Holy Cross Anglican School
Dooley Bear drops in on Holy Cross Anglican School students and a pizza party breaks out
Dooley Bear, a gregarious chocolate Labrador with a penchant for travel and the subject of more than a few books, dropped into Holy Cross Anglican School in the San Mateo neighborhood on Wednesday for some petting and pizza.
Dooley brought along his literary partners, Ronnie and Lisa Cyrier, so that they could read some of the books about his adventures to a special gathering of students.
The occasion was the first Christmas Party of the newly resurrected volunteer literacy program which is designed to help students of all grade levels to enhance their reading, pronunciation and comprehension skills. The program is operated by a dedicated group of volunteers from the San Pedro community under the leadership of Susan Barkhouse and Brittney O’Daniel. Read the rest of this entry »
This is Belize: Walk a mile or two in their shoes
Moppit and I were sitting in the golf cart near Izzy’s smoothie shop at the north end of Middle Street yesterday afternoon. We were talking about life, love, this, that and the price of bread. For a dog, she’s a very quick study. As I droned on, Moppit gave me the occasional nod and tolerant expressions before returning to her own business of observing golf cart traffic.
I have no idea where she picked up such habits so quickly.
Rose had popped into Barbara Brown’s boutique & coffee shop for some flowers, a corsage for Moppit to wear to Sandy Rigby’s memorial service at Caribbean Villas. Sandy and Moppit had been inseparable companions for nearly three years, until she passed away in late November.
The Fringe of the Sea inspires a form of poetry all its own
Here’s a new term for me: “the fringe of the sea.”
This the space between the eastern shore of Ambergris Caye and the great Belize Barrier Reef. From space, I imagine, the relatively calm and shallow blue-green expanse must look like a colorful collar. This fringe teems with life, aquatic and human.
In many ways it is a highway, too. At its busiest, it is filled with water taxis, sailboats, barges, para-sailors, jet skis, resort boats, pleasure boats, kayaks, fishing boats . . . . If it floats, it will make its way up and down the coast.
Beneath the aqua and emerald waters you can spot turtles, dolphins, sharks, a thousand varieties of colorful reef fish, brightly hued corals — and conch and lobster, too.
From the shore, the white rumble of the surf against the reef seems so close — and in some spots it is.
Holy Cross kids join our monthly trash attack
They came, they saw, they picked up trash.
I’m talking about 100-plus kids from Holy Cross Anglican School here in San Mateo who joined our growing band of First Friday Roadside Cleanup volunteers yesterday.
As we gathered in front of the Paradise Cinema, as we have on first Fridays for half a year now, the students came walking out of the nearby school, one form at a time. Soon we had three grades, eagerly grabbing rubber gloves and black plastic trash bags. Read the rest of this entry »
Learning a thing or two as a teacher in summer school in Belize
A diphthong is not a bikini designed for safe swimming.
Of course, you know that.
And I know that.
But honestly, if someone came up to you and said, “What’s a diphthong?” would you know? Read the rest of this entry »
Bound for Belize 