Whomever thinks there is no couture in the jungle should know this bit of fashion botany.  This week I planted Ylang Ylang in the garden. Ylang-ylang (ee-lang ee-lang) Cananga odorata, is a small flower of the Cananga tree. It is a fast-growing tree that exceeds 5 meters per year and attains an average height of 12 meters. It grows in full or partial sun, and prefers the acidic soils of its native rainforest habitat. The leaves are long, smooth and glossy. The flower is greenish yellow, and yields a highly fragrant essential oil, from which the scent was used by Coco herself when creating the formula for Chanel No. 5. I would love to share photos of my Ylang Ylang, but I am not quite sure how to continue my lovely photo journal of this trip, as my Leica camera was ever so quietly removed from my casa on Monday.  Yes I was robbed, it is sad, but I believe my lesson this week is to remember that material possesions are only temporary.   After all, when we croak, they can not come along with us... but it would sure be nice to have the 100 photos on the camera.  On the bright side, after an entire day tearing up the house looking for the camera, I decided to go have a surf to blow off some steam.  The Great Spirit above must have gotten the memo that I was having a shit day, so he sent me some of the best waves of my life.  Luke says I had a "level change" that day, I say that level was groovey! The rest of my week went like this...Had a Mexican fiesta with friends, went snorkeling, the foundation of the house got poured, took a bike ride to a cave, saw a tree full of giant zebra grasshoppers, swam out to the middle of the bay to watch the sun set, met a man with a giant hole in his leg where a parasite was living, worked on perspectives in drawing, went 24 hours with out water in the house,  bought an ATV and a trailer to move rock and wood at the property, y yo estudio espanol una houra todos los dias!

There is crazy thunder cracking outside as I sit here typing, I am sure a deluge is on its way.  It may just be a scrabble kind of day.  Adios amigos!

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