RAINY SEASON/DIVE MASTER BEGININGS

Well rainy season is upon us, last week three days of torrential rain and more of the same this week. However when the rain stops and the sun comes out i get to see this view again and it never gets old. I've spent the last two weeks working on my padi dive master course which has been a lot of fun and i even got to assist Juca teaching a padi advanced open water course. I'll be hitting the books while i'm back in Chicago and will pick up the practical part of the course again when i return to Utila.

OUR FIRST BANANAS

We planted some young banana shoots (donated by our night watchman "El Pastor") in February and they've just sent out their first fruit. Really beautiful and i had no idea that each baby banana had a flower on it, kind of like a courgette (zucchini). Hopefully we'll be around when they are ripe, i love bananas and the potassium stops me getting leg cramps when i dive!

THIS MONTH AT TREASURE BEACH

Every year on the nights leading up to the September full moon, the land crabs come out of the jungle and migrate down the beach to drop their eggs into the sea. There are literally thousands (the pics don't do it justice), they're even up the almond and sea grape trees. Every night for a week or so we watch this amazing sight that is like something from a National Geographic episode, it will either intrigue you or freak you out!

There have been lots of guests at the Pineapple House this month. we had a group of eight (four couples) from Pennsylvania for a week at the beginning of September. While they were at Treasure Beach five of the group completed the p.a.d.i. advanced diving course. Congratulations to Sean N. and company, it was really nice to welcome you to Utila and thanks for sharing your lovely photos.

Another group of four guests stayed for the last two weeks of the month. Christi, Allan and friends really got into the no phones, t.v. or outside distractions and got thoroughly decompressed from their busy lives climbing the corporate ladder in New York City. Christi became a certified open water diver and the whole group wiled away many hours snorkeling our house reef. All the friends agreed that it was very hard to leave Treasure Beach and that they'd loved the Pineapple House.

Without doubt one of the high points of the month for me was watching a pod of pilot whales pass between Treasure Beach and Diamond Cay just before sunset one afternoon, beautiful.

LION FISH ARRIVE ON UTILA !

well i guess it was inevitable, they're showing up all over the caribbean. however, seeing two on one day, at different dive sights, was still a big surprise. we saw our first utilan lion fish (juveniles) on dives one morning last week, one at "the pinnacle" on the northside and another at raggedy cay on the westside. we tried to get them with a knife but they're slippery devils and to be honest we were worried about getting stung. they certainly are pretty though.

TREASURE BEACH VACATION RENTALS

I've just finished editing this short 2 minute video showing the homes available for vacation rental at Treasure Beach, check it out.

A GOOD DAY

there's something about being in the water with a whale shark that just makes my day (manta rays have the same effect).

UTILA MARINE LIFE

an overview of what you can expect to see diving and snorkeling on utila (or just sitting on the pier at treasure beach).

UTILA....THE LITTLE ISLAND THAT COULD.

although the bay islands have been unaffected by the current political situation in honduras, it's inhabitants have strong feelings about what's been happening and the way in which it's reported in the media.

i especially like the sign that says "honduras is an example to the world. we don't have oil or money but we have balls! we want peace and freedom, viva honduras."

TREASURE BEACH, UTILA.............THE MOVIE !

although i'm a klutz on the computer, even i could do this with the help of my trusty mac.

JUCA COMES TO CHICAGO

while travelling to europe for a family wedding, honduras' top diving instructor mr. juan carlos castillo molina stopped off in chicago to see honduras vs. u.s.a. in the world cup qualifier. there were so many honduran fans in chicago for the match (2-1 over u.s. fans) that when i took him sight seeing around my town, he met more people he knew than i did!

we'll be diving with juca again in three weeks when we all return to utila. i can't wait !

NEW OCEAN KAYAKS

currently in transit from the u.s. and arriving at Treasure Beach soon, one double & one single ocean kayak. guests can now paddle to their hearts content! lunch on the utila cays or at the purple pelican on pine point beach are now just a paddle way. amazingly beautiful and you'll burn all the calories that's for sure. please don't forget to bring your mask and snorkel but most importantly, sunscreen and a hat!

Ahhh the wonders of nature.

forget about watching t.v. when you're at treasure beach (actually i don't have a t.v.).  get outside, you just never know what you might see when you're sitting on the pier waiting to watch the sunset!

NIGHT SNORKELING AT TREASURE BEACH

one of my favorite things to do in the evening is to snorkel from our pier. you never know what you might see and it's as good as any night dives i've ever done.  the sea is very other worldly at night and when there's no moon (and my dive light is turned off, or broken!) the phosphorescence is magical. 

MI PEQUENO AMIGO

our night watchman has a little dog named camilla who's taken quite a shine to me (or my couch) lately. back in january when she first started patrolling our beach at night she wouldn't come near me. then one night i came home and found her asleep on one of the couches on my veranda. now she's my best buddy and hangs out with me every evening and usually sleeps on the veranda outside my bedroom at night. she's a great watchdog and chases the crab hunters off of our beach every night (she likes to "play" with the crabs and doesn't like the competition) and is most insistent that nobody goes on our pier except the treasure beach residents. camilla, mi pequeno amigo (i think that means, my little friend).

THE PINEAPPLE HOUSE IS FINISHED !

i'm so proud of the new house we just finished, it's beautiful. the pineapple house has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a huge kitchen/living/dining room. i spent the last few days living in it to make sure that there's no little electrical or plumbing tweaks needed but all was perfect. like the coral house that i completed last year, the pineapple house really takes full advantage of the prevailing east wind to naturally cool the house. the big veranda that wraps around the house stays shady all day and is the perfect spot for siestas and what an amazing view!

THE SUN AND THE MOON

late afternoons usually find me out on the pier at treasure beach. after a hot day the cool breeze is a god send and the late afternoon light has an amazing quality about it. as the sun starts to go down the reef comes alive and you never know what you might see swimming past. the cycle of sun rise and sunset,  moon rise and its waxing or waning really sets the rhythm of my life here, something i rarely even notice when i'm back in the chicago.

WHALE SHARKS AND DOLPHINS AND MANTAS, OH MY.

beth and i have had an amazing week of diving and snorkeling. we've seen three whale sharks, including a forty footer that we snorkeled with twice. it was feeding at the surface on a bait ball created by a big school of bonito and was joined in the feeding frenzy by manta (or perhaps mobula) rays and some very big wahoo. what a sight, beth estimated the whale sharks mouth to be at least five and a half feet wide (she used her body as the measuring tool) ! we also snorkeled with a pod of spinner dolphins which was a fantastic experience, they are absolutely beautiful and amazingly fast. however, not all the action has been out in the deep blue water, at treasure beach this week we've also seen southern rays, tarpon, spotted eagle rays and a moray eel. all-in-all a great week to be in the water, which has been 80 degrees! 

AHHHHHHHH.....MI CASITAS

the coral and pineapple houses now have beautiful water front casitas, the perfect place for that afternoon cerveza. it's like a corona ad come true! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

MOVING FURNITURE INTO THE PINEAPPLE HOUSE

yesterday the thatchers came and put the roofs on the beach casitas/palapas. now we have large shady, palm leaf covered places to enjoy the sea breeze while staying out of the hot caribbean sun. at the same time we started to move the kitchen , bathroom cabinets and furniture into the pineapple house, exciting times !

STAFF LUNCH SATURDAYS

I started a little tradition during the construction of the Pineapple House, “staff lunch Saturdays.” I usually do a fish or chicken Thai curry with rice and it’s the first time I’ve ever cooked for more than 6-7 people. It’s a fun way to do something nice for the guys, after all, they bust their humps for me in the hot sun, six days a week and never complain. Plus I get to feel good too. When I remind them on Friday at knocking off time that its staff lunch tomorrow, they all cheer! They’re a great group of guys and a real bunch of characters, most of them have been with us for 3 or 4 years now (I know they all look like kids but they’re all in their twenties).

As usual our foreman Peter Howell and the crew have done an amazing job on the Pineapple House, the fit and finish of every post and beam is perfect. Aside from the beautiful woodworking done on site, Peter has also made me some beautiful furniture in his woodshop on Pigeon Cay. I have to say the bedroom furniture, bathroom counters and kitchen cabinets I designed have all been constructed impeccably by his cabinetmakers, I’m really pleased.

As much as I look forward to Treasure Beach no longer being a construction site, it’ll be strange not to have the crew around the place everyday. Hopefully we’ll all be starting a new job next month, a water front restaurant about a mile west of Treasure Beach for our friend Sebastien, a chef from the south of France.

THE BIG PUSH TO FINISH THE PINEAPPLE HOUSE !

this week we're putting the final touches on my most beautiful project to date, the pineapple house at treasure beach. paint touch ups and landscaping today, followed by the installation of the kitchen cabinets and appliances, bathroom sinks and moving in the furniture and lighting. an exciting week for me and the crew. 

i'll post more images next week when the furniture is in   x 

COPAN, well worth a visit.

The trip to the mayan ruins at Copan was fun and really interesting. the ruins are well worth a visit and i highly recommend using one of the guides that work at the site, ours made it incredibly interesting and informative ($40 for 4 hours). the museum is a must do, it holds a lot of the most beautiful and powerful sculptures, as well as a recreation of the main alter, painted as it would have been, when the city was inhabited thirteen hundred years ago. we stayed at a very nice little b and b called "casa de cafe", the rooms were simple but comfy and the breakfasts were really good, all for $40 a night. we had dinner one evening up at hacienda san lucas. try to get there at around 5.15pm for a lovely sunset view across the valley, river and coffee plantation. our meal there was the best honduran food i've ever had. my Mum headed back to england via miami and after i'd seen her off at san pedro sula airport i took the bus back to la ceiba, jumped on the ferry and headed back to utila. it's time to wrap up work on the pineapple house. all that's left to do now is install the kitchen cabinets, landscape and move the furniture in. the fun part of the job ! 

MUM ARRIVES ON UTILA

this is my mums first visit from england to utila and i'm hoping it won't be her last . after yet more rain this week (this has to be the longest rainy season on record), the sun is finally showing its face again. despite the wet days, time is flying by and my mums three + week visit will be over, too soon.  we've been swimming and fish watching (her highlights so far have included squid and octopus), had lunch on the cay and we have walked to utopia resort for dinner a couple of times (mum got a ride home through the jungle on an atv, a first for her). she loves our house on the beach, this week i'm in charge of cooking and mums in charge of tidying up (works for me). beautiful star gazing from our pier last night, mum is looking for a shooting star as she's never seen one, i think we can probably arrange that. in ten days we travel by road across mainland honduras to the mayan ruins at copan, should be an adventure! 

THE THREE AMIGOS COME TO VISIT aka "welcome to hondo"

i've just wrapped up a weeks visit by three of my oldest and dearest friends, David, Mark and Buzzy (or Arturo, as he likes to be called on the island) . great fun was had by all(shame about the weather, the rainy season has lasted two weeks later than last year), David kept fit by running the length of the island and back every day and taking photos but actually he seemed rather relaxed which was exactly what he needed. Buzzy discovered a love of snorkeling , saw many spotted eagle rays and got some great video of an octopus one night (i shall say no more about Buzzy, i'm saving the rest for a book or "a family event") and Mark....well Mark made the week. he was sozzled from sun up to sunset and is probably going to experience the d.t.'s when he gets home (he set a record at Utopia Resort for the most shots ever consumed). a witty raconteur, Mark WANTED to rake the beach and sweep the verandas everyday, bonded with my construction crew even though he speaks no spanish and left his room cleaner and better furnished than when he arrived. it was like watching him set up our huge trade show booth in the old days.  a great week, the first time we've all hung out in at least two years. my current business partner Roger, was amazed that after all these years and all these business', the four of us were still such great friends.  i hope they'll all return soon .  i'm exhausted now, feels like leaving after a week in vegas, not utila.  i guess i just can't party like i used to.......but i ain't giving up! 

   rated p.g. for language... Buzzy got every excited. 

THE RETURN OF SPOTTED DICK.

most days last year at sunrise and/or sunset a spotted eagle ray came to feed at treasure beach. often he'd be in the shallowest water and would come within a foot or two of the beach, it was so predictable that friends would sometimes come by to see him in the late afternoon. i hadn't seen him this year and was getting a bit worried that maybe he'd met an untimely end. yesterday afternoon the sun finally came out and the wind shifted to the east, so i went to sit on the pier and enjoy the sunset. the water was calm and very clear but i noticed an area by the pier that was very cloudy and knew that meant only one thing: something was digging in the sand. for the next thirty minutes i got to watch "dick" foraging for shrimp, crab and lobster. he's grown a bit since i last saw him and his tail must be six feet long now. cheers, nice to have you back dick.

JUCA'S GONE WILD !

everyones favorite divemaster juan carlos, aka ricky ricardo, aka juca, has been going through the idc (scuba instructors exam) for the last week and a half in utila town. its very serious stuff with the examiners flown in from the u.s. and although juca claims its nothing but work, work, work, the reality is there's an awful lot of partying at the end of each day (divemasters are infamous boozers).  seems one night he (or a friend?) had some fun with the clippers and not just on his head.  he has a group of twenty divers arriving from the states on saturday and three of my friends too, should give everyone a surprise that first day out on the dive boat! 

well it looks as though the rainy season may have finally come to an end. sunshine for four days now and a new moon and stars at night. the school of squid i'd been snorkeling with in the evenings seems to have disbanded , just a few stragglers still around. it seems they liked the dark cloudy nights with no moon or stars better. the pineapple house is progressing nicely, the ground floor bedroom floors are being tiled now and i have more plants arriving on the supply boat today. this house is going to be the best one yet, absolutely beautiful. addios amigos x 

hola , well its still a bit rainy and the west wind has been blowing for a week (very unusual, the east wind is the norm) but we had some sunshine yesterday which allowed me to paint some gingerbread trim that's going on the coral house.  we had a beautiful sunset last night, the two catamarans are anchored in the calm waters between treasure beach and the cays. germans on board cruising the caribbean for a couple of months. it seems our end of the island is becoming a popular place with the sailing set,  there's been up to six of them here at a time this month, they like our calm waters and they make the view even prettier. 

january showers make flowers

i'm back at treasure beach after spending late november and the beginning of december on my honeymoon with beth, my gorgeous new bride. we were in the maldives and had a lovely time, then back to chicago before christmas and new year, brrrr. its good to feel the sun again and see my utila friends, peter, amanda, john, bine, hugh, ryan and roger. january is the tail end of the rainy season on utila and the weather is very changeable, well its either sunny or rainy anyway, its always warm. i've been doing some planting and in the last couple of weeks i've added a dozen baby coconut palms and some bird of paradise around the coral house, next i'll be adding bananas. the construction of the pineapple house is going great and we're starting some of the interior painting this week, fingers crossed if everything arrives from the states in time we'll be completed by the end of february. its a great house and it feels nice and roomy, i kind of hope someone wants to buy the coral house so i can keep the pineapple house instead. 

snorkeling has been good and a school of squid have been hanging around the pier all week, snorkeling with them at night is especially fun, they are very curious and are definitely interested in me, they change colours constantly like chameleons of the reef . there has been lots of whale sharks this month, the second year in a row that january has been a good month with lots of sightings and tagging being done by the researchers in town. henry and victoria have opened harbor house out on pigeon cay and its very handy, a gym/restaurant/bar/internet cafe, the food is good and it's a nice spot to eat lunch or watch the sunset, definitely a welcome addition to the neighborhood !

THE THRILLER IN UTILA

hugh "chef boy ar blaze " vs skipper " pretty boy " leonard

what better way to celebrate honduran independence day,  than a boxing challenge ? 

• chef hugh and dive boat skipper leonard have been talking about this day for months .  would they actually go through with it ? a hush came over the crowd as they pushed their way into the ring : a gringo vs. local match up. this was either going to be very entertaining or very sad. 

• the ferocity of the opening salvo took us all by surprise (there'd been a lot of bravado in the months leading up to the fight but they are friends) . with both guys standing toe to toe in the center of the ring and swinging hard it looked like chef hugh was going down and going down hard.

skipper leonard kept chef hugh on the defensive with a wicked series of combination punches that had chef hugh reaching deep into his gut for the strength to continue . 

just as the still placid crowd had expected, looks like the gringo's gonna go down and out in the first round. 

out of nowhere and from down low, hugh unleashed a wicked right cross,  shocker....... "pretty boy" leonard hits the deck ! 

the silent crowd erupted and with them still ringing in his ears leonard was back on his feet in a second, THIS WAS GETTING GOOD ! 

with the crowd ignited by the surprise knock down and chef hugh 

taunting him with the muhammad ali shuffle, leonard came back fighting like a man possessed . ain't no gringo chef gonna take out the "pretty boy" from sandy bay. 

coming in low to avoid a roundhouse left , leonard gets inside . 

hugh didn't 

even see the right cross coming  but he felt it ! 

time for skipper leonard to take cooking

 boy to school.

chef hugh hit the deck hard , down and bloodied ............but not out . 

up in a flash , sporting a cheeky grin and once again doing the ali shuffle , hugh continued to taunt leonard as the crowd egged him on . two knockdowns and we're still in the first round ,

the "thriller in utila" is living up to the hype .

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• and then the unthinkable , out of nowhere a torrential rain storm and the ref called the fight. the ring is too slippery.
  
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• rumor has it , an eccentric fight fan had put up a substantial purse which neither pugilist can collect on .................... until the rematch .
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hemmingway would have enjoyed independence day on utila. 

utila carnival (july '08)

the end of july is carnival season on utila (don't worry Rio , we're not trying to de-throne you). 
after two nights of neighborhood 
celebrations saturday is the "big" parade and fireworks. with about 50% of the islands vehicles (about 15) and virtually all its citizens participating, utila carnival is tons of fun for locals and visitors alike. winding its way from chepas beach through town to the lagoon, it's very cute and a great time was had by all . most in the crowd followed their favorite float until the center of town was gridlocked and the kids in the drumming band got to really strut their stuff. it was nice to see so many of the expats involved (many are from new orleans , so its in the blood). during the day it's a family affair but at night things heat up and the bars along the water front are hopping, a prelude to "sunjam" only two weeks later . 

COMING IN SEPTEMBER, utila independence day and the strange ritual of a boxing ring in the center of town and all challengers welcome !

my first five months of living at treasure beach on utila (jan.-may '08)

i've had a wonderful time during my first five months on utila and i've really got to experience the good life in the bay islands of  honduras .  we are really happy with the construction of our house at treasure beach.  

the man who sold us the land , roger white,  held my hand during the whole process (my construction experience was in residential rehabs and high end retail store design in chicago), his tropical building expertise and friendship really made what could have been a nightmare, a dream . the construction crew did a great job under tough conditions (ie. 3000+ bags of concrete and sand plus 600+ rods of rebar all hand carried and shuttled by little boats to the beach and then hand carried to the job site in 90 degree heat , that alone took several weeks) . its very labour intensive construction as the only mechanical/elecrical tools that are used are saws.  the guys showed up six days a week , very week , peter my foreman was awesome; a real craftsman .

after this first five months i've really learned to appreciate the design of our home, it really catches the prevailing east wind, which blows most afternoons . i have all the french doors open 24 hours a day and the shutters let the cool breeze blow right through the house , while keeping the bugs out . the only a/c i've had to use was in my bedroom at night and then only once or twice a week . most of the gringo's i've met here are running a/c constantly because of the "americanized" design of their homes or hotel rooms . the "grand bahamian" style home is really the way to go here on utila. 

i've done lots of diving and decided "c.j's drop off" is my favorite dive sight, love the deep one's !  we saw whale sharks again which is an awe inspiring experience no matter how many times you get the chance. 

fishing with junior diamond was fun and something i'm going to get a lot more serious about in the future, watch out wahoo !

i choose not to have a t.v. and i'm glad, instead i spent a lot of time enjoying the island nature and star gazing  . the trees in honduras produce the most gorgeous flowers and every other week a different kind was blooming in the jungle behind treasure beach. however, the reef in front of our house was THE constant source of amazing sights , day and night . very week i saw something i'd never seen before . one night it was thousands of bioilluminesent jellyfish floating by , another it was a fish spawning with millions of glow in the dark eggs everywhere and big eagle rays gliding by eating them . many nights i would end up falling asleep on the end of the pier after watching that nights amazing events .

a small new resort called "utopia" is about fifteen minutes walk from our house and it was nice to have a place to stroll to . i usually spent a couple of evenings a week down there having dinner and drinks , the food is excellent , easily the best i've had in honduras . the chef hugh and the barmaid ryan became good friends and they would usually come to hang out and snorkel at our house on their day off . 

living close to the cays is very convenient for buying supplies and for grabbing the occasional lunch at "fishburger" or "hermans cay view" restaurants. the caysians still live pretty much as they have for years, fishing everyday and collecting conch and lobster during season. leading up to easter every house on the cays had huge sides of fish drying on its roof in preparation for good friday. every time i visit the cays i see something i want to take a picture of.

well, i'm off to the states for a few weeks so that's all for now . i shall return to utila soon .