Earthquake, Exploring Farmer's Market and the Rental Property
Thursday I was enjoying a delicious fruit drink on the porch of our house when the earth began to violently shake. The earthquake was sudden and strong. I have lived through many quakes and they always deliver a shiver of fear. I immediately moved out from under the porch to a clear area and observed what could potentially fall on me as I rode the quake out. Gratefully no harm was done in our immediate area. We were lucky, but many people died near the epicenter. We lost the internet connection to the house for a few days. It wasn't entirely due to the earthquake, rather having to reset the modem in order to get the phone to work and then losing the technical information for the ISP. All is back to normal now.
The property we are staying at is situated on the side of a very steep canyon. The other day we
walked down the canyon and visited the river. This area used to be a cattle farm. When Dick and Sharon purchased it in the early 70's it was bare red clay earth. They let it sit for a few decades before building on it. What vegetation is here now has regenerated mostly on its own.
Saturday we went to the town outdoor fruit and vegetable market. I asked the vendor what the name of a mysterious (to me) fruit was. He said it was granadilla. I asked if juice could be made out of it. He opened one for me to try. Inside the red, orange fruit was a mass of seeds that looked like frog eggs. I ate some and they tasted good so we bought a few and have added them to our daily fruit drink. I later learned that this is the fruit from the Passiflora plant, known to me as the passion flower vine.
So far, our days are being spent observing the gardens outside the house, learning Spanish and making up funny sayings trying to interpret what the neighbor chickens caw about all the time. The weather here is somewhat warmer than San Jose. The trade winds continue to gently and sometimes not so gently blow which is refreshing. The nights cool down enough for me to put on a long sleeve shirt and sleep with a light weight blanket. I am very happy here.
