11-28-2015 Boating with Nadia & Steve

This Saturday was the last day in Belize for Ingrid's daughter, Nadia, and her husband, Steve.  Ingrid and Yuri wanted to take
them out boating for their last day, and we were happy to be invited along.

  

The mangrove trees were flowering, and the flowers are beautiful.

Here is a close-up of a flower from the mangrove tree.

Steve and Nadia were prepared for bugs on the river as we left.

Leaving Ingrid and Yuri's lovely dock (newly extended).

A newly sunken boat on the river, probably from all the recent flooding.

Sittee River Marina

The view as we approached the sea from the river

There are almost always fish to be caught at the mouth of the river, and this day was no exception.  Almost immediately upon
entering the sea a Bonita Tuna was caught and reeled in.

We anchored near Bread and Butter Cayes to enjoy some snorkeling, relaxing, and more fishing.

Steve and Nadia preparing for snorkeling

Steve (and later Yuri) fished some more and caught an additional five fish for dinner.

Pooch knows that when the boat stops people are busy snorkeling and fishing, so he takes the
opportunity to get in a little snooze.  But, as soon as the boat starts moving again he is up and
asking for you to pet him.  He's a sweetie!

At about 3 o'clock we started heading back home since it does get dark shortly after 5 pm now.

Storm clouds actively raining in the distance.

At the other end of that huge rain cloud...a small rainbow.

On the river heading back we experienced a little rain, then another lovely rainbow, with a very faint second rainbow to the
right.  (It was much easier to see in person than it is in this photo.)

Nadia and Steve were happy to have a mostly sunny day, and a good day on the water, before they had to leave.

From this angle one end of the rainbow seemed to be on the river itself.

Dramatic clouds over the river

Upon returning Yuri cleaned the fish, and Ingrid prepared dinner while we sat and talked, watching the parrots fly overhead.

It's amazing how the lighting on the river changes as the sun sets.

Looking upstream as the sun set - it was a lovely end to a very nice day.

11-26-2015 Thanksgiving in Belize

We're very thankful for all the new friends we've made here in Belize, and several of them came over for Thanksgiving dinner
(even though they may not celebrate the holiday).  We gathered at the Bamboo Bar while we waited for everyone to arrive.

Of course, Christopher wanted to hang out with Eric as soon as he got here.

They walked out the end of the dock, where Eric captured this awesome series of photos of
Christopher making faces of various emotions...

Christopher's happy face is everyone's favorite.

It rained off and on all afternoon and evening, but that didn't dampen our spirits.

We were surrounded by friends and having a nice time.

Dinner time!

As always, there was tons of good food, though we managed to eat almost all of it.

Yuri made a Thanksgiving toast before dinner.

After dinner we went back out the to bar and enjoyed the moon and music.

11-24-2015 Jam Night & New Friend

On our way out in the evening we saw this crazy crab climbing the door trim.

Can't blame the crab for climbing, really - the dog was out, and she loves crab dinners.

We introduced Nadia and Steve to Jam Night at Driftwood Beach Bar & Pizza Shack, and they enjoyed the drumming.

Cara made a new friend.  This is Jamie, who came to explore Belize for her birthday, and this was her birthday night!
Happy Birthday, Jamie!!!

Dexter even got Jamie out on the dance floor.

11-22-2015 Quiet Sunday in Hopkins

We both felt super lazy today, but we forced ourselves to get out and do something.  So, we went for a drive and thought we
would check out the newest restaurant in town, Ella's Cool Spot.  Eric had stewed chicken with stewed beans and rice, and
Cara had the same without the chicken.  It's a nice place right across from the basketball court, and the owner is very friendly.

We then went to Driftwood Beach Bar & Pizza Shack to have a drink and relax on the beach.

I guess everyone else felt lazy this Sunday, because nobody was there.

We did see signs of life in the form of a couple of couples out kayaking.

Okay, I guess we did also watch three brothers next door practicing their soccer moves.  You can see the youngest boy here.

11-21-2015 Ingrid's Birthday Party

Ingrid was happy to have The Lucky Lobster open again, so she decided to have her birthday party there.  Ingrid is pictured at
the right, and next to her are her daughter (Nadia) and son-in-law (Steve).

Lots of friends showed up, and it was a wonderful time!

After dinner Yuri said a toast for Ingrid, and we all drank whatever shot he had ordered (something with Vodka, no doubt -
he is Russian).

The Lucky Lobster made a nice cake for Ingrid, and here she is blowing out the candles.

Happy Birthday, Ingrid!!!