Category Archives: Work

Earthship PR on Earth Day


Earthship PR in Aguada, Puerto Rico

I have heard about the Earthship in Aguada for some time, but haven’t had the chance to check it out until now. It has been a working apiary (TainaSoy/Chaparro Apiaro) but recently has transformed into something magical. The Earthship PR has a lot of potential as it is still in its infancy, but it was great to see the results in the making. Based on the biotechture Earthships of Taos New Mexico, the goal is for it to be a sustainably built (using tires, cans, bottles and other “trash”) community center that is completely off grid -water, electricity and food. At this point it has a basic working rainwater system, and a very minimal solar set up (one panel) and a small garden.


Derek and Matt led the discussion

But the coolest thing to me was the structure style and re-use of the colored glass bottles to make a stain-glass effect in the dome-like huts. It felt like we were in a movie/art set. The soft edges made it seem like we were in a fairy tale setting dancing under mushroom caps. From the vision of Eco-sustainability to the community engagement (it was built nearly all from volunteer labor) and just the sheer “cool factor” this place was a true inspiration of what can be possible with a little dream and a lot of elbow grease! Check out the video below for a full tour. The Earth Day event was also a lot of fun with bomba music, local artisans and food, and just a really chill, good vibe to help us appreciate how awesome it is to live on planet Earth!


Inside the first hut


Beautiful art work


Down by the river area people were set up hanging out, playing music

Aeden checking out the glass cut outs


Me, Derek and Matt on the tour

My friend Missy with her homemade soap using goat milk and beeswax from there


They are small Dome-like structures (maybe 10×10). I enjoyed the art on the walls


Lovely heliconias in bloom


And a lot of pineapples everywhere we looked!


From the backside -a work in progress!


How the dome structures are built- tires and a rebar cage dome filled with refuse and concrete


Goat on a rope


Open every Saturday -bring food, bring support, volunteer in whatever manner you can!


People on the tour during Earth Day


Me and Aeden down by the river/quebrada area


A special thanks to David White for filming this interview

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Living Abroad: Our Life Recently Around Western Puerto Rico


Having fun at Villa Montana in Isabela on Valentine’s Day

Raising a baby takes a lot of the extra time I might be writing a post and puts it onto him. So please forgive all the photos and lack of text, but I just wanted to get a flavor of the times as we have been out and about in western Puerto Rico these last few weeks.

 
Visiting La Playuela, Wilderness and Pena Blanca in Aguadilla


La Playuela was considered for a mega hotel and a lot of protesting has (thankfully) stalled/ended it. It is such a cool area


Pena Blanca is just down from it


Cliffside beaches and coves

Save La Playuela

Like a throwback to a different time


Out to lunch at Tamboo in Rincon. Tuesday is Mexican food day! My fave!


Britton and Aeden at Tamboo


Fun at the lighthouse in Rincon


Lighthouse Park, Rincon


Fun at Sandy Beach


Another turkey girl hatched out some chicks!


Steps Beach babes! 🙂


Working on building another staircase into the jungle with friend Chris


Turkey and chicken inspectors


Lots and lots of wagneriana heliconias!


We’ve had great sales at the market on Sundays! It’s been fun to share the fruits (and flowers) of our labors


We like to go out to lunch/brunch after the market – Gastropark in Rincon


Britton and Aeden at the gastropark


Another fave restaurant is Picoteo in Anasco- check out that overlook!


February is about as cold as it will get to put baby A in clothes! 🙂


February has also been especially smoky! Lots of burning going on. (Check out the hillside behind me in this pic)


More hillside fires in the distance combating pica pica generally


Since things aren’t growing as fast we can work on some projects like clearing the paths of old fallen trees from Maria


Cutting a path through the jungle of the property to the backside of the cabin


Beach break at the Marina -a social and fun playa


Having fun shopping with the bebo -haha


Happy Baby yoga pose


Taking Aeden out for strolls has been a new development since he can hold his head up now


He is such a doll and loves being outside with us

Well that’s a lot of life in a few pictures. Life has been rolling forward. With a baby we notice it a lot more! Every day is precious. Here’s Aeden’s 5 month update.

We were also featured in another news program about people from Colorado who have moved all over the globe -Puerto Rico, South Korea, Tunisia and Vietnam. It’s called “Living Abroad” and I think it does a pretty good job of capturing the essence of our life here. I am not sure I would call it “abroad” exactly, but it is hard to describe the move from the states here any other way. And like this sign says of all these choices: Rincon is the best place to live!


Rincon el mejor lugar para vivir!

Living Abroad from Jeremy Hubbard on Vimeo.

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Bench Pressing in the Jungle Gym

Often times we say that we don’t have to go work out at a gym or own any exercise equipment because our lifestyle has it built in: our very own jungle gym (literally in the jungle). Well we recently added another piece to the gym and it was all about bench pressing!

We saw some concrete benches at a shop and we loved them because they will last much longer than the metal ones that start corroding/rusting in the rain right away. We got a backless bench for one area, and then decided we would like one with a back. Now that I am carrying more weight (lifting weights) with me everywhere I go (including on the property), I have found I need more places to sit. Plus it just makes the property even more park-like.

Small bench near the tropical gardens


The larger bench (in pieces) we put near the bridge was super heavy and we had to flatten the ground to make it work


But fits right in


Enjoying the new bench

Before we had the bench we just put a chair on the pad as you can see in this walk with Kitty through the jungle. The bench is much better!

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The Hope of Spring Has Sprung Up with a Force


Gardenias in bloom

After Maria took down a lot of our trees, it was so disheartening. It looked as though a bomb had gone off and nowhere was it more evident than in the vegetation. As “plant people” and people who live directly in the jungle with all the other forest dwelling creatures we took notice of the changes. We humans weren’t the only ones traumatized by the hurricane. Birds, bees, mongoose, iguanas, and all sorts of other creatures were displaced. There was a sadness that is hard to describe to those who haven’t been through something like that. I am still trying to wrap my mind around the complete and utter chaos that that storm brought to life and its still rippling effects.

In the plants, it was so obvious. Many were pulled from the earth, trees lost all their leaves, and others leaned so far sideways they will never be straight again. The plants that lived through it seemed to go into a shock survival mode of instant spring within about a month, trying to bring on more leaves and flowers, but they were just  trying to hold on to life while they restored themselves. Like us all.


Our ravaged tropical gardens the day after Maria

So this spring we have been even more renewed by the sight of true spring. The flowers are blooming again. The bees are pollinating. There is new growth and repair. There is hope. And this scent fills all of us with it. For us, at the farm, this means more work, but we are enjoying it. As I grow this new life form as well, we are preparing in harmony with nature.


Many of our parcha -passionfruit- vines were severely damaged but they are growing and blooming again!


Farm meadow area


Takes a lot of mowing to keep the yard looking sharp -before and after mowing about 2 acres with 2 push mowers (one each)


Lots of yard work!


New baby turkeys came out of the jungle with their mama and we put them in the coop out of harm’s way


Some of the bounty of flowers we take to the Farmer’s Market on Sundays


A new area we are cleaning up and replanting


Turkeys roaming the pineapple garden


From the farm to the Farmer’s Market-flowers, pomarrosa, guineos (bananas)


Scene from the Sunday Farmer’s Market


Another section near “Ridgeline” that we cleared of downed trees and is now being replanted


Hawk Lane and the end of the pink roble bloom


Mulberries (a favorite tree of the birds)


Pineapple that is almost ripe enough to pick


More pineapples growing


Sale and delivery of banana plants (long load!)


Pretty birds, sugar cane, palms, bougainvillea and bananas


Britton and a HUGE bunch of bananas


Even in the jungle we can clean up nice sometimes


And we still make time to go to the beach

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