The garden again and a wasp nest

Had to get a foto of the palm berries before the branch falls off. I've never seen quite so many. Some will sprout new palms where they fall. Before the berries form they are a mass of flowers that attract bees. While there I cut one frond that was hanging in the walkway and behind it was a wasp nest. I just took a foto and will post it below when I get it off the camera. The nest is too high to reach and I don't have wasp spray so I guess they will stay for awhile. 

The papayas are not quite ripe but Lorena says we should cut it and bring it inside before the birds get it. Can't remember what happen on the last batch. The tree is up against the wall and held with a wire because it almost fell over a while back.

Here's the wasp nest. Hugo puts a plastic bag over them and burns them but I think I'll look for wasp spray before I try anything

No mas Palm

Juan starting his chainsaw

Had to drop it in the street

It was just getting too big. It was lifting my sidewalk and with a summer full of rain it might have reached the power lines. Also, it was making it impossible for me to paint and repair the wall behind.  It has huge sharp spines on the branches so very difficult to trim. It was given to me by one of the guys that built my house when it was only about 3 feet tall.

Juan is my neighbor and the only guy with a chainsaw I know. He only wanted 300 pesos so it was time. The guy in back wanted the fronds to make a shade palapa so he helped cut off the branches and then the fronds. When it was cleaned up enough to roll I towed it to the side of the road with my car. It's still in its almost original size because it was too heavy to raise high enough to get his saw under it. It also had sand and gravel in the bark (kids) and he didn't want to ruin the chain. Another neighbor came over and offered to help in exchange for some beer. Worked out well because it was definitely a 3 man job.nes. 

Chainsaw lumber

I've been wanting to get a good look at the guys while cutting. I can't imagine they cut this palm without some kind of guide to stop them from wandering all over. Maybe they just snap a chalk line? The guys that built my palapa did the same thing but I wasn't interested in the wood cutting process then.

These palms are in a very old mango orchard and both the mangoes and palms were damaged in Hurricane Patricia. They've cut and cleaned up many of the mangoes so they can get in for the wood. Still many people cook on an open fire so the mangoes will get used someday.

Beez were buzzing

Thought they would be easier to see

A branch on my palm is in flower and as I walked by it sounded like a beehive. There were so many bees I'm surprised a few more didn't show up. These guys were not aggressive and let me stick the camera real close. Last bee encounter was a bunch of hives in a mango orchard that I ran across when  walking my dog. Maybe the difference was a hive is where they live and were being protective .... but they chased us both for a few hundred feet. I was convinced they must have been breeding with those African bees, The bees they used to pollinate orchards in Washington were totally docile. 

Pool attractions and Pan

Saw these reflections in the pool last night and had to try to capture it. Pretty close

Interesting how bugs have seasons for activity. The last couple of days it's been Dragonfly's collecting in the pool. A few weeks ago it was flying ants. Dragonfly's do it during the day and the ants were at night. I assume they want a drink and misjudge how to get it. Seems I remember Dragonfly's dipping down over lakes and ponds up north. I've saved a few but 20+ didn't make it.

Palapa and palm reflection 

Dragonfly in pool - what's the attraction?

We have a relatively new street vendor that I assume goes all over the area. A couple of months ago was the first time I've heard him. I checked out his wares a few days ago and he only sell sweet breads so I passed. He's not quite as entertaining as Tin Tan but I like his music.

Lot's of Wasps

Had three of these in the last week and always one every couple of months. I found the first in the palapa when I was putting a tarp over it. Too far embedded inside to do anything but spray one more in a small palm in the yard and one in the palm on the street. If they are accessible Hugo puts a plastic bag around them and has a small fire in the lot next door. I have a flowering Palm that is full of feeding Wasps so probably another nest soon.

Wasp Nest

Nido de avispas

Rearranging the garden

Both lots on either side of me are vacant. One is for-sale for too much and the other I met the owner once but don't know who he is. I say that because growing stuff here is so much fun and I just don't have the room with 2 lots. Bananas, limes, star fruit (carambola), Chico Sapote, papayas, sugar cane, various vegetables, flowering shrubs and decorative palms.

The papaya was tired with only small fruit so I replaced it with the small palm that has been hidden under the huge bananas in the back corner.  In front of the palm is the new Moringa which I've been interested in for awhile.  It's grown a few inches there but I'm surprised how tender the "trunk" is.   It will out distance everything around it in a few months but still too young to flower this year I think.   I cut the large sugar cane and shared with neighbors so only smaller ones left.

The second foto was an attempt to show the Star Fruit flowers but they are 3 meters high so couldn't get close.   Makes me wonder how I'll reach the fruit in a few months. The tree is not strong enough to support a ladder.   Will have to consider a pruning plan to keep every thing in reach.  I had one fruit last year and looks like I'll have many more this.

Carambola in the center and higher than the 3 meter wall.   Last Neem in a bucket below it.  Buckets on the left are various veggies.  In the low foreground is my Avocado that has done nothing for 2 years.  It looked sick a few months ago and leaves were weird and falling off.   I sprayed it and all the leaves fell off.   Within a week it had all new leaves and the whole tree was growing like crazy.   Would love to someday have my own Avocados. 

Finally the Laurel tree which used to be totally root bound and less than a meter high when I bought it from a Gringa that was leaving Melaque.  I actually split the pot and have two Laurel plants/trees almost identical. 

A work in progress

Linda, my neighbor from Canada has painted a lot of plant designs on her garden walls and has tempted me to do something on my palapa wall. Her's are all palms or a few broad leaf tropical plants. I need to get a foto to pass along the idea. She was able to use shadows .... but I have no plants under my palapa for shadow or outline. She and I ended up holding a palm frond up against the wall and outlining with a pencil.

So Linda did the one on the right and me on the left yesterday.   I played with sky, bamboo and flowers today.   Totally new for me and with more white paint I can cover over anything..    The original arch looked like I should create a Virgin de Guadalupe shrine below it but I don't know her.   Really think I need another color or two beyond green and blue.   With more white ... it can be painted again.   Just like Graffiti 

The added work in progress was Nahima (our 3 year old neighbor) wanted to sit on our toilet and insisted for 20+ minutes.   She eventually headed home with her sister under protest and we assumed just another 3 year old stage.  She will be just as crazy/independent tomorrow .............

Yesterday palms only

Fillers, sky, bamboo and flowers

Nahima not on the "tazo de bano"

Cleaning those palms

If you would have been watching my web cam a few hours ago you could have seen two late teens up that palm tree cleaning it on their way to a prize of about 10 coconuts ready for harvest. They used a ladder on this one (non-professionals) but another in the back supplied them with 10 more from ground level.

I love these exchanges of work for coco's. In my other house in Melaque I had a prolific and very tall tree that would produce 40+ coco's 3 times a year. A guy would cut the troublesome fronds, clean the dead stuff, clean the yard and haul it all away in exchange for the 40 coco's.

This time it started with a 7 year old neighbor helping me clean the side of the lot and street. I didn't know him, he just wanted to help. Then he spotted the 2 coco trees and said his big brother would clean and cut them. Very nice kids, all went well ... and now there is less garbage to fall into the yard