Hurricane Iselle

Some misc photos after Iselle. 

Tree came uprooted in the back of the property. We were going to have to cut that tree down eventually. 

Couple more damaged trees from the back. 

A couple of our canopies blew over despite being tied down. 

39th street is flooded from all the rain. This torrent of water ends up in the back of our property - about 600 feet behind the house. 

There was a tree down on Pohaku Dr (our street) and we cut it up to clear the road. We also helped a neighbor by calling the electric company and letting them know he had downed power lines in his yard. 

After seeing a whole telephone pole broken off down the street, we realize it will be days not hours before we get electricity back. 

And another good note was the hatching of the cutest chick on the ranch. I have christened her Iselle. Way to go Mom!

Ranch Hands August 2014

July marked the 3 year anniversary of our first attempts to "beat back the jungle".... that anniversary helps to show how things grow in the tropics!

In July 2011 we started to blaze a trail into the overgrown old guava orchard we'd bought.  In Hawaiian tradition Leslie planted an "Ulu" or breadfruit tree at the site of a family's home.  After defending it from marauding boars, dozer operators to clear rocks & the power company running cables you can now gauge how fast things grow here in the tropics!!

That same tree is big enuf that we had to protect it from the grazing sheep. So we installed a small electric fence & warned them not to touch the ulu!!

July's trophy boar was 168 pounds & allowed us to test out the new smokehouse for several kinds of sausage & smoked meat.  Leslie is becoming a regular supplier of friends in a small local town for eggs, sausages & lamb.  We had to register with the state as we are making enuf in this sideline to be a business!!