Since I’ve been to Cancun and Mexico several times, I’m kind of surprised when new things happen to me.  But, something very new just happened.  I needed to convert some dollars since I didn’t have enough pesos to buy food.  Just around the corner from where I’m staying was a little shop, kinda like a 7-11, with a sign that shows the daily conversion rate of dollars to pesos. 
 
So, I went into the shop to make an exchange.  My Spanish is good enough to understand that they don’t exchange money there.  It isn’t good enough to understand why they post the daily exchange rates in their window when they don’t do that transaction.
 
Mission Impossible. 
 
At this point in time, if I walked to the nearest exchange place that I knew, it would be dark by the time I did that business and then found a place to eat.  It’s my habit in any city in the world to be in my room at night instead of walking on dark streets.  It’s just so much safer that way, especially in a new city where I don’t have a mastery of the language.  But, it’s safe to do anywhere.
 
Fortunately, I had my credit card with me.  I knew that the Burger King just across the street would accept my card.  I don’t go to Burger King in America.  There is one less than a block from my house.  I don’t Whopper.  But, I do eat and it was an unusual circumstance to say the least.

The meal combo number three was some kind of guacamole burger.  That sounded interesting.  In my limited Spanish, I successfully communicated that I wanted combo number three.  What I didn’t successfully understand was when the girl behind the counter clarified the order.  “Do you want three number three combos?”  I only understood the number three.

“Si.”  “Yes.”
 
She rang it up and I passed over my credit card. 
 
Of course, she rang up what she clearly clarified.  I don’t blame her in the slightest.  But, I didn’t need three combo meals.  And, I’m going to guess that no Whopper has a good shelf-life even if I have a refrigerator in my room. 
 
Very fortunately, the manager came to the rescue.  She refunded me the entire amount in cash, so the credit card transaction still could go through.  Then, from the cash that was refunded, I paid for one number three combo.  The really good news out of this was that I got extra money in my pocket that would last me until I located a place to exchange money in the next day or two.
 
The bad news?  I’m not going to call it bad news.  It’s just news that fits the entire way this adventure panned out.  My burger had no trace of guacamole in it.  I don’t know what it was that they served me, but I am fairly certain that it wasn’t combo number three.  The only thing green in it was jalapeno peppers.  It made for a glorious Whopper, but not what I had in mind.  I don’t think I’ll ever have combo number three.  Not only do I not plan on eating at Burger King when I can have authentic Mexican food, but I’m just a little too embarrassed to set foot in that place ever again.

I have a favorite elementary school.  There is only one school in the whole world where I have decorated the building with ten murals.  Only one.  So, how is it possible that it isn't my favorite?  I love to stroll around Walnut Elementary here in Central Ohio and see how my artwork has held up the past few years.  It's still looking good, real good.

It isn't every day that I get to Walnut Elementary.  This time I was invited as a guest artist/author.  It's a very big deal at this school.  A very amazing librarian has been at this for years and has invited in a whole host of talent.  I was so very thrilled to be included in the list.  This was my very first official visit to a school as a speaker in this type of role.  It really made sense that Walnut be the first location.  The kids had seen my artwork for years.  They might as well put a face to the art work.

The librarian was the reason I came to Walnut Elementary in the first place.  Years ago, I contacted every school in a five-country region telling principals, vice principals, librarians, art teachers and special ed teachers about my murals.  It didn't garner much attention.  Everyone gets too many spam emails these days.  But, the librarian knew my art and recognized my name.  She talked to the principal about me and the rest is history.

My visit was going to focus on my book Once Upon West Africa.  And, at Walnut Elementary, they know how to prepare for a visiting artist/author.  The librarian read a lot of my books to her students in the weeks leading up to the day.  That much I expected.  What blew me away was the art projects that classroom teachers created that also centered around my books.

These teachers knew how to make good use of paper plates.  One of my tales, "Bee Ware from Bee Hind", has a bee and a lion.  So, kids made paper plate bees with coffee filter wings as well as paper plate lions.  Both were equally adorable.  There were also frogs made from paper plates to go with The Frog Princess.  When the frog's mouth was opened, haiku poems about frogs were composed.  Still more plates created foxes and hedgehogs to go with "Fox and Hedgehog at the Henhouse".

I absolutely adored one teacher's inspiration for Triple Gratitude with Assorted Monsters.   This was for very young kids who couldn't really draw monsters.  But, somebody took the time to create eyes, feet, hats, bows, noses, glasses and even underwear for the kids to cut out and assemble monsters however they wanted.  Each very unique monster held up a sign where the kids wrote what they were grateful for.  This was such a keeper idea.

Other classes had coloring sheets from my books.  Some students created kente cloth patterns.  If you don't know what that is, you may just have to go to Ghana (or visit the wall outside of Walnut Elementary's library).  Other students drew portraits in my cartooning style and even more kids created a whole variety of African animals.  It was a wonderful stroll around the building.  Not only were the halls filled with my murals, but they were also adorned with projects that my writing inspired. 

I like the principal and librarian at this school.  They like me.  So, even though this was my first gig as an artist/author guest speaker, they were willing to take a chance on me.  I don't think that they really knew what I could do.  I mean, some people can draw and others can write.  But, it's a whole other ball game to keep the attention of students.  And, it is not always easy to interest fourth and fifth graders.  Not every guest speaker can knock their socks off.

I wasn't worried in the slightest. 

For the younger kids, I focused on my experience in Peace Corps Liberia.  I showed them different modes of transportation to Zwedru, my home town.  They saw what mudholes can really look like.  Then, I showed them what life was like without running water or electricity.  I got used to life with bucket baths, cooking over a coal pot, and no electricity.  But, one little girl on the front row couldn't help but cry out, "That's really bad!"  She was equally shocked when I told her that most people who live on the planet don't have running water or electricity. 

Older kids got a talk about saying "yes" to opportunities that come your way.  It starts with sport, music, art and helping others when you're in elementary school.  When you get older, bigger chances to say yes will come your way.  I shared how saying yes took me around the world in so many surprising situations. 

One little girl was already familiar with saying yes to opportunities that came her way.  She helped paint my murals when I first came to Walnut Elementary.  She had on the same shirt that she wore during her muraling experience and she declared, "It still has paint on it!"  Yes, adorable!

It was clear to all, well, at least I hope it was, that my favorite part about travel is the people I meet along my path. I shared stories about people I've met all around the planet.  I told of Little Stevie Wonder in Mexico, my first blind painter.  Then, in Brazil, I shared about Claudinei who loved art, but had to paint with a brush attached to his head.  A lesson in gratitude came from Romania where I spoke of two brothers who had to share one pair of shoes in order to go to school.  And, I ended up in Africa where I met Fils at an intersection near my mural project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  He joined in the painting and warmed my heart.  But, he will always haunt me because he suffered severe malnutrition as a child and would forever be affected because of that.

My final destination was Liberia.  I shared how I tried so hard to find my best friend, Daniel, when I went back to Africa to paint murals.  Fortunately, I made my way to his village of Tugbaken.  When you are really welcomed in Liberia, you get kola nut and a rooster.  I assured them that nobody welcomes you like the Grebo people do.  I had five welcome ceremonies, lots of kola nut and four roosters presented to me.  Nobody at Walnut Elementary gave me a rooster.  But, some of those kids live on farms and have roosters.  I assured them that I really didn't want one either.

No matter the grade, I ended the presentation with "Spider and the Honey Tree".  It's the last thing in my "show and tell" because there would be little chance of gaining control of the kids after telling that story.  It's a great tell.  I'm the spider in the story, dressed up in a flowing African gown.  A kid from the audience, also wearing an African shirt, helps me act out the tale.  According to the story line, he or she is the "nicest, sweetest, most thoughtful child in the history of the planet".  Some kids admitted that they would be acting, but a few thought they really might qualify for the role.

Spider is a trickster and sometimes his pranks work and sometime they backfire.  In this particular tale, he wants to take all of the fruit that the child locates in the jungle.   Chaos ensues when the kids agrees to share with me, that greedy spider.  I grab the kid by the hand and race into the middle of the kids sitting on the floor.  Amid squeals and delight, they dive out of the way while we cross the room to an empty chair (or tree, if you use your imagination) on the other side of the room.  When the child shows Spider where he can find the sweetest oranges, delicious bananas and honey, more laughter takes place after Spider pushes the child in the bushes, on his stomach, over there.  You really have to be there to fully grasp the situation.  But, just let me say that when I tell a story, kids listen. 

When all was said and done, and the last telling of the folk tale was told, the librarian assured me that I should have asked for more money.  "We didn't pay you enough for what you did.  You kept the fourth and fifth graders listening for an hour and they wanted more!"  She is not one to lie.  If a speaker didn't really do a stellar job with the kids, she wouldn't lie and say the person did.  I'm going to take that as a successful sock knocking off.  Her friend who helped her that day, herself a retired school librarian, said, "I can't believe that is the first time you ever did this."  I should have checked her sock situation as well. 

As I completed my first mural in Africa, so long ago, I knew it was the first experience with muraling but it wouldn't be the last.  I'm feeling the same about being a guest artist/author speaker.  Invite me to your corner of the planet, or at least Ohio!  Just like with my murals, I'm happy to go anywhere with this presentation.  Just be prepared and bring an extra pair of socks.

PS - I'm very happy to say that I'll be returning to Walnut Elementary for yet another mural in the school.  The theme has already been selected.  I'm delighted that I'll get to illustrate letters, my favorite type of mural, as I work on their HERO mural.  The students are encouraged to be a Walnut HERO - Hard-working, Encouraging, Respectful and Optimistic.  

PPS -  Reviews of the day have come in from the students as they returned to the library the following week.  The librarian wrote to say, "The kids truly enjoyed your presentation, and I was pleased with some fifth graders who said their favorite part of your presentation was the description of how different life is in Africa than here. Some were amazed at how you transformed a photo into such fabulous drawings. One student said she really liked the fact that your session was so different from authors she's seen in the past. I think it's safe to say that they enjoyed your visit."  And finally, "I almost forgot!! They have been so impressed that you signed each bookmark personally. I even had one student lay out several to be sure you didn't just stamp them with your name. His conclusion was that, yes indeed, you had signed each and every bookmark!" 

Yep, over 500 of them.

Winter? No, thank you.     I'm not a fan of winter weather.  I kind of like a white Christmas, but only one day of it.  I have nothing to do with skiing (neither cross-country nor downhill), ice hockey, speed skating, biathlons, bobsleds, curling, figure skating, luge, snowboarding, ski jumping, ice fishing or dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh.  I hope I've made it clear that I don't like cold.

It has been a mild winter in Ohio.  That's fine with me.  I've driven through a blizzard before.  On that trip I slid off the road into a guard rail in Indiana.  No damage and I was able to back out and continue on my foolish way.  In Illinois, the guy driving the semi that rear-ended me on the freeway didn't see me in the flurry haze.  Still no damage and I continued my drive.  Finally, after fuel line freeze-up in Missouri, I bundled myself into a hotel for the night, safe and warm.  The truck driver who rescued me said I either would go to the hotel or freeze to death.  No, I don't like driving with snow anywhere to be seen.

And, then February came to Ohio and the rest of the Midwest and all that mild winter talk ended suddenly.  I don't have much of a driveway.  Some vehicles are too long to even fit in it.  It's not much of a parking area, but my brother came to visit and had to use a bag of salt to make it through my driveway and into my garage.  I suggested that once he made it safely into my home, he should park himself there for a few days and let the winter blast pass.  My brother doesn't listen to me.  For some unknown reason, he had to go to the Dollar Store.  It's where he got his car stuck.  Five Good Samaritan men couldn't push his car free.  Fortunately, someone with a truck had what it took to pull his car free from the frozen drifts.  Twice.

I can't give any further information about frozen Ohio, blizzards or winter because I'm walking on sunshine.  Just before winter threw its worst at Ohio, I escaped to the sunshine of the Caribbean.  Yep, once again, I'm in Belize with my sister where we walk most mornings for an hour on the sandy outskirts of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye.  It's the number one tourist destination in the country.  And, I couldn't be happier to be here at the moment.  Here in wonderful tropical weather, we are putting the final touches on my sister's cookbook, Fishing and Feasting in Alaska.

Lulu     My sister appears to be a dog whisperer, or at the least, a dog magnet.  When we take our morning walks, every dog in the area runs up to her for attention.  The canine list of fans includes Brownie, Cinnamon, Shirley, Rocky and Sandy.  However, our favorite dog from last year, Lulu, has been nowhere to be seen.  There is no leash law on the island.  At one point in time, the town tried to crack down on free-range dogs and enforce leashes.  However, that really isn't the humane thing to do on an island that dogs share with crocodiles.  I mean, if you leash man's best friend in San Pedro, there is a good chance that your little buddy will be devoured by a slithering reptile who comes to take advantage of the situation.  The leash law was revoked and dogs once again run freely.

Eventually, we met up with the grounds keeper where Lulu could be found, should be found.  Now, Belize used to be called British Honduras.  English is the national language.  But many people in Belize speak Spanish or Creole as their first language.  This man's English was a little hard to understand, so I could have my facts wrong here.  It appears that Lulu was out free-ranging and some lady picked him up and took him to the pound.  And, who knew that there was any kind of pound in San Pedro?  The grounds keeper eventually located his dog and took Lulu home. 

Then, once again, the same lady picked up Lulu on another day to make another trip to the pound.  Lulu is a very lovely dog and on this second visit, the woman decided to take him home as her own.  I'm not sure what happened or how it was allowed, but the grounds keeper didn't fight for his dog.  He decided that Lulu would have a very good life with this woman and so he rescued another dog in need.  The new dog's name sounds something like "Frito Lay".  I asked the guy to repeat the name and that was the closest I could understand.  Frito happily free-ranges in the footsteps of Lulu, but if you look closely, there is something wrong with his gait.  This puppy was rescued from some kind of abuse that did something to his legs.  So, both dogs have a happily ever after ending. Both are rescued and doing well.  It's just not the ending I really wanted because I miss Lulu.

Luis and Oly     My sister and I turn around and head for home when our walk reaches the house of Luis and Oly.  I met Luis and Oly on our walks last year, and I blogged about them as well.  They are two of my favorite people on the island.  And, naturally, they invited me over for another lunch.

On Ambergris Caye, the most common forms of transportation are bicycles, golf carts and feet.  I drove to the lunch appointment.  I'm all for my daily walks but I have my limits, especially in the heat of the day.  It was my first time to drive a golf cart this season.  Once I figured out how to start it, the rest was easy.

Lunch was both delicious and interesting.  Luis and Oly had a group of around eight gringos who feasted outside under a thatched-roof dining area.  Very Gilligan's Isle!  While they were friends of the family, I ate inside with the family.  It was a much nicer place for me as far as I was concerned.  I watched as the women fussed over preparing the rice and beans, home-made tortillas, cole slaw, barbecued chicken and pineapple upside-down cake. 

Luis wanted me to photograph his daughter's wedding this past November.  It didn't work out with Covid restrictions.  However, over lunch I met the next daughter who is planning a wedding in about a year.  And, you can guess who she wants as her photographer.  We'll have to see how things work out.  Nobody seems to have the ability to predict what this nasty little virus has up its sleeves.

Miss Brenda     On my drive back to my sister's place, I drove slowly as you must when driving outside of town. There are so many pot holes and speed bumps!  I drive slowly to be careful, but you can't drive fast even if you wanted to.  It's not uncommon to see other golf carts, bicyclists and pedestrians, even four and a half miles south of the town.  What was uncommon for me was when two young guys on the sandy road called out to me by name. As I kept my eyes on the road and its pot holes, I kept my eyes off the faces of the pedestrians.  And, as it turned out, they were two of the local fishermen who come to sell their freshly caught lobster and stone crabs to my sister.  All the fishermen know that if you come to Miss Brenda's house, you are most likely to make a sale.  My sister doesn't know why they call her "Miss Brenda".  She's never corrected them which is just as well because "Phyllis" appears to be a difficult name for the local population to pronounce.  Anyway, "Miss Brenda" always wants to support these local fishermen.  So, we eat very fresh lobster, stone crab and fish down here in Belize. That is, we'll enjoy the lobster for another week.  That's when the season ends.

There are local lobster police in the San Pedro area.  They go through the trash of hotels and restaurants to see if anyone is eating lobster after the season ends.  This kind of inspection doesn't bother me in the slightest.  I don't want the lobster population damaged in any way.  Please, do whatever it takes to go ahead and protect them.  I don't feel as graciously inclined to the local Nazi police at my condo association in Ohio.  There is a committee that wanders the community, peering into everyone's windows to see if the curtains are the appropriate colors. I've never heard of such a thing anywhere else.  I'm kinda hoping that that they'll make their next round this month and possibly contract the slightest case of frostbite.  Just a little of Jack Frost nipping at their very nosy noses.  As for me, I'm going to continue my stay in the Caribbean.  I'm thoroughly enjoying walking on sunshine.