Ignore all signs

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At least three times during our trip to Puerto Rico we were told, you will see a sign that says, “Don’t Enter”. Just ignore it. So we did. Very unlike me, because I usually obey all the rules. The first was for Flamenco Beach on Culebra. We were advised not to pick anything up while snorkeling because it could be an unexploded device. No problem. So while I ignored the do not enter sign, I didn’t touch anything.

We wanted to tour the derelict lighthouse on Culebrita. Who knows, we could end up as caretakers. We met a Belgium couple whose paths we crossed a couple of times and one of them explained the lighthouse was well worth seeing. It’s surrounded by barbed wire and a fence that says, “No trespassing” but just ignore it. So we did. I can see why the sign was there. The buildings were in quite a state of disrepair. There were a lot of similarities to American and Australian lighthouses but the outbuildings definitely had a Spanish flair. There were open courtyards with tiled floors, and ornate stonework, which was really quite magnificent. The stairs were missing quite a few pieces and the tower’s cupola had blown off and was lying outside the barbed wire fence. But the light still worked and we could observe it from our anchorage.

I see no evil

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These three guys looked over us at a beautiful anchorage on the island of Culebrita. Notice the one on the right holding his head. We coined them see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. There couldn’t be anything evil on that beautiful island, which even has a working lighthouse. Could be our next gig! The light works, even though it’s toppled over and the buildings are in ruins. Photos to follow.

There were heart rocks afoot.

Then in the rain forest, El Yunque National Park, in southeastern Puerto Rico, we found man eating ferns! It was strange to be in a rain forest and find typical USDA park signs. We felt like we were a world away from the United States. Our road back to the airport however passed the worst of the worst in architecture. Strip mall after strip mall. Walmarts, McDonalds and traffic!

Time to get the island back into this blog

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We traveled south where the skies are blue and the water is warm. We chartered a sailboat, with friends, from the eastern part of Puerto Rico and sailed from there to and around the island of Culebra. A good time was had by all. We had all sorts of weather except snow. We relied on the kindness of strangers on more than one occasion and the universe delivered. I think I saw three rainbows in all.

What you won’t see are the torrential rains that doused us, because I wanted to protect my camera. Since I have no digital images of the storms, I may simply forget all about them. I may also forget the fact that our berth’s porthole leaked and we began the trip with damp sheets and mattresses.

There were some beautiful moments every day. We swam off the boat and I was reminded of how much I enjoy sailing or camping because I am outside from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep.

These colors work in the Caribbean but they would be too bold for home; they don’t meet the Adirondack Park Agency guidelines.

Word play

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Since I would like to write more, I pay attention to grammar and sentence structure although it  may not always show.  The other night, we watched an older movie entitled “Proof”.  This is an Australian movie starring a young Russell Crowe. (I wonder who added it to our Netflix list?)  Original music was provided by Not Drowning Waving. That group’s name really got me thinking and I ended up googling (I am sure this is a verb by now) “I’m not drowning, I’m waving” and
“I’m not waving, I’m drowning”.  Although the same words are used, the difference in meaning is profound.  One is happy, the other sad.  One is cute and the other is desperate.  It’s amazing what a little change in the order of words will do.

A study in blues and greys

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Blue jays and a female hairy woodpecker ate like birds at our feeders today. The blue jays are especially crafty. One pecks from above and makes a mess while another cleans up below. A pair of chickadees were flitting around and we only saw the tail end of a new arrival with a white belly and long tail. ID to follow if we ever see its head. It was hidden behind one of the feeders and ate for about 5 minutes. Even though we awoke to snow this morning, spring is definitely in the air. Just to prove it, we lose an hour of sleep tonight. It was too cloudy last night to see the Aurora Borealis but maybe today? I’m forever hopeful.

Below is a recent weaving disaster. I had problems when I “dressed” the loom. So bad and the weaving was so unpleasant that I employed a desperate measure. Rather than waiting to weave the whole mess off the loom, I “undressed” it. What would have been four placemats became a mat for under one of the cat bowls.

In better progress is the Na Craga sweater for my son. He asked me to lengthen it so I frogged back the neck and shoulder decreases and lengthened the front and back. Now the front will become the back because there is a minor flaw in what would have been the front. I’m sure only I will see it, but it’s all I will see. Not even a flaw, just one stitch which looks looser and may block out. But just in case.

I am acclimated to the North Country

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I noticed it today when I was working on the hot tub. We were having all sorts of problems with a leaking light and I was outside in light pants (ok, really my pajamas), a sweater and bare feet in my crocs. It was 36 degrees F at the time. In days past, I would have had a hat, scarf, gloves, wool socks, perhaps long johns and a coat. I used to marvel when a saw people dressed this way in cold weather. And I’m no longer cold at night. There were many nights when I wore those same “light pants”, sweater hat and a shawl to bed. Very attractive. My biological thermostat has reset. Maybe it’s due to the Adirondacks. Or maybe not.

The big picture

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Loki spends a lot of time sitting on the windowsills and basking in the sun.  He is actually not all that interested in the birds at the feeder and in fact the crows and blue jays scare him away.  We’ve had some lovely snow and the birds spend a lot of time at the feeders.  I heard robins this morning and a woodpecker tapping a tree across the road.  We seem to be feeding all the wildlife.  I saw deer tracks around the tree and only hope they are eating from the feeder’s spill and not the tree itself!

Goldfinch on the sunflower feeder

 

 

There must be something good in the feeders because the birds leave the most colorful eggs.  This batch has been sent south in search of the Easter Bunny. I believe in spring, fertility and rebirth but never understood why a bunny delivered eggs.  Why don’t we have an Easter Chicken?

Wet rope keeps feet dry

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weaving

I am intrigued by rag rugs, braided wool rugs and more recently rope rugs.  The Mountaineer, a local backcountry outfitter, has several coiled rope rugs, which are simply duct taped together, in their store.  The first few turns are glued and then the balance are held together with duct tape.  Way cool.  The bright colors of climbing ropes really stand out this way.  After a rope is used fairly briefly, it looses its strength and can’t be used for climbing so they use old ropes for these rugs.  I have to figure out how to become the final resting place for old rope.
weaving

In the meantime, there was devastating flooding in the Adirondacks after Hurricane Irene last August.  This dampened the inventory of a local hardware store which happens to carry climbing rope.  It could no longer be sold as climbing rope and I bought it with the intent of taping up a rug. Then I thought it might be fun to weave a rug with it.  While the end product is fun, the weaving itself was challenging because I basically had to pass a coil of rope through the weaving shed (that little space between the upper and lower threads) about 50 times.  But in no time I had a rug, which has been claimed by my son and will be heading south today to keep his feet dry.

There’s a party going on

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Or so it seems at our compost pile. I have somehow manage to dodge the trek to the compost pile since mid- December; I couldn’t carry the bin with crutches, the ground was icy, the driveway was icy. These excuses don’t work anymore and I ventured off yesterday after 6 inches of new snow fell. To my surprise, there’s been a a party out there. All sorts of tracks lead in from the woods and encircle the compost bin. I saw deer tracks, maybe rabbit, coyote and mice. But what are these claw like marks? They are linear in groups of four. Coyote scratches? I don’t see tracks associated with them, only claw marks. I’m thinking Adirondack bear paw, one of my favorite flavors from Stewart’s. But shouldn’t they still be sleeping?

party tracks

So we had our own little party. My son and BGFF are visiting and had the makings of a key lime pie. We debated whipped cream or meringue and as you can see, meringue won. It was a joint effort and delicious outcome. Today’s baking project is spinach pie and we may head out to tap some maple sugar trees.

Lady of the river

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Lady of the river

Today was a snow day. I remembered to take my camera with me on a drive to Lake Placid. It snowed softly in the morning, continued all day into the night. There will be an early easter egg hunt, in the snow, at our house this weekend. Tradition.

These pignoli cookies always look so promising. Alas, in the end I threw out the batch. I’ve been having a problem with them rising and haven’t had suggested parchment paper in the house for a long time. This batch rose fine but got stuck to the foil. Worse yet, some had a little piece of foil still stuck to them and left a metallic taste in my mouth. Out they went.