GOAT BARN ADDITIONS

As our hotel guests and readers of the Monte Azul blog know, the goats at Monte Azul are very dear to our hearts.  Their celebrity has been elevated a bit further with the addition of the “Wall of Fame” and new signage.  As you enter the cabreriza (goat barn) you will see the new Monte Azul cheese sign.  This is a large version of our cheese label.  The sign is approximately 1 meter in diameter so it is impossible to miss and lets you know that you have arrived at the cabreriza. 

Once inside the cabreriza, you will find the “Wall of Fame”.  We have installed photos of each of the goats with their respective names.  This allows our guests to know who is who.  Our guests have really liked this new feature and many photos have been taken of them in front of the all the photos. 

It was quite an event to get all of these photos.  Melissa and I had a goat photo shoot one afternoon.  Each goat was paraded out and got to perform - her moment of papparazzi.  Some of the ladies performed very well and others were not quite as cooperative.  There were many distractions such as fresh grass and bushes to eat.  

Only the adult goats are featured on the “Wall of Fame”.  The goats need to be at least 1 year old before we take their photo.  The goat’s hair color, facial features and markings continue to change until about 1 year of age.  It won’t be long before Margarita, Yipy, Patty and Selma get their day in front of the camera.  Their 1^st birthdays are at the end of October. 

Attached are a few photos of these new installations.  

HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?

Last night at that studio around 6 PM when I was getting ready to take the dogs out before dinner I spotted and unexpected visitor hanging out on the door frame.  It was a little tree frog.  He was on the inside of the door frame, not the outside.  After saying hello and taking a good at him, I had to wonder how it managed to get inside and how long he had been living in the house before I noticed him. 

Luckily he was in no hurry to leave and I had time to find the camera and take a few photos.  Carlos can home and took him out and put him in the trees in front of the studio.  Take care of yourself little frog and thanks for the visit.  

SURPRISE! AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL!

On Friday afternoon around 1 PM we welcomed an unexpected arrival.  Pretty Bettina, the new goat that arrived at Monte Azul in early June, gave birth to a baby boy.  We knew that the goats that we bought in June were pregnant but the previous owner had told us that they had been inseminated at the end of May.  The gestation period for goat is approximately 5 months which would have meant that these goats would have their offspring at the end of October.  Needless to say, the previous owner was incorrect.  Pretty Bettina’s baby came 3 months earlier that we anticipated.

We are very happy to have the new kid.  He is adorable.  He looks just like his mother and is very strong.  He was up and walking around within the first 30 minutes of birth.   He has the very small ears which are a trademark of the La Mancha breed of goats.  Carlos named him Beto.    Usually we do not name or keep the male kids.  However, we have made the decision to keep Beto as a stud goat. 

I have attached a few photos of Beto on his first day at Monte Azul. 

We are now wondering if the other 3 new goats that arrived in June , Roxie, Trixie and Catalina, will really give birth at the end of October, tomorrow or somewhere in between.  I will let you know what happens.  

A FEW PHOTOS FROM MONTE AZUL

Yesterday while working at the studio and walking the dogs, I took a few photos.  I thought I would share them.  Before leaving the studio, the monkeys arrived and were watching me while I sat at my computer.  This is a photo of one of the males checking out the rain downspout at the end of the studio. 

On the walk through the property, I saw a few orchids and a heliconia that were in bloom. 

Then, in the afternoon, the agouti come out in the yard in front of the studio to feast on the guavas that had fallen.  It is guava season and there are plenty of them from which to choose.  I think that she ate 4 of them before disappearing back into the forest. 

If you are observant, you can always find something interesting to see at Monte Azul.

GIGO GOES HOME

As you may recall, in early June we brought 6 new production goats to Monte Azul.  A week later, we also brought in a top quality stud goat.  His name is Gigo.  He is a Saanen stud goat.  Saanen goats are originally from Switzerland and have been bred for high milk production.  These goats are easily recognized by there all white coat.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saanen_goat

Gigo is no excpetion.  He is all white and quite handsome for a goat.  He has rock star looks with his tuft of bangs and long beard.   He is very gentle and has learned to love guavas during his tour of duty at Monte Azul.  He was brought to Monte Azul to impregnate our 8 existing goats which he gladly began the minute he jumped off the truck.  Within 10 minutes he had “performed” with 3 goats. 

It usually only takes one “performance” to get a female goat pregnant.  Just to make sure it worked, the goats are then put back together 18 days later.  If she lets him mount her, it didn’t work the first time.  If she doesn’t let him mount her, she is pregnant. 

The 2^nd  time around, none of our 8 goats would let him near them.  So, we have to assume that we now have 8 more females pregnant.  These ladies should have babies in early November.  We also have the 4 females that arrived in early June that are pregnant and should have babies at the end of October.  I will keep you posted. 

With his work done, Gigo left for home.  We will miss him.   

IF A TREE FALLS….

How does the saying go?  If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?  We are in the rainy season in Costa Rica which also means we are in the tree falling season.  That is, if there is such a thing.  The rain forest is an ever evolving entity and one of the most notable changes is when a large tree falls.  This happens more often in the rainy season. 

The rainy season means clear blue sunny skies in the morning with clouds building up in the early afternoon followed by a burst of rain in the late afternoon.   These bursts of heavy rain are quickly absorbed by the forest and an hour after a rain shower it is difficult to tell that it rained at all.  However, these heavy rains saturate the ground quickly and undermine the stability of many large trees because even though the rainforest trees are tall, they tend to have very shallow root systems.

One day last week the rains were accompanied by strong winds which is uncommon.  Usually the rain comes straight down.  The result was many fallen trees.  On the Forest Edge Trail near the Art Studio there was a very large tree that succumbed.  This tree‘s entire root ball pulled out of the ground and the tree leaned to the point of no return. It took everything around it down too. 

The trunk never hit the ground but crossed the trail approximately 5 feet above the trail.  Had it gone all the way to the ground, it would have taken out the bridge and hand rails  too.  We have cut out the section over the trail to make it passable.  The area is very open and sunny now.  This will give new plants and trees the sunlight needed to begin life anew.  In a few months all scars of this event will be unrecognizable with the exception of the tree truck which will take decades to decay. The rain forest never stops changing.  It is an amazing thing to watch.

NEW GOATS ARRIVE!

This week we are very excited to welcome 6 new goats to the Monte Azul family.  Carlos and I realized that we needed to add some new goats to the mix for two reasons.  First, we need to increase our milk production to keep up with the demand for our goat cheeses which includes, chevre, mozzarella, feta and camembert.  Second, we need to get some new blood into our gene pool.  As much as we love our “country” goats, the genetic stock is not up to the same standard as milk production goats.  Each of our plucky little goats gives around 1 liter of milk per day.  Production goats give 2 ½ to 4 liters per day. 

So, Carlos and I headed off in search of new goats.  Like most endeavors in Costa Rica, our search was a very winding and convoluted one.  It is all about asking around and getting phone numbers and lots of leg work.  Our journey led us to Santa Maria de Dota.  This area is famous for coffee and is approximately 2 hours north of Monte Azul.  Here we found a gentleman that has been raising goats for 40 years and had several females that he was willing to sell. 

We bought 2 young females and 4 females that were impregnated before making the trip to Monte Azul . The older females should have the kids at the end of October.  In a week or so, this goat herder will bring his stud goat down to impregnate our other  8 goats.    His stud goat is enormous and is the offspring of a champion.  We are told that it only takes one generation to see a marked improvement in genetics and milk production. 

I have attached a few photos of the new goats.  Like all Monte Azul animals we gave them names.  They are:  Pretty Bettina, Catalina, Trixie, Roxie, Patty and Selma. 

You might wonder why Bettina gets an adjective in her name.  Pretty Bettina is a La Mancha breed.  This breed of goat has very small ears.  Her look can be a bit disconcerting at first so we felt that she needed an extra special name.  Even though she is docile and sweet, her previous owner’s daughter thought that she was ugly and wanted to get rid of her.  We think that she is beautiful  and we are extremely happy to welcome her to our family.  

The other goats are Saanen, the 3 white ones (Catalina, Patty and Selma) and Toggenberg, the 2 brown ones (Trixie and Roxie).  Trixie and Roxie are much more curious than the other goats and have already become the "bad girls" that must constantly be watched.