Our Little Slice of Paradise in Belize

The Battle of St. Georges Caye Sailing Regatta

2011-09-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, a fellow CYC (Consejo Yacht Club) member had invited me to crew on his Hobie Getaway in the Battle of St. Georges Caye Sailing Regatta, September 11,2011, representing our club in it's second race of the year. I was more than happy to join him and thought we would make a good team. The other Hobie Getaway, that Bud and Anne had just received 5 days earlier, was also going to represent the club, but we still needed to assemble the boat and get its crew ready for the race. So the club now had two entries in the regatta, which was now, just a few days away. We had to put together Bud's new Hobie, then head out to our bay to get some much needed practice.

Unfortunately, the winds gods did not want to cooperate and we slogged through 5-8 mph winds for days. And, we still needed time to get the trailers ready to handle the Hobie Cats for the trip to Belize City. Bud was getting his trailer delivered with the boat, or so he thought. When the boat arrived, only part of the trailer was in the container. Apparently, the trailer was too long and they had just shipped the racks that hold the Hobie Cat to the trailer. The actual trailer would not arrive for a few more weeks. That would not help us, as the race was only days away. So in true Belizean fashion, we took another trailer and modified it to handle his Hobie. First problem solved. The second trailer, that would carry our entry in the race, had its own set of problems. It had sat for years, unused, and the leaf spring attachments had rusted to the point that even a minor bump, they would break. So, off to the welding shop we went, to get everything welded up so we wouldn't have any problems out on the road. I hadn't bothered to look at the tires, until then, but they were as bad as I have ever seen a set of tires. Cracked and rotted, we had no time to replace them. No tire store had them in stock and it would take weeks for them to arrive. And our spare tire was just as bad. But we decided we were still on track to go to Belize City, where we were going to launch the boats, we would just have to be extra careful during the drive.

With the boats loaded up on their trailers, we headed off to Belize City, early Saturday morning. It was a nice, uneventful trip and we arrived around 1PM at our final destination. We unloaded the boats, then went off to get some lunch before our sail to St. George's Caye. By the time we had finished lunch and got back to the boats, it was now getting close to 3PM. We still had a several hour sail over to the island, but the winds were up, so we thought we could make good time.

We followed the boats that had started out for the Caye a few hours earlier, but were much slower than us, so we figured we would catch them in a hour or so. An hour and a half later, our tacks had taken quite a bit north of our destination and we still could not see St. George's Caye and had only made up half the ground on the other boats. It was now approaching 4:30 and sunset was just a little before 6PM and total darkness by 6:30. We were not equipt to sail in the dark and with all the small islands in front of us, we needed to locate St.George's Caye and get there as quick as we could. This was open ocean and there was no Coast Guard around to help us if something were to happen.

We could see the other boats approaching an island off in the distance, so we followed their lead and sailed towards that same island. Bud and Jim were on the other Hobie Cat, two or three miles behind us, and sunset was fast approaching. We arrived at the St. George's Caye harbor just after sunset but the other Hobie was now disappearing into the night. Now we had to hope that they saw where we had gone and were able to keep a true course to get there. And, of course around sunset, the winds begin to die down.

A half an hour later we saw a flashlight off in the distance. They had made it to the harbor. We had waited for them at the mouth of the harbor, so we could both sail in to the harbor together. It was now around 7:30 PM, and the journey had taken us over 4 1/2 hours. It was time to check into the hotel then head to the bar for some ice cold Belikins. It had been a very long day.

The next morning we were able to see the suroundings and our hotel cabanas. St. George's Caye is a small island about 10 miles out from Belize City. Beautiful clear waters surround the island and the races were going to be held just about in front of our hotel.

As we watched the other races begin, we studied the winds and talked strategy on how we wanted to race when it was our turn. We were scheduled to start at 11AM, so around 10:30 we readied the boats for the race. We watched for our flag, that would indicate that it was our turn to sail. Around 11, the flag went up, which meant we had 5 minutes to start time. As we waited for the second flag to go up, indicating three minutes to race time, the multi-hull race flag came down. Our race had been postponed until 12:30. No problem. We tied up the Hobies' and watched the other races, just waiting for our turn.

The once beautiful sunny sky was now beginning to fill with dark clouds. As our start time drew closer, so did the menacing dark clouds. The multi-hull class flag went up, signaling that the start of the race was now 5 minutes away. The winds had now picked up to 10-15 mph, which is ideal for sailing a Hobie, but the menacing clouds were now even darker and much closer. We saw the multi-hull class flag drop, indicating that the race had begun. We were first across the start/finish line, headed to the first marker, with the other boats close behind. As we cleared the second and third markers, heading back to the start/finish line, of this two lap race, the wind had really picked up and we were now heading into a rather large squall. One of the other Hobie Cats, from San Pedro, had pulled a couple of boat lengths ahead of us at the start/finish line of the first lap. The wind was now in the 25-30+ mph range and we were being pelted with rain. As the Hobie from San Pedro cleared the first marker bouy, we watched as it was toppled over by the wind. We rounded the first marker, flying as fast as I have ever been in a Hobie Cat, we passed the overturned San Pedro Hobie, heading for the second mark. The other Hobie from our club, had seen what had happened to the San Pedro Hobie, evaulated the weather conditions and headed for the safety of land. We were attempting to clear the second marker, when all of a sudden, both hulls dug into the water and we were catapulted forward into the ocean. Pelting rain and blistering winds were hindering our attempts to right the boat. We were able to get the Hobie righted, only to have it blow over again. Twenty five minutes in the water and we finally had to get help from the race committee boats. Our race was now over, but as we found out, everybody had been eliminated from the finish of the race. We had come in second place, due to the fact we were in second place after the first lap. But, we'll take it. It was an exciting race, even though we didn't get to finish.

The next morning was the trip home. The day started out with dark clouds on the horizon, all around the island. The wind was from the north, so that would help us getting back to Belize City, but we were still looking at a 3-4 hour sail. As we started off, it looked as though we might make good time, but that only lasted for an hour or so. Soon the rain began, and the winds began to shift around. No where to hide, so we slogged on. Soon, the rain really began to fall, but we could see Belize City in off in the distance. By the time we made it back to the launch ramp, it was raining cats and dogs...and we still needed to load up the boats.

After breaking down the boats and loading them on their trailers, it was finally time to head home. After a couple of stops for munchies, we were on our way. By the time we got home, it had been a long 10 hour day. I was going to sleep well tonight.

The races were lots of fun and I look forward to doing more racing in the future. This is my second race, and both times I have been on the 2nd place boat. Next year, I plan to win!

We Dodged Our First Tropical Storm

2011-08-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

I spent the better part of my birthday, getting ready for tropical storm Harvey, that ended up hitting the southern part of Belize. All we got was a little rain, but surprisingly, no wind. But it was a good dry run for when the first tropical storm or hurricane, does come.

We were trying to decide on the type of hurricane shutters we wanted to protect the doors and windows, and we wanted to make the decision before hurricane season started on the first of June. Well that didn't work out and it was nearly the end of June before we actually made our decision on which way to go.

Our first thought was plywood. It was not overly expensive, easy to cut and I could get it right away. But the drawbacks were storage (we don't have a garage yet), treating it for bugs and rot, the large panels were heavy and it would make the house seem like a cave, which means lots of candles or a generator going full time. If we went with plywood, our cost, including installation, would be around $1500US.

The second option we looked at were aluminum panels that attach to a permanent railing system. The panels are light weight, strong and easy to store, with minimal maintenance. They can be installed in a fairly short time and even quicker if there are two people. The down side is, the feeling of being in a cave, the rather high cost of the panels and the time it takes for the company to cut it to size and installation. If we went with aluminum panels, we were looking at around $7000 - $8000US, including installation and three weeks before they would be ready.

Our other option was semi-clear polyurethane panels. Florida rated, they could be bought from Home Depot or Lowe's, online. A permanent attachment system would hold the panels to the window and door frames, so installation of the panels before a storm would be quick and easy. A full 4X8 sheet of polyurethane panel weighs less than 20 lbs. They are thin and easy to store. No worries about bugs or rot. They're simi-clear, which allows light in during the day. The only down sides were the cost, about $3000US (including shipping, duties, taxes and installation), it being twice the cost of plywood but less than half of the cost of aluminum panels, and the shipping time. From the order date to delivery in Corozal would be about 5 to 6 weeks.

After careful consideration we decided to go with the semi-clear polyurethane panels, from Home Depot. They came in a contractor pack of 5 - 4X8 sheets for about $715, before taxes, and we decided to buy 3 packs. Home Depot delivers free on orders over $250, so we had them ship it to Marage Shipping, in LA for no charge. From there, Marage would ship it to Belize in a container, that would take about 3 weeks, then they would unpack the container in Corozal and then call us to pick up the panels a day or two after that. It wasn't the quickest way to get ready for hurricane season, but if we could dodge any hurricanes until August, we might be OK.

So that leads us to now. The hurricane panels arrived in early August and we had no threatening tropical storms or hurricanes up until then. If it would just hold off until I could get them installed. I needed a permanent attachment system first and I have to work with what they have here in Belize. I went to our local window manufacturer to look at aluminum rails then to all the hardware stores in town to find stainless steel nuts and bolts (we don't want them rusting in a few years). After looking at a number of options, we decided on the rails we wanted but ended up having to order the stainless steel nuts and bolts. More waiting time. No hurricanes in sight, but now we were starting to press our luck. Sure enough, as soon as the bolts arrived, we get notice of a new tropical depression forming off the leeward islands, and it was headed our way, over warmer waters. Was this going to be the first hurricane of the season? Was it going to hit Belize? Was I going to be ready?

As luck would have it, the answer to all three of those questions was "no". The storm did hit southern Belize, but only as a tropical storm. And a good thing, as we were not ready for it. I had just started cutting the panels to size, but had not even began to install the attachments.

So that is where I am today, rushing (in Belize time) to get the panels cut and installed. I have installed almost all the panels for main windows and tomorrow I will start on the small windows and doors. I hope to have this all wrapped up in two or three days. At least no tropical storms or hurricanes are headed our way.

I'm A Star (or at least my 15 seconds of fame)

2011-07-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

The most recent Belize Tourism Board (BTB) video has just been released, highlighting all the positives in each of the six districts throughout Belize, and the first episode is on the Corozal area. The host, Emaun, toured our area and selected my neighbor, Jason Pierce, to take her out sailing on the Corozal Bay. Jason asked for my help with this video project, so he could explain the highlights of sailing, while I steered the boat. Here is a link to the first episode and my claim to fame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnsqGPYsWEI

It was a fun day and I was glad to promote the best of the Corozal Area. The bay is a under utilized area where sailing, windsurfing and kite boarding could be a well known draw to the area.

Fish Fry At The Casablanca Hotel

2011-07-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

Our local hotel, the Casablanca, was hosting a Fish Fry, with our local fishermen supplying the fish and different preparation techniques by the local fisherman's wives. The hotel invited the Consejo Yacht Club to participate and host a booth along with other local vendors selling their goods and food. The yacht club gladly accepted and in accordance with the goals of the club, offered to take local kids and their parents, out sailing on a couple of Hobie Cats that the members of the yacht club had purchased for their own use, free of charge.

The goal of the yacht club is to provide sailing experience to the new generation of children, that has been part of their heritage, but is quickly being lost. In the Corozal and Consejo area, fishing and sailing have been a big part of the livelyhood and trade for the whole northern Belize and southern Mexico. The club has also joined the newly formed Belize Sailing Association and has qualified to help Belize start a sailing program with the end result being an official entrant in the Olympics, sometime in the near future. The Belize Sailing Association and the Consejo Yacht Club are currently in discussions to purchase boats for training to achieve the needed experience to compete at such a high level.

The sailing experience for the kids (and the adults) was overwhelming, with 53 adults and children taking part in the sailing event. For many, it was the first time being on a sailboat. Almost all came back with a grin from ear to ear, and not one of them got seasick, even though it was a rough day, with rain and thunderstorms all around. But all the bad weather seemed to miss us and the event went off without a hitch. I hope it will turn into a yearly event, as everyone seemed to have a good time.

Our First Tropical Wave

2011-06-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Mischelle and I have now been here in Belize, just short of of nine months, full time. For the most part, the weather has been just what we expected, comfortable during the winter/spring months and hot and humid during the summer and hurricane season. But this will be our first hurricane season, full time. We've been through hurricanes in Cabo, but we could leave after it was over, and our hotel facilities could get us through all but the worse storm. Here, we are on our own. But that statement is not really true. I feel our neighbors are here to help in any distubance, and would go beyond what is need to make sure you're secure. It's just the things that are beyond the normal circumstances. It's a slippery, mushy seven mile drive to town after a good rain. The road has been flooded so that only 4 wheel drive vehicals could make it through to town. There is no immediate help so you better do the best you can to be safe.

We got a small taste of that when a tropical wave came through. Some high winds in the 50 mph range and heavy bouts of rain at times, but overall, not too bad. But it gave us food for thought about how we are going to protect ourselfs.

Our usually calm beach area was totally underwater. There were times you could barely see we even had a seawall.

Now we need just need to get our hurricane shutters we ordered from Home Depot delivered before the first hurricane hits us. And we also need to find space for all the outdoor furniture we have. I guess in the worse case scenerio, we could put all that furniture in the guest room. I shudder to think of all the geckos, spiders and other bugs that have made their home in the nooks and cranies of our outdoor furniture. Next on the build list...a storage shed.

Visiting The Local Sites

2011-06-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

We had our friend Bruce, visit us from the States, and he wanted to see what Belize had to offer. So we started off in San Pedro for some diving and a little partying. It was just after Easter and the tourist season had come to a screeching halt. The place was empty, and I mean empty. Nobody on the beach, nobody in the restaurants, nobody at the bars, but that also meant there was nobody at the dive sites. We had some great dives with loggerhead turtles, nurse sharks, eagle rays, and the list goes on. Definitely a good time to go if you want pristine diving and only a few people. Not a good time if you want to party.

Then it was on to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. A fun two hour boat ride up the New River that is part Disneyland Jungle Cruise and part Florida air boat ride.

We had to stop along the way to see the monkeys, feed them a couple of apple bananas, then move on to Lamanai. Beautiful birds and lush fauna lined the shores of the river, and the viewing opportunities made the trip to Lamanai seem short.

After we arrived at Lamanai, we sat down and had a lunch provided for us by the tour company, then it was off on a short walk to the ruins. Our tour guide had studied the Lamanai ruins for over 20 years, so he knew a lot of the history, not only of Lamanai, but of the neighboring ruins and their part in the overall development of the area.

The ruins are in fairly good condition and you can still get close to and climb to the top of some of the taller ruins, unlike some of the ruins in Mexico. It is deceptive how steep the stairs are that going to the top. It can be a little bit unnerving to some people, but they do provide a rope to hold on to on your accent and decent.

But the view from the top is amazing, allowing you to see for miles in any direction.

Mischelle climbed to the top of one of the ruins, and her thighs burned for days. It's not the usual step pattern, so muscles get used that don't normally get used.

She's smiling now, but that won't be the case tomorrow!

After a long, but enjoyable day, it was time to take the boat ride back to Orange Walk and head home from there, or at least to the bar near home.

The next day, Bruce wanted to explore the Free Zone and the local casinos. Not much in the Free Zone to do but shop for "knock offs" of just about anything in clothing, shoes or handbags. Not a place to take the wife or girlfriend, if you plan on doing anything else that day. But then again, she could say that about me and going to the casinos. But at least the drinks in the casinos are free....well sort of, if you're lucky.

On Bruce's last day, his flight didn't leave until late afternoon, so we thought it would be a good time to visit the Belize Zoo. It has a very good reputation, especially for being such a small facility. But don't let it fool you on the size. They do a great job on displaying the animals and you really have a chance to get up close and personal. Just don't get too close, as the signs say. Fingers can come up missing if put in the fence at the wrong time.

The zoo does a great job educating the people about the inter-relationship between the different animals, and how as caretakers of the country, they need to preserve the forest and not exploit the resources that are natural to the country.

The zoo was great experience that I would recommend to anyone that visits Belize. But it was time for Bruce to end his vacation and head back home to LA. I'm sure glad I'm no longer in that boat. Back to work on Monday and months before your next vacation. In Belize, I'm on permanent vacation.

At It Once Again

2011-06-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

After a few months of no posts to the blog, I am hoping to begin again, with at least a few posts a month. Even comments from Julian couldn't get me back to posting on my blog. I spoke to a few others that also blog and it's not unusual to get blog burn-out or a sort of writers block. But what ever it was, I hope to get back into some kind of routine. There is so much here to blog about, I just need to do it. So here we go. I'll include things from the last couple of months, just to get started again.

Mischelle's mother, Fay, stayed with us until early April. She was here for 4 months, and I'm sure she'll be back soon, probably after the hurricane season. But for now it will finally give us a chance to get settled into routine around the house. We still have a lot to unpack.

We went to Sarteneja for their Easter Day Boat Races. Our friends, Tom and Terri joined us for the drive. Unlike last year, we decided to drive there rather than take the boat. The road out there was recently graded, so the drive shouldn't be too bad. What could take the most time was waiting to cross the river on the ferry. It only holds four or five cars at a time, so if there was a line, we could be there for a while. But as it was, there were only a few cars ahead of us, so we made it on the second ferry across.

We arrived in Sarteneja, after driving for about an hour and a half, and found that the boat from Consejo, with our other friends and neighbors, had also just arrived. The Consejo Yacht Club had entered the Maranatha in one of the races, so there was a large group yacht club members there to support them.

Unfortunately, the event wasn't as well organized as last year, and there several mix ups involving the boat and the captain. Also, the Maranatha was way out of her class, due to the fact that the other boats had brought larger sails and extra rigging, just for racing. So, it turns out that we all just watched from the sidelines this year.

There were not as many booths selling merchandise and food. There was no information board showing when the races began or what classes of boat were racing. It was a two day event, this year, instead of just one, so some of the bands had played the day/night before. It just seemed to be a much quieter affair this year. But we still managed to have a good time, drink a few beers and chow down some food.

After a few hours of walking around the town, we decided to head back to Consejo and finish our Easter celebration there. I was a little disappointed in the races this year, but we will go again next year, and hopefully it will be better.

Things Are Moving Along

2011-02-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already been a month since my last post. We've got a few more things going on around the house. We are getting quotes for the fence work we need to do and we are starting the landscaping of our front yard. They have begun to bring in marl to raise the level of the lot by about 6 to 8 inches. There are several areas in the front of the lot where the water pools because the crown on the side of the road is higher than that of the lot.

They are going to start with four loads of marl for the driveway and the carport pad. After that, they will bring in the top soil for all the landscaping and then crushed rock to finish the driveway. This will probably be an ongoing project for the next several months.

I finished my pet project down at the seawall, that included adding a handrail, umbrella stand, and a nautical flag pole. I do seem to get things done, it's just done at a Belizean speed. All and all, I think it adds a nice touch to, what was otherwise, just a plain seawall.

We recently attended our local art fair called Art in the Park. It was a very enjoyable evening that started with pizza and beer at one of our favorite drinking establishments, Jam Rock.

After finishing off a pizza and a couple of beers, it was time to head over to the park. It was a lively gathering, with lots of families attending. There were some beautiful wood carvings, jewelry and paintings throughout the park and of course, food vendors. I was beginning to wish I hadn't eaten before we came.

We met many of our neighbors from Consejo and lots of our friends from town. We came across Dave and Diana, who write the Winjama blog, also there for the food and fun.

We picked up some meatpies and stuffed jalapenjo peppers, which were absolutely delicious, to take home for later. We toured all the art stands and found a very unusual mahogany bowl that we ended up buying for $50 BZ. There was some very good deals there on local artwork. It's a well attended monthly event.

And this past weekend, I helped our neighbor, Jason, who was hosting a video shoot for the Belize Tourism Board(BTB). They were videotaping a young lady, Iman, in various places throughout Belize, that would showcase things to see or do in that particular area. For the Corozal district, they had contacted Jason about sailing on his Hobie Cat out in the bay. He wanted another crew member to help out, so he contacted me. It was a great morning for sailing, with about a 12 mph wind and small chop on the ocean. We went out for a couple of tacks and let Iman steer the boat for a while. She was really having a good time. The cameraman said he got some great shots of us out sailing. So who knows, I may be in the next Belize tourism video.

On Sunday, we sailed Jason's boat down to town, where they were hosting the first annual Corozal Waterside Festival and Expo. It's an idea that originated from members of our Consejo Yacht Club(CYC), and we were originally going to host the event as the Corozal Sailing Regatta. But the logistics of planning and hosting an event like that was just too daunting for such a new and small yacht club. So, we conacted other groups about helping us, and the Belize Sailing Association (who knew Belize had a sailing association?) stepped in and ran with the idea. They were well connected to the right people, so that most of the things the yacht club would have needed to provide, if we had hosted the event, were provided for FREE. That included port-a-potty's, park space rental, booth spaces, etc. They got the Belize bank to donate the prize money and others to pay for the transportation of the Sea Scouts and 10 of their boats, to Corozal, so they could race.

We sailed Jason's Hobie from Consejo and Gerard had sailed his in from just outside of town, so we were able to race in the multi-hull catagory.

The Belize Sailing Association came in, set up the course, explained the rules and provided the officials. There were 12 boats total, with three different classes.

There were lots of food vendors selling meat pies, shish kabobs, BBQ chicken, tacos and all kinds of other good things. It makes me hungry just writing about it. There were also several companies showcasing their goods, to see if there is a market for them in the Corozal area. And what would a festival be without a beer tent?

Finally it was our turn to race. As we waited for the starting horn to go off, we got caught up in "irons", which means we were sitting dead in the water. The air horn sounded and the other Hobie was off and sailing, but we were still caught up in irons. After three or four minutes, we were finally off and sailing, but we were well behind the other boat and had a lot of ground to make up.

But, after two laps on the course, we were on their tails and closing fast. We had two more bouys to clear before the race was over, so it was now or never. Unfortunately, we missed our tack and had to regroup to try and tack again. We got close, but we came in second (there were only two boats in this class, so I look at it from the best side).

The waterside festival was a smashing success and everybody seemed to have a good time. As the kids played in the water, their parents listening to the band as they ate and drank, other kids participating in art workshops or learning to sail, it was a truly fun day and the weather could not have been better. I'm already looking forward to next year.

It's All A Blur

2011-01-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's already late January. Thanksgiving came and went. So did Christmas and New Years too. My New Year resolution was to get back to writing on our blog. But like so many New Year's resolutions, it has fallen by the wayside. I just can't seem to get behind the computer and write. I guess I could blame it on not having a laptop computer to work on, but I don't really think that's the cause. The new desktop computer works great and our internet speed isn't too bad, so I can't blame it on that. I guess I'm just too busy doing nothing to sit down and write. I don't know where the day goes, but one day quietly slips into another, and then another.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at our neighbor's home, Ron and Karen, with all the fixin's. Watched a couple of football games, drank a few Belikins and had a good time visiting with all of our friends and neighbors.

Christmas was different this year. A new home, but all the decorations were still packed, so there wasn't our usual festive house. This would also be our first Christmas without Coral. Somehow, it just wasn't the same without her. She loved Christmas and her stocking. She always knew what stocking was hers.

But we did put up lights around the house and decorated our Corona Christmas tree. It's also a change to be in 90 degree weather at Christmas. Next year, I'm looking forward to starting new traditions. Mischelle packed 20 RubberMade totes full of Christmas decorations, so next year, I'm sure I'll be busy putting up decorations after Thanksgiving.

Mischelle's mom, Fay, came down to Belize, to celebrate the holidays with us, and she will be staying until April. She has joined us for Christmas almost every year since 2000.

We spent New Year's eve at the Casablanca Hotel, dancing the night away. Our Consejo Yacht Club rented the hotel to host our first New Year's Eve party and it was a huge success. Fifty or so people turned out for a beautiful evening on the bay, overlooking Chetumal. We thought that there may be a big fireworks show, over in Chetumal, but it was rather quiet this year. So we made some noise of our own and celebrated the beginning of a new year.

Our Consejo Yacht Club has acquired and refurbished a small sailing boat that was that was built locally, over 40 years ago, and was recently refurbished by the son of the original builder. She has a beautiful look about her and is very graceful on the water. She looks like a fun day sail and I'm looking forward to sailing her one day.

Our neighbors, Pip and Jason, have bought a Hobie Getaway that is the perfect boat for this bay. I hope to order ours in the near future. Another neighbor down the road has also bought a Getaway, and yet another in our development is deciding if they are also going to purchase one. Looks like we're going to have enough of these to start our own class and begin racing.

We went sailing on Jason's boat last week and it was a traffic jam out on the bay. There were three other sailboats and two pangas, all out on the bay at the same time. You can go for weeks without seeing another sailboat, just the sugar barges and a couple of pangas now and then.

I recently started, and have almost completed, screening in our porch. All we need to finish it is some mosquito netting we are ordering from the States. We brought down some sun fabric, so we could make some rolldowns for shade. All in all, I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. Now we just need to see what the hurricane and rainy season will do to my work.

It's taken me a little over a week to complete, but a lot of that was waiting for the paint to dry on the framing. So, I spend that time waiting in the pool. I don't want to work too hard.

We all seem to be adapting well to life in Belize. Not everything is perfect, but I didn't expect it would be. I do sometimes miss going out for fast food. Not because of the food, but rather the ease it is to get. Here, you plan your meals because fast food is not an option. But, we don't go for want. Lobster is currently in season, and rather cheap. The fish and shrimp are great, also. The only thing they don't seem to have is a good cut of beef. But that's OK, too. I've lost 20 pounds since we've been here and Mischelle is ten pounds below when I married her.

Lots more chicken, fish, vegies and fruits. Just what the doctor ordered. I should probably check my blood pressure too. Maybe I don't need to be on medication anymore.

Well, I feel much better now that I have made a post and I promise to keep the blog a little more current. Now, it's off to town for some shopping, then back for the yacht club meeting. It's a tough life...but we're adapting.

Our Container Arrives

2010-10-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

We've been here almost two weeks and our container has cleared customs and is ready to be delivered. We just need to get a list of what is in the container, to the BTB and then on to customs, so they can check and see if we're bringing in anything that is not allowed under the QRP. Not a problem, except, we need the official stamp on our QRP paperwork, that then needs to be given to our customs broker. That would mean a trip to Belize City.

So off we went to Belize City, to get all of our paperwork for the QRP and the official list of approved contents. But wait. What do you mean it's not all tax and duty free? My power tools, my cement mixer, my tile saw, their all OK? But we get duties and taxes on the toilet paper and paper towels? The sodas and potato chips? Oh, and shipping is included in those calculations? So, that 36 roll package of TP cost me $25 in duties and taxes? Go figure. But the government needs the money, and our total duties and taxes for everything in the container was $600US. We can live with that. They were going to get something, one way or another.

The container was scheduled to be delivered on Friday, October 22, but things happen and the delivery date was pushed out a day, until Saturday, October 23. Usually, that would not be a problem, but this time it was. Hurricane Richard was scheduled to hit Belize, sometime on Sunday, and that meant, the container had to be unpacked quickly.

Bands of rain were already coming through, when the container arrived. Customs was there and we were ready to start unloading. Except, we couldn't get the container seal off. It was as thick as rebar and twice as strong. Now I had to run around looking for bolt cutters as all the guys are standing around, waiting to unload the container. Finally, we located a bolt cutter, and got down to business. But with the rain, customs wanting to see everything and the driver waiting to take the container back to Belize City, it was going to be a quick unload.

We opened the container and the unpacking began...only not in the organized fashion that we had envisioned. Things were flying out of the container so fast, the customs agent couldn't keep up. We had eight guys unloading the container, and what took me two days to load, took two and a half hours to unload. Boxes were everywhere.

After spending all that time labeling boxes so we knew where they go, everything ended up piled in the guest bedroom, stairway, living room and kitchen. It was a mouse maze by the time they got done unloading. But, at least the container had arrived and we now had the essential things we needed...if we could find them.

Work On The House Continues...

2010-10-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

We've been here just over a week now and we now have running water, showers and toilets. We still have things that need to be fixed, but at least we have some of the basic comforts of a home. They've started cutting and installing the quartz counter tops and what a mess that is. Fine dust everywhere.

But when it is all finished, it will be worth the trouble.

And while all the work inside the house has been going on, they have also finished the pool and were in the process of filling it with, what was suppose to be, water from the municipal water supply. Only, the water that came out of the tank looked like river water. And I was paying $300BZ for 3000 gallons of clean water, not this shit.

So, I told them to take it out. I was afraid it was going to stain the pool before the filter could take out all the dirt. Our only option now was to use well water from a local source. Lots of minerals and low pressure were the big drawbacks. I figured it would take over three days to fill the pool. But right now, our options were limited.

But the house is finally coming together and I'm looking forward to beginning the landscaping.

Our Coral - Oct.30, '99 -Oct.10,'10

2010-10-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Our priority today was to get Coral to the vet. She was very lethargic, and wouldn't eat or drink. She didn't seem to be in any pain or terribly uncomfortable, but you could see it in her beautiful, brown eyes, that something wasn't quite right.

We took her to see Dr. Sheila, the local vet, first thing in the morning. She looked her over and gave her an IV to rehydrate her. The seizure had taken its toll on her, but we would have to wait and see, how she responds to treatments. We were given a prescription to have filled at the pharmacy in town, and we were to come back on Monday for a check up. So, we took her back home, and hoped for the best.

Only, the home we were returning to, was full of construction workers, scurrying about, trying to get the house in somewhat, working order. They were everywhere, except in the master bathroom. So we put Coral in the bathroom, which was also the coolest place in the house, and shut the doors to keep the noise down. We still had the two other dogs to look after, and this was all new to them. We hadn't yet established a routine, and with all the workers around, we tried to keep them occupied and out of the way.

After the all the workers left, the house became ours, once again. Coral was resting comfortably and we had now set up camp in our master bedroom. We inflated the bed, put out the dogs beds, and turned on the light and fan that our new neighbors, Tom and Terri, had lent to us to use. I don't know what we would have done without them. With only the things we brought with us in the truck, we didn't have much. And, with the house not ready, and our container still a week or more from arrival, we had no refrigerator or stove. We were living out of an ice chest (also borrowed from Tom and Terri), and food from our local restaurant. Even the coffee in the morning was provided by Tom and Terri.

We moved Coral into the bedroom with us and the other dogs. Timber, occasionally checking on her from time to time. The two of them have been together for over ten years, and have spent more time together, than with Mischelle and I. He could sense something was wrong. She was now breathing harder and her legs had become stiff, but she still seemed to be in no pain. We would wait until morning and see how she was then. There was not much we could do, but make her comfortable.

This might be our first night of good rest in more than three days. Coral was asleep next to me, on the floor. Then, around 2AM, Timber came in and got up on the bed. He had not done that in ages. Since we were on an air bed, the movement woke me up. The room was quiet. It was then, I realized that Coral had just passed away. I am heartbroken as I write this. This was our little girl. We had gone through so much, and we were looking forward to spending lots of time together as a family in our new home. Timber must have sensed she had passed and wanted to be close to us. She had passed in a position that made her appear to be very comfortable and one we had seen her in many times over the years.

In the morning, we contacted Dr. Sheila to get a death certificate so we could get Coral cremated at the local mortuary. It was tough taking her to the mortuary, knowing that would be the last time we would get to see our little girl. But everyone was so good about it and I felt as though Coral was left in good hands and would be taken care of properly.

We didn't know what to expect when we picked Coral's ashes up from the mortuary, but they had done such a nice job and put her ashes in a small, white, wooden box with a small black bow around it. It was beautiful.

We will save her ashes and plant a tree in our yard, where we can spread them. Now we need to focus on Timber and Jesse. Both of them are older, with issues of their own. Jesse is 13 and almost blind and Timber's 11 and his arthritis seems to be coming back. As Dr.Sheila said, " it's a bitch getting old". But I'm happy that we will be able to spend more time with them down here and that the quality of life will be more fulfilling.

We will always remember you, Coral. You were our first dog and you had the sweetest personality. You will be sorely missed. We love you Coral....just wait for us.

I Can See Belize From Here

2010-10-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

We slept in a while at the auto hotel, but we got out of there by 10AM, so we weren't too far off schedule. It was a clear day and the roads were dry. I thought we could probably make Santa Elena before nightfall if we didn't encounter any roadblocks. It's a beautiful drive through the countryside and most of the drive from VillaHermosa to Escarsega is a flat farm and cattle ranches. Not much to see, but a welcome relief from the prior day.

Since the new highway has gone in, the drive is a fairly easy one. The only change that I miss was the overhanging canopy of trees that use to envelope the road from Escarsega to Chetumal. Maybe after a few years, the canopy will grow back. Just never to the way it was.

We stopped in Escarsega at a new Burger King for a quick lunch and then to the Pemex station to fill up for the last stretch to Belize. It was getting later in the afternoon and we would probably arrive in Santa Elena after dark. But, at least we would be in Santa Elena.

We found a nice hotel, just before town, that was right on the lagoon. Nice place with big rooms for us and the dogs. Just what we needed before our final push into Belize.

But the rest we wanted, was not going to be here. Our girl, Coral, started having a Gran Mal seizure, late in the evening, that would last for hours. Here we were in Mexico, late at night, and unable to find a vet that would, maybe, be able to help. And then, how do we get her there. Being unfamiliar with Chetumal, I could have been driving all over town, with Coral in full seizure. We decide to wait the seizure out and give her medicine that our vet had given us before we left. She finally starts to settle down around 2AM, but at this point, she is thoughly exhausted. And, so are we. She had done so well during the whole trip, and even at our last stop, she was out of the truck, investigating everything.

Morning finally comes, and I don't think either one of us really got any sleep. Coral was sleeping, but something wasn't really right. It was Friday, and if we didn't cross the border today, we would have to wait until Monday. Do we try and take her to the vet in Chet, or do we try and cross the border with her and risk dealing with BAHA. We decide that we need to cross into Belize, and we need to do it today. So, we wait until 11AM, then head for the border. We need to turn in our visas and get the bond for our truck returned.

Mischelle does the foot work and gets everything taken care of in 15 minutes. Gotta be a record. From there we drive over to Belize Customs, to clear our truck and possessions. Coral is holding up well and all the dogs are sleeping in the back of the truck. As luck would have it, we were able to clear Customs in less than an hour (gotta be another record), and when the officers from BAHA came down to inspect the dogs, all of them were sleeping, so we got a quick pass there.

We're in Belize, and heading home.

Unfortunately, not the home we were expecting. The house had one working outlet, no water, and most important....no working toilets. This was camping in a quite expensive tent. But, it is what it is, and we were home. We pulled out the dog beds and pulled out our inflatable bed, and we were going to spend out first night in our new home. After what we had been through the last few days, we were ready to try and get a good night of sleep. Same for the dogs.

Tomorrow is another day and our first priority is to take care of Coral.

Are You Sure This Is The Right Way?

2010-10-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

We left Aldora early, hoping to get through Tampico before traffic was bad and the policemen were out. I've heard from more than a few people that Tampico was a shake-down town. Speeding tickets, travel documentation is wrong, you name it and it's probably happened. It's just a shake-down. $100 US or 1000$ Pesos. Christmas is coming. And it may not even be the real police. Tourists are easy pickin's and easy to find.

We made it to the bridge, just outside of town, with no problems or tickets, when we came across a set of policemen at the end of the bridge. Sure enough, we were flagged to pull over. But as bribes go, this was cheap. 50 pesos or a Coke. We've heard it's a good idea to stock an ice chest with Coke, for cheap bribes or a friendly offering.

We were off again, this time our destination was VeraCruz. Looking at the map, I decided we would head down to the coast and what appeared to be a shorter route. Not quite so. We headed down an interstate road that wasn't that bad....to begin with. After a half an hour, the road changed from paved to dirt. OK, no problem, the road has just been washed out in portions. Then the dirt became mud. Then the mud and water. It was time to turn around.

An hour lost going in on that route and 45 minutes coming out. It's now 11:30 and we are still just outside of Tampico. Not where I wanted to be. But, the next 5 hours of the drive was through the mountains, very beautiful and very uneventful. We arrived at the small town of Cardel, just outside of VeraCruz, just before dark and decided to look for a motel/hotel that would take dogs. We had heard that the auto hotels were a good place to stay and that most of them were rented by the hour (no tell motel) and would have a small garage where we could safely put the truck. As luck would have it, we found a nice little place on the edge of town. Big rooms, big bathroom with a nice shower, large enclosed garage and reasonable rates. We had found our home for the night.

And as the evening went on, the place got crowded. Probably twenty rooms and I'm sure they weren't all weary travelers. It cost us 400$ Pesos or about $34 for the night, and was the best place we had stayed at, so far on this trip.

The next morning, we were up early, looking forward to getting a good start on the road. Our next objective was to reach VillaHermosa or if we're lucky, Escarcega. As we headed for VeraCruz, I was looking for the road around the center of the city. I didn't find it. Next thing I know, we're in the city, looking for signs to lead us to the auto pista (toll road). As with our experience in Reynosa, there were conflicting signs everywhere. We drove inside of town for the better part of an hour before we finally saw a sign to the auto pista. Only it was going in the opposite direction of where we were headed and we could not find a place to turn around. The idea came to look for cops, then flip a u-turn at the first opportunity. Not the best option, but one that had to happen.

We finally find our way to the auto pista, and now we were looking for our connection to the Route 145 toll road that would take us to VillaHermosa. This is where our journey would take a turn for the worse.

As we arrived at the Route 145, there was a road closed sign and markers directing us to another road a couple of miles away. When we saw all the cars waiting to turn left at the stop sign, we knew this was going to be trouble. With the main road closed to VillaHermosa, all the car and truck traffic heading south was forced to use a secondary road, Route that would take us through several small towns and pueblos. Each of those towns had a series of speed bumps that the truckers would have to cross, but only after coming to almost a complete stop at each one. So when you have 20 or so trucks in front of you, it can take 45 minutes or more to get through each town. We were passing trucks at every opportunity, but there were always more ahead. Then after a couple of hours of this cat and mouse game, we came to a dead stop in the road. This didn't look good.

As I got out of the truck to look ahead, I could see a couple of massive tow trucks working to pull a large truck out of the gully. Work was progressing, but it was a full Corona truck and I wonder how many beer breaks these guys were taking. As we talked with some of the locals, we found out that this road had also been washed out about 15 miles further down the road so it was back to the map to look at our options. It wasn't looking good. We could stay here and wait for the truck to be cleared from the road and take our chances further down the road or we could turn around and look for another route to VillaHermosa. We decided to turn around and take our chances on another road, further west, that would take us almost clear to the Pacific ocean. From there, we would decide if we wanted to continue on to VillaHermosa or detour around to the Pacific side and approach Belize from another direction.

We checked the map and looked for a way to get to Route 147 that would hopefully get us around this mess. It was now after 1PM and we were only 50 miles outside of VeraCruz and a long way from VillaHermosa. We got gas at the Pemex station and asked if the road we were going on, would get us to the Route 147. They directed us to a road to going to Playa Vincente, that on the map showed it was a paved road. No problem. We headed down the road with a couple of other trucks following us. At first the road was a nice, paved road that passed by some big ranches. Some eight miles or so down the road that nice paved road gave way to a muddy dirt road. Again no problem. We had 4 wheel drive, so I figured we would be OK and the road wasn't that bad. Well a few more miles down the muddy road, it became down right nasty. The mud was slick as snot. The small streams were everywhere and it had begun to rain. But the other trucks in our little caravan pushed onward, so now, I just followed them. It looked worse before it got better, but soon we came across a small village where we got directions to the highway, just a few miles ahead. What a relief.

When we finally found our way to Route 147, it was now after 2PM. And it was the same story as the other route. Lots of trucks, all backed up at each small town. But we were able to pass the trucks as they slowed down for the speed bumps and we managed to not get pulled over by the local police. We seemed to be making good time and we might make VillaHermosa by dark. But this was not to be. The hurricane season had taken its toll on the state of VeraCruz. Roads were either buried in mudslides or washed out. The large trucks were forced to use these secondary roads that were not made to handle this kind of constant truck traffic. And the truckers were not use to driving these type of roads.

Another truck had gone off the road, but this time there were no tow trucks on the scene. It was going to be another long wait.

But not everybody was bothered by the delays.

Again, after a few hours wait, we were on the road once again. But now it had become slow and go. The roads were now weaving through the mountains and the roads had not gotten any better. And on top of that, it was now starting to get dark. It looked as though we were going to have to travel in the dark. Not much of a choice. Most of the towns had resturaunts, but no motels. As we came out of the canyon and onto a main road, we decided to continue, in the dark. There were no Pemex stations around where we could park and maybe get some sleep. Just a dark road and miles between towns.

After a couple of hours on the road, we finally approached the auto pista going to VillaHermosa. We could catch a good road for a while and find an auto hotel at a Pemex station, where we could spend the night. But, it wasn't going to be that easy.

On the toll road to VillaHermosa, we came across a large 4x4 piece of lumber, lying in the road. Since it almost spanned the width of the road, we had no choice but to go over it. We figured one of the large trucks had lost it from its load. Almost immediately, the back right tire went flat. So I pulled over and proceeded to get the jack and spare tire out from the truck. As I was changing the tire, suddenly a couple of men came out of the bushes, looking to rob us. It had been a set up and we were the victims. It now fell into place. The 4x4 was not there by accident, but was planted by these robbers to take advantage of the shock of the blow out and the surprise of the ambush. Give us money, they said in broken english. As one of the robbers took a swing at Mischelle, she hit him hard with the police type mag flashlight we were using, when we changing the tire. That sent him back a few feet. That's when I grabbed the flashlight from Mischelle and went after these guys like the gringo from hell. I don't think they were expecting any resistance, as they both ran back into the bush. I went back to the truck and did my best imitation of a NASCAR tire change and we were out of there within 5 minutes. Mischelle all the time, scanning the bushes, fully expecting them to be back. But their element of surprise was gone, we had the dogs and we were gone before they could regroup.

You think you are safer on the auto pista, rather than the local road or highways, but unfortunately, things like this are happening all over Mexico. Even the buses from Playa del Carmen to Chetumal are being robbed.

We found an auto hotel, at a Pemex station, about 15 miles down the road, where we could stay the night and survey the damage to the truck. We were lucky it was a 4X4 and had a higher clearance. It probably would have flipped a smaller car. Other than the flat tire, the truck was in good shape.

I wanted to get to bed, so we could get a good start in the morning. It had been a long day, topped off by a dangerous situation, and we were exhausted. Our goal was to reach Santa Elena, on the Belize/Mexico border, and get a hotel there for the night, so we could cross into Belize in the morning.

An Adventure Begins

2010-10-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

We made it across the border at Los Indios and encountered no real problems. Of course, when we crossed into the Mexican side of the border, we had to push a button for a red light/green light customs check. We got the red light. I had to take down, from the top of the truck, all the luggage I had just secured down at the motel, open them up, let them inspect and then re-secure them all back on top. A half an hour to get through that, then on to immigration, the posting of a bond and insurance for the truck. Another hour and we are finally on the road, hoping to reach Tampico before dark.

Shortly after we cross the border, we have a detour. The Route 180 that we usually take is closed, and we are detoured to Reynosa, about 30 miles away. A little out of our way, but we find a road that will get us back to the Route 180, so off we go. Or so we thought. Once we arrived in Reynosa, we found so many conflicting signs directing us to the road out of town, that we were driving in circles for the better part of an hour. Finally, Mischelle sees a small sign with our route number, and we are back on the road again. It's now, almost noon, and we still have a good drive in front of us.

Along the way, we pass a caravan of 30+ military vehicles, full of men and equipment. With all that is going on in Mexico, I wonder where they are headed. We manage to make it to Aldama, a small town about 30 miles north of Tampico. It's been a long day, the dogs have been great, and it's time to call it a night. I've stayed here before, and the dogs were welcome, so this was our first stop outside of the US.

A New Day, Same View

2010-10-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Our second day on the road began with a late start out of the motel. I needed to move items around, inside and outside of the truck, so the dogs could have more room to move about. After that, it was back on the road to our next destination, Fort Stockton, Texas. We were looking at a 8-10 hour drive through the rest of Arizona, all of New Mexico and then into Texas.

The dogs have been wonderful during the trip, sleeping most of the time while in the car. We usually average about 3-4 hours on the road before they need a break. Then we take a short pit stop, then back on the road again. Even in the motel, they have been great. No issues at all. It really helps when we don't have to worry about the dogs.

We arrived at Fort Stockton around 7PM, which was later than I wanted, but I had forgot about the time changes, which shaved off 2 hours of travel time. Again, we stayed at Motel 6, with no problems, but this time on the ground floor. We got up early, but because of the time changes, it was after 8AM before we left. This time we were looking at a 10 hour drive from Fort Stockton to McAllen, Texas. It was a long drive, but nice and uneventful. We got into McAllen around 6PM and made contact with Rocio transmigrante, only to find out the border crossing we use is closed on Sunday. Great. That meant another day in McAllen, waiting to cross the border. Deja Vu of my last trip. And on top of that, the toll road from VeraCruz to VillaHermosa has been washed out in places and is still being repaired. The only option around it is a road that is in such poor condition, that the average speed is only around 5 mph. So we are spending the night again at the Motel 6 and getting a good nights rest before we start again on our adventure. Rocio is checking on the road conditions for us and hopefully the road will be repaired before we get there, in a couple of days.

The trip through the US has been pretty uneventful and we hope the trip through Mexico will be just the same. Only 3 or 4 more days to go.

It's All a Blur

2010-10-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

We finally closed the deal on our home, Wednesday, five days later than we had originally planned, but it has all worked out in the end. With the container not showing up as scheduled, we lost four days of loading time. So, when we found out closing on the house wouldn't be until at least Tuesday, it gave us more time to load the container. And we needed every minute of it. I had it so well planned. We had, what seemed to be most of the house packed and we still had lots of room in the container. Even enough for a golf cart, or so I thought.

But it was all the last minute items, the odd size pictures and my tools, that was the straw that broke the camels back. The container was stuffed as full as it could be and we finished loading it, just as the truck pulled up to pick up the container. It was scheduled to be there, Wednesday at 12, and there it was, right on schedule. We finished packing it with not a minute to spare. Whatever was in there was going to Belize, what ever wasn't, wasn't. We have to take the dogs to Belize in the truck, so there is no room in there for anything.

Now that the container was gone, that part of our adventure was over, but we weren't quite finished. We were so busy trying to load the container, we hadn't got around to finishing the final touch ups on the house or even cleaning it up. So there we were, just an hour after the container left and we had to be out of the house by 7PM. The new owner, Kay, came by to pick up the keys at 4pm, and we were still cleaning the place. Of course, all of our wonderful neighbors came by during the day, to give their best wishes for us, and that took more time. Soon it was six and we had one hour left before we left our beautiful home for the last time. It was just going by so quickly. And we still needed time to get the truck packed and the dogs situated inside.

I finally finished loading the XTerra, just before 7PM. The neighbors came by for the final good-byes, we loaded the dogs, and we were off on our new adventure. I didn't even get the chance to go back through the the house with Mischelle, and remember all the good times we had there. It has been a wonderful first house for us and I am proud of all the upgrades and remodeling we did. It looks nothing like the home we moved into, back in '99. But it was all such a blur, that final day. We no longer lived in California, and soon we would no longer live in the United States. What a change in our lives.

Our first stop on our trip would be Desert Hot Springs, where Mischelle's mom lives. We would stay there the night, then push on to Benson, Arizona the next morning. When we arrived around 11PM, you could smell the rain in the air. By 2AM, it was pouring rain and looked more like Belize than Palm Springs. The monsoon weather had arrived and it looked as though it would stay around for a few days. But we didn't have a few days. So, the next morning, we pushed on. It turns out to be a good decision, as we had clear weather for the next part of the trip and Desert Hot Springs had heavy rain, at times, for the next couple of days.

We got a late start from Mischelle's mom's place and didn't arrive in Benson until around 6PM. We were staying at Motel 6's all along our route in the US, because they allow dogs in the rooms. We had a nice room in Benson, but it was on the second floor and the dogs had never been in an elevator. Coral was a little weary of it, but Timber had no problems at all. Once we got inside the room, Mischelle and the dogs settled in for the night, and our first full day on the road, was over.

The journey continues.....

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2010-09-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Well, the container finally showed up at 3:45 today. I was lucky to get a time extension on the liftgate truck I rented, but I have to have it back at the rental yard by 7AM, tomorrow. So much for sleeping in after a hard day of moving. But it was a good day. We were able to unload the entire rental truck, get the refrigerator, washer, dryer, mattresses and all of the living room furniture loaded into the container and we still have room. I guess its back to the stores to shop. You can't have any space left in a container when you ship it. It's just not right! Maybe I will get that golf cart after all. Now if I can just get it by Customs as a household item so I don't have to pay taxes and duties on it.

Our 6'X 8' Shed, filled to capacity

The 7'X 16' second storage area, filled to capacity

Our "POD" temporary storage unit, almost filled to capacity

The garage storage area, almost filled to capacity

Back of the rental truck, half filled to capacity

Our container

Starting to load the container

Moving from the rental truck to the container

But as the title suggests, it's not all good. We found out today that escrow will probably not close until next Tuesday, not Friday, as planned. So that means that we will be living in an EMPTY house until then. The container will be packed and on its way to Belize, and we'll be sleeping on an air mattress, with a leak. I had planned to fix it someday, but I guess that day should have been yesterday.

But with those extra days, we'll pick up any items we may have forgot and it will give me a chance to do a little bit of flying before we go. Who knows, maybe I'll even get a chance to solo. I can hope. It was something I wanted to do before we left for Belize, so this may be my last chance. I hadn't flown since late July, but I just had to get up one more time, before we left, so I went flying with my friend, Jeff. Thinking this would be my last time, Jeff let me do a little flying myself. It feels so good to get back in the air. I do miss it.

And on a sad note, I'd like to remember my friend, Gene. He passed away last week, several weeks after an emergency bypass surgery. He was good friend and pilot at our ultralight airport and he will be sorely missed. He had just bought a new, 2 seater, QuickSilver ultralight, just four days before his emergency surgery. He never even got the chance to fly it. He took me on my first flight to the Santa Paula airport. It's something I'll always remember. So Gene, here's to you, my friend. Fly High!!!

Three More Days

2010-09-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Time continues to fly by and we are now down to three days before the closing date on the house. As we scramble to get ready for the move, things don't always go as planned. We had made arrangements for the container to be delivered at 3PM on Friday, had rented a truck with a lift gate and had several friends to help move the heavy furniture. But the best plans have built in leeway, just in case something does go wrong. Well it did. The shipper failed to contact the local cargo company to drop off the container, so here it is, Tuesday morning, and we are still waiting for the container to be delivered. It's cutting it close, but if it shows up as scheduled, by 1PM, we should still have a few days to fill it. But it sure does add some unnecessary stress.

On a good note. We were approved for the QRP program as of September 17th. Now we are waiting for the paperwork on our dogs to be approved, and we'll be good to go.

But for now, it's back to getting things in the moving van so we can transfer it to the container, whenever that arrives.

Watching the Days Count Down

2010-09-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's now down to 17 days before the move and we are scrambling to get things done. As we keep checking things off our list, more things seem to creep on to it and it sometimes seems like we're getting nowhere.

We finally have the SOLD sign on the house, now that all the contingencies have been signed off.

A garage sale is planned for this Saturday to get rid of all of all the excess stuff we've gathered over the years. We've also been using craigslist to post some things for sale and I've been pleasantly surprised at the volume of calls I received from the ads. A lot more than the ads I had to pay for.

And since we're still here, it's time again for the Los Angeles County Fair. Last year I thought would be our last time to visit the fair, but things always seem to take longer than expected, and we're still here. So, on Friday, it's off to the fair we go. Look at all the goods for sale, little betting on the ponies, a couple of beers and a big ol' turkey leg. I love the fair.

After that, it's back to the grind stone. September 24th is coming up fast.

Four More Days

2010-08-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

The last of the inspections was this morning. We passed the building inspection with only a few changes and repairs to be made. Some are from the new laws in effect now that were not there when we bought the house. Others are just from wear and tear. The best thing is, there was nothing major that needed to be done. Now we wait until Tuesday, when the contract becomes binding. Then it's time to PARTY!!!! Beware Belize, the Chows are on their way!!!

The Inspections Have Gone Well...So Far

2010-08-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week, getting the house ready for the inspections and the appraisal. I know this will soon be behind us, but it sure is a pain right now. We passed the termite inspection, with only a couple of spot treatments and repairs and the appraisal came in at the price we needed. So two of the three inspections are done, with the building inspection due today at 10AM. This is our last hurdle, then we can really begin to get ready for our move to Belize.

We are working with a shipping company to move our household goods to Belize, but as of right now, they will deliver and pickup a container to our house in Camarillo but will only ship it as far as the Belize border. From there we will have to find transportation from the border to Consejo. Not sure if that's the way we want to go. We still have a few more options.

Going... Going...GONE...We've SOLD our Home!!!

2010-08-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

After only 12 days on the market, we've sold our home! Now we begin the process of moving out of the country. Yard sales, freight forwarders, banking, bills, the list just goes on and on. But with Mischelle's help, we can tackle anything. Our official closing date is......September 24th. Hopefully that will be the date that we pack up the truck with the dogs and head to Belize. If all goes well, we should arrive in Belize sometime between October 1st and October 5th. We plan on taking our time in the States, then crossing over into Mexico and making that part of the trip in 3 days. The dream has finally come true. Well, almost. We still need to pass the home inspection, pass the termite inspection and the 14 days in which they can cancel the sale for reasons found in the inspections. I don't think we'll have problem, except for the termites. Just too many of them around here. Most of the houses are tented when they are sold. Maybe we'll be the exception. Yah, right. And now we need to find a container and a shipper. The fun has just begun!

Almost There

2010-08-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Our house has now been on the market for 12 days. We've had over twenty showings, five have come back for second viewings and one has come back four times. There has been quite a bit of interest in our home and we've had four offers already. We have focused on two of them as the most promising and are now in the process of going back and forth with counter offers. We may, in fact, take one of the offers today if everything works out.

It's so stressing trying to keep the house in immaculate condition while we are living in it. And on top of that, we have Mischelle's mother staying with us and our neice, who is on leave from the Army, came down from Washington state to visit us for a few days. I'm ready for this to be over so we can get back into a normal routine.

A Good Start to Selling Our Home

2010-08-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Now that the weekend has passed, our house has been on the market for 4 days and we've had 7 viewings with three more scheduled for today. Three of those have come back for a second visit and we have two offers on the table. We have countered the two offers and are waiting to see what the rest of the week will bring. It was a slow weekend here because the Ventura County Fair opened this weekend and the Point Magu Naval Air Base had an air show with the Thunderbirds performing.

With the dog incident behind us, we need to get a container soon, so we can start packing our household goods. Both offers want a 30 day escrow, so things could happen fast. There are so many things to do and 30 days seems like an awfully short time to get everything done. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

My Baby Girl's In Trouble

2010-08-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

The viewing of our home creates a small problem with the dogs around. We need to keep them out of the way when the house is being viewed. Luckily, our neighbors across the street are more than happy to accommodate us and the dogs, while we wait for our home to be shown. On average, it takes around 40 minutes per showing. But when there has been a couple of back to back showings, it may take a couple of hours before we can go back home.

Most of the time, we all sit on our neighbor's front porch, watching the people go in and out, and wonder what they are thinking. Then afterwards, going back home, we're giving the dogs only limited access to the house, until we are sure there are going to be no more showings that day. But this new routine has put tremendous stress on my female dog, Coral. We got both her and Timber over ten years ago, and as they both approach 11 years old, their age is a factor in both their lives. Timber has severe arthritis, but the medication we are using has brought him welcome relief from the pain and has actually made him feel better and more like his old self. He runs and plays, and once again become the social butterfly he once was.

Coral, on the other hand, is more of a home body. She would rather spend the day lounging on the bed, keeping Mischelle company. She doesn't like change and has her own little routine.

But with the changes going on around the house and the changes in her routine, she was not a happy camper. But Mischelle and I didn't think too much about it. She had the other dogs to keep her company and she was in a place she knew, at our neighbors, during the time of the showings.

The trouble started around 11:30PM. Mischelle was hearing strange noises outside and Timber was using an unusual bark that seemed to indicate trouble rather than just mice or possums. As Mischelle went outside, she found Coral in a full seizure, drooling profusely, jaws locked, legs stiff, eyes rolled back and twitching violently. As Mischelle yelled for me, I came running, having no idea of what to expect. I had been the first contact when someone, at a job I was at, went into a full seizure. But I know what to do there. Roll them on their side, make sure the airway is clear and clear the area of any obstacles and call 911. But what do you do when it's your dog?

I had told Mischelle when we were looking for our first dogs, "No Black Dogs". I didn't want the dark, shedding fur all over the house. But, of course, the first dog she fell in love with was a big, black fur ball, that we eventually named Coral, after the unique black coral found in the ocean.

Mischelle may have picked her out, but she was to be my little girl (a spoiled one at that). And here was my girl, going through a violent seizure. What do I do? As I held her, I tried to pry open her jaws (DO NOT DO THIS) to make sure she had a clear airway. Only later did I find out, that is not the thing to do. In that state, the dog may bite anything or anyone. So I held on to her, speaking softly and reassuring her that I was there. At that point, I was afraid she was going to die in my arms. All I could do was hold her close and offer a soothing voice.

After about 2 minutes she started to come around. At first, the seizure had caused temporary blindness, but you could see in her eyes that she was beginning to recover. It's so strange, but at some point, they come out of the fog of the seizure, look around and almost seem to ask " what's everyone doing hanging over me?". This was the first time I had encountered a dog seizure, so I went online to find out what to do. I didn't really want to try and load Coral up in the car and drive her 20 miles to the emergency pet hospital, take her into a bright room and leave her with people she didn't know. It would just add to her stress.

So, after going online (http://www.dogseizures.net/) and reading about canine seizures, I found out that they are not that uncommon and there's not much you can do while they are happening, so you just need to let the seizure run its' course. It's kind of an electrical storm in the brain sometimes related to stress. Bingo. She had "tonic clonic" and fit the description to a "T". We had noticed the early stages a few hours before but thought she was just hot and thought nothing of it. But after reading about the seizures, I found out excessive drooling is one of the first signs of a seizure.

After that, we decided not to take her to the emergency room and wait until morning to see our regular vet, Dr. Heath, that she knows well. But just before our trip to the vet, she went through another mild seizure, so we waited for an hour or so before we brought her in. Finally, we got her to the vet. I'm glad we waited because Coral was calm and Dr. Heath was very reassuring. He gave her a shot of Valium to calm her down and break the cycle of seizures. We needed to watch her for the next 24 hours to see if the seizures returned. It's been almost 24 hours now, and she is back to her normal self. What a relief.

A Couple of Nibbles?

2010-08-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Our house officially went on the market on Thursday. It started with what is called a caravan. That is a day of the week, usually a Thursday between 9 and 2, when all the local Realtors tour the houses that have come on the market that week. We had 17 realty agents stop by and two of them came back for showings later that afternoon. Both of them brought their clients back for a second viewing and out of the five agents that have brought their clients to view our house over the last couple of days, three have come back for a second viewing. Hopefully that is a good sign. And weekend is still ahead.

It Finally Happened

2010-08-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

After a couple of months of remodeling, we have finally completed the tasks and are moving on to the next stage. This is where it gets scary. We just put our home, here in Camarillo, on the market.

Our house could sell at any time and the escrow could be as short as 30 days. That means, we would be outta here as soon as mid-September. Are we ready? I just don't know. But I guess we'll have to be.

With the interest rates at record lows, you would think that there would be lots of buyers in the market, especially with homes selling at the lowest prices in years. But the banks are holding their money and lending has become quite tight. Lending does happen, if you can jump through a few hoops, so hopefully our real estate company will make sure everyone is pre-qualified. The realtor is having all the local real estate agents here tomorrow for an open house, so Mischelle has been busy getting the place ready.

I'm really hoping our home goes quickly. We're in a good location and the old real estate adage is, location, location, location. So if you know anybody that wants to move to California, I have a place for you.

Amazing Advances in Technology

2010-07-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Being a phone man for thirty years, I have watched many changes in both the telecommunication corporate world and the technology used to drive the phone business. From AT&T to PacBell, then to Pacific Telesis and then SBC and then finally back to at&t (small letters), I have seen AT&T go from the world's largest phone company, only to be broken up into seven regional companies, then reformed back into one of the world's largest phone companies, once again.

But it is the technology that has really been the game changer. I started out with good 'ol tip and ring (phone speak for positive and negative), dial phones and a new technology called touch tone. Then they started adding calling features to the phone service. Voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, all added to the the phone experience. Then came the faxes and pagers. Again, this sparked a boom to the industry, but with that boom came the next problem. Not enough telephone numbers. So to help alleviate the problem, they first started by requiring that a "1" be dialed before the area code. That lasted for a while, but soon a new technology was to arrive...the cell phone. Again, the number pool was getting smaller, so now it was time to add more area codes. This was usually not a pleasant undertaking. People and businesses had to change phone numbers that they may of had for years or even decades. In some cites, you need to dial 10 digits, just to call a neighbor across the street. But the change was needed to expand the availability of phone numbers.

Then came the Internet, and phone lines were being used for a whole new technology, DSL. With the explosion of the Internet, faster data transmission was needed to accommodate the advances in web page design. More and more transactions were moving across the Internet and the phone lines. But this technology was a double edged sword. With the higher data transmission speeds came a new technology called VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) that would allow you to bypass the normal phone company to make phone calls that were free or very low cost. The traditional landline phone was fast becoming a dinosaur. And since that was the division of phone service I was in, I too, was becoming a dinosaur. As the company downsized, I became part of the discards.

After that short history lesson, it brings me to the original point I was writing about. The VOIP service, Skype. I've had Skype for a while now, but didn't really use it a lot because it required me to sit at my computer to make a call and it required the person I was calling, to be at theirs. Did a few video calls to my friends, but that was about it. But last week I bought a subscription to Skype that allows me to make calls to any land or mobile phone in the US and Canada, for free. So now, the people I call on Skype don't have to be at their computer to receive the call. Then, I took the next step and bought a local Skype phone number, so now our friends can call us, where ever we are, even in Belize, as though it's a call to the 805 area code. And it comes with all the features, such as call waiting, voicemail, etc. And to add to the experience, I bought a Skype phone, made by Logitech.

The land line phone, the cordless phone and the Skype phone

It works just like a cordless phone, dial tone and all. In fact, it has better range and quality than my cordless phone. I just pick it up and dial, or I can choose from my Skype list. And with all the features available, the $5.00 a month access with a phone number and the portability, I can see why the land line is becoming a dinosaur. And you can pick your telephone number from anywhere in the US or Canada. You want a New York, New York telephone number, no problem. How about Miami or Vancouver? Again, no problem. At the airport with wi-fi access? Starbucks? Got Skype there too. Just bring along the phone and you have a cordless phone for on the go, able to receive calls anywhere in the world.

Not the same 'ol phone company.

The Pieces Are Coming Together

2010-07-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since my last post and we are slowly progressing ahead. We are done with all the fixes to the house and are ready to put it on the market on Monday. We have a realtor coming to the house on Monday and that should put the ball in motion.

I sent off the paperwork for the QRP (qualified retirement program) yesterday, so I hope in a couple of months we will have our application accepted so we can begin the big move. We have begun storing boxes, appliances and furniture in and area about the size of a 20 foot container and right now it's about 3/4 of the way full and we still haven't packed Mischelle's shoes and purses. We're going to need a 40 footer for sure.

We also needed a new vehicle for Belize, because our 2003 Avalanche was too old to qualify for the QRP. It's a shame, because I love our Avalanche. A fully loaded dream truck. But with the duties and taxes on an eight cyl. somewhere around 80-90% of Blue Book, it didn't make sense to keep her. Oh well. Time to let go and find a new love.

I was not looking forward to the process of finding a new car, the salespeople, the time, and all the different vehicles, options and of course, prices. But the Internet helps with that and has made quite a difference shopping for a car. You can look up reviews and prices. Makes and models. When you go to the dealership, you can be well armed to stand your ground for your make, model and price.

After looking at all of options in our price range, we decided the Nissan Xterra was the best truck for us. Not at the top of all the ratings, but a good, sturdy truck that has been around for a while with a nice V6 motor that has been well tested.

We ended up getting a 4X4, figuring we will use it quite a bit in Belize. I wasn't too happy with the color (I would have preferred a lighter color), but the price was right, and the only other car in a light color was 600 miles away and a $900 flatbed towing rate to get it here. No thanks, I'll take the darker color. Just knock a few hundred off, if you want to sell it to us. With the Internet, you can find out what others are paying across the nation and just play a little hard ball with the dealers. But after all was said and done, the car buying experience was not that bad. We had a good salesman, there was a good factory rebate and the last of the 2010's had to go to make room for the 2011 models.

So now, we are a little bit closer to getting to Belize.

Summer's Here!!!!

2010-06-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

(I'm a little late in posting this, but it's only a week late, so I'll just say I'm on Belize time.)

Today is the first day of summer and here in Camarillo, we have what they call the June gloom. The fog lingers until late morning, clears up for a little while in the afternoon and then returns in the early evening, sometimes for only a couple of hours, sometimes all night. The high and low temperatures will only be a few degrees difference, usually in the low 60's (16-17C) to the low 70's (20-21C). But next year at this time, I will probably wish for days like this. Consejo is in the 90's (32-34C) right now with high humidity and just a little wind. I don't think we'll mind the heat too much. Just learn to adapt and take naps or swim during the heat of the day.

We went out for Chinese food the other night and my fortune cookie for told our future. Now we just need to make it come true.

The kitchen remodel continues, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I hope we can finish it up by Friday. It's a week later than I wanted, but the paint on the cabinets is taking longer to dry than expected.

In the mean time, while Mischelle works on sanding and painting the cabinets, I started to work on the tiling for the counters, back splash and flooring. The design for the back splash will require a lot of cut tiles but it will be worth it in the long run.

And finally, the finished kitchen.

We ended up spending around $800 for everything, but it looks so much better than before. If we remove the microwave, it will give the appearance of a larger counter space. We figured they will probably remodel the kitchen at sometime in the future, but at least it's not too bad for now and everything looks fresh and updated.

A couple of houses in our tract have recently come on the market, both offered by the same real estate company. I don't know where these people have lived for the last couple of years, but the prices they are expecting to get are a little bit out there. Maybe they could get that 2 or 3 years ago, but now....???

But it raises the standard for the neighborhood and if we price ours right, we'll be out of here in no time.

Not Much Left To Do

2010-06-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

We received a new batch of pictures the other day showing the progress on the house. From what I can see in the pictures, there is not a whole lot of construction left to do. It looks like it's all finish work now. We had sent down another tile medallion that we were hoping to install later, in the patio area, but the guys were able to do it now without any problems and it saves me from having to tear up the tile later.

The patio doors arrived from WinDor to replace the ones that were originally three inches too short. They have been installed, so that now, the entire house can now be secured.

The bathrooms have yet to be finished, but we have the shower floor tiles up here with us in the States, so the showers won't need to be finished for a month or more. We went with a pebble tile for the shower floors that massages the feet while you shower (at least that's what the salesman said), and we couldn't find anything like it in Belize or Mexico.

The kitchen and bathroom sinks and the toilets have all arrived , but have yet to be installed. Same with the fans. But at least they are all there.

I may have to schedule a trip back to Belize in the near future so I can do a final walk through. We won't finish the pool until after we are there. Too much maintenance, especially if we're not there, although my neighbors might like it. Same with the stairway to the roof. We'll put that off until early next year. We just want to get the occupancy permit.

Behind Schedule

2010-06-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, the first week of June and we still haven't got the Camarillo house on the market. We've decided to upgrade our dated,'70s kitchen and do a visual update. We didn't want to replace the entire kitchen, including the cabinets and appliances, because we were afraid we wouldn't get back the money we'd invest into it, plus, the time involved in a complete overhaul was too long. So we are repainting, removing the old flooring, installing tile and redoing the kitchen counter tops. I figured that will give us the most bang for the buck. I'm trying to keep the cost under a $1000, but we'll see how that goes. And on top of that, I want to be done with the kitchen remodel by next weekend.

I started by removing a box florescent light that just screamed 70's decor and replaced it with can lights with CFL bulbs. Just as much light for one third the wattage.

We had replaced the kitchen window with a garden window last year, but as usual, I had put off doing all the finishing touches, saving it for a later date (like today).

And after pulling up the existing vinyl flooring, expecting to see cement underneath, we found another layer of vinyl flooring. The pattern alone was mesmerizing.

At least the master bathroom is finished. The shower and tub came out great, but again, I'm just sorry I didn't do it sooner. We really have enjoyed using the bathtub.

Master bathroom before the remodel.

After the remodel.

I just need to focus on the prize at the end of all this, finish all the remodeling and get this house on the market. July will be here before we know it.

So Close, But So Far Away

2010-05-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

I just received some new pictures of the progress that is happening around the house. As the completion date gets closer, it just seems like we have such a long way to go until we can move in. It's amazing all the details that are involved in the move from the US to Belize. And we are just at the beginning.

Front door and entryway with tile medallion.

Kitchen cabinets with center island.

We are just getting together all the information required for the QRP application and hope to submit it to the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) around the first of June. This is a copy of the application, the documents that are required to be submitted with the application, and the fees that are due at various stages of the process.

That is also the date we have set to put our house on the market. We hope to have all the improvements and painting done by then. Some of the things we did to improve the look of the house have been so easy, I wonder why it has taken me so long to do it. So, we improve everything, make it just the way we like it, then move. At least we won't have to improve things in the new house. Just everything outside the house.

The Doors And Cabinets Are In

2010-05-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

Our cabinet maker, Ravey Gongora, has recently delivered and installed our cabinets and doors, as we get even closer to finishing the house. The front door was installed, so the house is almost complete on the outside. We are still trying to figure out what to do with the front patio area.

The doors from the bathrooms to the bedrooms and from the living room to the bedrooms are all in and look beautiful. Made from all hardwood. No pressboard or plywood here.

And except for a few minor changes, the kitchen cabinets and island are just about finished. Our black quartz counter tops look nice as a contrast to the red tamarand counters.

I'd like to go back to Belize to see the progress first hand, but it'll have to wait. We're waiting on pictures from the contractor, which will probably happen on Monday or Tuesday, after the patio windows arrive and are installed. Then it's just the finish work left to complete.

It's Getting Closer To Being Finished

2010-05-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since I left Belize, and the work on the house continues unabated. The window and patio door replacements are to arrive this week, and Ravey has just about got all the interior doors ready to install.

The tiling throughout the house is almost done, with only the bathroom showers left to finish. The living room and kitchen will be the first areas to be grouted so that the kitchen cabinets can be installed next week.

Looking from the living room into the guest bedroom.

The bathroom from the guest bedroom.

From the guest bedroom to the living room.

Living room and kitchen.

The temporary master bedroom.

The outside of the house is getting close to being finished and all the stucco work is done. The house could be finished, except for a few items, by the end of the month.

The pool equipment room with my outdoor kitchen area on the side.

View from the future master bedroom and patio.

As the house gets closer to completion, it really forces us to get moving on selling our home up here in the States. I'm sure it won't happen as quickly as I'd like, but hopefully, it won't take too long. There are no other homes for sale in our tract, and the few that have been on the market, have sold rather quickly. So I guess it's time to stop writing on the blog and get back to work.

Our Soldier Graduates From Intel School

2010-05-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Mischelle and I this week, made a long trek from Camarillo, California to Fort Huachuca(Wah-chou-kah), Arizona, to watch our niece, Josette, graduate from the Army intelligence school she has been attending for the last six months. She will be promoted to PFC at her next assignment, which luckily is going to be in Washington state, not Afghanistan or Iraq. She graduated near the top of her class, and is studying to be an interrogator and eventually wants to work for the CIA or FBI.

A fellow soldier she originally met in boot camp, Jennifer, has been her friend and roommate through the intelligence training, and is originally from Honduras, Central America. She is off to paratrooper school in Bladdenburg, Germany for three weeks, as soon as the graduation is over (graduation was over at 10AM and her flight was at 1PM), then it is on to her first assignment in Afghanistan from there. We all hope she is going to be safe in her new assignment and same for all the others that are being sent overseas. It happens that quick. I'm sure there is a lot of "on the job" training.

We picked up Mischelle's mom, Fay, on the way to the graduation. Mischelle's brother, Ron, his wife Betty, and Josette's friend from high school, Dana, also flew in for the ceremony. So there was a nice contingent of family members and friends to help her celebrate.

The graduation was a structured ceremony that you would expect from the Army. A few speakers, special awards (one of which Josette received the day before at another award ceremony) and the handing out of the diplomas.

We're all so proud of her and of all her fellow platoon members.

After the ceremonies, Josette had to do all the paperwork to get cleared from this base and get her new assignment in Washington state. She was hoping to have some time off between assignments, but that wasn't possible. So her commanding officer took the extra step and assigned her to a recruiting office back in her hometown of Las Vegas for two weeks. She gets to go in for a couple of hours a day and do some paperwork, then she's off for the rest of the time. And she gets weekends off. Not too bad.

The rest of us all went back to the hotel to lounge around the pool for a while.

That evening, Josette had chosen a Greek restaurant in town for her graduation celebration. My Big Fat Greek Restaurant was a true example of a Greek dinner, with all the traditional food, the smashing of plates, dancing and pyrotechnics. Gyro's, lamb specialities, licorice liqueurs, ground meat wrapped in grape leaves, falafels, greek salads, ah, what a meal.

I'm sure the Fire Marshall wouldn't be too happy with this display of pyrotechnics but the restarant sure was fun.

High Winds and Waves

2010-05-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors in Belize, Pip and Jason, sent pictures taken recently of the seawall and beach area of our lot that shows the seawater washing over our seawall and completely covering the beach area. The winds had been up in the 25 mph range for the better part of a week, and coupled with the waves and tides, it was pushing the water back into the bay and flooding some coastal areas.

Normal tide and no wind.

Recent high winds and waves.

It was really a shocker to see the photos. I had seen the pictures from Dave and Dianna's blog (winjama.blogspot.com) on the recent flooding in the canal and lots in their area south of Corozal, but I thought it wouldn't be as bad in our area of Consejo because we are on a small point in the bay and we are on a south facing beach. I guess I have to rethink my options on the seawall and beach improvements. It was a real eye opener.

My First Time

2010-05-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

After seven months of training, I finally flew from my home ultralight airport in Camarillo, to a real airport 15 miles away. It may not seem like much, but it is a big step towards getting my Sport Pilot Licence. The big challenge will be to fly solo and make a 75 mile trek, visiting two different airports. The FAA will be out in a couple of weekends for check out flights and I'd like to be flying solo by then. Jeff is really helping me with my confidence and flying abilities.

It was a beautiful day for flying, so Jeff and I decided to fly over to the Santa Paula airport and do a couple of full stop takeoff and landings. This airport is usually quite busy on the weekends but today it was very quiet with only a few planes buzzing around. The ride over the farmlands to Santa Paula was fairly calm, but a few updrafts near the mountains made it quite a fun flight. When you're only flying 500 ft above the ground, a sudden change of 50 ft can really get your attention. The approach to Santa Paula airport is along the mountains, to the southeast, then a short base turn to the final approach. What a difference landing on an airstrip that is 100 ft wide and 3500 ft long after all the time I've spent learning how to land on a airstrip 8 ft wide and 1300 ft long.

After doing a couple of takeoff and landings at the Santa Paula airport, we set off for our return to the Camarillo airport via the Santa Clara river. Following the river to the freeway, then down the freeway to the west end of the Camarillo airport, we were back in just over an hour. A nice scenic tour of our local real estate.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

2010-04-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm back home, it was time to pop over to the Camarillo airport to see my "brothers in the air", Mike and Jeff. It had been a couple of months since I had last flown and I was anxious to fly. I got there around 10:30, hoping that the morning fog had burnt off. Not quite yet. The ATIS report said the ceiling was nine hundred feet and patchy. Seemed like a good time to go over some ground instruction and do a pre-flight on the plane. Soon, the fog had burnt off, we had the thousand foot ceiling we needed and it was time to fly.

It was a beautiful day, and although we had a 10 knot crosswind, there were several people at the airport, ready to fly. I was a little rusty in the beginning and my first attempt at a landing was a little shaky. The crosswind was making it tough to land. But after that, I settled down and it was time to have some fun.

It didn't take long to get back in the groove. Great instuction from Jeff and a few takeoff and landings and I was back as "pilot in command". Almost. I was able to get about three hours of flying time in yesterday and today and I hope to be flying solo in a week or two. Time to hit the books so I can pass the written test.

Back at Home

2010-04-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

After almost six weeks in Belize, I'm back home in Camarillo, to start the final push to sell the house, pack the belongings and move to our new home in Belize. Mischelle did a wonderful job in my absence to keep the home front going, getting our IRS and property taxes out on time. All the bills are current and paid and the house looks great with new flowers planted and the yard trimmed. I guess since everything is OK, I could head back to Belize, but Mischelle will have nothing to do with that. It's my turn to take care of everything on the home front.

We went shopping the last couple of days to pick up various items for the new house. They had some umbrellas on sale, so we had to pick up a couple of new ones. While we were there picking up the umbrellas, of course, there were other things on sale that we decided we would need (like to have) in Belize. A weeks' paycheck later, I think we just bought out the entire store. New pots and pans, assorted cooking utensils, dishware, etc. And after a trip to Home Depot, we've now have all the fans we need for the house along with all of the plumbing fixtures for the kitchen, bathrooms and showers.

What an experience it is picking out every detail for the house. When you buy a new home from a developer, they have a pre-set list of tiles, carpeting, wall colors, cabinets, etc. to chose from. Doing it yourself adds a whole new layer to building a home. Then there's the other factor. Finding what you want in Belize. It's getting better, but still leaves a lot to be desired, just because you'll need to visit so many places to find everything you may want. And in the end, they may not have what you want, so then you just have to make do. Decisions, decisions.

We decided in the end, to get a few items from Home Depot and ship them down, paying the shipping, taxes and duties. The selection is much better here, and over the lifetime of the product, the price is not that much more to get what we want instead of just settling with what is available.

We'll Take Care Of It

2010-04-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

After the initial shock of the "Oh Shit" moment wore off, things have settled down. A call to WinDor, a recheck of the sales order and a defining moment when WinDor admitted to building the wrong size transom across the top of the patio doors and that they will replace them and get it on the next shipment out, which should be by the end of the month. That was a big relief.

It's my last day here and my flight leaves out of Chetumal at 3:30PM, Mexico time. With Mexico ahead by one hour, the flight leaves at 2:30 Belize time and that means I need to be at the airport by 1:30. But you never know what it's going to be like at the border. It could take 15 minutes to cross or it could take two hours, depending on the Mexican side. So it looks like I will be out of here by 12 noon.

The tile is being installed today in the living room. I think it is going look wonderful when it is done. The kitchen cabinets and interior doors will be installed later next week.

Maybe I could change my ticket again. I'd really like to stay and see the finishing touches myself. But, I need to get home so we can start to get our game plan in motion. Time will really move fast now. So much to do. It's going to be different changing from Belize speed to California speed in a matter of hours. I'm not looking forward to that.

An "Oh Shit" Moment

2010-04-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Most of the doors and windows are now in. The guys finished installing all the windows, except for one bathroom window that was not measured correctly, but WinDor has a rush order on it and will have it made by next week.

Both of the bedroom doors are in and the side door will go in tomorrow. Only a couple of more days before I leave and I'd like to see more done. Doesn't help when most of the Corozal area lost power for a few hours.

But, now came one of the reasons why I stayed for the extra week. As the sliding glass door frame was moved over to the opening, it seemed as though something was wrong. It seemed to be a little short. Nah. It couldn't be short. It can't be short. Oh Shit! But there it was, three inches short. And it wasn't just one of them, it was both of them. Oh Shit!

Last time I looked, 8 feet is 96 inches, not 93 inches. But the tape measure confimed the worst...it was short. Damn. Now what? A call to my contractor. What happened? What can we do? How much will this mistake cost? When will it be fixed? What can we do???!!!

Settle down Perry. Take a deep breath. Slow down and speak slowly into the phone and tell me exactly what the problem is.

THE SLIDING GLASS DOORS ARE TOO SHORT!

Oh Shit! They can't be! Are you sure???

But no matter how I measured it, it was still 93 inches! Now what? Let's look at our notes with WinDor just to make sure we said 8 feet, not 7 feet 9 inches. Yep. Eight feet on our notes. I guess it's time for a call to Windor.

Hi Drake, it's Perry. Hey listen. You know those patio doors you sent down a few weeks ago.

Yah.

Well, we have a problem.....

OH SHIT!

That's what I thought you might say.

Another Sunday Board Meeting

2010-04-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday, and it's a beautiful day here in Belize. The wind that has been blowing for the last week, has died down to almost nothing. Just enough to keep it a little cooler as it heats up during the day. There has been virtually no bugs during the entire time I've been here, just a few mosquitoes here and there.

Things are really starting to happen at the house. A large portion of the windows were installed Saturday and has made a big difference in the look and feel of our home. The windows and the stucco together, really seem to make the place change from a concrete shell to a home.

The bedroom, bathroom and patio doors will be installed on Monday and it won't be long until we can seal the place up. That's a big step because it will allow the installation of the cabinets and fixtures along with fans and other important items.

But, today is Sunday, a usual day of rest. Not for me. It is a tough, seven day a week, work schedule during my entire time here. I had to attend another board meeting, this time at the Don Quixote Resort, to discuss with the various attendees the trials and tribulations of building in Belize.

Tom and Terri, have a house across the street from us, are now in Belize full time and their house is completely finished, except for the extras. Mario and Karen have property in the Shores and Mario is currently the contractor for a house being built nearby. Dave and Dianna, of Winjama, have a home in town and are expanding their homestead with the addition of a guest house. And of course, our hosts at the Don Quixote, Tanya and Kayo.

We started off the meeting by immediately calling for a sushi and beer break. After all, you can't do good work on an empty stomach.

After the break, we broke into discussions of building in Belize, buying Mexican beer in Belize and the trouble getting good avocados and lettuce. After much discussion we have decided to secede from Belize and form the Republic of Consejo. Tom will design us a flag and we have already decided on a motto. "We don't give a shit". Then it was time for another beer and brauts break and to enjoy the pool.

Another tough day at the office. But I can't wait until tomorrow. I love this job!

The Windows Are Here !!!

2010-04-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

It has been just over a month since I arrived in Belize. The main reasons to be here was to finalize the doors and cabinets, pick tile for all the rooms and to see our windows installed. The doors are almost complete, the bathroom cabinets are done and the base for the kitchen cabinets and the island will be done by next week (Belize time). The tile for the entire house is due to arrive by noon today, from Mexico. They will start the tile installation in the kitchen and living room first, so they can begin to install the kitchen cabinets, some time next week. But the painting will hopefully be done inside before any of the tile goes down, so we need to squeeze some time in for those guys. But if the tile needs to go in for other parts of the project to continue, the painting will have to wait. Things are really starting to move and it will be busy here for the next few weeks.

But, the best thing is that the container that had our windows came in last week. It cleared Customs Tuesday and the windows were delivered yesterday to the job site.

Along with the windows came our kitchen counters and sinks, electrical plugs and switches and pressure pump for the sprinkler system.

They had to cut off the vinyl wood frame attachments on the windows so they would fit properly in the window openings.

Once that is done, the windows will finally be installed and the final push to the completion has begun.

The Easter Sunday Sarteneja Sailing Regatta

2010-04-06T10:56:00.001-07:00

It's Easter Sunday here in Belize and everything is closed, including the Chinese stores. Last year the police actually took some of the store owners to jail for not closing on Easter Sunday, so it's a big thing here. Most people were off all day for Good Friday, which is a holiday, then had Saturday, Easter Sunday and Monday, which is another holiday. A nice four day weekend for most people. My contractor gave the guys the option of an extra Saturday's pay or take the day off. About ten of the guys decided to work, knowing they still had two more days off after that.

I had planned, with a couple dozen other people, to take a boat over to Sarteneja to watch the Easter Sailing Regatta. So we loaded up at 9:30AM, at the Mayan Seaside dock, for the hour plus boat trip over to Sarteneja.

Casablanca Hotel and the Customs station with Bob and Martha's apt. right behind it.

Winds had kicked up a bit and the seas were a little choppy. We were in two pangas, with about 12 or 13 in each one. As we moved into the bay, the first 5 minutes gave us an idea of what to expect for the rest of the ride. Patches of not so bad water, then patches of bone shattering pounding, as we went into the wind and waves. It would have been just as bad if we did the 3 hour drive over the road to Sarteneja. It can pound you just as bad. Gordon and Illianna had the best plan. They flew their private airplane over. Eighteen minutes, no bumps, no spray, no problem. Some people have all the toys.

Our boat ride was the longest hour, with the waves, the spray. the pounding. I wasn't even able to take any pictures of the trip over except just as we arrived at Sarteneja. But what a beautiful village as you arrive from the sea with all the sail boats, ready for the regatta.

We docked at the pier, just before the start of the first race. Boom, the sound of the starting gun, and they were off. It was a beautiful day for the regatta.

People were lining the pier, watching as the boats raced to the first marker. For me, I headed down the pier and into town.

There was a local band from Corozal playing some great Bob Marley songs, just after the beginning of the pier.

Locals were showcasing their artwork and conservation groups highlighting kayaking and backpack tours. Vendors with rice and beans, even fresh coconut milk. Not too bad. I even got a frilly straw with my coconut.

But Capt. JIm said it's time to gather the sailors, cancel shore leave and head for home. We gathered on the boat, expecting to get the same ride as when we arrived, but were pleasantly surprised when the sea was fairly calm and the trip was made in less than 45 minutes and was quite enjoyable.

I bought some art work from the local vendor and the shirts off the Belikin distributors back.

I'm back at the Don Quixote Hotel, as I struggle through another day at the office. More decisions to be made. Isn't it time for another Belikin?

The House Gets a New Look

2010-04-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today began the sprint to the finish. I extended my trip by one week, just so I could see the progress that was about to happen. The exterior stucco was applied today and after the holiday for Easter, things will really start to pick up (I hope. After all, this is Belize). It's hard to pick a color from a test strip that is one inch by two inches and apply that to the whole house. But we made the right decision going with a light mint green. It sets our house off from our neighbors, that have gone with a more colorful, southwest style.

The container with the windows should be in Belize by now. We just have to wait for the Easter slowdown to finish, then it's back to normal, what ever that is. Hopefully there's no problems with Customs and the windows will be delivered and installed while I'm here.

I went over to the house on Friday, while all the workers were gone on holiday. Using "Straightline", I was able to visualize different tile patterns on the floor, with chalk lines, and decide where to install diamond patterns or squares. Again, I am hoping that the tiles will be delivered and installed while I am here so I can make any changes if necessary. We are using 20 inch tiles for the kitchen and living room.

Each of the bedrooms and baths will have 12 inch tiles and the patio will have 18 inch tiles.

But before they can start laying tiles, the entire interior space needs to be painted. We will start with white, for now. That will allow us to make color choices once we are here and get the feel of the house and furnishings.

The pool tiles should also be arriving this week, so we will need to get the DiamondBrite from the pool store in San Pedro and have it shipped over so work can begin again on the pool.

It's going to be quite busy at the house over the next month or so. Sure wish I could be here the entire time, but I'm looking forward to seeing Mischelle and our Kids.

Another Friday Board Meeting

2010-04-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's Good Friday and virtually everything is closed. And I'm stuck at a board meeting with a couple o'dozen other board members, wondering what's going on.

It seems that a few of our Board members are heading back to the northern hemisphere to finish getting their Belizian tans. I don't think that'll happen, but they can dream. Belikin Bob is outta here tomorrow, Debra and Neil just left. Wayne and Lorraine are out of here next week with promises (or threats) that they'll be here longer next year. We are starting to get a lot more full time residents. And a much younger crowd. Between Consejo Shores and the Mayan Seaside, we have a great variety of people and party habits. It's all fun in the sun. The members of the board have decided to do what every other large corpoation does. Put off the major decisions until later. Let us think about it for a while.

Finally, the board meeting is done and it's time for some serious partying. It's Belikin time!!!

Tomorrow is just another Slice of Paradise in Belize.

Everything Will Be Here....After Easter

2010-03-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last couple of days clearing up some loose ends and moving the building process forward. I finalized the drawings with Dan, the architect, so he can get them to Belize City for comments and corrections. Hopefully, there will only be a few of both, but I'm not overly optimistic.

George Greenwood , of Taribo Industries, found some wonderful black dirt and I was able to get 30 cubic yards of the stuff. Just in time for us to plant the lawn on the upper portion of the retaining wall. We installed the sprinkler system last week, so that once the dirt get put down, we will need some "carpet Grass" plugs to start the lawn. Sprinkler systems are almost non-existent in Belize, so you better have all the parts, cause there ain't no more.

No going down to the local Home Depot to pick up a few more sprinkler heads, or maybe some cut-offs. Not here. I told the job foreman of my plans for the sprinkler system and here just got this glazed over look. He had no idea of what I was talking about. Add to that the timers and electronic valves and you really get a confused look. Even my contractor had to look twice at the electronic sprinkler valves. Not much use for them in England, where he was from.

Then it was on to the water supply for the sprinklers. We are using the local water supply only for the lawns, but the pressure is so low, that you need to boost the water pressure using a shallow well pressure pump. So we bought a 160 gallon RotoPlas for the water storage system, and it comes with a float valve to shut the water off when it's full.

Another plus is that the RotoPlas will have it's own room, including the pressure pump, and the ceiling above it will now form a table for a B-B-Que and a sink. Since we'll have pressurized water at the pool equipment room, we're going to add a sink and an outside shower. I'm even going to have room for a small refrigerator. I'd hate to have to go to the refrigerator in the kitchen, every time I needed a beer. Especially when the standard Belikin is just over 9 oz, and they go fast on a hot day.

Today, I went out to Orange Walk to look at some tile for the bathrooms. The first place we went to had not only the tiles, and in the quantities we needed, it also had the border tiles. The tiling is now complete for the entire home. The main tiling for the living room, kitchen and both bedrooms, will arrive from Mexico sometime next week. Also arriving next week will be the container that has all of our windows, counters, sinks and more. And to top it all off, the stucco is in and it will be applied on Saturday. And just when you think it can't get any better, I went over to see our cabinet maker, Ravey Gongora, to finalize the design for the front door and he was able to show me the interior doors, almost finished. They are just what I wanted, all in hard wood. No plywood here.

These are other jobs Ravey is working on.

With everything coming in next week after Easter, I think I'm going to have to postpone my return trip, just so I can see everything go in.

Time Flies By

2010-03-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

It was a fun filled Sunday, starting with Bocce Ball at Bob and Martha's, minus Martha, because she doesn't get up that early (8AM). A large turnout, with three courts in use. Unfortunately, I was on a losing team, and was eliminated from the completion early on. It reminded me of US curling team in the Winter Olympics. Close, but no cigar.

After that, there was a B-B-Que and Fixin's at the Mayan Seaside. I took over three pounds of chili. Others brought ceviche, mac and cheese, hot dogs, brownies, etc. It was a feast. Great company. Beautiful surroundings. And, of course, COLD BEER! You couldn't ask for more (except for more of the rum soaked watermelon...Mmmm).

My second Mom, in Belize, Elle.

Elle, you go girl!!!

Belize...you gotta love it!

Corozal Comes Alive

2010-03-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

With Easter just around the corner, the local schools are now out on spring break for two weeks. On Friday, the last day before the break, the pre-schools throughout the Corozal district put on a parade that went down the main street, almost to the end of town, then they turned around and paraded down the seaside. Almost a quarter mile of kids all dressed up in costume, some walking, others towed on floats. All of them just as cute as can be.

Each school had a theme, such as The Three Little Pigs, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Fairyland, etc. And with no place here in town to buy pre-made costumes, each costume was custom made, by hand. Some were simple costumes and others looked like they just came off a movie set.

The parade route was packed as people lined the street to watch the childen go by. I never realized how many pre-schools there were in Corozal and the surrounding communities. I had heard that half the population of Belize is under eighteen.

The parents walking with their kids proudly showing off their costumes. Cute costumes and kids.

I guess tying all the kids together is one way to keep them all going in the same direction. Maybe they should do it to the parents also. A lot of parents stopped to socialize, so it made the parade go a little slower. And as hot as it was that day, they really needed to keep the kids moving. They still had a long way to go from where we were watching.

On Saturday, there was going to be a Battle of the Bands, and school marching bands from all over the country were here to compete. Part of the competion was marching through town and then down by the seaside then back to the stadium where the competion continued.

Town was all cleaned up and new paint was everywhere. It was time for the mayor to showcase the town. It was the first time Corozal had hosted the event and town was hoppin'. People everywhere. The stadium was packed, the local beaches were packed and the local bars and eateries all were full. It was a good day in Corozal. I wanted to see the competion, but didn't really want to watch it in the hot sun. So I did the next best thing. I went to see Rocky at Jam Rock, suck down a few cold Belikins and watch the battle all on TV. They televised the whole competion. A nice little breeze from the ocean to cool things down. The perfect place to be.

Big Progress at the Mayan Seaside

2010-03-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Our blog has recently passed another milestone. It's been a year since I added the Flag Counter and the Live Traffic Feed to the blog, just to see who and where the people are that visit our site. We've had almost 10,000 page views and 66 different countries have visited our site since March 22, 2009. We've communicated with many of you and have met several of you, here in Belize. Overall, the blog has been a good experience. As we continue the blog, I hope that the information passed on has helped some of you on your move to Belize and to the others, I hope that it has at least been entertaining. The best is yet to come, as our house gets closer to completion.

I recently went over to the Mayan Seaside to visit friends and to see the progress that is being made to the community area over there. Art Higgins is really doing a wonderful job at creating a community with a large park, dock, seawalls and palapas. But it's the neighbors themselves that really make that community. The afternoon board meetings out on the dock are a great way to meet your neighbors and plan for the future. Some are already planning to have a December 21,2012 "Mayastock" with bands, food and drinks. They'll play until the end of the Mayan calendar (kinda like the Titanic). Who knows what happens then.

Our friends, Rick and Dawn, were just down here last month to put the finishing touches on their new home and several others in the area are completed or near completion.

The houses can vary from the very simple Mennonite homes to the multi-story mansions. You can pick your own lifestyle.

Shopping Adventures in Town

2010-03-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a mixed bag as far as the weather was concerned. It started off in the morning with high clouds, and the sun peaking through every once in a while. But it was perfect for a game of Bocce Ball. It was Sunday morning Bocce Ball over at Bob and Martha's place (which is where I'm staying). So by 8AM, two Bocce Ball courts were in use, the games were a close matches and so began the roar of the crowd (and the neighborhood dogs). I evidently wasn't sleeping in today.

I didn't feel like playing Bocce Ball today and it seemed they already had enough players. It was a good time to head into town and pick up some supplies so I wouldn't be eating out so often. As nice as it was at the Don Quixote, they didn't have a stove to cook on, only a microwave. At Bob and Martha's, at least I have a stove and lots of utensils.

So once into town, I stopped by our P.O. Box in town to see what had accumulated over the couple of months we had been away. No junk mail here. The only thing I had in my mail box were bills from Belize Electric, LTD (BEL), and they were addressed to the former tenant of my mail box. That will be a job for me to do during the week, to go to BEL and get my bill sent to the P.O Box and have him removed. It's amazing to see the P.O. Boxes still use the old skeleton key.

After that, it was to the local market to pick up some essentials. Bread, eggs, milk, juice, etc. Not much that different than home, just not the selections you have at the big supermarkets. More like a 7/11 or Circle K. And once in a while you may find that special spice or seasoning you need for that special occasion. Unfortunately, you will probably find it when you don't really need it or just after you really needed it.

From there it was over to Chico's tortilla factory for fresh, hot tortillas. Mmmm. $1.25BZ for a pound of them. $2 worth, please. Hot off the tortilla press, weighed on an old time scale, wrapped in soft butcher paper and given to you still steaming.

After that it was over to Frank's, the butcher, for fresh bacon from the slab. How thick, Mr. Perry? Only one pound? Oh, I also need a couple of pounds of ground beef and a pound of chicken. Is that all Mr. Perry? It's nice when the locals know you.

From there it was over to the fresh fruit and vegetable market to pick up a few things and then to head home. As you can see, shopping in Corozal is a adventure, moving from shop to shop, place to place. But that is part of the enjoyment of living here. And it's not like I don't have the time. I get to meet people and go places that are sometimes overlooked. From there, it was time to head back to Bob and Martha's.

After I made some lunch, I want over to the house to clean up the future lawn area and get it ready so I can install the sprinkler system on Wednesday. Of course, about half way through cleaning up, it begins to rain. Not too hard and it wasn't cold, so it was back to work.

Because I had been working outside, I had battery powered music and an ice chest with beer, I didn't realize that the power to all of Corozal and Consejo had been knocked out, and for more than a couple of hours. Maybe it was time to stop working and go home to see if I had any candles in case this blackout lasted into the evening. By the time I got back to Bob and Martha's, the power was back on....only to go back out a few hours later. Oh well. No internet tonight. And it began to rain again. Time to kick back, light some candles and enjoy some smooth jazz. Nice way to finish the day, Belizian style.

The Slow Dash to the Finish

2010-03-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Mischelle and I have been here in Belize for ten days and time seems to have flown by. Mischelle had to leave yesterday for home, to take care of our four legged kids and to pay the bills that are due. It looks like it's time for me to start paying all our bills online so I get used to the process and make sure I don't miss any payments. We accomplished most everything we needed to do that, required input from Mischelle. Now it's up to me to finish all the details and make sure the work gets done. We enjoyed our last day at the Don Quixote and lounged around the pool all day. It was a nice way for Mischelle to finish her work trip.

That evening, it was over to the New Millenium for a few farewell drinks and dinner. Jorge is the bartender and waiter and his sister, Sara, runs the kitchen. Dependably good food for very reasonable prices. And it's the local meeting place during the week and weekends, except for Fridays, which are spent over at Smugglers Den.

Now that Mischelle has left, I have moved over to Bob and Martha's studio apartment in the village of Consejo. It's a nice, comfortable, safe place to stay, close to the work site. I've stayed here so many times, it's going to be strange once the house is finished. It's been my second home, in Belize.

Now it's time to make any last real changes, make sure everything is the way we want it and let the workers do their job. Our site foreman, Amir, and I are now on the same page and I feel he will get the job done right. I've added some small changes to the patio and pool area and where there are changes in colored stucco. It's all those little changes that only can take place during the last stages of construction. It's all fine on paper, the drawings, the computer simulation. But it's until you see the actual home, that you make those final, subtle changes, that can change the whole character of the home.

They have started applying white stucco to the outside pillars of the patio. The main house and retaining wall will begin next week when we receive the complete batch of colored stucco from Mexico. We have decided to go with a light, mint green stucco with white as the accent color. It should blend nicely with the surrounding colors of the vegetation and trees. It is also a different color scheme than the surrounding neighbors, so that even though it is a subtle color, it will stand out in the neighborhood, just as much as our neighbors that have the bright colors of Central America.

The cistern access openings were in the wrong location (in front of the pool steps), as I had seen in the pictures e-mailed me before we arrived, but have since been corrected and are going to be perfect in the new location. The pipes for the cistern intake have also changed from the patio area to the far outside corners of the house and when encased in block will look like pillars at the ends of the building. It's amazing look inside the cistern and to realize that basically you have a flooded basemant. Our "basement" cistern is a large room, that is eighteen feet by twenty feet large, and 10 feet deep. Over twenty thousand gallons.

With all this hard work, it was time to head back to the office. There was a "board" meeting that I had to attend. An exchange of ideas, things to come and to plan for the future.

It's Sunday tomorrow, so I will be able to rest from all this hard work and planning. But wouldn't you like to be here as a planning assistant?

We're finally here!

2010-03-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

After months of waiting, we are finally back in Belize, and enjoying every minute of it. We are staying at the old Don Quixote Hotel in Consejo Shores that can be discribed as a diamond in the rough. The main caretakers, Tanya and Kayo, have done a wonderful job bringing the hotel back from the brink to a very comfortable place to stay with large rooms, air conditioning and a wonderful pool overlooking the blue bay of Chetumal.

The progress on our house is slow at the moment but around the first of April it will really pick up. We went over to Chetumal and picked out all of our tile for the main living space. It was really easy dealing with Interceramics, in Chet. We had picked out most of our tiles and alternates from the catalog and showroom in LA, so we only spent an hour or so at their showroom. My contractor said the prices, even with duties and taxes will probably be less than getting them from Belize, and a MUCH bigger selection.

After that we went over to the Free Zone to have a few beers, discuss some business....and have a few more beers, and then over to the Las Vegas Casino to have...a few more beers. You get the idea. At least I didn't have to drive.

After that lengthy "business meeting", we decided on a color for the exterior stucco. We are going with a soft mint green with a white trim. They will begin applying the stucco sometime next week. The windows should be here in about two weeks along with the quartz countertops. The cabinets for the bathrooms are just about complete and they are currently working on the kitchen cabinets and all the interior doors.

It's getting exciting to see the finished product. It won't be too long now. Mischelle leaves for home tomorrow, so it will be just me for the next 3 weeks. I hope to see a lot done in that time, but unfortunately, the tiles won't be in until just after I leave. But it has been a productive trip, so far.

I am relocating to Bob and Martha's place for the next 2 weeks, so updates to the blog should be more often. Then it's back to the Don Quixote for the last week of my stay. It's hard work, but somebody's gotta do it.

A Post Before We Go

2010-03-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

It's now less than a week before our trip to Belize. We are assembling our items to put in the shipping container along with our windows. We hope that everything will arrive in Belize by the end of March. We ended up buying quartz counter tops from here in the States because the price was so good and I didn't think we could find anything comparable for the price, even including shipping, duty and taxes. With the quartz being a man made material, it is less porous than granite, does not need to be sealed, and is stronger yet lighter in the thickness and width available.

We bought true granite counters for both the bathrooms, that included the sinks and pre-drilled faucet holes, at HD Supply (www.HDSRR.com) for under $300 for both bathrooms. Such a deal. We will also ship those down in the container along with the pool tiles, Decora light switches and outlets.

The work on the house continues as the walkway on the side of the house is built and the patio cover is completed. Work was to begin plastering the outside of the house but we have put that on hold until we can decide on the color.

After looking over the pictures of the patio, I have discovered that the access to the two cisterns are right in the walkway to the pool. I don't know what they were thinking when they put them there, but we had specifically told our contractor to put them on the side of the cistern so they would be out of the way and out of view. The lids, with the lifting handles, are now positioned in the middle of our main walkway from the patio to the pool. We even redesigned the patio supports so that there would be no obstacles from the patio to the pool and the view would be unobstructed. I guess that they will have to fill those holes and cut in new ones. Hopefully that won't be too much of a problem.

The Excitement Begins as the Trip Nears

2010-02-22T20:40:00.001-08:00

We are leaving for Belize in just over two weeks and we are still deciding on what needs to be accomplished while we are there. Apply for the QRP, renew the vehicle registration and insurance, look for a local doctor and pick out our tiling are just a few things on our list...and it only seems to get longer. I will be down a few weeks longer than Mischelle, so I should be able to get most everything accomplished.

New pictures have finally arrived and work has indeed begun again on our home. The openings for the patio doors are being enlarged, the cistern cover has been poured and the patio columns are finished. It also looks as though the ceiling has a coat of white plaster applied.

Hopefully, the windows will arrive by late March so I will be able see them once they are installed. After that it will really start to come together in a hurry. Once the front door goes in and the windows are installed, the house can be sealed up so that the interior door and cabinets can be installed and the house can be secured. It will soon be time to plan the next trip down for the final walk through.

Belize Time Abroad

2010-02-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

Belize time seems to have affected our window company up here in the States, so our windows won't make the Feb. 21st container shipment, as we had hoped. Other factors factored in the decision to put the shipment off until March, but it won't set us back too much. Our plans won't have us moving in until June or July, so a month delay is not that big a deal. It will give us a chance to complete the paperwork and qualify for the QRP program so our household goods are shipped in tax and duty free.

We still plan to go to Belize in March, to get the tiles and pick out other finishing items but it may be more of a vacation than a construction visit. If that's the case, I will take Mischelle over to San Pedro and Caulker Caye to see the tourist side of Belize and maybe do some diving or snorkeling.

Several of the friends that I have met through my blog are now in Belize full time or they are there now checking out the progress that has been made on their homes. I get to learn from their experiences and gain from their knowledge. Donna, of "Our Belize Planning" has been updating her blog, from Belize. She and her husband, Jacques, have been down there for a couple of weeks now and are lamenting the return to the cold north next week. Our other friends, Rick and Dawn, are also in Belize, to check on the progress of their home in the Mayan Seaside. Pip and Jason have moved into their new home, next to ours. And since they have been down there for a couple of months now, they have already set their body clocks to Belize time. Also, my friend, Hipolito, whom I drove down with to Belize last year around this time, is flying down to visit his relatives and to pour the roof for his place near Corozal. It's quite a busy time down there and I wish we were there to meet everyone.

A new roadblock has creeped up on the construction site, that won't affect us at the moment, but has affected others in the community that are close to having their homes complete. It seems that the Belize building authorities (CBA) has now decided that if there is a stairway to the roof, inside or outside, then the entire roof must be counted as habitable space and will be counted towards the square footage of the entire house. Anything over 3000 sq. ft., and that includes patio and veranda areas, needs to have an approval by a certified Belizian structural engineer. And that, of course, adds a whole new layer of paperwork and rules. It just seems to get better and better. I just want to get the construction completed before anymore "new" rules come up. So for now, we are eliminating the staircase and just making it into a room with a 21 foot ceiling. Others unfortunately, have already built the staircase, and now must tear it down or face more paperwork and expenses.

Here in Camarillo, the remodeling of the master bathroom is complete. We will wait for our return from Belize before we put our house on the market. Time seems to be moving faster and June is not that far away.

Work Begins Again, 2010

2010-01-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

The work on the house has begun again. It looks like we will have an architect to approve our plans, so we can now move ahead with the construction. Our contractor was in LA to order the windows for our house and we are very happy with our window selections. We ended up ordering 16 sliding windows, 2 fiberglass single hung exterior doors, 2 glass enclosed exterior doors with side light and 2 six foot sliders with 18" windows above. Our window company, WinDor, has provided us excellent customer service and had a product for all of our needs. Working with my contractor, they have also been able to save me the sales tax on my purchases because they are being shipped out of the country, to Belize. Here in California, depending on the county, sales tax can be as high 10%.

From there we went to Interceramics, which is a tile company with distributors throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. Interceramics has a wonderful 115 page catalog to browse through with tile for just about everyone. This allows us to shop for tiles up here in the States and pick them up from the distributorship in Chetumal. If the tile is made in Mexico, they can ship it to any distributor in Mexico. Of course, some of the tiles we like came from Italy, so there's no bargain there, so we just chose something similar that was made in Mexico. It allows us to do the lookie, touchie, feelie thing plus look at the displays in their showrooms. They can find out on the spot if the tile is available in the Mexico stores. It opens up more possibilities than the limited selections available in Belize. It's not so much the lack of selection vs. the many stores you need to visit to find what you need. So you may be getting tiles from several different tile stores. Also, the amount of the tile available can also become an issue.

It can allow us to see the different accented tiles that can go with our selections along with the different tile sizes. The catalog also shows the many different patterns that can be achieved with various tiles, patterns and accents. I don't want to have just a standard square or diamond pattern in our floors and bathroom walls. Borders, accents. mosaics, etc. can add to the overall appeal of an area and to the cohesiveness of the designs.

With the ordering of the windows today, the expected ship date is Feb. 21st. I hope to add a few items to the shipping container along with the windows just so we can get them down there. I've ordered the trim tile for the pool and would like to include that in the shipment. It's only 4 boxes but I can't take them on the plane when we go down in March. Too much weight. And if I ship it with the furniture container, it won't get there until June or July at the earliest.

We have also decided on the fans we want for the main living room and kitchen. They are quite large at 68", but they move a lot of air on slower speeds and are quite energy efficient. On low speed it uses under 20W and on high speed uses around 80W.

We haven't decided on the fans for the bathrooms, bedrooms and laundry room but that will be a decision for a little later.

Our kitchen cabinets and center island will be made of a red tamarind as well as all the interior doors. We have found some granite that looks great for our kitchen counter tops and center island, that also fits our budget. We hope to ship them down along with our bathroom counters and sinks. The granite will add a classic look with a solid surface counter. Mischelle doesn't care for tile counters and I don't really like them either. And I did tell her this would be her dream home, so I need to get her what she wants.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of months since my last post so I'm providing an update now that we are starting a new year and a new decade. We made a trip down to Belize, in early December, to check on the construction and to pick out tiling, doors and cabinets. We also wanted to check on the window sizes to make sure they are correct before we order them. The house has a coat of plaster both inside and out and everything is really coming together, ready for the next stage.

We've made a few changes to the the inside layout, removing an extra door into a bedroom and adding an door to the pantry under the stairs. The construction work should begin again sometime late January or the beginning of February. It was a daunting task trying to pick out everything that goes into the house with only a little over a week to make the decisions. Fortunately, not all the decisions needed to be made right away.

We have decided to use a red tamarind for the interior doors and cabinets. That was an easy choice. Now we just need to pick the style for the doors and designs for the cabinets. The tiles for the living room, bedrooms and baths will be decided at a later date after we have more of a chance to look around. We visited tile stores in Belize City, Orange Walk and Corozal but did not find everything we were looking for, so we have decided to look over in Chetumal to see if we have other options.

I hope that the construction will be done by April but there will be lots of landscaping that will need to be done along with building a fence to keep the dogs in. That should keep us busy until the end of the year.

We plan on returning sometime in March to oversee the tile installation. The windows and front door should be in by then and with the house enclosed at that point, the cabinets should also be installed while we are there. Exciting to think that we are almost finished. Now we just need to plan for the move.

Our Blog One Year Anniversary

2009-10-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, we started our blog on the adventures of building and living in Belize. While we haven't started living in Belize as of yet, the building of our home does continue...well sort of. The Gov't of Belize has put a "stop work" order on our house and several others in the Consejo area. It seems that they have decided to start enforcing a law requiring that all plans be approved by a Belizian architect and now need a stamp on the plans to prove it. Only problem is trying to find a certified Belizian architect. It seems that there are none in northern Belize and the problem with their new plan is there is only a hand full of building inspectors for the whole country, once you do get the plans certified. In the mean time, at least half the construction workers in the Corozal area have been laid off due to the work stoppage, so until they figure this out, a lot of people are unemployed. For us it is just another inconvenience, for them, they will have to find other work to feed their families at a time when work is just not available.

So we wait and let our contractor work things out. Our house is essentially finished but for the windows and the fixtures. We return to Belize in December to pick out the tiling and cabinets, so hopefully we will have a better idea of what's going on by then.

So I have decided to suspend work on the blog, until at least late December, because it seems I am blogging more about our lives in Southern California than I am about Belize. It doesn't seem fair to the people who read my blog, expecting news in and about Belize, to write about things that they would have no interest in. I have no new pictures, work has stopped, so there is nothing new to write except what we do here in the States. But we will return.....someday.

Thanks to all of you following our blog and I have enjoyed corresponding with many of you. I will still check my comments from time to time, and for those of you who still want to contact us, you can leave a comment on the blog and it will be forwarded to my e-mail. Good luck to all of those wanting to live in their own "slice of paradise" and I hope your dreams come true.

Perry and Mischelle

Light Up The Halo, The Angels Win!

2009-10-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

Every time the LA Angels win at home, they light up the halo that surrounds the Big A sign in front of Angel stadium. Well tonight the halo is lit up and the Angels survive a wild game 5 to advance to the sixth game of the American League Championship Series, behind 3 games to 2. We're headed to the friendly confines of the new Yankee Stadium. With the hostle crowd, the rain and low 40 degree temperatures, it should be a good game. I just hope the Angels can muster a win. We have to win.

GO ANGELS! GO ANGELS!

Beat New York, Beat New York!

GO ANGELS! GO ANGELS!!!!

The Angels' Need to Win.

2009-10-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I went to the fourth game of the American League Championship series with my LA Angels facing the New York Yankees. We got there early and went to the local sports bar to get primed for the game. The place was full of Angel fans, all dressed in red.

Angel stadium was sold out and the place was a rockin'. Both Angel and Yankee fans gathered at the memorial to Nick Adenhart, our first year pitcher killed by a drunk driver just after his first game. This years' march to the World Series was for Nick. But we had to get there first.

At the Team Store, they had the World Series Trophy they had won back in 2002, and it was time to add the one for 2009.

We had good seats, just down the third base line, about 30 rows up. It allowed us to get close to the players before the game and watch the pre-game workout and batting practice. After that we settled into our seats and waited for the game to begin. The singing of the National Anthem, the Armed Forces fly-over and we were ready to begin.

The first few innings we played to a scoreless tie. Then, the scoring began. Unfortunately, it was not for the Angels'. We fell 6 runs behind and we really needed our Rally Monkey.

But tonight, not even the Rally Monkey could save the Angels'. By the end of the game it was 10 to 1, Yankees. We'll have to wait until Thursday to play game 5 and to see if the Angels' postseason continues. Down 3 games to 1, we had to win Thursday.

We also have tickets to the World Series, if we get that far. The Dodgers have lost their Championship series, so there's no chance of a freeway series this year. I printed the tickets to the World Series, just in case the tickets were the closest I get to going to the actual World Series. Angels' have to win.

We Finally Did It!

2009-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

My Los Angeles Angels have finally made the playoffs and in the first round of the Division series, beat their long time nemisis, the Boston Red Sox. Not only did they beat them, they swept them in three games to move on the the Championship series against another long time nemisis, the New York Yankees.

We went to the second game of the Red Sox/Angels series and the stadium was rockin', filled to the brim in red. Today we are going to the fourth game between the Yankees and the Angels, with New York leading the series, two games to one. It's going to be another rockin' day at Angel Stadium.

If the Angels make it by the Yankees, to the World Series, we also have tickets to the second game at Angel Stadium. The other LA team, the Dodgers, are also in the playoffs and they too swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round. They are currently playing the Philadelphia Phillies, but are down in that series three games to one after a stunning loss last night in the bottom of the ninth inning. I was hoping to see the two LA teams battle it out for the World Series (they call it the freeway series) but that possibility is slowly slipping away.

Go ANGELS. Go Dodgers.

I'm continuing my flying lessons on a Quicksilver ultralight and I now have 5 hours of flight time and adding on two or three hours a week while also helping out around the flight school.

My instuctor, Mike, has pushed me to improve my skills and would like to see me flying solo with about 15 hours of flight time. At the same time we are rebuilding another Quicksilver to add to his current fleet of four ultralights. He has also picked up an amphibious ultralight and is in the market for a amphibious trainer so he can start offering lessons in that type of plane. Of course, we all have our dreams and the dream plane we are looking at right now is just starting production. It's a little out of my price range, but oh, what a plane. Watch the video clip from the manufacturer and you'll see what I mean. This would be perfect in Belize.

http://www.iconaircraft.com/flight-video.html

I can only imagine what the Goverment of Belize would like for taxes and duties on that plane. But one can dream.

Lobster Time (or not).

2009-10-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, October 3rd, was the opening day of lobster season. Some friends and I decided we were going to do a beach dive just south of Newport Beach, at Crystal Cove State Park. I had been there before and knew it was an easy beach entry and there were reef formations 25 yards offshore that provided an ideal place to hunt for lobster.

After all the anticipation leading up to the dive (I hadn't done a beach dive in 2 years and a couple of friends had never done a beach dive before), we arrived on a beautiful California day, just right for diving. The water was warm for California, around 70 F (21 C) and the air temp was about the same. A hurricane near Baja California was to send 3-5 foot waves our way, but they weren't due until tomorrow, and the surf when we arrived was in the 2 foot range.

There were six of us diving that day. We had brought enough gear to supply a small dive shop and lugging all that equipment down to the beach and over the sand was a real workout. Twelve tanks (four boat anchor-Steel95's), 6 gear bags, weights and snacks. I was exhausted before I even started diving.

We dragged our gear down the beach and picked out a good entry point with a small rip current that would pull us out to sea. Time to hit the water.

After spending an hour chasing lobsters over the reefs, through kelp and sea grass, all of us came back empty handed. Score 6 for the lobster, Divers 0. But we weren't done. The vis was in the ten foot range but at times would be down to inches, depending on the swell. I just don't know how it worked out that every time I was reaching for a lobster, a swell would go by, and so did any chance of getting that lobster. There were LOTS of shorts, and they will be next years catch, but we had plenty of opportunities to snag a legal one. I'm just too slow and out of practice. But I'll get them on the next dive, for sure.

But between our first and second dives, the waves had increased in size and with the tide starting to recede, they were pounding the shoreline. Not too bad going out because you could see and time the sets before entering the water. But getting out is a whole other story, especially if you had never done a beach dive before. Going out, you wait for a lull in the waves, back into the water with your fins on, and as soon as it is deep enough to float your body (thigh deep), you lie flat in the water and kick your fins like there's no tomorrow. In no time you're beyond the surf line ready to go. Coming in is another story. You're tired after fighting the surge and currents for an hour. Your visiblity for incoming waves is greatly reduced, being in the water, and you need to get out of the pounding waves, while removing your fins so you can get up and walk out of the surf line. All that and you still have a 50lb tank on your back and 25 lbs of weights around your waistline.

With the gaining waves and the loss of visibility, the second dive was much more of a challenge. We decided to go to a reef a little further out that might have better vis. It did have better vis at times but there were other times you couldn't see your hand in front of your mask. You could see whole dens of lobsters but couldn't get to them due to the surge or vis. We had lots of chances to grab one, but they just slip right through your fingers. So, after another hour at sea, we came back battered and with nothing to show for our dive. So now the score reads, Lobster 11 (my friend Mike didn't make the second dive), Divers 0. Next Time I'll get you!!!

Afterwards, my friend Andy had his brother John, and his wife, Teri, join us down at the beach for what was to be a BIG lobster celebration, but you know how that turned out.

So it was off to the local Mexican restaurant to drown our sorrows in tequila and beer, with some food added in for good measure. It may not have been lobster, but it sure was good. All in all it was a great day. We all had lots of fun, got in a couple of dives and promised we would do it again soon. Maybe next time we'll include some lobsters in the celebration.

It's Baseball Playoff Time

2009-10-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's this time of year that the true sports fanatic has the meeting of almost all the major American sports. Football season is just underway and basketball and hockey are starting their exhibition games. Baseball begins their playoff series in October and some of the most storied names in baseball are playing for a shot at the World Series. The Yankees are odds on favorites to win the whole thing (they spent twice the money of the next highest payroll and payed $100 million in salary cap fines) but I think my Angels have a good chance to challenge them for the title. We went to the last home game of the season and to the rally held after the game to cheer them on.

At the beginning of the season, a talented young pitcher, Nick Adenhart, number 34, had fought his way up to the major leagues and through his hard work had secured a spot in the Angels starting rotation. After pitching his first game, and leaving after 6 innings, only giving up a couple of runs, Nick and three other friends went out to go dancing and celebrate his first game in the big leagues. Only, they didn't make it there. A block away from their destination, a drunk driver ran a red light and T-boned them, killing three of them and critically injuring the fourth. The team grieved and dedicated their season to him, placing his jersey in the dugout for every game and wearing a black "34" patch over their hearts. And when they won the Western Division, they celebrated by soaking Nicks' jersey in champagne and beer, then, as a team they ran out to a poster of him in center field and all patted their hands on his image, again celebrating, pouring champagne and beer all over his poster. Then after, they all posed for a picture with his image. It was quite touching, although there were some that thought it wasn't in good taste to celebrate with champagne and beer on his image and jersey, when he was killed by a drunk driver. I'd like to think that Nick would have loved the celebration just the way it was. After all, isn't that how you're supposed to celebrate winning a title? In front of Angels Stadium, there is a makeshift memorial to Nick and the players have voted a full playoff share of the money they make in the playoffs, to Nicks' family. Maybe, with Nick in mind, this will be the Angels time to beat the Red Sox, beat the Yankees and win the World Series.

Our tickets to the American League Division Series.

GO ANGELS !!!!

Summer Ends and Fall Begins.

2009-10-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

The month of October has started with more fires in our area. Early this summer, we had a large fire west of us, in Santa Barbara. Then later in August, we had another fire east of us, in the San Fernando Valley, where we used to live. Just recently we have had two fires, again in nearby communities to the north. And as I write now, another fire has broken out in the mountain community of Wrightwood, where there is our local ski resort. The drought has taken its toll on Southern California and the mountains are tinder dry. We haven't had any measurable rain since February and October usually brings the Santa Ana winds that blow offshore, further drying out the mountains. These winds are warm and dry, since they are blowing off the desert, then compressing as they flow down the mountains to sea level. It is not unusual to have temperatures that go into the upper 90's or even the 100's (35-40 degrees C) combined with humidity in the single digits and winds that will gust at 70-80 mph. It's really tough on our firefighters who work day and night to keep the flames at bay. With the airport nearby, we have the aerial tankers and helicopters doing constant refilling and refueling, flying overhead all day long. Hopefully the winds will die down and let these guys get a handle on all of this.

On the home front, we have kept busy remodeling the bathroom. I hope to have it all finished by next week, but it depends on the bath tub we pick out and if it is in stock at the time. I am at a stand still until we get the tub because I still need to do all the plumbing work to fit the new tub and fixtures before the drywall and cement board can go up. It is amazing what you find when you tear down walls and see how half ass the original construction was done. It's sure not the way I would build a house. So some of my work is fixing the original construction so that the walls and fixtures are plumb and ready to go when I am.

We went back to the LA County fair to pick up the mirror we had ordered the last time and to enjoy another day at the fair with friends. This time we went with our friends, Steve and Kerree, who had not been to the fair in years. And again, it was about the food and beer, oh, and a few exhibits. They have a wonderful minature train exhibit that sits on a quarter acre and, pardon the pun, has all the bells and whistles. The displays and all the trains are amazing. A lot of detail went into this exhibit.

Again, more food and beer, and for the girls it's margaritas. And what would the fair be without all the bizarre fried foods and goodies.

Then after the feast, it's another beer to wash down the fried food and for the girls it's time to switch from margie's to wine. Of course it has to be at the wine tasting building. So many wines, so little time. Hundreds of wines to chose from. Mmmm.

After that we wander around the fair grounds and check out the Budweiser Clydesdales. If you have never seen these beautiful animals up close, they are really a large and magnificent horse. And talk about being pampered, these guys (and gals) have it made. Only the best grains, grooming twice daily, private stalls, they have it all.

More walking around the fair grounds, then it's over to the exhibit buildings (really more like an indoor swap meet) to buy things we don't really need but gotta have. There are at least ten of these buildings and a couple of thousand vendors selling just about everything under the sun.

As our day at the fair comes to an end, we've all had a wonderful time. Is there room for dessert? How about a deep fried Snickers bar or a deep fried Reese's to help harden the arteries.

It would be fun to stay for one of the concerts they have in the evening, but tonight there's no band and we still have couple of hour drive to get home.

This maybe the last time we visit the LA fair for a few years so I'm glad we had a chance to visit it twice. And as always, it was lots of fun.

Another Quiet Month for Construction News

2009-09-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

It's the end of September, another month has slipped by. News on the construction front has been almost nonexistant. Just a few more pictures of the walls being plastered and that's it. I hope that they will start working on finishing the cistern so we have water when the house is completed in January. With only two months left in the rainy season, we're running out of time. But from what I've heard, there has been very little rain in the Consejo area.

The plastering in the kitchen area is just about finished.

The east side bedroom. Each bedroom has four large windows, like the one above.

Looking west from that same bedroom towards the living room and 2nd bedroom.

View from the kitchen area towards the 1st bedroom and living room.

The work on our home here in Camarillo is progressing faster than the construction in Belize but the contractor (me) is always taking time off to do other things. We're headed back to the fair today with friends, to pick up the mirror we bought and to view what we missed the last time. Then tomorrow we are going to Angel Stadium to watch our Angels finish the regular season and attend a big rally and fireworks show after the game to give them the push into the playoffs. We have tickets to game 2 of the playoffs against our nemisis, the Boston Red Sox, and if and when we beat the Sox, we also have tickets to game 2 of the American League Finals, probably against our other nemisis, the New York Yankees.

Then on Saturday, lobster season opens and several friends and I are going down to Newport Beach to dive for lobsters. The ocean is still fairly calm and the water temps remain warm (around 70 degrees) for California. Should be lots of fun.

Pictures from last years dive off Newport.

Then Sunday, it's back over to the Camarillo airport for ultralight lessons. I've been doing quite a bit of video work and helping to set up a new business plan for the owner, Mike. After a recent crash at one of the only other ultralight flying schools, it has left SkyRider Ultralights as the last teaching facility in Southern California. I'm lucky it is in my own backyard so I don't have a long commute to fly. Fall is here and it should be a great time to fly.

Let's All Go To The Fair

2009-09-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's the time of year for the LA County Fair. This month long affair is a great place to go to buy junk you don't really need, eat way more than you should and walk until your legs are sore. We went on Friday so we would miss the real mad house crowds that come on the weekend. The fair sits on over one square mile of grounds with over 14 large show buildings, thousands of vendors, horse races, farm animals and a couple of hundred rides and carnival booths for the kids. It is probably one of the biggest fairs in the States. Mischelle and I have stayed the night nearby so we could visit for a second day, it is that large. Almost too much to see in one day.

Food, food and more food.

Mobile advertisement for Shock Beer.

The World's Largest Fire Hydrant. It's next to the dog park, of course.

Beer, beer and MORE BEER. Of course, at the Draft Beer Depot.

And of course you have to have pictures inside the cutout artwork.

There were lots of outdoor displays but we focused on getting ideas for an outdoor cooking area and bar. With that in mind we took a few pictures of the ideas we liked most and that we could build on our own down in Belize.

What would a fair be if it didn't have lots of animals. The petting zoo was fun to watch with all the little ones toddling about amongst the animals. It was just as much fun to watch the parents.

The parade of cars showcased vintage cars all restored to their showroom condition. I wish I could show all of them that were in the parade but there were just so many I only picked out some of the best.

This years' outdoor garden exhibit theme was Africa. The many displays featured flowers and fauna from all over the Continent. There were some live animals and flora displays.

My former employer, AT&T, had one whole building dedicated to reptiles of the Jurassic Period. They had live motion displays that were quite impressive.

All to soon, day gave way to night, and the fair lit up. All the carival rides and games came to life.

And what kind of fair would it be if you didn't buy something. So Mischelle and I bought a HUGE mirror for our new home and got lots of ideas for the front door.

So it was a fun day at the fair. Didn't get to see everything I wanted, but we did see a lot. Who knows, maybe we'll need to go back again this year before it closes.

A Weekend at the Beach

2009-09-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Labor day is here and that signifies the end of summer for a lot of people. It's the weekend everyone tries to squeeze in that one last trip before the kids return to school. In other words, it's a mad house. The ones that don't go on a trip, head to the malls or department stores for all the back to school sales. In our city of Camarillo, we have the factory outlet stores and they are filled to capacity with shoppers. I dare not venture into that area of the city around school shopping sales, anytime around Christmas and especially the AFTER Christmas sales.

I spent the Labor Day weekend flying ultralights down by the beach. Like last weekend, I took a video of my flights and made a small film production for the owner of the ultralights, who in return provided me free flight time. I think it has turned out to be a good deal for both of us. You can check out the full video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTaCh0ZTbaU .

Not much happening on the construction of the home, but the plastering continues as they finish the ceilings and final coats. John will be up here next week, so we can catch up on all the construction news then. I just hope he remembers to bring pictures.

Fun in the Sun

2009-08-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

Although the pictures and progress reports from the construction site have few and far in between, the work continues. With just a few workers on site, the plastering of the interior and exterior walls has taken longer than usual, but since we're not moving in soon, I guess it doesn't really matter.

But here at home, the work continues. I've managed to finish the guest bathroom, laundry room and most of the master bathroom and the walk-in closet here at home in Camarillo. The only thing left to complete is the bathtub and tiling in the master bathroom and I can't start on that until all of our house guests are gone. That should only be a few weeks more.

The guest bathroom - before

The guest bathroom - after

The master bathroom - before

The master bathroom - after

Sunday was a beautiful day here so I decided not to work today, go out and have a little fun in the sun and headed down to our local airport to do a little flying. I made arrangements with Mike, the instructor at SkyRider ultralights (http://www.skyrideraviation.com/), to do a short 15-20 minute flight around the farmlands that surround the airport. It was a perfect day for flying with just a gentle breeze and warm air, so that jackets wouldn't be needed. While I was waiting for Mike to show up at the airport, I met some other people that were also planning on spending their day doing an introductory flight, so we all sat and waited.

Donna and David were from the small town of Santa Paula, 15 or so miles from Camarillo, where they run the Santa Paula Inn (http://www.santapaulainn.com/), not too far from the Santa Paula airport. The Santa Paula airport is well known in the flying community and has many custom planes flying out from there. It also has one of the top aerobatic schools in the world. Unfortunately, they do not have an ultralight airport there, even though it would probably be a perfect place for one. So Donna, David and their friend Mark all came out to the Camarillo airport to try their first rides in an ultralight aircraft. Both Donna and Mark had previous flying experience, but none of it was anything close to an ultralight. But they were all up for the adventure.

This is what we would be flying in today.

Flight instructor, Mike and Donna ready for flight.

David and Jeffrey doing a little practice at taxiing up and down the runway.

Mike and Mark after Mr. Toads Wild Ride.

All in all, it was a great day. A good time was had by all. We came back in one piece and I think we're all ready to go again. I put together a short video of my flying adventure that I hope you enjoy. It gives you a small idea of the freedom that these ultralights give you while flying. This is a dream of mine to get an ultralight for our home in Belize. There are currently around three or four of them in the Corozal area and one of the owners even has a private airport. That will be another thing for me to explore when I return in November.