Changing places

Baja was amazing.  All my students were amazing as well.  Linda Selby and husband Chay were amazing and fun and happy and the food prepared by Brianna was amazing and we're all at least 5# overweight!

My blog will continue at suzilong.com/blog  as my rv life journey commences, I will post periodically to update my friends on my great adventures!  I love you!

2019, October 22.

The new adventure begins.  Around the first of October, I drove home my new (to me) rv, Valerie Vista, a 2002 VW Winnebago Vista!  She sits in the driveway next to my Nissan van as I learn her, and study the DMV book for a motorcycle license!  Well, what else is a CLOL supposed to do? (Crazy Little Old Lady) I found an Italian Scooter, bought it and a helmet, found a great deal on the bike AND a rack to carry it behind Valerie, and I'm in the process of making some changes in my life.

I'll have to give up my living accommodations, and now that I'm loving it in my little country add-on, it'll be difficult.  My dream was to find someone (like from Paradise) with a desire to live on the coast for a year who could take over my STUFF, but I'll diminish, store, sell, and donate my belongings as I once did to move to Honolulu, again to live on a sailboat, again to move to San Diego, to Saratoga, to Marin, to Sonoma, to Vallejo, to Oregon, to Mendocino.  Now, approaching 72, it's time to do it again!  I'm excited.  Don't worry about me.  I'm healthy, take no drugs, work out fairly regularly, have strength in my legs (all those watertower stairs) and arms (just painting, swimming, and living), and ideas to take my act on the road!

Packing the pastels away for future use or sale, I'm moving back into watercolors.  As "THE PORTABLE PAINTER" I'll be teaching drawing and watercolor to artists wherever I go.  I plan to sell small paintings to everyone.  I'll photograh my work and write about it all.  It's exciting!

Sunny Thursday

Starting out this final Thursday with my blog, reliving the past few days in pictures.  Yesterday morning we took the water taxi to West Bay to snorkel at the very end.  Here are some views from the little boat.

Along the way we see many new sailboats have arrived for "the seaSon" and understand why this safe harbor is so crowded with yachts and people.

We parked our towels and cameras with the bartender at the Grand Roatan, a beautiful and expensive hotel at the far end of West Bay, again counting our blessings that we were staying in the much quieter "West End" village area.  We swam out to this rock with fins and snorkels and were treated the incredible Zen-tangle coral and lots of parrot fish painted by Mother Nature on acid!!! Please google photos of these colorful fish since we have no underwater cameras.  

When we finally got chilled and tired, we found lots more people had come to the beach!

So we had fish tenders...fresh sea bass in a very light batter with a delicious tartar sauce dip with our Salva Vida (Life Saver, local beer!!!)

And saw this very expensive fishing boat

alongside the local water taxis.

I took a nap when we got home, then scolded this kitty who kept jumping up on the arm of my chair at dinner!

We are heading out to Half Moon Bay to snorkel, looking for seahorses and the resident moray!  Wish us lick!

Tuesday

We went snorkeling this morning by Barefeet Bar.  Not much to see today, in that location, so tomorrow we will take the water taxi to West Bay, and snorkel over the beautiful coral there.  Yesterday I was hanging out in that same area and swam a lot and read my book, and had a piña colada on the beach. It was one of those beautiful days with the wind at four knots, and not a ripple in the water.  I hung around until the sun went down, hoping to see a green flash. It did not happen, but we were able to see the mainland of Honduras because it was pretty clear in the south western direction.

Lots of tiny shells.  They tell us not to buy the conch shell because they are actually in danger. We are also asked to not eat conch balls but I did not know that when we first arrived, and ordered them one evening as an appetizer. They are reminiscent of crabcakes, but they are actually more like clam cakes or wnhat I imagine abalone cakes would be like.  Chewy bits of conch, with some onion, garlic, red bell, and a Panko-type crust.  The dipping sauce was nice too, but I would have preferred tart and tangy to sweet.   I think I can bring home a baggie of these to make a bracelet.

One more week

Yesterday was a perfect day.  No wind, warm water.  

We walked to Half Moon Bay and snorkeled out to the south point.  On the way, Chris got my attention and together we spied on two little cuttlefish swimming in the low sea grass.  What a great surprise!  I had been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium show TENTACLES two years ago while I was attending the Plein Air Convention in town.  We saw squid, octopuses, nautilus (way cool) and cuttlefish.  There were babies and adults and we watched them change color and texture.  Fascinating.  Google Ze Frank Cuttlefish for a very amusing report on these adorable and interesting sea creatures!  I never expected to see them in the wild!  There were myriad other fish out yesterday too, but cuttlefish?  Awesome!

I continue to work on the 6 x 6" watercolors for my Valentine weekend show with jewelers Ellen Athens and Francis Casey.  I have 24 frames....think I can get 24 paintings done in time?  We shall see!

In the meantime, some pictures of my day-to-day life....

Palm hat made by Savas...

I cannot buy one because they dont pack. 

We think there is genius behind plastic faux tile roofing material.  Made out of recycled bottles and plasticrap.  Brilliant.

And for you romantics who love Italy.....

Tuesday Trek to West Bay

Chris and I met our new friend from Mendocino, Carole Raye, and we walked the coast about two miles, climbing over rocky outcroppings, walking along beaches edged in coconut palms, to West Bay, touted as the most glorious beach on Roatan.  

Destination is a nice goal, but the journey is adventure and exploration, and my two companions shared this spirit today.  We left West End heading on foot towards the Barefeet Beach Bar and kept on going.  It was at the BBB that I painted Marshall's portrait on Sunday.  We feel comfortable there, but today we were moving on south.  

It was a fabulously calm day, about 83° with no wind.  We lucked out with two "bird alert" photo op moments.  This guy was hanging out on one of the little private piers along the way.

There is only one pelican in the area now, and he was near the canal bridge today, preening.  I shot him from up on the bridge

and then quietly continued across and down the stairs to catch up with my friends, camera ready.  Then Mr. pelican stretched and yawned for us! 

Possibly a future painting!  Then I noticed a school of small fry in the canal and shot a few pics.  When I got to see these on the ipad later, I see they might be baby hammerheads!  Ya think?

Poseidon popped up to show us a starfish.  He was Canadian and said last year the only things under water they hadn't seen last year were starfish, so he was excited there were two near where he was standing!  

I told him that just back a ways was a mermaid

And he said, "I already have a mermaid!" And pointed at his lovely wife.

We walked on, splashing in the clear water 

Picking up tiny shells from the recent storm

and eventually rounded a corner to find ourselves at the Grape tree on the north end of West Bay.

Chris and I had made this trek two weeks ago with Sona, passing our "private" beach I told you about before, and made it just to the north side, beginning of West Bay, when Sona begged us go no further because of blisters from her wading shoes, and we caught a water taxi back to West End, $3 ea.  

Lots of people, mostly older than us, and braver...

lots of sellers of jewelry

And we walked the length of the beach

Clear canoe! Very cool!

before a short swim and

A water taxi ride home to West End.

Imagine having lunch on this pier!  

Full sun, waiter in roller skates! 

Not!😜

We stopped at "our" beach for a Bareña (local beer) and a swim

And wandered home ready to eat some curry we had made the day before.

See you soon!

Xoxo

Suzi

Pain free at last

I stopped in at Foxy's tattoo parlor and was given a massage table upon which to rest while waiting for Dr. Vallejo, the acupuncturist.  I was in this sacred space for an hour before he arrived.

After a seemingly endless treatment hiatus, I felt so good I could go out for lobster quesadillas with my two friends to listen to some sad western songs and celebrate Sona's last night with us...wait...that didn't come out right!

Sona Holman, Austin, TX

Cheery and happy, world traveler, vegan, independent, artist, friend of mine from Marin County late 1980’s

Chris Erickson, bff now living in Portsmouth, NH, out on front porch painting an oil!

Me with Bareña, local replacement for agua fresca.  See the smile? No pain.

So this morning I gathered up my teaching supplies and went iff to meet a waiter from the Barefoot Bar who was bringing his two kids to have a drawing lesson.  Dedicated teacher that I am, I had some freebies for the kids...little Dollar Store watercolor strips and a box of crayons...and they weren't there, the place was chained up tight.  Well, I cannot say I blame them since there is almost a gale blowing, high seas, and no beach!  Boats bobbing mightily on tethers, palms crashing in the wind.  I was aware of flying coconuts...certainly didnt need a bonk on the head to deal with!  I am plagued with NoSeeUm bites, in spite of the vinegar baths, $14 no bug natural spray, DEET, OFF, and other preventives...and a plethora of anti-itch salves from Benadryl gel, spray and cream to something from Dr Bombay, er Vallejo to treat the itching...a cortisone HCl cream.  

This is a video...i will put it on Facebook.  Today is cool enough for a tee shirt and shorts!