Polar Bears Addendum

Got this in from Vivien, who posed in the previous article in a pot in the snow, of a couple other Polar Bears, Elsie and Alan, also from Canadia, up north somewhere. The extreme cold must touch your brains up there, as you can tell by the photo, they're actually in the briney, down in Pensacola Beach, Florida, and it's still cold!

Alan 'n Elsie in Pensacola

Actually, I had a bit of fun with this. I Photoshopped it from two separate photos that they had posted on Facebook (whatever that is). Turned out pretty decent, if I do say so.

Hardy Belize Polar Bears Take the Plunge

Newsflash - Corozal -- Some "tough as snow shovels" Corozaleños braved the winter chill to make history for the third annual Corozal Polar Bear Swim on New Years Day. Brushing aside low water temperatures of around 81° (f), these hardy souls plunged boldly into the depths (OK, it's only four foot deep) and managed to stop shivering long enough for 'Lizbit' to snap a pic or two to document the occurrence.

Belize Polar Bears - Thanks Lizbit

A quick word about the photo - I had planned on using a photo from my camera, which had been duly mounted on a tripod and took advantage of the self-timer so that we could all be in the shot - except I was going to use Dianna to actually hit the button that actuated the self-timer. That part of it all worked fine. The part I screwed up was when it came to saving the shot. I assumed it was simply a matter of clicking the button and it took care of that little detail all by itself. Not quite. Apparently, you have to then save the shot. Minor detail that, but it meant that I didn't get any shots. Major bummer. It's an easy mistake to make when the only time I use the self-timer is for this event. Maybe next January I'll read the instructions beforehand.

That's where Elizabeth Wright - 'Lizbit', came in. I had noticed while I plunged into the pool for the photo, that she was also taking photos with her camera. She was kind enough to let me use the shot above so we could document this momentous occasion .

Not only did we do the dip here, but we have some friends who are also Polar Bears who happen to be up in Canada, up near Edmonton, Alberta, in a place called Tofield. They too, took part in the festivities and provided documentation of their experience. My God, talk about willing to go to extremes to get a Tshirt that they had to pay for... just goes to show, some folks will do anything for a Tshirt.

Denis - A True Polar Bear

Vivien - Even More So

Thanks for providing the shots Vivien. We shiveringly appreciate the suffering you had to endure. A truly monumental effort.

Here's a copy of the image Belize Tee Shirts, right here in Corozal, printed up for us. As usual, they did a bang-up job.

The TShirt

Now, as long as we're on the topic of photos... we are, aren't we? Anyway. Remember I had said something about the photos not showing up? Well, just a couple of minutes ago, when I downloaded the photo above, guess what showed up? The missing shots still on the SD card in the camera. So, it wasn't such a screwup afterall. Here's one of them:

The Suffering We Endure...

Well, that's it. I hope you all had a nice and peaceful Christmas.

In the words of Francis, the first Pope to be named after Frank Sinatra, and a pretty cool sounding dude in his own right, "I ask everyone to share in this song [the song of the angels]: it is a song for every man or woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty." That sentence, from his Christmas message, just really spoke to me.

Have a good new year too, while you're at it.

Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year's - Just Too Exhausting

Ok. I'm glad the holiday season is done.

I don't think I would have been able to keep up the celebrating for much longer. First there was Christmas Day dinner at Elsie's place.

Elsie and Christina

We were greeted by Elsie and her friend Christina, who stayed over the holidays. Although it's a two bedroom apartment, Elsie's place seems huge, well, big enough to comfortably put on this Christmas dinner. Alan, Elsie's SO, was absent. He'll be coming down from Canada just around New Year's.

Photogs At Work

Just before the final preparations began, it seemed everyone wanted to snap some shots of the proceedings. So, there was a lot of pictures being taken of other folks taking pictures.

Shortly after we got there, Dianna got busy fixing the gravy. Here she is being all chef-like early on.

Dianna Making Gravy

There was time, even as the cooking was proceeding to stop and smell the roses, as it were. Here's Denis and Vivien enjoying some refreshments before things really got going.

Denis and Vivien

And then, when it got serious, everyone thinks they're Chef Boyardee (who was a real person). It worked out fine however, because the meal was perfectamundo.

Something About Too Many Cooks?

Just before we sat down to eat, I caught Craig putting out the salads. He and Mae made them and with the veggies, fruit, and nuts, it was yummers.

Craig Placing the Yummy Salads

Then, when the turkey bird was ready, I snapped this photo just before it began to get ripped apart by the hungry hordes.

Meal, Ready To Eat...

Even though I held myself to one helping (of everything) I got stuffed. That was pretty much it for Christmas Day.

Then there was Boxing Day. For you non-Brits or other colonials who have gotten lax on the proper celebrations, this is the day after Christmas day, where the lords of the manor gave the 'staff' either the boxes stuff came in or the stuff they didn't want or something like that. I'm not real sure. Anyway, we celebrated that event at Maria and Ed's place.

Dave and Denis Hard at Work

Again, everyone worked really hard getting ready. I know it looks like we're all just hanging out (which we're really good at), there was a huge amount of work that went into getting ready for each of these parties.

Relaxing at Ed and Maria's

Christmas In Belize

This is one of the few photos I have of anyone actually working. Here it's Ed carving up a scrumptious Christmas ham.

Ed Carving the Ham

Twyla and Maria

This originally was billed as snacks and some byob-type drinks. Oh no. It blossomed (as these things do) to a full-blown Christmas ham with all the trimmings afair. You know, potatoes of two or three different types, a couple of different salads, rolls and butter, mustard, a veggie tray, many different deserts, and so on.

Before I forget, this was preceded by horses duvers.... hors d'overs..., Hors d'oeuvres..., appetizers, whatever. There were enough of those were enough to feed half the town of Corozal.

Then we move up to New Year's. I have to say, I think the economy of Belize is improving vastly. The reason? Well, for Christmas, which used to be the real biggy as far as fireworks, let's just say the fireworks were the usual displays. Not bad. But, about after a half hour or so, the noise from the star shells and other explosives, managed to work itself down to one every now and then, and finally petered out. A fairly normal display.

For New Year's Eve, wow! I couldn't believe it. Horizon to horizon, noise and more noise. And it went on and on for several hours. And, not just the fireworks - at least I think they were fireworks, Ok, with maybe some other explosives mixed in for effect, but I think that every other neighborhood in Corozal and Ranchito had a band or a humungous sound system - maybe both. All night long.

We must be becoming Belizean. The music blasting all night has even begun to sound like normal activity to us - either that or we're simply becoming slightly deaf. Dare I say, that we even look forward to it now?

In fact, the next morning, when I walked the dogs, there were still parties going on. I walked near one in Ranchito. They were still setting off fireworks, playing music and it sounded like there was a yard full of people still whooping it up. Even when I was young, I would have been hard pressed to keep up with these folks. That was around 6:30 in the morning. But they weren't the hard core party goers.

No sir. Not by a long shot. Around 8:00 or so that morning, there was still the sounds of parties going strong from virtually every direction in Corozal. Approaching noon, things finally began to settle down and get quiet, of course with sporadic outbursts of fireworks and some sound system here and there being momentarily cranked.

There had to have been a fortune spent on fireworks alone, not to mention the bands, sound systems (I'm sure some of those were rented), food, drink, rented tables and chairs, and party tents (all big business year-round here).

If you're worried about putting rice and beans on the table for the family, you're not going to spend near as much on the trappings necessary for a great bashment for your family and friends, so that is my rationale for saying things have improved markedly.

Out of the almost six years that we've been here, this was by far the biggest, loudest, most long-lasting celebration of the new year that we have witnessed. At least I hope it is a sign that the economy here is improving. It will only help if it is.

Well, since we're on New Year's as the topic, things just didn't wind down, they kept going. Earl and Gail had their traditional New Year's Day Brunch, which we made it to for the first time in a couple of years.

Quite a Feast

This always attracts a large crowd of folks. There were people we haven't seen in a long time. There were also people we hadn't ever seen before. It was all fun. And just a ton of food to eat. Earl too, had a great ham to wolf down.

Everyone Getting Comfy

Gail and Earl's back yard is big enough that they could spread tables and chairs out for everyone to enjoy. That is, until it decided to dump bucketfulls of rain all over. Earl literally worked up a sweat getting all the tables and chairs under cover before the guests all arrived. That goodness their back veranda or patio is easily large enough to handle the crowd.

Nice Covered Patios

Lots of Folks Outside

Not only were there lots of folks outside, but in the dining area inside, there was no shortage of people either. And there too, there was no sense of being crowded.

Even More Inside

Looking the Other Direction

Not everyone is so easily impressed. Young Thomas, Ed and Maria's boy, ignored the goings-on and concentrated on his Lily-Pad..., Leap-Pad..., (something like that) interactive computer learning toy/thing.

Some Are Not Impressed With the Festivities

Just about the time we left Earl and Gail's, the rain slacked off and the sun began to appear.
Which was fortuitous, since we had our own event to get back to. We hosted the second annual Corozal Men's Group Polar Bear Swim.

Our Intrepid Polar Bears

With water temps barely able to reach 83°(f) on the thermometer, it's only brave souls strong enough to jump into the pool.

Braving the New Year's Day Chill

Complete with pot luck snacks, a tee shirt, specially printed for the event, and, I wouldn't have believed it possible with the rain earlier, but glorious sunshine as the hardy swimmers braved the icy chill of our swimming pool to earn their tee shirts.

Showing Off

One of the Men's Group members, Doug, was called back to Canada on short notice. I outfitted him with a tee shirt on the promise that he would provide documentation of his completing an appropriate swim to earn his shirt.

Doug In Canada

He sent down a photo of himself and some friends fulfilling his obligation on New Year's Day no less. He said it was -4°(f), the hot tub was 102°(f) and the beer somewhere in between. I wonder, what is that white stuff all around them?

So, after the polar bear swim festivities and ceremonies, we were finally able to relax. My God. I don't remember a holiday season here in Corozal that was as all-encompassing and as all-exhausting as this one. It's going to take the rest of the year to recouperate and prepare for next year.

Braving the Chilly Waters

Several members of the Corozal Men's Club (TKWDN) along with their wives and friends braved the frigid waters this first day of the new year 2012, in the first ever (and we hope, continuing) Corozal Men's Club Polar Bear Swim and BBQ.

We even had certificates to hand out along with a commemorative t-shirt (available at cost, of course) for those brave enough to at least dip a toe into the frigid waters.

Polar Bear Swim Certificate of Accomplishment and T-shirt

Everything kicked off around one PM with very nice weather, sunshine and scattered clouds, with the temp a chilly 82 - strangely, the same temp as the water.

Alan and Elsie Sporting Their New Tees

Elsie was in charge of setting things up so that, after the swim, loading the plates went smooth and orderly, so that we minimized hypothermia among the participants. Alan was co-Chef d'Barbecue and made sure none of the hot dogs suffered unnecessarily.

Bruce and Denis made sure there was an orderly distribution of certificates and t-shirts among the participants.

Bruce Keeping Track Of Certificates and Tees

 And, here's the tees, all in order.

The Tees Ready For Distribution

The certificates were impressive. Many, including Chuck, said they were suitable for framing.

Chuck Showing Off His New Certificate

The t-shirts, probably not suitable for framing, were a popular feature as modeled by Colleen. Although one has to wonder why she's holding a capped bottle of beer.

Colleen Showing Off Her New Tee

There were a lot of conversations going on around the place. Groups formed and reformed all afternoon.

Polar Bear Revelers

A lot of this activity, I'm sure, was simply folks working up the courage to get in the water. It did take a certain amount of bravery to do that.

Never A Shortage Of Conversation

Always a good tale to be told.

Some More Of the Crew

The menu didn't vary much, as we only had hot dogs - some with cheese in them and some without. But, Doug and Alan ran a tight ship around the BBQ pit. This was the first tryout for our BBQ, made from an old butane gas bottle. Slow to heat up, but once it got going, they managed to keep everything from burning. Good job guys!

Doug and Alan Our Erstwhile Chefs d'Barbecue

As you can see, it took a fair amount of lubrication to keep the barbecue process functioning smoothly. I'm sure Carlo Rossi played a large part in that.

Doug Hard At Work

It actually took more that just the two of them to manage the BBQ area. Here's a few of the folks who volunteered to help during the cooking process. Good cooks always want lots of help in the kitchen, don't they?

Just Hangin' Around

It was a struggle throughout the afternoon as people gamely tried to enter the local waters. It required a herculean effort just to get down the steps. In fact, it nearly took your breath away upon first entering the pool.

Elsie and Maria Braving the Frigid Waters

We had several different groupings of folks braving the waters. Here's another shot of some of the revelers in action.

Roger, Maria Elsie and Dianna Braving the Frigid Waters

Like I said, the commemorative t-shirts were a popular item. Some folks required more assistance than others in getting theirs on correctly as Elsie demonstrates, helping Alan get his sorted out.

Elsie Helping Alan With His New Tee

Ahh, the official, big, group photo of most of the brave polar bears. There's Twyla fullfilling the letter of the requirements with a toe dipped in the icy waters.

Braving the Frigid Waters For The Official Foto

Colleen even brought over a centerpiece for the table. A cute little bobble-head ornament who dances the hula. It's uncanny how much he looks like Jim, one of our former members, now living up north in Florida.

Colleen's Musical Hula Ornament - Looks Suspiciously Like Jim

Of course, all good things must come to an end. Just about the time things here were beginning to wind down, the heavens unleashed buckets of rain. And more rain, and more rain. In fact, once it started, it didn't quit till early in the morning of the 2nd. in fact, it's thundering outside right now, so I don't think it's done yet.

Of Course, Later In The Day It Turned

We managed to finish just in time. Colleen and Bruce had ridden their bikes here, getting their feet wet coming through the mud and rainwater crossing the the road. They left just before this latest downpour started. I imagine they had a time of it getting back home.

Rain And More Rain

We were lucky to have such nice weather for the polar bear soiree. Yesterday, New Year's Eve, Colleen and Bruce had an afternoon New Year's party, complete with ham. We missed that because of so much rain at the time. I thought this was supposed to be the dry season. I think we've gotten more rain in the past month than we did all through the rainy season.

Our road certainly looks like it. We've been severely hampered walking the dogs - the water and mud on the road is too deep. In fact, in some places on the road it's nearing the bottom of the doors on an SUV. Some cabbies have even refused to try driving through the mess.