Madaket Landmark

If ever there was a house that had a soul, or inspired imagination, or anchored a village to its roots, it would be this.

For Ned

She wore a shiny, plastic, hip-hugger mini-skirt with a thick belt, white vinyl ankle-high go-go boots, and a mohair sweater that made her nose itch. She and her best friend stood in front of the mirror applying and reapplying too much, tan pancake makeup with a dampened French sponge followed by multiple layers of Maybelline black mascara. The makeup was a crazy mix of high-end professional stage products and the cheap drugstore variety used by 12 and 13 year olds. Her friends mother was an actress currently starring in an off-Broadway show, so the girls liked to raid her makeup whenever they could.Tonight the owner of the makeup was somewhere in the city, performing in a show, so the friends had free rein over all the expensive pastes and creams. They were excited to be going to a high school dance. Boys would be there.

Saint Luke's Episcopal Church held dances for the town's young teens. Boys and girls got dropped off by mothers and fathers in Chevy Impalas, Ford station wagons, and the occasional Mercedes sedan. Montclair had its share of wealth, being a sophisticated New York City suburb. It was also known for being integrated, although  the high school lunchroom remained largely segregated into tables of black kids, Italian kids, jocks and circle-pin wearing blondes all sorted according to their respective racial  and socioeconomic attributes. It wasn't until later on that those walls of separation began to flake, then crack, and finally explode.

It was October 17, 1966. The sky was dark when the girls got dropped off in front of the church. It was windy and the tree lined streets cast crazy shadows across the sidewalk and against the sides of the coarse stone block walls of the church giving this night a crazy carnival feel. It did feel exciting like a carnival. The girls might as well of been sneaking into a gypsy’s tent  ignorant of what awaited them. One of them was about to collide with her future face to face, in her 13 year old pancake tan and gloppy black mascara. Her unknown fortune only being seen by the ghost-gypsy hovering in the corner of the ceiling, a milky wavy wisp of smokey future that the excited boys and girls would never think to look up and notice. But there she floated, watching the young bodies sway and bob to Marvin Gay and Mustang Sally. These young souls were shy and bold, brave, reckless and wild, with no thought at all of how their young ears would ring from the pounding sub-woofers in the morning. The gypsy ghost couldn't hold back a toothless crooked grin when the handsome skinny boy asked the taller girl wearing the plastic skirt to dance as the Four Tops sang "I'm Losing You"

“I can feel your love fading
I know it's fading…  oooooowwwwwwhhhhhhoooooo
I'm losing you.
Losing you”

His smile was a mile wide. He had those laughing eyes, crinkled on the edges. He could dance too. She wanted to escape and searched the darkened room for her friend as Martha and the Vandellas began Dancin' In The Street.

"Oh, this is a great one," he insisted as he grabbed her arm. His charm was a magnetic force pulling her into the rhythmic wave of attraction.

“There'll be music, sweet music, there'll be music everywhere.
There'll be swing and swaying and records playing and dancing in the streets.
Ooohhhh It doesn't matter what you wear just as long as you are there.
So come on every guy, grab a girl, everywhere around the world.
There'll be dancing, dancing in the street.”

The ghost gypsy pursed together her lips and blew out hormone vapor which swirled around filling up the empty spaces between the dancing boys and girls. The taller girl and skinny boy slowly, gradually inched closer and closer, one great song melting into the next. It felt like a tribe was forming. It felt like the roses were about to bloom. It smelled like thunder and lightening . The gypsy was so pleased with how it all was preceding.  But then the music stopped and the gypsy began to dissipate, even as she struggled to remain, shrinking to try to keep herself intact. 

"Hey, what's your name? Asked the skinny boy.

"Linda," the tall girl lied. The gypsy frowned, her face scrunched up into disbelief, then  erupted into anger. 

"That's not your name" the gypsy tried to scream over the laughing, jostling boys and girls, but it was too late. She was nothing more than specks of lint fluttering around a lightbulb beam. The taller girl ran off with her friend to the waiting Chevy Impala outside, as the skinny boy walked the shadowy suburban streets back to his house whistling  to the Spencer Davis Trio song that was echoing in his head

"I'm a man. Yes I am
and I can't help but love her so..."

Played for a great cause last night, The Marla Ceely Lamb Cancer Travel Fund. I have many friends and loved ones who have benefitted from this amazing group, who helps with expenses incurred when traveling off-island for treatment. This is an older photo, which I will update.

Yosemite Park

I'm in Yosemite National Park in California. The rock formation behind me is called El Capitan. Rock climbers actually climb up the sheer face of this cliff. I can't imagine how they do it!

I'm standing on Sentinel Dome at an elevation of  8,100 feet. Climbing up here I began to fell the effect of the elevation - the trailhead is 3,500 feet above Yosemite Valley.

 At the top you get an incredible 360 degree panorama of the entire park. 

After a day of exploring there's nothing quite as cosy as dinner by the fire.

Volcano!

Costa Rica has lots of volcanos. This one is Arenal Volcano located within easy driving distance from Villa Decary. When I first saw it in the distance as we drove towards it, shrouded in smoke and clouds, it took my breath away.

Suzy and I had lunch in the Observatory Lounge. We saw smoke coming out of the top (the main chamber) and also a little from a small side vent.

We spent the morning zip-lining over and through the rainforest canopy. Sky Trek is nearby the volcano. As you zip along the views of Lake Arenal and the volcano are not to be believed. We had an adventure of a lifetime!

Lake Cote Exploration. Are UFO's Real?

Suzy and I drove to Lake Cote today. It is a beautiful and peaceful place. We saw no people the entire time we were there. Lake Cote is best known for the aerial photograph taken by a Costa Rican government mapping plane. I found this information below:

"The photo above (cropped and enlarged) was taken by a Costa Rican government mapping plane during an aerial mapping mission. This UFO photograph is unique for several reasons. 1) The photograph was taken by a high-quality, professional camera. 2) The unidentified object is plainly visible against the uniformly dark background of the lake and appears in sharp focus. 3) The camera was aimed downward and the plane was flying at a known, fixed altitude (10,000 feet), which makes it easy to calculate a maximum size for the object (683 feet). 

The plane carried a crew of four; a specialist in aerial photography, a geographer, a topographer, and the pilot. No member of the crew stated that they saw anything unusual during the routine flight. 

Much analysis has been undertaken using the original negative, most notably by Dr. Richard F. Haines and Dr. Jacques F. Vallee. It seems safe to assume that it is not a double-exposure or the result of manipulation of the negative. All indications are that this is a photo of a large three-dimensional disk , or shallow cone, [hovering?] above, and possibly partially submerged in Lago de Cote. 

There were apparently no witnesses to the disk's presence at the time of the photograph, but other incidents at that location had been reported by local farmers, involving strange, artificial objects moving around the surface or just below the surface of the lake. (NURMUFO)"

Taken from www.ufoevidence.org

These flowers are called Twelve Apostles. They are stunning. 

Lake Arenal was created as a reservoir and hydro power source. Three small villages were destroyed as the lake filled in. Ancient tools can still be found scattered about the edges of the lake as well as on the islands. Below are some of these stones that embellish Villa Decary's gardens.

Costa Rican Farms

Yesterday we visited Natalie and Pasquale's amazing farm. Many 'expats' have moved to Costa Rica, bought grassland and through hard work and determination created amazing self-sustaining farms. 

Natalie and Pasquale raise cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens. 

That's an active volcano in the background. 

Natalie is a whirling dervish of endless projects and enterprises. She makes jams and jellies, roasts macadamia nuts, distributes coffee, crafts, honey to name but a few.  Natalie and Pasquale made their own beautifully massive furniture from fallen trees they found on their land..   

They are just beginning to use a hydroponic system which incorporates tilapia in a tank. 

Water circulates nutrients to vegetable plants, which are grown in rocks. 

The house they have built is reminiscent of an Italian villa in the hills of Tuscany. True frescos lend authentic old-world feel. I had to settle down and take time to absorb their beauty.

Natalie's kitchen is where she creates and presents her wonderful catered 7 course dinners.

 People come from all over the world for this experience. 

Fresh Fruit and Picadillo De Papaya Verde

Breakfast starts off with bananas, mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon. Delicious!

Next we have the main course. Picadillo de papaya verde is usually made with beef or pork but Villa Decary serves homemade authentic  tortillas with eggs and picadillo de papaya verde. It's made with unripened 'green' papayas, potatoes, local herbs, spices and fresh vegetable. This is an authentic Costa Rican dish. This dish takes a full day to prepare.

My new friend  Jeremy plays Poisson Rouge as we await breakfast!

Villa DeCary in Costa Rica

 Suzy Brown and Danny have owned and operated Villa DeCary for a number of years. Suzy and I grew up together in Montclair, NJ. Around the time that Jack and I moved to Nantucket, Suzy moved to Paris, then to California, and now she spends most of her time at Villa DeCary.

Suzy and Danny take special pride in the amazing breakfasts guests enjoy during their stay.

Homemade jam

Omelets and homemade bread 

After breakfast Suzy, Suzy's dog Olivia, and I went for a walk around Lake Arenal and took a swim. We met a young German couple with three kids, under the age of 5. They are spending six months traveling through Central America, living in this military-looking vehicle - It's very 'Mad Max.'

As we were leaving a gentleman rode his horse down to the water's edge. Costa Ricans train their horses to 'dance.' 

Berkeley, California Foothills

Today I am visiting my son in Berkeley California. While he is at work I have a chance to explore University of California's campus at Berkeley. It is so beautiful. The small river known as Strawberry Creek runs through the campus and there are many tall, old hardwood trees.

I also found out that the Hayward Fault Zone runs right through the campus too.  In fact it runs straight across California Memorial Stadium.

The Hayward Fault is about 74 miles long, and can cause big earthquakes. I notice that there are signs posted everywhere reminding people to "BE PREPARED" for earthquakes.

Berkeley California is filled with amazing restaurants. We have had Ethiopian,  Japanese, and tonight we are having Indian food. We plan to get 'take-out' and watch the Patriots game at home with some other Nantucket friends. Fun!

Ramen Noodles with Duck

Delicious!

Standing on Top of Two Plates: Plate Tectonics Makes for Great Hiking!

38.0400° N, 122.7400° W: Marin Headlands

We spent the morning hiking in the California county of Marin. Marin is just north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Mount Tampalias is a well known and much loved landmark in Marin. They call it the 'sleeping lady' because that's what it looks like.  Look at the photo. Can you see the sleeping lady?

The Golden Gate National Recreational Area has beautiful trails perfect for hiking and biking. The hiking trails are quite hilly. One moment you are hiking up a hill and the next moment you are hiking down a steep slope. These rolling hills were caused by the San Andreas fault.  This fault is the slippery yet sticky boundary between two of Earth's tectonic plates. It is responsible for the biggest earthquakes in California, up to at least magnitude 8.1.

Notice how the hills seem to have been pushed together, like the wrinkles in a blanket. It's the movement of the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate that are doing the pushing. They push the land together to make 'wrinkles' that we hike up and down. The San Andreas fault is the land where these two plates meet. 

Missing my students!

On the Fast Ferry with Elizabeth

I'm on my way to San Francisco for an extended visit.  I was lucky enough to run into Elizabeth, one of my former students,  and her mom on the fast ferry. The fast ferry is becoming a great place to catch up with friends and acquaintances, much like the Madaket dump is on a Sunday morning. You can never predict who you might run into for a visit and 'catching-up' session. It was great to see you Elizabeth!

Baby Bananas and Rainbows

These big red blossoms hanging from the bottom of this plant, turn into tiny little bananas. Just above the tiny yellow bananas are larger, more mature bananas, that still have three weeks until they are ready to be peeled and eaten.

Tropical rain showers came and went today, followed by sunshine, We saw five or six magnificent rainbows as a result.

The Pitons of St. Lucia

Today we travelled south down harrowing heights and hairpin turns to reach the Piton Mountains. They are volcanic plugs. Volcanic plugs are created when molten lava hardens in a vent. The photo below is a classic tourist pose and was taken from Tet Paul, nature reserve. We saw pineapples, mangos, bananas, coffee, cocoa, passion fruit, cashew trees, papaya, apricot, prickly pear, sugar cane, nutmeg, and a multitude of flowers. Our guide, MaGyver, was very knowledgable and funny. He was a great guide.

On the way home we stopped and bought casava bread on the side of the road. We are having it tonight with our goat stew for dinner. Casava bread is made from the casava shrub's roots, and is a food staple, throughout the Caribbean Basin.