VILLAGE LIFE, CROOKED TREE - BELIZE

Islandgirl & I were driving around Belize City earlier this morning running errands in the sweltering heat. Islandgirl was starting to look faint & I was wondering if we had finally arrived in Hell and Lucifer would suddenly appear. Neither of us were ready to go back to the Heavenly breezes we left behind on Caye Caulker, since we had not yet been off long enough to cure our island fever. On impulse, I suggested we drive out to one of my favorite nearby villages & drove the hour to Crooked Tree, a tiny village with a population of approx. 1000.

We took off in the direction of the Northern Highway and turned off around mile 35 unto the man-made dirt road that was built over the pond to get to the village. The last time I was there was on New Years Eve and I had written more about this village in my blog entry "Cosmic New Years Tour".

We pulled up to Tree's & Vee's little streetside restaurant on the main drag to have lunch . Vee told us she didn't serve lunch, mostly dinner, but said she would prepare a dish for us of Tilapia Fish with white rice, stew beans, roasted plantain, chicken and avocado which is in season and plentyful.

We arrived shortly before midday & although much cooler than Belize City due to all the big cashew & mango trees around, there was no one in sight as we drove through until we parked and saw a patron under the tin hut with the owners when we arrived. Before the sun could reach its midday position, the little hut had already a gathering of locals who arrived one by one, seemingly attracted by the hyped up activity in the area. Strangers in town. I learned a lot about this village in those two hours, and I'll share some of the conversations with you.


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CHURCH & SCHOOL

Me: "So how many schools in this village"

Villager: "Just one school, but about ten churches"

Me: "Lots of Deacons"

Villager: "Well we had one foreign preacher who built a little shop attached to his church and all he sold was contraband"

Me: "You mean like this pack of cigarette I just bought in town called Blitz, a brand I never even heard of?"

Villager: "Yes, & that's the regular cigarette, if he had offered you the dollar cigarettes, he mean- the ready rolled ones that isn't exactly tobacco. He would use the ultra-thin pages torn from the minature bibles to roll the joints, he never ran out of rolling paper. The patrons who purchased them swore they got a HOLY HIGH. We use to call him the Mafia Pastor and he eventually got ran out of town, but he was a good Country & Western singer and once sung at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville."

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POLITICS

Me: "So who is your Village Council Chairman?

Villager: "Well right now we have elected a foreigner, an Englishman"

Me: "What, how did that happen?"

Villager: "Well, in this village you are either blue or red (2 main party colors) and so the villager doesn't really look at the candidate or his credentials, they will vote for you if you are representing their party, and somehow he got chosen to represent the winning party, so we got screwed"

Me: "Is he doing anything for the village?"

Villager: "yes, before we could just go get fish in the pond but now we need to pay the village a fee to be able to go dive, spear or fish."
Me: "That sounds alarming, what does he do with the monies collected?"

Villager: "Very good question"

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POLICE
Me: "How many policemen in this village?"

Villager: "Just one, when you can find him, he's mostly in the city"

Me: "So what happens if there is a crime?"

Villager: "In this village, everybody knows here that if you mess with someone, you're going to have to take what you got coming"

Me: "What is the policeman like?"

Villager: "We call him Capone, he acts just like that character from the movie THIRD WORLD COP."

Me: "You have a police station, jail?"
Villager: "Not for a long time, they used the station one time, but they couldn't lock anybody up for years, the place was so rotten, people would break out. The last person arrested here was placed in cuffs and cuffed to a rotted metal. As soon as Capone was gone, he was down the street at the restaurant eating, cuffs and all"

Me: "I think I'll go check out this Police Station"

Villager: "Don't try to go upstairs, the killer bees up there will get you"

Me: "I just passed the Police Station at the last village of Sanhill, that one in better shape, but middle of the day and its all locked up too"

Villager: "Yeah, nobody home there either"

After we had chatted & cleaned our plates, Vee came out and asked

"How was the Hurry-Come-Up Food?"

Me: "Excellent lunch & company & a relaxed afternoon filled with laughter, thank you!"

JUST HAPPEN!

I am waiting for something to happen.
I really truly want it to happen.
If anyone would have said before this will happen to me,
I wouldn't have believed it could happen.
Now that it might be happening,
I just can't tell anyone about it yet, unless it actually happens!

TALK RASS - Caye Caulker

BEACHBOY: "Do you know what is the primary language spoken on Caye Caulker?

ME: " English"

BEACHBOY: "TALK RASS!!" (means in creole dialect: all the talk is a lie, complete BS, made up stuff using an imagination gone on the wild side) .
Not Spanish! Not English! No Garifuna or Ketchi & Creole!
Talk Rass, this is most widely spoken here!
You hear it everyday!
Everywhere!
People sit around all day and TALK RASS!, its become a language in itself."

I know exactly what Beachboy was talking about, people Talk Rass more here on this island than anything else, including me. I do it everyday. Yesterday, islandgirl, childbride & myself sat around for hours di "TALK RASS"

CAYE CONVERSATIONS (in Talk Rass Language) #1:
-----------------------------------------------
ISLANDGIRL (who has a booty that puts J-LO's to shame):

You know that little junction downtown by Belize bank where you always have those traffic officers? Well I was walking and stopped at that busy intersection last week by market square & I was wearing a tight skirt. This traffic officer comes up to me and asks to see my license."

ME: "But didn't you say you were walking?"

ISLANDGIRL: "Exactly! So I asked him if he's blind, can't he see I'm walking and he shamelessly looks directly at my butt and says....."

TRAFFIC OFFICER #1: "This thing definitely needs a license"

ISLANDGIRL: "I asked to speak with the inspector and he comes over"

ME: "What did he say?"

ISLANDGIRL: "After hearing the story from the first officer, he looks at my butt and says that it definitely needs a license & he is going to issue me a ticket, so I demanded to know what the charges are"

INSPECTOR #2: " We can certainly charge you young lady with the following:
- illegal parking
- obstruction of street corner
- wide load
- over load
- hauling a trailer with no permit.

ME: "Gial, you could talk rass!"

Another week in the life

San Ignacio, Belize. Planted palm trees & assorted flowery hedge plants at the fixer upper. The house has windows, doors, burglar bars and a new paint job. Later on, mandatory is to chill at the Cahal Pech Resort in the evening for sunset over the hills.

Same Week, Caye Caulker. Relaxed too much, Had fun with friends & impromtu jam session on my deck with my artist friends Marcos & Manuel from Bullet Tree. Walked down to the Split for sunset. Rest of the time in my bedroom/office on the computer answering reservations requests and other emails. Life feels lazy in these hot summer days.

Back home on Caye Caulker with my buddies the Caye Cookoos

Welcome to Caye Caulker Mon! Sunshine & Fun in the summer, pretty much guaranteed. But even too much of that in Paradise (perceived) could be exhausting. Nevertheless, I have been looking forward to returning home with delicious anguish. I particularly missed the islands characters. My son Ty is spending the last 10 days of his vacation on the island having a blast before his return to Kenya.

I hesitate to tell you all how much fun this place is, I'd like to keep it exclusive, to not even let the tide in, but the word is already out. I prefer if people continue to believe Caye Caulker to be an inconsequential island with excellent fishing, diving & fun island vibes for the Go-Slow World Travellers. We certainly don't want to see it turn into shimmering towers of glass & concrete, developers new "wood-du-jour" with towers rising & snaking along the coastline inside the Barrier Reef.

The island attracts a young & ec0-friendly, earthy type traveler. Not a common sight here is tits hanging like bowling balls in a sheet. On the contrary, the ones you will see salute the sun.

Getting here is by Water Taxi, the kind of ride where you don't have to book a window seat to get a good view. The fish is so fresh & delicious, it's love at first bite.
Yesterday & today, thanks to Biggie's affection for the kids and offering his boat, Ty got to learn to drive it. We hung out for a bit at the legendary weathered beaten bar at the Split which he leases, The Lazy Lizard, "a sunny place for shady people", the setting for so many beautiful sunset gatherings with friends over several decades. Everything on the island is so bright & colorful, and being out doors sure beats sitting around the house watching "I- don't- know -what" on t.v.

I don't know how much longer we can enjoy the simplicity of the Split since it is rumored to be selling. Hopefully the new owners won't fence the locals out. I would prefer if the only additions to the Split Bar be palm trees for shade, more low tables & lounge chairs with cushions on which one can loll & become genuinely laid back . a proper seawall too & dock where day boats from the surrounding cayes can bring us beautiful people who will approach, preferably with cocktail in hand.

Here are some pics of the last few days.

4th of July Party '08- Pompano Beach, Florida

I was fortunate enough to land an invite to watch 4th of July fireworks at the very Ace spot at Jan's house on the beach in Pompano, Fla. where we partied and spent the night.

Fireworks were directly in front of the house (brown house pictured behind the 3 kids)















I watched the magnificent display of lights from the front yard under the thatched palapa & I felt very much at home in this environment. Island girls love to be near the sea - add palapa, rum & some cool ass people, well - heaven on earth, no matter what part of the globe you are.

I landed this choice spot through my connection to her sister, a long time friend of mine & ex- co-worker Sheryl who I wrote about in an earlier blog "Que Viva Mexico".

I had seen many photos of Jan & her children from Sheryl over the years so I felt like I knew them before I even got there.

As soon as I arrived, the whole family made me & my kids posse feel welcomed. Jan has the most beautiful family of handsome sons & a fab daughter I have yet to meet. The young men were accompanied by the mega coolest wives ever to be found on this planet & their kids.

Thalia, Joe's special girl made sure I always was exactly where I should be at the opportune moment. Silvia, Ray's wife, to me, is already a superstar! Look out for her on the next American Idol, she will be auditioning in Aug. this year. She's is a talented singer by all accounts & I have my bet she'll be on-stage next season.

Jan had a wonderful buffet spread in her beach-house and I became addicted to the bacon strips that hugged the date palms in the appetizer section and kept going back for more.

Sheryl (in brown & white top) is like my sister - we go way back and have a long history of fun together. This 4th of July was no exception in her company. Thank you guys for making this a really memorable event for me & the kids.

SUMMER TIME AT THE THEME PARK

I've been spending the last three nights in Orlando with my son 17, my niece 15 & nephew 18 years old and their computers.

Two summers ago, this trio I call the Cyber Junkies due to their addiction to their computers, spent the summer with me in Roatan, Honduras so this summer hanging out thing, is starting to look like a trend.

These non-Belizean raised kids are much different than my Belizean raised teen age neices & nephews. They don't want to leave the dark dungeon feel of their bedrooms sitting in front of their computers playing games or chatting online with friends. The Belizean raised kids love to party and love the outdoors & the ocean and miss Belize because of the freedom afforded them there and always have a bunch of friends hanging around. Now that they have all recently migrated to First World, they too have become addicted to the computer. So this computer addiction is most common in a developed country rather than a developing country. Third world kids don't miss what they don't know.

I don’t mind hanging with this crew, it’s a different world spending 24/7 with teenagers and I did not really know what that was like until recently. I am relishing the young blood company and catching up on some of the times I had been missing. They know everything just like I use to know everything at that age! I don’t argue, I let them think they do. I have gained wisdom but I don't have to force feed that down their throats. I was raised 'tough love' style & I think it worked wonders for me. They can learn from the school of hard knocks too, shape some character, especially if they don't want to listen to the voice of reason, which quite possibly is not me.

TEEN: “we like ribbing you until we get under your skin Aunty Tina, just to see you squirm.”

ME: “what do you mean squirm? I don't squirm.”

TEEN: “when you tell us to do something, we like to challenge you, but you just back away”

ME: “uh-huh, no arguments here, it’s a tough world for those who don’t want to listen or learn.”

They know that I lack basic 101 parenting skills, I am open about it with them. I tell them I don’t really have the experience, the most I know about teenagers is how to act like one & I can relate to their angst. Plus, my mother is so strict, so I don’t want to be like that, I’m much more of a chillaxed person. Kudos to my mother though, all that old fashioned whipping made me a better person, I am sure of it. The teens admire my chaperon skills & my taste in music. I like hip-hop & I know a lot of the words to 80’s classic rock. On the long drive to Orlando, I sang loudly just to impress them and it worked. The new generation still likes the old classic rock.

I take great pleasure in trying to corrupt the Cyber Junkies, always trying to drag them someplace where they would not normally go. Like maybe a dance club or to just hang out at the beach, a concert - you know - anything out of the house. If it has any shock value, better yet. Like I told Teen nephew (who recently turned 18) when we passed the Gentleman's club in Orlando, that I was willing to pay for a lap dance if he would gather the cojones to go in and get it. I wanted to watch him squirm for I know that he is not interested in anything that doesn't have a chip in it. He gave me a smart comeback, he said "No thanks Aunty Tina, they have a NO TOUCH POLICY which would only mean that you are being cruel to me by letting me suffer through that."

ME (constantly): "I can't even pry you guys away from your computer to go outdoors and have some fun with me, what gives man?"

TEEN (argument): "Different generation Aunty Tina, remember in 1983 when you got your first T.V. how your mother couldn't pry you away from that one channel WGN you use to get? You yourself said you watched Cubs games for hours everyday and you did not even like baseball."

ME: "Yeah, but we still use to go outdoors and do sport activities & socialize"

THEM: "we don't want to be sporty or go outdoors & we socialize online, we are the cyber generation, entertained by our computer, that's what the new generation is all about"

ME: "Only in your country where you can afford computers, the rest of the third world countries teenagers are still having a hell of a good time hanging outdoors enjoying nature".

But we did manage to have some summer fun in Orlando, and I got them away from their computers. We visited Islands of Adventure and they even convinced me get on my first roller coaster ride ever. Well, that was also my last roller coaster ride. My body reacted to those hair pin upside down turns in slow motion. The tram would leave and the rest of my body spent the time trying to play catch-up. It took me a good hour sitting down to recover my equilibrium. After that, I was strictly a spectator.

I did get to climb under Jimmy Buffet's airplane the "Hemisphere Dancer" which I have read so much about in his books so that way a margaritaville moment for me.

On the way back to Miami, I missed my exit and got lost eventually ending up where I intended to go, but not before adding a few extra hours to the journey & after travelling through alligator alley & many back water roads through the Everglades Park & Mecosoukee Indians reservations to arrive. Getting lost was a tour in itself, Florida like I had never seen it & it was beautiful & tranquil, & I hauled ass down the one lane highway without traffic or state troopers in sight.

SAILING FLORIDA WATERS WITH PIRATE WANNABE'S

PARADISE ISLAND vs CAYE CAULKER

ATLANTIS, BAHAMAS
Island girls usually don't stray too far away from the water, so it was natural to choose the Bahamas for vacation.

Big Sis Sharon, brother-in-law Dave, and their kids Stefan & Marlese accompanied Tyler & I for a 4 day vacation at the fancy Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. While this joint offered a ton of amenities & geared towards adult & children alike and very artistic & beautiful, I had a hard time swallowing the prices of say, a small bottle of water $5.00 usd/ a coca cola for $7. 00 usd or a chicken soup or burger for $20.00 usd. I won't even mention the room rate, you can take an educated guess there. I have every right to groan!
Needless to say, this trip put a big hurt on my wallet, but I had an idea what I was in for.

The next time a tourist on Caye Caulker tries to moan at me that Belize is expensive, I might be inclined to pass on my credit card bill to them to show them what expensive really looks like. Sheeeshhh!

Every so often someone comes to the hostel and starts to moan about the $10. usd a dorm bed and I just want to punch their lights out cause we're still surviving on minimal everything in this Banana Republic (well at least I am) and some of us have even traveled a little to see what costs are like around the rest of the world.

Brit: "$10.00 usd is ridiculously expensive for a bed in Belize. Guatemala was $2.00 usd and Honduras was $4.00 usd for a hostel bed."

Me: "Well, you know when I was in London, I paid $22.00 pounds sterling or approx. $44.00 usd for a dorm bed in a hostel, three & a half times more than I'm charging you for a bed, why is London so bloody expensive?"

Brit: "Well, you should expect to pay that, after all that is London, a wonderful metropolis and we've got the Tower of London & London Bridge and... blah..blah..bullshit"

Me: "Well, $10.00 usd is very cheap for a beach front dorm bed in Caye Caulker, Belize considering you are on a paradise tropical island in the Caribbean and we've got the 2nd largest Barrier Reef at your doorstep and a Rainforest to rival the best in the world and Mayan Culture like you've never seen and ...blah...blah..bullshit."

You know what I'm saying?

I'm beefing with the world right now, I feel like I just got robbed on this vacation. It did not leave me feeling in the highest of spirits as you can tell. But to carry on this rant.....I've had complainers from just about every Country except the Chinese & Japanese and so I really got to like these two race of people, they make good Ambassadors for their countries. But the Brits, & I like the Brits generally, they're partiers and pretty cool, but you of all people, even with an exchange rate of $4.00 bzd to 1 pound approx., you still find the time sometimes to complain about your two & a half pound bed cost smelling the freshest air you could never get in London.

I'm guessing some of you are probably thinking, I shouldn't complain about the cost of my recent hotel, after all, it is THE Atlantis Resort and it is a Caribbean island with sharks, comediennes, palm trees, celebrities...blah...blah....bullshit!

BELIZE - We are worth the costs you are asked to pay & have much to offer, just in a beautiful simplistic & natural ART form o.k., none of the fancy high priced commissioned stuff from artists which the resort will charge the pants out of the customer for.

To us Belizeans, Belize is .....well.....not being original here......PRICELESS.

A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-E the value you get for your money here in this Banana Republic, you are getting a GREAT DEAL take it from me!

Come to think of it, I think it's time I raise my prices,.... hell........how else am I gonna pay for this vacation?

WELCOME HOME TYLER

Miami International, today.

It is a very sad story that breaks my heart every time I think about it. My only son Tyler was taken from me by force after I sent him to visit his father in Africa for the summer in 2001 and he promptly filed for custody in Kenya after the summer was up, essentially "stealing" the child from me. He is an American citizen & at the time of the ordeal, I had contacted the State Dept. in Washington for help, but there was little they could do since it had become a court case which had to play itself out.

I went over to Kenya where I once lived, to fight this court case all by myself. I was young & naieve and was sure I was going to leave the continent with my son in tow. The case & airfare & hotel for a month cost me a fortune, coming from a third world country & meager income. The ordeal left me traumatized still to this day. I lost to a powerful man in Kenya who has the means to pay off everyone including the judges. He ended up getting custody until the kid is 18 & I didn't stand a chance. My father had wanted to join me in Kenya at the time only to kidnap the child back & told me not to bother with a court case in a corrupt country, I was wasting my time & money. He had already lined up a few Muscle men from the Ugandan army to help us cross the borders & break the father's knee-caps (as he put it).
In the end, I felt like that was too risky to all our lives so I tried to do it the right way through the legal system & declined my Dad's offer.
The judge ruled against me as he expected, but ruled I get him for the summers until 18. So, I get a few weeks a year & even sometimes, the father will not honor that, but I will never put myself through another court case I decided long ago.

Last year, The father did not send my child - changing schools was the excuse. You can imagine how happy & excited I was today to see my son again after two years. He is a smart, handsome young man and I am very proud of him. Of course I never want him to return to Africa, but my son insists to return every time, as he has grown close to his father over the last years & says if I don't send him back, he will find a way to return. It is always bitter sweet to see him for I know it wont be long before he is gone again & his departure always leaves me broken-hearted & on edge. Ever since 2001, the constant terrible realization that I have no immediate family to share my life with hits me like a ton of bricks and makes me a very sad gal. I hate my single solitary life mostly on Holidays like Christmas or birthdays or Mother's Day. I really wanted to be a full time mother to Tyler. Even though I am surrounded by people all the time, there is that persistent emptiness.
Since motherhood didn't work out the way I expected and deep within, has eaten away at me for years, I am reluctant to have another child. The pain associated with the loss of something you love so much is intense but I find the positive - like my friend Catdance would say: "at least he is not dead and there is much hope left".
Finding a life partner & lifetime friend to fill the void left by my son's absence has proven to be even more difficult. Life is tough when you struggle on your own, but I continue to roll with the punches and am beginning to love my independence & freedom.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH TYLER, WELCOME HOME. NOW LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!!!!!

THE BLACK "BUD"

Islandgirl (looking incredulous): "Gial, do you know you have a BLACK BUD in your house?

Me: "I know its a bird but I didn't know its a BLACK BUD!"

Islandgirl: "Oh Lawd help you now, Thats a BLAACK BUD your luck has changed!'"

ME : Blaack BUD!... this gringo won't know what we are talking about if you talk about this poor little bird in raw creole like that.
(gringo -anybody not from here)
The gingo I am referring to is my friend PRINCE, the German who has his little kingdom on the North side of Caye Caulker & is sitting on the couch with mi sis Miss D fresh in from First World, wondering what the hell we are laughing at.

Islandgirl: "No, if you know anything about a BLACK BUD, you would know that they don't even warrant enough respect to be called a BIRD!

They are BAD LUCK girl ---- Baaaaaaaad, BAD Luck!
Didn't you learn that from your creole relatives?"

ME: "Why the hell didn't you tell me that earlier. I am superstitious. "

Islandgirl was beginning to scare me. I've had nothing but bad luck since I took this Bud in. My plans to party this weekend before I leave the island for the summer fell flat in my face & I wasn't happy. Prince caused Miss D to let me down and I'm going to guilt-trip her on this blog cause I know she reads it. Then some other things happened much worse than missing a fun weekend, nothing for anybody to be alarmed about, part curse perhaps/a bigger part stupidy. It gets expensive when I try to cheer myself up.

Islandgirl: "How the hell you end up with that cursed BUD anyway?"

I had asked CUZ to cut down the coconuts on the top of the tall coconut tree in the hostel yard two days ago. The damn thing was loaded with missile like ripe coconuts and they were falling nearly missing some of the guests. In the process this little bird's nest got disturbed and he was abandoned so we are trying to keep it alive.

Bread & Milk has been the diet for BLACK BUD the last couple of days & he seems to be thriving on it.

I've had several near heart attacks too. Every time I pass by BLACK BUD, the damn thing springs like a pop-up-jack-in-the-box, from its nest of weeds, with its beak wide open begging for food. He's got me as jumpy as a virgin at a prison rodeo.

He eats & poops all day long & I can't keep up. With the exception of T-REX & T-BONE, I haven't mothered anyone or anything since my son moved to Kenya with his father six years ago. I'm clearly out of practice & never had much patience, only for Tyler.

Now, Damien my Personal Assistant has been assigned feeding duty of Black Bud. He has over-stepped his:

employee/boss

squatter/slumlord

younger cousin/elder wiser cousin

friend/friend who must never be back-chatted

boundaries & scolded me for taking on the responsibilities of raising a bird now and passing the duties on to him. He says he has lots of other things to do in his-never-ending-list-of-responsibilites included in his never-mentioned-exactly job description & un-limited working hours at Tina's Hostel.
I say Black Bud isn't bringing him any good luck either.

A CARIBBEAN WEDDING

A casual Caribbean Wedding in a simple island setting. No shoes necessary.

Getting married today at Wish Willy's is Kirk from Belize, Carmen from Spain. Congratulations! My readers know I don't need to say more about this lovely couple or the island's typical cast of characters we'll call here guests.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy what a Saturday afternoon island roots Banana Republic wedding and the guests look like.

BIG MOUTH

All my life I've been told I have a big mouth & Fat lips, way before it was popular. I use to hate it until I realize now how much money I can save on collagen injections. The laugh lines on my cheeks are pronounced, better than a brow frown I suppose. I use to think I was called big mouth because I like to talk so much, but holy tamale, I look like I could swallow the photographer in that shot above.

I was getting all dolls-up last night to host the "Sashing of Miss Lobsterfest" Ceremony next door at the Central Park putting my big mouth to good use for the community.

A pre-show to introduce the ladies to the public & generate some hype. The real show is on June 27th, opening night of the Annual Lobsterfest weekend Festival on CC.

The breeze mi di blow the wild hair!

And by the way, just because I have wild hair & a big mouth DOES NOT mean that I am a wild child or good in bed ..ha..ha.

A CELEBRATION OF PAUL STEEL

Another senseless automobile accident, another good soul lost.

Yesterday, I participated in the Celebration of Paul's life next door on Ambergris Caye. The ceremony was an exceptionally beautiful one by the seaside overlooking the reef. Paul was a sweet , gentle, friendly, kind person with movie star looks. He was an avid diver & sailor and jointly owned about a dozen catamarans with his wife, which they rent on a weekly basis. TMM BAREBOAT VACATIONS boats can be seen all over the waters in our country.

Practically everyone in Belize has a warm story about Paul. This is mine.

Paul & his wife Natalie have been long time friends of my family from the time they first met on Caye Caulker about 30 years ago and fell in love on & with our little island. A few months ago when I was talking to Paul here on the island, another person who was with him asked how long we knew each other, he said - "practically since she was in diapers".

When they met, Natalie was a high school classmate & friend of my older sister & cousins, & she would come then to the island to visit us. It is a warm memory to think that my sisters friendship with Paul's future wife somehow lended itself to faith & Paul's happiness. This lovely couple maintained a house throughout the decades here on Caye Caulker and this place held special memories for Paul as meeting Natalie here changed his life forever and produced two lovely children - Eric & Tianna.

My deepest regret to his family. I will sadly miss your smile Paul.

HOME-BOI BUFFET

So we are in the process of cleaning up the hostel after we managed to vacate everyone. I asked Damian, my employee/squatter/relative/friend (my cousin's son who sleeps on my couch more often than not) to empty out the refrigerators & shelves and he came upstairs with a bunch of left over cereal in boxes.

Me: "I'm not going to eat all that cereal, give it away"

Damien: "I'll take it, don't you know that selection is a home-boy BUFFET?"

TROPICAL STORM ARTHUR

Well, I lost my marbles today. All because of Arthur. I went totally ballistic driven so by a pesky guest who followed me around whingeing & whineing about the obvious flooded floor we were all trying to mop up. I ended up kicking her out, and then I did the unthinkable, I kicked everybody else out too, that is the ones that despite the mess, didn't mind staying again. I emptied the place out. CLOSED FOR REPAIRS. An instant decision on a long time thought. I have been wondering when was the best time to do this before high season starts. Well, the storm made the decision easy for me. I'm not a pre-planner, time itself will tell me when its right to act.
Tropical Storm Arthur is still pissing over us with non-stop torrential rains. The seas are angry like an old man trying to send back soup in the deli & the strong winds leave me feeling bruised & battered, unlike the usual tropical breezes that caress my body.