Robert's Projects: Root Cellar

Robert's Projects: Root Cellar

2011 Art Journal

Kelly, an artist friend, has started this, so I thought I'd give it a try and see how long I can keep up. No promises, but it sounds like fun.
http://www.milliande.com/art-journal-january-2011.html

ATCs, etc.

Another obsession of late, these are a few that I've made for trade. Lots of practice is needed!

Travelogue, Part Three

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What is a day on a tropical island without going to the beach?
Today we hit two of them, the first, the Punta Sur Ecological Park. At the southernmost point of the island of Cozumel, is the crystal beach. Devastated by Hurricane Wilma, the area is still in a fragile state of rebirth, owing in part to many volunteers who have replanted the mangroves, and protected the sea turtles, who use the beach to lay their eggs. There are several lagoons here, home to many species of tropical birds, crocodiles, and other animals. There is still dense tropical vegetation.
One must pay a fee to enter the area. The road from the entrance gate is flanked on the right by this vegetation, and on the left by the beach and ocean. This trip we were pleasantly surprised by the blooming plants which filled the air with their sweet perfume, much like honeysuckle.

We stopped for a stroll on the beach, which was strewn with seaweed, shells, and, sadly trash, most likely the garbage from cruise ships.


There is a small Mayan ruin along the way, and a large lagoon with an overlook tower.
We stopped for a bit, walked out over the lagoon, and spotted this guy.



The road ends at the lighthouse and museum. There are, thankfully, bathrooms here, as well as a snack bar, and the omnipresent vendors. We opted to check out the cotton shirts for Sandy, a bit of jewelry for me, and beer for us both. And, what better place to enjoy our drinks, and the locals, than in hammocks!


A local was in the lagoon in his small flat bottom boat, and came to the shore as we came down from the tower. The park 'official' told us that, for a fee, payable to him, and a tip to the boat owner, he would take us out on the lagoon. As there were many birds perched on the spits, we took him up on it. Once in the boat, our 'guide' gave us a laminated sheet with pictures of various birds and their names. This is a list of those we remember seeing - white ibis, roseate spoonbill, green heron, cattle egret, tricolor heron, brown pelican, several species of vulture, ospreys, kingfisher, mockingbirds, , bulbuls, catbirds and flamingoes. There were, no doubt more, but we didn't have a notepad with us, and were too busy looking! lol The flamingoes were too far off to even attempt photographing, but we will get them next time. After looking at the pictures we did take, we probably shouldn't have attempted any at all. Besides, we were in a very small boat, and there were crocodiles in the water!!!




Safely back ashore, we headed to the beach club. There are all kinds of water activities here, swimming, snorkeling, water toys, etc., as well as another tower to climb, horseback riding, kayaking and a catamaran tour to see those elusive flamingoes and more crocodiles. We opted for another beer and, wait for it.......
hammocks! Lucky for us, a guy there told us someone would give us snorkeling lessons if we wanted, and we decidided to come back later to take him up on it.
After awhile we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a nap, and then on to the next beach club.

Christmas holiday travelogue, cont'd

A huge agave plant near our hammocks, probably about 10' tall. This isn't the blue agave, but rather another variety used for all manner of things.
One of our group members watching Petrus' helper tending the fire where the rocks were being heated. The fire ring surrounds this, and is the location from which the temazcal ceremony begins.

We were invited to relax in the hammocks while Petrus told us of the Mayan time, the calendars, the tradition of the sweat lodge, and much, much more. Who can resist a hammock??


The path to the sweat lodge.

The cenote, just one of many in the Yucatan's huge underground water system. This one's water is amber colored, cool and so refreshing after our time in the lodge. Mayans make a pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, and this cenote is one of their stops. We wondered why the surrounding walkways had not been maintained better, because of the location's importance.div>

Day Four
We awoke to beautiful warm, sunny weather and drove north to one of the marinas, arriving a little early for our day of sailing. The owners of this business are Americans from Missouri, and they were in the States for the holidays. However, their capable crew took care of all our needs, and provided us with a fun-filled, relaxing (except for a few scary minutes in the water) day.


From the time we left the marina, the guys let us know that it was our day to do, or not do, whatever we wanted, and further, that their job was to make sure we had whatever we needed to do it! Our vessel was a catamaran; there were 13 passengers, 2 crew members and the captain. It was a diverse group; one young couple with 2 young daughters, preschool and elementery school age, another family with 2 grown sons, a single guy who spent all of his vacation in the Caribbean, escaping Nebraska winters, and an older couple. The wife was clearly going along because her husband had wanted to do this. She could not get out in the sun, and so sat beneath the canopy for the entire day, dressed in long pants, long sleeved shirt, floppy-brimmed hat and shades. Despite the bracelets and patch that she was wearing, she battled with seasickness nearly the entire day, and, admirably, put up a good fight!
One crew member hoisted the sails immediately, as we caught a good breeze early. The captain cut the engine, and the boat danced across the water in silence. Pure bliss!

We sat near the bow, holding on, just in case, and let the sun, the air, and the sights soak in.

Perhaps days like these become routine for those who do it, but for me, it will always be a special thrill.
The crew made sure all had drinks of their choosing, even the little ones, who had n/a pina coladas. The captain set about preparing a huge amount of fresh guacamole and pico de gallo, which he served up to us all - Yummy! Then he fired up the charcoal grill, mountain off the stern of the boat, and began cooking our lunch - flank steak, chicken wings, pasta salad and more. We had hoped that the two lines which had been cast earlier would catch some fish for our lunch, but, sadly they didn't.
We sailed, ate and drank for a couple of hours, engaged in light conversation, and dozed in the sun.
The wind laid, the sails were brought in and we headed for the reef, to snorkle. Neither of us had done this, so we were given vests, a one minute lesson, and told how to get out of the boat and into the water without injuring ourselves. I was on my own in this vast sea! Before I knew it, I was way too far from the boat, and was fast losing the strength to get back. Hubby saw this and jumped in, thinking he could help. Unfortunately, he isn't as good a swimmer as I am, so they threw me a line and hauled me in. I was the catch of the day!
We bobbed around the reef for awhile, then weighed anchor and headed for Isla de Pasion (Passion Island) for some beachcombing.
My only disappointment today was that the wind didn't come back up and afford us the opportunity to try out the spinnaker. After bringing those who had gone ashore back to the boat, we headed back for the marina.
It was, for the most part, a beautiful, fun day. I could get used to this!

Christmas holiday travelogue

Living in the Back of Nowhere (BoN), far from friends and family, does little to inspire me to "do" Christmas. Most of the kids, grands, and greats live Up North, where it's generally a lot colder than here. (Here is too cold for us for most of the winter. )

So, there's just the two of us old geezers and the three dogs, who could care less whether we put up a tree, deck the halls, open a mini-bakery for a month, shop for presents, melt some plastic, or cook a feast. We share their sentiment.

After taking a cruise at Christmastime a few years ago, we realized that we could let someone else handle all that stress and bother, and we could sit back, enjoy a mild libation or two, catch some rays and get far more enjoyment out of the holidays. So, early last year we decided that Mexico would be more fun than the BoN, and made plans to get there. By December, the trip was paid for, with the exception of miscellaneous expenses we knew we'd incur while actually down there.

The BoN is two hours from the nearest airport, and our flight left before first light of day, so I begged a favor of my sister-in-law, who lives 10 minutes from our departure point, to let us spend the night with her. She is an angel. Not only did she agree to accomodate us, she cooked a delicious dinner, and gifted us with tickets to the symphony. Our three beautiful nieces, with husband and fiance' in tow, joined us for a fun evening. Of course, we stayed up much too late, but it was worth it. Around 0'dark thirty the next morning that sweet woman woke us, made us coffee and drove us to the airport.

We submitted to the TSA's 'junk touching', then boarded our plane, and dozed our way South.

Our destination was the island of Cozumel, just off the southern side of the Yucatan Peninsula.

It is far removed from the border and all it's danger and mayhem, both by distance and temperment. There is one small town, San Miguel, whose residents rely almost entirely on the tourist industry for their livelihood.

The cruise ships stop there every day except Sunday, disgorging thousands of people each morning to enjoy as much as they can in a day, leave as much money as the shop owners can haggle from them, and then leave in the evenings. Anyone who has visited there knows the familiar phrase, "Almost free today!!" The week we were there, a total of 35 cruise ships visited, with an average of 4,00o passengers each!


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The remainder of the island, with the exception of some outlying hotels, bars and beach clubs, is thick, impenetrable jungle. There is one road that skirts the perimeter, and one transecting the island, which is flat. No hills or mountains to traverse. It is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs, magnets for divers, snorkelers, and those who enjoy almost every water sport or activity one can imagine. The beautiful Caribbean waters, and the gorgeous sunsets complete the picture.

We had chosen a hotel outside of town, hoping it would not be as congested or noisy as we had remembered from earlier visits. Our rental car was an added expense, but well worth it for the freedom and mobility it afforded us. We arrived, checked in, grabbed a bite, unpacked, and caught up on our sleep.
Dear hubby had possession of the camera for most of our time there, and took no less than several dozen photos of the hotel, the view from our room, the restaurants, etc., etc., oh, and the resident iguana family.

The front of the hotel, overlooking two of the restaurants, pools, and the ocean.

The view from our balcony, overlooking all of the above. At night, Playa del Carmen's lights illuminate the horizon.

The back of the hotel, overlooking the casitas, and, yes, it IS a jungle out there!

View from the top story, looking towards San Miguel, in the distance. Another new condo is in the foreground, and yes, more jungle!

The welcoming committee, baby iguana and parent. I didn't venture close enough to see if it was Mom or Dad.

Day Two

We got out to revisit the island. One of our first stops that morning was at Cava Antigua, on the road transecting the island. This place is a nursery for the blue agave, the plant from which tequila is made. For a paltry sum, we got a guided tour, but first we were treated to margaritas and nachos - breakfast of champions! Our friendly, funny guide, Gallo, told us about the plants, the fermenting process, and how to ferment pineapple to make our own hooch.

Pay attention! If you can answer a few simple questions, you get double shots instead of singles! lol We now know the difference between clear(for mixed drinks) reposado (for sipping with your spouse) and anejo (for your own private enjoyment), and we know that mescal (with the worm in the bottle, not dead, just sleeping - lol!!), is made from another type of agave, and tastes like dirt. Gallo says it is the telephone liquor - enough of it and you can talk to the gods! Thanks, Gallo, I'll just stick to my prayers, and leave the mescal for the worms!
After the tour and the tasting, a lot of tasting, we did a little shopping, just in case we got thirsty later. :))

http://www.cavaantigua.com/inicio.html

Despite the attitude adjustment our tasting/tour gave us, hubby and I both needed to unwind, relax and generally get it together.

So, on Day Three, the winter solstice, we went to a Temazcal, or Mayan Steam Lodge, in the jungle. http://www.temazcalcozumel.com/ It was a very unique experience. We will do this again, as it was everything we'd expected and hoped for, and more! There is a great blog entry here which describes this better than I could hope to do: http://www.yourspareport.com/Blog/Entries/2009/2/18 _Sweat_Lodge,_Cozumel.html If this doesn't work, just go to http://www.yourspareport.com then click on Blog and search the archives for Feb. 2009 Sweat Lodge Cozumel This couple's experience was very, very similar to ours.