My Five – New Murals, The Bees Arrive, Michael Douglas and More

The slower season in Belize is upon us…

…as more rain becomes a possibility (though our days this month have been very warm and sunny) and as summer ends and people get back to school and back to work.

Here are the five things going on around San Pedro and in my life right now.

STREET ART

The amazing Houston artists/muralist are back in town, hosted by the crew at the beautiful Phoenix Resort. Last year, they did some amazing work on Front Street and a STUNNING Bob Marley portrait at Hope Haven House.

This year…well…check it out here and then go see it in person!

On Front Street at the Holiday Hotel…

Ixchel, the Maya goddess of medicine and fertility.

There are now 5 artworks on this wall…

And then this one.

Super cool. But the real SHOW STOPPER…the incredibly gorgeous and detailed queen of the jungle is on the wall at the Phoenix. I can’t wait to see her at night…all lit up…

Those fine white whiskers! And just posing behind the plants…gorgeous. Artists on Instagram – take a look at some of their other works. WOW. @mendoza.creates and @frankycardona

Thanks so much to the artists and to the Phoenix for sponsoring this. Incredible.

BLOODKNOT

A movie is being filmed in San Pedro and Caye Caulker as we speak. It’s called “Bloodknot” and stars Micheal Douglas, his son Cameron Douglas and David Morse. It’s requiring lots of coordination of fishing guides and locations and…I haven’t seen a thing. But many many people have – here’s a summary of the movie and a bit about the locations.

I was reminded about it when I saw a HUGE white van doing a 9-point turn to get around the corner by Elvi’s Kitchen. If you are on the island, look out for Michael Douglas!

Please tell him and loved him in Wall Street and Romancing the Stone and Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct (dang – he’s been in SO many great movies) and the Kominsky Method and, oh yeah…send me a picture.

“Bloodknot” is a very dramatic term for a pretty boring-looking fishing knot.

BEES VISIT THE CAMP

We always have lots of bees at the camp (Cayo Frances Farm & Fly) and they are especially noticeable in May and June – just before the rains come. Looking for water, they find the sink and the dog bowls and just about anywhere they can have a sip to drink.

But last week, the air behind the bathrooms was humming. A clump of bees…a colony was stuck to the side of one of the buildings.

It was a blazing hot day and Jeff is a definite apiphile so he decided to see if they were just resting. But one day passed and then two and…our friends Kevin and Nova, the owners of Casa Nova Cabanas (a gorgeous B&B just north of Secret Beach) messaged me.

Kevin is a beekeeper and was looking for a new colony. Music to my ears.

Love this couple picture.

The queen was not visible so they scooped as many bees as they could into the box – and left it for a few days.

I am happy to tell you that they moved in! And just in time…they had started making combs and even honey in the eaves. The bees are still at the camp but will be relocated soon.

(Many/all? of the bees in Belize are thought to be “Africanized” – but I was reading about them…and while more aggressive than European honeybees, they get a bit of a bad rap)

SPIDER LILIES

Beach spider lilies are blooming all over Ambergris Caye. These tall gangly beautiful robust bulbs grow wild on the beach and in people’s gardens. We have one in our yard where the stalk that produces the flower is taller than I am. I’d guess well over 6 feet.

These are from the Amaryriliss family – Hymenocallis genus which has over 60 species. Ones with strong scents that grow in the swamps of Mississippi, others that live in deserts and only sand. Ours is ID’ed as the Hymenocallis littoralis by the oh-so-useful book “The Plants of Caye Caulker”.

And they are absolutely gorgeous and the butterflies love them.

CICADAS

The cicadas are singing…buzzing…making a ruckus up north. And it’s a pleasant sound…the sound of summer…but I’ve got one particular issue with these things…

My dogs love to eat them.

Each night we find a few littered on our porch and the dogs can’t wait to go out and start crunching.

Apparently, cicadas have as much protein as red meat and…should not be eaten if you have a seafood allergy.

Ewwww.

I’ll leave it there. Because well…ewwww.

I hope you are having a great week and enjoying summer’s last few weeks.