Ahhh...the dog days of summer.
August was a surprisingly good month although it's slowed down since. The streets are empty as Hurricane Hanna and Ike ventured north of Puerto Rico. They were mild storms that turned heavy after they passed, giving us fun surf. The locals say the "spirit of El Yunque" protects the island.Last week gave us a "breather" so we can upgrade Banana Dang for the upcoming season: a local woodworker made us some new pine bookshelves for our book exchange and merch area, we installed new signs and expanded our menu that now includes cinnamon toast, homemade delicious "Rocky Road to Happiness" brownies, Oatmeal a-la-mode cookies (with apple + cream-cheese icing), chocolate chip scones and the tasty Spanish sponge cake, Brazo Gitano.
And not one to be shy about coffee: We proudly introduce the new Puerto Ricans in town—Sandra Farms Coffee—from the mountainous region of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. The roasters are a mom-and-pop team who walked in one day with the most pleasant sweet-toned aroma beans. In fact, we liked them so much we named Sandra Farms our official house coffee and designed their website. Also in rotation are Puerto Rican coffees Hacienda San Pedro, Yauco Selecto and Cafe Mananero, plus the award-winning "Black Cat" espresso from Intelligentsia in the States.
Yes, we do miss home (California). What we found out living here is that electricity and water are definitely luxuries. In the summer, especially, power can be knocked out for 10-15 hours, with water running empty for 8-12 hours. Every business has to have a generator, water pump and an extra water tank to stay afloat. Those expenses are costly but necessary. There's no buyer's remorse, but we do realize there are things we take for granted. Luckily, we're not living in a Third World country. Crime in Rincon are "crimes of passion," as the ex-owner of our home told us with a smirk on his face.
What's kept us busy and creatively juiced is our graphic design business—now officially DANG Factory. It falls under the marketing umbrella of Banana Dang and stands for Design, Art, Network and Graphics. We've designed posters for the local chapter of Surfrider Foundation, logos and brochures for Lazy Parrot, Belmar Parasail and a slew of indie businesses in the area. DANG Factory has a website on its way. Next month, we are debuting our new ads for local paper El Coqui.
We're off to the water every day to snorkel or surf. It's a luxury you can't get back home on a daily basis. To love Rincon, you have to love the ocean or nature. There is relatively no materialism and people do live off the land. We cherish this and feel that our experiences here will always make for good story-telling at campfire parties!If you haven't been to Rincon and want to see what it's like—check out Gabriel and the Sea—a new 5-minute short by Brendan Basham of Tapas Bar (great restaurant located a few blocks from us). It's possibly the beginning (or the ending) of a larger project. Starring Paul Carmean. Music by Brokeback. Best seen with headphones and expanded to fit the screen.
Peace out, T2 + Mario
