Unfortunately the wood from the benches on the summit was also stolen, so now we have no more benches.

July 4-10, 2005

This week we watered and finished installing pipes at the Dairy Farm and Cherry Tree sites. So far no problems with insects or animals at Cherry Tree, and the trees look healthy. There is a world of a difference in growth between the trees planted just 2 months earlier in the rainy season, and those planted later. Dairy Farm fencing is being reinforced by the owner, and we will fill in any gaps so to speak.

No more break ins at the greenhouse since our last job of reinforcing it. We used some of the logs left over from cutting down all those neem trees as the base, and used scrap wood from the bodega as stakes. We transplanted more trees from baggies to bottles, mainly cedros and ceibos.

We installed pipes at Jorge Lomas Fernando site and watered. Of all the new sites, the trees look the best there, probably from the shade and elevation (more moisture). The Jorge Lomas Casas site was checked and caterpillars have been eating the leaves of the guachapelis. I assume the leaves will come back once the caterpillars move on to the next stage in their life cycle. 

There were two days out of the week that we could not travel to any of the sites as there was no transportation due to the Manabi strike. We did, however, maintain El Bosque en Medio de Las Ruinas – steps, handrails, tree watering, garbage removal. Unfortunately the wood from the benches on the summit was also stolen, so now we have no more benches.

Nicola decided to leave early due to personal reasons, but we had help from a friend of hers and from Jaime as well this past week. We have four short-term volunteers arriving this coming week. Two will stay in the house and two in the hostal. The new low flush  toilet has been installed.

The newspaper article based on my interview about our work here came out this weekend and I have saved a copy for our files.  

Hasta luego!

Heather