Beauty and the Beasts

We have spent many hours underwater swimming out from this doorway/tree in Aguadilla. We call it the Courthouse Wall because it extends down in front of the area where the old courthouse used to be. We used to dive further south but then figured out we could get to the wall faster from this spot. We have seen a manatee out here (briefly) and tarpon and all the usual players. The reef is patchy close in but there is a nice wall that goes to around 60 feet or so. Beautiful! This is the view from further down where we originally used to go in. There is a nice little sand beach for those days when nobody else is out. You can see the reef patches and different shades of blue.

Now for the beasts. I am not a fan of meat in general, never was, and most definitely am not and probably never will be after living here. I can eat a FRESH fish. I will eat chicken if I am starving or someone makes it and I don't want to be rude. Steak I will not do. Churassco or other beef things I won't touch and whatever these little cubes are I want nothing to do with.

I don't want to eat these cubes either and for the same $5 I can get a giant head of cauliflower to roast and pig out on something free of antibiotics, cholesterol and what ever else is in this body part.

I think these are feet (but they look like noses) and I have smelled soup being made out of them. Not for me. I have also seen the carnage of gristle and fat left behind on the plate.

I watch the cooking channel and have seen a nice looking salad adorned with "crispy pig ears." I don't care what chef came up with that one - I don't want it. I have even seen ears not pre-cut complete with their tatoo ear numbers (as if it weren't unappealing already). For the same price I can get a couple cans of beans and make a nice bean salad. I hear the argument that "not everyone can afford good quality meat" and to that I say "eat something other than meat!"

This little kitty is both beauty and beast...either thrown out of a car near our property or born in the jungle.  Somehow it managed to crawl up to our property hungry. It had no idea how lucky it was. This little kitty has a new home and is getting spayed tomorrow. Then come the rounds of shots. It even has a kitty companion already in its house. This animal story repeats itself in a never ending loop except for the "happy ending." Most "beasts" end up smashed, diseased and starving. We do what we can.

Driver's License Renewal Plus

These events are true and happened as reported without any made up parts. Part one of yesterday was a doctor's appointment. If you are female, live in the tropics and get sweaty gardening or doing other physical things or if you swim in the ocean a lot you will get yeast and bacterial infections. Period. Not a real problem. I called 6 different gynecologists to try to get an appointment. Only one office talked to me and said the doctor spoke "understandable English." I was told to come in at 12. I drove to Aguadilla and arrived at 12. I parked and went to the door and it had a padlock on it. They open at 1. I sat in the hot truck (there is no where else to go for that amount of time) when boom...the parked truck is bumped from behind. I honk the horn. Then I got out. An old guy, in his 60's, finally got out to inspect HIS car. I told him he pushed mine (in Spanish of course). Nothing. He wanted me to move up and I did not since I did not want to be boxed in. He jostled the car around so it was partly up the curb (it was a nice-ish car) and then proceeded to break all the branches  he could off a tree (with his hands) so the branches wouldn't touch his car. I told him this was not very nice, first pushing my truck and now breaking some one's tree. He left. I put all the branches he broke off under his wiper blades and later (I was still waiting) saw him pull out and drive off with them!

Now I see the office is open. I am hoping to wait inside. I see the doctor drive up so I go in and give the office gal my health card etc. I fill out all the Spanish forms and then ask where I am on "the list." I am third. I explain I was told to come at 12 and asked why they would tell me noon when they close at 12 for lunch? I explained how I had been sitting in my car for an hour. They were nice and made me first and the guy did speak "understandable English" and my problem will hopefully be taken care of. I was asked all the usual medical history questions PLUS "what is your religion?" (my response was "private.")  In the States they have microscopes so you know on the spot but here you wait for lab work. I was excited to be done and it was early in the day so I decided to go get the "health certificate" so next week I'd be ready to spend the week at CESCO (like the DMV) to renew my driver's license. I looked for the place I went to 5 years ago and it was padlocked so I went into  CESCO to pick up forms and try to get some guidance. Our bills are in Jeff's name so I knew this was going to be a problem. I have bank statements with both our names but they don't have a physical address on them. I am wondering if it will take less time to go to a lawyer and get an affidavit that says I live in my house. The information desk has 10 or more people blocking it filling out forms and one person who only speaks Spanish (or so she says) but then the ANGEL appears! A security guard calls me over and in Spanish asks me what I am there for. I tell him in my mangled Spanish and he speaks English! He asks me if I have 1) old license 2) birth certificate (copy), 3) passport (copy) 4)social security care (original), 5)marriage certificate 6) power bills and 7) water bills, 8)husbands driver's license (copy). I show him the water and power bills and how Jeff's name is on them and oops there is a problem. Soooo...the angel tells me to go next door and get a health certificate and 11 dollars worth of stamps, get a signed note from my husband saying I live in the house with him (wink wink - write it on the water bill and sign it for him), get a number at the photo window.

I get the number first because there are lots of people there. I get the certificate without any problems because as you can see on the form I hear and have arms and legs. I look over the counter and make hand signals about what direction the "E" is in, pay my 28 bucks and go back next door. I ask a person what number they are on and it is 71! My number is 70 so I run up and toss all my stuff in the window before 71 gets there. She looks at all the papers with the usual name confusion (passport doesn't match birth certificate) so I show the marriage certificate. Our bills go to a PO Box but shows my and Jeff's name on them. The bills are not two months in a row but oh well. She wants xeroxes of Jeff's license, birth certificate, passport, she has to have the original social security card (momentarily lost when she dropped it on the floor in the mass pile of papers). A second person has to join in and she handles it, takes my photo, tells me she'll make copies and meets me at another window to direct me to another line. I go there not knowing what to expect (except to wait) and there are 4 people and 3 at the windows. He looks everything over and tells me to stand over somewhere else. Then I am called up and handed my blurry new license with my brand new address - San Sebastian. All my papers (a lot) all were proof that I live in Moca but for my final time in Puerto Rico I guess I am from San Sebastian. This was the most efficient I have seen government here - I was done in around 32 minutes from info desk to truck.

Cueva Larga Again

On Saturday we took a California caver (Ryan Baker) and his daughter to Cueva Larga. Julie and Richard also joined us for this trip. It started with a meet-up at Panaderia Lourdes at 9am and proceeded on the twisty roads to the parking place which was well marked by bags of garbage. You just can't escape it. The walk through the jungle was about a mile and 1/4 and the heat and humidity made it seem much longer for everyone. Once we arrived, the mouth of the cave was cooler and we sat and had a snack and water before heading into the cave. This cave is very very muddy and is pretty much a straight shot that is flat without many side shoots. There is a little bit of climbing to get into the cave and there are a few places to crawl if you want or climb if you want but really it is flat and muddy with a lot of nice formations. This first photo shows some odd dimpling in the rock I thought was interesting. Jeff is standing near some mushroom-top formations (my made-up name) and unfortunately it is really impossible to show the scale of anything in this cave! These columns, the flow stone and draperies are absolutely humongous!



            

There are a good number of really nice, clean flow stone areas and lots of glittery areas. This cave is a bit of a walk so not many cavers have had a chance to do much damage. Jeff and I have only caved in Puerto Rico, and I am sure need some additional training before we enter caves anywhere else - we try to be careful and try hard not to walk or touch clean, still-growing formations but I am sure cavers from other areas are much more careful than we are (do you have any advice for us Ryan?? We welcome it). I always enjoy the clean, white flow stone that to me looks like a river.

There is an entire floor of this "popcorn" looking formation and we unfortunately had to walk on this area to continue. We tried to stay to the side. Up close you can see they are still growing drip by drip. There are a lot of very large column pieces that are on the ground that I think look like missiles.

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You continue across this popcorn area and down the long muddy tunnel amazed at all the very large formations covering the walls and ceiling. There are a couple collapse areas and one in particular has an amazing room that is unexpectedly jammed with helictite chandeliers, white draperies and an amazing, 5 plus foot perfectly white stalagmite growing in an area surrounded by clean, mostly undamaged flow stone.



There are a couple spots in this area that look like they could continue but we don't want to damage the area trying to find that out. It is much more important to stay OUT of some areas. It is so easy to be overzealous and want to bulldoze into new territory!

I think this collapse area is the definite "highlight" of this cave or at least a nice "end." It is interesting how muddy it is and yet how many really pristine formations are in this cave. This is my third time in this cave and I still see new things! I think everyone had a good time...and then My Friend Taco as the grand finale! (that's a joke)  Another great day in a cave! Thanks to every one who came!

Technicolors

I have always enjoyed plants and gardening in Puerto Rico has been very very fun indeed! When we walk through the jungle to go to caves we see things that are houseplants in the US, and any little snippet of anything I take from along the road or in the jungle usually grows into something wonderful. Fast! These heliconias were near an abandoned house on our road. When the flowers appeared shortly after we moved here, I went and dug up a few rhizomes for the yard. Even though it has only been a year...here they are, loads of flowers just hanging and inviting humming birds for lunch.



The Angel's Trumpet I found on the side of the road as well. The arm-length blooms smell heavenly and the flowers start out yellow and turn orange as they age. It is just a stick plant (not yet a tree) but still has had 8 or 10 flowers already! I haven't gotten any parch (passion fruit) which surprises me, but at least I am getting some flowers (below).

Everything seems to be blooming or fruiting right now - the lettuce has bolted but I have replanted and have many flowers and lot of fruit to harvest while I wait for it to grow.

A Meteorite hibiscus.

Ylang-ylang is the coolest looking, best smelling flower EVER! How can you beat the leg-long heliconias though - fake colors and flowers that last for several months! Gardening in PR...a good thing.