Apple Fritters; Deaths

Last week saw highs and lows...

I will start with the good stuff:

- I made the best apple fritters EVER. They were simple and didn't take very long. RIP to our waistlines. 

I haven't seen apple fritters in the local bakeries, but they are my favorite "donut-adjacent" food. Even Nathan liked them!

- We have some good things coming up in the hopper, but I'm not at liberty to discuss them just yet...but something that has been a long time coming is finally coming to fruition!

On the sadder side, Friday, while Nathan and I were at Happy Hour, Kit texted me to ask what our neighbors' dogs look like - the two puppies that Nathan is enamored with. One of their workers videoed a "black dog with brown on it, and a red collar" in the mouth of a crocodile in our lagoon. That sounds like the larger of the two; he was (best guess) 40ish pounds now, not a small dog, and the other one is more of a "low rider" style, brown with some black on top, like German Shepherd coloring, but corgi-lab body and ears.

When we got home, neither dog was on their porch, and the two are always together. 

The sun was setting, so we took flashlights and went to see if we could find either dog. They can easily escape their yard (and do), and the owners don't seem to care much for them. We found no trace of either dog, and ran into Kit and Brian - they said they couldn't watch the video, but the worker said the dog is definitely gone. They don't know if the croc got it on the land, or if the dog waded into the water and was grabbed. Our assumption was that both were gone, and the larger was probably trying to defend the smaller dog.  

Then, the dilemma of, "who tells the neighbor?". 

No one wanted to knock on their door, especially if their 6-year-old boy was in earshot. We aren't friends with them, but wave and say "hi" in passing. I found the husband on FB and sent a message, and got a reply that they were in Corozal but would message the brother who was at the house. 

Late Saturday morning, I heard the familiar, "bark bark" on their patio - the smaller, brown dog came home! 

Nathan was working in the yard when the 6-year-old stopped on his bike, and asked Nathan if he had seen his dog...ugh...he was out looking for him - but was told that a crocodile had eaten him.

Super, super sad - it's a risk you take when you let your animals roam, never bring them inside...have no yard for two dogs...and we can't be mad at the croc, he's just surviving.

Kit accidentally saw the video posted on FB and said the croc was HUGE. We will not be kayaking in the lagoon any time soon.

Sunday was Independence Day, but after getting stuck in town for hours last year, we weren't willing to brave crossing the bridge. And, the sun came out! We went with Kit and Brian to Moon Bar - had some great pizza and drinks, great company, great view!

The sargasso is definitely lessening...we need it to just go away!

Getting back on the "bummer train", yesterday morning it was announced that Shaggy Lisbey had passed away. Shaggy is an island legend, a huge, gregarious character who personified San Pedro hospitality and welcomed all. 

I met Shaggy on my first visit to San Pedro in 2002 - he was bartending at Fido's. I stayed at Hotel Del Rio for $15/night in a private room, walked everywhere, and traveled by myself. I walked into Fido's, and he lit up the bar - he knew everyone by name, was adored by all. I stopped in Fido's a few times that trip, and one night, he said a bunch of people were going to Jaguar's (the now-shuttered nightclub) and asked if I wanted to go, too. He introduced me around, made sure I was okay, and didn't try anything fishy - he genuinely wanted everyone to have a good time and enjoy the island.

It was pure luck that when I brought our family to San Pedro, we found him at Pirate's Treasure - the boys fell in love with him! Then, he opened his own bar last year. I won't even feign that we were close; I share this news in case you also knew Shaggy, maybe you knew he was not doing well. The tributes are pouring in, and the island is reeling. A true legend.

We'll see what this week brings...hopefully it's a little more status quo and less dramatic...