To a Beach!

If you are going to imbibe at the beach - and I planned on it - one stop for me is usually Randaluz (a hardware store for those of you who don't know) to pick up my imbibing liquid of choice. White wine worked yesterday. But what was really working were the nails. Impelled to preserve them forever, I was; and I did.

I wish I had a blouse in every nail design

On the way to the beach, it looked like rain. In fact, we'd been warned of a squall. That didn't happen. This did. The water held hundreds (I counted) of warm pockets surrounded by much cooler areas (ok, cooler to me, I was told that calling myself a Polar Bear was not anywhere close to valid - a Koala Bear, perhaps)

Time with friends, tranquil beauty and a tourist who happily asked for, was offered and  took the last beer on this particular beach planet made for a lot of smiles and plain happiness. Who the hell takes your last beer?

We watched this boat coming in head on for a long time until they took this turn. Fair winds, whoever you are!

The sun was getting low. With other places to be I couldn't wait for it to touch the horizon, but there was plenty of wow to go around

Just because

I can ride on this afternoon until the next one comes around. 

Have a sate your 'satisfy me' Saturday. Do something spectacular.

Free Range Friday ~ Foodless?

"What? Are you too lazy/distracted/forgetful to pick up a camera and shoot some food prep and presentation?" Apparently so. But! A bit of a walk drew out the camera, so here is your visual feast moment.

Morning broke with a heavy cloud cover but it didn't rain until the afternoon. For moments.

All weeds should be this bright.

This is from one of my favorite mango trees on Culebra. And the lady who lives in the house below the trees is a favorite too.

Another tree on the same street. Totally different color of bloom (see? not entirely foodless!)

Later in the day, on another walk, I saw these horses who had been hanging around this area most of the day. I'm pretty sure they are drunk.

This one was coming across the road to me when along came a car. Horse, she don't care.

Such interesting dynamics were going on here. This male had been lusting after a horse he couldn't get to, even as his harem wandered up and down the road, letting him tire of the game. Eventually they started heading out and he followed. Or led from behind. 

Cashews soon come!

More food!

For some reason, this little spot always says Culebra to me, whether there is anyone there or not.

Have a food filled Friday. Do something.

Hours of Bay Watch

Ensenada Honda being the bay watched, of course. Along with sailboats. Sorry, hopeful lurkers, no hot human bodies today. Unless you look really, really closely.

The first boat I saw was Buddy, gracefully swooping across the bay. 

I don't know who this was, but it was startlingly bright white on blue.

A good dinner cooked and the good company of my son, I forgot to take photos. And then it was dark. Really dark. I'd post that photo but you'd just see what I saw. Dark.

Then, it wasn't dark. Incredibly, once again the earth and universe kept on the old paths and patterns and again came the light. Stunning, this. Think about it.

A subdued dawning

Light and lights

Ah!! Let the show begin! But this was pretty much the highlight I saw. 

Just a few minutes ago, the bay turned to mercury. 

And so it will go, minute by hour by day by month by year. Whenever I'm up here it isn't hard to put a lot of craziness in life into perspective. Trees grow up into the view, boats are many or few and the scene determined by weather and season is always different. But really, it is always the same. I could include all sorts of environmental issues but there is, unfortunately, plenty of other chances to mention those. For now, this sameness; long before I saw it and long after my eyes will be forever closed, this sameness. Breathe in, breathe out. This is good.

Have a weed your wars Wednesday. Do something watchful.

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ Cracker Up

I still get an email every so often of homes for sale in Florida, from back in the day when the economy was in the toilet, well maybe already to the sewer itself, and prices were very, very low to live on the river in one of my favorite east coast areas. I can't quite bring myself to unsubscribe to this, it keeps me aware of what is happening in real terms with the economy, plus I just like looking at the river from different views. 

Sometimes it brings to mind the really old Florida homes, the cracker homes, and how smartly they were designed for the location. High heat, crazy humidity, no a/c and that was on a good day. These designs still work today, whether tiny, small or grand. Ok, maybe not grand. But absolutely worth reading about and incorporating some of these very old ideas with new technology (think solar panels).

All photos from Southern Living House Plans

Southern Living has a nice selection of house plans based on the cracker style.

At almost 1500 square feet (both levels total), this is a small, rather than tiny home. 

There could be a wrap around porch with a screened in area for a 'sleeping porch' spot as well. House plans are just that; plans. Like recipes, they can usually be messed around with to suit your own taste. 

For today, taste some cracker style. It works!

Have a touchthepast Tuesday. Do something toward forward.

Simple Sunday ~ Culebra

Where were your playmates?

Did Mars and Venus hie away?

 Serenely smile.

Free Range Friday ~ Culebra and Beyond

Oddly enough, I've been cooking more this week than in ages and have not a photo to show for it. Omelets and sauces and sandwich constructions have all gone unrecorded. Which is pretty much fun, really, as I didn't omit photos on purpose, I just didn't think of them at all. Sometimes that's a good thing. Like now.

As I was thinking of today's post, the phrase free range opened up to include this short video. 

Hugs are good!

The other thing that came to mind is Penzeys catalog. If you don't know about Penzeys spices and spice combinations, all I can say is, they are good. In the last few years, the catalog sent out has become a bit revolutionary...not in the strike and fight mode, but in the power of well thought out food and sharing that food. Many pages of the free catalog are taken up with stories of people across America, people of every stripe and polka dot, telling home, food and heart stories. There are recipes too. 

If you like to sit over a cup of tea, perusing a catalog and you like food and spices too, you should check them out. How can you go wrong when a company's motto is 'Love People. Cook them Tasty Food'?

And that wraps up today's bread on the waters. Eat. Drink. Enjoy. Hug.

If you were at the Friends of Culebra Animals auction, you could have bid on and been drinking from these glasses!

Have a find life fabulous Friday. Do something fitting.

Lola and Lucy Time!

Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time will recognize the next event, because every winter I look forward to having time with Lola and Lucy and this year was no different. Except that I didn't have a Treat of the Day for them. And that Lola is almost as tall as me and Lucy's hair is heading to halfway down her back. And she's becoming a pool shark.

And I like their parents too

Seal of approval on El Batey's smoothies

From slop shots to form in one hour. They'll both be able to take me by next year. Sorry you now have to buy a pool table, Dad and Mom

Some art for sale at El Batey

It is easy to lose track of time on Culebra so we all find our markers; we all have a few. One of mine is paying for my PO box, another is Lola and Lucy time. Ah, it must be winter!

Have a wind it up wisely Wednesday. Do something winteraerobicized.

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ Mardi Gras!

This tiny home keeps grabbing my attention for a whole lot of reasons, but it seemed perfect to share on this day of Mardi Gras; a lot of color, some built in craziness and altogether pleasing fun. While Colorado seems a different sort of place to find a home like this, it is so. 

You can learn more about the Mermaid Cottage here at VRBO, which is also where all the photos have been taken from.

Happy Mardi Gras! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Mud Slappin' in a Buzzing World

After three days of lots of rain and waking up to the sound of more, the ground is super saturated, making me go as slippyslidey as a pig on ice. I haven't fallen yet but there are some interesting tracks out there with my watershoe tread on them. 

The upsides of course are the full cisterns and crazy happy plants (just make sure your potted plants aren't drowning!). The downside is the horrible muddy rock filled waters from badly constructed (unpermitted *cough*) roads and clear cut land dumping tons of sediment into the bay. Where it kills living things, by the way, just in case the ugliness of it in the bay alone doesn't trip your 'this ain't right!' trigger.

Hey you irresponsible land rippers who moved to Culebra because 'it's so beautiful' - and those of you who are from here selling out to the pocketbook with no care as to what happens to YOUR island next - how about getting your acts together and clean up after yourselves so the creatures in the sea don't have to pay for your selfishness? If you can afford to buy the land and build on it, you can damn well afford to take care of it and not pollute...[keyboard starts smoking]

Um, ok, that's enough of the downside.

There has been enough of a lull between deluges, both gentle and those imitating conga night at Dinghy Dock on the roof (which I like a lot, by the way), for Mr. Sol to do a bit of work. Slogging between buildings to find yet another 'where did I pack that' item, the strange vibration and buzzing of bees entered my ears and being. 

There, over my head, were many, many, many bees hard at work on this newly bloomed palm tree. It was high enough (or I'm just short enough) that I could stand pretty close to directly below them and click away. It was glorious!

Go, honey makers! Go, pollinators! While the two leggeds work on destroying and saving this planet, you go about your business. We are your cheerleaders who don't spray our plants with poisons, thereby poisoning you darlings. Buzz on, to carry our planet through another day. 

Have a mudpie making  Monday. Do something minding your manners.

Simple Sunday ~ Culebra

Out of the sunshine

Rain pours from hovering clouds

Buy an umbrella