Macadamias and Black Sand

Hi Everyone. Hope you had a happy May Day.. It is unbelievable that my time in Guatemala is passing so quickly. The small plant above is a baby macadamia tree. Teri and I ventured to an organic macadamia nut farm last week, and I was amazed at the work that went into growing and processing these tasty nuggets of nature.

The furry catepiller is the flower, and the resulting cluster of fruit is next. It takes a baby tree 5 or 6 years to start producing fruit, but then look out! When the fruit is ready, it simply drops from the tree. No picking, just picking up or raking. The fruits are opened (like the one in my hand), then dried. (see the table) When the nut rattles inside the fruit, the brown shell is removed and you have the precious nut. The shells are used in manufacturing everything from scrubbing materials to makeup. The nuts themselves are perfect with a bit of salt, or as a nutty spread with toast.  This is an industry that could certainly grow a lot bigger in Guatemala's hot and humid climate. It doesn't require much equipment or a lot of training.. I see HOPE.

Our second big adventure of the week was to go to Montericco. We visited the Pacific coast with Teri's Godchild, her family, and Lindsey (my friend from Missouri.) I have a new respect for everyone who works on or with the ocean.
Teri and I sat on the (hot) black sand near the water. We were posing our sandy toes for a sexy picture. Along comes a wave, picks us both up, rolls us over and SLAMS us into the beach. That was a lot of woman to be tossing around! The sand was in every crevase of my body. My suit weighed a ton, and I shed sand everywhere until 2 days and 3 showers later. I had no idea those waves had so much power.  My son,WJ has had a few wave encounters and I probably should have known better, but some lessons we need to learn for ourselves. I was content to sit under the umbrella with my iced tea and nachos thereafter. It was a tremendous experience and totally memorable for all those kids.

And leaving the best for last, this is our little Javier. He weighs double what he did when he arrived at Casa Jackson, but his eyes still look too big for his face. His muscle tone and overall development are progressing by leaps and bounds, and he should go home soon as a healthy baby.


Personally, I have yet to go over to help the babies with supper this week, because I have had a miserable cold and cough. It is kind of lonely.... but there have been lots of other voluntarios this week.. and I am coming !! Have a great week in blogland. Love to all. Noanie