It may not be on the mountain height...

Another First for Cape Verde

Twenty five years ago César Ribeiro was one of the first missionaries called from Cape Verde to serve a mission.  He served a full time mission in Portugal.  Last week his oldest daughter, Dainira, received her mission call to serve in Manaus, Brazil.  This is the first time that a second generation missionary has been called from Cape Verde.  

Dainira Ribeiro with her proud papa, Bishop César Ribeiro.

This week Sister Erickson thought she had died and gone to heaven.  We visited a large commercial vegetable garden site in Mindelo.

Lettuce and Carrots.  Notice the large covered tent-like structures on either side.  They are filled with vegetables as well.

This is a desalinization machine that provides fresh water for the gardens.  Water comes from a well about 30 meters deep.  However the water is salty since the area is so close to the sea.

The actual separation of the salt from the water takes place in the white pipes.  This machine can produce up to 50 cubic meters of fresh water per day.

These are tomato plants inside one of the tents.

Adilson César Melício, the owner of the gardens, is on the left.  Bishop Neves is in the background.

Here is a tent full of squash.  The tents are made of a fine mesh material that lets light in but keeps dust and insects out.  The plants are also protected from the wind.

Since bees cannot get into the tents, all fertilization is done by hand.

Another trip to the Island of Santo Antão

We rode in a van for three hours to get to the west side of the island.

Here we encountered the small village of Cruzinho.

Another view of the Atlantic Ocean.  Notice the steep cliffs.  More about those below.

Finally we arrived at our destination, Mocho.

These gardens, with the exception of the solar panels, are a result of a garden and drip-line watering system furnished by LDS Charities two years ago.

We are considering a continuation of this project.

This takes gardening to a whole new level

Without water the land remains dry for most of the year.

This family is one of the 21 families that live in Mocho.

João Fortes with his wife Paulina, step-daughter, Janeira, daughter, Maria and son, Elias.  João, a convert to the church of four years, is first counselor in the branch presidency of Ribeira Grande which is over 33 km from Mocho.

We're on the top of the world, lookin' down on creation...

On our return trip to the ferry, we asked our driver to take us over the mountains instead of around the island.

Since I am afraid of heights, I had second thoughts about five minutes into the trip.  How would you like to live in those homes on top?

Notice the terraces below.  These are quite common throughout the area.

A reluctant pose.

Could you take just a few steps back?

It may not be on the mountain height or over the stormy sea.  Then again it may be.

A 500 foot drop on one side of the road is bad enough but these stretches had cliffs on both sides.  Notice who is standing towards the middle.  Our driver said that there was no reason to be afraid since there was a wall on each side of the road.

For some reason the song by the Carpenters, "I'm on the top of the world..."  keeps running through my head today.  Sorry for being a little cheezy.

Another wonderful Sunday Dinner

Today with Sister Raphael and Sister Ayers