the spirit of paya

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

quote of the day

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.

- Dalai Lama

video: peter's cool dive experience

Diving in Roatan from Peter Madams on Vimeo.

Special thanks to the most excellent Mr. Madams!

the spirit of paya

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

early start to the holidays!

Mom poses with very special guests Margaret and Peter of California. These lovely repeat clients (and friends) brought gifts for the Toy Party Paya Bay holds during the holidays for disadvantaged kids in the local community. Muchas gracias amigos!

time's funny poll

Serious news magazines have a sense of humor, too. Source: time.com

master believing

Ask, Believe, Receive - just three simple steps to create what you want. However, very often the second step, believe, can be the most difficult one. And yet it is the greatest step you will ever take. Believing contains no doubt. Believing does not waiver. Believing is absolute faith. Believing remains steadfast despite what is happening in the outside world.

When you master believing, you have mastered your life.

- lessons from The Secret

photo of the day

A sculpture on the Paya Trail. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

solid framework

We removed the curtains from the cabanas in Buccaneer for the storm. Late this afternoon my friend Lisa and I went for a walk in the area to check out the effects of the strong weather. She snapped this photo and I added a PhotoShop filter to make it more artsy. This posture reflects a sentiment I've felt this weekend.

goodness

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

- Dalai Lama

photo of the day

Williams' amazing capture of the the plunge pool on Bliss Beach. Note the water cascading into the pool on the right.  Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

I still find it amazing that this all started with an idea in my head. Thoughts become things.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

wild night with matthew...

 ...but the sun's back out today and things are getting back to normal. The tropical storm definitely made itself felt last night. There were powerful moments. We can happily report, however, that besides a few broken branches there was virtually no damage here at Paya Bay.

liveblogging matthew (4)

Atta boy, Matthew. We need your rain here in Roatan.

liveblogging matthew (3)

The power of nature is awe-inspiring. At 1:15 PM CST Tropical Storm Matthew is now ashore on the Central American mainland. Here in the islands we're probably still in for a very rainy afternoon and a stormy Friday night. The worst part of the storm should be passing over in the next twelve hours. With the exception of lingering clouds and occasional thundershowers, things should be pretty much back to normal by sunrise tomorrow morning.

improvisation

A local fisherman harnesses the wind with a coconut palm frond to get his cayuco home before the weather makes down. Roatan, Honduras.

liveblogging matthew (2)

Ominous. Tropical Storm Matthew at 7:45 AM this morning. As I suspected would happen, it seems this storm will be making landfall further south than had been forecast. While that's "better" news for us here in the Bay Islands, it means the interior of Honduras could get some major precipitation. Mainland Honduras has had a very wet rainy season the past few months. The ground is saturated and the rivers are flirting with overflowing their banks. Here's hoping for the best possible outcome.

be happy

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

- Dalai Lama

liveblogging matthew

This is one way to have an interesting weekend. Looks like Tropical Storm Matthew might be paying us a little visit.

Image courtesy of NOAA

yoga at paya

Living in the magic of life. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

a beautiful, powerful truth

It's all good.
It's all god.
It's all...
me.

Hat tip: Silky + The Secret

photo of the day

Local fishermen get ready to call it a day. Roatan, Honduras.

quote of the day

Illusion holds power over you when you are not able to remember that you are a powerful spirit that has taken on the physical experience for the purpose of learning.
It has power over you when you are compelled by wants and impulses and values of your personality.
It holds power over you when you fear and hate and sorrow and fester in anger or strike out in rage.
It has NO power over you when you LOVE, when compassion opens your heart to others, when your creativity flows unimpeded joyously into the present moment.
In other words, the illusion has no power over a personality that is fully aligned with the soul.

- Gary Zukav

luckovich

Mike's genius. Click to enlarge. Courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

photo of the day

A view of the rock island in Buccaneer Lagoon as seen from the Sky Trail. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

"hurricane" atlanta (summary)

In addition to a day trip to Utila, the Atlanta birthday group enjoyed...

...  relaxing moments on Bliss Beach ...

... exploring the bay and barrier reef by kayak ...

... tribal dancing ...

... leisurely three four five margarita lunches ...

... the dress-up birthday pic (everyone cleans up nice, eh?) ...

... and moments that perhaps can't be described.

Happy Birthday, Cal and Scott! I LOVE you boys!

live your life fully

There is no doubt that when using the law of attraction for the good of everyone, you are connecting yourself to great power. However, the law is also available to you individually so that you may live your life to the fullest. When you live your life to the fullest you have so much more to give others.

Your pain and misery does not help the world. But your joy and your life lived fully uplifts the world.

- lessons from The Secret

photo of the day

Brightly colored hamacas sway gently in the sea breeze on the main deck. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Jeff Paramore (I think...)

quote of the day

We are evolving from a species that pursues external power into a species that pursues Authentic Power...
Authentic power has its roots in the deepest source of our being.
An authentically empowered person is incapable of making anyone or anything a victim.
An authentically empowered person is one who is so strong, so empowered, that the idea of using force against another is not a part of his or her consciousness.

- Gary Zukav

trauma?

Cal Mostella, I'm afraid the "birthday revue" may have caused some trauma. Now I keep seeing these things EVERYWHERE!

photo of the day

Paya Bay in all its natural beauty and splendor. I asked Williams, the photographer, to try to capture "the spirit" of Paya in this photo shoot. In many ways his talent and skill surpassed my expectations. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

ana and isabel visit

Yesterday, my friend Ana and her beautiful daughter, Isabel, arrived for a weekend visit. Here they enjoy splendid late afternoon moments in the plunge pool on Bliss Beach.

photo of the day

The Paya Trail at night. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

"hurricane" atlanta (cont)

Next, the Birthday Group took off for an overnight trip to Pigeon Cay!

Everyone boards the Kiton at Paya Bay's dock...

... and there's lots of excitement in the air about the adventure ahead. There was also perhaps a bit of apprehension regarding the overnight aspect of this trip (no one knew what quite to expect with this wild idea of spending the night on a small uninhabited Caribbean cay).

After arriving at the cay, "sleeping camp" was set up under the trees on the breezy eastern end...

... and a "beach bar" set up about mid-cay.

A beautiful afternoon of snorkeling and exploring slowly turned into a beautiful sunset. The feeling of having this beautiful little cay all to yourself is hard to describe.

When darkness falls, things really ramp up. A roaring bonfire lights a beach party that runs late into the night!

 

 Good times, good times! Love, love, love!

(to be continued...)

help stop the belo monte dam in the amazon

Click here to go to the youTube page where you can donate to the organization fighting to stop this environmental nightmare.

"hurricane" atlanta

Readers who follow this blog must be wondering why I've not posted hardly at all this past week. The reason is simple: I've been too busy to blog! I had a large group of friends come in from Atlanta and Phoenix to celebrate the birthdays of three of us who are turning 40 this year. As my friend Scott Hayes of Atlanta aptly put it, it was as if "hurricane Atlanta" hit Roatan!

There was a big welcome sign for the boys as they exited customs at Roatan International.

Highlights of the visit included the mangrove canal tour in Oak Ridge/Jonesville.

A crazy show the Atlanta birthday boys put on for everyone's entertainment!

As well as awesome dinners at Paya.

(to be continued...)

gratitude

Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the refrigerator that keeps your food cold, the car that you drive, your job, your friends. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities, services, and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for the magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

- lessons from The Secret

photo of the day

A spectacular sunset at Buccaneer Landing. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Williams Perera of worldphotographystudio.com

happy and grateful

I'm happy and grateful for being happy and grateful.