Our family must enjoy each other...Gerald & Angela's house is certainly spacious...though often this room was this crowded...curious :) Anyway...lots to be thankful for!
A morning with the family and an afternoon enjoying instrumental music...what of the flying spaceship? A good, but random day.
Ah...warm weather and good company! Brian & Sandi provided the backbone for a splendid time in the Yucatan and Belize. I again have this clarity: the benefits of sunshine are best understood when leaving and returning to 45 degree rainy weather!
We flew into Cancun, headed to Playa del Carmen for the night and then onto a tiny town: Xcalak. The guide book's description of "rickety wooden houses, beached fishing launches and lazy gliding pelicans which make this tiny town plopped in the middle of nowhere a perfect escape" proved accurate. Nothing seemed to be going on, but fishing from the end of the dock and a daily soccer game. 
Several words to the wise: If you overcook a whole fish in too moist a pan, the eyeballs will turn into firm white marbles. Additionally, what may look like the perfect job in the Carribean (reading a book alone in a hammock while guarding a rope fence on the edge of Laguna Baccalar which appears to have nothing to guard against) actually appears quite dull. 
Good food: octopus, fresh tortillas and minimart iced coffee! How do you like the slogan "Everything is beautiful in it's own way, like starry summer nights and the Cafe Pub."
This is the view from the water of Hotel Paraiso in Laguna Baccalar. Good swim across, though Nessie's sister freaked me out in the middle :)
On to Belize! Belize (formerly British Honduras) is the only South American country with an official language of English. Kreol, Garinagu and Metizo are the largest ethnicities...not just another Spanish colony, rather a product of tumultuous Caribbean history. Again paying attention in World History could have paid off, as my expectations were that Belize was just another Mexico. Not so!
Most of our time was spent in Dangriga...very small town. Fellowship there was very sweet and both the children and the adults were endearing. Also...had the best banana cake of my life here...8 bananas in one cake...imagine the moisture! Very good days! Another time, visiting the Great Blue Hole could be nice, but wouldn't choose it over what we enjoyed! 
On our way North after gladly maxing out the seating capacity on our rental minivan, we stopped for a day/night in Tulum. The tourist-ridden ruins preside over a ruggest coastline and are quite beautiful....but still just ruins! A sweet Swiss couple joined us here on our treck futher North to Puerto Morelos. One of my more giddy moments here were when we were trying to figure out how the eggs were cooked on a half-Spanish half-English menu. It seems that eventually everyone gets to the stage of whatever-they-think-I-ordered-they-will-bring-me-and-I-will-eat-it...smile!
Simple living! Happy days! Wandered by this hammock shop without noticing the baby in it...daycare...complete with a mosquito coil....smile! And how's this for a refined version of Les Schwab?! Excellent service! As for the boats on the grass, Hurricane Ida was expected to come close...missed...whew!
And now for a highlight...diving! An open water scuba certification later and I have the bug!
The instructor who liked the sound of his own voice, the pool time, the time bonding with the scuba book learning about buoyancy, thermoclines, etc., the conquering of innate low-level fear, the good company, the cenote, the seemingly clutzy intrusion into the underworld...all of it...glorious!
These last two pictures are from an evening excursion to Playa del Carmen. Nice place...but really our no-post-office town of Puerto Morelos served us quite well! How to wrap this up...hmmm....suffice it to say that at times I didn't know if I really wanted to come home...smile!
A craving for Key Lime Pie sent me googling on "Best Key Lime Pie Recipe". I landed on one from Emeril Lagasse (you can see the full recipe here).
I opted to use the small pre-made graham cracker crusts and made only half the recipe. This made it quick...but oh so delicious. To create this culinary masterpiece ;) put the mixture of 1 14-ounce can condensed milk, 1/2 cup lime juice and one egg in the crusts and bake for 15 minutes at 375. Chill. Somehow put mixture of 1/2 cup sour cream with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar on chilled mini-pies and grate on some lime zest and voila!!
The Hartford Marathon! Or half marathon, that is. Terrible time...had nothing to do with the great course! Nice chance to see Cousin Janna though!
A day in Boston on the front end gave us a chance to be tourists and walk the Freedom Trail. Here's a tedious job I wouldn't want...restoring the brick in the Quincy Market!
Before heading back to Boston for Sunday, we took a detour and spent a night in Cape Cod. Didn't quite feel like the Kennedy-quality-holiday-locale that I expected. Did try the full-bellied fried clams though....smile! And for the record...I'm not sure that New England in the fall has anything on Stevens Pass in the fall!
Aren't they adorable? And good tour guides for the Harvard campus!
Anyway, good trip, good company (but we missed you Angela!) and another medal down!
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