Music...

Installing some new speakers today prompted me to listen to some of my favorites...
If you haven't heard Walela... Rita Coolidge and sisters... treat yourself.

The Maine Stay Super Collosal Sand Rake... (patent pending)

Depending on the wind, tide and other factors (that escape my understanding), we get a fair amount of trash and debris rolling up on our 400 feet of beach. Most of you are aware that the past couple of days have been especially bad... so our crew has been hard at work getting it cleaned up.

This has been made considerably easier recently with the addition of our nifty, brand spanking new, made in Seine Bight, one-of-a-kind, home brew... Beach-Mobile Sand Rake and Beer Bottle Collector (patent pending). Crafted at the The Maine Stay Welding & Fabrication, Magical Ideas and Willy Wonka Invention Workshop... this beauty was conceived by me, and designed and built by Jose Garcia... with Hector Tut, Alejandro Ack and Wonder Dog "Mina," making major contributions to the team effort.

With one or two passes, all that stuff gets raked in to piles for loading and disposal... which, of course is another whole issue and problem. Another set of tines was made and is used to "groom" the rest of the beach.

Simone's family travel Blog: We are back in Belize!!!!

Those of you who used to follow Simone when they lived in Belize will be delighted to know they are back. It will be fun to hear about their adventures and return.

Simone's family travel Blog: We are back in Belize!!!!

Belize style thank you...

We get lots of nice reviews and thank you notes... but it's really fun to find a note like this scribbled on a piece of paper towel!  Thank you Cecilia and Galen... and we hope you don't mind my sharing this with others.

Belize creatures from the deep...

So here's to the imagination and creativity of local craftsmen in Belize. This is made from a tree root, with a couple of pieces added on, but I couldn't tell where.  It is quite a good replica of the Belize spiny lobster (certainly not to be confused with a Maine lobster) and obviously not a miniature! I'm not sure where we are going to finally plunk this thing... but we'll find a spot. By the way, these guys are commonly seen in the water right off The Maine Stay beach.

Calling All Bird-Huggers & Tree-Lovers...

Well... sorry, I just had to do it. The two books below are quite interesting, at least for two groups. The bird watchers know who they are, and then there are those who visit here and live here who get fascinated with the variety of flora and fauna that abounds. Belize has more than 750 varieties of trees. And more than 600 bird species (and an average of 5 new species discovered annually). Probably not too many folks come to Belize to see the trees, but lots of folks come to see the birds.

The detailed compendium "The Birds of Belize," by H. Lee Jones, is 300 plus fact-filled pages of beautifully illustrated information on these birds, and is available locally in Belize, as well as on Amazon.

"The Trees of Belize," by by Kate Harris, is a delightful look at the 50 of the most common, with beautifully done photographs. She details the tree characteristics, blossoms, fruit and medicinal uses of each... as well as the myths and folklore surrounding them. This one is also available locally, but I don't see it yet on Amazon.