Do you have trouble reading this blog?

I've learned that some are having difficulty reading our stories due to the formatting.

That sure isn't fun and defeats our purpose of providing you information and entertainment here! I want to improve the read, so:

If the lines are touching each other or running together, or for any other reason you find this blog difficult to read in your email, please follow the blog link and see if it is better reading there:

CLICK HERE: Roatan Strine Way

Also, if you can screenshot or take a snippet of the offender and email it to me, I'll see what I can do to fix it. Here is what it looks like when I receive it in the email:

If that isn't the case for you and you can help by sending me a screenshot or snippet, please use my blog email address:

 strinebackyard@gmail.com

This might also be a good time to tell me about errors you have found or share suggestions to improve the blog and delivery.

Sent with love & hope for an easier read!

Cathy

Found it!

Mike discovered our trusty truck had a broken tailpipe. Of course, we went to Shorwen for a repair guy referral. Remember, there are no addresses here . . .

. . . There's a painter and a mechanic right next to where the big noah ark are before getting to punta gorda there is a guy there by the name of David he can do that for u.

Cool body shop. More modern than I expected. Mike said it reminds him of the 1960's body shops. Kind of like when he was growing up in his dad's shop. 

There was Dave, who speaks no English, and his son, Jonathan, who translated. There was another worker busy painting a car in a different area. A cute young kid brought out some dusty old chairs for us to sit on while we waited for the diagnosis. Nice people. 

Wow, right?

They want us to bring the truck back on Monday and leave it for two days. $450 USD.

Mike checked in with Shorwen who said that is "too much. way too much. you must negotiate it down."

Yesterday was the first trip down island we'd made without the dogs. We let Marba know we were leaving and asked her to call if their barking got crazy. I did check in with her at one point and she said everything was fine.

We decided to take advantage of our time alone by having lunch at Bella's Place. Her restaurant is unique in that it has a swimming pool for the guests to use. We sure wished we'd had our suits with us. The heat can be oppressive, especially when dealing with a $450 truck repair bill!

Remember how everything is done very slowly here? Nobody is in a hurry. No rush. Manana.

That's all fine and well unless you are overheated, overly hungry, and dealing with a $450 truck repair bill.

We stewed during that hour-long wait for food. But we also enjoyed the breathtaking views!

Ha! Here we are! Scraggly us. Six weeks into our adventure. We need haircuts and pedicures! But that's an adventure is for another day.

For now, there is that $450 repair bill to try to negotiate. Wish us luck!

Where will we live? 

Sometimes I just have to walk out to the end of this dock and take a deep breath. It settles my mind and brings calm back into my being.

This is our 40th day on Roatan and for some reason, I am feeling out of sorts. I really did not think we would have our permanent home only 960 hours in, so that can't be the reason for my anxiety.

So many wonderful things happen nearly every day. We are learning about the island and its people. One of the most profound pleasures for me is that I am finally figuring out how to just BE. That I don't have to be accomplishing something every minute of every day. I don't have to work to "get ahead" and there is no one to compete with.

Yesterday morning we met two new couples who are staying for a few days. All four people loved Rocco and Leo and it is such a thrill to watch our pets learn to nicely interact with new people every week. Some people are afraid and especially of big dogs, and we understand. So we keep both on leashes until we are sure everyone is comfortable with them running free. 

Today Will and Tina, our first island friends, are coming to Camp Bay for a birthday party. We get a little visit time with them around noon. Also, our internet guy, Kurt, and his family are spending some time at Camp Bay Beach so we look forward to seeing them later this afternoon.

I started some green beans and tomatoes in an egg carton last week. This morning I transplanted them to these grow bags.

They say it is difficult to grow vegetables in this (salty) climate, so we are just experimenting.

Friday we did all the regular "down island" errands: Banking, ACE Hardware (their fly traps work!), Eldon's for groceries - and then a special trip to a wood worker's shop to pick up our custom made desk and two chairs!

These are beautiful, beautiful pieces of furniture and our first purchases here! There is only one problem- I wonder if you can see it?

Yep, one leg is a little short! Three legs measure 28 1/2" and the fourth measures 28 3/8". Until it can be fixed, I found two porcelain coasters balance the desk perfectly. Island Life!

But where will we live?

I feel haunted by that thought right now. Remember Harper's Place? Mike and I both really REALLY wanted to live there. We thought we felt it call to us. All four acres and 93 steps. But it is out of our price range and we've had to let that dream go.

 

Lot #10 Camp Bay would be wonderful because we could walk right out onto this beach we love every single day! But the reality is that our home would sit behind a front-row property that could someday house a mansion. The winds would not reach our cottage any more than they do where we are presently staying. That means no natural A/C or bug repellant! Also, the land is relatively expensive and we likely would not have enough cash to finish building.

We were all set for a trip over to St. Helene to look at some property, but inclimate weather is expected so we had to postpone that (boat-access only) trip. And after more discussion, we might be rethinking such a remote location. 

From what we can figure, not all property for sale is listed in the Roatan MLS. Realtors have pocket listings and then lots of land is for sale by owners. Things can get quite complicated if you find a plot of land you like, owned by a local family. We've heard stories of purchases gone bad because not all of the family members could be located, or were not willing to sign off.

The one thing we have not yet done is hook up with a Realtor. I don't know why we haven't. It would make sense to give our wish list to a Realtor and see what they come up with. What calls to us is not complicated. We want to live a very simple life on the east end of Roatan, elevated for the winds and with beach access. 

Our lease here runs until October 13, so there is no rush. We will have one shot at this and we want it to be the right one.

Another option would be to find a place to rent that ticks all the boxes. We can easily live off our income, even with paying rent, and not touch the funds we have set aside for our home purchase. 

As I've been writing here this morning, and Mike and I have been discussing the subject matter, we agree on these things:

• Our eyes are wide open for opportunity
• We will not be rushed
• Giving up on our dream location is not an option

We don't have to know everything right this minute. Ever since we began this journey, paths have been laid in front of us as they were needed. Nothing has changed so why expect anything different? Let's sit back, enjoy the ride, and know that  - - 

Where will we live ? 

 PHOTOGRAPHS 

from the last five weeks

Kitesurfers all over the world come to Camp Bay Lodge to catch the wind. We've met some interesting people over the past five weeks. Made some new friends, too!

We made cookies and bread yesterday. Transitioning from Fahrenheit to Celcius is interesting, too! Mike estimated the indoor temperature to be about 92 degrees when we finished. 

Sneak peek at how we live. We outgrew our allotted 400 sq ft real quick!

Water Ballet?

           Leo after his daily rinse-off from the beach run. 

We had visitors.

Free-ranging Chickens

And the free-ranging beach bum

The days begin and end in breathtaking beauty.

 CERTIFIED BEACH BUMS. All of us.

Even if Mike and I wanted to skip a morning walking the beach, there are two very persistent canines who would make a lazy morning miserable. They know this is part of the daily routine now. I think they love it and I'm pretty sure they dream about it.

Rocco would never jump in the pool at our home in Florida. While he enjoyed laying on the tanning ledge, he absolutely refused to go in and swim (even with our help).

That look says: Leave me alone.

I guess he found his flippers! While the humans and Leo walk the beach, that big Doberman is in and out of the water, swimming and jumping through the surf. He runs way out ahead, turns, and runs all the way back to us. Over and over again.

At the halfway mark (the fence line mentioned in yesterday's post SEE IT HERE), I go for my morning swim. And so does Rocco.

Leo has even started to join us (although he still needs encouragement getting in the water).

We are all getting more exercise than we did before. Even Gizmo the cat!

While Gizmo doesn't go to the beach, he's become somewhat of an escape artist. If the door is open and he feels the Call of the Wild,  he takes off! He's never gone long. It might be 10 minutes later and I see him slinking along in the garden, making a beeline to get back in the loft.

For more, CLICK HERE.

OFF TOPIC

Early this morning when we were still in bed, I felt something on my neck and quickly brushed it off. There was no time to decide what I thought it might be because Mike started swatting whatever the thing was that I brushed off on him (oops). Suddenly he's up and smacking the wall, beating the floor, yelling and trying to turn the light on.

What the heck?

I hated to do it but had to ask: "What was it?"

Cockroach.

And no, he didn't kill it. 

And no, we never did find it. 

That one, anyway.

Excursion: Camp Bay Lot #10

Photo shot while standing on the vacant Lot #10, looking at the Caribbean Sea

We discovered this vacant lot for sale yesterday morning. We pass by it every morning on our walk down the beach. It is one-half mile from where we are staying at Camp Bay Lodge. We never knew there was anything for sale in this fantastic area, until we saw it in the MLS.

We were pretty excited at first. We love the beach here, and the Caribbean Sea sightline goes on forever. I'd never get tired of looking at that.

Lot #10 is "second row." In the first photo, the lot you see beyond the truck is vacant (but not for sale) so, for now, there are unobstructed views!

There is also a vacant lot between this one and the next which has a little beach cottage on it.

The fence you see borders the property and is the same fence we see every morning on our walk:

Imagine seeing that every morning, just steps from the front door. Better yet, imagine being able to walk this beach for the rest of our lives!

The lot is small at 0.28 of an acre. That feels like a loss since our original plan included four acres of land. So to help keep perspective, we started a Pros & Cons sheet for each property we see.

Mike is so outgoing, which is a really good thing since I am not. I would never stop someone and start asking all kinds of questions. Lucky for us, Mike has no problem with that and so we are constantly surprised with what our days can bring!

As we were tooling around (Lot #10 is set back in the jungle, quite a distance from the main road), Mike stopped our truck to speak to a woman on the side of the little road that winds through these lots. She pointed to her home, which is beachfront and one we often admire on our walks. We asked many questions about the area and she so graciously answered them all! 

Then she invited us in to see her home! I never stop being amazed at the kindness and generosity of these local islanders. I would guess her to be in her mid-forties. She is quite beautiful- tall and willowy, dark-skinned with hair nearly to her waist. Her entire demeanor is soft yet you know she has to be tough as nails to be a native Roatanian. 

I wish I had pictures of her house. She and her husband built it about three years ago and it is of the pod style we are most interested in. There is a pod for the general living space. Her son was in there doing schoolwork. There are 3 separate bedroom pods, each with a small bathroom and closet. The bedrooms have doors that lead out to a balcony that overlooks the Sea. There was a room for the cistern. All of these pods connect to the main living area, set under a thatch palapa roof. Here we found hammocks and comfortable chairs for relaxing.

Interesting fact: During email correspondence with our host when I was asking what he knew about Lot #10, he mentioned this family and apparently the husband is "famous (or notorious) on the island depending on how you have gotten on with him." The things you learn.

More importantly, we also learned this: 

"I am not sure if anyone told you this yet, but the large parcel of land between the Lodge and those houses is owned by Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones.  They are getting ready to build some kind of large resort/residential development on that land. Just wanted you to be aware of that in case it would make a difference in your decision."  

Ah, yep, that does make a difference. The Lodge being a half mile away with the kitesurfer activity of people coming and going concerned us a bit, but knowing that the vast uninhabited stretch we love on this beach will someday be no more . . . yeah, that negatively impacts us.

Back to the drawing board, but first I must tell you about the man and his horse!

We see this young guy nearly every day riding his horse on the beach and alongside where we live. We always wave to each other. Yesterday we met Elon for the first time. Such a charming young guy, although older than I originally thought. Conversation with the islanders always comes around to the fact that we are not visiting but have moved here and are looking for a permanent home. You could see the ideas running through Elon's mind as we spoke. His parting words were, "I'll find you the property and come to work for you! I can do anything you need." Fist bump.

These people. I think they are half the reason we are here. I am aware each time I meet a native islander that I read no judgment in their eyes. Of course we've met some scammers, just as you would anywhere. People trying to get by. Life has become more difficult for the people of Roatan since one of their main sources of income lies in the tourism industry, and they must survive as they best know how. But for the most part, when I look into a local woman's eyes as I did with Sarita yesterday, I get a sense of genuine caring. An offer to bond. An opportunity for friendship.

I guess that was a little off the topic of house-hunting, but that was our yesterday. Oh, I did forget to mention the bats - - -

- - - While we were talking in the general area all of the pods meet, there were bats everywhere! Swooshing, flying here and there between the pods! I said, "aren't they supposed to be sleeping during the day?" Our friend just smiled. So now, for a girl with a lifelong fear/distaste for bats (that would be me), I did well to appreciate them and not react. I just stood there watching their antics, feeling the rush of wind from their wings, and silenting thanking them for all they do to keep the bug population down. 

I'm learning.