Service Project Update

Just thought we would post an update on our ongoing service project at Sand Castle Library and Education Center.  It has been so fun seeing the transformation of the Dive Shop to the new library.  Here was Dustin in the beginning with Samuel & Santiago.

Putting up some shelves with Santiago...Samuel put the windows in.

The kids have been having a great time working with the local kids here, playing Spanish/English and math games, tutoring with homework, etc..

Last week we joined the Sandy Bay Alternative School kids who came over to help unpack, organize and stack books on the shelves.....

Many hands make light work...Dustin wished he could've spent more time building shelves and framing in windows...every time he came, Samuel had made more progress.

Oh my goodness, say it isn't so!...I think Ethan is officially getting his "Man Face".  

Where did our little boy go? We've lost him somewhere in Roatan!

 Here are the kids getting ready to go out on the "Book Mobile".  It was a whole day affair that they did with a couple of local teachers.                                                                          They had a great time cruising around to local schools, helping kids check out books, and then cleaning up and organizing the hurricane of books left after each class!

A shout out to anyone who may want to help.....95% of all these books and book donations are books in English.  They are in DESPERATE need of children's books in Spanish!!

 This is how the Simpson twins roll.......

Walkabout....And Walking Around Roatan

(By Stephanie)

Walkabout - The common modern application refers to  anyone who seeks an escape from society and just goes on an extended holiday for awhile.

Hmm, perfect word for us!  

Here's a few pictures of us walking around and discovering Roatan since we arrived...

This is our trail to lots of places....restaurants, library, old yellow house, swimming pool, friends etc...

There are a few nice, large grocery stores on Roatan with plenty of food from the good ol' U.S. but these little pulperias that are strategically placed all along the roads really come in handy.....

.....and "Who Knew", as this sign says, that all you need to Refresh Your Family...(or at least dad) is a Coca Cola?

Lots of different kinds of nice, wobbly, long, broken, old, new, fun, boring docks on the island.  Some have rope swings, hammocks, double decks, and more......no two are alike!

Here's the close up of Dustin and Ellie walking out to ours.....

Here's Ethan taking the road way (instead of the beach way) on our popular path.....

Love this view....the walking path to the beach from our old yellow house.....

I think it is interesting enough to post that almost all the fence posts outside the main towns are living posts.

They plant these trees (and they grow so fast) then attach barbed wire to the posts for a living fence!

All they need to do is trim them back every once in awhile.





Here's another.....

We always see random things on Roatan, but this particular day we saw 3 horses along the roadside.  Of course the kids want to cautiously go pet one.....

The other two were actually tied to a tree.....and no one else around......




















Ellie had to check it out despite our misgivings...........

Throughout the island we've noticed these cool art works on our walkabouts.   I told the kids to strike some model poses...... (Ellie?)

They are made of bottle lids of various food and cleaning products.  So clever.

And of course we gotta end with a spectacular sunset........

Tropical Flora - This One's For You Mom (Grandma Mimi)

“Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world”.  -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

One of the neatest things about living here is all the beautiful flowers we have seen while we are walking about.....these are but a few of them.

We learned the national flower of Honduras is the orchid and there are over 600 species!!  I think we've seen every color of hibiscus too.

The kids and I took a field trip a few miles away from our house to the Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum.  It was so pretty and peaceful!  We had an awesome time exploring......

Lots of different plants, fruit trees, and flowers.   Even a few animals roaming about.

Cacao!!

Inside the conservatory.........

Ethan is contemplating the meaning of life in the misting waters.......

Noni Fruit...

????

Yummy taste testers!