It was back to the beach once again. This was our fourth trip to the coast this year, but when it’s only a couple hour drive, why not? This was a trip that we had planned a few months ago for our 39th wedding anniversary. This time it was off to Placencia where we met up with Ron who was down for a few days checking on the construction of their new home.

One of the days we decided that it should be a pool day, so we thought we’d go over to The Other Side, a place we’d never been to before. The Other Side is on a lagoon island, and the only way to get there is by boat. They have a small resort and a pool with a swim-up bar. To get there all you have to do is stand on the dock across the way, give a wave to the bar and they send a boat over for you. Pretty cool!

It’s a great place to soak up some sun and have a few cold drinks while watching boats go by. When you are ready to leave, just pay your tab and the boat will take you back across the water. They don’t have to worry too much about anyone skipping out on their tab, as the little island is surrounded by water. Plus, there’s also a sign there that might discourage anyone thinking about swimming across.

After a bunch of trips over to the coast, the weather finally cooperated with us, and we were able to get out and do a little fishing. A friend of ours in Placencia told us about her husband who is a fishing guide, so we decided to give him a try. We opted for just a half-day fishing since the weather was pretty warm. We left by 8:30, drove about 22 miles out to an island where the captain gathered a bunch of live bait. After that, it was another few miles out to the fishing spot. As soon as our bait hit the water we had a bite or a fish on. After couple hours we were out of bait and had caught more fish than we needed.  It was definitely one of those great fishing days, and we were back to the dock in time for lunch.

The hundred-quart ice chest on the boat was just about full of the fish we decided to keep. We caught barracuda, mackerel, snapper, and jacks. We decided to just keep a snapper and a jack because that was more than we needed to have a couple of good fish frys once we got home. Our captain definitely knew where the fish were and what he was doing. Next time we are in Placencia and the weather is good, we will be booking another trip with Darrel.

A few days after we got back from Placencia, Darren flew in for a week’s visit. This was a perfect time to invite a few friends over for a fish fry with some of that fish we just caught. We cooked up some of the Jack and also some conch. Everyone brought a side and it was all very delicious. Plus there is still enough fish in the freezer for a couple more fish fry’s.

Of course, the day we decided to cook the fish was one of the hottest days of the year (104º), but there was also a storm moving in later that night. The storm arrived just as we were eating, with wind, rain, and the power going off and on. Luckily the power would only go out for a short burst, as when it did, it got really dark in the jungle. Some places around us even reported good size hail falling, which is very unusual for Belize.

Bananas are still doing good around here. About every other week for the past month or so we have been picking a bunch. We give some away, eat what we can and of course, Kelley is making banana-raspberry bread. At this point, the plants still have more bunches at different stages. It looks like we will have a steady supply of bananas for the next few months.

This seems to be the time of year when the wild Passionflowers are blooming around here. If you can catch the flowers when they open, they are probably one of the most beautiful ones you’ll ever see. Not all Passionflower vines produce fruit, but some of the ones we have around here will. We have tried the fruit in the past and decided that it’s better to just leave them for the animals to have. Of course, like most of the plants around here, there are many health benefits associated with the passion fruit.

On our first bunch of flowers on the vanilla vines, it looks like only two took. Not for lack of effort, Kelley was out there every morning as the flowers would open, pollinating them by hand. Even though there are only two vanilla beans at this point, they are our first and that is exciting to us. Hopefully, next time they bloom maybe some of the other vines will decide they should too.

It’s been a while since we’ve cleared out any big trees around the house. After we originally cleared, all the trees that were in the background decided it was their turn to start growing big and taking over the yard. So we finally found time and made arrangements for some professional tree trimmers to come take a few down. In just a few hours they had five trees down and all cleaned up.

Can you guess what this picture is? No, it’s not some type of strange looking UFO or a bug on the camera lens. It’s a Toucan in mid-flight with his wings tucked back. Kelley has taken a lot of great pictures of Toucans around here, but this one is just a little different view of these magnificent birds.

On Cinco de Mayo, 5th month, 5th day, 5 years ago we officially moved out of Mexico. Our home in Cholla Bay which we purchased on Cinco de Mayo 24 years prior, was now somebody else’s dream home.

Over the years we owned the home in Mexico, we met a lifetime of friends, and had some of the best times and adventures anyone could ever imagine. We just felt it was time for new adventures in our life, so off to Belize it was. Kelley and I are very grateful to have lived in Mexico and now in Belize, seeing and experiencing things that most people never will.

Speaking about Mexico, it’s amazing what a small world it really is. We met a gal in Placencia who said she was moving to Mexico. We asked where and she said Puerto Peñasco. Then we were talking to another couple in the pool, she said her stepdad lived in Cholla Bay and used to buy fishing tackle from me. Then, the guy who owns Big Titty Rum said that back in the day he spent his summers as a teenager running around Cholla Bay. It really is a small world once you get out and start talking to people.

Well, we’ve got about another month of hot, humid weather down here before it cools off again and we get some rains. In the meantime, lots of water on our plants and keeping ourselves well hydrated is the main goal. Come June the weather should be great through the end of the year, hope to see you down here.