Friday, April 28, 2006
Spinners Arrive Safe, Good Times Roll
Flea Blocker, Belize.
With the safe arrival of part of the Spinner Clan in this small corner of Central America, everyone eat, drank made merry and took the water taxi out to the island of Flea Blocker, so named because of a British naval station here that once existed to deter ownerless dogs and cats from inundating the island with flea bitten depravity.
That experiment miserably failed, as attested to by the presence of many three-legged and one-eyed beach combers. In 1823 the British were finally forced to except defeat, with the loss of one forth to two thirds of their entire Armada. The once revered Admiral Grog was forced to cut rum rations and was run up a nine iron and keel hauled amidships by his officers as a result. Meanwhile the dogs and cats celebrated their independance. It did not last long however, as the Great Mange Rebellion of 1856 pitted the three legged sociocialist dogs against the no-eyed, Republicanist cats with nothing left to lose. The resulting in-fighting led to over 100 years of disorder and civil strife until 2006, when Un.N. observed elections restored calm and a moderate government came to power granting representation to three and four leggeds alike.
At the end of April, 2006 the Spinners have arrived to an island tourism economy with full services, weak septic systems and toilets that ovberflow, but do so peacefully and with a good bit of respect. Beach, golf carts, sand, snorkling and coconut palms make up just some of the over 200 sights and sounds this historic isle has to offer. Good health, the posession of Belizean dollars and a willingness to swim have aided the Spinners in their transition from the solemn, frigid, freezy-ness of 50 degree Minnesota to the near tropical to beyond tropical ecology of Flea Blocker.
With the safe arrival of part of the Spinner Clan in this small corner of Central America, everyone eat, drank made merry and took the water taxi out to the island of Flea Blocker, so named because of a British naval station here that once existed to deter ownerless dogs and cats from inundating the island with flea bitten depravity.
That experiment miserably failed, as attested to by the presence of many three-legged and one-eyed beach combers. In 1823 the British were finally forced to except defeat, with the loss of one forth to two thirds of their entire Armada. The once revered Admiral Grog was forced to cut rum rations and was run up a nine iron and keel hauled amidships by his officers as a result. Meanwhile the dogs and cats celebrated their independance. It did not last long however, as the Great Mange Rebellion of 1856 pitted the three legged sociocialist dogs against the no-eyed, Republicanist cats with nothing left to lose. The resulting in-fighting led to over 100 years of disorder and civil strife until 2006, when Un.N. observed elections restored calm and a moderate government came to power granting representation to three and four leggeds alike.
At the end of April, 2006 the Spinners have arrived to an island tourism economy with full services, weak septic systems and toilets that ovberflow, but do so peacefully and with a good bit of respect. Beach, golf carts, sand, snorkling and coconut palms make up just some of the over 200 sights and sounds this historic isle has to offer. Good health, the posession of Belizean dollars and a willingness to swim have aided the Spinners in their transition from the solemn, frigid, freezy-ness of 50 degree Minnesota to the near tropical to beyond tropical ecology of Flea Blocker.
