Look! There's a Boat on that Mountain!

Just look at that view!

 We took a trip up in the mountains to visit our friends that are living up there. We had a great visit with Esther and Derrick and with Cade and Lisa. Esther and Derrick have a home on the mountain and Lisa and Cade are in the planning stages of building. While they are preparing the land and planning their home, Cade set a plan in motion that he had been dreaming up for quite some time.

They have a beautiful sail boat named Sand Dollar that has been their home for many years while they sailed the Caribbean and South America. Sand Dollar was for sale, but Cade decided that they could move the boat up on the mountain and live in her while they build their house. After the house is built, Sand Dollar will become a guest house. They have some exciting plans for an add on bathroom/mud room. The will have a “ground level” entry through the mud room into the boat. We can't wait to see what it's like to sleep in a boat at 2500 feet with none of the gentle roll that we are accustomed to.

It was quite a feat just to get the boat up there. Absolutely amazing that Cade was able to pull this off. Of course, he's an engineer, so he had every detail thought through and planned out. That doesn't mean that everything went as planned. I think he was in double trouble with plans because, 1) it's a boat – nothing goes as planned when working on or with a boat; and 2) we're in the Dominican Republic, nothing goes as planned when working on or in the Dominican Republic. So, against all odds, Sand Dollar has a new home on the mountain. I bet the local Dominicans think they just got some loco gringos for neighbors!

We love riding up to the mountains, for one thing, it's a lot cooler up there, so that's a nice break from the heat. Plus, we never fail to be amazed at all the wonderful plants that grow wild. The sweetest bananas that we have ever eaten, not to mention the avocados, limes, oranges, mangoes, coffee..... the list goes on and on. I must admit that I'm a little jealous of Lisa having her very own avocado trees. Lucky for us, she likes to share!

The poetry of the earth is never dead.  ~John Keats