July 2023

It was July 29th, 2023. There were few clouds in the sky. The sun was scorchingly hot! A gentle breeze coming off the water did little to cool things down. The relative humidity was about 87%. This was not the weather to be doing boat work. The humidity was too high for varnish work, and […]

Sao Miguel Island is home to several pineapple plantations. The climate is such that this fruit is grown solely in greenhouses. These are the only pineapple plantations in Europe. Pineapple Greenhouses I believe these are the only pineapple greenhouses in the world. On July 27th, 2023, I took a self-guided tour of the pineapple plantation

Ribeira Dos Caldeirōes Park On Thursday, July 20th, I went to Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park. There are several waterfalls at the park. The biggest and most famous waterfall known is the Bride’s Veil. It is a prominent feature when you enter the park. Bride’s Veil Waterfall The park includes five historic water mills and

Furnas is a volcano. It last erupted in 1630. There are two calderas. One is just 6km wide. The older one is undetermined because the caldera overlaps that of another volcano on the island just east of Furnas. The area is still very active, but mostly in the form of hot springs and volcanic gasses.

On Saturday, July 15th, I enjoyed a late afternoon beer at my favorite cafe’; Azores Forever. UB40’s remake of “Red, Red, Wine” was playing. I looked over at a table slightly behind me. The conversation was interesting; part English, Portuguese, and Spanish. All three languages are common, but not in one conversation. There I saw