ONE ... of My Favorite Things!

                                       One of my favorite things to see .........

                                                            because .........

                                                    it means I am doing this!

                             Sculling - one of my all-time favorite activities! =)  

You may question the terminology and want to call it rowing but www.usrowing.org says:

     Sculling: Athletes (cough, cough) with 2 oars - one in each hand - are scullers.  

Wikipedia adds:  Sculling generally refers to a method of using oars to propel watercraft in which the oars touch the water on both the port and starboard sides (yes, I know which is which) of the craft. By extension, the oars are also often referred to as sculls when used in this manner, and the boat itself may be referred to as a  scull.

SO. .. I'm a sculler, riding in a scull, using sculls (really? - I call them oars) to scull.  
                       (Is this the Department of Redundancy Department? =)


                                                    Anywho ..........!

                                                 I LOVE to scull...!!!

                                      SO..... that means I get to see this:
                                

       Yes, there are mountains in Belize - within view of the lagoon. Elevation: pretty low! =)

                                                                 and this - 

            It could be Martin's private water ski lake - hidden off the main lagoon - except ....

                                              it's only about 2 feet deep.

                                                         and these -

                                                  Which are Mangroves

                                            What is a Mangrove you ask?

                                     Lesson # 2 in this blog coming right up .......

Mangroves are a survivor plant; with their roots submerged in water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy, salty conditions. Due to a series of impressive adaptations - including a filtration system that keeps out much of the salt - the mangrove lives where water and sand meet. It has a complex root system holds the plant upright in the shifting sediments that are typical of ocean areas.

I'm just gonna say: They are pretty amazing plants that grow in salt water, are along nearly every shoreline in the area & provide pretty scenery along with a place for all the terrific wildlife to nest in, sit in or hide under.

                                 Here's a baby mangrove - just starting out.  

                                    More mountains and wide open spaces

              Trees & bushes everywhere - mostly saw palmettos and mangroves here 

                                  A mini-sandbar - picnic, anyone? =)

                                   Blue sky, puffy white clouds, glass water

I've been known to even cross the oars on the scull, lay back (albeit not totally comfortable) and just relax while I drift & look up at the blue, blue sky. Side Note:  Martin's Grandma Lou always said "The blue color of the sky was only possible by God's hand."  She had searched her whole life (she lived to be over 100+ years) to find the same color, in man- made items - but it was never quite as vibrant.

           All of this - so I can be outdoors & have exercise I enjoy! Pretty sweet, I'd say!  

Guanacaste National Park

Come along, on a short hike, with Martin & me as we walk the easy trails of Guanacaste National Park.  It is located on the Western Highway at the turn-off to Belmopan in Belize.

                              

Guanacaste National Park is a 50-acre park in central Belize. It is named after a huge Guanacaste tree that escaped being logged because its trunk divided into three bases, reducing its value as timber.

Admission $1BZ for locals; $5 non-nationals.  We received a personal, verbal orientation to the park from the guide whom we paid our admission fee to - very thorough & helpful.

Immediately once we step on the path we are encompassed in a tunnel-like covering of green leaves and sunshine.  Tho` there are only two miles of trails, we find something to stop, look at, watch or listen to - every step of the way.

                 Huge, old trees that are of such hard wood they don't decay quickly.

              At an overhanging lookout, we can see an old structures - now abandoned.

This is the colossal Guanacaste (Tubroos) tree from which the park takes its name. This tree is truly an impressive sight with its diameter which can be in excess of six feet and hundreds of the hanging vines and epiphytes (a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rain forests) suspended from the upper reaches of its branches.  * Hey, this blog is educational, too!  =)

                                                      The Belize River

            A young boy is fishing - with string & a hook tied to the end of a plastic bottle.  
                He caught 3 fish in the short time we were at this observation deck.  

                     His sisters were having so much fun swimming, he finally put his "pole" away                                                         and joined them in the river

                          A small stream making its way down to the river.

Philodendron - everywhere on this fallen tree!  And, they are.....  what?  

(See earlier description of "epiphyte." =)

Midway around the second hike we started hearing a consistent sound from up in the trees.  We've heard Howler Monkeys before but these guys were super vocal - they kept at it the whole time we were hiking within range of their sounds.  We never did see them, even when we were right below them.  The trees were too thick with leaves & movement from the wind - but I recorded their calling.  

                                 
                                                            http://youtu.be/a6oOfILCEZ0

There are 9 different species of howler monkey, found throughout the tropical jungles of Central & South America.  Those in Guanacaste NP are black howlers.  The howler monkey is one of the largest species of monkey and can grow to be about 3 feet long.  Despite their size, howler monkeys weigh less than 22 lbs, which allows them to move with more agility through the high trees and hang from branches by their tails when picking fruit.

The howler monkey is thought to have the loudest call of all the primates in the world, being able to project their howling voices up to several miles!  (We agree =)  They move about in troops of around 18 monkeys and spend most of their time sleeping & grooming each other.  They are supposedly one of the least active monkeys as they spend 80% of their time resting.  A howler monkey generally lives to be around 20 years old.  (More education for you, my family & friends!  =)

                                    Some of the other interesting growth

Termite Nest

We were covered in tropical forest the whole way around the National Park.  I kept taking pictures like this because it's so beautiful.

And, lastly... after we left the park we drove out to the countryside just to see more of Belize.  Off the main road, while looking for a fruit greenhouse, we shared the road with this Mennonite farmer, his horses & buggy.  Actually, we often see these in town, as well; this isn't unusual here at all.  Fun times in Belize!  =)

Tribute to Mom

Tribute & Mom does agree ... Belize is GREAT!

Anyone who knew my mom, for even a short length of time, knew she loved plants!  There were plants in every room of the house that had sunlight; all the flowers, bushes, trees in the yard and the garden she planted every spring received her loving care & attention completely. 

When we purchased property here, I told her she would enjoy Belize due to the large number & variety of plants here - especially since they grow nearly everywhere; and the plants she normally had to coddle inside grew with wild abandon outside.  As we were transplanting some Bird of Paradise a week ago, I found a "loopy log" to place them alongside - in hopes of making some type of "attractive grouping."  (Let me just say... plants, creativity & putting something together that would be "eye catching" ...hmm, not exactly my forte`.  It must skip a generation! =)

As I walked around & around the log to decide where to place the plants I realized - right next to the log - were a number of small Boston fern-like plants.  Mom grew Boston ferns easily - inside and out (even tho` we lived in Idaho)!  I immediately thought of her & teared up & smiled at the same time - realizing I was trying to do something she'd do easily & naturally.  It seemed like she was there with me - encouraging me and confirming to me that she also knows ... "Belize is great!"  

                                          All the baby ferns among the new palmetto

                                                       Work, in progress...

The ferns are at the end of the log, mixed in among the little palmettos.  The broad leaf plant (this end of the log) is also a transplant from along the creek near our property.  Another type of "house plant" Mom grew inside.

                      
                              More plants Mom grew that I'm finding here in the wild...

           

            I'd love to transplant these to the property but it seems they REALLY  

like quite a bit of water! 

Michael, our caretaker, has planted plantain & sugar cane along the drainage ditch.  These have only been here about 5-6 months, tho he does plant them as small plants, not seeds.

These plants remind me of the big, Philodendrons Mom had growing in the planter by the front door.  It is actually taro (or the locals call it coco from Malanga coco) and has a root  vegetable very similar to a potato.  They are growing along the ditch-bank, as well.

                                            Taro root - "coco" if you ask any Belizean.  

The house will be in the area behind the logs on the ground & between the trees.  You can see why we had to transplant the Bird of Paradise.  (The logs have now been moved.)  We are waiting on the ground to be drier & solid before the house is brought in.  It's still rather "spongy" in many areas the truck has to drive over.  

It will be interesting to compare these pictures with what's growing a year from now!