Shapes of green
Posted on September 5, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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The birth of a leaf
Posted on September 5, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Enjoying the blue sky
Posted on September 5, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Doggie in paradise
Posted on September 5, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Motoconcho driver or opera singer?
Posted on September 4, 2008, by carina, under How it is, Me & I.
Today when I went on a motoconcho ( motorbike taxi ) the driver sang all the way. We all know that people learn to sing here before they even can talk, but this was different. His voice sounded like a trained opera voice. I forgot that I was going on Manolo Tavarez, and all the lights on that street ( I am surprised no airline have taken that to be the airport since they restored the street ), all of a sudden became part of a stage. His stage.
So I paid him double. For the ride and for the concert. He did like that. And I think he deserved it.
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Half of the Dominican Republic still without power
Posted on September 4, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
Tropical storm Hanna left half of the country still being without power. As of 8 a.m. Thursday 18 of the 35 plants normally on line were out of service, generating 1,096 megawatts, or just 52 percent of the national demand. Read the story here.
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Puerto Plata census of 1879
Posted on September 4, 2008, by carina, under Puerto Plata.
Click to view or download the household censuses of Puerto Plata of 1879 here.
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Hurricane Ike is now a category 4
Posted on September 4, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
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Latin Jazz
Posted on September 3, 2008, by carina, under Music.
Pretty cool album. Bossa Nova Nights. You can download it for free here.
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Life by a wall XXXII
Posted on September 3, 2008, by carina, under Life by a wall, Photography.
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Manzana de oro waiting for the sun
Posted on September 3, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Delta adds new flights to the Dominican Republic
Posted on September 3, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles.
Delta adds flights from JFK to the Dominican Republic. Read here.
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Ike is getting stronger, category 3 by Monday
Posted on September 3, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
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Evening in Puerto Plata
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under Me & I.
Rain. Rain. Rain.
Some juice made of manzana de oro ( golden apples ).
Movie. The Elephant Man. I haven’t seen that movie for ages. A masterpiece.
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Tropical Storm IKE now a category 2 update
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
This is what it looks like now. No weekend with planting more hibiscuses for sure.
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Dominican provinces under red alert including Puerto Plata
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
The Emergencies Operations Center (COE) issued a red alert for three provincies: Dajabon, Montecristi and Puerto Plata, and yellow alert for Espaillat, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Monte Plata, Santo Domingo, Duarte, Samana, La Vega andy Monseñor Nouel.
Green alert has been issued for San Pedro de Macorís, El Seibo, La Altagracia, Hato Mayor and Salcedo.
According to the National Meteorological Office (ONAMET), the alert of flooding and mudslide is due to a strong weather system associated to hurricane Hanna which will continue affecting the country´s north and northeast.
Source: Dominican Today
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…and then comes Josephine
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
This one will hopefully go out at see, we will be too busy with Ike. Follow Tropical storm Josephine here.
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Tequila has turned in to Whisky
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under Dear Neighbors.
My landlords are simply the best. All is correct. All is functioning. All is professional. They live 2 houses from me, and their grandchildren are the sweetest.
Doña Margarita only got one thing wrong. It is the name of my doggie. Every time we meet them and she sees Tequila, she gets so happy and always greets Tequila first of all. But she calls her Whisky.
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Tim
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under Oh Expats, Puerto Plata.
Many of you people who visit Puerto Plata think of Tim as he owner of Cafe Cito. He is, and he is more. If you plan to market a product or service here, Tim is the man. He is the founder of our local newspaper El Faro, and he has served as the Canadian Consul for Canada since since 1988.
Tim was also the location manager for the movies Lovewrecked and The good heart. He is involved in the Dominican Film Festival, he is a consultant for the Elliott Foundation as well as the owner of the eco retreat Tubagua and his Artisan cigars are said to be great.
This year, 2008, he received the Mayor of Puerto Plata’s Distinguished Citizen award in recognition of his service to the community.
Tim is an inspiration, and you can visit him on www.timhall.net if you would like to discuss your island plans with him.
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Tropical storm Ike is now a category 1
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
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September rain
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Rain
Posted on September 2, 2008, by carina, under How it is.
Rain. Just rain. We are drowning in rain. And the three hibiscuses that I planted a week ago had beautiful flowers this morning. I will plant more, by time I will have a hibiscus heck by one of the fences.
Hibiscuses attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. I like that.
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NBA star Charlie Villanueva brings Crocs to DR
Posted on September 1, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles.
The NBA star Charlie Villanueva and his foundation Tennis para niños are donating 10,000 pairs of Crocs to children in the Dominican Republic, in partnership with The Elliott Foundation, located here in Puerto Plata.
“I have witnessed first hand the wide spread desolate conditions in the Dominican Republic.
Few Americans realize many Dominican people have never owned shoes before, so the simple act of providing them with quality Crocs™ footwear is invaluable,” said Villanueva. “It is my hope that this benevolent partnership with SolesUnited will only continue to grow with the support of my fellow NBA players moving forward.”
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Dalai Lama will visit the Dominican Republic
Posted on September 1, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles.
Dalai Lama is coming to the island. Read the story here.
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Tropical storm Ike
Posted on September 1, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
It seems they never end, although we have been lucky here on the north coast. Now we are monitoring IKE. You can follow this one, as well as GUSTAV and HANNA, at the National Hurricane Center.
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Life by a wall XXXI
Posted on September 1, 2008, by carina, under Life by a wall, Photography.
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By my entrance
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under Me & I, Photography.
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Complains about long black-outs
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Disasters.
The Dominican government claims power output is at 85 percent of capacity but residents don’t believe it taking into account the daily blackouts lasting as long as 18 hours, which have put the country on edge.
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Puerto Plata Merengue Festival
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under DR News & Articles, Music.
The festival takes place Sep 26-28 by the Puntilla de Malecon. This year Rubby Perez will perform as well as Bonny Cepeda and Wilfrido Vargas. The festival is sponsored by Brugal Co.
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Working late
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under Music, Photography.
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The other side of having a fruit tree garden
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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The one avocado
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under Me & I, Photography.
The baby avocado tree has only one single avocado, so we let it be. The lonely avocado fruit has its place on the tree, and who are we to take it away. We pick the ones we eat from the two old avocado trees, that are giving enough to share with neighbours and friends.
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Platano sky
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under Me & I, Photography.
There are 6 huge platano palms in the garden, and a few baby trees as well.
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The leaf and the sun
Posted on August 31, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Breakfast sky
Posted on August 30, 2008, by carina, under Me & I.
I eat my breakfast under this sky. It is becoming a little dangerous right now, and I will move the table. We are in the manzana de oro season and those buggers would easily knock you down and bring you back to sleep when falling on your head.
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About motion
Posted on August 30, 2008, by carina, under How it is.
The Swedish poet Karin Boye said it so well, so there is no need to add anything.
The sated day is never first. The best day is a day of thirst. Yes, there is goal and meaning in our path - but it’s the way that is the labour’s worth. The best goal is a night-long rest, fire lit, and bread broken in haste. In places where one sleeps but once, sleep is secure, dreams full of songs. Strike camp, strike camp! The new day shows its light. Our great adventure has no end in sight.
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Red gold
Posted on August 30, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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How it is
Posted on August 30, 2008, by carina, under Me & I.
So apartment living was not something we enjoyed. Luckily just a few houses away was a piece of land that I fell in love with. A 2 floor house with a garden full of fruit trees. The avocados are picked just before eating them, the golden apples are waiting to be delicious juice and the sea grapes are just coming along. The cerezas are about to end for the season, but still enough for daily needs.
We moved fast, everything was basically done in one day. Furniture, invertor, stuff and things. But then there is reality with Codetel. We waited for 13 days. Every day we got a new information, they will come today, they will come tomorrow, they will come at 4, or they will not come because of rain. Today they came. They left so fast that I missed to give them the tip I had for the guys. So I will get a lemon tree instead for that money.
Life is good.
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Tonight
Posted on August 18, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
The moon and the stars. We lost them for a while, when Fay passed our island. Now the Caribbean sky is as bright as before, covered with hundreds of stars, crowned with a full moon. I mentioned it before, the sky is round here. It really is.
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Tropical storm Fay: 3 dead, 2,230 people in shelters…
Posted on August 16, 2008, by carina, under Disasters.
The day after. Read the story here.
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At least 22 dead in traffic accident, among them tourists
Posted on August 16, 2008, by carina, under Disasters.
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Tropical storm warning
Posted on August 15, 2008, by carina, under Disasters.
All I wanted was some rain. Really. Seems like we will get a lots of it this evening. Tropical storm warning. And we will stay inside.
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Fay
Posted on August 15, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Before the arrival of the night
Posted on August 13, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Proud to be Swedish… I mean Swidish.
Posted on August 13, 2008, by carina, under How it is, Photography.
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Love
Posted on August 12, 2008, by carina, under Oh Expats.
She loved him.
She bought him a motorbike, because he wanted to try and work as a motoconcho ( motorbike taxi ). They agreed that he would pay her 100 pesos a day until the bike was paid for.
After 3 days he comes to her. He is very, very sad. The motorbike had been stolen, and he is really, really sorry. Would she like to buy him a restaurant instead?
She did. She gave him the money to open a restaurant. He worked for a month. He worked really hard. After that month he said that he was so tired, and he never got a chance to see her anymore, because of this darn work. So that is why he gave the restaurant to his cousin and his wife. Would she like to help his mother with an eye operation instead, because she is blind?
No. She was not that blind. The gringa I mean. End of fiesta.
And the motorbike? It was found later. At the backyard of the blind mother, who saw enough to hide the bike when she came by to look for it.
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Time.
Posted on August 12, 2008, by carina, under How it is.
Time.
This thing that we have no control over att all. It will go and go, with or without us.
Day, night. Sunrise. Sunset.
Time is running faster as we grow older. We think so, it is our excuse for not having done all those things we planned to do. How funny we are.
Things will not be done, or even close to ready, just because it is Friday.
The weekend will not be longer, just because we want to.
Our children are growing up. Flying away, together with time.
And it is not important.
That is what we must learn, that it is not important.
Because we have nothing but now.
If we spend our lives believing something else, then we are fighting a lost battle.
Now is fine. It is great.
Now is here. Now is what just flew by. Now is expectations and dreams. Now is memories.
Now is never the same. Nothing is ever the same. And that is the best of all, that life is movement.
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My Dominican washing machine
Posted on August 12, 2008, by carina, under How it is.
I have a Dominican washing machine. Simply because I live here, and it is just how it turned out. There are real, imported washing machines available that are far more expensive and far more good. That will be my next investment for the household.
A Dominican washing machine is a mashine where you put the laundry in, fill it with water, and then it washes for 15 minutes. Your options are Strong or Soft, meaning either the washing machine will spin around as hell, or just soft around a little. After that you have to rinse by hand and move the laundry over to the spinner. The spinner will spin if you put the wet laundry exactly in the middle, otherwise it will sound like a set of drums. If you put the wet laundry in the middle, you set the timer for the maximum of 6 minutes. The timers for both washing and and the spinner are manual and looks exacly as on an egg clock. The whole machine is made of plastic material and you wash with cold water. 15 minutes in cold water! Clean and done!
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The color of Sunday
Posted on August 10, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
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Mount Isabel de Torres and the moon
Posted on August 10, 2008, by carina, under Photography.
It was last night, shortly after midnight. The moon is about to rest by the foot of Mount Isabel de Torres. Just like she has done for thousands of years. The city is completely quiet, and there, somewhere across the endless fields of palm trees, is someone still awake, playing Stand by me.
A wonderful way to end this Saturday, I am thinking before I go to sleep.
