The Macro Lens Sheds New Light on the Microcosm

"The aim of this approach is to raise mankind to the same level of development as the environment and thus eliminate the imbalance between them." ~ Maria Montessori.

For ten years now we have been creating a collection of ornamental tropical flowers, fruit bearing trees, exotic creepers, and unusual ground covers in our gardens. While we have been appreciating the miracles of nature all the while, this new photo series Dad is working on has opened our eyes to the gorgeous complexities of mother nature.

Check out the intense detail of some of our familiar flora and see if you can guess which plants they belong to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rviveralli/Lines#


Now that this photographic eye is roaming the Crescent Moon grounds, we have all become hyper~sensitive to the action that goes on in minute corners of the property. Sometimes a day is just about getting from here to there but when you start looking at the drama found in nature, it is hard to take two steps without being in awe of the details.

Just the other day I was dividing some torch gingers and came upon my favorite butterfly, Godman's Leaf (Memphis dominicana), feasting on the fermenting carambolas on the ground. I paused to watch as he returned repeatedly to the same piece of fruit, unrolling his yellow tongue like a red carpet (proboscis). Later in the day I went to throw my pile of weeds into the compost heap, I heard the choppy sound of someone trying to mimic the song of the sifle moutayn (Rufus Throated Solitaire, Myadestes genibarbis). Expecting the perpetrator (whom i suspected to be my husband) to be nearby, I looked around and saw a young solitaire on the Bwa Riviere branch just a foot above my head. He was practicing his song as if for the first time and was in no way threatened by me. For as often as i hear them i have never been as fortunate to see one so close. I tried my version of a mountain whistler back and he just cocked his head a little confused. Unfortunate for the photo album, my tool in hand was the cutlass and not the camera!

Meanwhile, Dad had been observing the patterns of nature elsewhere on the property and noticed that the insects around the lily pond and pool were keeping to a schedule. He was awaiting the 2 p.m. arrival of his favorite dragonfly on the blue vervain when he noticed the return of the cricket in the water lily.

As minuscule as these lines, textures, patterns, relationships, and developments may seem....taking notice of them often makes us feel even smaller in this complex and natural world.

romance is in the air

While many people wait for just the right moment to "pop the question" we were flattered that our most recent guests chose during the main course to be their moment!

Congratulations to Pleuni and Rudolph on their recent engagement! After dating and traveling the world together for six years, this lovely couple found Dominica and Crescent Moon Cabins after watching the travel show "3 OP REIS" on Dutch television.

http://llink.nl/3opreis/viewpage.php?page=bestemmingen&id=1642

Ironically, the camera man who filmed the show has also come back this season with his new bride to spend their honeymoon at Crescent Moon!

Rudolph was romantically crafting the moment from the time the sun rose by taking his sweetheart on an early morning walk up to Buena Vista in the next valley. They had a leisurely breakfast then were off to town to for a whale watching adventure. After a successful sighting of several sperm whales they returned to Crescent Moon just in time for a romantic dinner. Shortly after the spicy greens salad with sliced beetroots and passion fruit dressing we got the cue to play Pleuni's favorite song. As the savory rosemary and garlic wafted from the homemade tofu and christophene (another special request) her let her know his intentions. While we didn't get the exact details, we did hear the giggling and saw the smiles! It worked!

The next morning they were off on another adventure to the Boiling Lake with David. The six hour hike should have allowed enough time to start to discuss the where and when!
We wish them all best!

Dominica Community Service Day...a day of appreciating our little cornerof the Nature Island!

While every day in Dominica is a potential community service day, November 4 marks the official National Day of Community Service. Because the weather in Dominica is not as predictable as the holidays, we did our contribution to our humble little corner, River La Croix, in the fair skies (it was fun to finish planting in the light of the full moon!) this weekend.

Over the summer months we did get a lot of government work on the road. Thanks to the guys operating for Fast Company, our drains were properly cleaned! Landslides dating back to 2004 that had become familiar green bumps in the drain were swept out and the tall grass along the road sent asunder. Of course when you have a little boy named Leo around nothing could be more exciting to watch as well!

Taking advantage of the momentum of "road works" in Dominica this season, David, Dad, and I all did our parts to keep up the beautification. We planted a hedge along the main view point of the River La Croix road with crotons, begonias, and lilies. Hopefully this will keep the tall mulch grass, which often blocks the view, at a reasonable distance from the "lookout". We will finish it off with a small seating platform ideal for sunset and parrot gazing. It will be easy to maintain as it is the beaten path of one of our favorite afternoon walks.

Our other favorite walk is below Crescent Moon where road turns into track and stretches all the way down to the coast. The "fitness" trail for both ourselves and our pups is an old donkey track which used to bring farmers from the village of Massacre up to the heights of River La Croix. It is featured in the novel The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. The trail makes a fork at the top leading to Buena Vista Estate (or locally called Gwo Mourne) or continues all the way up to the road to Sylvania. It is about an hour and a half walk each way from CMC to Massacre but we usually just do the "bush" part for our walkabout. The wild lemongrass at the farm section of this trail tends to get bushy and closes in on the track especially as less farmers make their way from the village. For the few farmers and hikers that do use it though it can be wet and scratchy. So Dad sharpened the swiper (weed wacker) blade and made a clean sweep of the path. This will be a joy for the farmers to be able to pass with their loads unscathed and for us to come back from our hike without any ants or grass bites.

As the rain falls on our community today we are thankful we didn't wait for the official day to do our service. But as soon as the rain eases up a bit we will be able to admire our growing flowers and open paths for our afternoon walk!