A Five Minute Walk In Belize...

A 5 minute walk in our back yard this morning yielded this splash of colors!

More on Obama and PM Dean Barrow (Channel 7 News)

Barrow on Barack's Visit to Belize
posted (April 22, 2009)
And moving on to the subject that’s been quite the buzz recently, the PM discussed his meeting with US President Barack Obama and the possibility – however remote – that he could come to Belize. The two leader shared a table at the official summit dinner on Saturday night in Port of Spain and Barrow says it was Obama who asked him about Belize.

Hon. Dean Barrow,
“He was extremely friendly, it is not just what he said but the body language that accompanied his pronouncements, suggested this is somebody serious about a fresh start in terms of hemispheric relations. He appeared genuinely interested in Belize. He didn’t know about Belize and when he said that he would like to visit and that he is recording an intention to visit, I took him seriously. As I said to Adele in Trinidad and Tobago, he told me that he proposes within the next month to six weeks to nominate an Ambassador to Belize.

The person he has in mind is, I think he described him as an old college buddy, and we all know of the sorts of friendships that are formed between and among college buddies. But my sense that he was choosing his pick for Belize very carefully, that it was deliberate that this was somebody personally close to him and that it would be a question of good looking out for Belize under the watch of the new Ambassador. Of course the nomination has to go to Congress and nobody can be certain that Congress will approve. The President also made the point that once the new Ambassador is in place, that would make it even easier or certainly less difficult to arrange the logistics of his visit to Belize. So I took him very seriously.”

Cancun to Belize City Air Connection ???

Apparently Belize's Maya Island Air is telling those who ask, that they hope to have their service between Cancun and Belize City running by "mid-summer." Although I have seen nothing on rates or schedules, this is bound to at least make a pretty good size dent in the total cost of getting here from the US, Canada and Europe. For Canadians and Europeans it will mean being able to bypass transiting the US. This is a huge plus for them.

P.M. Barrow: President Obama to Visit Belize

Belmopan, Belize, 20 April 2009 - (Belizean.com) - Prime Minister Dean Barrow stated in a radio interview in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Saturday, that U.S.A. President Barrack Obama will visit Belize. The Belize Prime Minister who was attending the Fifth Summit of the Americas In Trinidad, was interviewed by KREM radio reporter Adele Ramos.

The Prime Minister's interview was broadcast in Belize yesterday Sunday April 19th. Prime Minister Barrow stated that over dinner on Friday, President Barack Obama had expressed an interest in visiting Belize. According to Barrow, President Obama indicated that he will put forward to congress within the next month or six weeks, his nomination for a new U.S.A. ambassador in Belize. "After this we will be in a better position to start to make arrangements for the logistics of the President's visit," stated Mr. Barrow.

Belize Beach Cabanas

I discovered a photo of our original Belize cabanas taken shortly after they were constructed. We tend to forget that landscaping and mother nature are such an important part of the ambiance of the "places" we create in our lives. The photo taken currently, shows, over time, how we have slowly worked toward the right combination of natural beauty, relaxing atmosphere and privacy. The pictures were shot from the road side of the cabanas, looking toward the ocean. It's a startling contrast and humbling reminder of how much some time and "mother nature" contribute to our lives. More photos of the cabana suites are here.

Are the Iguanas in Belize Spying On Us?

So I was up early one morning and heard a rustling noise as I sat out in the garden palapa. Took me a while to figure out where the noise was coming from. When I spotted him, this guy just calmly and slowly moved his head back and forth eye-balling me... one at a time! While sitting in that comfy gutter, I'm sure he was probably thinking about what he was going to tell the rest of his crowd about the nice digs he discovered.

Belize Guest Photos... Always a Treat!

The Eyers family has been enjoying Belize and The Maine Stay for two weeks and Rob was kind enough to share some of his excellent photos of their various travels. The photo below is of Robert's Caye. More of their pics are posted here.

Belize Video

This is a great new video about Belize... very well done and really highlights how much is packed in to this small English speaking country only 2 hours from the US! When you are done, have a look at one of the best family owned beach cabana suites in the country.

Lazy Belize Day in the Sun...

Lazy Day in the Sun
Originally uploaded by traversbelize

Do you suppose these guys are resting from their tireless efforts to keep away the various monsters that try to invade the Kokomo compound? Or maybe they just need a break from the run out to the Marina and quick dip in the water (well... not Little Bit!). Bowdoin (on the lounger) and Sir Charles seem totally unfazed by the whole thing.

Lunch in Belize Anyone...?

One of our favorite places to get a great lunch and enjoy the scenery in Placencia Village is the Barefoot Beach Bar. It's right off the Sidewalk and the food and drinks are excellent. Cassie and Bryce are great folks and the whole atmosphere is just delightful. And yes the colors in the picture are real and untouched!

Proud Grandparents in Belize...

Good Morning... to Eva Kathren Whitmore, 7 pounds 13 ounces, born February 24th, 2009 to Kristen and Christopher Whitmore and three year old brother Tate of Wiscasset, Maine. More pics here.

Belize Dirt & Road Dust... and Dogs!

If you keep up with this blog (and you can do that easily here)... then you know we have dogs. Five, actually... Iris, Sir Charles, Little Bit, Bowdoin and Rambo (don't ask... we didn't name him). Well, that also means we deal with sand and dirt from doggie tracks all the time. In addition to the road dust that just floats in with every truck or bus going by. We constantly deal with keeping computer keyboards and screens cleaned up and it has become a real quandry... especially what to do about the inside of laptops and, in particular the back side of the display screen. I knew that there had to be a way, so a quick google search turned up the perfect solution. Take a look at the best screen cleaner we could find... here.

Pizza on the Grill in Belize

Our friends, Mary Ann and Eldon Mead from Arkansas, recently drove a motor home here and are working on the beginnings of their beach front home just north of Singing Sands. Today, Eldon treated us to his awesome home made pizza done on our outdoor grill. Here's a peek... with more photos of the whole process here.

Sometimes I Forget...

... what a beautiful expanse of beach and ocean we are fortunate to have and share with our family and guests.



Belize and the Placencia Peninsula is a special place.

Living & Finding Things In Belize... Resources

I presume at least a few of the readers of this blog either live here in Belize or visit enough that they know finding "things" and services that are needed for construction, or just household projects can be a struggle. Not long ago, I vowed to try to make a list of the resources I had discovered from exploration, friends and just by accident. That led to the spreadsheet that you see here (just a sample of it) and that is now available for everyone to check out and use here. I hope that folks who have additions (or corrections) to this list will contribute!

Does It Get Any Better Than This?

Our son Kevin and his wife Marcia were here recently with grandson Zack. This shot was taken on the palapa at the end of our pier.

Shirley's Hummingbirds Update...

Two weeks ago, they were no bigger (l) than a small marble!



Now look at them... quickly... because they won't be in that nest long!

Bandolero (Agave) Plant Update...

Last August I blogged about the Agave plant we have along our fences. Well, that 20 foot stalk produced a "flower" that has now fallen off. It is a tight bunch of little Bandolero "plantlets" with the roots already started. We will put some directly in the sand, some in water for a while and then in good potting mix (our own concoction of black rain forest dirt, sand, sawdust and seaweed)... we'll let you know how this all turns out!

Joyce's Luscious Homemade Bread...

Joyce is huge part of our "Belize Family." She keeps our rental cabanas and our house spotless and on an "even keel."  To top all that she is a fabulous cook... and here is an example of it... can you smell it?

Guest Photos and Review...

One of our guests, Julie Gabbard took some very nice photos of The Maine Stay beach and pier. She also wrote a wonderful review for Trip Advisor. Thanks Julie!

Odds & Ends, Bits 'N Pieces, Nooks & Crannies...

I guess I should get off the topic of critters and on to something else. Work really IS progressing on the Placencia Peninsula road. The trucks are rolling by every day with the fill for the section between Seine Bight and the airport. A good base is being laid, smoothed, rolled and prepped for paving. See the pics here... all between Seine Bight and the airport!

And a new multi purpose community center is being built on the site of the old basketball court at the end of the football field. The old community center was torn down to "straighten" the road in the middle of Seine Bight Village... no more "S" curve for trucks and cars to clash & crash their way through!

Also, the master suite in our house is finally getting finished up! Pics here. Just the walk in closet to finish up.

The Maine Stay Cabanas are continuously busy through the rest of this high season... and that's very nice... plus we are getting more future inquiries and bookings than ever before. Guess folks like staying in a place that doesn't look and act like a "resort."

PBS hardware seems to be on it's last legs... not adding any stock and the word on the street is you can have the whole ball of wax for a mere 1.5 million... US$, I presume. Albert Lowen's stock room is becoming quite the hardware store and MnM and Wallen's hardware are rising to the challenge. PBS has been the only Peninsula source for Belize hardwood, so it will be more of a challenge to get now. New building for the Chinese grocery (7-11) in Seine Bight is mostly built and the rumor is it will also stock hardware, electronics and appliances! The Village's version of WalMart?

Hot news... hope you weren't waiting for your breakfast! "This morning a container loaded with 22 tons of papaya left Little Belize in Orange Walk enroute to the Port of Belize. But it never made it- at least not on time because on the northern highway the container carrying the papayas overturned – causing traffic to be backed up..."
Source: Channel 7 News

Leaf Cutter Ants

While waiting for Karen to have her residency interview at the Immigration office in Belmopan, I was wandering around outside and came across this colony of leaf cutter ants... pretty amazing creatures!

More Hummingbirds!

Everything happens in clusters! Our next door neighbor, Shirley, has a hummingbird nest in a tiny little tree in her front yard. Very easy to get some amazing photos. The nest is the size of half a chicken egg! Updates to follow...

Hummingbird Hospital...

Yesterday, Karen was in our gigantic (well, it is pretty big) living room palapa, and a hummingbird wandered in under the edge of the roof and became confused and trapped in the peaked roof area. It eventually exhausted itself and plopped on a reclining chair to rest! Problem is... it couldn't find its way out. It just kept wanting to fly higher. It became so pooped, that she decided to feed the poor thing to get energy enough for us to let him/her loose. So, in Karen goes to the Hummingbird Hospital (our kitchen) and proceeeds to hand feed it with an eye-dropper. It was just amazing watching the looong tongue dart out hungrily to get sugar water! So, after one attempt at release and another "refueling" it finally had the energy to soar off in the sky!

Little Bit's Dilemma...

While trying to doze off last night, Karen and I began to notice Little Bit (our Belizean Chihuahua mix) acting strangely, and scratching a lot. She was just about getting frantic; couldn't keep still and scratch, scratch, scratch. Finally Karen had a better look and saw a puppy with hives... swollen face and all! Pretty strange (and funny) looking. Don't have a clue what she had an allergic reaction to, but 5 or 6 mg of Benadryl and a little bit of Prednisone (steroid) quieted things down very quickly. About 30 minutes after the Benadryl... you could hear the "contentments" and "thank you Mommies" coming from that little dog! The pics are the "morning after" since I didn't screw my head on to get shots during the acute phase at midnight last night! Notice the "jowls" that are definitely not a normal part of her anatomy!

Whale Shark Season

Guests of The Maine Stay have had wonderful experiences diving and snorkeling in Placencia, but none can surpass the thrill of seeing and being close to a whale shark. These pictures were taken by Bryan White, one of our guests in 2008.

For those folks planning their trip to Placencia, the hub of Whale Shark activity in Belize, here are the time slots associated with the full moon. The Destinations Belize website has wonderful detail.

WHALE SHARK TIME SLOTS 2009:
* 9 MARCH - 20 MARCH
* 7 APRIL - 18 APRIL
* 7 MAY - 18 MAY
* 5 JUNE - 16 JUNE

Friends of Nature in Belize also has more details on whale shark activity.

Color... sometimes needs to be a big SPLASH!

Euphorbia millii

Common name: Crown of Thorns, Christ Crown, Rosa (Corona) Espinas
Scientific name: Euphorbia milii (old name: E. splendens)
The Crown of Thorns is a member of the Euphorbiaceae (Spurge family)