Category Archives: Make your own

“Volcan” Cacao-Cafe homebrew Stout

Posted on July 7, 2012 by

             The third, and possibly the best batch, in tropical home brewing adventures, almost met its end in the moldy rainy season condition of June. The rainy season brings clouds of mold that drift invisibly through the air landing on … Continue reading →

Posted in drink it, Eat drink and be merry, Make your own | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Windmills In Nicaragua

Posted on June 9, 2012 by

One of Nicaragua’s most valuable resources turns out to be wind.   Super strong (often hurricane force) and consistent winds blow across lake Nicaragua.   These amazing winds are basically Trade Winds that are funneled and amplified as the high pressure on … Continue reading →

Posted in Green Building and Bamboo, Make your own, Nicaragua, Surfing and Surfboards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Make Your Own Cottonwood Balm For Muscle Pain and Wound Healing

Posted on June 3, 2012 by

Kim was in Oregon for an early spring trip and on a hike along the Columbia River found a grove of young cottonwood trees in full bud.  Cottonwood is in the same family as willow, the tree from which aspirin … Continue reading →

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Earthship in China

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

Our friend Ben is really excited about earthships. He wants to build one here in Northern Nicaragua. I didn’t know much about them, but undertook a program of self-study reading through all three volumes of Michael Reynolds’ Earthship books. The … Continue reading →

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Our garden grows

Posted on March 31, 2012 by

We started planting the garden in late October, 2011- lots of  chillies (habanero, jalapeno, arbol, New Mex, serrano and others), various greens, tomatoes, Thai basil, lemongrass, dill, tea tree, sunflowers and a bunch of randoms like purslane and indigo.  Some … Continue reading →

Posted in Eat drink and be merry, Make your own, Nicaragua, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

DIY Guanacaste Stairs

Posted on January 8, 2012 by

We moved into our new cabana about a month prior and had yet to take full advantage of the loft because we didn’t have any stairs.  We had considered several funky stair designs with notched logs and spiral things, but … Continue reading →

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The German Mound Garden

Posted on November 6, 2011 by

As a 31st birthday present to myself I decided to build a garden. I’ve been reading through The Permaculture Garden by Graham Bell and thought the design for a German Mound looked interesting.

Posted in Make your own, Nicaragua | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Tiny House in Hopland

Posted on October 11, 2011 by

On our standard tri-yearly drive between Oregon and LA we finally stopped in the deliciously named Hopland to check out the Real Goods Solar Living Institute. The Tiny House was obviously appealing – a micro home on a trailer built … Continue reading →

Posted in Eat drink and be merry, Green Building and Bamboo, Make your own, Pacific Northwest | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Make Your Own Organic Sunscreen

Posted on July 18, 2011 by

It’s summer time and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll be spending some serious time in the sun. Standard sunscreens are packed with chemicals that are bad for your body, the ocean, and reefs. Organic sunscreens can be … Continue reading →

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