Saipan, Uncle A'be's house

Saipan, A'be's house - porch, originally uploaded by *caramimi*.

My Uncle A'be, lives a fairly natural life on his beautifully tended property. Although he has one of the last tin & wood houses on our family compound, his tidy house and garden is the charming ideal of tropic life.

I spent a few afternoons at my uncle's house having lunch. After a filling meal of tuna and rice (cooked on the wood-fueled stove), I took some pics of the inside and outside kitchens, and the surrounding property. The carnival of plant life and color, was almost too vibrant -- a feast for the senses. I especially loved the Asian touches Aunt Amy accented throughout their home.

petta (door)

kusina (inside kitchen)

All the cooking is done in the outside kitchen. Most families have gas-burning stoves, but Uncle A'be still prefers cooking with firewood -- even rice, despite the fact he owns a rice cooker.

The poured concrete sink in the outside kitchen. Utilitarian, yet beautiful design.

A tree runs through the outside kitchen, conveniently used to hold the cutting board.

aga yan chotda (ripe & unripe bananas)

Every home, I visited, had bunches of bananas hanging to ripen. I'm not certain of these varieties, but the small bunch in the back are the tiny thin-skinned bananas with sweet, firm, almost tart flesh, usually found in Asian or Latin markets.

The huge tree with tire swing was perfection.

Uncle A'be was particularly proud of this bunch of coconut trees, he made sure I photographed it.

multi-petaled hibiscus

acalypha hispida aka "Mother-in-law's tongue!"

garden fireworks