Views from a New Housesitting Hill

But first! On a walk with a mission, here's a reminder to look around. Lots of things are blooming! 

If I had a yard, I would plant this in any place ground cover is needed. I can't imagine this is a wild plant here, it looks like rose moss to me and that it seems to be in these two thriving patches on the side of the road is one of those little Culebra mysteries I don't need to solve. 

The other surprise is that the photo of the flowers whose proper Latin name is firecracker flowers that I posted the other day also come in yellow. 

High up on a hill, someone is growing some glorious orchids. Any long time reader of this blog knows that the ease of growing orchids here is amazing, basically stick them in or on a shady tree, give them a good spray of water once a day (ore in the case below, whenever the Universe feels like it) and Beauty!

I was still in my looking up mode when I saw this fish, hanging on an old pipe. It looks like he's been content there for a quite awhile, long may he wave.

Ok, the main event.

It's always fun to see the island from a different perspective, something house and critter sitting gives me. With cats and dogs that are mellow, it is easy to enjoy the views. 

I got out here in mid-afternoon and the play of light on the water had me hoping for a good sunset. How good was it, MJ? You'll see.

After playing with the dogs and having some bonding time - that means me feeding them treats - we did a walkabout. I came back to get my camera, they came back to get out of the pretty intense heat. 

Late afternoon view

More playing, cat and dog dinner time, more eating - me, this time, and lots of glances at the setting sun. Of course, it's always when you turn your back for a fleeting second that the magic has occurred and there it is!

There were a lot of light permutations but you get the idea, it was pretty outstanding. 

This morning, with the sun up but the heat of the day not yet kicked in, it was altered once again, a colossal cloud overwhelming the water and town and sky. 

Looking yardward is this perfect little flamboyant tree, in the midst of shades of green. Green from the leaves, green from the grass, green from the bush beyond, protected by the browns of textured rocks once in the earth some other place. I can imagine how it must look in bloom, those brilliant flaming flowers. I can wait.

Hiding from the sun seems like a plan for today, out here in the country. After the walk above, the day before yesterday, I got back and the first person I saw thought I'd gone swimming. It wasn't a good look and that is not being self-deprecating. 

Have an un-Saharan Saturday. Do something soothing. 

Nice Karen, Good Karen

Of course the big thing going on here the last couple of days was the approach of Tropical Storm/Depression/Storm Karen. People prepared, boats were moved to the mangroves, and eyes were on the weather sites. 

With a more hinky forecast than usual, it was a bit hard to determine what was going to happen, but as the time of passing over us/near us came, it was getting more clear that it was going to be mainly a rain event. Then it turned out, for us, to not even be much of that. But there was a swell that kept us watching. This is what we saw.

My first clue that it might just be okay was the cat. This was right when a very quick squall came through, one of quite a few. But hey! The cat wasn't concerned, why should I be?

This hummingbird has been coming around every day to feast on the cactus flowers. No birds seemed to be hiding. I took that as another good omen.

Who wouldn't see this as a feast?

We could hear Mike next door, keeping an eye on things, so we headed over to see what was happening at the closed (for the yearly renew and get ready) Dinghy Dock. The tide was high, but there was barely any other sign of much other than a grey skied day. 

Thankfully, this is just silliness

An osprey flew overhead, much too quickly for a photo. Since I rarely see them here, it was one of those moments that just makes your heart happy. Then we got another one. 

Too bad I didn't have my real camera with me, but this is a manatee!
It came to the surface a few times and then...poof! Gone.

We noticed that the water level was rising. Hmmm. 

When it looked like the boat just might find itself on the dock, it was time to shoot a photo to Jean-Francois. He came down, with family and friends. 

The boat got moved to a safer spot and then it was time to play.

A lot of splish splash goin' on!

Rain wise, we were in the quiet zone, compared to some surrounding islands. 

That blue dot is Culebra

Today, the sun is back out, Milka's is open, panels at the bank will come down, and we'll be back to whatever we call normal. Life is good!

Have a wakeful Wednesday. Do something waterproof. 

It's Good to be Home!

When I told people I was coming home early this year, I heard a lot of "Why aren't you waiting?" and the truth is, it's easier to be home than to stress from far away. If this was a big city in the US, no doubt news would be easier to come by, but just like the Dorian devastated tiny islands in the Bahamas and how, for the most part, the story has faded from the news, which is a shame - there is still great need - that's what happens here with getting information on weather and any other thing of importance that is going on. I'm still learning to follow my guts instead of my brain. 

Greetings in the streets, catching up on local news, and the sense of home are all strong here and all good. So regardless of the time of year, it's almost always good to go away and it's always good to be home!

After a long, hot walk we were coming back into town and noticed that Zaco's was open. On a Saturday. A veer in the path and Zach was telling us that the hours for now are Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I think that's what he said anyway. He showed us some scallions crepes that Heather had made and described the dish they would become. It was a no brainer, we'd come back for dinner. 

It wasn't called Crepes de Scallions, it was Veggie Gordita Pizza

Zach advised us to make sure and mix up all the ingredients to gather in all the goodies with each bite. Advice taken but after I forgot to take a photo. It was prettier before that was done. Oops!

If it comes back as a special, I'd happily get it again

During the meal, we could hear live music, coming from next door, so after eating and visiting with friends, we went by to enjoy a few minutes of classic Culebra. It's always good to hear the family playing and singing, usually for some event, but this was just family and friends enjoying being together, with only a very small audience of appreciators.

This should have been a video.
The music would have made up for the bad lighting!
Next time.

Walking out in the early morning to go check out the houseboat and dinghy, the mugginess that fills the days was still an hour or so away. There is so much in bloom right now that it made the walk shorter, eye grazing along the way.

In the not quite true daylight, these blooms were like little firecrackers

I know these aren't violets, but they are so violet and seem to always be in shy places. 

With a long train of disturbed weather out there and varying certainties of what will happen next, I'm not on the houseboat for the next few days. Karen is looking like a rain event so far, sliding slightly to the west of us, and perhaps being downgraded before the end of the day. That would be nice.

There is the ease of being in town (thanks, friend!), getting the things done that need to be done upon returning. If you need to see someone, they miraculously pop up in front of you, at the store, on the street, in the Post Office, eating a meal. The sweetness of this place...

Have a manageable Monday. Do something moveable. 

Where Was I?

I've been slack for far too long, neglecting this little postcard from the edges, but today is a good day to pick up the electronic pen.

Yesterday we went to some friends place for a berry picking party. The berries are blackberries, that grow wild everywhere around here but are not from here originally. I'm still working on the origins but we can thank the birds for propagating plenty of them. 

This is just one area of glorious berries.
We each had our own picking and saving style,
some stayed in one area,
I rambled around the yard,
eating picking eating picking some more.

But this wasn't side of the road gathering, this was in the magical yard of soft grasses, surrounded by blackberry bushes that have been trimmed back year after year for the generations our friend Tim's family has owned this beautiful property. This year in particular, with a lot of rain, and the right temperatures was just about perfect for a bumper crop. We dove in.

While we picked, Woody grilled fresh from the bay tuna, with kabobs made up of their garden goodies, broccoli, tomatoes and summer squash. A blackberry pie waited and berry ice cream churned. A local feast with good friends is pretty high on my summer list, even as it winds to a close. 

After we said our farewells, we decided to see if the second day of the Whale Gulch fire department fundraiser had anything still going on. The first day is the big one, I didn't even know there was a second day! But when we got there, only a few clean up stragglers were left. Since one of them was our friend Dave, we hung around, talking and for me, meeting a few new people. 

I need my flag book!!

One of the roads leading out of the Gulch.
I'm not unhappy to NOT be here in winter.

It's a sign!

Another family friend, a man I'd met before but only briefly, invited us back to the home he shares with his now pregnant wife, one of those California homes in the mountains you glimpse driving down dirt roads but visitors like me rarely get to see. It was almost sunset and the Pacific was clear of fog, hugely beautiful. It was was just cool enough that a heavy sweatshirt was enough.

It was so clear that I thought it might be a green flash night. I wasn't disappointed, this one so tiny and so fast I couldn't catch it on my phone camera. The sunset colors continued, the sliver of light that was the new moon standing out against a blue darkening sky, oranges and reds riding the horizon. 

A very fine view

Hello, moon!

Tumbling back into vehicles we headed home, full of good food and the warmth of being around good people. 

Now where are those blackberries?

Have a maximum Monday. Do something memory making.