All Over the Map and Six Degrees of Separation Between Belize and Montana

It has been a busy past couple of days. My here there and everywhere started Friday morning at 7:00am morning show with Eiden Salazar and Anthony Anderson to announce our new San Pedro Branch board and promote the Red Cross Belize Medical  Safety program. Afterward I was collecting money for Tuesdays certified first aid course and taking pictures for Jessie from BRC. She emailed me and said that she needed pictures of San Pedro for the cover of VCA and could I send some from San Pablo, San Pedro Town, San Pedrito, San Juan and San Mateo, I threw in Boca Del Rio beach side and road as well.

I struck out in town collecting as it was just two early after the morning show. Thankfully the post office let me in a few minutes early to drop off a letter inviting them to send staff for first aid training and that their spaces are paid for. Thanks to Cowboy’s Pool bar and grill and Leisa Mercer, I can now tell them when I check back on Monday that their lunches are also paid for. I nominated Mr Ack to be the first one for training, since he was at the end of season NEMO thank you party. I am looking for 2 more sponsored spots so we can get all of the post office lined up for training.

I knew that by the time I walked from town to Banana Beach I  would be able to make some collection headway. They had their money for Carolyn’s certification, the spot El Divino sponsored and  Victoria House had sent a check there for me. I also got to say goodby to Chris Cross as he was checking out from his extended stay at the resort and heading to the mainland with Cowboy Doug.

Before we were done saying our goodbyes, Dick texted that he was ready to help me in my Red Cross duties. He met me at Banana Beach and we set off to pick up my camera and Angie so we could go take pictures of the different areas of Ambergris Caye. As we drove around the island we had a great time listening to music on roads less traveled and stopping at a couple of local places to eat along the way. At our first food stop we decided to share a shrimp quesadilla. It was so good with it’s buttery crust we devoured it like hungry tarpons and I never got a picture. After our snack break we had just enough time to go collecting first aid funds,  get some fried fish on the beach, drop Angie off at home and head back to town meet Erika at the water taxi.

The next day I still needed to snap a few more pictures and ended up tying that into plans with Leisa. She texted me that she was heading to the airport to drop Cowboy and Chris off at the airport for the 11:00 flight to Municipal Airport. She wanted to meet for lunch an give me Grand Caribe money for 2 staff getting first aid and the lunch money for the post office boys from her and the pool bar. Grand Caribe Resort is also paying their staff for lunches – add The Phoenix, Victoria House Resort and SACNAW for doing same.

While seeing the boys off at Topic Air we experienced yet another six degrees of separation between Belize and Montana – had so many I lost count. This time a politely overheard conversation from the people beside us seeing their kids off  to international turned into friendly chat about Montana. It turned out the kids were going back to school at  Bozeman  MT State University.  In my Daydreaming of X’tan Ha post from Thursday, Eye Doctor Tom Sather, who was mentioned  is also from Bozeman  Montana and the Mercers are from  Billings Montana. While I am at it, shout out to my Helena Montana Weatherman Brent Doig and his gf Lisa – see you soon.

Since Leisa was up for fun I decided to take her on an off the beaten path adventure and we went to the same lunch spot from yesterday. We tried the conch fritters, popcorn shrimp and fries – this time I took pictures before we inhaled the food 🙂 Our friends offered us a taster of their conch ceviche and it was really good too. After we were pleasantly full we went back island shopping, Leisa scored on shorts and shirts, I was in dress mode and picked up a few of new ones. In between our shops we did a few pit stops at Barrel, Bar, Geo’s and lastly El Dvino then parted ways.

Not wanting to go on the poker run and not wanting to go home either I dropped my stuff off and went over to see Dick, Erika and Zac. We watched a slideshow of Dicks Antarctica pictures, they were stunning. After we were done we decided to go on a town tour. We hit the beach road till Boca Del Rio park then turned around stopped for a bit to  play in the sand and sea then headed to the park for street meat. Zac was being good and he did not eat any, Dick and I went right for the fully loaded Homer Simpson burgers and Erica went for a healthier option of a shrimp  burrito. I was in full bad girl mode chased it down with a taco for desert followed by DandE’s frozen custard stop. That was the place I originally threw out there to get those guys to go to town. Nothing like ending your Saturday night eating double rich chocolate with a fudge bulls-eye  on a sugar come with friends – I won the eating contest 🙂

Here is a small snapshot of the many pictures I took at what feels like a gazillion places we stopped in the last 2 days.