Tulips, movies, and DR dreaming

With now only a week to go to our trip to Dominican Republic, we have been busy preparing. We have chosen to focus our research on three main regions – the south coast (includes Boca Chica and Bayahibe); the east coast (Bavaro and Playa Uvero Alta – avoiding the stretches of all-inclusive resorts around Punta Cana); and the north coast (Las Terenas, Cabarete and Santa Barbara). We are staying in local B and B’s with the hope to make connections and build bridges with other small businesses and organizations. Other areas sound great, but we need to focus our energies on tourist areas that have the ‘right kind’ of tourists – i.e. ones who are out and about in the local communities and who are likely to stop and shop at a charity business. Although many tourists go to the Dominican Republic, the majority of them stay on the infamous all-inclusive resorts, rarely straying out of the safety and confines of their created paradise…. So while we are heading of to a Caribbean island, there is not a lot of emphasis on vacationing and sitting around drinking mai-tais (maybe one!)

Life continues in all other areas. This afternoon, when we have completed yet another garden project, we are off to visit the tulip fields of Washington – it is the annual tulip festival where there are acres and acres of tulips being grown across the fields of Skagit County – and now is flowering time – quite a sight!
Our treat has been to buy two more of our favorite movies of all time (used copies of course!) – Big Fish and Up, to add to our small but powerfully inspirational collection, which includes Love Actually, Magnolia, Beautiful Thing and American Beauty!

We have also been getting to know one of bird neighbors very well – a young robin is intent on getting in the house and spends several hours a day tapping on the window or sitting on the sill and looking in. In Native American symbology, the robin is an animal totem that represents springtime and new life. We have tried telling him we’ve got the message, but he’s still there – tapping away as I type!
We’re off next Tuesday early morning, so look for our next post from the Dominican Republic.
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“Following you dreams may be hard, but ignoring them is disastrous” (Ingrid Collins)