The gardener's eye

The Gardener's Eye

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Still Winter in New Hampshire


I hiked Pack Monadnock this morning after a fresh snowfall. This is the view of Mount Monadnock at the summit. Springtime still feels a long way off here in New Hampshire......

Saturday, March 28, 2015

The Citadel in Northern Haiti


I recently returned from Haiti where I participated in a mission to provide eye care  near the city of Cap Haitien. Our group took an R&R day and made an excursion to the Citadel, a fortress in the mountains of northern Haiti, a symbol of Haiti becoming the first black republic when African slaves gained their independance from the French in 1804.

The leader of Haiti at the time of the revolution, Jean-Jacques Dessallines, entrusted one of his generals, Henri Christophe, to build a network of fortresses to defend Haiti from the French. The Citadel was the most impressive fortress, taking 14 years to complete, and was constructed from local stone. Our guide informed us that a mixture of molasses, goat and cow blood, and cow hooves were used as mortar.

The citadel contains a series of cisterns and storehouses designed to provide a year's supply of food and water for up to 5,000 soldiers within its colossal walls. It boasts over 365 cannons imported from England and Spain. The fortress took 20,000 workers nearly 14 years to complete. Countless workers lost their lives during the construction. Interestingly, the French never returned to reclaim Haiti and the Citadel was never put to use to protect Haiti. The Citadel has survived numerous earthquakes and remains a symbol of liberty for all Haitians.













The Citadel as seen from our hotel atop the 3000 ft Bonnet a L'Eveque Mountain (the rectangular structure on right central peak).


Sunday, March 8, 2015

Gorda Peak Hike


I recently returned from a vacation Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. In 1974,  Laurance Rockefeller donated approximately 250 acres of land which became Gorda Peak National Park. Gorda Peak is the highest point on Virgin Gorda at 1,370 ft. It is unique because it is one last remaining examples of Caribbean dry forest. There is a hiking trail to the peak, about a 30 minute walk. The vegetation varies with elevation: starting with dry scrub forest and becoming more moist as the elevation increases. At the top of the trail there is a lookout tower which has dramatic panorama views of the British Virgin Islands. There were many varieties of orchids and bromeliads along the trail. It was exciting to see tender plants that I use as annuals in their natural habitat.
















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