Category Archives: Challenges

Growth and Markets: Our Weekly Routine in Puerto Rico

No, I am not talking about the stock market or the GDP, but rather the original meaning of those words. Literally growing things (including a baby) and going to markets. We have a bit of a schedule and routine now, moreso than ever with a baby. We used to go out a lot more at night with the band and just to hang out at chinchorros or downtown at the ArtWalk, but we now appreciate our quiet evenings with the kiddo sound asleep. So that means our days must be a little fuller. Fridays and Sundays mean market. Fridays we go to the San Sebastian Pulguero (Flea Market) where we do some bartering and buying. Mostly we are in the market for strange exotic plants. Actually we are ALWAYS in the market for those it seems. No matter how much plant life we throw at the property, it just eats it up.

With a new flower find at the San Sebastian Market

It’s pretty fun at the San Sebastian market because we are nearly always the only “gringos” there and so we sort of stick out like sore thumbs. But people are starting to get to know us, greet us and show us what all they have available before we even have to ask. It REALLY helps to know Spanish in these sorts of environments!

Aeden is a favorite with many people at the market including this sweet woman who even sang “Que Linda Manita” to him

Aeden and the birds back at the farm

Saturdays are usually spent back at the farm unless we have something fun planned. On Saturday afternoon we harvest the fruit and flowers for the Sunday Rincon Farmer’s Market.

Look who needs to start wearing shoes soon!

Aeden is now 11 months old! Check out his latest update video

New bromeliads in bloom at the farm

Our avocado that we accidentally cut down YEARS ago, has come back and is fruiting! I am so happy! Yay for guacamole! What’s strange about it, is only one trunk has fruit. So I think it must have been grafted long ago and we’ll probably have two types on one tree. We’ll see!

At the Farmer’s Market in Rincon. Dragonfruit! We have had our dragonfruit plant flower, but it never holds onto the fruit

The Farmer’s Market on Sunday mornings is fun. We don’t make much money, but it is worth it and it’s fairly stable for being summertime. We have made a lot of great friends there. And we use the money to go out and have brunch and drive around a bit afterward. If we make any more than that we put it into buying more plants from the nurseries or flea markets around.

Taking Aeden to Yogufruti after the Farmer’s Market one Sunday

I never knew what fashion tasted like before, but it’s pretty good! haha

During the week we mostly work on the farm: mowing, planting, improving trails. We also clean and do “turnovers” if we have guests staying in the cabana. We also like to pick a day or two to go shopping or an excursion of some sort. Sometimes we go hunting for plants on the side of the road or check out a beach. Lately it has been so hot, that we have been doing everything we can to stay cool. Since we don’t have A/C that means sitting in the baby pool, finding anywhere that has air conditioning and just milling around, eating watermelon and lots of fluids and trying to avoid the heat of the middle of the day (siesta anyone?). The beach is actually too hot for me on those sizzling days since the water and sand multiply the sun’s effect.

Staying cool in our baby pool in the shade like the hillbillies we are haha!

Fun shopping day out with friend Pauline

Stop in at an authentic chinchorro for una bien friiiia

Checking out a beach in Aguada (Tablerock) -great beach for bamboo driftwood hunters!

Fun on the farm! Dad and boy

Man and his horse swimming in Anasco

Not sure, but I believe this is a cupey flower blooming at our house

Britton had a red RX7 when he was a teenager so this made him gasp when we were driving along in Aguada one day! His 17 year-old self has multiplied! haha

He probably wasn’t listening to this type of song back then though (this is a top hit currently on the radio that we turn up when it comes on, and it’s great for Spanish vocabulary!)

Buying plants at Jardines Eneida! One of our favorite nurseries!

At Jardines Eneida. Check out the video:

I call Puerto Rico “Toon Town” and it’s not without reason…Check out this vibrant little house

And this one…who is very concerned with the modesty of its columns haha

Or this awesomely strange creation seemingly out of a sci-fi movie

Driving up the hills of Mayaguez we had a majestically different view of Rincon and Desecheo in the distance

That’s it for the update. Time flies. I can’t believe that a year ago I was hugely pregnant and just waiting for our little guy to arrive and now he’s almost walking. It’s crazy. Nothing like a kid to make time really feel warped.

Here’s a quick little video of some vignettes of our daily life in Puerto Rico. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and I am trying to do a little more with Instagram if you’d like to follow along.

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Puerto Rico Se Levanta Again! #Ricky Renuncia

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Powerful image of a protestor in San Juan (credit FB)

After Hurricane Maria, the island took up the chant “Puerto Rico Se Levanta!” which means “Puerto Rico Rises!” This past week, the phrase has taken a whole new meaning as the island rises stronger and louder than ever in protests over corruption in the government with the current governor, Ricardo Rossello, taking the main fire with chants of “Ricky Renuncia” which means “Ricky Resign.” Today, one of the main thoroughfares in San Juan was filled with protestors stopping all traffic with estimates of over ONE MILLION people! There are only a little over 3 million people in Puerto Rico so for almost a third of them to show up in person and march for him to leave is not insignificant.

Look at the sheer number of people! (credit FB)

The rage felt toward Ricky Rossello is an outward expression of the inner trauma we are still all dealing with from Hurricane Maria. In chat messages that were exposed after people in his political circle were arrested on corruption charges, the public learned that he mocked those affected the worst, withheld aid when it would make his party look better, made deals that would further his agenda at the cost of the people and generally did not stand as a light in the literal darkness we went through during the long, difficult months after Maria. He has yet to step down, but the people are only getting louder and louder in wanting him to resign. I don’t know how any representative of people would want to “govern” those who clearly do not want him anymore.

On land, air, internet, by sea -Ricky should get the message -The people want him out!

When (and I think it will be soon) he resigns, will it change the culture of corruption that has been in the Puerto Rican government for many, many decades (in both parties)? I am not sure. But I certainly hope it will. After so much that this island has gone through with school and hospital closures, austerity measures and then a hurricane on top of it all, Boricuas have proven the tenacity that only hard times will unfortunately bring out. And this is the proof. I love that people here have gotten so fired up. It has been a long time since I have seen this kind of power of the people. Thoughts of the Occupy Movement come to mind. But the sort of fervor here is unlike even that. It would be as if 100 million people showed up in New York City and shut the city down. There is a camaraderie in this movement that says “Enough is enough!” Basta, ya. Renuncia, ya! The last time a protest near this size occurred was to stop the bombings in the small island of Vieques, and it worked!

To read more about protests and strikes, here’s a pretty good breakdown. And for those concerned about visiting the island, there is no worry. It has overall been a very impressive, and yet peaceful outrage. Perhaps avoid Old San Juan until it is resolved if you are concerned with crowds or have small children, but come, visit. Support this beautiful island with a spirit forged in fire and storms.

Here in our town of Rincon, there was a protest and signs around say “Ricky Renuncia”

PS: Even Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny, Residente (Rene from Calle 13) have all gotten involved. Check out their new (not for kids) song: Afilando los Cuchillos (Sharpening the Knives).

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Colorado Trip: Greeley Stampede, Estes Park, Family Visit

New Flowers and Friends

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Newest bloom: Evita’s Rose

We are constantly on the lookout for new plants, trees and flowers. It seems that most of the viveros have all the same common plants: trinitarias, hibiscus, bromelias, orchids, citrus, avocados. What they don’t have are heliconias, gingers, plumerias and all the exotic fruit trees. We are currently on the lookout for durian, Australian finger lime, and reina de las flores (this is a common tree, but for some reason we have a hard time finding it for sale).

Also looking for Rainbow Eucalyptus like this one seen on the side of the road

At the last pulguero in San Sebastian we had a good score! We found another Ylang Ylang tree (the fragrance is so divine, it is used in Chanel No 5), an achiote tree (a natural food dye for the color red and very cool looking fruit), a huge Tibochino espiga and a Raffy palm (that’s what the vendor called it). At Jardines Eneida we also found some new trees like a Cordia, Saman and mamayito (lemon drop mangosteen).

The meadow area after a good mow -we need to mow about every 2 weeks now that it’s raining so much

I also found this nepenthes pitcher plant that reminded me of well…you know

All the rain has brought out the mushrooms

And so we bought some garden art to commemorate them

Rainy days at the cabin. Notice the new railings!

Still not sure if we want to put rails on the bridge though

The mosquitos come out a lot more in the rain, so we put a mosquito net on Aeden’s play pen outside, that he promptly pulled down 🙂

He’s our little farmer so we did an impromtu photo shoot with him

Our little red is getting so big! 9 months now

Aeden’s 9 month video update

In order to find the heliconias and ginger varieties we want, we have to find direct vendors. The rhizomes don’t do super well in pots for long periods of time, so they have to be directly transplanted as soon as possible into the ground. They also need a lot of space and water, that the average home gardener can’t often provide (hence why they are not commonly found in the stores around here). Well, I found someone online who specializes in them! Not only did Carlos sell us some amazing rhizomes, he also delivered them from San German and helped us identify many of our wild species. We hung out for quite a while and got to know him pretty well. We scored some plants, but even more importantly a new friend who is as geeked out about botanicals as we are! He is a student at the University in Mayaguez and knows a TON about plants.

With Carlos and the new plants