Conch Sundae

This is a photo of my favorite view in the bay that I took during the most amazing sunset last week in a brooding sky right before a dark purple storm rolled through. That is our lab, on the right. It happens to be one of the oldest building on st. john, dating to the late 1600's.



The same night, before the storm I played with the self-timer on my camera after I'd had a long swim and was in uniform....long sleeved t-shirt, wet hair, bathing suit bottoms. Pretty much what everyone wears here. And flip flops, if I can be bothered to remember them and if they haven't been swept out to sea! Life is tough here, eh?



I am writing from a real, actual dial-up connection in a real, actual house with four walls. Susanna and Ronnie are in the states for the weekend and were nice enough to think of me as a house-sitter. So there are things like refrigeration, and a hot shower, etc. Their house is set into a hill and they have a little screened-in detached porch cottage where I am staying with a charming bed covered in mosquito netting and surrounded by banana, papaya, lime trees, lots of bright hibiscus, and even, very appropriately, a basil bush :) It feels like a tree-house. The only drawback are the rediculous roaming, haughty roosters that wander around the island and start to signal daybreak at about 4:45 a.m. For some reason, they feel it is most effective to make this call from around and atop my picturesque porch. I don't know why the roosters aren't in cinnamon bay (where the pitter-patter of adorable little lizard feet across my tarp wakes me up very gently instead), but they are certainly at Susannas. St. John, an island that was once covered in Danish and Dutch plantations, has a large amount of feral goats, donkeys, pigs, cows and chickens. It's very common to have to stop your vehicle to let a pot-bellied pig take his time crossing the road. Actually, its very humorous and adds to the personality of the island. Everyone takes their time!!

So conch sunday....last weekend I was a lazy, lazy girl. I did either hike or run both days, but then I spent a lot of time on the beach, swimming and reading and lounging. Finished Slaughterhouse 5 (thanks Karen!), began The Namesake and can't put it down (thanks other Karen...Aunt Karen!) On sunday, surf-shack boys had adventerous things planned....a sail out on the little cattamaran (sorry, i dont know how to spell that) and then a lesson in making real conch horns. I should add that when I talk about the surf shack, its about 100 feet from the lab. They are the only two buildings on Cinnamon Beach, which is why i am always entertained by these guys. So conchs. First, there is the removal of the conch which happens by attaching pliars to the foot and then hanging it upside down from a clothesline.


The conch may take only a few minutes to hang onto his shell, and may take hours. The longer he hangs on and stretches out, the more tender the meat. Conch fritters, somewhat like crabcakes are delicious. So once the conch drops, you soak him and drill a hole in the shell.





They are really hard shells. The long and the short of it is that you get these horns that sound a bit like train whistles rather than calls to war.

Sunday night, i was hungry for something other than peanut butter and jelly, but my Coleman stove was broken. Actually, I just couldn't screw in the gasket, something was blocking it. I really tried too. I had taken out the bread and peanut butter when I heard new voices coming from the campsite across the way and saw the glow of the fire. Man-voices. So I walked over and in my sweetest voice said "is there anyone here who can help me with my stove?". Again, I serendipitously chose the right folks....this was two young men from the states who had just moved here for new jobs in a restaurant...they were chefs. I forget their names now, but shall call them Chuck and Larry. Chuck and Larry were staying at cinnamon because they were looking for housing, but had already started working and had brought home a gigantic slab of gorgeous prime rib, potatoes, and some sage sausages. After three days straight of pbj, this was music to my ears. I had bread, mustard, and seasonings, which they lacked. so we had a nice potluck and I returned to the tent apartment contented and with a full belly. I think they may have been a bit intoxicated, but they were really good grillers and very sweet. And they fixed my stove, to boot. And they removed the tarantula that was on my tent when I returned and did a loud "eeeek!" Chuck and Larry found a house and now work in town and invite me to stop into the restaurant. I love making new friends!

This week I have really settled into the work and to daily life in a campground and at the beach. Every day, there is some portion of the day where we don snorkels and swim for awhile and dry off in the sun on the beach before returning to work. As a girl who grew up on Lake Erie, I've never been accustomed to swimming around for a long time in water where you can actually see your feet. Here, its like you are floating in bright blue sky and its such a freeing feeling. I shall write next time about our work, but one of the reasons we swim and snorkel is to keep our eyes on the constant artifacts that are coming out of the bay. In addition to lots of potsherds and ceramics, just in the past two weeks we've found the parietal section of a cranium, a tibia, and a (possibly juvenile) femur. Cinnamon bay has several areas of human remains.....will write lots about the work next time, but just have to say that I'm so glad that I've take a little time to return to archaeology. In spite of the fact that we are constantly surrounded by items associated with the dead, it gives us a chance to bring history and pre-history alive.

Today I send a song out to Caro because I am so glad I just got a quick chance for a g-chat with her and send muchos felicitaciones on the tix to Buenos Aires. In honor, I send "Calaveras y Diablitos", by the Fabulosos Cadillacs which we both love. I've had this on repeat on the beach, plus they are Argentine. But since i am sending a song to Caroline and reading The Namesake, I need to also throw Seu Jorge's "Carolina" into the mix. Oh hell, a little Cheryl Lynn for you too, my dear :)

Lots of love and hugs and kisses for Valentines day. I've got a bottle of merlot and a dark chocolate bar and am sending warm vibes and virtual hugs to all family and friends. Thanks so much for reading...it always makes me smile to see your great comments! Until next time...