Cat's Cat (get it?)

Our kitty has brought such joy to our boat. When he's not sleeping he's a blur of fur as he chases and pounces on everything that moves (including our feet). He learned to use his litter box on his very first night (after doing his dooty on the dirt at the marina we put a nougat in a tub of sand on the boat and he totally got the hint). He's claimed a cozy spot with his "blankie" on the shelf above the dinette and sleeps soundly through the night. Thank heavens. As you can imagine, the kids adore him and I often have to break up disputes regarding whose turn it is to "play" with him. Like a favorite new toy. 

Alas, my research has proven that taking him home will be difficult at best. Panama offers the biggest hurdles, requiring expensive licenses, vet visits, and proof of home quarantine. All of which I would obstinately and happily do except that the perfect scenario for a new home for him has magically presented itself here in Placencia. As sad as it will be for us to say good-bye it would be so much more sad to wake up one morning after an all night crossing to find that he's fallen overboard somewhere between Belize and Honduras. I have nightmares. (As if I don't have enough fodder for nightmares. Please.) Besides, he gets seasick. Pobre. So for his sake and my mental well being we will be handing him over to our friend, Tracy, later this afternoon. She will love him as much as we do (she already does). And we'll be taking with us the fondest of memories of our time with our darling little kitty. 

 We've all loved having a kitty on board. He's made our boat feel very homey. 

 He's so cute and little. 

His spot behind the dinette. 

 I wish I could train my kids to barf in their littler box when they're seasick. Brilliant. 

 Kitty's got the helm.

We take him to the islands now and then which he pretty much hates. He meows and meows and looks around like he's being stalked. One time, upon returning from Goff's Cay he thought he could jump to the big boat from the dinghy. He actually would have made it if the sugar scoop had been made of...say...couch and not fiberglass. His little claws could not find purchase and he slid right into the ocean. Emerson was in the water faster than fast and past him up to Cole's waiting hands. The whole thing was over in 2.3 seconds and we all had a belly roll that left us aching. A quick fresh water rinse and a towel dry and he was soon passed out on Cole's lap from the trauma of it all. 

Being a Cat's cat is tough business. 

 

Taste testing this hog fish. Yummy. 

 Playing chess with Emerson. Check.

"Mama says I'm still too little to venture outside, but I'm pretty sure I just saw a flying fish."

 Purrrrrr. 

 He loves to sleep curled up under our chins. 

 Table dancing. 

We're so going to miss this darling face. 

But we're so lucky to have found him a loving home here in Placencia. 

Thanks for loving him, Miss Tracy! 

Clothing Optional

I like to refer to this portion of our trip as the “Clothing Optional” Leg. The kids have come to call it the “Mom! Put Something On!” Leg. Anyway, as far as I’m concerned clothing is simply unnecessary at this latitude. Unless, of course, you are assigned by the capitan to do bow watch on the way to the Blue Hole in order to keep an eye out for protruding coral heads. And, of course, the twins join you on the bow. They’ve never seen the light of day (except for that one time at the lake...). And even though it’s before 9am and you think sunscreen is not yet necessary, 30 minutes of tropical sun proves too much for the most delicate skin of your yonder regions. Thank goodness for the aloe plant you have on board. After two weeks, the peeling has finally subsided and the twins are as pasty white as ever. Tan boobs are simply not in your genetic make up. So sorry. 

So aside from that second degree burn, complete with water blisters, I have so enjoyed the freedom of having the boat and the islands to ourselves and the unlimited options of “island attire” subsequently available to us. {The kids aren’t nearly as enthusiastic. If they weren’t entirely traumatized by life on a small sailboat before, they surely are now.} A’ course, hoisting the main sail without the help of supportive accoutrements hasn’t proven to be the most graceful of maneuvers. And there was that one time while the twins and I were at the helm (in the shade) when from out of nowhere, hidden by the genoa until it was entirely upon my port quarter, appeared a shuttle dory full of locals commuting to work from Coco Plum Cay to Dangriga. I jumped in utter shock, having seen nary a soul in two days, gathering the twins protectively in my arms. The locals waved heartily in my direction, smiles all around, and I gave them my very best tyrannosauras arm wave back while the girls turned a brilliant shade of crimson, and not from the sun.*

Due to the aforementioned nature of this leg I don’t have many pictures that are suitable for sharing.

But I will say this...

Stunning.

The turquoise of the water contrasted by the pasty white of the....sails. 

Surprisingly stunning. 

*Cross your arms across your chest. Now wave without moving your arms. This is the tyrannosaurus wave. Haven't you seen Toy Story? 

Holiday Ro-o-o-oad.....

As most of you know we LOVE a good road trip. And, of course we love a holiday within a holiday. So to celebrate Soli’s birthday weekend we rented a sweet ride and took the kids on an inland adventure through the beautiful Belize countryside.  

It was so cozy to be back in an SUVwith the kiddies buckled safely into the back seats and my hubby behind the wheel. 

Gorgeous colonial architecture in Belize City. 

Countryside outside of Belmopan near Spanish Lookout. 

I love this little house. Typical Belizean style. 

We started our adventure on Saturday morning with a visit to the Belize Zoo. The highlight was the private jaguar encounter with Junior Buddy the jaguar. He entertained us with somersaults and kisses while the kids got to feed him chicken legs, scratch his back and feel his velvety soft paws (through a specially designed cage, of course).

 

Then back on the road, we stopped for a yummy Belizean lunch at Cheers. (Dave wants you to ignore his gray and I want you to ignore my wrinkles. I guess that's what happens when you take 4 kids sailing in the Caribbean for five months. Hmmph.)

On to our fabulous hotel, the Five Sisters, in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve where we swam in the falls and enjoyed the cooler mountain climate. I was enthralled by how happily the pines and palms intermingled. It was sensational to see fire flies zipping through the bromeliad clad pine trees. And the smell! A mix of pine and vanilla orchids and plumeria. Heavenly. Have I mentioned that you simply must visit Belize?

The staff was waiting with tropical beverages when we checked in! Shut up. Such unadulterated pampering. I almost cried. And check out the view of The Five Sisters Falls. 

The falls at Five Sisters. 

So refreshing...

The fresh water was a welcomed respite. 

The kids clamored all over the rocks with only a 25% "slip-and-fall" rate. Just a couple of bruises and a headache but luckily she didn't have a concussion. Sheesh. 

 It felt like Tahoe in the summer. (But the water was warmer - no snow melt.)

Emerson will be twelve next month. He's struggled some over the past few months with the infiltrating hormones. Homeschooling, living on a sailboat and sleeping with his sister haven't helped the mood swings. Oh the joys of tweenagehood. 

Cole was quick to find a section in the slippery rocks where he could make a water slide. Yee-haw!

This trip has been good for family bonding. Once we got over the initial shock, that is. Or maybe because of the initial shock. Hmm.

Being one of only two groups on the premises (it's slow season) the staff spoiled us rotten, and our “jungalow” was so absolutely cozy. Perched high above the falls, the subtle roar of the river was soothing and magical. Our jungalow was two levels with a king bed and bath downstairs. It was heavenly to sleep under a down comforter listening to the hum of the falls and breathing in the cool mountain air as it flowed in through the open screened wall.  Upstairs, under the vaulted palapa ceiling, was a queen bed, a queen fold out futon and a second bathroom. A screened in sitting room with hammock, overlooking the forest and falls, was the cherry on top. The Five Sisters Lodge in San Ignacio, Belize. 

Stay there. 

Check out time came all too quickly. But, refreshed, we hit the road anew, armed with peanut butter and banana sandwiches. We passed through the charming twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio then crossed the hand cranked ferry on our way to check out the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich.

Even the kids were impressed with the huge pyramids and the immaculate grounds of the plaza. We learned about the ancient Maya (always homeschooling) and got the special treat of seeing howler monkeys in the wild. 

Adorable aren't they? 

A babe sitting on the branch behind his mama. 

Then we headed back down the hill from Xunantunich and onto the Western Highway for the 72 mile drive home (the entire width of the country). On the way, we drove through the Mennonite community of Spanish Lookout which blew our minds. Not because of the people (it was Sunday - not a soul was out and about), but because we felt like we were driving through Anytown, Middle America. We’ve become so accustomed to the traditional Belizean style wooden clapboard homes on stilts that seeing U.S. style homes with basements and bay windows and crew cabs parked out front felt -- well, it felt like home. Honestly, we could have been in the middle of Idaho with its huge grain silos and dairies and John Deer tractor retail warehouses. Leaving Canada and settling here in the 50‘s in search of unrestricted religious freedoms, the Mennonites are responsible for much of Belize’s production of milk, eggs, and poultry. We home schooled about that, too. 

After leaving Mennonite country, we stopped for a delicious dinner at Rosa’s restaurant. Of course no Stewart Family Road Trip would be complete without the adoption of a pet.  (Read the story of Morgen here and the story of Arizona here and here.) This road trip was no exception. While at dinner a darling, pathetically skinny, severely dehydrated kitten appeared out of the bushes, begging for scraps from our table. It took us 6.2 seconds (if that) to collectively decide as a family that there was no way we were leaving that kitty behind to starve to death. So after dinner we loaded back into our Expedition and drove home with our new family member in tow. Now, I’m telling the kids that our job is to get him healthy and find him a new home before we leave Belize at the end of the month. But you and I both know that I am feverishly interneting to find out how we can bring him home to the States. I’m shameless. Bleeding heart, shameless. Shoot me. 

His name? Belize, of course. "BZ" for short. 

Back at home on the boat it was bath time...

...and straight to bed for all weary travelers. 

 ***I scheduled this post to go on-line while we are in the islan's. So by the time you read it we will be checking out the scene at Cay Caulker and maybe up to San Pedro on Ambergris. Then we’ll be heading south back toward Placencia where we will reprovision and pick up Thom who will help crew for the trip back to the Bay Islands of Honduras. In Roatan, Thom will fly out and we’ll pick up the Miami grandparents for the trip back to Panama. We'll stop at Vivarios and the Columbian island of Providencia on the way. We’ll meet up with the cousins in the San Blas Islands of Panama where we’ll outfit all the children with spears and send them out to harass the unsuspecting sea life. Don’t freak out. I’m mostly kidding. Thanks so much for checking in and living this adventure with us. 

It's good to have you along. Hugs, H

Out islan'

I feel like I’ve finally found my groove in "dis islan’ life". My boat finally feels like home. I know where everything goes and where all the kids sleep. I know how to light the oven and turn on the water maker. I can jibe the genoa and dump the septic. I have confidence in my abilities to do laundry by hand and feed my family from the sea. I can tie a bowline, throw a dock line, hoist a haulyard, and charge the house batteries. I can steer the boat and navigate and hold night watch. I can homeschool my kids and feel like I’m doing more GOOD than harm. I adore my husband again. I’m happy. Hallelujah. I won’t lie...it was a ROUGH start, but, after nearly three months, I can say I am content and comfortable in my life at sea. 

And, I daresay, I enjoy it. 

 Sailing across Lighthouse Reef Atoll after leaving the Blue Hole National Monument with Half Moon Cay in the foreground. 

 Jumping off the bow while underway in 5 feet of water on Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Then they would grab onto the paddle board that was trailing off of the transom, climb up the sugar scoop and do it again. All under sail. So fun. 

Half Moon Cay. Home of the Belize Audabon Society's Red-Footed Booby and Frigate Bird Sanctuary. Awesome! The homeschooling field trip possibilities are endless in this tiny, amazing country. You MUST visit this FABULOUS country some day. You simply must. MUST!

 Exploring the sandy paths of Half Moon Cay. 

Iguana on Half Moon Cay.

A Mama Frigate feeding her chick. 

A baby Booby peering down from her precariously perched nest. "Are you my mommy?"

The boys have become wonderfully proficient with their Hawaiian slings bringing home dinner regularly. Beer batter fish fingers with the Culbecks' fry sauce have become a favorite. Although my favorite is hands down grilled snapper fillet with a lemon butter caper sauce. Mmm! Shut up. SO good.


P.S. As dey say here in da Islan's, "Happy Mudda's Day, Mum." 

Dave's Super Fun New Hobby

We so enjoyed Emerson's trailer that Dave started making his own super fun videos of our trip on iMovie. (Amazing the fun things to do on your computer when you have no internet...)

 Below are the youtube links:

Emerson's Trailer

Chapter 1 - Getting Ready 

Chapter 2 - Panama - Honduras

Chapter 3 - Rio Dulce

Birthday Girl....

My baby girl turned 6 yesterday. She's so big. I can't believe it. Happy 6th birthday to my sweet Soleil. We celebrated with a visit to the zoo and a road trip through the Belize countryside. Here's my girl on her special day.  

Our boat was so very festive for Soli's birthday morning. 

 A special package from some special grandparents arrived just in time for the special day.

 Fruity Pebbles and Polly Pockets. It doesn't get much better than that, does it? 

My beautiful girl.

At the Belize Zoo. We have a hard time following rules. Like don't touch the animals. I'm so sorry.
We can't help it.

How old are you? How old? Oh. Six. 

The water slide and "beach" where we are staying at the Cucumber Beach Marina here in Belize City.  The kids are playing there now for a post birthday activity (we celebrate the whole month long) while I enjoy internet and a pina colada at the overlooking restaurant. Ahhh. Heaven. 

Rock on, Sista!! 

We love you, Soli May! Happy Birthday, Baby Girl.

*We've been having the most delightful time sailing through the islands off of Belize. We are here in Belize City for some internet,  reprovisioning, and repairs. Pictures of our island adventures to come. Stay tuned...