A Little Bit of Play Time ... And Then Some Rest ...

Alaska (red collar), playing in the yard with Molly (new little black lab puppy) and Edwardo. And then it is nap time for all!!! zzzz Molly sleeping alone and Alaska and Edwardo, of course - as the dream team, together! zzzzzz

Jana's Birthday Party

This year it was a rainy day, but I was lucky and while I was grilling yummy sausages, chops and chicken at the BBQ grill, the sun came out! After the last batch was grilled, it started drizzling again, but nobody minded and everyone had a wonderful time!!


Benicio, David, Joe, Teresa


Jana, Teresa, Tobbi, Aki, Karli, Joe


Joe, Eva, Sebastian


Sheree, Marion, Constanza


Cynthia, Winsom, Jana, Macarena


Joe, Teresa, Karli, Marlene, while Marion is making music at the keyboard!

Jumping or Not Jumping ... That is the Question

Edwardo seems to be considering if he should jump through the hoops :-) Robbie got the hula hoops to make an art object out of them, in the meantime they are hanging off the tree, amusing the cats, who use this tree as scratching post and outlook.

Marlyn and Macarena

Marlyn Waight with me at the Independence Day Party, and Macarena resting before she is helping us with the contest certificate presentation.

Whistling Ducks Farm Contest Certificates

At the Independence Day event in Santa Familia, we were allotted some time to present our prizes for the winners of the Art and Crafts contest. Our friend Macarena helped a lot by translating everything into Spanish. The kids really did cool stuff and were happy to win the prizes. Every entry won, even if it was just a small gift, and every kid received a certificate.

More Independence Day Pictures!

The queens and the awards.

Independence Day in Santa Familia!

For the first time in the history of our village Santa Familia, they had their own Independence Day event with a parade, queens, football games, shows, awards, and impressive fireworks!

Visitors from the US - Phyllis and Friends

On September 13, Robbies friend Phyllis came from Washington with some friends from Atlanta on a cruise ship. Sheree, Robbie and I went down to Belize City to meet them at the Tourism Village where all the cruise ships arrive. We had to wait a while, but then all the ladies came off the boat and we took them to Cucumber Beach at Old Belize for yummy coconut shrimp, fresh juices and a chat. They were lovely and funny ladies and we had a grand time with them!! Hope to see them again!

Whistling Ducks Farm Summer Arts and Crafts Contest

Inspired by Robbies idea of the waterboard contest earlier this year, I decided to organize an arts and crafts contest for children during the summer vacation. The deadline was August 30 and I had 9 entries. The task was to either build a bird house, to write an essay, or to paint a picture. The age group was up to 16 and families could work together on projects, but one kid would enter. The entries were interesting and full of imagination and we gave out prizes (art supplies and small money gifts) and certificates to all children. They were presented at the Santa Familia Village Independence Day Fest on September 21. Here are some of the entries of the kids for the bird houses. Aren't they great!

Some of My Favorite Plants

The Heliconia plant (German "Helikonie"), which grows next to the kitchen window is getting bigger and bigger and I really like the colors. I want to grow a lot more, because the hummingbirds like it so much!



My next favorite is the Pride of Barbados (German "Pfauenstrauch") a bushy plant which grows rather fast and high.

Edwardo ... Still Hungry? Or Just Having Fun!!

Stray No. 1, Edwardo is a real busybody and catches all sorts of stuff / bugs / animals / insects / critters out in the yard. The other day he was "playing" with a pretty green iguana, which tried to get away by running up the tree! But Edwardo grabbed it and pulled it back. He was NOT finished playing yet. In the end, the iguana got away, though (with Robbies help :-)

And One More Addition to the Zoo

Mama Cat Ms Aery and her two kids, Alfredo and Fancy Motley, as well as Edwardo, the first stray cat, are pretty independent and don't hang around the house much, they go hunting, play with each other, and usually only come home when they are hungry or when it is raining outside. Then, of course, they occupy all four dining room chairs: one cat on each chair :-) So I said to Robbie a while ago, aah I wish I had one of those cuddly cats that sit on you and purr ... OOPS, two days later something was crying under the front porch and it turned out to be a very tiny gray kitten, very young, maybe not even 6 weeks old. We called the vet, he checked him out, and since then "Hagrid" is another member of the Whistling Ducks Farm Animal Family!



He really likes to stay home, hardly goes out, just for a little while to play with the others or explore the surroundings. Other than that, his favorite spots are on my arm when I work ... or on top of Robbie :-)

The Zoo is Growing ...

A couple of weeks ago, we heard of a labrador mix puppy which would be put down if noone takes it, so we decided we give it another try with a big black dog (after Alaska turned out to be a "Toy Labrador Mix" ... We went to see Ms Constanza on Benque Viejo Road and picked up a little female dog, which we named "Molly" after a character in the Harry Potter movie. She is, like all puppies, full of mischief, loves to play with her "big sister" Alaska, and her favorite pastime is splashing in water (we made her a little pool outside!) and digging in sand. I will try to put a little movie in later; this picture shows her playing.

In Santa Familia, Children Grow on Trees!

One Sunday afternoon, we heard voices outside, calling "Ms Roooobie, Ms Rooooobie", but we couldn't see anyone. Took us a while until we found the source of the many different voices: Kids in a Tree! They wanted to come and swim in the pool (which wasn't set up) or come play in the yard. But then it started raining, so I packed them in the truck, Robbie gave them a coconut each, and we drove them home to Santa Familia, to their families ... So, now we know for SURE, in Santa Familia, Children grow on Trees!!

Snake Alarm!

When Benicio moved the big drum where we throw our trash in, he jumped and screamed, because he saw a snake curled up underneath. Although we had several people look at the picture, we are not sure what it is. Of course, everybody said it was the Fer-de-Lance, one of the most poisonous snakes here in the country, but I am still not sure. They smashed it immediately (here, most people don't know very much about snakes, so if they encounter one it gets killed right away, just to make sure it can't harm anyone. Of course, this means that really good snakes such as the snail snake or a harmless garden snake get killed as well ...). Well, if anyone wants to try to find out what it really was ... here are some pictures!!

Palapa Update

The little palapa with the "Fitness Studio" inside needed a new roof. The previous leaves that were used are from the Cohune Palm which don't last so long, usually just 1 or 2 years. This new leaf that is being used is called Bay Leaf here, which has nothing to do with the regular bay leaf that is used for cooking (Lorbeerblatt). It is a lot stronger and should last up to 10 years or even longer. The guys that did it are friends of our vet, Edwardo Tesecum, and they did a fast and professional job. It took them two days.