More Changes ... and a Visit .... Home?

It is a very weird thing to be planning a trip back to the U.S. and realize it is only for a short visit. I started to write someone a note and tripped over myself, was my arrival in the U.S. an arrival home or when I leave the U.S. on the first of May to return to Belize departing for home?

There are more changes for me as well.

The bugs won. At least the bugs on the side of the lagoon I'm presently living on. And I finally raised the white flag. So when I return from my U.S.visit I am moving back to the other side of the lagoon, where there is a bit more of an ocean breeze and less of whatever else it is that seems to attract the bugs. My poor body just could not heal, bites upon bites and never getting to just be, always covered in some kind of ointment, cream or poison. But I am feeling better that I am able to do something about it without giving up and returning to the U.S.

And other than that it has been a week of just living.

I currently have roommates, at least two but maybe more:

This one is on my living room wall.

Did you know that Gecko's make noise? They do. They are regular chatterers. I listen to them every night, chirping almost like birds. But I dont' complain because they eat bugs so I'm willing to share my house.

So as you likely remember, every month I have to go to Independence, pay my $50 BZD to get my passport stamped for an additional 30 day stay. The stamp I had expired on April 3. So on the 2nd I got up, got on the Hokey Pokey Water Taxi and headed to Independence. A cab ride to the immigration office to be told they didn't have a book and expected one to be delivered later in the day, that we should return the following day to get our stamps. I think what they really were missing was a receipt book, they need to write a receipt for the payment and then enter the receipt number in their log ... no receipt number, no stamp in your passport. I returned to Placencia for the day.

Thursday morning I got up and did it all over again but this time I got my stamp. I'm good til May 2. Of course I"m leaving here on the 13th to go to the states and returning to Belize on the 1st of May,which will allow me to stay until the 30th of May. Then I'll do it all again.

While waiting for the water taxi to leave for Independence there was this:

It is always nice to have a friend keeping an eye out at the front of your boat,
gotta watch for problems in the water.

Friday was spent doing what I usually do, not much of anything. I learned, however, that while I was heading to Independence to get my passport stamped there were manatees, righ toff the end of the dock at Paradise Resort. Really? Apparently it is manatee mating season so there is a chance that I might get to see some.

What I mostly have done lately is read. And read a lot. I think in the past three weeks I have read eight novels.

It is Saturday now, so I woke up and headed into town. After rowing across, on the road towards town I saw this:

Yep, that is a little fox.

I had heard that there were some little foxes living in the area, had seen a couple scooting behind some bushes but hadn't gotten any pictures. But this one started to trot away but then stopped and looked at me. I was a little surprised, it wasn't really running away. I was happy to get the picture but still surprised it was letting me. (I of course wanted to believe it just could get such a cool vibe from me it didn't feel it needed to run).

But then I realized probably why it was sticking around and watching me so carefully:

Those are little baby foxes.

No wonder the larger fox wasn't running. Protecting his/her young. Probably hoping to keep my attention away from the babies.

So I think I'll go see if I can find me some manatees or something else.

Planning for the Big Adventure

I've been thinking about this for a while, this idea to just up and move and now I'm actually doing it. But let me back up a bit, for those that don't know how I got "here", planning to go "there".

I retired from a career in law enforcement in California in 2008. Following my daughter who had moved to Tennessee the year before I up and moved to Nashville. A good move, for both my mental, emotional and physical health and definitely for my monetary health.

I've long dreamt of becoming a writer. You know, a real one, with published books and all that. Once retired I had to begun to ask, what was stopping me (besides that awful internal critic who kept reminding me I could NEVER be a writer). So I attended a writer's workshop and started writing a memoir, about my career mostly and my life. And I kept on writing and dragging that internal critic around with me.

I had learned to Scuba Dive when I was in my early 20's in California, my dad had wanted someone to take Scuba lessons with him and it seemed like a good idea to me. I liked the "idea" of scuba diving but in that 53 degree water in Monterey I was not having a very good time. I was cold, the visibility didn't look at all like those tropical postcards I had always seen and did I mention, I was cold. So I had the card that said I was certified and never dove. Then in about 2006 I had the opportunity to try again. I did and although I had more of a desire and I was obviously more mature than I was in my early 20's, the water was still 53 degrees in Monterey and I was still cold. But I had to admit, I really did think it seemed like it would be fun if I could get warmer and see more.

As each year passes I find myself hating winter more and more. It looks pretty in pictures but other than that you can keep it. And the idea to move where winter wasn't an issue kept running through my brain. In 2012 I finally actually wrote a bucket list and on it I listed wanting to finish my book I was writing, diving more and I listed some of the places I longed to go and mostly wanting to move to somewhere tropical .... no more winter.

I am happy to say, I finished a first draft of the book, it is nowhere near done, in fact I may rewrite the entire thing but I did write a first draft. I continue to work on editing and I am now excited about writing fiction as well. I got to attend a writer's workshop in Montana near the entrance to Glacier National Park, it was a stunning locale and it re-energized my writing brain.

I have been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing places in the world to dive including the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, Truk Lagoon in Micronesia, Hawaii, Australia (only one short shore dive but I'm not complaining, I still spent 3 weeks in Oz), and I just returned from Fiji.

In August of 2012 I became a scuba diving instructor and I have also started taking underwater photographs.

Finally about 18 months ago I decided I was ready, I wanted to move to somewhere warm, tropical, where I could dive and write and take pictures. My plan was to move in June of 2013. As June approached I decided I wasn't really ready, where would I go, what would I do, how could I .......

I put it off and extended my apartment lease for 7 months. But I sat myself down and had a long talk with me and finally decided, if not now, when? And I made my life mantra the Richard Burroughs quote, "Leap, and the net will appear".

The other quote I am living by is the one that titles this blog, by George Addair ....  "Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear."

My lease is actually up this week. But I'm already out. In fact, I have left Tennessee in my rear view mirror and I am in California for a short stay. I'm walking through the fear to the other side, I"m leaping and hoping for the net to appear, and I'm doing it all just flying by the seat of my pants. This blog is part of that journey, a diary of the adventure, the good, the bad, the scary and the exciting and some other stuff, like my writing, my pictures and the things I am most passionate about.

I'm hoping you will join me, keep me in your best thoughts for good weather, fun, adventure, beautiful pictures, great dives and some day maybe a book tour with my published work! And wherever I land, I hope you'll be with me, either through this blog or come visit, we'll go for a dive!