More Christmas Stuffing

Don't be misled by the title. I meant, not the dish, but us, stuffing ourselves. Yesterday evening, we went over to Elsie's, along with Doug (his wife Twyla is currently freezing in Canada at her folks) and Denis and Vivien for a very nice turkey dinner. Of course, I had to have two full helpings - it was so good. I just got absolutely stuffed. Not only was the food good, but we all shared some very nice red wine, which was a welcome treat. Nice conversation, nice food, nice people. Thanks Elsie.

Christmas Dinner At Elsie's

Elsie was nice enough to let me use the photo above (Thanks, Elsie). Mine came out, but was way too dark to use,.

Also, yesterday, again while walking the doggies, we came into downtown to visit the market. The only vendor open was a couple of Rastafarians who had pulled up with their car, unloaded several crates of fruit and veggies and, of course, had some vintage reggae just blasting from their vehicle stereo system - the proverbial 'jukebox on wheels'. Anyway, I needed to get some bananas, so I stopped and chatted for a bit and bought the 'nanners' from them. After putting them into Secret's pack we headed out from downtown up 6th Avenue, which is a bona fide street, although to look at it, you'd swear it's just an alley way.

A couple of blocks up 6th, we were passing a small wooden house. I glanced over and saw a touching Christmas display. I had to rein in the girls and snap a photo of the scene.

Christmas in Corozal

Their tree and decorations took up half of their entry stoop. They even had a table still set up from their Christmas dinner the previous evening. I just thought it was a very nice shot of local Christmas. The conch shells lend a particular flair to the scene.

Well, everyone now will be gearing up for New Year's Eve, once they've slept off last night's celebrations. The band or DJ that played last night at the Swing Bar, also known as the Jam Rock (we call it Corozal's only Irish pub - Jam Rock... Shamrock...), played till 4:00 AM. No wonder things were moving slow downtown this morning. The music had to have been deafening - Jam Rock is over a mile from our house as the crow flies, and we could hear it with no problem. Thank goodness we have a white noise machine in the bedroom. We'd have never gotten to sleep without it.

I forgot to mention that Wendy came over and brought us the nicest bag of stuff for a Christmas present. Some pistachio nuts, a couple of little Christmas tree ornaments, a hot pad, and the cutest wine bottle - skirt I guess you'd call it. Looks pretty cool. Thanks Wendy.

Wendy's Cool Present

And, of course, I can't quit without one shot of Dianna hard at work in the kitchen making Christmas chocolate chip cookies.

Dianna, Baking Cookies

And, not that I'd say anything, but if you know how Dianna cooks, well, let's just say that sometimes the kitchen looks like a bomb has gone off in it when she's done. Although you can't tell from the picture, the kitchen was something like that description. She convinced me to wash the dishes - a small price to pay for some good cookies.

It's A Work In Progress

Yesterday, the work began on rehabbing our canal bank and getting ready to build the bulkhead to guard against future erosion (I hope).

It's Going to be a Big Job

Actually, some of the work began a couple of days previously, when Agusto brought several bags full of bags - used sugar bags that will form the basis of our bulkhead. We also had a truckload of gravel delivered. Sand will come today around 9:30 AM. Luckily, there's a smidgen of sand left from previous projects that the guys can use till that load arrives.

And the Work Commences

The first step in the project is calving off the pieces that are already in danger of falling. Along with that, the guys had to venture into the water, braving the constant threat of crocs (we have some nine-footers that have come through lately - but they're pretty timid.) to check the depth of the water and to see what the bottom is like.

Checking the Boat Slip Depth

Turns out, surprisingly for me, that the depth in the canal is averaging about five to six feet, while the depth of the boat slip area is around ten to twelve. There's also a couple of large rocks that will be left in place, with the bulkhead being built and incorporating the rocks into the construction.

In the image below, those rocks are at either end of the bank. The one to the right you can see with no problem - it's huge. The one on the other corner is about 2-feet below the surface, and it's probably about as big as the other one.

Smoothing Out the Bank

Also yesterday, the first load of cement arrived. We have that stowed under Elsie's parking palapa.

Work Progresses on Elsie's side as well

Speaking of Elsie's side, the guys spent time in the water checking her bank and depths as well. Work will begin in earnest today. Yesterday afternoon, the guys brought the mixer, the 'machine' as they call it. After ensuring it would start, and had oil and gas, they knocked off as there really wasn't enough time to begin filling bags in any meaningful way.

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Some of the other things that have been going on around Casa Winjama and Corozal in general - sort of a 'Sunday Grab Bag', only this is a 'Tuesday Grab Bag'.

Alsn and Elsie at Hailey's

Elsie's back in town. She'll only be staying for a month or so before she heads for Argentina and Antarctica! You know Elsie. That backpack just can't stay in storage. She brought along a friend of hers, Alan, also from the Calgary area of Canada.

Here's a Coupl'a Cool Dudes In The Pool
(Thanks to Elsie For the Photo & Letting Me Post It)

He has about another week here before he heads back north. Today, he and Elsie are going to tour the Lamanai Mayan ruins. Which is just as well.

We received word the other day that BEL (Belize Electricity, Ltd.) is cutting off current (electricity) for the whole Corozal District today from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Dianna and I plan to spend significant time in and around the pool today if it's not raining or something.

Checking for Leaks?

Speaking of the pool, the past few days, we noticed that the pool water level kept dropping a few inches. I'd top it up, and over the next few hours, you could tell it was going down. Of course, our first thoughts were some sort of leak caused somehow by the bank problems we're having. Such isn't the case. Cody, our caretaker, noticed the main pump appears to have sprung a leak, so some of what I have to do today is to try and fix that. If it isn't one thing, it's something else, y'know?

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And speaking of Christmas, Dianna really wanted to decorate for Christmas this year. So, we spared no expense when we went to Cinty's and bought a 4' tree, computer-controlled lights, and a box of ornaments, all for $30.00 BZD. Where else could you get such a deal?

Dianna Unpacking the Tree

Dianna Decorating the Tree

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 Last night, we went to Patty's for dinner. Patty's for those who don't know, has just recently moved to new quarters.

Ivan Welcoming Us to Patty's New Location

They have kept the same menu and prices, but the decorating has undergone major changes. Gone is the handwriting on the wall - so to speak. All the witticisms and travelogues from their old location are part of history. Patty's is featuring clean, nicely painted walls.

The food was excellent as always. We went with Elsie and Alan, and ran into Lynn and Rachael, who both joined us. Rachael is from California, and is staying at Lynn's Almond Tree Inn for a week or so - one of those working vacation sort of things.

All Of Us At Patty's For Dinner
(Thanks to Elsie For the Photo & Letting Me Post It)

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The other thing I worked on this past week was, again, with the pool. This time, the solar blanket, or rather, the straps that connect it to the reel. The straps all rotted and broke. I suspect mostly UV damage from the sun.

Broken Cover Straps

Discovering where to get replacement straps has been an effort. It's not easy to find quality nylon strapping here. I finally found some at one of the two large fabric stores in Chetumal. It's so nice now that we're able to travel freely over there.

 

Ready to Repair the Straps

All Done Repairing the Straps

It turned out to be an easy job to do. After about an hour dangling my feet in the wet stuff, I was all done.

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And, as a parting shot, I have to hurry, as the current goes off in about 10 more minutes, here's a shot of the new moon, just before sunrise. I took this at Doug and Twyla's while waiting with the doggies before we started off on the morning walkies.

New Moon Over Corozal