Keeping up with the Wrights: August 2017

Monday, August 21, 2017

IN LOVE WITH THE LITTLE THINGS!

Spinyhead Blenny 1"

I've been spending a lot of time snorkeling while Ricky takes care of boat maintenance, so this is a taste of what I've found literally under our boat or nearby. If you're not really looking for the tiny fish, crabs and other interesting creatures, you will pass them without a clue. But I have a very detailed book, Reef Creature Identification,that helps me search out the things that are normally overlooked, like this adorable blenny (right) looking out of a hole in brain coral.

Spinyhead out of his hole

Ciliated False Squilla 3"- Can change color and markings

Tiny Brittle Star - found under rocks in shallow water

There are many different kinds of blennies - 2-4" long

Rough Fireclams

Pair of Flamingo Tongues 1" long

Slate-Pencil Urchin about 4" - Look at the beautiful flower design in the center!

Christmas Tree Worms 1 1/2"

These Squid let me take all the pictures I wanted, which is uncommon

Arrow Crab - very common on reefs

Cleaner Goby 1-2"

This baby Lionfish is in my fishbowl. So cute!!!

Spot-Winged Comb Jelly 2-3"

Spotted Seahare 3-6"

Mysterious Headshield Slug 2"

Spotted Cleaner Shrimp 1"

Tiny Baby Highhat in the Drum Family

Warty Sidegill Slug on a bottle

Warty Sidegill Slug found under a rock

Thursday, August 10, 2017

BACK TO WHERE WE HONEYMOONED 28 YEARS AGO, ST JOHN, VI

Always Sunday in Waterlemon Bay, St John

It's hard to believe that Ricky and I have been married 28 years, but it's true. Coming back to St. Thomas and St. John again, where we spent our first week together as husband and wife, was nostalgic, to say the least. We sat on our boat, looking out at the beautiful, sandy beaches, clear blue water, and amazing sunsets, and tried to remember every detail possible of our honeymoon in these amazing islands. Of course, it's totally different staying on a boat vs a resort. We like to think of it as camping on the water.
We revisited Caneel Bay and had lunch at the wonderful resort restaurant, once owned by Laurance Rockefeller, then walked around the grounds to see the ruins of the sugar mill that they built around, remembering the day we played Yahtzee with Danielle when she was about 8 years old in one of the open-air rooms. Then we sailed around to Waterlemon Bay, our first time there, and hiked the well-worn trail up to see the Annaberg Historical Sugar Plantation Ruins again. We love the history left behind, but find it hard to believe that sugarcane could be grown on the rocky, steep slopes there, even if the land was terraced.
Every day it rains off and on, usually not enough to get anything wet, but look at this amazing rainbow...

Sugar Mill ruins at Caneel Bay, St John

Ricky takes a photo of the sunset almost every night. They are all beautiful to him.

Standing in front of the Annaberg Sugar Windmill that used revolving sails to turn the shaft, rotating rollers that crushed the cane stalks.

The windmill and factory were built between 1797 and 1805 by Frederick Moth, the first Danish Governor of St. Croix, and later, the Governor General of the Danish West Indies. Annaberg was one of St. John's largest plantations, producing rum, sugar and molasses for export.

Enjoyed getting close to the deer on the island - several walked out on
the beach next to us one day! I guess they drink a little salt water for the minerals.

Bold blooms of the Flamboyant Tree

And now, for the results of my experiment in making chocolate from a fresh cacao pod I purchased in Dominican Republic...

Inside every Cacao fruit lies a cluster of cacao beans, coated with a very sweet white pulp that's good to pop in your mouth, but don't bite down on the bitter purple bean inside. We toured a chocolate factory in Grenada, and I thought it would be easy to make my own Chocolate, but I was mistaken. It's a lot of work! First, I had to let the white-coated beans ferment for about a week in a hot location, stirring them every day. Then, it took another seven days of drying in the hot sun before the beans were sufficiently dry. We spilled the whole container several times, but ended up with about 30 beans when we were done. I roasted them in the oven for about 20 minutes, and knew they were done when the whole boat smelled like brownies were baking. After they cooled, I removed the outer husk by hitting the beans hard enough to break them up. The husk was then easy to separate. I didn't have a blender or food processor on the boat, so my beans could not be ground as finely as needed, but it didn't stop me from making hot chocolate!

Husk had to be removed

Dried beans

After grinding the beans as best I could by hand, I boiled a little water to add to the beans first to make a paste. You can add any assortment of flavorings you want. I used Chili powder, Cinnamon, raw sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla. Then I added warmed milk. It was delicious, but time consuming for the 6 cups of hot chocolate it made.

BACK IN BEAUTIFUL PUERTO RICO

We love Puerto Rico! It's one of our favorite places to revisit. In fact, Ricky has a great pole- vaulting buddy, Edgar Diez, who stayed with us in Baton Rouge while training with Ricky at LSU when Danielle was only two years old. I can still see Edgar dancing around the house with her, Salsa music blaring. Ricky refers to Edgar's mom, Mrs. Esther, as his Puerto Rican mother. She has opened her home to us many times. And so, coming back to Puerto Rico is a little like coming home.
Always Sunday docked in San Juan Bay Marina this trip because Ricky needed to get some work done, and I decided to visit El Morro again. El Morro is a sprawling Spanish fortress built in the 1600's to protect San Juan Bay. It was expanded and enlarged for 10 generations and over 250 years. Spain controlled Puerto Rico from 1508 to 1898. We watched dozens of children flying kites out on the parade grounds where battles were fought with the Dutch and English over the great wealth that Spanish Conquistadors brought to the island before sending it on to Spain: gold, silver, gems, spices and furs from Mexico and Central and South America.
And then there's Old San Juan's beautiful architecture of brightly colored houses and shops lining the narrow cobblestone streets with ornate grill-work on the balconies and amazing stucco details. It's a city that's easy to fall in love with!!!

El Morro is a very popular tourist attraction

Beautiful Old Cemetery
Cementerio Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis

Del Cristo Street Chapel was built in the very spot where Baltazar Montanez was riding in a horse race in 1753 and lost control. Both horse and rider plunged over the edge of a steep cliff. The horse didn't survive, but Montanez miraculously lived. That same year, he built this small chapel to encourage others in their faith in God.

Parque De Las Palomas is a charming little park in Old San Juan with gnarly old trees and amazing views of the bay. It's a park set aside for pigeons and those who want to feed them. Men sell bird seed outside the gate, and bird lovers are free to throw the feed, or try to entice birds to eat out of their hands. We watched one pigeon land on a girl's head.

We looked online for fun things to do while in Old San Juan, and were excited to find Flavors of San Juan Food & Culture Tour. Our group met downtown at 5PM on a pleasantly overcast Friday evening, ready to walk, learn some of the city's history, and taste some new foods.
Our first stop was Princesa Gastrobar, a restaurant built right under the historic city walls. We had margaritas, then sampled a wonderful grilled eggplant dish topped with shredded chicken, along with a pair of delicious fritters made with 22 secret ingredients the chef prepares from recipe dating back over 200 years. Next, we walked to the very popular Senor Paleta, the city's first artisan ice pop shop where fresh fruit pops are made daily. Our flavor was mango. So good!!! At times, the line of waiting patrons goes down the block and around the building.
Walking a few more blocks, we stopped at Cafe El Punto, a restaurant know for its use of fresh ingredients from the local farmer's market. We sampled grouper ceviche marinaded in chopped vegetables and topped with just the right amount of lime juice. Absolutely my favorite taste of the day!!! Then, our main courses were served at Rosa de Triana, located in the city's original town hall built in 1523. Here we were given a wooden pestle filled with chunks of cooked green plantain, and learned the art of making Puerto Rico's signature dish, Mofongo. Using a mortar, we pressed until the plantains were thoroughly smashed, then we filled the center with stewed chicken. The staff also brought out red beans and rice for a side dish. Everything was very good.
The group walked on into a huge city square where soldiers used to drill and parents brought their unmarried daughters to try to find a suitable husband. Girls who were not married before their sixteenth birthdays went to the convent as old maids. Yikes!
Last but certainly not least, we finished at Casa Cortes Chocobar, where the Cortes family has been making chocolate in Puerto Rico for many years. We enjoyed chocolate bars served with cheddar cheese first, then sampled their amazingly rich hot chocolate drink, truly a sweet ending to an amazing night.