Travelogue

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 4:33 pm

W and I are headed south. Yesterday we drove to Dallas, Texas, where she has cousins. We arrived after dark. When we got up, look what we saw over their back fence:

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/r ... site"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PxKg ... 0Texas.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/terdalfarm ... te">Dallas to Dangriga trip photos</a></td></tr></table>

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 4:58 pm

I could wake up to that view every morning and live a very happy life doing so.

Barb

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:01 pm

That is what I said! I immediately asked about jobs etc. in the Dallas area.
Those folks aren't palm-nuts or anything, which makes it all the more galling. Trachycarpus are just easy, even after the coldest winter and hottest, driest summer. Grrrr....

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:32 pm

Go for it!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 8:01 pm

Those folks aren't palm-nuts

They're not livin' if they're not nuts about palms, especially since they grow there

Dallas sounds like a great place to enquire, Erik.
Maybe cheque the ratio of universities to nurseries?

Barb

Godfryd · Post by **Godfryd** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:27 pm

Wow, nice view in the morning indeed.
I made some time ago a little mistification and put one of my Phoenix Roebellini in front of the kitchen window.
It was great to feel and look from time to time and see like I was in a palm tree area

Please look:

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:35 am

What a nice looking PDP, Godfryd, very healthy.
Great view!

Barb

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 11:09 am

What a view.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:46 pm

We endured the all-night + most of next day bus odyssey. On the beach now surrounded by native palms like Cocos plus many ornamental Roystonea, Veitchia/Adonidia etc. Photos after I catch up on sleep.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 7:14 pm

Glad you made it safe and sound, Erik.

Lotsa photos please....Christmas + Christmas palms. Perfect!

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:28 pm

Barb,
I'll run around and take photos of Christmas palms for you over the weekend.
Today we are having a winter storm. Here is a short (<30 sec.) video clip I took of chit palms in the storm.

If videos can embed:
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ok9xS9vLdnA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

If not, the link:
http://youtu.be/Ok9xS9vLdnA

I like these because they look to me like [i]Trachycarpus[/i], with their thin hairy trunks and fan leaves that look a little bluish in the sun. They go by [i]Thrinax radiata[/i].

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 3:15 pm

Erik, those are beautiful palms!!!! Wow.

Is that black seeds on a branch, or just some black branches waving in the wind on one palm?

If it's seeds....ahem...

We'd all trade our winter storms for yours.
Enjoy the warm sand, and photos only when you have some time!

Thanks for posting the Thrinax (Florida Thatch Palm) video.

Barb

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 3:28 pm

Abundant seed now on these "weeds", which feed the local birds.
Tempting, but while these may look like our beloved Trachies, they are zone 10b palms.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:16 am

10b?

No problem.
Piece o' cake.

Barb

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:00 am

A pair of olive-throated parakeets must have heard me talk about the seeds as they are now gobbling them up for breakfast:

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N ... site"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7f2U ... C_0078.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir? ... tr></table>

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:35 am

TerdalFarm wrote:Barb,
I'll run around and take photos of Christmas palms for you over the weekend.
Today we are having a winter storm. Here is a short (<30 sec.) video clip I took of chit palms in the storm.

That is my kind of winter storm.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:32 pm

I wrote out details of the bus trip in case anyone is interested in the budget way to get to Belize:
http://terdalfarm.blogspot.com/2011/12/ ... eyond.html

I embedded a few cell-phone snapshots, some of which have some palms in them.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:55 pm

Erik,
Hadn't seen your blog before; thanks for the link.
Laughed at the Margaritaville stand.

What a good idea that luggage lock-up is.

Ah...warm palms, warm weather.

Have a wonderful Christmas down there.
Barb

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:04 pm

W and I had lunch today at Cheers, my favorite restaurant in Belize. The first photo shows the owner talking to Rhea--about horses, their mutual passion. She moved to Belize as a girl, with her family. They owned a restaurant in BC (can't remember where) and decided they didn't like the winters. They opened Cheers in the middle of nowhere, on an isolated stretch of highway. Sounds like a terrible business plan, except for one thing: their food is so good, people drive for miles (despite gas at US$5/gallon, in a poor country) to eat there. They have done great. The owner grew up there and now runs it. So, all you folks from BC: if you get tired of the winter, come on down. Canadians are everywhere here.

The next few photos are of a Christmas palm up front. Barb, this is what you can look forward to!

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2 ... site"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l6qj ... C_0022.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u ... site"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-BdGh ... C_0029.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/c ... site"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6I72 ... C_0030.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/m ... site"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-L-5P ... C_0032.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:27 pm

Oh that's such a beautiful palm...what's holding what up? (re the wire?)

Erik sure knows how to get the heart pumping...he follows it with a close up of seeds

Followed by close up of volunteer seedlings

Where are my smelling salts

Interesting story about the BC "runaway"...I don't blame her a bit.
How nice she followed her dream.

Looks like W is having a great time.

Very kind of you Erik to take those photos.
(OK, heart, back to normal now...thump thump).

Barb

CTPalm · Post by **CTPalm** » Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:54 pm

Nice pics Erik!

This is the palm that I thought Scott/Omaha was posting the other day under the thread Christmas Palm!

Barb you are too funny!

Paul

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:10 pm

We went snorkeling today. The island we stopped at for lunch has 12 coconuts trees plus two youngsters. I took a few snapshots.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R ... site"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-aSOI ... GP0030.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9 ... site"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7O80 ... GP0049.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x ... site"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2iRX ... GP0038.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h ... site"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iFm4 ... GP0042.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

Godfryd · Post by **Godfryd** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 10:22 pm

wonderfull small island!

Okanagan desert-palms · Wed Dec 28, 2011 10:44 pm

Erik I don`t know how I missed this post other than a little jet lag from our recent trip to Mexico "pacific coast". Belize is a beautiful place we would like to see. How expensive relative to Mexico would it be for 3 star lodging, food, car rental ect. Great pics and video. Thanks.

John

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:23 pm

I could almost feel the warmth in those pics.
Thanks Erik, keep 'em coming please.

Barb

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:53 pm

I had a friend that went to Belize for a couple of weeks and stayed like a year and a half. Washed dishes and cleaned for food, he loved it! I his Dad and his Brother almost bought some beach property (should have), but now it is way spendy.....I hate what if's.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:54 pm

lucky1 wrote:I could almost feel the warmth in those pics.
Thanks Erik, keep 'em coming please.

Barb

Yes please.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:17 pm

John,
more expensive than Mexico. That has always been true, but Mexico is on fire sale right now due to their troubles. Hence our flying there and taking the bus vs. flying to Belize.
This is the best travel agent I know for airfares from BC/Cananda to Belize:
http://www.gettingtobelize.com/
so start there first.
Belize is beloved by Canadians as it is also part of the Commonwealth and so feels familiar; they have adopted it as "theirs" and play a large role in the economy.

We relaxed today. Here are vacation-y snapshots:

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/M ... site"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5lof ... GP0015.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9 ... site"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-V80N ... GP0148.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/2 ... tr></table>

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:51 pm

Ooooh, nice pics...hey, Erik, they're not ripe yet! (1st photo)

Erik, is W standing in a ditch?

Wish my palms looked so healthy...

I could look at Belize photos twice a day...

Barb

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 6:23 am

We love the pics!

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 8:28 am

Very cool!! Why...I repeat WHY!??? do i live in NJ!???

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:11 pm

Why, sid, why? I wish I knew.

We took a snorkel trip Wednesday to tiny Silk Caye, which has a grand total of 12 adult Cocos and two juveniles.

This blog entry has photos and video clips of them, but mostly focuses on the marine life:

http://terdalfarm.blogspot.com/2011/12/ ... elize.html

Cameron_z6a_N.S. · Post by **Cameron_z6a_N.S.** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:16 pm

Great shots, Erik! The "desert island" is especially nice!

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:39 pm

I don't think I would ever come back.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:19 pm

Finally got away from the beach and into the forest, which I love.
No time yet to organize photos, so here is a snapshot.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B ... site"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VGRZ ... C_0168.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/N ... bsite">New Years Day 2012</a></td></tr></table>

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:43 am

Nice menhir.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 8:51 am

Had to look up "menhir".
I thought Mike had his fingers on the wrong "home row keys"

Magnificent, Erik.
Loved the (FB?) photo of Rhea at the Mayan ruin in the cleared forest.

Are there lots of mosquitos in the forest?
Probably a dumb Q, but that's the only thing that would ruin the forest for me.

Are you in the area where you have that wildlife camera set up?

Barb

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:08 pm

Just now got home. Started day in Playa del Carmen after taking a bus there from Belize. Woke up this morning surrounded by coconuts and Christmas palms, took bus to Cancun, flew to Dallas, drove home. Long day!
I'll share a few more palm photos as I sort through them.

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:30 am

TerdalFarm wrote:Just now got home. Started day in Playa del Carmen after taking a bus there from Belize. Woke up this morning surrounded by coconuts and Christmas palms, took bus to Cancun, flew to Dallas, drove home. Long day!
I'll share a few more palm photos as I sort through them.

Tragic, ain't it?

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 7:39 am

Hey, Erik, welcome back home! Looking forward for seeing magnificent pictures!

PalmsNorth.com

Travelogue

Travelogue

quick update

seed

Seeds going fast

Details of bus trip

Christmas palms for Barb and anyone else from BC

Cocos

More Cocos

Into the forest

update

Re: update