Going "Greener" ???

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I'm writing this blog in response to Antigonum Cajan who has left me two comments on my blog. The last one I couldn't seem to comment back to him (or her) so I thought I would make a blog dedicated to the issues. Here is the not so nice comment which was written after my Art in the Mountains blog.

"I mentioned it before too much lawn, in turn= pollution with lawn mowers, trimmers, blowers. A total contradiction while looking for nature... Get it on ..."

First of all I'd like to say again that specific suggestions are welcome. Talk is cheap. We would love to put away our tractor, mower, trimmer and machete. We're not only growing coffee and oranges, we're growing tired...anything we can do to make maintenance easier and "greener", we're all for it. In fact I'll be telling you about our "green" cookware in a future blog.

But first of all...do clarify...where exactly is our lawn? Is it this? This is the goat pasture...which isn't very "good" grass for the goats, but is great for Sr. Villalobos who comes and harvests it to twist the grass for his furniture.

Or perhaps you're talking about this lawn? We have the view out the yellow casita into the coffee farm...not exactly "lawn"....


We do have green spots between the parking spaces of the casitas...is that what you mean?
...and then there's our "pond"...please tell us how to get rid of the jungle which is invading our wetlands...

We also have grass at the bocce and horseshoes court connecting the pool area and restaurant. Is that what you mean? or the space between the parking area and the restaurant?









There is a lot of grass here, but I would hardly call it a "lawn". Your profile shows a beautifully landscaped urban area...how about some jungle farmland?



We're always looking for experts...we built TJ Ranch poco a poco...learning as we go. There's always room for improvement...so put on your overalls, Antigonum Cajan, and show us your stuff!!

Art in the Mountains

Wilma and Angel, two of our frequent gusts, told me about their trip to Jayuya and their stop at a gallery with artesania and paintings. They told us of meeting Miguel Angel Guzman, painter and musician, who not only impressed them with his painting, but delighted them with his guitar music and voice. They were so enthusiastic, I had to get off my mountain and check this place out!!

As you wind on Rt.140 heading towards Jayuya from Utuado there is a white building with bright Taino graphics and paintings outside. Galeria Saguay open Fri,Sat,Sun. 9-5

Olga Reyes welcomed us into the gallery and showed us her latest work.

After chatting up a storm and looking around, selecting items for us to sell at TJ Ranch, Olga led us downstairs to the gallery where her husband paints and displays his art work. A combination of Puerto Rican lore and Picassoesque brightly painted canvases are displayed in the cool cellar of the gallery. Miguel took his time to explain his work and his life in New York and on the island and then delighted us with a concert on his guitar. It was truly an afternoon to remember.
To top off the excursion, we headed down the hill on Rt. 140 and found a comfortable place to get a bite to eat...a pincho stop on the road...with cool breezes and delicious munchies!!

Extreme Sports - February

Next year I hope to post these events before they happen:

February 11-15th: Arecibo hosted Puerto Rico Freefall Festival...the picture above shows Fred packing up his parachute which he takes as "carry-on" back to Ohio. The skydivers do most of their diving at the Arecibo airport in order to get as many dives packed in as they can...the last dive of the day, they can do at the beach.

Fred and Donna enjoyed staying in the mountains. It was a close trip to the airport...about 30 minutes....away from it all....and they had plenty of time to take day trips to the beach.

February 28 -March 1: Corona Surf Contest: Domes Beach, Rincon, Puerto Rico...Watch the pro surfers battle it out for the $15,000 prize.
winners were: Brian Toth...an Isabela local and Karina Petroni from Florida.

It's raining cats and dogs

It was raining for days...and not just tropical afternoon showers...it was raining hard and it was raining all day long. In addition to finding all the leaks in the roof, we found...or rather they found us...cats and dogs. This was a week of animal stories.

Anyone who has traveled in Puerto Rico knows that one of the most difficult things to see is the amount of stray animals on the roads. Skinny and mangy, animals are left to fend for themselves. Road kill is frequent. Dumping unwanted animals on an isolated country road is prevalent.

Before the strays showed up, we had a doggie guest, Titleist...a service dog who warned his owner if he needed to take his seizure medicine. We never saw Titleist in uniform...he has a vest he wears to go to restaurants, etc. but he quickly became part of the family. Just ask Puppy.

After Titleist left, Maxine appeared. She didn't arrive at the gate, like most strays...rather Tina took Rafael and Tony to the bottom of the hill to save her. Rafael lives part time in Ciales and the family dog watching over his mother's house was taken, so he was in the market for a new one. Abandoned in a box, she was not in good shape...but was in good spirits. Tina took her to the vet to check out her mange and dangling leg. While first sleeping in a box in the garage, Maxine made her way to the balcon the next day and when Rafael picked her up, she was already part of the family. Good Luck you guys. I hope things work out ok. After promising a home for Maxie, he found out his brother had already gotten another puppy...oh. well...now the dogs have company while taking care of the house.

Now we just have a kitty problem. She was so shy...curling her back and hissing ...
and today I found her in my room. Ay dios mio...what to do. Puppy barks...he ignores our cats, except to eat their food...but this black kitty really gets him going. Anyone want a kitty?

TJ Ranch...Valentine's Day is coming soon

TJ Ranch is pleased to announce the marriage of Carlos and Melisa. Yesterday they came, along with their photographers, to document the road to matrimony.

Last Valentine's Day they fell in love, although they weren't sure of how the details were going to work out. She was living in New York and he was here. This year the wedding is planned and everything is moving right on schedule with the couple settling in Puerto Rico.

So...love is in the air......Valentine's Day is around the corner and TJ Ranch is the perfect place for your romantic getaway. But be prepared...TJ Ranch is very fertile. Many babies have been made here. Back in the '90s we had some Australian campers who wrote to us as they were making their way east, back to Australia, to announce the news. Although we didn't care for knowing the details of what went on under the banana trees, our friends from Cabo Rojo made their first- born here...and I think the same is true of our grand daughter.

If I don't get my annual valentine's day card out this year...Have a very Happy, Healthy and Loving Day...and Year...and here's last year's card:

The Caves are Open!!!!

Las Cavernas de Camuy are back giving the full tour. One year after closing due to an accident, the caves have reopened and guides are once again leading tourists through the enormous galleries of the camuy cave system. The tour for the past year was a trolley ride down to view the sink hole, but didn't include the walk through the cave. Saturday, January 24th free tours were given and Sunday there was suppose to be music and more celebrations.

The Caves and the Arecibo Observatory are two important turistic sites in Central Puerto Rico. The limited tour of the Caverns was a disappointment for many, so I'm glad that the full tour has resumed. From what I hear, the Observatory is still in financial instability, but hopefully the scientific community will receive renewed funding this year.

I hear that the Caguana Indian Park in Utuado is closed temporarily. I hope that will open shortly with expanded exhibits. This is a beautiful region and I would hate to see it get "over developed", but there are many existing sites that could be improved. Bosque Rio Arriba is suppose to be very nice for walking its trails, but the main gate is usually closed.

Lago Dos Bocas has improved over the years with its landscaped setting and ferry boat rides on the lake and rivers. Restaurant boats also shuttle passengers to their restaurants, especially over the weekends. At one time, kayaking was offered on the lake; I'm not sure if any boating is offered lately.

So come on down and visit us in the mountains of Puerto Rico and enjoy the cool mountain air and see the local attractions.

Happy New Year - I'm back!!

The "holidaze" are over. In Puerto Rico they last a long time...through Three King's Day on January 6th. Today is January 12th and it's a Puerto Rican holiday, Maria de Hostos...and next week is Martin Luther King Day...so here in Puerto Rico we celebrate any holiday we can.

We followed our Christmas tradition and made pasteles (similar to Mexican tamales). Pasteles are made with a dough of grated green bananas, pumpkin, various root vegetables and coloring and have a meat filling of chicken or pork. They are then wrapped in paper and banana leaves and tied in a neat little package to be boiled. We also made some of yucca, which can be boiled or baked in foil and are called empanadas. We set up our assembly line with "abuela" leading us to a record 473!! At 85, abuela Raquel, doesn't tire.....a cap on her head, string around her neck (for wrapping), we set up our factory. I found a paper from 2006 that said we had made 347. Some of our pasteles are gifts, some we eat right away and serve our guests, some we sell, and the rest we freeze. Pasteles taste the best in summer when no one has seen them for months...easy fast food....boil 'em up and you have a full meal....yum!

It's a new year and I'm still talking about my garden. My tomatoes are slowly appearing, the peppers don't look great and I have more seeds to start while picking up goat poop to mix with my compost. Like most things in the jungle, certain plants go wild without much care. Check out our roof garden. Unlike most roof gardens in the city, our roof garden appeared on its own. We've already have eaten stuffed chayotes and are drying out our loofahs...waiting for the next harvest.

And so...welcome 2009....we're ready! We're gonna try to grow more food, try to continue our morning walks to the end of the farm..touch the banana tree and then cirle the camping area "track" and come home for breakfast, and try to meet more people from more places than ever before. January has brought us wonderful people so far and we're looking forward to meeting more.

I'll be talking to you soon...with more pictures and more info from TJ Ranch, Arecibo and Puerto Rico. Adios and Feliz Ano Nuevo!!!