Celebrating Seventy

Charlotte skyline

We have often traveled with our friends, Kathy and Paul. Kathy and I went to high school together, and later college at Iowa State University. Our birthdays are three days apart, with hers falling on Halloween. Jim and Paul were fraternity brothers at Iowa State, so we have all known each other a long time.

Paul and Jim put their heads together to plan a surprise for Kathy and me as we were both turning 70. They booked us into the Orchid Bay Resort in Belize. None of us had been to that country before, which is surprising since Paul was a captain for a major airline and has been around the world.

coming into Belize

Our ungodly early flight on October 30th necessitated a 4:30 a.m. Uber pickup, which was ugly. We had a few delays out of Charlotte due to maintenance issues and the government shutdown which has resulted in a shortage of control tower workers. From Charlotte we flew to Atlanta so that we could be on the same plane with our friends for the journey to Belize.

The resort was a two hour drive north of the Belize City airport, so we definitely wanted to share transportation for that ride. Upon checking in we were offered a welcoming beverage before being shown to our separate, thatched-roof casitas. They were lovely and included a good-sized screened lanai, which we took advantage of in the mornings and evenings. 

welcome to Orchid Bay

The next day we hung out at the resort. Because we had the all-inclusive package, we could have anything we wanted to eat and drink. We did some hiking on the resort grounds, played some games and also took out the kayaks to paddle around looking for birds. On Saturday we took a boat ride, which included a visit to some Mayan ruins, a trip down the New River, some snacks and then a stop to watch the sun set over the bay. It was lovely. Following dinner that night the staff provided both Kathy and me with our own cakes while they sang Happy Birthday to us.

birthday celebration

Sunday was our last full day at the resort. We decided to do a snorkeling expedition. Following a breakfast sandwich we made our way to the boat dock to meet the captain and his crew. It was only the four of us as passengers, so that was nice. They first took us to Bacalar Chico National Park & Marine Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the only place in the Western Hemisphere that a reef touches land.

Bacalar Chico

Next we made our way to the Belize Barrier Reef. Part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, it is the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere and the second largest in the world. As we have also been to the Great Barrier Reef off Australia, we have now snorkeled at the world's two largest reefs. The first stop that we made was not very pretty nor were there very many fish. The second stop was super shallow and when the captain said you had to walk backwards over rocks to get to the deeper water, I decided to wait in the boat. That ended up to be a good call as they quickly spotted sharks and hustled the others back to the boat. The third stop was much better in that the coral looked healthier and there were a lot of fish. I will say that I have never snorkeled where there were not a ton of other boats around. We were the only ones there. And also normally the guides will feed the fish to draw them in, but that was not the case here. The fish were just there without added enticement.

snorkeling

One of the most interesting things to happen is that the assistants on the boat captured some conchs. They brought them on board and showed us how the conch hides within its shell. You have to tap the shell in a certain spot to loosen the conch so you can pull it out. They placed the shells back in the water as they become a home for other sea creatures. They then cleaned up the conch and served it in a dish called ceviche. You really can't have any seafood that is fresher than that!

conch

Following our breakfast Monday we make the two hour trek back to the airport. I have to say, it was a lot easier to leave the country than to enter it. When we arrived there were three other lines/checkpoints to go through once you got through Customs. Ridiculous... 

Our flight to Atlanta left a little late, but we had sufficient layover time in Atlanta to weather that. Plus our flight leaving Atlanta was late anyway, so no big deal. Going through Customs in Charlotte was a piece of (birthday) cake since we have Global Entry. It is worth every penny if you do international travel.

goodbye Belize

Cheers to Seventy Years

pickleball party

Today was a new dawn and a new decade as I turned 70. I began my celebration yesterday when the gals at my pickleball facility threw a little party for me after our clinic. Can't think of a better way to kick things off than pickleball and good friends!

There's always something special about leaving one decade and entering another. I can't say that I really feel any different. Having just completed my annual Medicare Wellness Exam, they obviously look at things a little differently. The cholesterol level that was considered mildly elevated last year now is considered a little more menacing now that my age has a 7 in it instead of a 6. Even though the blood work did not show it to have raised much at all.

The doctor has recommended that I undergo a CT Cardiac Calcium Test, which is a noninvasive test that looks for calcium deposits in the heart arteries. Because it is considered a screening test, my insurance will not cover it. I spoke with the radiology booking people today, and they advised that the CT would cost me $125. As I think the information will be beneficial, I went ahead and scheduled the test for next month.

My doctor also has been after me to get a bone density test done. I have never had one, and I tried for the past two years to get one scheduled. My prior insurance carrier would not cover that test either because they said I don't have any underlying conditions to warrant it. Hello, old person here! Surprisingly, my new carrier will cover this test. I was lucky enough to be able to schedule both of them back to back so I only have to make one trip to the radiology center.

My bloodwork also indicated elevated thyroid hormone levels. This led the doctor to suggest thyroid medication. As I don't have any of the signs of hyperthyroidism, I am reluctant to jump on the medication bandwagon. It occurred to me to question whether the flu shot or Covid shot could impact the thyroid levels in a blood test. Guess what? They BOTH can, and as I had taken one of each in the two weeks prior to the blood work, that makes me wonder if the results were reliable. The doctor agreed with me, and suggested that I have my blood test redone in four weeks. That seems very reasonable to me. Here's hoping that the level will be back in the normal range by then. I do not take any prescription medications, and I sure would like to keep it that way.

Lighting Up Mount Holly

seahorse lantern

Last night was the 8th Annual Mount Holly Lantern Parade, and for the 5th year in a row our community had an entry in the parade. Also for the 5th year in a row we took 1st place in the Group category. This year's theme was "Into the Deep Blue Sea". 

As we plan what we want to do we take a couple things into consideration: What is going to resonate with the kids who line the parade route?, and how can we involve the large number of people who want to walk in the parade with us? We have a core group of 8-10 people who consistently show up each week to build the lanterns. But we normally have 30+ folks who want to walk down Main Street with our group.

This year we decided to do "Baby Shark", the wildly successful YouTube video featuring a family of sharks and a few sidekicks. Mommy, Daddy, Grandma & Grandpa sharks were five feet long, not including their tails. Baby Shark was four feet and his buddy William the pilot fish was three feet. The other main character, in our minds, is Pink Fong who is kind of the mascot for the show. 

Once we built those lanterns, we moved on to ancillary items. We made a seahorse, three jellyfish, three schools of fish containing twelve fish each, seven starfish and four clams that were our first attempt at hand puppet lanterns. A crowning late addition was a coral reef that was worn around the waist of the carrier. It could have been an entry all by itself.

coral                                                banner

An Imagery banner led our entry, followed by a baton twirler with a lighted baton, then a decorated wagon with speakers playing the Baby Shark theme song on repeat. Two residents dressed as the little boy and girl from the video came next, running away from the sharks. We also had four people handing out shark-shaped small bags of candy. At the end of all of our lanterns was a wall of wavy blue streamers complete with lighted bubbles to signify the end of our group. All in all, we had 39 folks in our unit including two of our own parade Marshalls to keep us in order.

Imagery Lanterns

Though the night was a little cooler than previous years, it was a beautiful evening to be out. The parade went off mostly without a hitch. Baby Shark decided to act up and his pole disconnected inside his body. This caused him to drop down on top of my nose. Ouch! I was able to get him somewhat situated before we passed the judges station, but after that I just hand carried him for the rest of the parade. Bad Baby!

It was rewarding as always to be named First Place as we have been working since April to pull this project together. After the winners were announced, the organizer released the theme for next year - the "Wide World of Sports." All I could think was, ugh. The theme does not excite me, and I wonder what we can pull together that makes sense with the theme but will still engage the kids. What a challenge!