July 15, 2003
Almond joy
. . . so I bring this strange fruit thingy that I found to Miss Joyce and ask her what it is.
“That’s an almond, Mr. Bob. From the Almond tree.”
At first, I thought maybe we weren’t connecting. This didn’t look anything like what I expected an almond to look like. It looked more like fruit. But it was vaguely almond shaped with a tough fleshy exterior.
Miss Joyce cleaned it and told me to take a small bite. It was a little bitter, but not bad. Not quite as ripe as it should be. She then led me down to the tree, where we found a few more almonds, including one or two that were dried and looked like the almonds I know and love. Miss Joyce bashed one open with a rock and offered almond slivers.
Yesterday huffed and puffed. Stiff beach breezes all day long, threatening storm but never really delivering. This bluster proved good for birdwatching. I’ve been trying to ID the birds I’m seeing, and I’m starting to have some success. Yesterday, frigatebirds, white-tailed tropicbirds and john crows were sailing kite-like over the Caribbean Sea. Astounding.
Posted by Bob Benz at July 15, 2003 1:59 PM