Watch Your Um........In Managua!

I normally don't condone toilet photos, but this is an exception.

Goin' Fishin'....Nica Style

Nicaragua is a land of much water. Like Coleridge once said, 'water, water, everywhere....'. That is Nicaragua. Both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are highly accessible. There are two enormous lakes (Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua), the largest two in Central America, not to mention the San Juan del Sur river, bordering Costa Rica. Famous for freshwater lake sharks and world-class tarpon, this is an angler's paradise.

So, remembering to 'make lemonade out of lemons', I've decided to approach my 'time' here differently. A new perspective perhaps. And what better way to do this than to go fishing. Moreover, Leonel, our gardener explained a new method of fishing that he feels will reap huge rewards. We won't even have to leave the house! How can that be? What do you mean, you don't have to leave the house? Well, I'm talking about Iguana fishing. I say this with a capital 'I' because they're more like the Komodo dragons of the Western world. You've heard of the 'cat on the hot tin roof'...well, we have the 'miniature komodo dragon on the hot clay roof'

At night, I generally try to enjoy the television, read, or engage in other activities, deluding myself into thinking that I'm not in Central America. As you can imagine, hearing large reptiles slithering on my roof doesn't help matters. So, beginning tomorrow morning, Leonel and I are going fishin' for Komodo Dragons. He has devised the following plan (which I wholeheartedly endorse...simple brilliance!)

1. find rod and reel...preferably bass tackle, 8-12 lb. test line
2. prepare bare hook...again, imagining this is a largemouth bass with legs. for bait, we have determined that hot dogs would make a good iguana snack.
3. sit in lounge chair and start fishin'.
4**tell josefa to prepare, either in a stew or fried...perhaps both, depending on size.

**contingent on the success of 1-3

If all goes well, I can post Iguana recipes and photos of the feast. Well, I gotta go prepare my tackle and beer cooler.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays, one and all. As of today, only a select few of you are receiving this beacon of goodwill from the banana republic. I'm holding off on going 'public' until I get a handle on this blog business. Then, watch out! Total propaganda of his 'Bob-ness', Leadbelly, Florida Football, Braves Baseball, and killing coral snakes with machetes.

For those of you that didn't know it already, I butchered a coral snake in our front yard. Seems he was trying to trick-or-treat at the Atkinsons house. Brodie actually found him, mistaking him for the great legless, banded iguana. Jorge and I quickly dispatched him into serpent la-la land. Upon consulting with our community, we were given advice to stake out the perimeter of our residence with garlic. I guess we'll kill two birds with one stone.....no Dracula, no coral snakes! At any rate, we're preparing for the holidays. I'm making cds for our employees, as they can't get enough rock-n-roll...So, I'm obliging them. Cds cost about 20-25 dollars a piece and the average Nica that is fortunate enough to be working, makes about 150/month. So...there you have it.

We are reminded every day how truly blessed each of us are. Nicaragua is a sobering place.