Monday, September 29 — After we finished doing school in the morning, we went to lunch at the pizza restaurant that Eric and Keith had gone to last Tuesday. They’d really liked it and wanted Christi to try it. It was … Continue reading →
Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington DC
continued… We hailed another ride share to take us to a restaurant called Old Ebbitt Grill, located directly across the street from the US Treasury. Eric was dismayed to see the ride share app showed it would take 20-minutes and … Continue reading →
Placencia, Belize
“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.
The southeastern coast of Belize is famous for its natural beauty. The Placencia Peninsula measures approximately 19 miles from north to south but is just half a mile wide. It has the look and feel of an island and is often described as the “caye you can drive to.” Between the peninsula and the mainland, Placencia Lagoon is home to manatees and saltwater crocodiles. Offshore, there are dive sites on the coral Belize Barrier Reef. Bad weather kept all of us from exploring the reef.
Alex was our captain that took us back and forth to Placencia.
The Placencia Pier.
Most of the local places looked a lot like this one. We would have spent a little time in one of the beach side establishments, but our island was just better…and all our beer was already paid for.
The kids favorite place to go in Placencia was Tutti Fruitti. They served gelato instead of ice cream and the kids loved it.
The Enclave sits on a private two-acre island just 100 yards from the Placencia Pier.
Beat the Bomb in Washington DC
Sunday, Sept 28 — Keith has not enjoyed the activities that we’ve done over the last few days, so we decided to make it up to him by letting him pick an activity that he thought would be fun. When … Continue reading →
The National Cryptologic Museum in Annapolis, Maryland – Part 2
continued… Here were some American machines used in World War II. The little machine on the left was a portable unit. 140,000 were built during WWII. They were also utilized in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well. The bigger … Continue reading →
Dec. 20 – Fun on the Island
“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.
We entertained ourselves by eating, drinking, putting together puzzles, playing games, eating, drinking, swimming, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking and more eating and drinking. The kids entertained each other and gave the parents a lot of time to relax.
In the evening after dark Graham organized games like capture the flag, perimeter, cops and robbers and hide and seek. Even the adults had a great time.
The girls loved taking a ride on the kayaks and paddle boards.
Even the bigger kids just rode…no paddling.
Paddle board time.
Pool time.
Papa Faj taught the littles how to snorkel.
Corn hole by the pool.
There was a puzzle on the table the whole time we were there.
Bryt and CeCe were the giant Jenga champs.
Lots of card games…the new one being called Sets.
Playing pool was fun for everyone also.
When the kids went to bed the adults played a game called fish bowl.
Just a few of the iguanas on the island.
Iguana stew…the little round things are iguana eggs.
Another pretty sunset.
Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)
Keith had to write a report for school on a topic of interest to him. We decided to post it so he can share it with the new potential players that he meets. Dungeons and Dragons, known as D&D for … Continue reading →
Dec. 18 – Belize City
“Life’s a journey, not a destination.” -Aerosmith
We decided to fly into Belize a day ahead of when we were scheduled to arrive at the resort. A few others in our group did the same thing. Being retired gave us that option. Coming on Thursday instead of Friday also gave us more time to relax and saved us some money. The flight from Houston to Belize City was only two and a half hours and everything went smoothly, although customs were a bit more intense than other countries we’ve been to. We’ll fly down to Placencia tomorrow with Milly and her family and meet up with the rest of our group.
We spent our first night in Belize at a cute little B&B called Villa Boscardi. Located between the airport and Belize City. We were joined by Milly and her family. What a fun and relaxing evening we had catching up and enjoying a meal overlooking the water. Milly and our oldest son Kyle have been friends since they were in kindergarten. Milly’s like a daughter to us and now we have two bonus grandchildren.
Belize Immigrations checked our passports and embarkation information at three separate places…all within 30 yards of each other before we could exact the airport. Leaving the county was just as involved.
This is the first time we have had a car waiting for us. It was fun.
Our little inn was very nice. We had our ow little building by the pool.
The office and kitchen were in the main house along with several more roooms.
We spent the afternoon and evening at Smokeez Seaside Restaurant & Bar. It was about the only thing in the area.
We relaxed and enjoyed a local beer while we waited for Milly and Evan to arrive.
It was great too have Milly join us for this holiday trip.
Dinner at Smokeez.
Stan with his new little friends.
Belize Adventure
“Travel as much as you can. As far as you can. As long as you can. Life is not meant to be lived in one place.” -Unknown
We’re off for a little Christmas adventure with family and friends. We’re going to spend the next week on a private island off the town of Planecia in the southern part of Belize. Placencia is one of the most popular destinations in Belize. It’s a charming, low-key fishing village located at the southern tip of the Placencia Peninsula. Bordered on one side by a mangrove-lined lagoon and on the other by the Caribbean Sea. It’s famous for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.
Belize Adventure
“Travel as much as you can. As far as you can. As long as you can. Life is not meant to be lived in one place.” -Unknown
We’re off for a little Christmas adventure with family and friends. We’re going to spend the next week on a private island off the town of Planecia in the southern part of Belize. Placencia is one of the most popular destinations in Belize. It’s a charming, low-key fishing village located at the southern tip of the Placencia Peninsula. Bordered on one side by a mangrove-lined lagoon and on the other by the Caribbean Sea. It’s famous for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.
