Stepping Outside for a Bit of Serenity and A Valentine from the Sea

I don’t know about you but I woke up this morning feeling a bit like this doll I just saw on the beach…

Girl…wash your face!

There is so much negative and overwhelming news…leaving me with an emotional hangover.  Trying my best to not head down the rabbit hole this morning, I went out for a beach walk.  Taking out the dogs…beachcombing while they alternative between swimming and flushing iguanas out of the bush.

Beach combing is meditation.

(Read: Things You FInd on the Beach on Ambergris Caye)

Here is what I saw.

My neighbors are out kayaking.  Another great idea.

Our neighbor, Tuto Belize.

You can read about staying in their cabanas or their tiny “glamping” spot here.

The main house.

Mocha’s puppy ran out to greet us.

Coco (the 10-mo old puppy) and our dog Frannie plotting how they are going to get that blue heron in the water.  (Answer:  they are not)

But they tried…

Maybe if we bark at it from the beach?

I walked past Tuto for another half mile?  There isn’t a residence for a while…just undeveloped beachfront (a good hunk is part of the larger Tuto property.)

I love these beachfront shrubs – called locally “fisherman’s tobacco” – also known as sea lavender or bay lavender.

Small white flowers.  Tournefortia Gnaphalodes.

You’ll never guess what I was doing the whole time.  SEA BEANING!  Picking up drift seeds…I just can’t stop.

How can you NOT feel better finding hearts on the beach?  A valentine from the sea?

They are molucca beans – the seeds from giant pods and a plant called the Monkey Ladder (Entas gigas)

The HUGE vine produces the world’s largest legumes – pods in excess of 6 feet long!  (How cool is this photo!)

And then the first building along this route – this house and then La Belize Resort.  I decided to turn around here.

Plus…it is HOT and well…my load was getting heavier.

Roll that beautiful bean footage!

I got home and added today’s load to the table – where I work and where we used to eat.  These are just the beans from the last few weeks…

I can’t help it.

My idea of making art with them has been slow to come to fruition…but I will never give up hope.

I hope you all have a good day…I feel refreshed.  Back to work!