Vote Early And Vote Often

That's just a great quote - I think from the late Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daly. Well, if he didn't really say it, he probably meant to. For me, once is enough, thank you.

As Expats we get to do some things just a bit differently than folks up north. For instance, voting...

Washington state even allows you to email your ballot in. We downloaded the ballot and an affidavit form which also is a waiver of secrecy. We filled out our ballots, filled out and signed the affidavit, created a PDF for each of the 7 pages of our ballots and form, then emailed the PDF to the Thurston County Auditor's Office.

What could be easier - well, other than voting online? Of course, we still have to snail-mail our paper ballot and affidavit, but that doesn't have to arrive til like November 25, 2008! Pretty cool I must say.

In talking with Mae and Craig (who vote as Oregon residents), apparently, not every state has a vote-by-email feature, so I guess they're pretty progressive up there in the other Washington.

Yes Indeedy! We did...

Does it make a difference? Voting, that is... Who knows? I feel better having done it. Now, since we've voted, the system will know that and all the political ads on TV, etc., will magically disappear. Right? R-i-g-h-t... (I actually had more fun making the graphic than voting).

Now, about Saturday's work on the deck and other things. Well, the guys made a lot of progress on the deck. It's now about a third completed, including the access hatch, which looks pretty cool with the pattern reversed.

Here's John Supervising the Woodwork

It's really looking good, and big too. It should be really nice for relaxing on, sunbathing, reading, etc., all at the same time, with plenty of room so as not to bash into each other while doing it.

The Cool Access Hatch

Around the Spa

The Other Direction

Two-Thirds Yet to Go

The drain work Cody had been working on, is all done. He installed a 3" pipe, running to the canal, with joins for the pool French drain alongside two sides of the pool, pool overflow, pool filter back-flush and one round floor drain more or less in the middle of the back garden area towards the canal. This should help keep things nice and dry.

Cody's Drain Work Is All Done

Also, as a safety measure, I hired Sammy, a guy who had done a lot of work for Mae and Craig on their property across the street, to chop most of the lot next door to us.

Sammy Chopping the Defensible Fire Perimeter

I'm hoping to accomplish two things, one - to create more of a fire-break in case we have another burn, and two - to provide less of a hidden area for shady characters to do whatever they do, not that we've had problems with that - just once. But that's enough. We'll nip it in the bud, "right now" (with "right now" in the Gringo sense, not the Belizean sense).

Eustace Hard At It

I've asked Sammy to leave the medicinal and ornamental plants and trees and to get rid of all the "pie-zen" wood, as they say and other bad plants. He's hired two other guys to work with him on it. They'll be done by this afternoon. He also hired Eustace, a local art wood carver who owns a chain saw, to whack some of the larger poison wood trees. As you can see, the cleared areas really make a difference. They'll be able to burn the debris in about two or three weeks - depending on rain.

A Nice Cleared Fire-Break

And, finally, have a happy "Pan-American Day". It's a national holiday here in Belize, celebrated today and tomorrow as most offices, etc., will be closed. I think it used to be known as Columbus Day, but in the words of the song "Columbus" by Burning Spear:

I and I old I know
I and I old I say
I and I reconsider
I and I see upfully that
Christopher Columbus is a dam blasted liar
Christopher Columbus is a dam blasted liar
Yes Jah

He's saying that, he is the first one
who discover Jamaica
I and I say that,
What about the Arawak Indians and the few Black man
Who were around here, before him
The Indians couldn't hang on no longer
Here comes first Black man and woman and children,
In a Jam Down Land ya
A whole heap of mix up and mix up
A whole heap a ben up, ben up,
We have fi straighten out,
Christopher Columbus is a dam blasted liar
Christopher Columbus is a dam blasted liar
Yes Jah

He's not held in any high regard by the indigenous peoples in the Caribbean. My opinion is somewhat mixed. I think I side more with the people's sentiments than that of the "colonial downpressor mon".