Continuity

I read Froggi Donna's blog where she explained how to back up a Blogger blog.  One of my blogs is there (you are probably reading the blog there...) and both blogs are the same, so I took her advice.  I do go back and re-read my older entries to see where my mind and body were and to try to figure out just how I ended up where I am at times.  After making sure I had secured my blog's past, I started down my list of blogs I read.  I hadn't been online last night, so I had a couple of days' worth of writing to catch up on.  On Madcap's blog I first read that a blogger friend of hers died this weekend from a fall.  I went and read that person's blog, and the entry that explained what happened.  Then I went back to Madcap's blog and the entry from the day before that told that the blogger that had lead me to Madcap's blog has also died.  Jim's politics were a bit extreme for me, but I thought often that I'd like to see his place in California, and maybe share a glass of wine with him and his wife Peggy while petting Dallas their dog.  Again, family members are writing about the blogger, but in this case I don't see what happened to cause his death.

I am now thinking that while I've managed to assure that my blog won't be lost to the ozone if Blogger would happen do disappear, I haven't  really done much to make sure that people who only know me through my blog would know if 'something happened' to me to cause me to disappear.  Turtle Lady would know to comment, but I need to get her my passwords.  I tend to play Murphy against himself.  What I am prepared to have happen tends to not happen.  It's the things I don't take precautions for that catch me off guard.  That's why I made up my will before I moved down here.  Ok, I actually got it drawn up and signed just days before, but that counts.

And those of you whose blogs I follow - be careful out there.  I don't like logging on and reading bad news like that.

Fowl Play

The white ones are obviously geese. I'm told now that the black and white ones are ducks. Not like any duck I've seen before.




They are pets of the local Post Commander. Mostly they are tame. I said in a previous post that one seemed to almost want to interact with me while I was playing with one of the cats that also have the run of the Post.

I'm back

The surest way for me to get blocked when I try to blog is to announce that I'm going to blog every day.  It always happens. I should stop saying that.  After a few days I figure that a really good post with pictures will make up for my lapse.  But, I never sit down with enough time to make it happen.  So, this is just a short post to hop back in.  I'll post more.  Sometime.  Soon.  Hopefully.

Twilight

This was taken a couple of weeks ago when the circus was still here. The light was really neat in the way it reflected and highlighted the white building against the darker hill. The point and shoot camera didn't capture it well. I also need to go up at least one floor to take a good picture without the hotel banner in the way. If nothing else, the need to take pictures to post will make me want a better camera and be more aware of my angle when I'm shooting.

Time to take the camera with me again since I'm now officially out of new pictures. I'm doing laundry tonight, which means that I'm going up and down 3 steep flights of stairs multiple times. The machines are in the basement, and I live on the 3rd floor, with no elevator here. I also started my official workout routine after work tonight, so my poor legs are going to let me know by tomorrow I'm sure. Also, the beginning Spanish class starts again tomorrow night, so it will be late when I get home. I do at least have an idea of what I want to take a picture of for tomorrow. I do wish I'd had the camera on my walk this evening as one of the cats that wander the post came up and was friendly. While I was giving the cat some lovin' one of the local fowl, which I'm not sure if it's a large duck or goose, wandered close like it wanted some petting, too. It didn't get within touching distance, but was definitly wanting to participate in some manner. So, I was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, petting and scratching a wiggling cat while talking to a large fowl. Guess I should get a picture of it, too.

Valley of the Angel

I will admit that I have forgotten how to write it in Spanish. So, you get the English name. It's a small town the other side of Teguc, which meant that it was a longish van ride. I went on a trip with the folks on Post a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to posting the pictures.




It's a tourist town, small and basically friendly. It is what I would like to think most of Honduras is like, but probably represents the country about as well as Gatlinburg does Tennessee. There are small shops in most of the brightly painted buildings with hammocks and such hanging around the doors. The chickens are on a patio that when the shop is open I'm told you can walk out to where they are. It was closed when we were there.




When you walk in the door under the chickens, this is what you see. There are small shops off this main hall and upstairs.




This is looking on up the hill to a residential area. If you look closely you can see the small red 3 wheel motorized taxi There are several of these in town to haul your tourist tail up and down the steep hills. We didn't use one so I don't know how much they cost, but our conversations were about how cool it would be to have one on Post.




A lot of the buildings are painted bright colors, as I mentioned. The other thing In noticed about this restaurant is that the sign is mostly in English. We were also pegged immediately by shopkeepers as being from the Army Post. They always started spouting about 'specials' for soldiers. Prices are negotiated by using a calculator to show how many dollars are offered/asked. Dollars are universally accepted wherever I've been in Honduras.




This is another mall, just off the central park. We didn't go in there. We did eat at a restaurant just behind me, and just before leaving stopped for coffee at the coffee shop next door.




The park is really nice here. I would go again just to hang around the park for an afternoon. It is a nice,quiet town where I felt safe. I did have 2 nice male soldier escorts for the day, but I think I would have felt safe alone. Then again, the soldiers are so rigged into the idea of staying together that as long as I'm on one of their trips I'm not sure I would be able to get off by myself. One of the other soldiers did separate from his 'battle buddy' for a few minutes and immediately acquired a shadow, a local male half his size who acted very protective and tried to act like he was guiding him. Of course the guide expected money for keeping him safe. He didn't get any. As I said, he was half the guy's size, and all he was doing was walking down the main street.

So, not a terribly exciting trip report. I'll do better when I go back.

A challenge

One of the women who's blog I follow just stated the intention to blog every day in January. Seems like a good catalyst for me to do the same. And, just for Ben, I'll also put pictures in.




There seems to be a misconception that there are oodles of interesting things all around me, and I'm just not posting about them. Sorry. It's not that interesting down here. That has been a bit of a surprise to me,too. The good and the bad is that it really isn't all that different than up in the States as far as basic geography goes. There is more dust, fewer paved roads and streets. It's a bit like living in East LA from what I'm told as far as the danger level goes. Never have lived in LA I'll go with that analogy anyway.




There are pyramids, but they are a 5 or 6 hour drive from here. I'm told I should also take along another $300 besides the cost of travel and lodging to pay to do other interesting things there like horse back riding since the ruins take maybe a half day. The beach is also a drive or short flight away at Roatan. I do plan on heading there, but money is an issue with these trips. I'm also wanting to head back to the States for a long weekend, and I need to budget for each of these trips.

So, enjoy the pictures of what I have. Travel channel? No. Just life. These pictures are from the shop on Post. Interestingly, they have as good a selection, and better prices, of any place else I've seen so far. Handmade hammocks and hammock chairs. I got a hammock chair at Valley of the Angels like the 2 on the left in the middle picture. It's not as comfortable as I'd hoped. I'm still playing with it.

And so, the New Year is started. Happy 1-1-11.