Laredo

Well we are still in Texas...just for the night.  We stopped just outside the Laredo Airport, at a place called LeQuinta's .  Seems pretty nice after a day of driving, got something to eat and unloaded the truck.  I have to say today was so much easier than all the other days since we aren't lugging the trailer with us. When we were in Houston this morning we dropped off the goods to be shipped, dropped the U Haul off and then spent a few minutes with my cousin Todd and his wife, Jennifer.   I truly like them, they are good people and I was so grateful for them to put us up for the night!
My impressions of Texas are kinda weird.  One minute your in a major town and their are highways in the sky, the next minute you are traveling across miles and miles of what looks like barren land.  No towns, nothing but trees, cactus, and cattle.  It's so neat to realize that we've gone through  Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia and now we are at the tip of  Texas....I think Texas is the flattest state and it's pretty in it's unique sky, barren but green land and the roughness of the life reminds me of Belize somewhat.   I am impressed with Texas more than I thought I would be.

Tomorrow we start the part of the journey that everyone seems think is the worst, going through Mexico.  I just feel like God is watching over us in so many ways...if I hadn't gotten sick I would have probably been traveling through Isaac, if we had left when we were supposed to I would have had the gall bladder attack on the road and if I hadn't hit the states when we did we would have incurred even more problems!

Good Morning from Houston.  It's been a bit of a race to get here' the main issue being that we needed to turn in our trailer today and drop off the items we are having shipped the rest of the way.  The one item that impresses me the most about Houston I have to say is the "Super" highways.  The highways are built on huge Pilons that make it seem as though your flying :-) per C J.  Its been a push but we made it here by Friday which we needed to do.  After dragging that trailer through mountains and hurricane states I am not sorry to drop it off today.  I so hope our stuff makes it to Copper Bank OK.

Going South

So far I had written about Belize and about our trip but I've never written about how we came about with the decision to move to Belize.  Besides the fact that the humidity is wonderful, that there isn't snow, that we will have a lagoon in the front yard, and that life would be slower and hence less stressful we have some primitive ideas that we would be useful to some of the people down there.
Sure it's great to move to a place that makes you feel healthy and able to do more than you can...but it's also a good place to stretch our wings and live with the idealistic thought that we may improve something about the area that we are moving to.  We are not going there as tourists........I want to volunteer in the school and Charlie would like to see what he could do for the government there.
The other point that I had wanted to discuss in this particular posting was an observation that I have spent more than several days, weeks or months coming to.  We had a big house, (now down to the three of us living there) and a big office.....we had a LOT of stuff.  In the course of moving we knew we needed to take ourselves down to the bare basics.....that only critical items could go.  I found myself looking at alot of what I had acquired over the years and there were items that I had associated certain feelings or memories to go with.  It was interesting that initially I was going through each item and saying to myself things like Mom gave me that so therefore I couldn't possibly get rid of it or that's something that was in the family to begin with .  You start to get impatient with yourself and wonder if you really NEED this item and come to the conclusion that you can have all these items, that materialistically they might mean something to you but suddenly you realize, how much you hold on to things they would never bring back that moment or even make that person that it makes you think of come back.  You really look at how we as people assimilate memories and there comes that heart breaking moment of realizing that all the "junk" you carry around it really "junk that it would never take you back to those memories and having the items don't really do anything for you......
hmmmmmmmm.  Well I am exhausted and I want to spend some time with my cousin and his family so I will sign off now...............

We stopped in GA and are watching Good Morning America and getting ready to leave and go through the weather.  It has been interesting and I think my posting will be intermittent.  We are so excited and happy but the scary feeling of not being employed and having cut our stability hit us yesterday.  I felt like I was playing hooky from school!  Missing people, not places!

Ok....so we are moving to Belize.  We've decided we are leaving in 9, yes count them!, 9 days! I am a bundle of nerves.....closing the law office, leaving my college kids, my new mother daughter, and my pregnant for the first time daughter and moving to another country is like taking a leap off the cliff and wondering where I'll land.  For the first time in our lives we are going somewhere without an exact plan but a goal of living the Belizian life without pain and drama ( I am not saying where this would be coming from but most of you who know me will know what I am talking about)  I have so much I want to share with so many people and don't have the ability to talk much so I felt the need to get back to writing things out and posting. Anyhow, count down day 9, met with another realtor to talk about why the house isn't even being looked at and know now what I need to do to get it looking better.   Bridge has volunteered to do an "estate sale" on what is left after the big push and I am excited that we finally got the file room somewhat cleared out.  I am looking at all the "needless" possessions we have acquired in the house that I have lived in for the longest time in my life.  I know others think it's not a really great house because of the traffic and the neighbor (he is a work.......in progress eternally) but it has more that served us for the last 17 years and we've been happy somewhat in it.  I just look forward to the time when I can look at the house I've already rented and know that I am now weather officially or not, a person who lives in Belize........

Still in PG!

Sitting on the verandah sipping lime juice and watching the boats go By!!!

I think the best thing at the zoo besides the amusing signs along the way, are the green headed Macaws, they love to talk to you while you sing “Don’t worry, Be Happy” and have their own fill ins.  It was amusing to us but then some nino’s came along and they wouldn’t sing for them.   I think they had been abused by children in the past. 

                After leaving the zoo we went along the highway.  We had been told that there was this great place to stop and see art at a place called the “Art Box”  but when we got there it was unfortunately closed.  Another place we saw was called the “Orange Square” but felt we were running out of time since we had told the owners of the Battle Creek resort we would be there for dinner,  we agreed to continue on with the idea we would stop on the way back.  San Ignacio reminds me of a large town set in a hill.  It was bustling with activity when we pulled in on Sunday.   There is a main market and there is the town itself.  The town section is reminiscent of some of the streets of D.C., they have all kinds of little gift shops in between bars and eatery’s.   There are parts that look shabby and then there are parts that you know have been done up with the idea of being appreciative to the tourist eyes.  The people are friendly though, and courteous.   They let you know if you are driving wrong with a nice little beep, especially when your looking for one of their little side streets.  Large buses beep at every intersection and they are trying to let you k now to get out of their way!  We had originally intended to go around San Ignacio but we had picked up a hombre of garafuna descent and we were giving him a ride into town.  We didn’t stop much in San Ignacio the first night but the next day was an experience.

                That first night in Cohune Palms Resort was a little of a blur, the day had been long and we were tired.  I remember seeing our bungalow, very cute but basically the same as the one we had at Cere’s Beach, only more jazzed up for the tourists.  One of the things I remember Jen telling me is that she didn’t put table cloths down because the flies would gather under them and then you put your feet under and got bit up.  Unfortunately I remembered that too late the first night!  Sometimes making things “pretty” isn’t the most practical.  I immediately notice this place has been established with the idea of visitors, it is way to sophisticated.  It has a concrete rock path lining the way through to the different bungalows and it has some of the more beautiful fauna planted next to the paths.  I did see a huge frog along the path and every place I’ve been there are frogs along the way, I know Mom is probably along enjoying the experience with me!  Anyways, the food served was pineapple chicken which was fairly good.  Charlie said he thought we had been spoiled having a chef prepare for us the last couple of nights but I think the food was ok, good for home cooked.   It was also the type of dish that is typical of the Belizians, with fried plantain on the side.   The bed was hard that night though this cabana did have fans, but no netting and I am liking the use of the netting.  It can be a bit uncomfortable to climb into but then generally your left alone without bugs. 

                Cohune Palms is right along a river that is a gorgeous site.  It has paths down the river bank to places you can dunk yourself in.  Unfortunately I felt that the paths were too steep for me, but Charlie said they were fine.   I am not going to push the ankle too much but have been amazed at what I can do with it so far!  Being this close to water you don’t see the dangerous yellow flies  too much but I do see a mass of small little bugs who’s bites sting.   DON’T FORGET LOTS OF BUG SPRAY!!   It’s expensive to get here and you get something that might be a couple of years old! Charlie says it’s not as bad as on the northern shore but I disagree, the bugs liked me just fine at Cohune palms, perhaps more so!  He was the one that didn’t get bit as much at Cohune while I was the one who didn’t get bit as much at Ceres.  Different blood for different bugs!  LOL.  Anyways the river was gorgeous and it was a very touristy area.  I just didn’t feel comfortable!

                The next morning we got a huge breakfast, we both chose the breakfast tortilla but the neighbor chose the French toast.  She was praising it but I really wasn’t in the mood for anything sweet, the watermelon juice was enough!  I have to say that the breakfast tortilla was enough to feel a family of six!  I am getting used to sugar cane sugar in my coffee though and it was very good.  We  went to the realtor.  Now I am all set for Belizian time but after waiting a half hour for him and he still hadn’t shown up Charlie pulled out the cell and did the big bad no no.  He called from our cell, I can’t wait to see the bill!  Seems the realtor was in the back fields and had forgotten that he had this appointment but his boss answered the phone and said he would meet us at 10 thirty.  Of course we were there late but still waiting another 45 minutes before that guy showed.  We told him about the property we wanted to see and he said he would meet us there on Saturday.  He reminded me of a smoother Kyle Rath, how he was this great guy who knows everyone and has all these properties.  We spent time waiting for him in the market thinking we would do some touristy things after wards.  By the time we left it was 1:20 and since it was a holiday all the tourist shops were closed, we thought about going to another temple but it was hot and I didn’t want to eat at Cohune that night.  We ended up driving around a little, getting locked out of the car, and finally getting a early dinner and going back to the hotel to relax until traveling the next day.