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.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

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.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

The National Cryptologic Museum in Annapolis, Maryland

Saturday, Sept 27 — First thing this morning, Eric went to move car. His plan was to move the car out of the lot and then park right back in it. However, the lot was closed – cars could only … Continue reading

Trader Joe’s in DC; The Original Pancake House and Trawlerfest in Baltimore, MD

Friday, Sept 26 — When we saw Jeff Merrill, he had invited us to join his panel of cruising experts at the upcoming Trawlerfest in Baltimore. We had already arranged to rent a car at the airport this morning so … Continue reading

The Exhibition Hall in the Capitol, Washington DC and More Exploring The Wharf

continued… In 1964, only 79 years after the Supreme Court overturned the first civil rights bill, Congress finally got around to passing another one. The Civil Rights Act was more expansive than its predecessor, outlawing discrimination on the basis of … Continue reading

Manhattan

When James was scheduled for a four-day business trip to attend a conference in Manhattan following a holiday weekend, we decided to turn the visit into two distinct trips. The first was to lower Manhattan the weekend before the conference, where we stayed at the Casa Cipriani overlooking New York Harbor. The hotel is located…

Keith’s Perspective on Our Last Week in Baltimore / Le point de vue de Keith sur notre dernière semaine à Baltimore

This week has been mellow. On Saturday, we went to the Walter’s Museum. It had lots of old paintings and a few old suits of armor and a few old weapons. I learned that Samurai armor includes a mask that’s … Continue reading