Selva Del Mar

A horseback ride at Selva Del Mar

2011-06-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Until I get this embedding issue fixed, here's a link to the horseback riding video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJLuFvcSC78

May/June 2011

2011-06-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this video shot last August at Selva Del Mar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivsGGpYfAvM

And here is a short video of Selva Del Mar during the dry season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lXK4OlfzsY

September 2009 Update

2009-10-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos,
It's been too long since we updated the blog, but we have been busy at Selva Del Mar. Two of the three lots in our NSR promotion campaign have sold and we are continuing to improve the infrastructure. The first picture is of Dominique on her lot.

October is a time to be mindful of rain and drainage. So before the rains came, we got to work preparing for it. This picture is at the entrance to Selva Del Mar. There was a huge mud puddle there, so when we got a little dry spell in July, we filled it with a truckload of crushed rock and then tamped it down with that compression device.

Drainage channels are being installed so we can keep the water off the road.

This area receives a lot of the runoff from the higher up areas so we wanted to insure there would be no erosion.

This crushed rock will be tamped in.

The drainage curbs are going in on Calle Monte de Oro.

Here you can see the drainage curb going in front of Colin, Dominique and Gray's lots.

Work has now been done all the way to Joe's house.

Drainage is particularly important on the road going to the top of Selva Del Mar.

So we are putting in more drainage channels and crushed rock.

Another truckload of crushed rock at the entrance of Selva Del Mar.

This is a picture of Dom and Colin's lots. See the young hardwood trees that we planted?

Vidal is doing well and so is Filete.

This is what it's all about here at Selva Del Mar. Excitement and thrills nearby, but tranquility at home.

Saludos!

May Update

2009-05-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos,

We are making more improvements to the infrastructure at Selva Del Mar. Here are some pictures of the drainage work we are doing. I know, you probably aren't too entertained by construction oriented pictures, but it's important to keep moving forward with making Selva Del Mar an even better place to be. And we want to show you that we take these things seriously and that we are committed to the project. We want to get as much of this drainage work done before the usual May rains start in earnest. Early May saw some great surf in southern Nicaragua. Check out www.nicaraguasurfreport.com, especially the May 7th photos. There, you will see Gray and his friends Mateo, Chris (Bubby) and others scoring big time. The fishing and diving have been improving too. By the way, did you see our ads on Nicaragua Surf Report? We have a promotion going for the next 3 lots sold, 33% off. We already sold two lots on the promotion, so there is only one more opportunity to take advantage. This is a great time to take advantage of low prices. We will even work out a financing plan for your purchase.
I just got a call from Sergio and it seems my horse, Filete, ate up most of the new grass we planted along that drainage area near the creek. It may be time to build a little corral for him before he gets into any more mischief. Sergio also told me that his mare over at Bella Mar had yet another foal. We don't know who the daddy is, but now he has 3 horses instead of one. Anyway, the horses have been busy! Gray, Ryan, Zach and Cody were able to get the bar at Olas Gigantes open for Semana Santa with help from Rob Plath and Selva Del Mar lot owner Ed Schrade. That is the craziest and busiest time of year in Gigante, and all went well. Now they are working on the kitchen and then they will focus on getting the lodging ready. Soon, you will have more choices of places to stay in Gigante. Rob Dull's Hotel Brio has been improved. www.hotelbrio.com. Joe's place, here at Selva Del Mar, is available for room rental. www.joestropicalcribs.com. And soon, you can stay on the beach at the boy's place, Olas Gigantes (OG's for short). If you want more upscale high end lodging, you can stay at our Villa Espiral in Rancho Santana. www.villaespiral.com. Gray tells me Ed has been charging Selva Del Mar on his mountain bike. Yeah Ed! Send me some pics! We also wanted to let you know that Adam Monaghan is doing good things in Gigante with his Project Woo. www.projectwoo.org. This is a great way to give back to the local community. Project Woo operates from Joe's house at Selva Del Mar. Please consider making a donation to this worthy cause. We hope you can come down and visit us soon. Saludes! www.sdmnica.com

April Update

2009-04-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos,

Joe's house is done, so you can now stay at Selva Del Mar and get the full experience of living with nature. Here is his new website. We hope you can come and visit us here at our natural sanctuary in the coastal hills of southern Nicaragua.

www.joestropicalcribs.com

Saludos,

Lincoln

March Update

2009-03-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos,

Well this last trip to Nicaragua was one of the best ever. Unforgettable in many ways. I will work backwards from the day I returned home on Sunday, March 15th. I spent Saturday night at Selva Del Mar with Gray and Ryan because my guests at Villa Espiral had arrived that afternoon, so I had to move out.

I woke up at daybreak, a little groggy from the barbeque and Tona fest we had the previous night, but I wanted to hike to the top of Selva Del Mar to see where the sunrise is near the time of the vernal equinox. I want to be mindful of that sunrise location when we design the house for lot 4. Anyway, it was just me and the sounds of birds. The creek was all but empty as it is the heart of dry season. There were a few little fish splashing around in one of the remaining pockets of water just west of the creek crossing.

The wind has blown harder this dry season than any year since I have been coming to Nicaragua. It made the water cold enough for a full wetsuit during the early part of the week, and it blew down several of our trees. This was sad, but it did provide some firewood for open air cooking and barbecuing. Gray had borrowed a chain saw and had already cut a bunch of it up before I arrived on March 8th (Gray's birthday...more on that later).

Still, most of the trees made it through intact and lots of them were blooming. Pink and yellow were the predominant colors. As I walked past Colin's lot, I saw our horse, Filete, grazing there. He's getting a little chubby, being the only grazer at Selva Del Mar. He looked strong, having fully recovered from a horsefight across a barbed wire fence. Apparently both horses were rearing up and throwing punches with their front hooves when Filete caught one of his on the fence and cut his leg badly. Lots of blood. Thankfully Gray and his buddies, Rob, Ben and Ryan showed up and put a T shirt tourniquet on it to stop the bleeding. After some antibiotics and a little healing time, he was as good as new.

In fact, Filete is now in demand! More folks are coming to visit Gigante and some want to rent horses. I talked to Gray yesterday, and he was stoked because he rented out Filete yesterday for $20 per hour to somebody who wanted to ride him on the beach. With Gray, Ryan, Cody and Zach's little beachfront project almost done (more on that later), they will be able to offer their (and our) guests boating, horses, and probably some jet ski's too. Anyway, we are looking at getting more horses! Are you ready to ride horses to a surf spot? I'm going to get a surfboard holster made. Now that's the new frontier!

I brought my video camera for the hike, but ended up running out of battery power before I reached the top, so when I got there, I devoted the location of the sunrise to memory and sat down in the warm light to watch some beautiful hummingbirds feed on the tree flowers. In the distance, I could see that Panga Drops was still way overhead, and looking out toward Pie de Gigante, I could see that the left off the island at the south end of the Bahia was still breaking even though it was high tide.

After the hike and some pancakes, I went down to the beach to see how the boy's beachfront place was coming along. They call their place Olas Gigante. They hope to have it ready for Semana Santa. With their local partner Zacharias Martinez, they have obtained a provisional alcohol permit so it looks like the rum and beer will be flowing for Nicaragua's biggest beach party that starts April 3 and lasts for a week. Semana Santa is definitely party time in Nicaragua.

Here is a picture of Olas Gigante.

Here is Ryan at the beach entrance to Olas Gigante. Still lots to do, but you don't need everything done to serve beer and rum...right Ryan?

Here is Ben, Rob and Gray, at the entrance of Olas Gigante. Another day at the office.

Being Sunday, the beachgoers were showing up. Buses have now begun bringing folks to Gigante. There were people playing soccer and baseball, setting up umbrellas, and hanging under the trees. Kids were playing in the water and everyone was full of smiles. As I stepped from Ola Gigante's door onto the sand, I could see the left was still breaking off the island, so I walked down there to check the action. On the way, a soccer ball was kicked my way and after an impromptu mini game and handshakes with smiling Nicas, I resumed my stroll to the break.

As I approached, I saw Chele pull into a barrel and sit in in it for a couple of seconds as I looked straight in. Then his brother Irwin scored another. What? Tubes off the island? That was a revelation. I had seen some rights spit off the north end of the beach last fall, but now the south end was going off. It reminded me of that part in Endless Summer where people were saying "there are no waves in Tahiti!" Trust me, there are waves in Gigante, as well as nearby. I climbed up the rocks and took some shots with my iphone of Rob and the local boys enjoying chest to head high waves. Here is a two shot sequence of Rob Plath. Notice how it gets hollower as it goes past that rock. It's actually a pretty long wave.

Later, I heard that Colorado was going off and that the pros were getting some sick tubes. The report from the day before had been that Colorado was closing out and had broken 6 boards, so I guess the swell had moved enough sand around that it had shape by Sunday morning.

I never even made it to Colorado this trip. Saturday morning saw me out at Rosada on a macking swell. Jan, Paul, Mark, and his friend shared the lineup with me. After pulling into a few barrels and getting heavily caught inside on a few, I decided to come in, catch my breath, get some food and rest up for a later session.

At low tide, I drove to the checkout spot for a hidden secret spot. I couldn't believe
my eyes! It was huge, breaking a quarter mile out, with perfectly shaped lefts, at least 12 foot. Nobody out, not even on the beach. I called Gray and told him to come over and surf it with me. It was too big to go out alone. By the time the boys arrived two hours later (nothing happens swiftly in Nicaragua), the tide had come up and the size had dropped to about 8 to 10 foot, but it was still empty and good shape. Gray, Ryan, Ben and I surfed it until we were too tired to paddle into them (or get caught inside) anymore. Rob stayed on the beach having already exhausted himself on dozens of long rides in Gigante that morning. That was a session I will never forget. Big, carveable glassy reef break lefts with some standup shacks. Just me, my son and our buddies. Yes, some of the spots can get crowded, but if you know where to look and when...well, it is still a magical place my friends.

Friday the 13th was no less lucky. As soon as the tide started to drop that morning, I made my way down to the beach at Rosada just as Mark Brown was coming off his front steps with his board. Mark, Joe, Paul and I shared the morning session on the rising swell. I was blessed to come out of what was one of the best barrels I have ever ridden there. It's a technical wave and it can warble and pinch while you are in the tube, but this one stayed wide open and dry. I came out hooting my head off (ok I admit it, I also did a two handed "claim"), and paddled back out with an ear to ear grin.

That evening, we had a high tide session at Rosada that reminded me of bull fighting. At high tide, the wave looks deceptively good, and it is, but it breaks really close to the rocks, which usually don't show themselves until right before you jump to your feet. If you don't get pitched right onto dry reef (one guy did and ended up cutting his feet), you find yourself wedged between a heaving double up that is firing down the line and exposed rocks that are just a few feet to the beach side of you. There is no margin for error. It's like being a matador, with the horns missing you by inches while you (try) to look calm and in control. A guy from San Clemente named Shaun was out and he took off as far back as I have seen anyone go at high tide and somehow managed to squeek through. Amazing! Bryan from NSR paddled out and we had a blast sharing some trecherous but very rewarding waves. As I got out of the water, Mark's wife Cathy was waving for me to come up and have a beer with them. So as the sun set, Mark, Cathy, Brian, Heather, their kids and I hung out while we grownups drank beer and wine. Brian and Heather's 5 month baby girl, Safari has the prettiest blue eyes and she just fixed them on me as we sat on their porch and talked story. After watching a great little outer reef video, I walked across the street to Villa Espiral and was soon fast asleep.

Monday through Thursday had smaller surf, but there were some surprisingly good waves at Santana Beachbreak where I got a chance to chat with Tony (from Surf Sanctuary) and thank him for teaming up with NSR to help a little local girl get surgery to repair a cleft palate. We had all pitched in to fund it, and we all just felt grateful to help a fine local family improve the quality of their lives. I encourage all of you to help out too by making donations to the Roberto Clemente Medical Clinic that is just outside the gates of Rancho Santana. They take care of the local community and sew up a lot of surfer's cuts too.

My arrival on March 8th was a classic. I turned on the video camera as I drove into Rancho Santana and pulled into the driveway at Villa Espiral. Gray's birthday party was already in full swing. I am putting together a video of the event, so I will post that soon. But it was a great party that raged into the night. When I woke up the next morning, there were people sleeping everywhere. On the couches, on cushions on the floor. Somebody had pulled two chairs together and was curled up on them. Monday was siesta day for most of the party goers, but I was just too stoked to be there so I was up early, just being grateful how good it can be in Nicaragua.

Back at Selva Del Mar, Joe's house is pretty much done now. As soon as I know more about it's rental availability and costs I will let you know.

Until next time, keep the dream alive. It certainly is in Nicaragua.

Aloha,

Lincoln

January 2009

2009-01-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

If 2008 bucked you right into the dust....or gored you in the gut.....

If 2009 is staring you down and you feel like a target....

If the herd even seems spooky...

If you are yoked and mired.....

If the vultures are gathering,

to pick your bones clean...

If the outhouse walls are falling in on you and the whole world is watching....

take heart! There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Just say a prayer, take a deep breath, and visualize...

a beautiful place, sacred to your soul.

Find that place in your mind's eye,

and be there now!

Imagine a point, leading to...

an empty beach...

See the whole breadth of it all...

Walk that beach and hear the beat of the swell.

Be grateful that you can go there now, seeing with your mind's eye. Keep that peace and joy you feel when you imagine the best in the moment.

Then go make it real.

December 2008 Update

2008-12-05T17:20:00.001-08:00

Hola Amigos,

Our little friend at Selva Del Mar seems to be saying hi too. I have no idea what this one is. The face looks different from a Cuyoso. Gray also showed me a picture he took on his cell phone of a creature that might have been some kind of anteater, with a long snout and big claws that it used, unfortunately, on the side of Solo's head. The poor dog's jaw swelled up but he seems to be getting better now.

Let's take a hike to the top of Selva Del Mar. First, you stroll through the fruit trees, where the many citrus trees are heavy with fruit.

At the end of the row of trees, our new pump house is almost done.

After walking west along the creek, we come to the road that crosses the creek.

The creek is flowing with clear water. We saw small fish darting around.

After crossing the creek and turning right on Calle Monte de Oro, we came to Joe's new house. Leonide's crew is laying the tile now.

We have this kind of tile in our historical home in San Clemente. By sheer coincidence, Joe is using it here.

There will be some sweet vistas from these windows.

And from the swimming pool.

Moving on, we head up the the road to the top, checking Joe's place from behind.

Heading back down to the creek, we are struck again by the beauty of Selva Del Mar, by it's wildlife, it's changes, and the sheer diversity of flora and fauna. November is a great time to visit Selva Del Mar.

Saludos,

Lincoln

September 2008 Update

2008-09-17T19:26:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Selva Del Mar. We are making steady progress with our little place in the trees. The water system has been installed all the way to the top. There are valve houses at several places along the road to the top to service the various lots. We have a large water tank at the top. It is a temporary until we install our underground concrete storage tank adjacent to lot 1. Once that is built, we will construct an observatory over it so visitors and owners alike can get both the panoramic view from the top, and a better surf check of Panga Drops and Colorado.

While we were on lot 4 one afternoon, it was clear enough to see the top of Vulcan Concepcion, one of the two volcanoes that make up Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua. Sorry, I didn't have my camera with me for that one.

Here is a shot of the tree bridge in front of Selva Del Mar, where the monkeys can travel from Zacatan Reserve to Selva Del Mar and back.

Here I am, checking out the citrus trees at the front of Selva del Mar. We were really fortunate to get good weather as it had been raining hard for a couple of weeks before we arrived. But everything looked good and the plants and trees are loving the water and sun.

Here are some shots of Howler monkeys taken at Selva del Mar.

The creeks are flowing. Last October, Gray and Ryan jumped into the main creek at Selva Del Mar with their surfboards, and floated all the way to the ocean.

Here are some more of our young trees we have planted.

Here are some nice shots of Gigante. We don't focus on getting a lot of surfing or wave shots, but this trip only confirmed that there are many waves in and around Gigante that can get really good under the right conditions. Some of these spots can go off right under your nose if you don't know when and where to look. I can tell you that we surfed some great waves very close to Selva Del Mar with nobody else out.

The better known spots were also breaking well. The sandbars have really built up during the last few weeks of rains.

No hustle or bustle in Gigante.

My wife, Angela and my high school buddy, Jack Ridley came down with us this time.

This is Gray, Ryan, Angela and me on the beach at Gigante.

Here are some more shots from the Tola area, taken by Jack. Thanks, Jack for the great pics!

No trip is complete without a stop or two or three at Yolanda's for some great meals. Thanks to Yolanda, Ingrid, Rosa ad Ivania for some delicious food and warm hospitality.

Here are some extra scenes from Nicaragua.

I am wrapping up the final loose ends on our house at Rancho Santana, the luxury development north of Selva Del Mar. By way of comparison, Rancho Santana's least expensive lots are about the price of Selva Del Mar's most expensive lots.

If you buy a lot at Selva Del Mar, we will give you a free week at our place in Rancho Santana. Check it out at www.villaespiral.blogspot.com

Now that Angela and I have finished Villa Espiral, we will be refocusing our efforts on the Selva Del Mar bamboo project and on the house design for lot 4 at Selva Del Mar, that we share with our partners, Jimbo and Lisa.

Joe's house is coming along well. We will try to get you some pictures of that for our next update.

This is Lincoln, signing out, with some more Jack Ridley photos from Park Central, Rivas, Nicaragua, in front of the historical colonial church.

Keep laughing!

August Update

2008-08-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends, I am still here in California. I twisted my knee a couple of weeks ago, so we deferred our trip to Nicaragua until early September. The knee is getting better, slowly but surely.

Meanwhile, Selva Del Mar's globe trotting South African owner of lot 29 sent us some pictures of him surfing Colorado.

Beautiful pics, Colin, very crisp and clear. Looks like Tony Robert's work. Verdad?

Colin was in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa when he sent us these Colorado pics. He had to fly from Nicaragua to San Francisco and then to Singapore before flying to his homeland.

He arrived in Jeffreys Bay shortly after the ASP contest and apparently scored some great surf there before heading off for warmer and more remote African surf. He's back in the Philippines now, where he is a teacher.

Sorry ladies. Colin is married.

We hope to see you again soon in Nicaragua, bro!

July Baseball

2008-07-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since there was a baseball game in Gigante. The pueblo used to have a field and a team, but when the field was sold, the team faded away.

Like many Nicaraguans, Zacharias, aka Chivo, has a passion for the game. Zach had a tryout with a professional team and has some real skills. It was his dream to bring baseball back to Gigante.

So he did it. Here he is at Gigante's inaugural home game on the new field just down the road from Selva Del Mar.

Selva Del Mar lot owner, Joe, was essential in providing support for the team and in making the playing field a reality.

We helped out too. We bought the team outfits and hats. Joe and I got honorary hats and shirts out of the deal.

It was a double header and Gigante won the first game but let the second one get away from them.

Gigante fans cheer on their team.

Chanelle and Cassidy from legendary surf guide, Dale Dagger's crew, were there to offer their support

This was a really fun day and I'm only sorry we don't have more pictures to show you now, but we'll post more as they come in.

Gloria wants to know if you would like some cactus fruit juice.

Gloria mixes in a lot of raw sugar, but there is a delightful, tangy, fruity flavor backing up the sweetness.

The boys are going for a coconut milk and fruit concoction.

Follow your path.

June and July

2008-07-07T20:27:00.001-07:00

Hello from Selva Del Mar,
It is truly amazing how quickly everything is transformed when rainy season begins. It is all so lushly verdant now. It seems as if it happens overnight.
Here on lot 5 you can clearly see Pie de Gigante.

Turn around, and this is your view to the east. Classic central american coastal forest.

The Malinche trees are blooming.

Here's a little glimpse of Panga Drops and Los Perros, taken from lot 4. We scored some really good surf. We drove to the side south of Rio Colorado, scoring a fun session with Timmy Reyes and others. The prior day, we had lunch at Rancho Santana while watching Timmy and Damien Hobgood put on a show at First Peak.
A couple of days later, Gray and I surfed it alone during mid-afternoon. What more can you ask for than a father, son surf session, trading waves with nobody out? Gray's positioning and tube riding skills are at a really high level now. The next day, we shared it with four or five other guys, and I got a barrel with not a drop out of place, looking out the rabbit hole for the whole wave, emerging dry. That hasn't happened often enough lately and it just felt sublime. Gray was really an inspiration with his backdoor approach to the wedgy board breaker.

But back to Selva Del Mar. We completed the planter area at the entrance gate.

The gutters are in along the entrance

Respecting what is already there.

Here is Juancho, with Gray's new puppy, "Killer." This is the rockwork leading to the creek crossing.

Gray, checking out the construction on Joe's house at lot 33.

Looking down at Joe's house from lot 16.

Lot 29 has been sold to South African surfer/teacher Colin. Congratulations Colin, and welcome to the family
of Selva Del Mar lot owners.

Our Cuidador, Vidal, is doing a great job with the garden.

If it's not growing at Selva Del Mar, you can probably get it from the produce truck that stops in front of our casita.

Filete is doing well. It was fun to ride him up to the top of Selva Del Mar in the morning for a quick surf check.

There were butterflys everywhere.

The water system is being installed.

For my last evening before returning home, we decided to have a little fiesta. We bought a pig. Juan Tomas killed and butchered it.

Here is Gloria, getting the pork ready for Nacatamales.

With kids and grandkids nearby, Gloria carefully wraps some pork, corn meal, tomatoes, onions, and mint into a banana leaf.

Gloria's daughter ties off the package.

And into the pot it goes.

Have you ever grilled pork on the grill of a fan, over an open wood fire? Yummy!

The boys whoop it up with local community leader and Selva Del Mar Sales agent, Zacharias Martinez Lopez.

Later, Gray and his beautiful novia, Yamali are all smiles, happy to have each other.

Beware, the empty bottle of Flor de Cana!

Travis came over to share in the festivities.

Our next door neighbor, Hebe, aka "Toro" will have to wait for a better close up shot.

We love being part of the community, sharing beautiful Gigante with those for whom it has always been home. Thanks to all the locals who make us feel so welcome. In my next update, I'll tell you all about the first home game in 7 years for the local Gigante baseball team that we are supporting .

Saludos!

May Update

2008-05-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

Happy May to you,

We were busy last month, and nearly forgot to feed Solo.

Actually, these two are great friends and they have a steady diet of leftovers. These are rice and bean eating critters. They are also very opportunistic and will eat just about anything. I haven't seen a finicky pet in Nicaragua. I haven't seen any fat ones either.

We fixed a problem we had last rainy season when water was coming off the Gigante road in front of Selva Del Mar, and was making a muddy mess across our entrance road on its way to the creek. So now we are helping it along.

Now the runoff will go under the road

and move through the channel to the creek.

Here is the channel running to the creek.

In this picture, we are looking toward the entrance and the Gigante road. I like how we built around the tree.

Special thanks to Rick and Segio for all their hard work. Doing a development project is complicated in the states and Nicaragua has an extra layer of sneaker sets one must duck dive. They are shouldering most of the load for project supervision and doing a great job while navigating some tricky but very promising waters.

The entrance road has been surfaced with crushed rock, so we are ready for May's rains, and the beginning of green season.

The creek crossing is done. Here is Rick, trying it out.

We also put crushed rock on Calle Monte de Oro. We left trees in the middle of the road near the rotunda (cul de sac)

We added a few more gaviones up near lot 1, so it will be safer to turn around up there.

We are still working to reduce costs and refine the design for the Bamboo project. You can only cut the bamboo on a full moon, so our next window is late May. We have obtained an appraisal for the front property and have a pro forma for those of you who are interested in investing in our bamboo project. If you would like more information, please email me at lincolngardner@sdmnica.com

Selva Del Mar and one of our lot owners, Joe Gilbert, are helping Gigante to revive their baseball team. We are helping out in the preparation of the local baseball field and we are supplying uniforms and other baseball related goodies to the team. Our local sales agent and community leader, Zacharias, who is an excellent player (he was given a major leagues tryout) is organizing the team (that's Cody in the picture, not Zach). If you would like to contribute to the program in any way, please let us know by sending me an email at lincolngardner@sdmnica.com.

Saludes!

April 2088 Update

2008-04-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Selva del Mar. Dry season means howling offshore winds. And April usually means a couple of good swells. If you've been following nicaraguasurfreport.com, you know that March had some really good surf. Keep it coming!

The dry season is also a good time to get infrastructure work done at Selva Del Mar. We've been trucking in lots of rock, sand and cement.

The creek crossing uses a lot of the rock.

If the water gets to the top of the posts, driving across would be sketchy. So it's good to have a gauge. If it gets that high, you might want to use the planned footbridge. This rarely happens, though October is a pretty good bet for high water. Any other time of year, and the water level, if any, will nearly always be low enough to drive across. When it does get that high, it typically subsides within a couple of hours.

A lot of crushed rock is being graded into the roads so they won't get too muddy in the rain.

Here's what Calle Monte de Oro looks like after the upgrade. The road for lots 29-43.

House construction on this street should start soon.

Up on top of Selva Del Mar, the drainage system below the gaviones is in place.

This pictures looks toward the coast. Lots 4 and 5 are on the knoll.

Wishing you the clearest of tidepools,

Aloha.

March 2008 Update

2008-03-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hello from Nicaragua. This is where our Guadua Bamboo has been growing, 375 miles from Selva Del Mar. It rains 10 months a year in this area, so there is an ample supply of large Bamboo.
We are close to starting our Bamboo project. Pepe and Panta Leon have found the closest quality source for the Guadua Bamboo. The planned date for the cutting is March 29th. Apparently, cutting them right after the Vernal Equinox helps encourage them to regenerate.

Inta, The Institute of Agricultural Techniques has given us the ok to buy the Guadua.

Here is Pepe, checking out some amazing bamboo.

Faithful Bamboo visionairies.

Pepe has entered the design for Bamboo Casa #1 into an architectural ecohabitat competition. If you would like a pdf of his presentation, send me an email, and I will reply with the file. lincolngardner@sdmnica.com

Meanwhile, back at Selva Del Mar, we are improving the entrance, the entrance road and we are building the creek crossing.

These pictures were taken during a past rainy season. Partners Bob Nealy, Greg Ozimec, our old caretaker, Mario, Pepe and I are checking out the lower part of Selva Del Mar from lot 7 or 8. Our other partner, Rich Brown, was behind the camera.

Lot 5 has been sold. But we still have several panoramic ocean view lots available.

Aloha

February Update

2008-02-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

I just got back from Nicaragua. It was another great trip, starting with the surf. You don't expect to see too much south swell action during this time of year. Prime surf season is April to September. But sometimes you can really score, and this time we did. For three days straight, we surfed two of southern Nicaragua's best beach breaks with nobody out and head high plus barrels. At one of them, the left wedge was really working really well, with Gray backdooring the peak repeatedly and just completely disappearing, only to emerge with so much speed that it was hard to turn (especially with the sore ankle he got trying a 180 chop hop the week before). At the other beach break, we rode speed shack rights from north of the NSR house to the rio and beyond. Wow. Don't anyone pinch me. It's still hard to believe. Nobody even on the beach . But you can't expect to get those conditions all the time. By the end of week, it was back to knee/waist high. Sorry, no pictures, so if you don't believe it, that's ok. Gray didn't want me to say anything anyway.

He didn't want me to post any pictures of his beautiful local girlfriend either, but trust me...

Here are some pictures from Yolanda's, where we had post session lunches, and where the ladies tended to Gray's sore ankle. Yolanda, her daughter Ivania, and grandaughters Ingrid and Rosa are all sweet people and a real pleasure to be around. When you come to Yolanda's, there are lots of hugs and kisses.

Even the monkey wants in on the love.

Back home at Selva Del Mar, the dry season has arrived.

There are now only pockets of water in the once full creek.

The trees are starting to lose their leaves, but they are starting to flower.

The howler monkeys have been in the big Genizaro tree in front of the Casita, eating the pods.

This Kingfisher is also a resident of Selva Del Mar

When you stay at Selva Del Mar, you eat very very well. These are Papayas

Here is Gray with a ripe Papaya

Chitomas (bell peppers)

Tomatos

In this picture, Vidal is showing us a fearsome looking but very tasty Macarella that Zach's buddy caught for us. With chicken and beef already in the fridge (nearby Rivas is one of Nicaragua's best beef cattle areas), we had to turn down neighbor Angel's offer of freshly caught lobster. The boys made some great salsa using some of our own veggies.

As always, the platanos are going off.

The homegrown oranges don't look ripe, but they are. They are the best I've ever tasted anywhere. I ate more oranges in a week at Selva Del Mar than I do in three months at home. Every morning, Vidal brought over freshly squeezed juice, sometimes blended with homegrown melon juice. Heavenly. One morning, we ran out of milk for our (of course, Nicaraguan) coffee, so Gray and Vidal went up the road a quarter mile and bought a liter of milk still warm from a neighbor's cow for about $.45. You can eat very healthy and very fresh here at Selva Del Mar.

But you don't have to give up the sweets. Vidal picked this Oyote and Gloria cooked it down with some brown sugar into a delicious preserve that we spread on some of the baked goodies we bought off the bakery truck.

I love fresh coconut milk. When its empty, you split the shell in half and enjoy the meat.

That is Marie in the background. There aren't too many world traveling female surfers from Montreal. She is truly unique. You meet some very interesting, fun loving people in Nicaragua.

Avocado tree.

If it's not already growing at Selva Del Mar, you probably won't have to go far to get what you need.

The veggie truck stops right out front. So does the bakery truck.

And the beer truck.

That's Gloria in the foreground watching Gray exchange his case of empty liters for full ones.

We have baby mango trees in our nursery.
We also have baby Caobo (mahogany), Genizaro, Jocote, and other trees, ready to be planted.

The young trees that have already been planted are doing well.

Here is a young coconut tree.

We planted King Palms along the fenceline next to the road to the beach.

Infrastructure improvements continue at Selva Del Mar. Water lines have been laid for Calle Monte de Oro, so we are ready to go for the house Joe will soon be starting there.

When you go for a walk at Selva Del Mar, you can usually count on Solo, Vidal's dog, to accompany you.

He could come in very handy, given that Vidal spotted a panther at Selva Del Mar one night.

It was way in the back, where the green space is, but still...

This horse lives across the road from us at Zacatan, where biologist Robert Dull has an eco reserve and reforestation project.

I bought a 3 year old gelding for $270. He's a gentle, easy to handle horse. I'm looking forward to riding him down to Amarillo for some surf picnics. Or maybe Manzanillo. Or La Redonda for some diving. Or just to the top of Selva Del Mar to take in a sunset.

Next time, I will shoot a picture of the boys partying before I join in. I wish I hadn't been swaying, because Zacharias has a great smile and I wanted you to see it. Zach is one of our sales agents. He's a boat captain, and a very knowledgeable surf and fishing guide. Zach was just elected President of the Pueblo Gigante CPC a local form of community organization recently introduced by the Sandinista President Daniel Ortega. Some are worried that these organizations are extralegal political tools, but their focus seems to me to be on local issues like trash removal, preparation for events like Semana Santos, etc. It's really more a decentralized informal local government than anything else, despite worries by some that the CPC's can be mobilized for more revoutionary purposes. In Gigante, I just don't see that. And Zach is a great spokesman for the local people. He interacts well with locals, tourists and businesses and speaks English. That's Gray and his buddy Ryan, joining in the festivities with Zacharias. Ryan is an aerospace engineer and a licensed, instrument rated pilot. He also rips! I saw him get some amazing tubes and airs.

No sunset shot is complete without a pig silouetted in the foreground....

But surfing and hanging out in Gigante aren't the only things to do. Guys, here's your chance to show your girl how romatic you are. Spend the night at Norome, on the shore of Laguna de Apoyo (a lake inside a dormant volcano). Maybe rent one of the watercraft and paddle or sail the lake. It really is breathtaking.

Then take her down into nearby colonial Granada (one of the oldest cities in the America's, on the shore of Lake Nicaragua) to visit park central and take in the traditional architecture, people, music and action. Sample the various juices from the park vendors. I like the Tamarindo and the Calalla.

Take a horse drawn carriage from Park Central to the water where you can hire a boatman to take you through the isletas, more than fifty small islands formed when nearby Volcano Mombacho blew its top and deposited it in the lake.

If you are not the romantic type, take in a baseball game at the stadium at Rivas, where the background is the perfect cone volcano Conception, rising majestically out of Lake Nicaragua from Ometepe Island.

But I feel most tranquilo when I am back home at Selva Del Mar, just living the dream. No hurries no worries.

We are offering a promotion for the next 3 lots sold. The deal is 30% down, with the balance paid monthly for two years, interest free. Pretty good deal, verdad?

We hope you can visit Nicaragua soon. Until next time, buenos ensuenos...

http://www.sdmnica.com/

Happy New Year

2008-01-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

All of us at Selva Del Mar wish you a happy and prosperous 2008. We look forward to the year with hope and optimism.

Here are some photos taken by my son, Gray Gardner, within a few miles north and south of Selva Del Mar.

In this picture taken last May, Cody and I look south from Los Perros toward Pie de Gigante .

Down on the beach, it was firing...

Our friend, the great local surfer, Oliver Solis, knows these waves well.

And it showed.

"Pops" floated this one.

Ok. Back to business. Over the past year, we made a lot of progress at Selva Del Mar and the improvements continue.

We have finished the gaviones project along the road at the top, near lots 1-7.

We put in a drip system to help the peanut grass along during the upcoming dry season.

We are trenching for the underground water and power to the creek side lots. We need to name that Calle. Joe, you have 3 lots on the Calle, do you want to name it?

Enough of the progress update.

Pictures of ditches aren't too interesting, so how about a picture of this nearby hidden beach?

Or how about this left point break just south of us. .....

And when the day's adventures are done, it feels so good to come home to Selva Del Mar. The view from lot 6. Tona anyone?

November Update, www.sdmnica.com

2007-11-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks, here's the latest progress report from Selva Del Mar. Since our last report, we have sold lots 32, 33, 34 and 35. That leaves only one of our $25,000 lots, and that's lot 29. We have 5 lots left at $30,000, but if you want to get in on our least expensive (but still beautiful) lots, I wouldn't wait much longer.

We fixed up the road to the top, as you can see from the first two pics.

We have completed the gaviones improvement project on the curve between lots 9 and 10. This pic shows the peanut grass on the right side of the road.

Here are the finished gaviones on the downslope side of the road. The Espadillo were planted below the gaviones because they have a good root system to help prevent erosion.

Good progress is being made up top near lots 4-6.

We drilled a second well, behind the Casitas, at the end of the row of fruit trees.

It is 150 feet deep and initial reports suggest it will produce 20 gallons per minute.

How would you like to wake up, look out of your tent, and see a drill truck like this within a few feet? Sorry buddy, at least it didn't take too long to get it done.

We are looking forward to building a casa for our buyer of lot 33. Construction is projected to start in early 2008, so we'll be ready when it's time to hook up the water.

Finally, our architect, Pepe Tercero reports that his ace student, Juan Camilo is attending a conference in Colombia with world renowned master Bamboo architect, Simon Velez. I mentioned to Pepe our interest in a walking bridge across the creek, and here are the pics he sent me.

Wow. A that's a good sized truck. Maybe it doesn't have to be walking only.

We will have more to report on the Bamboo project next month.

Thank you, Rick and Sergio, for the new pics and info on the well. There are many obstacles and frustrations to overcome in a project like this. It takes both patience and persistence. You guys have used both to move this project forward. Kudos to you for keeping us moving in the right direction.

Rain, rain, rain

2007-10-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

We all love the green that rainy season brings, but this is crazy, even for Nicaragua. After a relatively dry 2006, this year looks to be one of the rainiest on record. October is usually the wettest month, but this September was as wet as most Octobers, and it has already rained nearly every day this month.

Much of Nicaragua is flooded, and thousands of people are being evacuated from areas in Chinandega. Thankfully, Gigante is not that bad, but as you can see from these photos, there is still an amazing amount of water.

This is the main road to the beach at Gigante, where the creek crosses it, just past the entrance to Arenas Bay. Our workers are on the other side of the creek, wondering how they can cross it to get back to work after their lunch break. When it rains this hard, the creek can rise very rapidly. Fortunately, there was no flooding at Selva Del Mar.

The good news is that Lake Apanas is now full and hydroelectric generation there should help to solve the electrical blackout problem we saw for much of the past year. Nicaragua's power infrastrucutere is simply insufficient unless nature cooperates. That's why our plans for Selva Del Mar include alternative energy sources like wind and solar to supplement what we receive from the power grid.

If you haven't already checked it out, you might enjoy our slide show of lots.

http://www.sdmnica.com/images/slideshow/index.html

It's one thing to look at our lot map and check out the boundaries and topology. But it's more fun to see what the lots actually look like and what kind of views they have. Please note that the road to the top has been improved since many of these pictures were taken. Progress continues at Selva Del Mar, despite the rainy season. Once things dry up we expect to start work on our bamboo project. We are finalizing the terms of our investment program for the bamboo project, so let us know if you are interested in participating, and we will give you more details. We already have a few interested parties and we intend to restrict participation to a limited number of investors.

Let's all keep our heads above water and hope that mother nature is about ready to give it a rest.

Paris Hilton and Selva Del Mar

2007-10-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

What does Paris Hilton have in common with Selva Del Mar?

Why, Kinkajous, over course!

I think ours is prettier though. In Nicaragua, they call them by different names, including honeybear (for their fur color and because they love to eat honey), mountain cat, and cuyosa (the latter being the term used by our caretaker, Vidal).

I didn't know much about them, so I posted an inquiry on Nica Living and somebody said it was a kinkajou. So I googled that and found all kinds of info. I like this website.

http://blue-n-gold.com/halfdan/osito.htm

It's cute and informative.

What we know from observing our Cuyosa (I like Vidal's word better...fewer weird connotations and associations) is that it has a prehensile tail and likes to hang upside down in our Noni trees, eating Noni fruit. Noni is believed to have many health benefits for humans, so I imagine it's pretty good for Cuyosas too . The Cuyosa moves pretty slowly, like a sloth and when it's not eating Noni, it tends to stay high up in the big tree next to the old gate.

I wonder how it gets along with the Howler monkeys that hang out in the trees between our casita and Angel's place....

More bamboo concepts

2007-10-05T11:30:00.001-07:00

Here are some more renderings of entrance concepts. These are ok, but none of them seem great. What do you think?

Here are some more plan pov's. Again, the Casitas will be further apart than this, but it gives you the general idea.

The idea here is to have folding doors, so you can close off all or part of the veranda, depending on the weather. This is a bit small for the eating area, but the look is about right.

Here are some more casitas. The roof is designed to allow warm air to escape. It's a passive cooling system that uses the prevailing breeze to pull warm air out of the house and keep an air current going.

Bamboo

2007-09-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos,

As most of you know, the part of our property in front of the creek at Selva Del Mar has been approved by Marena for a clubhouse, restaurant/bar and lodging.

Pepe Tercero designed a beautiful hotel restaurant combo for us, but the slowing of the Nicaragua real estate market has made those plans too costly to implement at this time.

Meanwhile, it has become evident that, despite slow lot sales, demand for lodging in Gigante has increased faster than supply.

So the issue became, how can we inexpensively offer lodging that is consistent with our eco-friendly theme, and where potential lot buyers can stay. I have learned from my own personal experience that staying at Selva Del Mar only makes the heart grow fonder. I am confident that when we have beautiful places to stay at Selva Del Mar, others will fall in love with it and want a place of their own there.

A friend had emailed me about

http://www.bambootechnologies.com/bbhomes.htm

These bamboo homes are built in Vietnam, taken apart and shipped to wherever you are building. With the shipping cost, they are still a bit pricy, so I emailed our architect, Pepe Tercero, and asked him if he had any experience with bamboo architecture. As you may already know, Pepe is a professor of architecture at a university in Managua. He replied that he and his class had been exploring bamboo architecture and one Colombian student had personal familiarity with the work of famed Colombian bamboo architect Simon Velez (a name worth googling). Before I knew it, Pepe had sent me rendering of some casita ideas. Here are some of the images.

It turns out that the bamboo for construction (Guadua) grows in the mountains around Matagalpa. You can buy 30' long bamboo, 4" in diameter for $1.

Bamboo has many environmental benefits. You can grow enough bamboo on a quarter acre lot to build a house in 4 to 5 years. If cut properly, it regrows without replanting. Bamboo absorbs more greenhouse gasses than most trees, and releases more oxygen. It has incredible tensile strength, and has a strong root system that resists erosion.

In fact we are planting yellow bamboo on the property near the creek, and some green bamboo already exists This green bamboo is just to your left after you cross the creek.

Here is our caretaker, Vidal, planting some of the yellow bamboo near a fallen tree.

Although Bamboo is more resistant to termites than most woods, you render it more so by soaking the interior of the bamboo with a solution of Borax and water. This is a non-toxic way of making the bamboo pest resistant.

Following up on these ideas, I asked Pepe if he knew of anybody with bamboo construction experience. After some searching, he found a master bamboo craftsman from Masaya, named Ponta Leon. An NGO sent him to Taiwan to study bamboo house construction. Below are some pics of his furniture, some joining techniques, and other stuff.

Estimated construction costs are considerably lower than traditional construction materials and techniques.

Unlike our original plans, the whole thing can be developed in a modular way, starting small. A single casita (without a kitchen) can be built for around $15,000. Each would lead by path to a veranda area where food can be prepared for all. Our first Casita would have a kitchen and would be close to the veranda so it's kitchen could be used for the veranda and casita patrons.

All this is within the parameters of the Marena approval (though we would get their blessing for the change) and in fact would be a lighter impact than the approved plans with the hotel and commercial area. You can see the the original hotel layout on our topo master plan pdf.

I don't think we have found the right entrance and gate design yet, but these images are moving in the right direction.

Some of the pics here are conceptual only. The casitas would actually be further apart, some in the area of the new entrance road, and some in the area along the creek, including toward Angel's and Aida's place. There are a few natural clearings where we could build the casitas without cutting any trees. Many of these spots have creek views.

The basic idea is very similar to the model at Tavarua. The restaurant area is the meeting, eating and cermony area, with paths leading to individual Bure's.

And we can start with one at a time, adding on as demand grows and cash flow increases, up to 8 to 10 casitas total. Let me know if your are interested in our plans to finance this part of the project.

Pepe and his students will soon visit Selva Del Mar to refine these ideas and follow up on locations for the various elements of the idea. I will post an update when I know more.

So that's the story behind the bamboo plan. I welcome your thoughts

lincolngardner@sdmnica.com

http://www.sdmnica.com/

Progress Update September 2007

2007-09-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

Buenas, from your Asocio in Selva Del Mar. I just returned from an 8 day trip to our proyecto . Life in Gigante is muy tranquilo. That’s mi hijo, Gray, hanging on the veranda, gazing across the road towards Zacatan, our eco-preserve neighbors.

It's been raining a lot and when you are on the veranda, you can hear the sound of the creek, surprisingly close, maybe 15 yards to Gray’s left. Here’s what it looks like.

The Limon Dulce are just getting ripe. Lo mismo with the regular limes. The Oranges ripen later. That’s a new coconut tree in the background.

The Platanos are growing well (I love tostones).

And the Picante Chilis are ripe. Careful, they’re really hot!

Under a canopy of these beautiful leaves,

are some tasty veggies. Gloria chopped some of Angel’s freshly caught lobster, one of these, added some homegrown limejuice and we enjoyed divine ceviche.

Our caretaker, Vidal picked some of the zuchinni from over by the creekside rotunda

We have white squash too, about the same size. As I walked from here toward lots 20-23, I spotted…

A brown and tan Hawk (Eagle?), with huge yellow talons. It watched me from a tree, then took off so fast, I barely kept it in frame.

Feel like making your own maracas and jamming to some regatone? They grow wild at Selva Del Mar. Time slows down at Selva Del Mar. As you sit on the veranda, you

suddenly realize how really quiet it is. You start noticing things you might otherwise ignore, like these flowers.

The more I stay at Selva Del Mar, the more I love it. Although we have no pictures of it, Gray and I surfed overhead Manzanillo by ourselves, and I surfed overhead Rosada alone last Tuesday morning. While not the norm, it is still possible. But I digress.

Progress is being made at Selva Del Mar. Road improvement is underway. “Gaviones” are being filled with rock, to stabilize the road and slope. It will also be about three feet over the road to stop any cars from slipping over the side. This looks from lot 9 toward lots 8 and10.

On the other side of the road, a mesh of synthetic fiber and coco matting is being planted with peanut grass. The drainage channel will be on this side. Rick and Sergio have no easy task being project managers at Selva Del Mar, but they’re doing a great job.

The road along the upper lots is being prepared for the gaviones and coco matting. Here’s Gray, talking with Delvis, the crew chief.

This shot is taken from the lot Jimbo and I bought (lot 4). We have an amazing 360 degree view. Our neighbor lots have incredible vistas too.

But the creek offers some soothing places to meditate.

A Casita along the creek would be sweet.

This is the new entrance road, within Selva Del Mar. It goes past the camera, toward the creek crossing. Hopefully you are now all familiar with its location and where and how the lots are numbered. If not, the pdf of the topo lot map on the website can be zoomed in on and you can see where things are (or will be). For reasons I will explain later, I hope you will all take the time to look at the recently updated website (more changes to come) and familiarize yourselves with the project.

There will be a quiz ;)

There’s so much more to tell you, but I’ll save that for the next time.

Gloria and her granddaughter hope to see you soon.

This is Lincoln, checking out with a view from lot 2. Adios, Amigos.

P.S. I spoke to Gray this morning (great cell phone reception) y dice "Colorado was going off!" Tubos hermanos!