Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Stone terraces after 6 years

Building stone terraces is among my favorite activities in the farm. We started building good stone terraces in 2004 when we also built my new treehouse then.

Here’s one side of the terraces near the creekside, picture taken from the 2nd floor of my treehouse. This was in April 2004. Notice the small and thin mahogany trees then.



And here’s the same view 6 years after, taken in April 2010…



Last month, we trimmed those young and tall mahogany trees beside my treehouse. It’s getting dark because of the thick leaves outside.

Another view of the terraces from below, near the creek. Picture taken in April 2004.


The mahogany trees were young and thin then. Six years after, the trees have grown bigger and taller, it’s darker now under the canopy.



On another side of my treehouse, there is another cluster of stone terraces beside our dinning hall. Picture below taken in March 2004, when the structure was under construction.



And here’s the view 5 years after, picture taken in March 2009…



And another picture taken a year after, April 2010…



Some of the trees near my treehouse have grown big and tall, they have become dangerous should they be brought down by trong typhoons. Those trees were either trimmed at the top, some are scheduled to be cut within the year, get the wood for lumber, and remove the danger to my treehouse.



Above is another view of the dininghall with stone terraces and a foot bridge. Picture taken last May 2010.



Two guys are taking care of our farm with care and loyalty. In the middle is Ninong Endring Paragas, my wedding godfather. Beside him is his son, Danny, who also became my wedding godson. Without the help of these two guys, all those stone terraces would not have been built and preserved, and all those trees that we planted several years ago would have been cut and stolen by lots of wood poachers. These small-scale illegal loggers just live in the same barrio.

2 comments:

Bonn Juego said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bonn Juego said...

Wow Noy! This is great! Thanks for sharing. I kinda miss the sight, smell, feel, and sound of the 11 ha farm of my Danish friend. It was one of those fantastic weekends I have despite the scratches that may leave a mark in my legs and arms for some months, the rashes that itch me now, and the sun burn (and the hay fever that irritated my nose and eyes during and after the harvest). I look forward to doing the same next year. I'll be better and more prepared by then! It's actually just a hobby of the family for organic farming that sustains the family's needs for food - organic and fresh lamb, they also bake their own bread from their harvest, etc.