Adjusting well to island time

There's something very comforting about having no time to wake up, no schedule to eat, and nothing but time on your hands. It was just such a day today. Kim and I were up before everyone else (except Judy who is up at the crack of dawn to tend to farming duties). We decided to throw on some shoes and take a leisurely walk around the area. This sounds easy, but it's quite a challenge to keep from getting killed. The two-way roads are terribly narrow (less than 18 feet wide) and there are no sidewalks where we are, only cane fields. Depending on the direction of a curve, we had to decide which side of the road would give us the best chance of survival. At one intersection, we had a spirited argument about which direction the oncoming cars would turn in order to choose where to walk. Who knew a little stroll would consume so much brain power?

During the walk, I declared that I wanted to try out the sugar cane. Kim watched as I stepped into the field and broke off a foot long piece. Sugar cane looks similar to bamboo, in that it is skinny and tall, with round ribs in the stalk about every 4-8 inches. It's a little harder than I expected. I tried to peel it with my Swiss Army knife, but that was an utter failure, so I went with the best multi-tool instrument: my teeth. I think I read somewhere that the jaws have the strongest muscles in the body, and mine are no exception. I was able to peel the outer layer and get to the fibrous center. Once there, I bit down and sucked as the cane juice squeezed into my mouth. During our walk, I must have had a couple feet worth of cane juice, which mixed in my veins with the coffee's caffeine, made me unusually alert and talkative.

Upon returning to the farm, Moira introduced us to Filbert, the gardener, who agreed to help us out with a coconut. He grabbed a long stick and took us to the palm trees. I learned all about the coconuts in the meantime. The younger ones have the good juice, which is beneficial for your organs, while the older coconuts do not have the juice but have the meat used for cooking. He poked at some of the coconuts hanging from the tree, then took his machete to the side of one of them. We all sampled the juice, then Filbert whacked it in half, exposing the coconut "jelly" lining the inside of the nut. He made us a little spoon from the outer shell, and we scooped the slippery goo into our mouths. Apparently, there is some complex natural process that occurs, which results in the liquid and the "jelly" turning into the harder coconut meat that we use for cooking. Not sure how it all works, but I'm feeling more confident now, should I ever be stranded on an island.

The weather was beautiful, so we spent a little extra time in the pool this morning before heading out to Earthworks. This is a large pottery operation, which I had no interest in visiting, until Moira showed me the pottery in Ralph and Judy's kitchen. I was prepared to spend a week's wage, but they didn't have quite the same pattern any longer. Kim and I settled on a simple bowl and butter plate.

We ended up passing most of the day driving to, from, and shopping. It was late afternoon when we returned to the farm. A nap came upon me completely unexpectedly, so I gave in. The rest of the evening was spent watching fireflies, trying to find the Southern Cross, and eating some delicious creole food. Did I mention my jaw is killing me? Never should have ravaged those canes!Читать далее