I'm back!

Took a while to get internet connectivity back here at home, but at last I'm back on line. My normal routine is to read the New York Times on line when I have my morning coffee, and I've missed it. It's been so busy at work I haven't really had the time to post from there. In spite of the busy-ness, I took last Friday off and, with a friend from my local Rotary Club, drove to Belize City to do a little shopping. It's a 2 to 3-1/2 hr drive, so not something you do too often with gasoline costing $9.50 BZD/gal - which is $4.25 USD. Got a salad spinner, a new rolling pin, some real charcoal, and foods I can't get locally, like all beef hot dogs, peanut oil, white tuna in water, alfredo sauce, blue cheese salad dressing, seedless grapes and egg noodles. The biggest "supermarket" in Belize, Brodies, was originally established in the 1880's, and is true to its history of featuring foods from "away", because they are supposedly better. I took note that a large box of Kelloggs Corn Flakes was from the US, and cost $14 BZD, while I buy the same product and size, but made in Guatemala, costs me $8.60 BZD in Placencia. It was no longer possible to buy that large size in Portland (Me), before I left. I was also able to buy a copy of "Home Cooking in the Global Village - Belizean Food from Buccaneers to Ecotourists" at the publisher's bookstore. It is a wonderful book - I recently read a borrowed copy and wanted my own, in part because it includes a very good history of Belize, and by extension, the British Empire.
The sky continues to be quite wonderful. Although we are in the rainy season, today was sunny, but tonight some rain squalls have passed through. Many nights I've gone up on the roof before going to bed, and watched the heat lightning jump between the puffy clouds in the night sky, with patches of stars as well. Really quite wonderful.
That's it for tonight, more to come!