New Fruit Surprises...

When I wander around the yard I always see something new. This is a new batch of "cherries" (which of course aren't cherries at all) on our shrub. I saw a chicken hopping and went to investigate and there they were - new fruits! I pruned this shrub pretty heavily a month ago so I was a little shocked. Everything here seems to do a speeded up bloom-fruit-bloom-fruit cycle. I've got the real name somewhere - it tastes like a plum to me but the furry skin is kind of like an apricot. They are small, so it is a eat-as-you-wander-the-yard kind of fruit.

This is a Jobo Tree (or is it a Hobo)? I don't really like this fruit since it has a lot of fibre, but here it is full of fruit again. Didn't we move here the end of October? It is fruiting again? Don't like the fruit, but the tree is a nice shape.

Besides millions of mangoes we are soon going to have gadzillions of guavas. These are fruit from the blossoms I posted a week or two ago! I only knew it flowered because I would wake in the morning to really loud bees. If you want to know what's going on in your yard watch the wildlife!

This is one fruit we haven't tried yet - quenepa. This tree was amazing. One day it had all brown dry leaves and overnight it was a fresh new green. Then the blossoms came and now fruit! We don't know when to pick or eat them but I will watch the birds - they seem to know.

New Flowers...I Wondered What That plant Did...

I kept watching these two shrubs to see what they'd do. It has been a seven month wait and finally I know why they are here. They have really nice flowers! There are plants where I wouldn't put them, trees too close or lined up, and big stuff crammed into small places. I don't want to remove things until I know what they do and this week some mysteries were solved. This shrub stays and its companion white blooming one as well.

I love taking flowers in to the house. Gingers, heliconias, croton and a pink dracenea of some sort are nice in arrangements. I thought there were only orange birds-or-paradise in a large clump but I have spotted several pink versions that are very nice!

This is a treasure a neighbor gave me. It looks like a ginger of some sort or canna maybe? A nice addition what-ever it is.

This is the first plumeria bloom we've gotten. There are a few more flowers today. The scent is not very strong but the light flower and dark foliage is nice.

All over in coqui alley and the bed near the Maria Tree there have been these nice looking tall plants. They haven't bloomed until now, and the bloom is kind of orchid-looking (this isn't the best example - sorry). I guess they will all stay put.


We've got an area I want to cover in hibiscus. I found this coppery, metallic looking hibiscus in BoKeana nursery for $1.75. It has been blooming continuously and the copper-hot pink contrast is really nice!

Tonight's Dive at the Caves Despite *$@#! Traffic!

After enduring 2+ hours of traffic to go 40 miles we arrived at the dive site in Isabella. Katrina was convinced mid week diving in the afternoon was not for her. She would rather sit in the yard and watch the chickens then sit in traffic. There were about 4 major intersections that had flashing yellow (our direction anyways) lights. In Puerto Rico that means don't stop (either direction) unless your going to hit something. In the states if you came to a intersection where the lights were not working you would treat it as a four way stop. Not here, you go through and don't stop! If you stop then the cars trying to cross the intersection would go and then you wont be able to cross until someone in the other direction isn't paying attention and they leave a gap. That's your cue to go and then your direction of traffic starts going again... Water conditions were very good. A little wind but only small waves on the reef. We swam out to the swim through in the outer reef and began our dive. Vis was over 50'. We saw all kinds of fish and coral. It was great. We spent over an hour in the outer reef. We saw a huge school of purple or blue tangs mating. Pairs of fish would make a mad dash 10' up in the water then release a cloud of eggs and sperm and swim back down to the main group of fish. This was happening over and over. We also were visited by a nurse shark, turtle, huge grouper, barracuda, spotted eagle ray, and I caught two tasty lobster. After 92 minutes under water we swam in. The dive was so good that Katrina is ready to brave the traffic to do it again. Monday nights dive was awesome as well. We dove El Natural and started the dive at 8:30pm. Night dives are so much better than day dives.

Fruit and a New Table to Eat it On! Guineos Anyone?

Jeff likes to hang the racemes of guineos from the front tree because it looks cool to see them ripen there. Occasionally we see interested birds pecking at the top ones and know we need to bring them in. The roaming chickens get the pecked ones. So what does one do with this many bananas? Banana bread, banana cake (I have a really good recipe), on top of cereal, if we had a food dryer we'd do that, tostones for green ones, smoothies, the pickled banana thing, banana pancakes, and neighbors. Anyone know what else to do?

These are parcha -- yes, already the size of my hand...from the blossoms I photographed on 5/23! I don't know how big they are gonna get, but they are bigger than any parcha we've eaten already.

Here's our new table and our Washington cat - Dakota - out for a stroll. Chicken Little had a discussion with our fat cat and it offering him protection in exchange for tolerance. They actually kind of like each other. Anyway, the table gives us a way to enjoy the back part of the property. Sometimes there is a bigger breeze there. It is nice to have options of where to be...in front looking at the ridge line, on the balcony looking into the palm and mango, on the bench near "coqui alley" or here...looking at the area-of-possibilities. We still have to adjust the location of one of the benches, but under the Corazone tree is where it will stay. It is cement (and difficult to get in and out of the truck with just two people - one of whom is smallish). Since it is cement we don't have to worry about it flying around, rusting, mildewing, rotting etc. It is totally solid and we love it! I am happy with how they painted it as well.