Discovering a new way to look at the beach debris (and the debris of life)….

The beach we “live” on is miles long and largely unpopulated. There is very little development and a lot of seaweed and assorted debris washes up. I used to think “someone should clean that up”.

The beach debris…

We heard from a friend that amber, a fossil resin, can be found in the wood and debris that washes up, especially after a storm. Since then, my beach walks have taken on a whole new meaning.  What a great challenge for a stubborn (aka determined) Mennonite!!  

The glittery nuggets of yellow/orange amber we found this week…

I can’t help thinking of just how much the beach debris resembles our lives.  It washes up after a storm and makes a big mess. However, there is hidden amber there and if we only look at the debris, it can be very difficult to discover the gems.

I am newly challenged to look at the messes of life with anticipation – searching for the gems because I KNOW they are there.  I will concentrate on looking, gently pushing aside the debris and choose to focus only on what is beautiful.  I’ve discovered that if the debris is stirred up too much it will cover the beautiful gems with sand and weeds…making them much more difficult to see.

I’m looking forward to having some lovely earrings made with my amber that will always remind me of this truth.

Island Beauty

This post is dedicated to the two ladies (and their energetic husbands) who had the courage to join us on our island adventure this year! We could hardly keep up with them :-)

 Enjoy the following photos from our island home.

Now, back to my book....

The Scooter Gang

We know quite a few couples who, in their middle life, have taken to the road on motorcycles. Not to be outdone we decided to give it a try with our friends from Edmonton. Ok, there may not be much power in these little scooters but I think we look fabulous. No leather or helmets required here - just the open breeze as we putt off to the parade.

Our first stop was at Coral School - an amazing school started and operated by Gustavo and Miguelina Zayas, a wonderful Dominican couple. Randy is teaching English to 8 year olds there 2 mornings/week.

The Gang in the newly built second floor classroom.

Sandro and Sandra's daughter, Jamiley, holding the flag at the front of the parade!!

Miguelina, Coral School principal and organizer of the school parade involving many of the local schools. All of the kids looked so great.

 

Gustavo, Coral School Director and Big Richard - a guy who, thankfully, is on our side!

Villa Ascension with Dominican Feed the Kids outreach.

This year, through a variety of circumstances, we came to know Bill & Donna Reimer, formerly of Kelowna. They came to the DR to help with a feeding program operated by their friends. They had planned to stay for one month but during that time the director of the program needed medical attention and could not continue in his role. Bill and Donna graciously offered to stay for a few more months and have now been here for 2 years. In addition, their "retirement" took on a whole new meaning when they rescued a 3 month old baby boy who had been left to die in the village. Manny is now 2 1/2 and Bill and Donna are his proud parents. Here's the website for the "Dominican Feed the Kids" if you want to learn more.
http://www.dominicanfeedthekids.com/

One Friday morning we went with our Edmonton friends and a few other locals to help feed 250 kids a hot meal. Most of the children are from extremely poor Haitian families who came to the DR to work in the sugar cane fields. The plant has since shut down in that area and many of these people are unable to feed their families.

Paradise Island

Paradise Island was where I fell in love with the Dominican Republic many years ago. We had not been back to this area since so decided to go there with Barry & Corinne and our new arrivals, Garry & Joanne. It is a small sand bar located a few miles off the north west coast near the Haitian border.  http://cayoparaiso.net/

Everyone contributed to the "photo journal" of this day but Zach gets the credit for the underwater pictures taken with his Olympus Stylus Touch camera.

Day Trip - Dudu Lake and Playa Diamente.

Our beautiful day trip to Playa Diamente (Diamond Beach) and Dudu Lake (swimming/jumping at the cenotes and exploring Taino caves)
http://gocabrera.com/things-to-do/local-attractions

Hanging Out.

Ok, so the first week we just had fun hanging around (and getting our pictures taken, apparently).

Who wouldn't want to hang around with this guy?

Zach...just chillin'

Going to the Saturday Market across the road.

My lovely friend, Corinne.

Corinne & I, solving the world's problems.

Teresa & I - Barry removed the freckles on my face with his "magic program" and put some lipstick on me!!