Tag Archives: Music

A Summer Update: Chicks, Jams, Corazón and More

It’s summertime and that means things are slow and hot. There are often afternoon rains and everything is super green and beautiful. Lots of fruits are ripe and the flowers are in their showiest state. We also have a few new additions to the farm.

Chicks
Mail arrival of some new chicks

The chickens and turkeys are doing a pretty good job at reproducing, but we wanted to add in some new genetics to the mix. We shared the order with some friends who are new to chickens and it’s been fun to watch them enjoy chickens for the first time. They are just so super cute when they are recently hatched. Pretty amazing that a little more than 21 days before, they were just eggs! What life energy!

Baby chicks
Three of 12 new additions!

We love to eat eggs around here and there is also quite a demand for local, pasture raised chicken eggs. So we thought we would put more of a focus on that side of the homestead.

The rain this time of year can also mean power or water outages. One afternoon the water, electricity and internet went out for about 3 hours. So we decided to go out and have a beer and watch the sunset. Reminds you not to worry so much. Worrying about infrastructure and thinking you could surely do it better than it currently is handled is a classic sign you are still stuck in the old Type A mindset filled with watches, schedules and to-do lists. When you are here things go much smoother if you just go with the island flow. Do what you can, let your voice be heard but don’t worry; they’re working on it. It’s just a little harder on a very mountainous island with limited resources, high heat and a more even work/rest balance.

Aguada sunset
Enjoying a gorgeous sunset at the balneario in Aguada

When these services go out, it’s a reminder that it’s all man-made. They certainly make life more comfortable. It’s pretty darn hot without even a fan blowing on you. But having them go out reminds you that you should probably have a backup water and electric plan and it definitely helps you appreciate them more than when they are just a given.

We have also been having some really great summer jam sessions with the band. It’s so laid back and chill and we’ve been making some really cool grooves. We jam with new people sometimes that just pop in. Our jam space at Mark’s is very unique. We even made a song called Jam Space, and as you can see in this picture below, Mark’s wife, Robin, made an awesome record for the wall of the song. ~~When the lights go down, you can hear the sounds, of eerie moves and funky grooves. It’s a rather magic place, that we call our jam space.~~

Jam Space crew
Such a cool jam space and crew of people

The finca is doing well. Summer is the most fruitful season of all. More and more fruits are coming on board. We recently harvested our first corazón fruit (annona reticulata). Very interesting! Semi-sweet with a grainy pear like custard consistency. I’ve read that it is related to guanabana or soursop which makes sense because it looks similar inside. At first it is so weird we didn’t want to eat it, but once we started we just couldn’t stop. Such a Willy Wonka world of fruit here! We’ve found that like children your first inclination is to not like something, but the more exposures you have to a certain food the more you begin to like it and then eventually love it. I would say corazón will soon be a favorite of ours the more we have it.

Corazon fruitIMG_3098
Corazón does sort of look like a heart – whole and half eaten

When we are out working on the farm we have to watch out to not step on iguanas! They are so fearless of humans, sometimes we see them AFTER we have stepped on their tails and they run off! I know they have become invasive pests of the island, but it still gets me every time that we basically have fricken dinosaurs just roaming free everywhere! Not to mention an easy source of clean meat if it came down to it!

Iguana
Iguanas are still out en force! Our finca is an uncaged zoo of them really!

It was also recently the primary election season here in Puerto Rico. Mostly it was related to senate and mayoral races, though people can vote in the primaries for the US. Too bad we can’t actually vote in the generals though! There were major caravanas (groups of cars with lights and speakers) and you wouldn’t want to accidently get stuck behind one of them or your plans for the day will include a caravan party for a few hours! A different sort of summer jam!

Elections
Elections mean posters, murals and speaker trucks of the candidate

Though Zika messaging is getting out, it doesn’t seem to really have changed anyone’s behavior that I have noticed. I thought this billboard in Mayaguez was kind of funny and misleading. Do you want Sex without Zika? Such a funny question in and of itself. Yes, the Zika virus can spread through sex, but no, they don’t put mosquito repellent in condoms!  

Zika
Do you want sex without Zika? A lot of funny assumptions in this question

We are currently working on the water hook-ups for the cabin. Britton dug a trench and placed water line from the turkey coop all the way to the cabin. He is now working on the copper interior water lines.

Turkey and waterline
Water line connects at the turkey coop and travels 300 feet to the cabin

It’s summertime and the living is easy. It’s a nice pace. Not many people on the road. Most everyone who is here is here because they want to be. Full-timers. There are some tourists, but they are mainly from other parts of the island and so there is less confusion and hiccups. There are events like the caminata of some guy to raise money for a children’s hospital and the Rincón Triathlon and of course the hot sauce contest coming up. And the flamboyans are majestically fantastic. Summer in Puerto Rico is a special time.

Flamboyant moon
Flamboyan tree and the moon

 

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Our First Band Gig

Our band played out our first show as the final performance for the 3rd annual Legends Surf Classic at Harbor Restaurant right near the public beach in Rincón (balneario). Not 20 feet behind us the moon was glowing on the lightly lapping waves. It was a great show with a nice turn-out. We have practiced long and hard for it and while we are still improving, I would say we rocked it!

Band daisy
Thanks Daisy for this photo. For this show the band included (L-R): Caitlin (vocals), Mark (guitar), Isabella (vocals and tambourine), Me (vocals and tambourine), Rick (keyboard), Chris (guitar and vocals), Britton (bass), Kevin (trumpet), Will (guitar) also not visible Rob (drums) and Dave (saxophone),

As for the band itself, it’s sort of hard to describe our sound, but I suppose the closest description for genre would be psychedelic funky reggae rock with a surf twist. Yah, quite the mouthful! Or someone described it as a mid-60s Greenwich Village vibe. I’m not sure. It’s very unique I think because we all bring very different musical backgrounds. We just play what we like. Over half of our songs are originals and our covers are quite a bit changed.

Caitlin Chris Cassie
Caitlin, Chris and I sing

It’s a big group. We started with only about 5 core people this summer but can accordion up to 10-15 depending on availability and season since so many people are here only part of the year. We try to keep to the roots of a jam band with long songs and slow builds. It’s been a fun process and a lot of work practicing to get to this point of playing out.

Under the tent
Under the tent (thanks Robin for most of these photos)

We’re still learning a lot about being a band. It’s like having 5 or 10 boyfriends/girlfriends. Each with unique needs and desires. And communication is key. It has helped me appreciate bands that can stay together for a long time. It’s truly almost like a marriage with a bunch of people. Not to mention that once money is introduced into the equation it changes things a bit.

Rob Rick Will Squid
Rhythm section

Band
Good crowd!


Thanks to Squid for this video (we had some mic technical difficulties but at least it was a jam song)

We still have a few kinks to work out and we are constantly adjusting and improving, but I can say with certainty that this night was one of the best moments in my life. No matter what happens I can now add “band member/singer” to my resume of things I have been/done in my lifetime. And to be able to do it with Britton and these amazing people just adds to the sweetness. Pretty awesome.

Band Hans Solo
Yah! Get up, get down! We even had an unexpected guitar hero! (photo source: FB)

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End of the Christmas Season in Puerto Rico

Christmas in Puerto Rico is finally winding down after nearly two months. Yesterday was Three Kings Day which marks the official end of the holiday season. Three kings (or Reyes Magos) would more closely translate to the three wisemen. This is the time when kids put grass in a shoe box in the evening for the camels that carry the kings to their houses bringing even more presents and adults go out to party some more.

The season of fireworks and fiestas may be drawing to a close, but the party spirit of the island never truly ends. I’ve never lived somewhere that values happiness, “compartiendo” and “gozando” so much as here!

Felicidades
This time of year you can say “Felicidades”  anywhere you go -Happy Holidays

In the middle of December we were driving home and saw both sirens and lights flashing from the police. Generally the police here are very laid back and you will rarely hear any actual official sirens so we wondered what in the world it could be. Well lo and behold there was a Rincón-wide night parade at 10pm. Every vehicle in the municipality’s fleet came out to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Even the school buses and the trash trucks were on display! They threw out little bags of candy every so often too. It was just so funny and awesome!

We’ve enjoyed the holiday season and getting swept up in all the festivities and parties. Everyone is in a social, happy mood. The tourists are in town and from what we hear it’s a good season for all the businesses that cater to them. Even the car rental agencies are running out of cars! I can see why…this time of year is just amazingly beautiful to be in Puerto Rico.

Sunset wave
Palm trees, waves and 80 degrees in late December

We rang in the New Year with our band making our own noise. Such a fun group of talented people and an amazing creative outlet. I just love it! We even have a gig we’re preparing for coming soon!

New Years Jam
In the Jam Space with La Banda currently sin nombre

Britton sunset
Enjoying Rincon’s famous sunsets at the lighthouse park

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Phish at Red Rocks

Well I was hoping to score some tickets to see Phish.  But I received this notice:  “We regret to inform you that you did not get the tickets that you requested through Phish Tickets.”

phish5

They just started touring again and as a result all the tickets are hard to get.  Too many damn hippies.   I have been listening to some live stuff they recorded in Hampton VA at their first show in years.  Its good stuff if you like a “Jam Band”.  Its definately not something you’d hear on the radio as most of the songs carry on for at least 10 minutes and usually longer.  I’ve found that its good music to listen to when I drive to work (45 minutes) or have a project at work.

I’ll keep trying for tickets.  Red Rocks is by far the coolest venue to see a concert at.   Open air music in Colorado during the summer is one of my favorite things.

free
Right click and save as

Maybe I’ll figure out another way to get tickets.

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