14 Mar, Mon.

Mon, 14 Mar. went to the Marine Park around 9am ... Grazzia was busy and asked me to return around 1pm. came back home, cleaned up my room a bit, and found Jimmy and asked him to see if he could fix my shower so i could have hot water. he fixed it right away :) He and Tita are very nice people. i took my snorkel gear with me when i went back to town, ... i wanted to snorkel Half Moon Bay right out from of the Marine Park. i'd only snorkeled there 1 day and since i was with the group of kids from the mainland, i really didn't get to snorkel it. Grazzia asked me if i would go around to the businesses and ask them for donations for the annual Fund Raiser for the Marine Park to be held in April. so i have a list of businesses to contact, both here on West End and also at West Bay. iill start on that tomorrow, today i wanted to snorkel. ...and snorkel i did. i love it, pretty much everytime i get in the water, i see something that i've never seen before. and today was no a bonus ! i got in the water close to shore, it was only about 2' deep, and sea grass. i immediately spotted these 2 fish, .... shaped kind of like a tank. and they had these iridescent green eyes !!!!! WoW i didn't know what they were, i'd never seen them before and they were unusual looking, ... fat body all the way down to the tail, what there was of a tail. later i looked them up. they are Checkered Puffer Fish. those green eyes were amazing ! leaving the shallows, i came across this fish .. i think it's a Grouper, but can't get a positive ID from the books. i left there and started swimming out, but stayed close to the coral .. in fact, over top of it. the water is only about 2' above the coral heads, so you get to be up close and personal with whatever is there to see. i'm trying, once again, for the 100th time, to get a good photo of the beautiful Queen Angelfish, when out of the corner of my eye, i see this quite large shape. i abort the Queen Angelfish mission, and start toward this big fish, taking pics. i have never seen one of these before either!!!!!!!! ... and i believed it to be an Ocean Triggerfish. i photographed the Queen Triggerfish last year at Glovers ... beautiful fish! but the Ocean Triggerfish is quite plain ... but much larger! Triggerfish are distinctive because of the fins on the top and bottom that wave back and forth as they swim, ... completely different from other fishes. in checking the books, i'm not sure if it's an Ocean or a Gray Triggerfish .... but the Triggerfish part is definite. i found this lobster hiding under a coral ledge. and this Barred Hamlet kind of guarding the lobster's cave. this silly Parrotfish smiled 'cheese' for the camera, so i couldn't resist one more Parrotfish photo. i wonder if a doctor would diagnose this Blue Tang as being enemic ... they are usually such dark blue. on my way cruising over the coral, i spotted this fish. it wasn't interested in being photographed, but i got this shot. it is a Spotted Trunkfish. i've seen Smooth Trunkfish and just plain Trunkfish ... but this one is a Spotted Trunkfish, distinguished by it's white mouth. i headed out for the wall and was following crevices in the coral and when came across this Porcupine fish ... they are quick and i missed a really good shot, and got this one instead. they are so cute with their innocent big eyes, looking at you, asking .. "are you going to hurt me?" another school of Blue Tang passed me by. so i swam around more and headed back in ... when i saw another Queen Angelfish ... she was VERY cooperative ! knew if i was patient enough, i'd finally get some good shots of the absolutely beautiful colorful fish. so i very slowly approached and stayed very still and took these shots. they are SO colorful! and my day wasn't over yet ... after taking 30 shots of her, i headed towards shore again, and ran into this French Angelfish! this is not a full grown fish, as distinquished by the light line down it's side from fin to fin. ok, i am really chilled now, so i quit ... what a GREAT day of snorkeling. i have t say that i REALLY like snorkeling. i know diving affords many more opportunities; but for all the equipment, time, and money ... and then you are only there 40min or so ... i love the freedom, quiet serenity, and ease of snorkeling ! home, showered, then back to meet Marti at Sundowner for another beautiful sunset.

13 Mar, Sun.

Sun, 13 Mar. slept until 8am, then headed in to town and stopped at Blue Channel for an omelet and the internet. the internet was slow and the omelet was tasteless ... so i went to Rudy's for a Papaya Smoothie, :), then to the internet cafe to work on my blog. i agreed to meet Marti at 1pm at her place to decide if we wanted to do a dive today; we heard the visibility wasn't too bad. so i arrived and we decided to go for it, even though the skies were threatening. she is diving with Sea Grape Dive Shop, so i got signed up and we headed out to a dive site called Peter's Place. it was a rough and cold ride out there, the swells were pretty large and there was no sun :( there were a group of students, so it was decided that Marti and i would dive together, since she is a Dive Master ... i had a one-on-one dive :) yeahhhhhhhhh. Marti had her camera and took my picture. ta-da. we went down, and i was happy that the visibility was really good, especially after a few days of rain. it seemed like we went down quite far, but i couldn't really read my gauges very well, so i didn't know for sure. it was a real pretty dive with lots of HUGE Barrel Sponges. we saw several Lionfish, and one of the other divers had a Sling and 'slayed' them :) ... we also saw one HUGE one, right out in the open, but couldn't get his attention to kill it. also saw a lobster and a large crab. saw a large Porcupine fish with those eyes. i saw 2 fishes interacting, i don't know what they were doing, but right in front of my face, they locked jaws and just hung here ... 6" from my face. then released and swam away ... ???? amazing! Marti took me through some canyons and we eventually finished ... while we were going up, a HUGE Black Grouper cruised by right in front of me! .... he was really really big! what a way to end the dive! on the way home, Marti said, ...did you know you went to 100' ? .... according to my 'classification' ... i'm not supposed to go below 80' .... i am such a 'rebel' :) nice hair. back home, changed, and met Marti back at her place. we made Nachos, then went to Ronnie's Barefoot Bar (right next to home) for 'jump up' ... that means dancing :) it was fun, and i was home by 11pm ... time for bed !

12 Mar, Sat.

Sat,12 Mar. woke up to more rain, went back to sleep and at 9am got up and it was still raining. when and where was i supposed to meet Marti today ???????????? .... worked on the computer until 11:30 ... while it continued to rain the entire 2 hours... a hard rain! this is my weekend off, i was hoping to do a lot of diving ... but there will be no diving today. even if the rain stops, the visibility will be poor. this weather front should be gone by Monday, when i'll return to work :( went to the internet to download some photos and returned home in time to meet Marti at 2pm ... i think that's what i agreed to .... yes, she was there with her snorkel gear, ... now i remember. i grabbed mine and we headed down towards Luna Beach. our mission for the day was to make more contacts with the 'cruisers' (aka people who own/live on their yachts); in hopes of finding someone who would take us to Cayos. it was still stormy, but we got in the water and started snorkeling-swimming towards the area where the yachts are moored. we were not snorkeling, as in snorkeling; we were just using our snorkels to swim out to the yachts; and we didn't see anything in the water. it was a long way out there and we had to watch for speeding Water Taxis, but we made it safely. we snorkeled around for about a hour; and found a yacht that she had made contact with a few days ago. the guy was really nice, we tredded water for awhile as we talked, and he 'insisted' that we come 'aboard' and visit for awhile. we did ... it turns out that he and Marti know a lot of the same people from 'way back when'; during their younger 'other lives' while sailing the Virgin Islands. they have lived a life that i can't even imagine! his wife returned with some rum and we watched the sun set. because it was cloudy, the skies were really pretty. they took us back to shore in their dingy, because it was almost dark by then... i was so happy, the last thing i wanted to do at that point was to get back into the water, coz i was wet and cold by then. i went home, showered, (no hot water!), changed, and met Marti again for dinner. we went to the Noodle Shack, ate our fill, and took leftovers home again. i am so glad i have a frig in my place! then home around 9:30pm. i tried to work on the computer, but kept falling asleep sitting up. i was tired !

Fri, 11 Mar. - Flowers Bay Job Site

Fri, 11 Mar. - Flowers Bay Job Site on the way to the job site, we heard about the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan ... horrible! and alerts that the Tsunami may reach mainland Honduras on the Pacific side ... but not here in the Caribbean. it was still raining when we arrived back at our project in Flowers Bay. after all that rain we were able to see that our efforts at digging the trench paid off. the trench was flooded with water, but there was little standing water in the high areas. yeahhhhhhhhh ! lots of wet slipped mud, however, as i predicted. we ate lunch, then got started in the very slippery mud. the students made the best of it, and eventually were covered in mud, writing on each other and putting war paint on their faces. they continued digging the trench and spreading the piles of mud. i tried to stay dry and relatively clean. did a little bit of shoveling. when one of the girls noticed this poor tiny wet scared kitten that came leaping through the tall wet grass to the group looking for food, warmth, comfort, and a home. ... and of course he found one. he's pretty cold and scared here. knowing that Tony already had adopted 2 cats, i knew this little kitten would have a good home. we wrapped him in my shirt, dried him off, gave him some food and water, picked fleas off him, and then i 'babysat' with little one most of the rest of the afternoon, tucked inside my jacket. he was all warm, dry, and happy. Tony was making progress on the floor. the girls continued filling bottles with sand, and became experts at mixing cement. as Tony finished the floor. as the end approached, the girls helped do a little yard clean-up, which involved team work. and by the end of the day, Tony had finished the floor in the bamboo structure, .... amazing .... i was impressed. we said goodbye to Veronica for the last time. it was really a great experience for us, and they were grateful for all our help and the work we got accomplished. our parting shot of Tony with the kitten. back home, shower, change, back to the Sundowner to meet Marti. no sunset tonight, and it poured rain again, then stopped long enough for us to leave. we stopped at my place to pick up my leftover chicken, and she invited me to her place where she assembled a wonderful dinner for us, a little of this and a little of that: chicken, rice, mango papaya salsa, fresh green beans, and a hyponically grown lettuce salad. then we headed for Ronnie's Barefoot Bar to listen to Bobby and 'my' Blues Band. but by the time we got there, they had quit. but we visited with some folks who bought us 2 more drinks, ..... that i didn't need.

11 Mar, Fri. - Punta Gorda & Garifuna

Fri, 11 Mar - Punta Gorda & Garifuna it started raining sometime during the early morning ... hard. the roof over my room makes it sound really loud. i rolled over and tried to convince myself that i wouldn't have to get up and work today. but knowing the groups committed dedication to 'service', i knew they'd probably go even if it was raining. i imagined what it will be like working in all that wet slippery clay. by 6am it had stopped raining, so i got ready and headed for town. i found them, and Heather said the group was going to Punta Gorda and then to a Garifuna Village first, before heading for the job site. it was an hour drive to the other end of the island so i got to see some pretty views of forests, the villages, and the reef from higher elevations. Punta Gorda is a small quiet village with unusual traditions. this structure made out of clay. and this decorated lot with Conch shells on PVC pipe, hummmmmmmmm ? the Village is on a beautiful long stretch of beaches, ... well, they would appear more beautiful if it were sunny, instead of cloudy. we stopped in between rain showers and took some photos. i watched this little girl taking care of this little boy and washing his pants, ... cute little tush. our group photo, with our Taxi Driver. and me. this local pup had a back like a camel .. he ran a little funny, but seemed ok. the dog situation, here, as in other locations, makes me sad. i love colorful old boats, .. reminds me of Greece. then headed to the Garifuna Village. the Garifuna have a long rather complicated history that i still don't have completely sorted out yet. in short, they were originally African slaves who were freed, shipped to the Island of St Vincent and then made their way to Honduras. i learned about them last year as well, because they have also settled in Belize and Guatemala. at the Village they made music for us and did a dancing demonstration for us, including the Punta. remember me and the Punta dance last year? ..it wasn't pretty! this year i declined their invitation to try it! and also had some markets selling their handicrafts; ... or dead dried SeaHorses !!!!!!!!!!! this makes me sad. i bought some Guava Jam, since someone stole the jam i had out of the 'shared kitchen' refrigerator. then back in the van and on the road again.

10 Mar, Thurs.

Thur, 10 Mar. another 6am morning, ....same work, ... but no fish. another TV crew came out today and interview a few more of the girls at the 'job site' .... they will be on TV again tonight! Tony's brother, from the mainland, called him last night and told him that he saw them on TV, ... that's pretty wide coverage! 3 of us girls got to leave early, at 1pm to go diving :) we dove the Blue Channel, which is the reef just beyond my dock. i saw a Hogfish as soon as we got down, also lots of Grouper, Parrotfish, a Lobster, and a tiny little Smooth Trunkfish. he was so cute! Many fishes are very different looking as they progress through their stages, from 'juvenile', to 'intermediate', to 'terminal', (which is horrible sounding term for an adult fish, i think). but this little fish was just a perfect miniature of an adult Smooth Trunkfish. i also saw a fish i had not seen before. i looked it up ... a Porkfish (not a nice name either!), ... the tail end is striped like a 'French Grunt', and the head looks like an Angelfish. this is what it looked like. the Blue Channel dive site has a channel that you go through which is 'blue' ... duhhhhh ... and it also has several 'pass throughs' that you can take, ...narrow canyons that cut through the coral, ...some of them covered, some open. i've never wanted to go 'under' or 'into' anything while diving ... afraid my equipment would get caught on something and i'd get stuck, drown, and die :) he told us we did have an option of going another way and meeting up at the other end. but when the time came to do the 'pass throughs', .... i went for it! it was way cool! .... you did have to change your depth to get through, over, and under some of the narrow passes. i definitely was glad the guide was leading, so i could follow, but i did it, ....and, i ain't scared no more! it was a fun dive! got cleaned up and met Marti at The Sundowner again. another beautiful sunset. we ate dinner at the Creole Rotisserie Chicken place ... and their reputation for wonderful chicken is confirmed! we both walked away full and with leftovers. we talked more about going to Cayos Cochinos and doing some diving this weekend.

9 Mar, Wed.

Wed, 9 Mar. up at 6am again .... i'm not liking this early morning duty so many days in a row! we're at the 'job site' by 7:15am and a guy was there preparing the fish; and put it in a pot with lime juice, garlic and seasoning, ymmmmmmmm ... something to look forward to ! there were 2 cruise ships in today. they only have one dock at this port. this one was a huge monster! so the other ship has to stay out and ferry people in. there is another port where 3 more ships can dock ..... this is inside the 'bamboo hut', which will someday be a marketplace for the women of the village to sell their crafts to the cruise ship people. you can see that the back half already has a concrete floor. hopefully the other half will too by the time we leave .... sounds unlikely, but we'll see. to that end .... the good news today is, ...no more beach clean-up duty ... yeahhhhhhhhh! ....... we have cement to make. Tony showed the girls how to mix cement... the manual way ! first you thoroughly mix 3 buckets of sand with 1 bucket of cement mix. then, you make a 'volcano' and pour water into the hole. then mix until you have something like the consistency of peanut butter. Tony has a big heart and has rescued 2 orange kittens: Princess and Tiger. Princess is real shy, Tiger, i met the first day i was there, very affectionate once he trusts you. he showed up today and visited me. the rest of the jobs continued as before, and we switched off, changing positions every hour or so. we worked until around 11:30 when Veronica opened her kitchen for 3 of us, and we started frying fish. they were Red Snapper (don't tell BICA!) and ranged in size from 11-16" .... we cooked them island style: dusted with flour and then deep fried! they were AWESOME ! we all left at 2pm, ... the kids had the afternoon free. some did a Zip Line, a couple went horseback riding, a few to the beach. tomorrow is another 'free' afternoon and 3 of us will go diving :) i went home, cleaned up and went to the internet cafe. for some reason, i could not get connected, grrrrrrrrrrrr :( at 7pm, i went to a little Catholic Church service and got my 'ashes' for Ash Wednesday. i had told the group about the service and 6 of them joined me there. it was a very nice service: outdoors, a few bench seats, an alter, and a large cross with small lights outlining it ... all set in the middle of large stands of bamboo. it was very peaceful. this photo is from during the day. after the servce, i went to Creole Rotisserie Chicken, a place that i've been wanting to go to, famous for it's chicken ... i was still full from the fish lunch, but needed to use the internet, so i ordered chocolate brownie w/ice cream :) i was entertained by more Leaf-Cutter Ants working away, passing 1 foot from my table. oh, they also have 3 very affectionate cats. the lady said i am welcome to come by anytime and 'love on them'. i told her i definitely would!