Thursday, June 30, 2011

10 Reasons Why You Will Love Retiring in Belize



  1. Sub-tropical climate - Belize has a sub-tropical year round climate where frosts and freezes are unknown.
  2. Hol Chan Marine Reserve - Hol Chan is a national park that includes part of the barrier reef.
  3. Shark Ray Alley - Belize is one of the best places to get up close and personal with sharks and stingrays.
  4. The Barrier Reef - The Belize Barrier Reef is the largest in the western hemisphere and is 190 miles long.
  5. The Howler Monkey – Belize has a rare breed of howler monkey that is known as one of the top ten loudest animals in the world.
  6. Mayan Ruins - Belize has a rich Mayan history with over 900 historic locations.
  7. The People – Belize is home to some of the most interesting and friendliest people who are very accepting of other cultures.
  8. The Jungles – 60% of Belize is forested, hiking through the jungles is an amazing experience.
  9. The Caribbean Sea – The waters off of Belize are known to inhabit more than 400 species of sub tropical fish.
  10.  BELIKIN BEER – “The Only Beer Worth Drinking”
Photo:  AJ Baxter, Picture Belize

Friday, June 24, 2011

"Belizean Betty Friday" - Betty Gets Her First Haircut


Betty thought this was pretty fun, but she didn't understand why her hair couldn't be the same color as her mother's hair.





Betty's first haircut looks great, dont you think?

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Who Will Inherit All of These Photos?


So starts the job of deciding what to do with all of our family photos. We inherited an insane amount of photos from family members that have passed away; Bill and I have also taken lots of photos in the last 27 years. Literally we have boxes of 1000’s of photos.  Then there is the straggler photo that is stuck in a book, left in a jewelry box or found in a drawer. There seems to be an endless supply of those pictures as well. 

Who will inherit all of these photos? I plan on distributing them throughout my family. My brother Creighton received most of his photos on his 40th birthday when I made him a scrapbook that started with a wedding picture of our parents up until his 40th birthday. It was a great way to display lots of his personal family photos and memento's of special moments in time.
The first thing I started doing is going through all of the photos and throwing away all of the out of focus, unimportant or that we don’t have a clue of who may be in the photo. I then started sorting them with some going to each of our children, our siblings and a few other family members who we think might appreciate having some of these photos. Luckily most of our own personal photos, I wrote the names and dates on the back. I did this because I remember looking at my own old photos of when I was a child and wondering when they were taken or who were these people. You were left to try and guess about when the photos were taken or who some of these people could be. 

Look how cute we are in these pictures.  I love the black and white photos.

Bill

Debra

I have also started the long and tedious process of scanning all of the photos. Bill and I have lots of photos of our travels and I hope to get all of these scanned and uploaded to Flickr. This is a great site to store your photos online where your family and friends can view them.
You can also scan lots of documents and upload them for storage and easy access. I am going to scan all of our deeds of trust on real estate, marriage licenses, life insurance policies, etc. We will have easy access any where if we need any of these documents.
We do not plan on taking many of the photos with us to Belize because of the humidity there. So it will be great being able to view them on Flickr any time. Thank goodness for digital cameras these days, it is so nice to just be able to upload them directly to Flickr.
I found some tips on storing old photos.
  • Store photographs in a dark, cool, dry place where the temperature and humidity stay constant.
  • Never store photos in the attic or garage.
  • Never eat or drink around photos.
  • Get organized by throwing out photos that are out of focus or who are unidentified, etc.
  • Store fragile letters and news clippings in acid-free paper.
What do you plan on doing with all of your old photos? Who will inherit all of your photos?

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Photo of the Week - The Belize Great Egret (Casmerodius albus)


The great egret is a slender and graceful heron with a wingspan of 36 inches.  It lives in the coastal lagoons and marshes. 
It feeds in the shallow waters of Belize and preys on fish and reptiles. During the drier months the bird will prey on small mammals and nesting birds.
Photo: A.J. Baxter, Picture Belize

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Calling All Lobster Lovers!!



It is finally here, lobster season officially opened June 15th in Belize. Open season in Belize runs from June 15th through February 15th. The Belizean fishermen were eager to check their lobster traps in hopes of bringing in the “big” catch. Yesterday’s catch brought in more than 200 pounds of lobster tails. 




The San Pedro Lobsterfest starts this Saturday June 19th and will run through the week, ending with the traditional Lobsterfest Block Party on Saturday June 25th. 

Photos: In Praise of Sardines, Flickr.com

Monday, June 6, 2011

Mango Crop in Crooked Tree Village, Belize

Mango Crop in Crooked Tree Village Belize


Mango, Mangifera indica Cashew or Poison Ivy family. 

Ripe mangoes are typically eaten fresh, however they can be used to make juices, smoothies, ice cream, fruit bars, pies and jam. Mangoes are generally sweet, although the taste and texture may vary depending on where they are grown. I brought home some of the jam from Belize on my last trip and it was some of the best stuff I had ever eaten. In Central America, Mango is eaten green, mixed with salt, vinegar, black pepper and hot sauce or ripe in various forms.







Mangoes go through four stages, green, turn, ripe and overripe. Mango blossoms are small pink flowers covering the tree beginning in January. These blooms transform into tiny green mangoes around May and then slowly fill out and turn a reddish tint getting ready for the rain showers in June. The Mangoes start to ripen in June.






Some people may also be allergic to mangoes (note: in the Poison Ivy Family). The Mango peel and sap contains urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy and poison sumac that can cause an allergic reaction of blisters, a rash, itching, burning and swelling. 

Photos:  Linda Crawford, Village View Post