Roatan Vortex – It Pulls You in and You Never Want to Leave

As promised I am referencing a challenge that Tiny Buddha put out to answer ten questions (in 140 characters or less) that deal with some of the hardest questions in life. Today’s question, #2 What does it take to be happy? My answer, “To be happy you have to be content with who you are and what you are doing…right here…right now.”

Sounds simple enough, but even though I wrote that, following through is something else. And then I got involved with the Roatan Hospital Concert Committee…

The race was on to have everything ready for the Roatan Hospital Benefit Concert, August 26, 2010. Almost three months ago the call went out for volunteers to help organize and set-up for a fund-raiser for the only public hospital on Roatan.

At the first few meetings, the plan was laid out. The atmosphere enthusiast, yet calm…we have lots of time.
I went to the Roatan Hospital to take some pictures, give people a feel for how desperately they need community support. I had been there a few times before and had seen first-hand the conditions, so I wasn’t surprised by what I photographed…but I was still amazed at what the health care professionals had to work with to care for the people of Roatan. And I am always in awe of what they manage to achieve.

It wasn’t too busy on the day I walked around with my camera. There were a few people waiting to be seen on this day that I took the pictures. They lined the hallways, sitting with children on laps. A few people in the emergency area having their medical needs tended to.

I shot photos of paint peeled off walls, and chipped from baby cribs in paediatrics, mouldy ceilings, and stacks of supplies crammed in every available space. I didn’t want to intrude on people’s privacy so avoided taking pictures of them. But one new mom did graciously allow me to snap a picture of her new born son.
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The Roatan Hospital Concert date that seemed so far away was suddenly only a week away. The notes I had scribbled down of things to do had turned into pages and the challenge was on to get it all done in time.

Before I go any further I want to note that I was only one of the many committee members and volunteers who were giving their all to bring this together. We were a team with a common goal.

Each morning I woke, my day’s plan in-hand, check emails, revise day’s schedule, make phone-calls, receive phone-calls, and head out. I drove into neighbourhoods that I didn’t know existed and had the pleasure of meeting people I had never met before. A whirlwind of activity that started at 7 AM each morning and didn’t end before 11 PM each night.

A few days before the big event I had to make a stop at the Roatan Hospital to pick something up for the concert and I was blown away by what I saw. The halls were jammed with people waiting patiently to be seen. In the emergency area I saw people being treated for every injury imaginable by dedicated health care professionals who did the best they could with less than adequate supplies. They were calm and companionate as they struggled to meet everyone’s needs. I would be told that this was a typical day at Roatan Hospital. What I had witnessed on the day I came to take the pictures was not.

That evening, I lay in bed, trying to convince tomorrows list of things to do to stop swirling around in my brain and let me go to sleep. And while my brain wouldn’t cooperate—it has a mind of its own don’t you know. I was worried I wouldn’t get everything done in time. I was frustrated by having to put off other things I wanted to do. I was heartbroken by what I had seen at the Roatan Hospital that day.

But, I realized something else…I was genuinely HAPPY. I was content, with who I was, and what I was doing, right then! If I was allowed more than 140 characters for the Tiny Buddha Wisdom Book challenge I would add, “Your world being in perfect order has nothing to do with being happy.”

Thank you everyone for your support, assistance, donations, sponsorship, and for attending the Roatan Hospital Concert! Let’s do it again next year!

Be sure to check out Roatan Hospital Concert for all the pictures of the event, and coming soon a detailed update of the difference the Roatan Hospital Concert has made for helping Roatan Hospital care for the people of Roatan. Roatan Hospital Concert HD Video

And one more note: Davey, I’m so proud of you! Your list was way longer than mine and what you pulled together was truly amazing!

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You know when you need to take a break…escape for an hour or two and just do something for you. Perhaps you lounge in a warm bath, with scented candles and a glass of wine your only companion. Or if you are on Roatan (you sure as heck don’t want to take a warm bath) you lay in a hammock and get lost in your new favorite novel.

Me…well, I write a story. Not one that I have a message to share. Or even one that I tell you a detail of day-to-day life on a tropical Island in the Caribbean Sea.

Nope, this one is for me, for an hour or two it’s all about something frivolous and fun. It’s all about making myself smile and shake my head wondering why the heck did I take the time to take these pictures…and wait patiently for this perfect moment to post this story.

It makes me happy!

I enjoy eating kiwi fruit. When I still lived in Ontario, Canada I could pick some up anytime I wanted to from my local grocery store, they were imported all year round. On Roatan, even though I live in the tropics, Kiwi fruit doesn’t grow here. We can get the best bananas, pineapple, guava, mangoes and oranges, to name a few. But kiwi fruit is imported…and not to often. So when I find them at the grocery store on Roatan and they are not covered in fruit flies or too ripe to enjoy. I buy a few.

I used to take a serrated edge knife and as carefully as possible peel off the fuzzy brown skin and then slice the pulpy, delicate jewel green contents. It would always take me longer to peel than to eat, because I would go so slow…determined to not loose any to the peeling process.

Well I know a much better way to eat a kiwi fruit…and I thought perhaps (if you don’t already know this gem of an idea) I’d share with you.

I was at work one day (in my former life) when a co-worker and friend took out a kiwi fruit and a spoon.

I watched in fascination as she used the spoon (a grapefruit spoon works best) to take the top off the kiwi fruit.

She then went on to scoop out the luscious fruit. Popping each spoonful into her mouth.

Until all that remained was the hollow, scraped clean, brown fuzzy skin…I was in awe!

And that is how to eat a kiwi fruit!

The end.

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As an avid follower of Tiny Budhha I was thrilled to see a recent posting for something new. Not only will inspirational quotes and words of wisdom be shared from the Tiny Budhha website, on Twitter, and at their Facebook page—a book is in the works too! The coolest thing (in true Tiny Budhha form) is that we are invited to join-in, to contribute to the content.

I had submitted a story to Tiny Budhha a few months ago, and felt honoured when Lori contacted me, and posted When Your World Gets All Shook Up as a feature story on the Tiny Budhha website.

I get great satisfaction when I check the posting every now and then and read the comments from people who appreciate what I shared with them. Have I made an earthshaking (pardon the pun) change in their lives…of course not. But for a few moments I shared their journey through something that perhaps was earthshaking for them, just as reading stories from other contributors have done for me. Living with Purpose.

Ten questioned have been posed by Tiny Budhha. Each answer can be no longer than a tweet (140 characters.) I took up the challenge and will share my answer for each question one posting at a time…from a Roatan Vortex point-of-view of course.

1) What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is accepting that we may never know…it just is…and that’s okay.

I have pondered this question as far back as I can remember. Always wondering, what the heck am I here for, what’s it all about? And then I moved to Roatan. With that big-picture question lurking in my sub-conscious, I became preoccupied with the day-to-day questions about my new chosen home…Roatan.

Why do the grocery stores sell twenty brands of yellow mustard, but not offer; Dijon, honey, or other flavoured mustards?

Why does the power go out so much?

The best advice I got soon after moving here was to stop asking why. There is no answer…it’s just the way it is. When I settled into that way of thinking it did wonders for my blood pressure and instead of asking why anymore, I try to appreciate the benefits of accepting…it’s just the way it is.

Now, don’t get me wrong I still do the happy dance when I find Dijon mustard at the grocery store, even found it at the hardware store once. And I definitely would prefer that roosters didn’t crow all night long.

But standing in-line at the bank for two hours introduced me to an amazing little girl Child’s Play.

And while the power doesn’t go out nearly as often as when I moved to Roatan three years ago, it too has benefits for being…just the way it is. When the Power Goes Out.

So, when it comes to the meaning of life? Heck, I don’t have a clue and I probably never will…it’s just the way it is.

What about you? I shared my profound (giggle) quote. But I’d love to know…What do you think the meaning of life is?

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After dinner at a friend’s home here on Roatan, as the table was being cleared, I was asked, “What do you do with leftover salad?”

I glanced in the bowl, where wilted greens clung to the sides and bottom, sharing space with an assortment of soggy tomato chunks, tidbits of sweet peppers, and slivers of garlic, swimming in a puddle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and spices that had escaped being grabbed by the salad tongs during the meal.

Now, it wasn’t a complicated question, but I did pause before answering, considering that some sort of a punch-line would follow. Or perhaps it was a trick question. Why would anyone ask that? I do the same thing with leftover salad that everyone does…I throw it in the garbage.

“Isn’t that what you do?” I asked.

“No, I flush it down the toilet.”

Another guest joined in and added, “I save it in the fridge and eat it the next day. I don’t mind soggy salad and won’t let food go to waste.”

An interesting debate ensued. Each of us defended our choice of what to do with leftover salad. Each of us referencing what our parents did with leftover salad. I was fascinated to realize that our decisions with how to proceed with even the simplest of tasks was determined more by the culture we were raised in and what we had been taught to do rather than something tweaking our senses to do it.

And defend our choices we did! There were certainly no angry words or fist fights of any sort, but we all felt compelled to stick-up for our ways. Our very identities were at risk. What belonged to each of us was being challenged.

I recently wrote a story commemorating the anniversary of the earthquake that “hit” Roatan. I put the word hit in quotations because a similar debate ensued when I used that word to describe the event. Someone who wasn’t on Roatan the day of the earthquake corrected my reference stating that from a scholastic point-of-view Roatan was not hit by an earthquake. Many of the people on the Island that earthshaking day joined in to verbally defend the description of the experience, as a hit. Through a simple grammatical correction, what we had gone through was being denied.

So what the heck does that have to do with leftover salad or life on a tropical Island in the Caribbean Sea? (I used to call it the Caribbean Ocean; that too was corrected by the same person. I grew up in Canada, we have oceans around us, not seas…it’s what I’m use to saying.)

I have come to call Roatan home. I brought my traditions, my cultural background (I’m a Heinz 57 so it would be impossible to pin down to anything specific) and my learned behaviours. Once here, I encountered ways of doing things and ways of living that are foreign to me. But what I do is foreign to them too.

Instead of rushing to defend my point-of-view, or feeling threatened by someone else’s. I think I’ll work on appreciating hearing and seeing different way of doing things, and be grateful that there are some things I might want to adopt to enhance my life, my daily existence.

Maybe, I’ll even become more…worldly.

As for the earthquake, it was an experience I hope to never repeat. But it did give those of us who were on Roatan when it hit a special connection to each other, a common thread, a bond.

So what do you do with leftover salad?

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View from Paya Bay

Nothing fancy about this posting. No words of wisdom. No wowing you with my writing style. No freaking you out with bugs…just pictures, lots of pictures.

Spent Sunday on a Roatan Island, East End Tour with good friends,
Enjoy!

All the guys in one vehicle.

La Sirena, Camp Bay

Drinks before Dinner

Cheers!

Joel Escelona Sang & Played

Paya Bay

The gang's all here.

Say Cheese!

Everybody into the pool!

Spartagus sharing with his new friend.

His new friend sharing back.

Davey bobbing along.

Everybody out of the pool!

Joel's tour bus was following ours.

The End!

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The first time I met him, he leapt over the still to be varnished bar, swiping his palms across his jeans, leaving traces of sawdust behind before extending his hand to shake mine. Little did I know, from that moment on, we would spend the rest of his life together.

“Rob Ross—Damn glad to meet you,” he said.

Shifting my resume from one hand to the other, I accepted his greeting. I was there to apply for a job at the soon to open Bar & Grill. He was the General Manger.

I wasn’t looking for a new life partner, recently (amicably) divorced, with two children at home, I was just looking for a job.

As we discussed my qualifications, I tried to stay focused on answering his questions, but was distracted by the sensation that we had met before, or perhaps we were supposed to meet now. It was as if a stage had been set—and the play had just begun.

Any attraction to him had nothing to do with his general appearance. His manner of dress understandable for physical labour; blue jeans and work boots, but was that really a baby blue, wide collared, polyester button-down shirt he wore? His thick, dark hair parted way over on one side, bangs flopping in front of his eyes. The style (rather, lack of) better suited for a mid-1970’s high-school yearbook picture.

I got the job. Our working relationship began, with under-tones of something more. Within a few months we were living together, a few years later; married, blending our separate families into one. I came into the relationship with a son and daughter, as did he. Once we added a dog and cat to the mix, we jokingly referred to ourselves as the Brady Bunch. All was good…yah, right!

Battles for territory, typical sibling rivalry, maintaining joint-custody with ex’s, household and money issues, differences of opinions all took their toll. I still hadn’t talked him into updating his hairstyle, but I did manage to throw out the baby-blue polyester shirt, and pretended to help him look for it the next time he wanted to wear it. We found ways to work through it all…we belonged together.

I gave up the Bar-biz first, to go back to school, Rob followed soon after to pursue the career he was meant for; Car Sales Management. He even got a decent haircut. The one and only thing that ever offended him was when it was implied that he must be less than reputable, because of his job. Whatever Dealership he worked for, the customers were treated with the utmost respect and were grateful for having dealt him.

Everyone who met Rob instantly liked him. He was full of energy unmatched by any. He knew every joke ever told and delivered the punch-line perfectly.

He convinced our kids to skip down the street instead of just walking. Co-conspired with them to play a game they called, “How long will it take Genny to put back the knick-knack we moved just before she got home?”

In later years he would teach our grandsons how to dance to the Bee Gee’s “Tragedy,” the theme from “Grease” and the hit zydeco song “Don’t Mess with My Toot-Toot.”

He carried a picture in his pocket of a sunrise taken from the balcony of a cruise-ship we had vacationing on. It was his happy place and whenever anything was getting him down, all he had to do was look at the picture, and everything was fine again. His love of life was infectious. He was the only one who could get away with teasing my sister, my mom, my grandma. For special occasions I always knew to plan on a few extra people at our dinner table. Rob would seek out those that would be alone and insist they come to our house.

Every day, at least once, quite often more, he would say to me, “Have I told you today?—I’m the luckiest man in the world!”

He treated me like a precious gift, to be protected, respected and adored. He started the coffee every morning, and made my lunch (for me to take to work) every day, usually including a silly little note for me to find at the bottom of the bag. He put up with my grumpy moods, and encouraged me to reach for the stars.

I had a weird obsession (I think I’m over it now) with moving every couple of years. He would come home from work and find me scanning the Real Estate Newsletters, knowing full well what that meant. Within a few months, we would be packing up and moving on to a different city in Ontario, Canada. I always chose the most run-down house to transform. At least, I thought that was what I was doing. The only time Rob every got mad at me was when I picked a real dump for us to call home, and he yelled at me, “When are you going to realize you are worth more than this?”

And then one day, I came home from work and told him about an Island called Roatan.

He listened patiently as I described it, where it was, how much it meant to me to go there. Without hesitation he said, “Great! Next year we’ll take a cruise that stops in Roatan.” I told him that wasn’t enough…I want to move there.

He gazed at me as if I was a two year old needing to be told why they shouldn’t draw pictures on the walls of their bedroom. Gently explaining that we had responsibilities in Canada, we had a beautiful home, jobs, and family; we couldn’t just pack up and leave.

I knew he was right, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Roatan. For the next few months I talked about it none stop, I asked how long he thought we would have to wait to move to Roatan. The first time I suggested it, the number he answered back was 10-15 years. Knowing how much it meant to me he was now down to 5. He booked us to take a cruise there in February (this was early July.)

On July 23rd, 2006 the day after my 43rd birthday, nine days after his 46th birthday, Rob and I sat in our backyard, enjoying our morning coffee. I, of course, was talking about Roatan. He turned to me and said, “This means so much to you…I’ll find a way to get you there sooner.” I knew he meant it, I knew we would be moving to Roatan within a year or so.

I went back into the house for just a few moments, unknown to me, the play that had started fifteen years before, was about take a final curtain call.

When I returned to our backyard, my beloved Rob had suffered a massive heart attack…and was gone. He would not being coming to Roatan with me.

For the next year I gave not one thought to Roatan, or going there without him. But the time came when I lay in my bed, missing him desperately, and I swear, he whispered in my ear, “It’s time for you to move to Roatan.”

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Forever cruising into the Sunrise!

Robert Alan Ross

1960 – 2006

Always Loved, Remembered & Missed

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Soon after moving to Roatan, I married again, to Dave Barons. Dave and Rob had been good friends for many years. Dave misses his friend too.

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Another frequently asked question, “What about medical services and health care on Roatan?”

I must admit when I moved to Roatan, I didn’t give much thought to it. Irresponsible? Perhaps. But I was at a point in my life where I decided that I would worry about it when I needed to…that time came.

I was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a serious collision. The care I received was second to none. Compassion & Respect Heal Better than Medicine *******************************************************************************

I wouldn’t let them take me to the Roatan Hospital, in Coxen Hole, not because I didn’t trust their ability, but because I knew their resources were limited and my friend needed them more than I did.

Since that experience, December 2008, I have visited Roatan Hospital a few times; once to be with neighbors who needed emergency medical care, and another time when friends visiting the Island wanted to donate medical supplies to Roatan Hospital.

On the second visit I got the full tour of the Roatan Hospital. I saw first hand the conditions, and lack of supplies the medical professionals have to work with. And yet, they treated each patient with dignity and compassion. They tended to everyone…the best they could.

I wanted to help in some way but was uncertain what, I as one person could do to make a difference. And then I joined the Roatan Hospital Concert Committee! As a group we have found a way to help…and you can too!

Please visit Roatan Hospital Concert. If you are on Roatan, Thursday, August 26, join in on the fun. If you are anywhere else in the world, there are still ways you can help Roatan Hospital…care for the people of Roatan.

The Roatan Hospital website is currently under construction, but new information is being added daily. Please check back often – YOU can make a difference! Please link the Roatan Hospital website to your site. Help get the word out. Thanks, Genny

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Number 1 question asked by people considering a visit to Roatan, “Do you have bugs?”

Short answer, “Personally…no. On the Island…yes!”

Of course we have bugs (and other critters) on Roatan. A lush tropical Island, surrounded by soft white sand beaches, nestled in the Caribbean Sea. The temperature average high 28C (82F) with an average low of 24C (75F.) Keep in mind that the humidity level is always up there too. What better conditions for bugs to thrive in.

Here is a list of a few of the ones I encounter, some regularly, others just once or twice so far in the past three years. I don’t know the technical name for them (and I don’t really care.) Some are known by more than one name. And the behaviours that I describe are based on my personal experience with each, nothing more. I will never claim to be an expert.

• Sand fleas, sand flies, no seeums
They are tiny and fast, hence the name no seeums.

Everyone reacts differently, but in my experience when one or more get me, the initial sensation is of a sharp sting. Keeping in mind it is relative to their size. The bite gets itchy for a few minutes, and a raised red dot appears. The itching and dot disappear within ½ hour.

Sand fleas, flies, no seeums are definitely annoying. The closer to the beach, sunset, and days with no breeze are when you are more likely to encounter them. When I walk on the beach in Sandy Bay, I wear a light weight, long sleeve shirt to protect my arms and back. I put coconut oil on my legs. Any oil will work (they get trapped and suffocate.) I have found that commercial bug repellents (with or without DEET) do little to deter them.

Some beaches, in particular West Bay, regularly rake the sand (disrupting the eggs) this goes a long way toward keeping the numbers down.

• Mosquitoes
Everybody knows what mosquitoes look like and how it feels when one gets you…itchy, itchy, itchy.

Here on Roatan, the mosquitoes are smaller and faster than the ones I’m used to in Ontario, Canada. When they are most active (rainy season) the worst time is at night. A few will manage to get in the cabana and sure enough, I will have just fallen asleep and a mosquito starts buzzing right next to my ear. I do the most logical thing of course…smack myself in the head. I never succeed with getting rid of the mosquito and I feel ridiculous for having hit myself so hard. But it just seems to be a natural reaction that I can’t control. I do think it annoys them though, so the mosquito, or two, or three, will head for my toes and ankles. It’s not uncommon to wake in the morning with a cluster of their itchy little bites all over my feet.

Malaria? It is possible to contract malaria on the Island. I believe there are different strains of malaria and I honestly couldn’t tell you which ones are present here. When it comes to taking medication to prevent malaria, spending as much time as I do on the Island it isn’t possible. The medication (from what I’ve been told is very hard on your liver) and cannot not be taken for an extended period of time. For anyone looking to visit Roatan for a shorter time, you should talk to your doctor and decide if malaria prevention medication is for you.

Dengue is another mosquito borne illness that there is no prevention for and on mainland Honduras an alert has been issued. It has been highly recommended (on the mainland) to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants, as well as to avoid areas where mosquitoes are most likely to be and to use insect repellent.

I personally choose to not use insect repellents (especially with DEET.) I don’t have serious reactions to being bit by either sand flies or mosquitoes and I’m more concerned about the ill effects of DEET. But that is my choice and should not be what you base your decision on. I can tell you (again, my experience) that since coming to Roatan three years ago, I know of only three people who have had malaria and all three described horrific flu like symptoms that after a few weeks they recovered from. I don’t know of anyone who has had dengue.

• Ants
Ants are definitely the insect I spent the most time with.

There are so many varieties, each with their own special qualities. The names I use for these two may or may not be correct (again, I don’t really care.) It is just what I’ve come to know them as and all encounters are based on personal experiences here on Roatan.

Sugar ants are itsy-bitsy little guys whose bodies must be all nose and teeth. They can sniff out the smallest particle of food (containing something sweet) and will come marching in to claim it. Every food item must be sealed up in container with a tight fitting lid or at the very least a zip-lock baggie. Leave anything on the counter for more than a few minutes and the sugar ants will claim it.

If…no…when this happens, if you take the dish and set it in direct sunlight the sugar ants will scurry away, so all is not lost. You may be thinking to yourself, yuck, eating food that had ants in it, I’ll never do that. On Roatan…yes you will. It’s not possible to avoid. These little guys are pretty helpful too! Sugar ants took top honors on my list of awesome things about Roatan When ants cleaned the melted candy out of my purse.

Army ants are amazing! Bigger than the sugar ants—they are on a mission. In the past three years I’ve seen them do their thing a couple of times…what a show! Here they come, hundreds (if not thousands) of them, marching single file up the stairs. They then split off into squads and begin the hunt. Don’t bother trying to stop them. They’re not interested in you (you’re too big.) They are coming in to seek out the other bug that may be in your home. It takes about an hour and then they are done, marching out as efficiently as they marched in. They will have rid your home of EVERY bug.

• Cockroaches and other beetles
You can try all you want to eliminate these ones from your home.

Good luck…just remember they outlived the dinosaurs. The army ants coming through are your best temporary defence. What I still don’t understand is why coackroaches like to live in my scotch-tape dispenser—I keep that in a zip-lock bag now.

• Scorpions
I prefer to evict bugs rather than exterminate them—except when it comes to scorpions.

When I mention scorpions to anyone from Texas or other areas where they have them, it’s no big deal. Everyone else freaks out, and I admit so do I! For some reason scorpions like to take a nap under my pillow. I got into the habit early on to check under my pillow before climbing into bed. This has paid off a few times when I have found a scorpion sleeping right where I was going to be laying. I run for the can of scorpion killer (yup, specifically for scorpions) and chase them down, spraying half the can on them. I do apologize as they take their final breathe—I feel bad for what I’ve done. But I admit I am terrified of getting stung by a scorpion and I won’t take the chance. So far, so good…never been stung!

• Spiders
Spiders for the most part are okay by me—just the usual ones hanging around.

They do their part to trap the mosquitoes and other pests in their webs. Running a broom around the ceiling to get rid of the webs every now and then is no big deal.

I had an encounter with a spider recently however, that I will never forget! I was watching TV (while in bed,) checking emails on my laptop, when I felt something drop from the ceiling onto my head, then scurry away. Fortunately, I set my laptop aside before leaping off the bed. My immediate thought was, oh my God, a SCORPION! There was no way I was getting back on the bed until I found and got rid of whatever had landed on me. Cautiously I approached and with two fingers clutched the corner of a pillow to move it aside. What had landed on my head was under that pillow and made a mad dash to the headboard.

It wasn’t a scorpion. It wasn’t a common house spider. It was a TARANTULA! Time to do the heeby-jeeby dance, “Oh my God! Oh my God!”

Once I got over the initial shock, I moved in closer to get a good look (not too close though—I’ve heard tarantulas are good jumpers. It was the size of my palm, covered in coarse black hair, beautiful multicolored lines on its back—I was impressed! I ran to get my camera and took a bunch of pictures from different angle (glad I have a zoom lens.) Having captured the moment…it was now time to evict the eight legged, hairy creature. I put an empty plastic ice-cream tub, over top of it and slid the tub along until I could put the lid on the container. Carrying it outside…I set the tarantula free!

I could tell you about a lot more bugs and other critters I now know of and encounter here on Roatan, but figured this was enough to give you a sense of what’s here. Will this make you decide to not come to Roatan? I hope not, that definitely was not my intention with this posting. The way I see it is that no matter where you go THERE ARE BUGS! They’re pretty cool actually and far more efficient at how they conduct their business than we are.
Think about it…bugs contribute to nature…we’re the ones messing it up!

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I’ve always enjoyed celebrating Canada Day with my family and friends. Whether it was in our backyard, at one of the parks in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, or in Toronto, Ontario, at City Hall, the year my Great-uncle Mike was given an award for Canadian Citizen of the Year!
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But now I live in Central America, Honduras, on the Island of Roatan. Guess there won’t be any Canada Day parties?

Wrong!

The place to be was Sundowners, West End, Roatan. The party got started just after noon, Canadians and Canadian wanna-be’s arrived from all areas of Roatan, to join in on the fun.

The sailboats, ready to go. The weather, gloriously warm and sunny. A perfect Roatan kinda day!

Strolling on the beach, at the bar, or in the water, the Caribbean Sea was the place to be!
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Captain Morgan, fellow Canadian and DJ at Roatan Radio kept the Canadian music going and invited Canadians to come on up and say hi to family and friends back in Canada.

Dave, Lou, Tracy and I…all Canadians of course! Got out a deck of Canadian cards and played some EUCHRE! Tracy tried to explain the game to some Canadian wanna-be’s…but gave up. *****************************************************************************

I wasn’t able to celebrate Canada Day with family and friends in Canada. But lucky for me I have family and friends here on Roatan that I did celebrate with!

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Sundowners, West End, Roatan is also where we watched Canada win Olympic Gold. You can read that story here Olympic Hockey Night in Canada, on Roatan!

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Courtesy of…my kitten!

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Courtesy of…my dog!

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Courtesy of…my grandchildren! They can do no wrong, don’t you know.

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Courtesy of…my husband! Not really, but it went with my theme.

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Courtesy of…nature!

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Courtesy of…mankind!

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Courtesy of…BP!

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