Alternative Bay is more like it...

An' let them howl at the moon. A mystical wheel, fire as the axle, people chanting and playing drums, all variables in an equinox equation. Squash and sweet corn and pumpkins.

First, Tiggy has moved into our bed, or at least until Kelsey kicks her out in the middle of the night. Or until somebody moves. Or if she just decides upon it. She is very peculiar. Hell, she is 15, and has always spent the night in the cold. I say reason 'nuff.
Secondly, there is a good story. Lance bought mussels for dinner. he went on to explain how they are cooked and eaten. "Very Sexual." They must be wooed, buttered up, maybe a little wine, and then add some heat, steam them up, and they open themselves right up. Inside, well, you know, there they are. Sometimes with crabs. Usually, you just pick them out. Pull out the tongue, too tough to be tasty, and the unnecessary grassy hairs, and a delectable meal awaits.

Thoughts with tea

Fall sunsets in New Zealand. Pink and the palest blue. Brushed on a canvass so thin, one can see the tears the mountains make. Then, it all turns orange, and fades. This month has existed as thick and vanishing as quickly, as the mist over the ocean. Very clean. We cannot begin to describe it past our daily pain or pleasure, and, frankly, the mixed signals we receive. There has been the three tireds. First, from boredom. We are all well acquainted with that. Second, from travel, taking hours, if not all day, and not any farther than grand Rapids to Detroit, but through landscapes varying by the half hour. Frankly, a lot with which one has to cope, interpret, and, for poor carsick Kelsey, survive. Finally, from day long labor. Not as hard as the aforementioned three, as sore backs ease better than disgruntled minds, or the realization it is not the light casting shadows, but bruises mottling our legs. So as the orange fades, we open our books, drink our tea, feeling contented we need not escape, but only face tomorrow. At least I do.

Today We Build Callouses

life in Golden Bay is fine. we work in the morning, Kelsey weeds anything and everything. then harvests zucchini. makes lunch. cleans lunch. everyone else stinks of sweat. tiggy is the main source of delight. Though Emerson is more personable, Tiggy shares the cabin with us. We call her, she responds, then walks away. She sleeps under the curtains, and raps on the door, signaling her desire, in or out, middle of the night, or early morning, Micah gets up: "Mrmph,hey Tiggy." "Meeeeow."
Our cabin, named "the Penthouse" is rustic. Wood and big windows, it was the original building on the site. Outside, a fully sustainable vegetable garden awaits us every morning. So do multiple acres of gorse and trees! We dine with the season, so now that means carrots,aubergines, green peppers, tomatoes, beets, sweet corn, green beans, pears, a few strawberries, apples, and, of course, avocado. Our hosts, Chris and Sylvia are on their way to commercial avocado growing. Though in its infancy, there is a steady supply of soft and buttery green for our bread, or salads, or guacamole. Or desert. But for the real treat, Kels and I go for a little liquid golden. Four fully buzzing hives just produced this years vintage, a whopping 320 kilos, flavored from the nectar of all of the citrus trees, apple trees, clover,and the highly coveted Manuka blossoms. This stuff is killer. Chris, Kelsey and I decanted the whole lot into 1, 2, and 5 kilo containers for sale, under safety of closed doors and window. If a bee found the source, they would flock to recapture their plundered reserves. Fortunately, we can savor the spoonful with our green tea for tea break, with musli in the morning, or just straight in the mouth.
However it does come with a price. While raking the grass under the avocado trees, a bee took a malicious interest in me. I followed Chris' advice, and took off. Lost a pair of gloves, but escaped with my life. We all steer clear of the bees and their "highways" as they flock under the heat of the day.
Out side of that, it is up and down the steep slopes for our labor. Time to hit the sack, we are getting up by 7:30, and out to the fields by 8:30. In store for tomorrow, pushing a wood chipper up a steep incline to chew all the treluscerns, a legume, we cut today. Plus moving a huge gum tree for fire wood.