Daily LIfe in Treasure Beach

So what else have I been doing except swimming in the sea, reading on the veranda or lawn and just generally lolling around?

Well, two days ago I accompanied Liz on her travels for work looking at potential sites for the organic farming project she is managing here. We rode up beautiful winding roads to the hills of Malvern where the temperature was remarkably cooler and the views over the valleys spectacular. Then two days ago we drove towards Montego Bay to meet with the owner of an ackee farm who happens to be the dad of two of Liz's good friends in New York. Armed with a machete, Mr. Masters led us on a tour of his property, acres and acres of akee trees. We left with a bag of ripe otaheite apples picked from other fruit trees on his land. Juicy and delicious with bright red skin and white flesh and a large black stone, the otaheite apple is the Snow White of fruit. On our way back to Treasure Beach we stopped to give seeds to a rasta farmer Liz knows. He complimented me by saying I looked "fresh" as a result of my vegetarian diet. Okay!

I love watching Liz at work and how she interacts with all then different people she deals with. She speaks patois fluently, to me an amazing feat. I can't understand a word and so do a lot of nodding and smiling when conversation is suddenly directed to "mommy" as I am always called by Jamaicans I meet with Liz.

The last two mornings Liz and I have taken long walks together early in the morning before the sun is too intense for physical activity. The first day we wandered down back roads where we counted over 30 smashed bullfrogs on the road in varying states of fossilization. Every field and many yards have goats roaming around. School kids in uniform--the boys in khaki like little soldiers, the young girls in kelly green skirts and crip white shirts--are headed off to their day at school.

It's a nice way to start the day and justifies the ridiculous amount of time I spend lolling around the rest of the day.