PhotoFarm

2009-06-08T04:08:00.001+08:00

Tiny Flowers

2009-03-06T20:45:00.001+08:00

Ants

2008-05-30T18:45:00.001+08:00

Ants are attending what I think are mealy bugs.

Mare & Foal

2008-05-30T05:11:00.002+08:00

The foal is only a few days old in this photo. The mother is very protective of her first foal even when you are taking her picture.

Bird's Nest

2008-03-02T21:11:00.003+08:00

The Maya, a rusty brown bird with a black head builds this round nest. They seem to like the small lime trees and often there are two or three nests per tree.

Water

2007-11-24T20:25:00.000+08:00

The horses have learned to use their lips to turn the knobs on the water faucets.

Gecko

2007-11-20T14:13:00.001+08:00

This gecko was surprised by the lights being turned on at night. he wasn't too happy about it.

Bee_fly

2007-04-16T20:23:00.000+08:00

Bee_fly on orchid.

Caterpillars

2007-02-15T18:07:00.000+08:00

1. Scary on a Gemilina leaf. 2. Fake eyes to scare the birds, on citris. 3. A big one about 3 inches long feeding on a guave tree.

Finally Chocolate Seeds

2006-07-11T19:38:00.000+08:00

The pod is ready to be picked when it starts turning a pinkish-yellow. When cut open one can see the white pulp that surrounds the brown seeds. The pulp is edible and has a sweet and sour taste. We put the seeds out in the sun to dry but when we returned for them they were gone. We think the turkey ate them

Another Orchid

2006-06-27T17:33:00.000+08:00

I was surprised to find this orchid blooming for the first time. It is quite large measuring about 5 or 6 inches across.

What is It?

2006-05-02T16:16:00.000+08:00

This creature was found chewing on a hibiscus leaf. It is nearly oval, light green with whitish streaks and looks like half a minature watermelon. It doesn't have legs as such but moves by ripples. In place of feet it has single brown claws. No head or eyes show on this creature because they are hidden inside a vent on its underside. One can see two large brown teeth inside the vent. When turned upside down it will, sometimes, stick its head out of the vent showing two large eyes. The animal is smooth to the touch and firm. It is quite glossy. Click on photos to enlarge.

Tamarind Tree

2006-04-17T11:01:00.000+08:00

This tamarind tree is loaded with fruit and no children are picking the fruit? The fruit is quite sour and used in making soups and sauces. Also made in to candy with lots of sugar added.

Here is the reason that no fruit is being picked. A very large bee's nest!

Termites in the trees

2006-03-16T20:40:00.000+08:00

Termites built this in just one night.
The termite tunnels have been washed off several times with a hose but they keep coming back.

Pineapple flowers

2006-02-28T21:20:00.000+08:00

Now a week later one can see the
purple flowers that stem from the pineapple cells.

The pineapple now also has a "top" of green leaves.

Latest photo of pineapple

Pineapples

2006-02-22T10:18:00.000+08:00

We got hundreds of free pineapple tops from the market about a year ago and planted them around the farm. The other day we noticed the color of the plants had changed We can already taste the pineapple.

Orchids

2006-01-23T10:36:00.000+08:00

These orchids were bought at a nursery about 4 months ago. They bloomed this weekend and really look good up in the tree where we had fastened them.

Japanese Snail

2006-01-06T20:29:00.000+08:00

This large snail was found on a stump next to the house.

Chocolate

2006-01-06T20:18:00.000+08:00

We planted 2 cocoa trees two years ago and now they are about 5-6 feet high. We really didn't expect any pods until the trees were 6 years old. This week we noticed flowers sprouting out of the trunks and then saw the red pods.

Tree Lizard

2005-11-07T21:34:00.000+08:00

A tree lizard looking for insects in the farm's porch roof beams. It exercises pure stealth as it tries to capture a fly. This lizard has excellent eyesight as it spotted and followed a bug on the floor over seven feet below.

Rhinoceros Beetles

2005-10-26T09:20:00.000+08:00

There are lots of rhinoceros beetles on our avacado tree. Mostly they spend all day vying for mates. A male beetle may push another male off the tree and it will take about half an hour for him to climb back up to the same position. Females also push other females off the tree. Children love to watch and play with the beetles.

The Puppies

2005-08-26T09:03:00.000+08:00

Both of our dogs (a mother and her daughter) had babies within a few days of each other. The puppies looked remarkably alike. Now we have found that they take turns feeding each other's puppies----all eight of them!

The Goats

2005-08-26T08:46:00.000+08:00

Someone suggested we should provide some company for our daughter's horse. We put 3 goats in the pasture with the horse and this worked nicely until the goats decided to eat the bark off the gemelina trees. They not only ate the bark but encircled the trunks of the trees. We tried to cover the trunks with plastic bags but the goats only pushed them aside. Finally we had to remove the goats to another farm and purchase another horse.

The Horse Is Ridden

2005-06-30T20:55:00.000+08:00

There was no struggle and the horse was broken
in for riding in about 5 minutes.

The Horse is Mounted

2005-06-30T20:49:00.000+08:00

The horse, after being led into deep water, is mounted.

Breaking In a Horse

2005-06-30T20:42:00.000+08:00

Nearly Finished Well

2005-06-18T10:32:00.000+08:00

We put in a European made pump that was rated to 30 feet. We then put the pump down in the well. Being inside the well made it very quiet but we quickly learned that if we lost suction it was difficult to service. We were also concerned about rust. The plastic pipe had problems holding so much water and would crack the glue joint causing loss of suction. So we bought an American made jet pump and put in galvanized piping. Since then we have not had any loss of suction. Even if we have such a loss the pump is outside the well and easily serviced.

2005-06-18T10:31:00.000+08:00

Digging a bucket at a time

2005-06-18T10:30:00.001+08:00

Culverts for the Well

Digging the Well

2005-06-18T10:30:00.000+08:00

The well was dug down to 35 feet and that gave us about 5 feet of water in the bottom of the well. The water flowed at a fairly high rate and we found we could pump about 10 gallons a minute. We pumped 300 gallons, at one time, without changing the water level.

Orchids on the Farm

2005-06-16T14:50:00.000+08:00

Every farmhouse in the village has a collection of orchids in the yard.
Neighbors trade with each other until almost everyone has a collection of similar orchids in their trees.

Garlic Vine

2005-06-09T17:00:00.000+08:00

Garlic Vine: So named because the leaves smell exactly like garlic. Flowers change shades as they age. A somewhat rare plant.

Road to the Farm

2005-06-09T16:32:00.000+08:00

Road to the farm: The road follows the river for the last half kilometer. The farm is about 12 km from town by paved and unpaved roads. New roads are in process so it is a real obstacle course. The caribao or kabaw is the workhorse of this area.

A Silk Moth

2005-06-08T06:51:00.000+08:00

This moth was found by our daughter in the front yard. The wings had triangular areas that were transparent.

Fantail Baby

2005-06-07T19:58:00.000+08:00

Adult birds are very vocal and loud. High pitched whistles and lower pitched chattering.; The nest is made from coconut fibers and is only a few feet off the ground in a Bird of Paradise plant. Other nests, by the same kinds of birds, are high up in the trees.