I went on a work field trip on Tuesday to Sandra Farms in the mountains of Adjuntas, PR -- a coffee plantation where Banana Dang buys some of the coffee they brew in the shop. It's is owned and operated by Sandra and Israel Gonzalez, two adorable retired teachers who somehow have the energy to maintain their land and business, and I only hope I have the motivation they still have when I have in my 60's. It was an AMAZING experience, as I have never seen something like this before.
Here is the view:
Some yet-ripe coffee beans
Israel and Sandra showing us a storage space:
Israel showing T2 some of the beans:
Where they dump and sort the picked beans before dumping down the shoot to be washed:
Israel and T2:
A bags of beans yet to be roasted:
The beginnings of a coffee bean? A flower:
Israel and his bag of beans:
LOVE THIS PICTURE:
Israel and the sugar cane he chopped down for us to try:
Everywhere you turned there was a freakin different plant on this farm. Grapefruit, orange, and avacado trees, sugar cane, BLUEBERRIES...it was insane. It also made me realize that, as much as I deny it, I'm growing to prefer the mountain air and country side to sidewalks and cities that never sleep.
...which is why i try to elimiated it from my life as much as possible. Today I woke up at about 9.30AM, and after a tomato and chive mini omelet, I went up to my NEW TERRACE to sunbathe. As I lay there, reading and absorbing the heat of a Puerto Rican summer sun, I realized, "Hey. Why do I even have a bathing suit on?" And then discarded my top and bottoms. There are large plants surrounding the edge of the terrance, making it completely off visable limits to any peeping toms. Goodbye, tan lines! Hello new morning ritual. The greatest part of it all perhaps was that there is a little shower in the corner of the terrace, so when i get hot, I just jump up and cool off. Actually, the greatest part is that that SHOWER HEAD IS A SEASHELL!!!!! (Will get a picture of that soon.) People are always complaining about summers in Puerto Rico, but so far in my experience, it has been fucking excellent!
So, how did I end up with a private terrace, you ask? Well, I was supposed to move into a new plan, but the girls actually never moved out. I had already given up my lease in my apartment, so I desperately saught a new somewhere to live for the next couple of months while I figure things out. A friend of mine said she knew a lady who was in the states for the summer, and would rent me out her 3 BEDROOM HOUSE IN RINCON. Uhhhhh.....Yes, please!!!!! To make matters even more awesome, I got a job at the coolest coffee house in Rincon, Banana Dang (www.bananadang.com). SO, not only am I living in the sweetest place ever, I also got a job for the summer!!!!!!!!!! Woo+ woo+!!!!!
I hope you know what this means. If you are reading this blog, I would like to officially invite you for a FREE STAY in Rincon, Puerto Rico during the months of June and July in one of my 2 spare bedrooms (3 spare beds -- one room has 2 twins:) Come one, come all!!!!!! We can go nude sunbathing on the terrace during the day, and BBQ by night. That is, before we go out for $1 beers. And we can go to the beach, too. It's like 1/4 mile away (I rode bike there yesterday). We can go snorkeling!!! I've been HUGE on snorkeling lately....saw a mothingf*cking STING RAY, as I mentioned a few posts ago. Anyhoo, if any or all of these things might be of interest to you, I suggest a brief stop at Orbtiz.com, airport destination SJU (San Juan). Go now, grasshopper!
What else, what else...lots of beach and downtime the past 2 weeks, as I unemployeed and what not. Back in the game now! I am growing a basil plant, and made a tomato basil pizza tonight, using it's leaving for the first time! It's basically wildly delicious, and I'm somewhat sad I can't eat it all myself. I *could*, but....that would be rude. And, I would lose out on an opportunity to make a culinary pass at a certain someone. It's my best and most effective flirting method thus far.
Uh, that's about all. I'm going for another slice. Will put up some pictures of your potential room and vacation home, if you take the opportunity to utilize my luck this summer :) Also of the nude sunbathing terrace.
