Photo Friday - April 19 - Pets

Belizean potlicker! I just love this little booger that hangs out at the Split. I don't know what kind of dog he is but he's just full of personality.

Caye Caulker Belize in Black & White Book by Lee Vanderwalker

10 years worth of photos percolated down into 68 pages. Available for purchase online at blurb.com immediately or in my store on Caye Caulker by mid May 2013! I feel this sense of accomplishment to get these memories into a useable format and to be able to share it with all of you. Just click on the thingy below and you'll be able to preview the contents. If I've done my job correctly you'll say "Ahhh, I remember that..., or WOW, that's beautiful, I need to take a trip!"

Caye Caulker Belize in Black & White by Lee Vanderwalker | Make Your Own Book

Sundown on Caye Caulker, Belize

 

 

 

 

Photo Friday - At Rest

Chester the Wonderdog, half dog, half gentleman and fish spotter.

This photo is featured in my new book "Caribbean Colors of Mexico COZUMEL" Click on the link to preview the book and order.

 Caribbean Colors of Mexico - COZUMEL

Thursdays are supposed to be for....

Scratchy throat, itchy ears and sneezy nose keeping me in today drinking tea with honey and cinnamon, keeping quiet and painting quietly in my tiny studio which is essentially a storage room that faces the sea, next to the kitchen. The TV turned up high so I can't hear the knock knock knock on the door and "Miss, are you open? Miss are you making coffee? Miss..." Thursdays we are CLOSED. The door is closed, the lights and music are off and for goodness sake, the door better be locked or someone will walk in while I'm standing at the stove in my underwear making a hot dogs. For real.
That is life when you work where you live with the public traipsing in and out of what used to be your diningroom, kitchen and livingroom. The only private space I have is my bedroom guarded with double locks now. But the upside is that sometimes I go to work in barefeet, nobody cares if my makeup and hair isn't done and the commute is AWESOME! The island has been so busy lately, and I'm thankful, don't get me wrong, the business is appreciated, but unless I get a full day off for good behaviour, my bad/tired attitude will show like dirty underwear hanging out of my pants. I'm grateful also to those who can see what I'm doing here as I'm in the Top 5 ranking in Trip Advisor's list of restaurants on Caye Caulker now. The list is a fluid thing, and my ranking will likely bounce up and down, but I'm temporarily over the top of my competitor. Which makes me want to say WOOHOO (like Vicky in The Real Housewives of Orange County) at 5:30 a.m. when I'm rolling out of bed to make the (most awesome) banana muffins.
Thursdays are when I do the shopping in the city, sleep in late (past 7 a.m.) taking the boat for 45 minutes into Belize City where my trusty taxi driver awaits my arrival. Its also the day that its conceivable that I can get caught up on anything, or everything. This Thursday I sent my list and money to the city to have my trusty taxi driver shop for me since its a standard list and I'm not feeling so fabulous today. Just waiting to hear which boat my provisions are going to be on and how many parcels. And until then... its a Burn Notice Marathon on TV and Vanessa in a blue dress... next to Buddha Jesus (portrait of Emmanuel) and the peacock feather.

More Photos Around the Island - a Morning Wedding

A Morning Wedding

Bouganvilla flowers on the garden path

 

A rooftop setting next to the spa tub

 

Tree swing

 

Flowers in the champaign

 

 

 

Garden Path

 

 

 

 

 

Illustration Friday - Ocean

Blue Horses on the Beach An Ode to Franz Marc

Hand Painted Silk with dyes. The silk is strateched on a stretcher frame like a canvas and treated with different substances, and then painted with dyes which come in powdered and liquid form.

For more Illustration Friday selections, click HERE.

To read more from this blog, click HERE.

 

I love this track by Morcheeba

The Sea

Lyrics:

Flocking to the sea
Crowds of people wait for me
Sea gulls scavenge
Steal ice cream
Worries vanish
Within my dream

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free

Fishing boats sail past the shore
No singing may-day any more
The sun is shining
The Water's clear
Just you and I walk along the pier

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free

A cool breeze flows but mind the wasp
Some get stung it's worth the cost
I'd love to stay
The city calls me home
More hassles fuss and lies on the phone

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free

I left my soul there,
Down by the sea
I lost control with you,
And living, living,
And I, living, by the sea

Caye Caulker, Around the Village

Little girls swimming at the Split. Who needs expensive plastic toys when you can play with a floating log?

Where Jolly Roger's used to be

Watersports

Beached canoes under the mangroves

Sunset swimmers at the Split

A street scene with Mr. Kim

 

Beached canoes at sunset

Don't drop Momma

 

Christmas decorations hanging in the Banyon Tree at Sea Dreams, Caye Caulker

 

Enjoy the tracks!

Rebelution

I do declare, the recession is over. I felt it slipping away last year, and definitely this year is better than last. That is, if you use what is happening on Caye Caulker as an economic indicator. For certain areas in the U.S. the recession will never be over, because those areas and industries have always been in trouble. Its over because I say its over. But even so, many of my white middle class friends are still mad that Obama won the election. We survived Bush, believe me, you will survive Obama. Stop whining. Or as we say here in Belize, "Cry cry baby suck Momma big toe."

 

Remember when we were 25 (mid 80s) replacing those 50 year old dinosaurs who refused to jump on the train of technology? The rules have changed and we're working harder and longer and just have to get used to the fact that those days are OVER. I can't even change myself, let alone anyone else, but if I could, I would remove the following statement out of our collective belief system, "I shouldn't have to _(fill in the blank)_." I would take a giant white rubber eraser and rub that right out of my brain.

 

 

There's a natural mystic blowing through the air;
If you listen carefully now you will hear.
This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last:
Many more will have to suffer,
Many more will have to die - don't ask me why.

Things are not the way they used to be,
I won't tell no lie;
One and all have to face reality now.
'Though I've tried to find the answer to all the questions they ask.
'Though I know it's impossible to go livin' through the past -
Don't tell no lie.
There's a natural mystic blowing through the air -
Can't keep them down -
If you listen carefully now you will hear.

There's a natural mystic blowing through the air.

This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last:
Many more will have to suffer,
Many more will have to die - don't ask me why.

There's a natural mystic blowing through the air -
I won't tell no lie;
If you listen carefully now you will hear:
There's a natural mystic blowing through the air.
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air;
There's a natural mystic blowing through the air;
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air;
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air;
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air.

Constant is the Rain

As much as I love the Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66 version of Chove Chuva, Miriam Makeba's cover of it in 1966 gives me chills. I wish I could sing in Portugese, or Spanish, or French... its only English for me as my Spanish from 2 years in Mexico is fading like a dream.

 

Its the end of hurricane season, supposedly, but a cold front moved in pushing down from America, and seeing as I bought new teacups in Mexico yesterday, I'll just enjoy the rain and all it brings. The rain brings customers who can't swim & snorkel, bored, looking for a comfortable, clean, well lit place with cookies and brownies and cinnamon buns, oh yes! A wonderful side benefit of the cold front is that I have stopped sweating, I mean perspiring, I mean being all dewy on my face. And that indeed is a bonus!

 

I think your portugese is about as good as mine is, so I'll give you a rough translation:

It rains, it rains non-stop

Rain rain rain, it rains non-stop

Because I'll make a prayer To God, our Lord

For rain to stop wetting my divine love

That is very beautiful is more that the infinite is pure and

Innocent as the flower is beautiful

Please no bad rain water over my love

So please no bad rain water over my love so

Rain rain nonstop rain rain, it rains, it rains non-stop