Quiet weeked at Calibago

Saturday, January 16th and Sunday, January 17th;

A quiet weekend at home. The weather is overcast and cooler with heavy rain forecasted for Saturday afternoon. It has not been heavy, but it has come off and on with heavy winds at times. When the wind blows during the night it knocks fruit out of the tree over our cottage so that it hits the tin roof with a BANG! I was picturing something between a croquet ball and a five pin bowling ball. In reality it is a tiny fruit like a small plum. Hard to believe when you hear it!

Anna has been doing laundry but it does not dry in these conditions. The lines under cover are full. We expect bright sunshine tomorrow so she will finish then.

Dan, Leroy and Caesar continue to move big rocks and carry dirt for new garden beds. Monday we are taking wood from felled trees to Riza’s father’s farm in Binalbagen. From there we will be getting a truck load of plants he has prepared for here. Leroy has bargained for a driver and jitney to take time off the bus route and spend a day loading the wood and carrying it to the farm then bringing the plants back. It there is room, it will make a side trip to the nursery and pick up more palm trees as well. Apparently, he just hoses the jitney out and is ready to carry people again on Tuesday.

Dan has come down with a cold. If he is well, we will go along and spend a night in that area. If not, I do not want him taking bugs to Riza’s elderly father and we will only be part of the loading and unloading here.

Dan and Leroy made a trip into nearby Murcia Saturday to give the little Pujaro SUV some attention - air in the tires, brake fluid, transmission fluid and gasoline. Riza asked them to stop by the fruit market for mango as well. They are not ripe here yet. Mango are still my favorite part of any meal! The market sells them by the kilo. You pick all the ones you want and then try and get that last one the correct size to make the kilo. Handing a few back and forth until both the buyer and the seller are happy that it is close enough. Saves having to do any math. Dan and Leroy did not understand the process so I am sure they did not get as good a price as Riza does! They let the vendor choose the mangos as well. That worked out OK as the majority are wonderful anyway.

Riza and I had a relaxing day with preparing meals being our main activity. I am working as sous chef here because I am not familiar with the ingredients. I am thinking of some things I can adapt so I can give Reza time off. I have to do a grocery shop next time we are in Bacolod and see how close I can get to what I need. We are limited by not having an oven. They just moved into the new living area before we arrived and not all is done. There is a beautiful gas cook top but the wall oven is still to be ordered. It will take three weeks to arrive. They had not been able to find one but they let me loose in the appliance center in Cebu City and I found a beautiful Italian made Elba right off the bat. Next year they will have turkey for Christmas!

“Calibago River Resort and Summer Camp” is still on the maps here and the sign is still on the main highway in the village of Murcia. The occasional tourists still arrive at Leroy’s gate asking for space to put up their tent. It was a beautiful campsite with nice facilities for overnight camping and for things like a corporate day camp or picnic. The lower terrace runs along the river where people could swim if they wished.

Leroy and Riza have turned what was the office into their private sitting room and bedroom area. What was the open air gazebo has been walled in with opening windows on every side that allow the breeze to blow through at will but makes a wonderful living room kitchen area with a pantry and another bathroom. It is surrounded with a covered deck where you can sit comfortably when the rain makes the adjoining trellis area less desirable.

What was the piggery, makes a 60 foot garage, workshop and tool shed for the property. Leroy is having cement slabs made for the floor. The workmen have completed one 30 foot section but have not returned yet to finish the job. Menana!

The workman’s cottage has been redone as a guest cottage for us. Caesar will use it when no one is here.

There is one more building not yet decided upon. It was the “Sari Sari store” or supply shop for the campers. It is on the mid level terrace, near the barbecue pit and could make a good summer kitchen for cooking jobs that you do not want to heat up the living area. It is solid and well made so they feel it should be kept. Perhaps they will just clean and maintain it for now until a real need is identified.

Future plans include a main house attached to the gazebo living area. Then the old office will become the guest cottage and the guest cottage will revert to a staff residence. Again, menana! Modifying the residence and improving the gardens will keep them busy long into their retirement.

Today is Sunday. There are three churches in this tiny village of seventy families - Catholic, Presbyterian and what Riza calls a “born again” denomination. Everyone in the village was at church in the morning and we have heard the choir practicing during the week. Weekdays small children play on the playground in front of Leroy’s gate but today I see young men back in the village playing basketball there. There is a sound of motorbikes on the road rather than jitneys and cane trucks.

Leroy and Reza arrived home followed by a tricycle, a motorcycle with side car. Normally it carries passengers but today it has three large palm trees and assorted other plants. They have stopped by another nursery on the way home from church! The men carry the larger blue palms to the next terrace below the gazebo. Dan and Leroy plant them right after lunch. One has about 30 chocolate palm seedlings planted along side so Riza and I transplant them to pots to see what comes of them. Next they plant the bottle palm in the front courtyard alone with another they had already. I weeded the cottage flower bed and prepared space to plant two flowering bushes. Many of the other plants will sit while Reza decides where they will all go. There is still a lot of space to absorb them.

After an afternoon of gardening we all cleaned up for the quiet time before dinner and enjoyed our surroundings once more. The sunset over the river was spectacular!

It seems we will go to Binalbagen tomorrow and we have a hotel with a pool booked for tomorrow night. I am hoping for WiFi as I need to get more minutes for my phone.

Goodnight!