Wild Estes Park Colorado {Silent Sunday}

climbing in estes park face paint at farmers market farmers market sign

child picking up hailestes park wildflowers

rocky mountain national park snow

kite flying estes parklego figures in miniature cactus

rocky mountain national park elk

estes park farmers market

spirit hound distillery lyons co pinball gameroom lyons co

stream walking estes park co

wild parsley and bees

 

1) Bouldering in an Estes Park City Park  2) Face painting at Highland Farmers Market in Denver 3) Market sign at Highland Farmers Market 4) Lil collecting hail in one of three hail storms 5) Wildflowers in Estes Park (We later learned that the pink thistle is invasive.) 6) Alex throwing a snowball in Rocky Mountain National Park  7) Kite flying 8) Scene from our miniature movie inspired by the tiny wild succulent and cactus garden. 9) Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park 10) Stunning view walking into Estes Park Farmers Market 11) Spirit Hound Distillers menu 12) Lyon's Pinball arcade 13) Stream walking at Rocky Mountain National Park 14) Wild parsnip and pollinators at  Rocky Mountain National Park

There's a story behind each of these images - which do you want to read?

Wild Estes Park Colorado {Silent Sunday}

climbing in estes park face paint at farmers market farmers market sign

child picking up hailestes park wildflowers

rocky mountain national park snow

kite flying estes parklego figures in miniature cactus

rocky mountain national park elk

estes park farmers market

spirit hound distillery lyons co pinball gameroom lyons co

stream walking estes park co

wild parsley and bees

 

1) Bouldering in an Estes Park City Park  2) Face painting at Highland Farmers Market in Denver 3) Market sign at Highland Farmers Market 4) Lil collecting hail in one of three hail storms 5) Wildflowers in Estes Park (We later learned that the pink thistle is invasive.) 6) Alex throwing a snowball in Rocky Mountain National Park  7) Kite flying 8) Scene from our miniature movie inspired by the tiny wild succulent and cactus garden. 9) Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park 10) Stunning view walking into Estes Park Farmers Market 11) Spirit Hound Distillers menu 12) Lyon's Pinball arcade 13) Stream walking at Rocky Mountain National Park 14) Wild parsnip and pollinators at  Rocky Mountain National Park

There's a story behind each of these images - which do you want to read?

If You Have a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts...

palm tree in san salvador On our trip to San Salvador Island, we stayed at Coconut Cottage which indeed was home to several coconut trees. Not being the kind of people to shy away from a free food source, Alex and Lil collected several big heavy coconuts and commenced to opening.

Extracting the Coconut

lil hitting coconut

They instantly discovered that opening a coconut is a tricky thing. Like a twenty-something that refuses to leave her parent's home, the sweet meat clings to its shell. Two shells, actually.

hitting coconut with rock

The outer husk is smooth and thick. Lil beat on it with a length of beach combed bamboo to no avail. Alex tried a rock, then a screwdriver, then the corner of the cement patio, and his knife. opening coconut with screwdriver

I admit that watching the two of them working at this task over thirty minutes was a bit like watching a pair of monkeys discovering tools. The husk eventually splintered into packed fibrous sections.

screwdriver for coconut water

Under the husk is the hard dense inner shell. The meat grows attached to this shell but if one shatters it with a hard blow, the nutritious coconut water would be lost. Instead, Alex drove a screw driver through one of the eyes with a hammer.

pouring water from coconut

The resulting water is alluring - sweet, warm, and slightly salty from uptaking ocean water. Proponents herald coconut water as a natural electrolyte replacement. We enjoyed it with lime and rum in a perfect vacation cocktail.

hammering coconut shellcoconut meat on beach

With a few smashes from the hammer and rock, Lil and Alex broke into the shell to reveal bright white meat. (Also the sun came out. Ever changing light makes for challenging photography!)

lil eating coconut

Fresh coconut meat is juicy, sweet, and filling. It clings ever-tight to the shell. We used our teeth as rasps to shave off the meat and then tried a strong knife to pry off bigger pieces. At the suggestion of Internet guides, we froze some and baked it - the latter proving much more successful at loosening the goodstuff from the shell.

Lil's Field Log Entry

Lil carrying coconut

"Coconut isn't what you think it is. It's not just a brown shell. It has food inside that's white that's called coconut meat and some juice inside that's called coconut water. The brown coconut lives in a green big shell that's actually made out of wood. And coconuts grow on trees. Not any kind of trees, palm tree."

More Coconut Fun in the Palms

A coconut tree has more to give than just fruit. The palm fronds are dense, thick material just waiting to be transformed.

weaving coconut palm fronds

Alex's mother Deb, a fiber artist, did not hesitate to collect and start working with them. She first wove with full fronds.

A basket weaver happened to be in town the next day and revealed that Bahamian women typically split the fronds in half and remove the central pin-like fiber before weaving. This allows the fiber to lay flat and be more easily manipulated.

weaving with gram

Incorporating this small change, Deb and Lil created several placemats. We dried them outside to be sure that any insects who might be inhabiting them wouldn't take over the house. Stowed in checked luggage, customs officials allowed us to transport them home.

handwoven beach coconut baskets

One afternoon, Deb and I worked for nearly an hour to weave two small funky baskets. Souvenir baskets, like the one Lil bought, are constructed of woven fiber fabric.

Fresh coconuts rock. We are thrilled to have enjoyed them on vacation.

 

NB. The latest National Geographic Magazine reveals that we can mail coconuts, package free! We are totally doing this on our next tropical vacation!

Contrary to what you might think given the pictures, this post was not sponsored by Mechanix Gloves. Alex does think they are "the best work gloves ever" because Mechanix are fitting and allow for maintaining manual dexterity. He always travels with a pair.

 

Vacationing in San Salvador Bahamas

We are home from a truly relaxing vacation to San Salvador Bahamas. Before I delve into some of our DIY undertakings, I offer this overview of the island lifestyle, vacation rental Coconut Cottage, groceries and restaurants, and day to day realities of a remote island.
sunset on san salvador island

San Salvador Island, Bahamas

San Salvador is a remote island in the Bahamas chain. It is one of the Eastern-most Caribbean islands and therefore a likely landing point of Christopher Columbus. The island is surrounded by teal blue oceans with reefs. Inland are dozens of freshwater lakes and prickly scrub flora.

A single road rings around San Sal. It is well maintained in some areas and full of holes in others. A former British colony, Bahamians follow European driving habits like motoring on the left side of the road. Visitors can find gas at a station near Cockburn (pronounced Co-burn) Town or the marina.

All purchases must be made with cash of either the US or Bahamas variety. The single island bank will allow credit card advances; we didn't inquire as to the usury rates they likely charge.

parade through Cockburn Town
The people of San Salvador are largely descendants of slaves who used to work the island under British rule. They are friendly, handy, and operate on 'island time'. Everything is very casual - the driving rules of the road, street signs (almost none!), store hours, and style of dress are all flexible. It takes a certain amount of patience and persistence to operate on San Salvador as an outsider.

Coconut Cottage Vacation Rental

My introduction to San Salvador was at the Gerace Research Station, a former Naval research station, complete with dorm style rooms and a cafeteria. To bring our family to the island, we had to find a vacation rental.

coconut cottage san salvador

Our choices were very limited. Riding Rock Resort looks great but has no kitchens and we didn't want to rely on restaurant food all the time. We selected Coconut Cottage from VRBO (we've experienced many great houses from VRBO) because it was the only rental that fit our size and requirements for a kitchen and car. On the island, we found Sands Residence Hotel offering single bedroom suites with kitchenette and daily maid service which could be a good fit for some families.

Coconut Cottage owners Sharon and Wayne met us at the airport to transport us to the house. They gave us a short tour around the island including locating the other house they are building which served as a base camp for snorkelling one day. They are very friendly and casual, answering our questions patiently.

coconut cottage living room

The house includes three bedrooms, two baths, a living area, and kitchen/dining area. The master bedroom is spacious and features an attached bathroom. The other two bedrooms and bath are down a short hall. These rooms received a lot of morning light and with no shades that blocked the sun, we were up early!

kitchen at coconut cottage san sal

The kitchen is a bit difficult to use with four adult cooks. The electric glass top range is something none of us are used to but we figured out after a few days how to make it work for our off/on style of cooking. The sharp kitchen knife we brought was imminently useful. The only cutting board in the kitchen was a glass one which none of us could abide. We ended up buying a plastic placemat at the home store (a plastic cutting board was $25!) and using that to chop vegetables. Note to self: bring cutting board on vacation.

The dining table sat four. We added an outdoor chair to expand the seating for our group of five but it was a little tight. The house is advertised to sleep 2-8 but I could never see eight adults fitting comfortably in the living areas. Even four adults and two children would be snug.

view from San Salvador house

The beach is a short walk beyond the back door. Above, Lil runs through the sticker bushes (shoes must be worn on the walk) to the water visible just down the hill.

During the heat of the midday and at dusk when the no-see-ums come out, we typically stayed inside the house and made use of the air conditioners and fans. There is precious little shade at Coconut Cottage, though the young palm trees may eventually grow tall enough to provide cool spots.

outdoor shower at san sal

The back porch and outdoor shower are my favorite features of the home. In the mornings before our outing for the day, I would frequently read on the porch. And I didn't take a single shower inside, instead rinsing off after every dip in the ocean in the outdoor hot water shower.

Groceries and Dining

My greatest concern coming into the vacation was food. Eating is my favorite thing; I always want to know where my next good meal is coming from.

san sal grocery store

Naturally, we visited grocery stores first thing on our first day. Fortunately the supply boat had just come in the day before and selection was decent. We had our choice of cabbage, iceburg lettuce, peppers, huge carrots, onions, potatoes, and garlic for vegetables. Cheese was either orange (unlabelled, a mild cheddar?) ($4/pound) or shredded mozzarella ($4/8 ounces). Oranges, grapefruit, pears, bananas, and plantains were the fruits available. As the week progressed, fewer fresh items were left from an already weak selection.

Margarine seemed to be the island standard. We prefer butter and purchased the only kind available, Kerrygold, at $3/half pound.

There was no fresh meat or fish shop. Frozen meat at the groceries was again unlabelled, resulting in a mixed up meal of lamb braise and ham steaks one night. We mixed canned tuna ($1.50/4 ounce tin) into salad for lunches. Alex's parents talked to a local at the marina who promised delivery of conch meat one night but it never appeared. Fortunately we were able to enjoy fish three times from Alex's catch.

Milk is the shelf stable boxed kind, priced at $3.50/liter. Lil was disappointed she didn't have 'good milk' (i.e. Snowville Creamery) but drank down the boxed milk when I made chocolate syrup to go in it. We drank fruit in the form of rum punches from canned and bottled juices.

Both grocery stores are located in Cockburn town and carry a decent variety of processed food like snack chips ($3/bag), stuffing mix, ice cream ($5/pint Breyers), etc. Nuts are outrageously expensive, so pack your own if you like to snack on those. One store offers local homemade bread but we were never there are the right time to buy any. Flour was more expensive ($2/pound) than buying bread ($2.50/loaf), so we did without making our own.

Foragers can supplement the grocery store offerings with fresh coconuts, sea salt, and speared fish. We'll write more about what we made soon.

homemade coconut pina colada

Liquor is only sold at the Duty Free store across from the airport and bars. When we shopped, rum ($16.50/bottle) and tequilla ($20) were the only choices. Wine was $14/bottle for bottom shelf quality so we skipped it. Kalik, Heineken, and Guiness Export are the three beers available for $4/bottle.

barbeque chicken at Paradis Restaurant

We dined at Paradis restaurant twice. They offer a different menu every night, told to customers in person only. (I assume that paper is a valuable commodity.) They offer classic Bahamas fare like cracked conch (fried pieces of smashed conch meat strips), snapper (fried lightly), pork chops, lamb chops, and barbequed chicken. Sides were unexciting fries, coleslaw, beets (cold from a can), salad, rice, or rice and pigeon peas. Meals were $10-14. We enjoyed the lightly spiced and perfectly cooked entrees and portions were big enough to take leftovers home.

Culture: Monuments & Watling's CastleMexican olympics monument san sal

Most days our time was spent relaxing and enjoying nature. After hitting up a snorkelling spot one day, we stopped at the monument circle just south of Cockburn town. Lil climbed on the carved rotunda commemorating the passing of the torch from the Mexico Olympics. We briefly looked at the cross memorializing Columbus' landing and Bahamian flags before a quick rain spell ended our visit.

watling's castle san salvador

Watling's Castle is the oldest of the many abandoned buildings on the island. After visiting the mangrove swamps, we searched for the castle ruins. We finally climbed the rocky hill after a half hour of searching down unmarked side roads. (For future travellers, look for the third road after the power lines stop when travelling south past Sugarloaf Settlement.)

The Castle was guarded by a kestrel who kept his or her eye on us the entire time we climbed, posed for pictures, and watched lizards. A mid-18th century home with slave quarters and an outdoor kitchen, the ruins are now covered with thorny briars and scrubby bushes. The hill-top location offers stunning views of French Bay.

Nature and Wildlife

As there are few cultural experiences, no museums, and little else to do, the best reason to vacation on San Salvador is to explore the wildlife. Fortunately, the natural spaces are mostly untouched by humans and the variety of species is fantastic.

threatened white cheeked pintail on san sal

Inland lakes are migration stop overs for water birds. We saw a flock of threatened White-Faced Pintail ducks one day, pictured above. The Bahamian Mockingbird is like a louder version of ours found all over the island. Kestrels are the main predator, scanning the land for mammals and lizards from the power lines. A Caribbean race of Osprey hunts the waters. Being tropical, there are some colorful little birds that Americans will delight in spotting. We added several little birds to our life list including the Bananaquit and Mangrove Vireo.

Lil and Alex snorkelling at Graham's Harbor

The waters are paradise for snorkellers and divers. An old dock that is now falling into the water provided our favorite snorkelling habitat in Graham's Harbor. The small reefs and grass beds along 'our' side of the island near Bonefish Bay contained lots of fun fish and corals. Alex spear fished in waters all over the north western side of the island and will report on that experience in a few days.

Beaches are rarely used by the natives. With so few vacationers, we saw no other swimmers on the beaches when we were there.

walking in mangrove swamps san sal

A drive to the south of the island is worth the poor roads near Sugarloaf settlement for Watling's Castle and the mangrove swamps along Pigeon Creek. At low tide, one can step gently onto the sandy mangrove roots and see the fish nurseries hiding amid the shallow pools. The mangroves also house land snails, rare birds, and lizards. There are no services and little shade on the southern half of the island; pack snacks and water to combat the heat.

exploring a tide pool san sal

Lil enjoyed tidal pools along Long Bay on the West side and Dim Bay on the East side. The pools house crabs, snails, anemones, washed glass, and shells perfect for collecting.

San Sal Conclusions

Our trip to San Salvador left me more relaxed than any other vacation. With little interaction with other people or interruptions from phone and internet (service was spotty at best), we fell into an easy routine of a single nature outing a day, rest in the afternoons, and a family meal in the evening.

Vacationing on a remote island isn't for everyone, however. You can't plan much ahead of time, nor count on supplies on the island. Dining and nightlife are minimal. Daily activities may be limited by rain showers or heat. Unless you like observing wildlife a lot (we do!) another Caribbean island might be a better choice.

We loved having the chance to show Lil untouched natural spaces like the mangrove swamps and coral reefs. I am happy that my birding life list grew by five. Alex was thrilled to practice spear fishing and cook fish he never tasted before. We created many things with the natural items on the island. Most of all, we are thankful that San Sal deepened and enriched our family memory file.

Homestead Care Instructions

peach blossom With dogs, chickens, and worms depending on our care, there is a lot to have in order before we leave for vacation in Massachusetts today. To complicate matters, a friend may stay at our house while we are away. Fortunately, our neighbor and my sister are experienced with the particulars of our creatures and we trust them with the care of the homestead. Animals aside, I am most concerned about two things: my seedlings in the basement and the fruit tree blossoms, like the peach pictured at left. My sister will check on the seedlings and I am fairly confident they will stay alive even if she doesn't share my love for monitoring soil temperature and moisture. We unfortunately have no control over whether a late frost will wipe out our fruit for the whole season.

I thought that some other homesteaders or vacationers might want to read the instructions we left for house guests/caretakers. If you do, feel free to download our Homestead Care Instructions. Edit and use them for your own trips if you wish.

To follow along on our trip to Buzzard's Bay, Ipswich, Dr. Seuss Memorial Garden, Graycliff Estate, Mike's studio, and more, find me on twitter, facebook, or foursquare.

Through the magic of scheduled posting, readers will still see fresh content on Hounds in the Kitchen too. Easter is coming up and I couldn't leave you without some fun egg posts!

Added to Simple Lives Thursdays 39th Edition

Menu Planning on Vacation

Mindful MenusUsually I would post our week's meal plan today.  Because we are leaving for a vacation to the Eastern shore of Virginia tomorrow, I have no mindful menu. That doesn't mean I'm not planning, though!

Eating on vacation, especially a driving vacation like ours, can be a string of fast food restaurants.  The salt and fat in fast food does nothing to keep us healthy and enjoying a trip.

Besides, America has more to offer than a quick eat on the road.  There are family restaurants and local specialty food stands all over the country.  With mobile smart phones and time in our itinerary, we do our best to explore good eats on road trips.

I use google maps to estimate where we will want a meal.  Then I use the 'search nearby' function to look for restaurants.  If I find nothing of interest, I check out recommendations on happy cow (a vegan/vegetarian site), urban spoon or yelp.  I often narrow the search by the term vegetarian or kid friendly.

We make lots of snacks so as to not be tempted by gas station buys in between meals.  For this trip we are bringing homemade chex-like mix, apples, dried cranberries, lara bars, crackers, and carrot muffins to ease highway munchies.

Whenever possible, we select lodging that has a cook top and/or refrigerator.  We can cook breakfast in the room, store cheese and fruit for snacks, and make simple dinners with ingredients from the farmer's or fish market.

When we get to our final destination of Chincoteague Island, we are staying at  Eagle's View Bayfront House vacation rental.  The owner saw a link to this blog in my email signature and offered a round up of healthy local restaurants and food markets.  When traveling, vacation home owners and blogs are great resources for food lovers.

I hope my meal planning for this vacation pays off and perhaps you can use this advice on your next trip!