Tuesday was a day to prepare. We have Kathy, Steve and Chelsea coming for a visit in the afternoon. Riza has taken my key lime pie recipe and modified it to use puréed mango in the cheese layer. She tops it with mango slices and then finishes it with the whipped cream. Key Lime pie becomes Mango cheesecake! It is a very good addition to the recipe box.
We are going to do a more Canadian dinner for Steve. I am supervising the prime rib roast in the barbeque. We do have mashed potatoes and vegetables but no oven to do the Yorkshire pudding. In this kitchen, who needs the added heat? It is much nicer to have fruit and cheese for appetizers on the lanai with cold drinks! It was a very nice evening.
Wednesday, Leroy and Riza went back to Panaad market on their own so there would be enough room in the car for plants. They came back with a variety of Calamansi, two Pomelo and a number of other plants that caught their eye. Then we had to plant them!
Did I ever mention that there used to be a rock crushing plant down the road? Calibago was part of that property. In order to get the loaded trucks out of the plant, the ground was loaded with gravel and large rock then packed solid by the traffic. It is covered with a thin layer of soil that has become Leroy’s lawn. Try to dig a hole and the road bed becomes visible instantly. I have an unerring ability to find the biggest rocks. Dan was digging with a ramming bar and shovel. I was determined to make the hole big enough to get that rock out so the trees roots could spread. I took my turn on the shovel. To make it easier we decided to fill it with water to soften the earth. No luck – then we just had a hole with water. It never did drain that afternoon! We eventually gave up and planted the little tree on the softest side of the hole. The roots will have to find their own way around! That tree is going to need water wings on rainy days.
It is hard to believe how easily things grow here. Riza cut all the leaves off vegetable stocks similar to kale and spinach. She used the leaves as vegetables and then planted the leftover stocks last weekend. This week there are new leaves coming out.
The seeds she planted are all up and doing well. The little ,lime tree already has new leaves – there were no rocks or water in that planting spot.
Just before sunset, Riza and I get out the hoses and water the flower beds. The hose by our little house is not exactly uni-directional, it is designed to sprinkle in any and all directions. I end up as wet as the flower beds I am watering. In this heat it is a pleasure! It takes me about an hour to make sure each area is thoroughly watered and to check on the progress of the plants. Many of them are plants we bought on our travels last time we were here.
Friday we took a break from all the gardening and went on a tourist day to the Ruins. The Ruins have a sad history. A wealthy young man from the Philippines, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson, was travelling in Hong Kong and met a beautiful young lady, Maria Braga, in Portuguese Macau. He decided she was the one for him. Her father approved the match and they were married. They lived an elegant life in one of the beautiful “Ancestral homes” in Silay. They had 10 children as was usual at the time. When Maria was pregnant with her 11th child, she slipped and fell causing a miscarriage. Medical help was not close by and by the time the doctor arrived, she had died. Don Mariano built the new mansion as monument to his beloved wife. As long as his children were unmarried, they could live there. The boys lived on the main floor and the girls on the floor above. Not all suitors were brave enough to face the brothers! Three of the women remained unwed.
The building itself was built of the finest materials. The cement poured day and night until the job was complete. It still is as smooth to the touch as marble. The floors made of long, thick planks with no seams from one end to the other. The patterns of the tile are still clearly visible. This beautiful home was built in 1911. In 1942, American guerillas set fire to it so it would not fall into the hands of the Japanese. It took three days to burn until only the cement structure remained forming the ruins we see today.
We had a pleasant lunch at the Pizzaria in the garden. By the time we were finished the school groups, who were touring for the morning, had gone and we had the place almost to ourselves.
The gardens are beautiful, designed in the same Italianate style as the house. The fountain and the chimney tower of the sugar cane processing plant are prominent features. Our tour was cut short by heavy thunder showers.
As usual we stopped here and there on our way home and arrived back at Calibago glad to be out of the city once more!
Anna’s stage is finished. The clothesline has been put up. Everyone gathered to see this new addition work. I took some wet towels off of the old line and pinned them up, then rolled them out. Jokes and laughter all around. Anna was trying to decide what song she should sing on her new stage! Both Anna and Lucy used the line right away. Unfortunately, they are a little loose. With only two spacers to hold longer items up, some of the laundry dragged too low. Dan and Leroy are looking for a turnbuckle so they can tighten the lines. That should do the trick.
Sunday we decided to go with Leroy and Riza when they went to church. They dropped us at the MacDonald’s next door to wait for them and use the WiFi. Well, we enjoyed the familiar MacDonald’s breakfast and the air conditioning – but there was no WiFi.
We went to the mall just as it opened and managed to find snorkels for our masks. We will be using them this coming week. I still would like to spend some time at the Robinson Mall but it was time for lunch. The main goal of the day was to try out a new restaurant, “Restaurant 21”. We hear they have classic banana splits!
We found a parking space right in front of the restaurant. The security guard brought an umbrella to the car to shade us for our walk to the door. The restaurant was very modern in design and restful in décor. The menu had both North American and Filipino foods to choose from. Dan had Cream Dory fish as Fish and Chips. Leroy had a mushroom burger. Riza and I chose shrimps in coconut curry. We can have burgers and fish and chips at home! The food was well presented and enjoyable, including the banana split!
I was dressed up for this occasion and thought perhaps I should use a napkin – the curry colour would not do my skirt any good. You really can dress me up, but should not take me out. I did make a fine mess of their snowy white napkin. Thank heaven, it did save my skirt!
Back to Calibago!
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