After a very busy February, we did manage to take a break from our jungle life. We headed up to Arizona to see the grandkids for a couple of weeks. Like always, there was something fun and exciting going on.

Roger Clyne was doing a 30 year anniversary concert of his first album release. He played his first album in its entirety, along with his new album release Hell to Breakfast. Randy, Stacy, Kelley and I headed over to the Yucca Tap Room for a 21 and over concert, a venue where Roger first started playing over 30 years ago.

Like all of Rogers’ shows, it was awesome! We even saw a few old friends there. Frankie and Lowell from Cholla were there, and we were about the last people they thought they would see there. And the same went for us, we did not expect to see them there either.

We also saw another friend Michael there, who has been down to our house in Belize and also catches all the Jim Dalton shows when he plays out in San Pedro. Like all of Rogers’ shows, it was very high energy with everyone singing along to all of the songs.

We have been following Roger since he first hit the music scene in Tempe, Arizona 30 years ago. Back then we saw him at Gibson’s in Tempe when his first album came out, and then again the other night, with many, many more shows in between. Also we were there at his first concert in Mexico on the rooftop of the Sunset Cantina and every other show he did in Mexico, including most of his Circus Mexico shows. He always puts on a great show with lots of good music and stories to tell. If you’ve never checked out his music, you should, or better yet find one of his shows to go to, you won’t be disappointed.

While we were in Arizona there were a couple of classic car shows we went to. One was the Good Guys Car Show in Scottsdale, and the other was one over by the kids’ house. We love old classic cars and going to these shows, mostly to see how people choose to restore or modify their cars. When there is a show close to the kids’ house they always take a couple of their cars. This time, they took the ’59 Cadi and the Scout, which always makes for a fun ride there.

Like we always do, we spent a lot of time in their shop tinkering with their old cars. Milestones this time were that Randy’s ’65 Lincoln drove in and out of the shop, did a little burnout and the brakes worked. The other one was that Stacy’s ’48 International truck was able to take a drive around the neighborhood for the first time. We love tinkering with these old cars. I just wish we were able to do that here in Belize.

While in Arizona I did manage to get my 1975 Yamaha MX125 about finished. The clutch plates were stuck, but I got them freed up and after a new coil and spark plug, the engine came to life. I got a new seat, new tires, new carburetor, and I stripped the tank down and repainted it, along with a new set of decals. Now all it needs is a gas cap and a front chain guard, and it will be done and ready for sale. Before I had a chance to take it for a spin the float stuck in the carburetor and I just ran out of time to fix it. Looks like I’ll have to wait till next trip up there to take it for a spin.

Considering that this 50 year old Yamaha was a real basket case last October, I think it’s turned out pretty good. Now that this one is done, I just need to find another old dirt bike to start working on. If you know anyone who might have an old dirt bike taking up space, just let me know, I might be interested.

For Christmas our grandson Tyler got a small dirt bike. He took to it like he was a natural. Hopefully, he will stick to it and get bigger and faster bikes in the future and enjoy all the fun and excitement I had when I used to ride.

We had a lot of fun with the grandkids doing all kinds of different things. Kelley even taught Tyler to cook his favorite dish. No, it wasn’t pizza or nachos, it was chorizo and eggs.

Time to head back home

 

We always look forward to our trips to Arizona and to see how the grandkids have grown and what they are into now. But like any trip, it’s always great to be back home. A few hours after we got home, we could hear the Howler Monkeys off in the distance. And the next morning there were 4 very loud Toucans in the trees above the truck, sorta like they were welcoming us home. We are here for a while now, so it’s time to really get going on some of our bigger projects around here.

After leaving Arizona, where it was 106°, we got back to some cool wet weather. Ever since December, the nights here have been in the 60°s or lower and we really haven’t seen any hot days yet. We have also had regular rain, which is great for all the plants, but unusual for this time of year. I don’t know what the rest of the year will look like, but I’m sorta liking this.

The second day we were back, right after our morning showers, we had a water pipe break. Luckily it was outside and there was no water damage in the house. It happened in the back corner of the house, buried under the deck, which made for a difficult fix. It took us about two hours to get it fixed. The good thing was that I just happened to have all the parts on hand.

It’s amazing what a couple of weeks and mild weather will do for our fruit trees. It seems like most of them are full of white blossoms, even some that have never bloomed before. Here’s a quick rundown of what plants either have flowers or fruit already on them. Lemons, Mandarins, Valencia oranges, grapefruit, avocados, mangos, cacao, coffee, pineapples, coconuts, custard apples, Malay apples, Jamaican limes, starfruit, and local oranges. There are still a half dozen more that haven’t started to bloom yet. It’s looking like this should be a very fruity year.

Since we were gone for a couple of weeks, that meant there was stuff to be picked. We picked another wheelbarrow full of cacao and a 25 lb. bucket of coffee in the rain. All this coffee in the picture came from just two plants, and that’s just what we could reach. The other 12 coffee plants I trimmed way back recently, and they weren’t ready to bloom yet.

That’s about what we’ve been up to for the past few weeks. Now it’s time to buckle down and get some stuff done around here.