Last Sunday we planned to visit Cantaranas with the Horsts. Cantaranas, a town in the next valley, has an unfinished bridge on which we planned to picnic. On the way, we remembered we had neglected to fulfill our promise to stop at a nearby farm to pick up some peaches the grounds keeper said he planned to pick on Saturday. (Peaches are difficult to grow in this climate, so we jumped at the opportunity to have a taste.)

Various times in weeks past during our morning walks with Janelle and Harlan, we had stopped by this farm to talk with the grounds keeper. The farmette intrigued Dwain from the beginning because of its organic compost production. The organic compost process reflected other organic and sustainable farming practices implemented on the farm.

Windrows

So, on our way to Cantaranas we stopped by the farm. This time we actually met the owner, a Dutch man, fluent in at least three languages (Dutch, English and Spanish). His wife is Honduran, and they have two children. During the week they live in Tegucigalpa. We were graciously invited into their self-built home and given a tour of the gardens, barns, biogas digester, compost windrows and fish ponds that highlight this property. Jumping at an invitation to see the peach orchard and watershed protection projects first-hand, we followed René into the mountain to his land several miles away.

René’s passion for developing his projects to match his teaching was evident in the terraced peach, apple and avocado orchards, the water drainage development to include filter areas and water retention ponds and the hillsides being planted into shaded coffee groves. Eventually we got to Cantaranas and had a quick picnic before heading to Tegucigalpa to attend CCI’s (Centro Cristiano International) 5 p.m. English-speaking service.

Monday we experienced our first thunderstorm in Valle. The cracks of thunder echoed back and forth across our valley, creating a different sound than we were accustomed to in Lancaster. Our tin roof magnifies the sound of the pounding rain, making it impossible to hear someone sitting next to you unless the person literally yells. The storm revealed leakage points in our roof, one directly over our bed. After setting containers under the leaks, Dwain attended to the pond forming outside our door. He dug channels to create proper drainage. After that, he attempted to complete Spanish homework.

Meanwhile the Horst children and Audrey were inside working on an after school project (making food for a First Lady/President tea party and making Mother’s Day cards). The deafening sound, the lightening and the cautions not to stand near the open door produced some qualms in Zack. We made hot chocolate and talked (well, yelled) about pleasant things in attempt to keep our minds off the storm.