Dec. 25 – Christmas on the Island

By on January 7, 2026 in The Pearl
“No amount of money or success can take the place of time spent with your family.” -Unknown

Santa found the kids in Belize. He came a few days early so he could leave treats for one family that was heading home before Christmas. He filled the kids stocking with all kinds of goodies and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. We had fun celebrating Christmas for several days and I know all the littles got more Christmas when they got home. Not a bad deal. 

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Placencia, Belize

By on January 6, 2026 in The Pearl
“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget” –Unknown

We wandered the streets of Placencia a few afternoons. The town has a lot of  luxury resorts and condominiums, but it has managed to retain its old-world charm. Locals still head out to sea every morning in small boats to bring in the daily catch and visitors can meander along the village’s 4,000-foot long “main street” that is a pedestrian-only sidewalk adorned with little shops, small B&Bs, very local cafes, colorful murals and artwork.

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The National Museum of American History in Washington DC – Part 6: Food Exhibition

By on January 6, 2026 in Kosmos

continued… The overarching theme in the exhibit on the changes in the way Americans ate was convenience. At the Museum of Industry, we’d learned that by the 1880s, canning food had become an important industry that continued to grow in … Continue reading →

Dec. 21 – Monkey River Excursion

By on January 5, 2026 in The Pearl
“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff too show.” -Unknown

We only ended up doing one excursion during our time in Belize. The weather and then my hurt wrist put a squash on some of the other ideas I had. The excursion we did was one that even the youngest in our group could do. It was called the Monkey River Cruise. 
Captain Jaks picked us up at our dock and took us down the coast of Belize to the Monkey River. The beginning of the day was beautiful, smooth seas and lots of sunshine. We traveled about 14 miles down the coast to the Monkey River. As we entered the river we passed the wooden homes owned by the locals and past the village we would come back to for lunch. 

On the way up the river we saw Howler Monkeys, some mangrove swallows, lots of herons, cranes, a kingfisher and a few crocodiles. We kept our eyes open for other exotic birds but we didn’t see any. 

Once up the river we took a hike through the jungle. By this time the rain had caught up with us, but we’re in a rainforest…what would you expect? From the boat we sloshed through the mud into the forest to find a few monkeys and a cool bamboo forest.

After the hike we headed back down the river to Monkey River Village where we had a nice lunch made by the local women in the village. After lunch we were supposed to see the manatees that hang out near the cruise line island of Harvest Caye, but by that time the rain was pelting us and we weren’t in the mood to look for them. The ride home was a bit rough and very wet but everyone made the best of it. 

The ride down the coast to the river was very nice.

Monkey River Town

Everyone kept their eyes pealed for something interesting. 

A Howler monkey. We never got to hear them call to one another.

A Guiana chestnut flower, a turtle and a small crocodile.

Part of the river.

Beginning our hike through the jungle.

A cool bamboo forest.

Doesn’t this look like fun?

Another Howler monkey…watching us watch him.

A Coroozo or Cohune Palm. The Maya used this tree for oil, roofing, and even salt.

Part of our muddy group.

Monkey River Village where we had lunch. Definitely not fancy, but the lunch was good and the people were so friendly.

Our ride home was wet and a bit cool. Everyone was a good sport and no one really complained. We just but our heads down and waited it out.

Dec. 21 – Monkey River Excursion

By on January 5, 2026 in The Pearl
“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff too show.” -Unknown

We only ended up doing one excursion during our time in Belize. The weather and then my hurt wrist put a squash on some of the other ideas I had. The excursion we did was one that even the youngest in our group could do. It was called the Monkey River Cruise. 

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Keith’s Perspective on Our First Week in DC/Le point de vue de Keith sur notre première semaine à Washington

By on January 5, 2026 in Kosmos

This week has been… well, painful is the wrong word. Maybe… interesting would be the right word, I guess? On Saturday, we arrived in Washington DC. All we did was rest for the whole day except for going out to … Continue reading →

The National Museum of American History in Washington DC – Part 5: Object Project, Change Your Game and Food Exhibition

By on January 4, 2026 in Kosmos

continued… We moved on to the next gallery, called “Object Project.” It appeared to be a small traveling exhibit about innovations that transformed America. It included: the bicycle, off-the-rack clothing, electric lighting, telephones, appliances (examples were microwaves and vacuums) and … Continue reading →

Dec. 20 – Fun on the Island

By on January 3, 2026 in The Pearl
“The sea lives in every one of us.” –Robert Wyland 

Life on our private island was pretty nice. Anything we wanted or needed the staff took care of. We were pampered all week long. The island was full of iguanas…they liked when the sun came out as much as we did. Graham asked one of the staff if people ate iguanas, when he found out they did, he wanted to try one. The next day we had iguana for lunch. Our chef Alex said he had never cooked iguana before but he cooked it in a stew for us that was surprisingly good. 

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

The National Museum of American History in Washington DC – Part 4: “American Enterprise”

By on January 2, 2026 in Kosmos

continued… The next section was “The Corporate Era: 1860s to 1930s.” The sign said that this was when America made the turn to be a primarily urban nation. Businesses got big; so did scales of production. Working together, the US … Continue reading →

Happy New Year

By on January 1, 2026 in The Pearl

“The happiest people find peace in simple things…a walk in the woods, a breath of fresh air, a moment with nature. It’s how they keep the world’s chaos in check.” -Unknown