New Garden

Here are my first garden post
http://eaglelies.blogspot.com/2011/06/garden.html

The first picture of the garden I took.
Cucumber plants sprouting top left, Cherry tomato plant before it got Gigantic top center
Through the rosemary and tomato plants the sunflowers are sprouting.
huge lavender plant bottom left, to the right of that parsley sprouts, then cilantro, then basil sprouting and right in the middle, some tiny watermelon plants.



Almost a month later


A month later,
after I kind of pruned it up a bit.


So much Basil.


Little baby watermelon




Tomatos ripening







Cucumbers

Strange Things

Plants
These were strange grass-like plants which closed when you touched them.








Pigs and things







A Tractor

Cigar Country

After a horseback ride



Through this valley


A man took us into his tobacco drying barn and showed us this.



and then rolled this

Orchestral bliss.

In this ancient church made of coral in Havana vieja,


With an amazing view,





was this amazing all girls orchestra.

1953 Pontiac Catalina

On the roof of a mall parking garage in Havana; just sitting there in all of its Green Indian Glory was possibly my favorite car find of the whole trip. The 1953 Pontiac Catalina:

Free enterprise

In America, when you're a kid and want some candy money you get some lemons or Kool-aid mix it with sugar, you go out on your street and sell it. This act was not legal in Cuba until recently and they are definitely still working out the kinks. First you could have a restaurant in your house with up to 12 people, then they moved it up to 20 people, then up to 50, which if you ask me is a full restaurant.

Pizza shops are all over the place. This one opened in the country town of Viñales.
He got a homemade oven and bakes them off as the orders roll in.





Never before in Cuba has there been delivery food,
But it is coming to Havana in the form of pizza.



La Moraleja - The Moral


It had Beautiful orchids hanging down as you walked in.


Outdoor bar and seating or a great AC cooled room for those hot Cuban days


The story behind this place was apparently that there were two brothers, one of them moved to Miami, the other one stayed in Havana. He opened up a restaurant and is doing great, while his brother is struggling to get by in Miami, so La Moraleja of the story is: stay home.


They even had a fish tank


This place was on the 5th floor of an apartment complex.


The plates had the name of the cafe on it.


The french-trained chef was said to have left his job in a state restaurant to join the new paladar.


Another restaurant went for a chic retro feel.


It looked like Miami beach


Whats exciting to see is that this movement of economic self-reliance is spreading and people are learning how to make it work. Granted, some will thrive, some will fail, that's just what happens with any competition. Competition is ultimately good for the consumer.

"New" Cuban Cars

1951 Chrysler

In Cuba there are no car dealerships. You can't even buy or sell your own car. There were very few new imported cars. There were a few black E-Class Mercedes-Benz for diplomats and expensive taxi service.

For the past 50 or so years the cars in Cuba have been sent over from China or Russia(Mostly Soviet Union), But before the revolution there was a steady flow of American cars Hot off the line from Detroit. These cars, which are around 60 years old or more, may not have their original engine. Many of them have had their engines replaced with boat motors or tractor motors. Most of them have gotten paint jobs along the way.

These cars are an incredible look into the past and the art of cars.

Semi-drunk owner of a 1950 Plymouth


His Plymouth, of which he said even the engine is original.


Willy's Jeep


47-48 Chevy deluxe




MG Coup




Convertible Chevy Bel Air Taxi


on one side of this car it said bel air on the other side it says Belvedere


It is in fact a 51 Chevy Belvedere


Early 50s Ford Prefect




This was a Ferrari bus with Nos Tanks.