October/November

Our dog Chela had a puppy in October. Her name is Dutchy. She never cries and is very playful. She has just learned to walk. Isn't she cute? Que chulita!

This is our kitten Mesita playing in the mango tree one afternoon. She likes to eat snakes and mice, which is great for us. She also loves chasing around butterflies, moths, and other insects.

Front porch. We drink coffee and eat breakfast here in the mornings because the back porch offers no shade in the direct morning sun. Also, at night, the screen offers respite from the mosquitoes.

A photo of the back porch. We fill that black tank just up the hill with water from the well daily to provide water for the shower, toilet, and sink. We cut down some really tall trees so that we could elevate the tank and have good water pressure. The mangoes just beyond the porch are getting big and healthy; all the locals tell me they might make fruit this year or next. Beyond the mangoes is our field of corn.

This is my trusty watchman and Isamar's brother Rolando Jr. He planted corn a couple months ago and we were eating a lot of it everyday during this trip. Free and delicious!

Isamar shucking corn on the back porch.

Mmmmm! cooking some corn. So fresh and delicious and full of vitamins.

Our chicken coop. We have three chickens. They also like to kill snakes, which is nice. We were eating a lot of delicious fresh eggs, packed full of vitamins! The chickens wake us up each day a half hour before sunrise at 5 am to begin our daily chores.

There were waves, too, of course. Not many photos this time, but thanks to "Big Daddy" Wayne at the Sanctuary and Donald "Tube Guru" Stone for the pics. I only snapped one board. It was the least crowded I have seen it. I even surfed alone many times before anyone arrived or after they went in. Proof that the sour global economy is affecting traveling surfers.






Isamar's father Rolando Sr. and I relaxing on the back porch with our dog Chela against the wall. Those are bottles of gasoline that we use for the generator to make electricity for about an hour at dark each night before we go to bed. Rolando is a good friend with a great sense of humor. Always laughing and making funny jokes and stories. He's holding the key to the black water tank. We were just about to fill it up when we discovered the spark plug for the water pump was bad, so we sent a friend to Rivas, the nearest town. The roads are really bad right now after the heavy rainy season, so it is a two and a half hour bus ride each way. Chela sleeps right there outside my bedroom window and wakes me up barking if anyone comes within a kilometer of the property. I can hear her barking each time I turn from the main road and enter the gate to the property on my bike. The sensitivity of her ears never ceases to amaze me. She's a good watchdog and very protective.

That is Rolando Sr. in the background dumping the wheelbarrow. This was taken standing on the porch looking over at a friend's lot. They are breaking ground for the construction of his house. Rolando Sr. is building it with his construction crew. It is the best time to begin a project because the rainy season begins in May and slows advancement. It will be nice to have a neighbor and good friend one day to pass the time together.

This is a full moon rising over the island of Ometepe, a lush, magical jungle island in the middle of the Lake Nicaragua (the largest lake in Central America) formed by the most perfect-cone shaped volcano in Central America. It's often called the eighth wonder of the world. We took the boat in the foreground to the volcanic island.

The slow, relaxing boat ride over to the volcano. These waters were once teeming with aggressive freshwater bull sharks until widespread harvesting decimated their population.

I'm returning to the states to earn money for my next stay April 1st to September 1st. Nos vemos!

Thanks for reading,
nicawaves.com