pfK7nCCOh46UdszmJvOSkyQiu252ZDA3kUHJZgtlgsqMTu9fhEwX3PqXeDVv7lP3uTKnIqQPOOTE7OLzyF9U5OGBdNZkqDFAfnjeD/s995/20220324_062950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="995" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrfWXWS155bgKBNEFIlN3Mj3AAYb0h-hmum4yf66w0JXfE_zqLCu4jIc67xp0KVf7J8oXCSUUxaa79O3X2t0pfK7nCCOh46UdszmJvOSkyQiu252ZDA3kUHJZgtlgsqMTu9fhEwX3PqXeDVv7lP3uTKnIqQPOOTE7OLzyF9U5OGBdNZkqDFAfnjeD/w640-h630/20220324_062950.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two little woodpecker heads sticking out of the nest hole!</td></tr></tbody></table>And a little later that morning when walking dog number 2, I saw a little woodpecker on the other side of the tree. So there are at least two woodpecker chicks, maybe three.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMo6uF8KZll2ep3isvsXeC97wVib6zxaKFtp-r3RGUFtl0wyUzdxsT3VvYuRQkfHlM5o4ZVw_0_PqMlPrHMX-g3KqPjTlHkeJJOEITQ1BmfjrR-kmfHHhpzCWnjvNlMfqoRIvfQ4Lnt_tbeuV_C4zbJqY5SUFd74FLQupKSHgLRIP3ZHsFdKBJUtC/s1713/20220324_070708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1713" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMo6uF8KZll2ep3isvsXeC97wVib6zxaKFtp-r3RGUFtl0wyUzdxsT3VvYuRQkfHlM5o4ZVw_0_PqMlPrHMX-g3KqPjTlHkeJJOEITQ1BmfjrR-kmfHHhpzCWnjvNlMfqoRIvfQ4Lnt_tbeuV_C4zbJqY5SUFd74FLQupKSHgLRIP3ZHsFdKBJUtC/w640-h508/20220324_070708.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Search for the spot of the red crest.</td></tr></tbody></table>They are not easy to see with the phone camera images when they are up so high, but they made lots of noise and some odd almost purring sounds. They looked ready to leave the nest and sure enough, there was no sign of them after that day. I think I saw them as they were getting ready to fly. It was a real treat to see that the parents had successfully raised their young.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In other red news, the tomatoes are coming in fast and furious. The bags are keeping would-be tomato eaters away long enough for the fruits to ripen on the vine. There is nothing like a just picked ripe tomato with a little sprinkle of salt.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0TzgcTHBQMP9LG0NTa2YhOnQ6ylo4gq-nLYtPqf4R9ZyYq8sqhJt0sSoqu8jH_TJLIjn-_66yFtpRiyL6q4jgJPE0hvatPtFKnPAXbs0j9pC2t33uxWUC9P4QZk644ag1p6Itad7lBDLZ-V3EOu5qnELIUxp9vL4WlsLi1o6EcYLo-CW9ePGBcCY/s2404/20220329_132609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="2404" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0TzgcTHBQMP9LG0NTa2YhOnQ6ylo4gq-nLYtPqf4R9ZyYq8sqhJt0sSoqu8jH_TJLIjn-_66yFtpRiyL6q4jgJPE0hvatPtFKnPAXbs0j9pC2t33uxWUC9P4QZk644ag1p6Itad7lBDLZ-V3EOu5qnELIUxp9vL4WlsLi1o6EcYLo-CW9ePGBcCY/w640-h504/20220329_132609.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes and salad greens fresh from the garden.</td></tr></tbody></table>Too many tomatoes to eat, so I made some quick sauce that I will freeze for later. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddENE3dHeRrKKbuMzuQUl0ajdARgbj6tTdKzLRFlgXJN0CziaeYUVmKT_ZQxYGKkgRDf3qIyMYtEhl2XmWCCvwigJ_w6fjzJ-abTrj_5x9zeHkczcyixkfDsZmFHzGueifDb9gm4J6p3Xv7l_l6QLtYQvHLMZEYHgrmWEuTjVRkXEGG7tkfNno7eB/s1736/20220401_121536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1736" data-original-width="1627" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddENE3dHeRrKKbuMzuQUl0ajdARgbj6tTdKzLRFlgXJN0CziaeYUVmKT_ZQxYGKkgRDf3qIyMYtEhl2XmWCCvwigJ_w6fjzJ-abTrj_5x9zeHkczcyixkfDsZmFHzGueifDb9gm4J6p3Xv7l_l6QLtYQvHLMZEYHgrmWEuTjVRkXEGG7tkfNno7eB/w600-h640/20220401_121536.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two pints of tomato sauce. </td></tr></tbody></table>More red-on-the-wing in the form of a butterly.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNJHEIId0QkwcpecX3bfcAYneCDnY0ey6WqUMnkMNIYZHcb88ikjkLWlXqDcH0OmejDqa-AiIP7jTDUAkpL3hUR5VPuBoVGBk7WRIE_5sE3PnBpn6fPJmxKPrChJmlLyDSw_gAUBbluY_gP1GHDyaHnDMGzgAppnRiGfYMbfAFaXUIrrAu2MV6Q9z/s2846/20220326_074200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2846" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNJHEIId0QkwcpecX3bfcAYneCDnY0ey6WqUMnkMNIYZHcb88ikjkLWlXqDcH0OmejDqa-AiIP7jTDUAkpL3hUR5VPuBoVGBk7WRIE_5sE3PnBpn6fPJmxKPrChJmlLyDSw_gAUBbluY_gP1GHDyaHnDMGzgAppnRiGfYMbfAFaXUIrrAu2MV6Q9z/w640-h430/20220326_074200.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, a variable cattleheart butterfly sat still long enough for me to get a decent shot of it. Look at those ruby red spots along its body.</td></tr></tbody></table>And the final bit of red for today's post is the flower of the prickly pear cactus. Some species of <i>Opuntia</i> develop fruits that are large enough to eat, but ours don't get much past this stage. The hummingbirds and butterflies love this flower.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWQkOckk8-1Hyt9c6Vn16Mzpac9TyhyZLFkB3O-K1gAGswdeToEa5kyH7UkeYWu14zcK78w7JGN7irCX93RBjsfh__BdeqWeN1V5IqktB5VJCKz3uItz7e3DIIgB7-VKyuQ0TNRXu4sn5Dk8ny1hnMVgSScJRGEzqnyFsyv7voiTJ98ZrYqK5tOUw/s2868/20220326_074301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2868" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWQkOckk8-1Hyt9c6Vn16Mzpac9TyhyZLFkB3O-K1gAGswdeToEa5kyH7UkeYWu14zcK78w7JGN7irCX93RBjsfh__BdeqWeN1V5IqktB5VJCKz3uItz7e3DIIgB7-VKyuQ0TNRXu4sn5Dk8ny1hnMVgSScJRGEzqnyFsyv7voiTJ98ZrYqK5tOUw/w640-h362/20220326_074301.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prickly pear flower</td></tr></tbody></table>That's all the red for now. Wishing you a colorful day.<br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-79518548635391490542022-03-29T12:41:00.000-06:002022-03-29T12:41:02.462-06:00Bilimbi Jam<p>The bilimbi fruits are coming ripe fast and furious off our one little tree. They are an unusual fruit - very tart and acidic like a pickle straight off the tree - with a delightfully crisp texture when raw. I have been adding them to fish and chicken dishes where they provide some bright flavor similar to a squeeze of line or lemon. Still, the bilimbis keep coming faster than we can eat them. I looked up lots of recipes on line, mostly from recipe blogs of Goan and Keralan Indians. The easiest recipe that would use the backlog of fruits is jam, so jam I made. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITJhGV4Zly4GMpnzVbpUJrRXAzi2-vkNGLv3i7tM9xYkpS_lythD4nTwd--1u1hRTJw1ukat5QZUms2mC12cJi9UR2_wDyZYKTFJ1Vek3VDM0VzUAIqgliyRtOwFrf_elltD7wTAXxFXOh2sdwtii7c32_2e0MkysPVN6x6OnBUenHcMUXqfsaYb0/s2370/20220328_093831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1684" data-original-width="2370" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITJhGV4Zly4GMpnzVbpUJrRXAzi2-vkNGLv3i7tM9xYkpS_lythD4nTwd--1u1hRTJw1ukat5QZUms2mC12cJi9UR2_wDyZYKTFJ1Vek3VDM0VzUAIqgliyRtOwFrf_elltD7wTAXxFXOh2sdwtii7c32_2e0MkysPVN6x6OnBUenHcMUXqfsaYb0/w640-h454/20220328_093831.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The harvest.</td></tr></tbody></table>Cut open, you can see the resemblance to carambola, aka starfruit. although the five lobes aren't ridged like starfruit.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjZ3t7SvDk8cpJrs7W3brzlYULzgtVcNYB6aJhcEjbDDGARE4VPgtkLXne3RfFD6yggizeEd8xoiiqTVDFqoXKCPF9thDBC9hMKH3W-k-ZhVDecZMTDXEfHOxEsShpgijHBEBX7NQ6On2O_GHCplme9NvMG6MgQjJ758nz1nHUAPUnEBYWRqLp98P/s2434/20220328_094647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1882" data-original-width="2434" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjZ3t7SvDk8cpJrs7W3brzlYULzgtVcNYB6aJhcEjbDDGARE4VPgtkLXne3RfFD6yggizeEd8xoiiqTVDFqoXKCPF9thDBC9hMKH3W-k-ZhVDecZMTDXEfHOxEsShpgijHBEBX7NQ6On2O_GHCplme9NvMG6MgQjJ758nz1nHUAPUnEBYWRqLp98P/w640-h494/20220328_094647.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crispy, juice-filled flesh.</td></tr></tbody></table>All together the harvest yielded a little more than 6 cups of sliced fruit.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGaUgSeOD8u7LiT0LkmU9N269FRSmYSY-fNEhQ1UlHfh7_6nO8uEQEgDKpn2dNkbUWKL580UuSoRw8BXRTFTel3_QwEDe4X_vEktZBPmCU4WaeMSd3K0l99H8Q-uq55b-7E8kJJcPXlFHS5GK9GA6aI9iK0cl1Xw5PpNvyDN-hylD4SXP19fm28yD/s2609/20220328_095401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1744" data-original-width="2609" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGaUgSeOD8u7LiT0LkmU9N269FRSmYSY-fNEhQ1UlHfh7_6nO8uEQEgDKpn2dNkbUWKL580UuSoRw8BXRTFTel3_QwEDe4X_vEktZBPmCU4WaeMSd3K0l99H8Q-uq55b-7E8kJJcPXlFHS5GK9GA6aI9iK0cl1Xw5PpNvyDN-hylD4SXP19fm28yD/w640-h428/20220328_095401.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2 quart measuring cup is three-quarters full. The fruit smells of sliced green apples.</td></tr></tbody></table>The recipes I saw all called for pre-boiling the fruit and discarding the water before boiling with sugar and water and a cinnamon stick for about 25 minutes.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxarhUl9aY33LVrTbA1Qpm1bLhIWAjDGVSmk8W0w3vEoDSrYLeLP7D2RgfUDyW-PsYyc9U0iyytPp7hWlk5twnlThaHSHGR3_gK4rmBZMiiyLOy0ndz8x6Gkl4NGtI5dYHNmTjFaH5NOtp0dCz2t6qds2QqKZZP0G_T2SOObI0qi-bCLCNExi6yf9Y/s3361/20220328_101548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1832" data-original-width="3361" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxarhUl9aY33LVrTbA1Qpm1bLhIWAjDGVSmk8W0w3vEoDSrYLeLP7D2RgfUDyW-PsYyc9U0iyytPp7hWlk5twnlThaHSHGR3_gK4rmBZMiiyLOy0ndz8x6Gkl4NGtI5dYHNmTjFaH5NOtp0dCz2t6qds2QqKZZP0G_T2SOObI0qi-bCLCNExi6yf9Y/w640-h348/20220328_101548.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little cinnamon stick added tons of flavor.</td></tr></tbody></table>I decided to use the immersion blender to make it smoother, but I did not strain it.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm60wz-uyKllqMjmDRZNj29R2lLkcL5PX9Esex68g4EyGxrbfeZQAkuUGSX94t6535C4V7a4n3AkJRHLfrtz-P9WLV8DoFRD4qWivor2elhegb0xOJ9dvhUOkR8Goj9sZVD-V5FGKQZRUrPkLHrU21DEMp7FR9kYwce4IJl7Btz8S-FB9HhV6rLvl/s2536/20220328_130644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1619" data-original-width="2536" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm60wz-uyKllqMjmDRZNj29R2lLkcL5PX9Esex68g4EyGxrbfeZQAkuUGSX94t6535C4V7a4n3AkJRHLfrtz-P9WLV8DoFRD4qWivor2elhegb0xOJ9dvhUOkR8Goj9sZVD-V5FGKQZRUrPkLHrU21DEMp7FR9kYwce4IJl7Btz8S-FB9HhV6rLvl/w640-h408/20220328_130644.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four small jars of bilimbi jam.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The jam is really tasty! It would go very well with a cheese plate or even served with lamb or duck. More of a condiment than a sandwich jam, although I would happily spread it on toast. In a few days, when we have some strong sunshine, I will try making dried, salted wedges that are used in lots of Indian cuisines.</p><p>In other news, Dennis is able to do more and more and is feeling very well - so yay! We had unusual late season cold front come through and the sea is frothing with energy from the strong winds that continue to blow. The rainfall from the cold front gave us a respite from watering the vegetable garden - so also yay!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-58174702584157360712022-03-23T14:24:00.000-06:002022-03-23T14:24:33.118-06:00Red and Round<p>The Saharan Dust that others have blogged about (<a href="https://movingwithmitchell.com/2022/03/16/muddy-rains-lluvias-con-barro/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://wcs4.blogspot.com/2022/03/its-raining-mud.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://shadowsteve.blogspot.com/2022/03/apocalyptic-magnolia.html" target="_blank">here</a>) has reached this hemisphere, making the sunrises very hazy and sunsets intense. At least we don't have the muddy rain that fell in Spain, France, and England.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP88Z5oybvEuC4imr9t3e28gXrEPWv72aCqctNCV1hqCvRypBY0bqj5J2spbWAhJ-q99YnhqRhsQL17plCF3vNiJaK34clpqciKUPKmDRMl6uC_zbkg808an4wg3BP50guAVoZHSYrATaSLL-PplgU-rL7ZOX2xB99wPa1EHGPrtD3zZB9xHUbygb/s3475/20220323_060907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="3475" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP88Z5oybvEuC4imr9t3e28gXrEPWv72aCqctNCV1hqCvRypBY0bqj5J2spbWAhJ-q99YnhqRhsQL17plCF3vNiJaK34clpqciKUPKmDRMl6uC_zbkg808an4wg3BP50guAVoZHSYrATaSLL-PplgU-rL7ZOX2xB99wPa1EHGPrtD3zZB9xHUbygb/w640-h292/20220323_060907.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise on this cloudless but hazy morning.</td></tr></tbody></table>It is hot (86F, 30C) and humid (74%) and the tomatoes are loving it! Dennis tracked down seeds from plants bred to be heat and drought tolerant, about 15 varieties in all. We got them set out in the garden a while back. They are growing well, with no signs so far of nematodes, white flies, or leaf curl virus that were problems last year.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcm0BTSGllyIoyOqEKjqt2pngjePb7V46WqF0NuCU7LwZIZLRwJLWa6exk3MiW1KbMvVEZqzRUozPthZd9is2eWZfo5emwW3LvvlmE8nV60F_l0EswiHI_tfDRFPEl52S150wNlaugG8s0ROSe_T4Z2FPXqprChYMJm0hGR2HiRcSwMH9I2gA2UDw-/s2898/20220323_060345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2898" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcm0BTSGllyIoyOqEKjqt2pngjePb7V46WqF0NuCU7LwZIZLRwJLWa6exk3MiW1KbMvVEZqzRUozPthZd9is2eWZfo5emwW3LvvlmE8nV60F_l0EswiHI_tfDRFPEl52S150wNlaugG8s0ROSe_T4Z2FPXqprChYMJm0hGR2HiRcSwMH9I2gA2UDw-/w422-h640/20220323_060345.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tomato plants are staked and as soon as the fruits start showing any signs of color, I put mesh bags on them to protect them from the birds.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpS35mN92wRqtDkXQea6QDduRZEHrIreoYHg-MUZGz8bmWDuAwVVEpZcJ0_ha8KWlJKUAP9NtnyBAzDZ8cscE-w27IC-nhC0gDtuo74YUb2tKeMoDnmWfAYrGZWvPv83YY7yra95A57VT9TXOcNqqJ0EvqGFj258v6Dkss6HCdpLirNdPZb-omizF/s2626/20220323_060304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2626" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpS35mN92wRqtDkXQea6QDduRZEHrIreoYHg-MUZGz8bmWDuAwVVEpZcJ0_ha8KWlJKUAP9NtnyBAzDZ8cscE-w27IC-nhC0gDtuo74YUb2tKeMoDnmWfAYrGZWvPv83YY7yra95A57VT9TXOcNqqJ0EvqGFj258v6Dkss6HCdpLirNdPZb-omizF/w466-h640/20220323_060304.jpg" width="466" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So far, the bags are doing their job.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFUYxHWOjROo5S37I1KOIv2VsvLyQoB5FzDIK3ifiyW-G9m-aQH5G9f31ZXPfXiz8a3fGow9Inlb9Dy7RyAK_yMIwLqeuzNH7mnqFujlqTuDzpxJzRtPuIr8vRmGM1ebPeuuyXvrMIgvSoG301b2gCJcrilJuVyKzxQQm6r0elp8lBj2lcxPdrzfQ/s3416/20220323_075345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1899" data-original-width="3416" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFUYxHWOjROo5S37I1KOIv2VsvLyQoB5FzDIK3ifiyW-G9m-aQH5G9f31ZXPfXiz8a3fGow9Inlb9Dy7RyAK_yMIwLqeuzNH7mnqFujlqTuDzpxJzRtPuIr8vRmGM1ebPeuuyXvrMIgvSoG301b2gCJcrilJuVyKzxQQm6r0elp8lBj2lcxPdrzfQ/w640-h356/20220323_075345.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First harvest - 2 Champions on the left and 2 Bella Rosa on the right.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We've already tried the first Bella Rosa and it was quite tasty. More on tonight's menu. Other varieties are larger. My favorite - Black Krim - is one of the larger ones and will be some weeks yet before we see any fruits on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other news, Dennis is doing well, but needs at least another week of minimal activity. As you might imagine, his definition of minimal is not as stringent as mine, but he is being as good as he can be. To avoid confusion - Dennis is not in the Red and Round category. ;-)<br /><p><br /></p></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-57347118573552290432022-03-16T17:17:00.003-06:002022-03-16T17:17:21.759-06:00Encouraging Road Trip<p>Dennis had an encouraging visit with his angiologist today in Dangriga. He is healing nicely with just one more week off his feet before he can gradually ease back in to greater participation in daily life. Blood work was improved, so there is an excellent possibility for preventative treatments in 3 to 4 months. Still some issues that need followup; anemia being the primary one. With lighter hearts, we were able to enjoy the road trip home. </p><p>We had hired a driver to take us from Independence (traveling from our home to Independence by boat) to Dangriga. Upon leaving the doctor's office we noticed the gorgeous day. I snapped the photos below from the van window as we made our way home. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGe5U05AAOx6DVCrOJGfnRVqB7-3M5rJlDE3mIeI6flPVtVu1TAEe8-29478MmxW2-i3YduMdP1D_QSGGF-jy3d8HCC0H4_t84zuFYWjqZjlACPDPArM__G4LGrrSV5hcPet1MVwgaDoIlYcpSSyNZBzGnwv1UZ_5OBrExdY4Jiib0stqjFxAaUnc_=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGe5U05AAOx6DVCrOJGfnRVqB7-3M5rJlDE3mIeI6flPVtVu1TAEe8-29478MmxW2-i3YduMdP1D_QSGGF-jy3d8HCC0H4_t84zuFYWjqZjlACPDPArM__G4LGrrSV5hcPet1MVwgaDoIlYcpSSyNZBzGnwv1UZ_5OBrExdY4Jiib0stqjFxAaUnc_=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Citrus farm on the left.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUFubs2oE2yRsiijH6wDrbMcr2ghf4Ll5IygGkUJogiIbReRit5JDzKa7QfHNlTlA5ZX1_XwHT9uqaCZ8OGKHHRfas1erNFBiHaRAicsNoEI64YdPwAlrqZpleUHys8AfJ2sOLLxAzoMkSOjx4s1C2vEvH3aY3Dai8GgYsnH-d13_dbZul-Hks3MaZ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUFubs2oE2yRsiijH6wDrbMcr2ghf4Ll5IygGkUJogiIbReRit5JDzKa7QfHNlTlA5ZX1_XwHT9uqaCZ8OGKHHRfas1erNFBiHaRAicsNoEI64YdPwAlrqZpleUHys8AfJ2sOLLxAzoMkSOjx4s1C2vEvH3aY3Dai8GgYsnH-d13_dbZul-Hks3MaZ=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More orange trees with Maya Mountains in the background.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEO9ryyob5ksUvnM4ZVEk53Rdb_yKGAs5N0c82FKrvdR5fRVnfrmlwG2bbWqF0iQUf0PbFiMouE8tKTWKsD17aJC4ARK3MWR8qOLY4faSCjaUbuXTPPHX6ZpjoEtTYprSrRwA0A5fXbJsLddKIBDSXjvLEc7KhW8_WOR2mMCT0KAOK3o6ELRIqUZs2=s3537" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2136" data-original-width="3537" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEO9ryyob5ksUvnM4ZVEk53Rdb_yKGAs5N0c82FKrvdR5fRVnfrmlwG2bbWqF0iQUf0PbFiMouE8tKTWKsD17aJC4ARK3MWR8qOLY4faSCjaUbuXTPPHX6ZpjoEtTYprSrRwA0A5fXbJsLddKIBDSXjvLEc7KhW8_WOR2mMCT0KAOK3o6ELRIqUZs2=w640-h386" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bougainvillea. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwI2jy_m3ADpFG6cWutgOmkCmOZ2tLVsJkQKk802P22EsRAz1zKMfCduQALd_5WpTLwc2IRzgl86FYW9mBgsYZlyfVr35jLNxh7SXTuow0JBXx-zkq5CVUN_o9_rw-JRVByNk3vFIMI6ZPeTYI9arG1cJOVw2PJllt1xZcXsjVDpGMa9YZ5_DaukaT=s3208" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2055" data-original-width="3208" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwI2jy_m3ADpFG6cWutgOmkCmOZ2tLVsJkQKk802P22EsRAz1zKMfCduQALd_5WpTLwc2IRzgl86FYW9mBgsYZlyfVr35jLNxh7SXTuow0JBXx-zkq5CVUN_o9_rw-JRVByNk3vFIMI6ZPeTYI9arG1cJOVw2PJllt1xZcXsjVDpGMa9YZ5_DaukaT=w640-h410" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roadside vegetation.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihkshNrHKXrAE7YUZAsSnqo221v20JoTx65QxaeyVBvO7L58ZE_k3IQJ0OHEO0OuAL7JrZOQ937ER9M5CeCqn0Xt5qO_XkfR7v_wsZbNWkQWemrs_ISuTkEQ6JrEC-y4SkVijE6WMyru5h15dWNm9XCqJSPngzlxHaSSuU4DpZRgwtFvNHK2Ipoj75=s3360" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1872" data-original-width="3360" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihkshNrHKXrAE7YUZAsSnqo221v20JoTx65QxaeyVBvO7L58ZE_k3IQJ0OHEO0OuAL7JrZOQ937ER9M5CeCqn0Xt5qO_XkfR7v_wsZbNWkQWemrs_ISuTkEQ6JrEC-y4SkVijE6WMyru5h15dWNm9XCqJSPngzlxHaSSuU4DpZRgwtFvNHK2Ipoj75=w640-h356" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wish I knew what that plant with the fluffy pink flowers is.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeGbq-oXjLC1Tpk0sO7owtrqJh0WXatWcyxvV3LjnuTwM6i4-7YKRk7kZ1cYi9kTbGc-pnwX0Fa87UyvbiIIoEqzxGsnEet-VvBJdkCeJ4nbxdHSs45I95wvPGc6yJRgFl44JgIgTjFchv-Z4NpXH1RX1V7y0AJmS1ueQ0MDpNphy9Oh1U1MbEXJ6D=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeGbq-oXjLC1Tpk0sO7owtrqJh0WXatWcyxvV3LjnuTwM6i4-7YKRk7kZ1cYi9kTbGc-pnwX0Fa87UyvbiIIoEqzxGsnEet-VvBJdkCeJ4nbxdHSs45I95wvPGc6yJRgFl44JgIgTjFchv-Z4NpXH1RX1V7y0AJmS1ueQ0MDpNphy9Oh1U1MbEXJ6D=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stann Creek.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZ5Pm7Hw7T7e_shZxHFw61DC6Ll1fWlmFSN3aZRmB-UEoNtTRaam0u2GnfB8v4bg1hrVUM4lRtw5xzZ62OnrjTeaMT_lhdpeiuyLhb5Yfdm4yfXSqzuUoT6CDDnt2obap3c9cLQ-CRgs4Lh6QytNfaiSHCZh5QlfTCXFQ_3A03MyVYFAeppqTQWYr0=s3481" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="3481" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZ5Pm7Hw7T7e_shZxHFw61DC6Ll1fWlmFSN3aZRmB-UEoNtTRaam0u2GnfB8v4bg1hrVUM4lRtw5xzZ62OnrjTeaMT_lhdpeiuyLhb5Yfdm4yfXSqzuUoT6CDDnt2obap3c9cLQ-CRgs4Lh6QytNfaiSHCZh5QlfTCXFQ_3A03MyVYFAeppqTQWYr0=w640-h416" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayan village with beautiful plantings.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiQ4zYbQc2Nzk2E8QUIPtqdLxDILxT9O25W71zR77tchPtjPnYMiif1grsYpA5K_zPr2KEkccRLKBviYItd2jjTOvmavUfw1zbtaLsohtLJsvGcrVFAme_KBtPsEg4u362Xgc-sEH-_WPXYU8_wM_ouFP2Y-zyj6PaapqxotdTt54vi9NGL8550hgB=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiQ4zYbQc2Nzk2E8QUIPtqdLxDILxT9O25W71zR77tchPtjPnYMiif1grsYpA5K_zPr2KEkccRLKBviYItd2jjTOvmavUfw1zbtaLsohtLJsvGcrVFAme_KBtPsEg4u362Xgc-sEH-_WPXYU8_wM_ouFP2Y-zyj6PaapqxotdTt54vi9NGL8550hgB=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey look! Another citrus farm with the Maya Mountains in the background.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYBPYJQzPIFNpBYfMWaF2XPhvsNoekWKxB1dWOqHWQ-b2g7jGMx5v12nX0I0UCBJ9iI7on-FNtLQJ9wy01PP1BL7aVeFaq_EvG7jVeSROK0MZuPRxqPryCIffh6h6Ph5Pzu5nO8IUDlJzeCHVMR0RNplneZ6hqM4hrQnzWoGXvVymxzD8_ZrpX_JJI=s3240" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1724" data-original-width="3240" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYBPYJQzPIFNpBYfMWaF2XPhvsNoekWKxB1dWOqHWQ-b2g7jGMx5v12nX0I0UCBJ9iI7on-FNtLQJ9wy01PP1BL7aVeFaq_EvG7jVeSROK0MZuPRxqPryCIffh6h6Ph5Pzu5nO8IUDlJzeCHVMR0RNplneZ6hqM4hrQnzWoGXvVymxzD8_ZrpX_JJI=w640-h340" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very tacky tourist trap, but with beautiful plantings.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMPAp_O_rFj6c943PkZcHy4S1995VQk3WyraGydWhLy0YzjXsWx5YcY2rct88oCRyajQ8w3-6AncgHw5SXT7W3Q60jmxof_geDPCbAdVdwge0ZWg1dW8rijaO5QWNPllw92Fo33FaWB9skQ7F0qvRABPZzUYageofMGMHTFYL9p_1r8LSqZc2inM36=s3279" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1739" data-original-width="3279" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMPAp_O_rFj6c943PkZcHy4S1995VQk3WyraGydWhLy0YzjXsWx5YcY2rct88oCRyajQ8w3-6AncgHw5SXT7W3Q60jmxof_geDPCbAdVdwge0ZWg1dW8rijaO5QWNPllw92Fo33FaWB9skQ7F0qvRABPZzUYageofMGMHTFYL9p_1r8LSqZc2inM36=w640-h340" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More plantings in another Mayan village.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOu1KkymPqiJZzylM_FDoa0fU1ozX3U1IEb4WyiOY-M7Gz-7RJPYqV09WCS-sEUhJPT2ZQfoMs067EJz3ps52H0678JzTQJtbUQHr5yL1NL_JXGBqI2X51o8Ld5GvzP3MZHcoCN1LauRIFuQVal33FHTfr8S_KAdXavV2pNd9d3kK1J82-eniWiTeB=s3424" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1987" data-original-width="3424" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOu1KkymPqiJZzylM_FDoa0fU1ozX3U1IEb4WyiOY-M7Gz-7RJPYqV09WCS-sEUhJPT2ZQfoMs067EJz3ps52H0678JzTQJtbUQHr5yL1NL_JXGBqI2X51o8Ld5GvzP3MZHcoCN1LauRIFuQVal33FHTfr8S_KAdXavV2pNd9d3kK1J82-eniWiTeB=w640-h372" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think these are crepe myrtle trees blooming.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We left at 7am and got back home a little before 1pm. Good to be home again, even after only a half day away. </p>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-60727751378219649272022-03-13T14:35:00.000-06:002022-03-13T14:35:14.748-06:00A Fraught Week<p>We are back at home after a harrowing week that involved emergency first aid and admission of Dennis to the Belize Healthcare Partners (BHCP) private hospital for 3 nights. I will spare you the details, but here are the highlights. We had to get Dennis to a vascular surgeon/angiologist. I should say THE vascular surgeon/angiologist because there is only one in all of Belize. Many of the doctors in Belize are Cuban trained and are excellent; the angiologist is no exception. Dennis and I flew up to Belize City as soon the angiologist was available - did I mention that this happened over a long holiday weekend? Fortunately my emergency first aid held tight for the 2 days before she was back in the country.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglWCMCzesT8Im3vl3fQlwpkB3wjkp_zigvozirCIud_JE7BMuSZc_xqYSU5iTCpZAIimngzypoHmeWEd5_jwAl5U8rtwAREPQAmEwSfzAgacevryPC0Pi1QZayte4BQ_3_wIVof34YhnUxBnao0sUaWs-YBp3lA7b6KuIYRKvKXXuzvAduTrbZbPN3=s3508" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="3508" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglWCMCzesT8Im3vl3fQlwpkB3wjkp_zigvozirCIud_JE7BMuSZc_xqYSU5iTCpZAIimngzypoHmeWEd5_jwAl5U8rtwAREPQAmEwSfzAgacevryPC0Pi1QZayte4BQ_3_wIVof34YhnUxBnao0sUaWs-YBp3lA7b6KuIYRKvKXXuzvAduTrbZbPN3=w640-h378" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting our turn to take off.</td></tr></tbody></table>Dennis saw the angiologist and she, having seen only 1 case of this particular condition back when she was a resident in Cuba, got him stabilized in her office and scheduled for admission at the same facility. Which was a good thing, because she would not allow him to sit up at all for the next 24 hours and then only sit in bed with feet up for the next 2 days. Once he was admitted, I had to fly back home to take care of the dogs and get someone to care for them for the next days before flying back up to Belize City first thing in the morning.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD-h5-KDNvTT6406Ka8RkcgJ5g9pRLMW84pjRUchTsZgVx0iVPlDqbNCJDZ92ff5pXeoqjfip76Hu0PKFSfXtb_8WascvKxZx04O8oC5pSznvDIdu8hoczrOFUZEw_Sh8OKVe5yP3amDCSIwlMn1QEtQR2-ZiNVojN5wcE3ygFAVxaBvAwdkfWqKLj=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD-h5-KDNvTT6406Ka8RkcgJ5g9pRLMW84pjRUchTsZgVx0iVPlDqbNCJDZ92ff5pXeoqjfip76Hu0PKFSfXtb_8WascvKxZx04O8oC5pSznvDIdu8hoczrOFUZEw_Sh8OKVe5yP3amDCSIwlMn1QEtQR2-ZiNVojN5wcE3ygFAVxaBvAwdkfWqKLj=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick flight back home for me the same day.</td></tr></tbody></table>Barnie and Clove are guard dogs, and while they are sweet and loving with us, they tend to attack strangers or people they have taken a dislike to. Fortunately one of our workers gets on well with the dogs and he was able to walk and feed them when I flew back up to Belize City.<div><br /></div><div>Dennis got great care at BHCP. The only complaint either of us has is the minimal level of communication, but I suppose that is the case in most hospitals. At any rate, he was discharged with followup appointments with 3 different specialists because of confounding conditions that need to be addressed. We came home by road, since I was unsure if Dennis could manage the steps to board the plane. It was an enjoyable trip with a very personable and caring driver. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu67TnKPzXCS3yypMQ0Brq_zsgQZKsri-pBC3J0FX9wNbGLC4IgwjEXw1cNVGMV0HXH_vYctAT5-3yhLRrEwmwOZNnCPPLAxw01mCEzVHR98XloYo-YT2h-KwBIgupuIiwFLQNrEdF0EKo34iMDZhzKAhdIpgpKeRJsGXF8S8WkAQl32kRKVeKLvTV=s2394" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2394" data-original-width="2268" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu67TnKPzXCS3yypMQ0Brq_zsgQZKsri-pBC3J0FX9wNbGLC4IgwjEXw1cNVGMV0HXH_vYctAT5-3yhLRrEwmwOZNnCPPLAxw01mCEzVHR98XloYo-YT2h-KwBIgupuIiwFLQNrEdF0EKo34iMDZhzKAhdIpgpKeRJsGXF8S8WkAQl32kRKVeKLvTV=w606-h640" width="606" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind the sugar cane truck on the George Price Highway.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The first followup appointment is with the angiologist, who will assess Dennis's progress and determine if he needs further treatment, either from her or in the US where additional procedures may be available. We only have to go to Dangriga, a 2 hour trip, for that appointment, since she has clinic days at the public hospital there. Much easier than going to Belize City, which would likely involve an overnight stay.</div><div><br /></div><div>For now, we are home enjoying the company of Barnie and Clove and observing the flora and fauna of our paradise.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLP0nUbJ44PN7IyK3Pc2nOUWupRTZfaE19SAx4VLjoyddzgiqGfEVwUDX6uEpiMfSalIY6Rij9vBHBB5joIGvFOAVBMJ3sJjw7IWFpnQzDJK2ROnZHJKRsB_4rNfnD8w4sP9ez2DHsbpzGryswCMivnsZWoQlNWnOJMwGlWX8vZ2OAFmPS1fkV_1gt=s2064" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2064" data-original-width="1876" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLP0nUbJ44PN7IyK3Pc2nOUWupRTZfaE19SAx4VLjoyddzgiqGfEVwUDX6uEpiMfSalIY6Rij9vBHBB5joIGvFOAVBMJ3sJjw7IWFpnQzDJK2ROnZHJKRsB_4rNfnD8w4sP9ez2DHsbpzGryswCMivnsZWoQlNWnOJMwGlWX8vZ2OAFmPS1fkV_1gt=w582-h640" width="582" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adult yellow crowned hight heron.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9eQ7LFETqjH6Nyn5HE589CE3ZvC93Str45td291obdU81Qe_jm56-UfZxHcFuDAERHxlk4VHQQ9icNiSNUEc8dLm9VNxXEYEsml7KOc-fYcPcPl8iQ7Wu1fqCoXnYi7E2pJhPr9JJ_0R8PjgbZgvH4z-0MZBkhHgZR4q3UJ0TVMwLvfx0F_qvi2w1=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9eQ7LFETqjH6Nyn5HE589CE3ZvC93Str45td291obdU81Qe_jm56-UfZxHcFuDAERHxlk4VHQQ9icNiSNUEc8dLm9VNxXEYEsml7KOc-fYcPcPl8iQ7Wu1fqCoXnYi7E2pJhPr9JJ_0R8PjgbZgvH4z-0MZBkhHgZR4q3UJ0TVMwLvfx0F_qvi2w1=w640-h302" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shell ginger.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3252308131554892866.post-2567930231296775662022-03-05T17:27:00.000-06:002022-03-05T17:27:32.742-06:00The Coral Tree Cafe<p>The coral tree (<i>Erythrina fusca</i>) is in full bloom right now, and it is a busy place! All the birds, from the small hummingbirds to the large Montezuma oropendolas seem to love it. Even the insectivorous woodpeckers are drawn to it to feast on the flies, bees, and wasps that adore the flowers. Here is the view of it from our back veranda.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi08Ln7kFTH2Aihgu4HnNZ8xG7V3lqFXO383SicCKmUYg3NF7nFAFt0PRwAgQpv5wNMQSatDVFMSuEclHSeOYngBuupCFiaq9dcR7b8mNmDPFeXRQk73euHXl4Fy2Bm-CIGhSR0as5NjrK1ahB7UDhvs90WfR-m5h1QJ0vv21qP-vAe3_UQFcSAdVen=s3517" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3517" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi08Ln7kFTH2Aihgu4HnNZ8xG7V3lqFXO383SicCKmUYg3NF7nFAFt0PRwAgQpv5wNMQSatDVFMSuEclHSeOYngBuupCFiaq9dcR7b8mNmDPFeXRQk73euHXl4Fy2Bm-CIGhSR0as5NjrK1ahB7UDhvs90WfR-m5h1QJ0vv21qP-vAe3_UQFcSAdVen=w640-h348" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This particular tree has orange flowers.</td></tr></tbody></table>About 5 years ago, when the tree was only about 15 feet tall, and surrounded by taller, weedier trees, one of our workers pointed it out to me. I had no idea it was there because it had never bloomed. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh81H2CqLf6IYiDKORRbQSn04crmYnyY1NpIQU-OsT5zKWyjqOkiBH_yCelSbh7H9BuEX5HgpKyLPr7FoyXfDIDULHtJC8qEicF4ECXK5Xu5CoYzHturiL0O4kWCNGDtb3Xko-tEwKFwbg7cpQPBapQ0w79BHK6zwwdDcMLncY0X5Vw4lt18KUEQiVJ=s3388" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="3388" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh81H2CqLf6IYiDKORRbQSn04crmYnyY1NpIQU-OsT5zKWyjqOkiBH_yCelSbh7H9BuEX5HgpKyLPr7FoyXfDIDULHtJC8qEicF4ECXK5Xu5CoYzHturiL0O4kWCNGDtb3Xko-tEwKFwbg7cpQPBapQ0w79BHK6zwwdDcMLncY0X5Vw4lt18KUEQiVJ=w640-h412" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It has a full canopy with lots of room to grow even more. That's it behind the small banana plants. You can see the tomatoes in our raised beds, plus some coconut palms.</td></tr></tbody></table>So we cleared its competitors away to give it some space. Two years later, it had a few blossoms, the next year it had more, and now, well - just look at it! <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmMEVkOF44yuEHWFVzwyIsREx-NNVY0pXAxFPxJE5h7wKXZX0vRl-0HNVagdnS-ik529wV7nt-znYpycLusuIV4O8KPUtAD_VYUXCGaITmfO3TJjV6-49PZWSo9gX5ODqvoGz3kINxTEgrbe1ZmCj09vFXtGBwjiTOxareEPVmoTXHhiswyU7X9nuA=s3855" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3855" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmMEVkOF44yuEHWFVzwyIsREx-NNVY0pXAxFPxJE5h7wKXZX0vRl-0HNVagdnS-ik529wV7nt-znYpycLusuIV4O8KPUtAD_VYUXCGaITmfO3TJjV6-49PZWSo9gX5ODqvoGz3kINxTEgrbe1ZmCj09vFXtGBwjiTOxareEPVmoTXHhiswyU7X9nuA=w317-h640" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multi-trunked tree.</td></tr></tbody></table>Fortunately, it can tolerate a high water table of brackish water, which is what we have here - most of our vegetables are in raised beds to keep their roots happier.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSLBNINcFdeLEteMYrhqM4ztOUBkU64kVb6VxTWfetoIMJTP4-tGCfyAyXd05y8cv5zKdmwb2RoweWtiCkJoIPQvzvctfAN7cb2-51g9tnuPLQOiz-gJcgGaOzF9hxqk03Ve-ZjeR5PzrSGxZuyHWvZI8qIyvXBePgmXEcppWRN_IHShF7Etm7SNq3=s2585" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2585" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSLBNINcFdeLEteMYrhqM4ztOUBkU64kVb6VxTWfetoIMJTP4-tGCfyAyXd05y8cv5zKdmwb2RoweWtiCkJoIPQvzvctfAN7cb2-51g9tnuPLQOiz-gJcgGaOzF9hxqk03Ve-ZjeR5PzrSGxZuyHWvZI8qIyvXBePgmXEcppWRN_IHShF7Etm7SNq3=w640-h472" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few spent blossoms on the ground.</td></tr></tbody></table>I don't have a good photo of the inflorescence on the tree - they are way too high - but I do have a close-up of a single fallen blossom.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjifZR9Uc--kx2Hpr2Is3x673fcm4YTYSrwbFoOFDOzXiiCY5aHr72DYzMK1yebFOnpI91mmdZvVM1HOTv4dO5eaB_d9yXjJUxgyUq3u6Qcq4I9SSroR9vILburdId7qHpJlUwSxQkmB8pObRcAUCPNk_RsuDWNYrtJOeL1YZuc1nB86OpsWtfvQfYG=s2734" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2734" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjifZR9Uc--kx2Hpr2Is3x673fcm4YTYSrwbFoOFDOzXiiCY5aHr72DYzMK1yebFOnpI91mmdZvVM1HOTv4dO5eaB_d9yXjJUxgyUq3u6Qcq4I9SSroR9vILburdId7qHpJlUwSxQkmB8pObRcAUCPNk_RsuDWNYrtJOeL1YZuc1nB86OpsWtfvQfYG=w640-h446" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very complex structure. I think some insects get trapped in it. </td></tr></tbody></table>Hummingbirds swarm the tree in the early morning hours and then later on other birds come. No photos of the woodpeckers or brown jays, but I did get some shots of Montezuma Oropendolas.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_TqbXjZeJ4Bn1lxckkjQ0znBrjsfq9QIR7TyrR2frzw5GF932Q5nLESD2ENQTxOjbMD9Fcatz_En911rZZxVUs1eTr_BiqudfVVB0mGc2g26radjexAE62GAoypzcVaaX-0XSQpzMwsj_zNkHaMvN4lUZGg7YAmBNqOHuctCSMs8LdMlCXLRX2fKF=s1310" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="1310" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_TqbXjZeJ4Bn1lxckkjQ0znBrjsfq9QIR7TyrR2frzw5GF932Q5nLESD2ENQTxOjbMD9Fcatz_En911rZZxVUs1eTr_BiqudfVVB0mGc2g26radjexAE62GAoypzcVaaX-0XSQpzMwsj_zNkHaMvN4lUZGg7YAmBNqOHuctCSMs8LdMlCXLRX2fKF=w640-h532" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a Montezuma Oropendola in the center of the image with the blue patch on its face.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3MMsQKTlXmeY4AXTfYp14EQ598lRVPJdMvI-RwuUNnc4vSdq1iGUff61Xw8RkVr3AUQdWtgsTa24O-lhq_Q6UzOJsSOz4pF9nAQoqCxmUlj8D6jU5f0K1eVjF6QqgjkWxOsRYo6Y191eTw2LaZvsVsApo4Xu5KjF27IqnxuCREfweVTHpab2ldl-U=s2926" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2926" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3MMsQKTlXmeY4AXTfYp14EQ598lRVPJdMvI-RwuUNnc4vSdq1iGUff61Xw8RkVr3AUQdWtgsTa24O-lhq_Q6UzOJsSOz4pF9nAQoqCxmUlj8D6jU5f0K1eVjF6QqgjkWxOsRYo6Y191eTw2LaZvsVsApo4Xu5KjF27IqnxuCREfweVTHpab2ldl-U=w640-h418" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here it is showing off its yellow tail.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq3nDY2DSHX9kStVmZG39Tphc5lIKZ-A6eajlIFnK6JD22ibGJxhhW7Veq3lH2oV3S2v_o5HRzYOpVNIOsjeixTk6xaX88FrB30u_i4T459KhGiI3ry-AHaDgxj8gOJGdYGV5cbEsi0pkxuFeHyPYlYxgpwvJdPKuJdHg-yEenmBOcOBa_0rghaJ8Z=s3355" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3355" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq3nDY2DSHX9kStVmZG39Tphc5lIKZ-A6eajlIFnK6JD22ibGJxhhW7Veq3lH2oV3S2v_o5HRzYOpVNIOsjeixTk6xaX88FrB30u_i4T459KhGiI3ry-AHaDgxj8gOJGdYGV5cbEsi0pkxuFeHyPYlYxgpwvJdPKuJdHg-yEenmBOcOBa_0rghaJ8Z=w640-h364" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larger than an American crow, smaller than a raven, these oropendolas are the largest member of the New World Blackbird family.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzhwMSgXgXAyJ-R51pGMEpA-mF8VxGjomxZtsdHkUW1jVeIDH8ryxJECV0v2ynDdgI_bQ7ieScfec5q-gmibg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>For a few more weeks yet, the birds will feast at the Coral Tree Cafe.Wilmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717012784233946753noreply@blogger.com14