It’s been a few years since Thom and his family came out for a ski day. We’d visited him back in November, and had a grand time. Despite bleak ski conditions here in the Valley, we decided to give it a go.
As it turned out, the mountain wasn’t too bad. Sefton– now a big nine-year-old– did great on his skis. He’d zip through the trees, and wanted to ride the lift back up with Uncle Cosmo.
Hadley, who’s only four, is still getting her ski legs. She was happy to go down the bunny hill ad infinitum, but some coaxing from Mom and Dad finally got her on the “big hill”. She was so proud after finishing a run, and excited to ride the “grown-up lift” with me.
In addition to skiing, of course we did some hiking. It was an easy little trail down to the lake, and the kids both had fun throwing rocks and seeing how cold the water was. Hadley is definitely Daddy’s little girl.
We wandered Bigfork, warmed up in the hot tub, played hide-and-seek, made pizza, and watched a movie. It was fun to just be together, regardless of the activity. I love my nephew and niece. And Thom and Katie are pretty cool too.
Pepper’s sister and her husband have been living in Belize for about eight months. They’re serving a senior mission, much as we did in San Diego last year. In many ways, their mission experience has been similar to ours… but it’s also been very different. Often when people think of Belize or see photos, there are beautiful white-sand beaches and sunny skies over the ocean. That’s not what most of the country looks like, though. It’s a hot, humid jungle with a scattered population who lives mostly in poverty.
When they invited us to come down to visit, we were excited for the opportunity. We scheduled some flights and headed south for a week in Central America.
Upon arriving, we learned that customs isn’t terribly efficient. At one point I snapped a picture of the line we were in. What’s not visible here is the line behind us, which is at least as long, and the line that turns the corner at the end of this hallway and continues for another hundred feet.
Needless to say, it took a while to get from the airport tarmac to our rental car.
Once we had wheels, we headed across the country– about a two-hour drive– and spent five days with Dave and Jeanele. They were excellent tour guides, taking us to several places they’d visited and enjoyed. We started at Caracol, a Mayan site with massive temples, a palace, game courts, and scattered residences. It was easily the most impressive set of ruins I’ve visited.
Unlike many other sites we’ve seen, we were free to climb all the monuments, explore nooks, and roam at will. It was so cool to see the Mayan writing and carvings everywhere.
From the top of one of the temples, it’s possible to see Guatemala– it’s the ridge on the horizon here:
There were several armed guards patrolling the ruins; apparently they have problems with Guatemalans crossing the border and stealing things. It wasn’t clear to me what was being stolen– Mayan relics? Rocks? Valuable jungle fruits? Regardless, the jungle is so thick it’s hard to imagine how one could get through the underbrush without heavy machinery.
We spent hours wandering the site. It was so interesting.
Afterward we went to Big Rock Falls, a nearby waterfall and river. Of course the guys went swimming and climbed under the waterfall, while the ladies watched from afar and waited for someone to get washed downstream.
We enjoyed some ice cream at Dave’s second-favorite ice cream shop in the area. What you can’t tell from this photo is that across the street, in the tree half-visible at top center, were hundreds of birds that were screaming so loudly we literally had to shout to be heard above the racket.
Although they win for volume, their shrieks were nothing compared with the cries of the howler monkeys in the jungle. The noises they make as they preen and threaten one another are the fuel of nightmares.
We went kayaking for seven miles through a network of caves, but have no photos because they said it was risky to bring a camera. We also went spelunking through a different set of caves, where cameras are strictly forbidden because too many tourists have dropped them and broken priceless Mayan artifacts. Instead, we just looked on in amazement at pottery (and human skeletons!) that are literally 1,500 years old.
On my birthday we decided to go to Guatemala. With the guidance of a neighbor who’s a Guatemalan native, we went to a “real” marketplace. It wasn’t one of those tourist traps where you can buy overpriced t-shirts and hats that say “Guatemala” or “Belize” on them. Nope. Instead, we saw a gazillion t-shirts and hats emblazoned with American brands and sports team logos. Apparently the locals all enjoy looking American. I’m sure it was all properly licensed.
Although many of the houses in Belize are run-down or even crumbling, they’re painted in vibrant colors. Here are a couple of examples:
The variety of colors is astonishing– every bright shade you can imagine is used somewhere. It made me wish that HOAs in America would allow a larger color palette, instead of the spectrum of beige that seems to be popular these days.
In addition to sightseeing, we met neighbors and friends, and just sat around playing games and chatting. We heard stories of crazy mission experiences, hard work, and the struggle to help people in the community who have significant needs. Despite the poverty, people here seem happy and content. It’s definitely a different way of life.
Our time came to an end much too soon, and we crossed back to the coast and boarded our plane in Belize City. It was a great trip.
Too many times I’ve been driving around the area and spotted an amazing photo opportunity, only to realize I didn’t have my camera with me. (And by “camera” I mean my real camera, not the tiny thing on my phone.) So I’ve started keeping the camera in the car, just in case something catches my eye.
Today it did. The sun was sinking in the west, and Woods Bay was smooth as glass. I stopped the car, jumped out, and walked down to a dock on the shoreline.
It’s definitely nice to have a camera for moments like this.
We headed down to Utah for a visit, and had fun seeing little William. He’s two months old now, and starting to exhibit fun facial expressions.
Kaitlyn’s family dropped in as well, and we took the opportunity to snap a picture of all the men (and boys). Here are William and Oliver with their dad, uncle, both grandpas, and a great-grandpa!
After a couple days of fun with the boys, it was time to head north again. As we were leaving, Oliver wanted a picture with his Grandma Pepper and Grandpa Cosmo.
Our security camera chimed because something was on our driveway (often that’s the only way we know someone is approaching the house, as we usually can’t see or hear cars coming up). I looked out the window.
There was an entire herd of elk wandering across our yard and into the adjoining forest! I counted eighteen in all. Pretty cool.
When we moved back into our home after our mission time in California, we started finding little plastic animals hidden around the house. Kyra and Hannah had apparently bought a package of them on Amazon, and scattered them about just prior to our return. For weeks, I’d find them atop door frames, in the refrigerator drawer, behind the salt shaker, under the silverware, and on and on. Every day brought new animals and a smile to my face.
Well, that was six months ago and we’ve found most of them. My last discovery, at the end of December, was a little blue brachiosaurus inside the glove I keep stashed in the car in case of emergencies:
Kyra was pretty clever with some of these!
Tonight I found a tiny stegosaurus in the Party House, and it reminded me there are still a few lurking out there.
Then I got to thinking: maybe I could design a kids’ game for Oliver that features these fun little dinosaurs and animals. I already gave him Ofrendas, which is basically Go Fish, and he seemed to enjoy matching the cartoon cards. I gathered all the dinosaurs I’ve found to date…
… and now I’m contemplating how they might make a game suitable for a five-year-old. Ideas are welcome!
Last month Pepper and I were at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Dillon MT and I saw a sign on the wall:
I immediately knew that was the logo I should use for Thought Monkeys! Today, a little bit of graphics work and voila:
Clearly it’s trademark infringement for me to use this screaming sunglassed howler monkey on anything official. So it’ll just be another fun addition to the 23-year-and-counting saga of Thought Monkeys…
In almost seven years of living in Montana and overlooking Flathead Lake, we’ve seen plenty of amazing sunsets. Two days ago, we were treated to one that was absolutely stunning.
Yes, it was really that color.
Then yesterday, the fog rolled in. Pepper snapped this shot in our backyard as the morning sun poked through the fog and forest.
And today, the fog returned but only hovered over the lake. Because we’re hundreds of feet above the level of the water, we were above the fog and could see it just nestled in the valley. When the sun set, it illuminated the tops of the clouds. Magnificent!
Three days, three amazing displays of light and shadow.
Every month or so, it’s time to make a bunch of pizzas and freeze them. Today it was time.
It’s actually a fun process. There’s enough dough to make nine mini-pizzas, which I put into little pans. They get wrapped and frozen, and for the next month I can just grab one from the freezer, pop it into the oven, and in eighteen minutes enjoy a piping hot fresh-baked pizza! Brilliant.
For well over a decade, I’ve been buying this brand of orange juice from Costco. They’ve recently discontinued it, and don’t plan to re-stock it. This is my last can from the freezer.
I love orange juice, This is a blow to my habit, because now I’ll have to buy it at “regular” grocery stores (much more expensive than Costco) and in smaller sizes.
Hmm. Maybe I should plant some orange trees in my orchard…
