Moving to Cavite...

  The subject line had been drafted some months ago, but I never had the time to actually post about this subject. Heck I have not had the time to post anything period.

   Still none now, except to maybe post this photo of Buffy's buffalo milk and ice cream store's porch wall*.  No direct connection to the subject other than Buffy's being located in bgy. Lumil, Silang, Cavite (on the road to Tagaytay), and my childhood fascination with bamboo and interior design, added to the interest in cottage/flea market/vintage coming together in this place.

   

    Buffy's sells fresh carabao milk and really delicious carabao's milk ice cream. They also have pastillas de leche ...one of the best I have tasted. I have made my own pastillas using carabao's milk and I love my own, but I bought theirs rather than mix up a batch. Again, I have little time (or poor management of it), and if you know how to make pastillas, you know how long and how much arm muscle it takes.

     Back to the porch wall, and Buffy's interiors in general.  I especially noted today, that Buffy's Lutong Bahay Filipino restaurant on the second floor actually is able to combine style elements I have had percolating for some time. That is...  

       ...it has their basic white, white wooden tables and benches, picket fence, farmhouse, cottage, dairy look...but upstairs, bamboo-lined walls, Filipino windows, and bamboo vases on the same white wood tables and chairs.  

      The only thing I'm not sure about is the plastic greenery, flowers, and random little plastic birds lining the walls...but really, they're consistent all over, that I can overlook the fact that I prefer real leaves and flowers.
It gives the place a lot of originality anyway, and hey, less upkeep all around!
Their flourescent light bulbs are bordered by bamboo, too.

      I've always felt it seemed a quaint place to take little children for ice cream...   

      Now I see how I might be able to achieve those two design elements after all---whitewashed cottage and natural color bamboo/native materials.  It is doable.

      Their milk and ice cream are enough for a stopover or ultimate destination.  But it is nice that the owners still took care to make the place pretty too.
     
*  Those birdhouses? They are sold along the road to Tagaytay too by one seller...

"Pray, Hope and Don't Worry"--St. Pio of Pietrelcina

    We happened to have something major to thank Padre Pio in particular for this month.  The thought of traveling from Sta. Rosa to the center in Libis was not exactly pleasant. Sure, it would be a part of the ''sacrifice" as in a true pilgrimage but seriously, I have been avoiding going north towards Metro Manila. I have never been to that center in Libis but I know that area enough to know I didn't really want to go, and on a Saturday. My husband has been there, and wanted to go today.  He too, knew what a "sacrifice" that would be.  There had to be an alternative.  For information about this Saint, please look him up.

    St. Pio's profile on Google showed me May 25 was his birthday! While his feast day, with big celebrations in shrines that honor him is on his death anniversary of September 23, I was almost sure May 25 would be a good day to visit anyway. And we did plan on actually visiting today, May 25, a Saturday. A fun coincidence.   An aside---I'd been trying to think about why May 25 seemed so significant, devotion-wise. It was only upon arriving home that I found it is also one of the feast days of the Saint I had been praying through (St. Pio is actually my husband's), St. Philomena. Her relics were found on May 25. 
   

   I also found, via the web, another shrine, more appealing being in our part of Luzon---a church, in barangay San Pedro, Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  

    Now I wanted to go, if only for the "easier" drive by Mt. Makiling and the surrounding hills.  I believe we can pray anywhere, that our devotion does not necessitate visiting such shrines.  Being able to is, for me, a bonus.  My faith also does not require me to stroke or kiss the statues of saints, although it is helpful to have their images in front of me, whether in sculptures or photos. I am content to pray and meditate at home in peace and quiet.  For the child, however, the images of the saint, and the idea of it being his birthday, were treats.  She later admonished us for forgetting to actually greet him a happy birthday!

     Anyway enough talk. Here are a few shots of the salakot -(native hat) roof, the many statues, the relics (they have 4 pieces, which make the crowd flow faster during healing masses).  Apparently this morning's Healing Liturgy saw the most number of attendees.  The Healing Liturgy is usually held on the 23rd of each month, except for May when it is held on the 25th.  The woman who approached us...a volunteer parishioner in charge of the place, told us the mass took long this morning as two recently-healed people passionately testified about their healing...and would not stop.

    She also repeatedly said to us, in Tagalog, "You will be back. You will not realize it you will just come back".  (More shades of "People will come", eh?). I only hope it's to pray in thanksgiving more than to ask for intercession in despair.

Belfry with a bell from Holland to ring for the first time in July this year.

    So go ahead, visit, "pray, hope and don't worry". It's worth the trip seeing the bamboo lining the altar (I love bamboo).  There are small canteens, a lomi  (noodle soup native to the area and to Lipa City, Batangas) house in bgy. San Miguel and San Vicente close to the shrine, but no big places in San Pedro and at the shrine itself. So even before these barangays, you might need to stop at the RSM Lutong Bahay in Calamba, have some Collette's Buko Pie, or eat at the usual fast food joints. There is a Shakey's at the junction or forks of Sto. Tomas and the highway toward Mabini and Malvar.


     

    

Fields of Angels

   I had noticed the bamboo lined entrance years ago, just past Mr. Moo along the highway in Silang.  Eventually I noticed a small wooden sign "Angelfields".    Each time we drove by I wondered...to where did the path lead.  

   I was feeling out of sorts...terribly out of sorts.  In my head echoed "you need to find your center. You are out of balance".  Things came to a head when the kid would not take an afternoon siesta again, had been waking up for midnight snacks.  After weeks of "good" sleep on her part, and enough shuteye for myself as well, that routine broke down inexplicably and so did I. This is just a long-winded way of saying, I was tired.  So this day, I just demanded that we "go, go on a drive!".  He needed to have a destination...he grumbled about possible notorious Saturday afternoon traffic at the direction I pointed--South.  South is THIS way, the kid said. Haha, not the supermarket today, dear.  South toward the ridge but not all the way. 

    A destination, he demanded. "Angelfields", the head whispered...I want to finally check out that angel fields.  I love bamboo.

    The guardian at the gate, sorry...the man at the entrance was very friendly saying it is a wedding/events place. Ohhh. Just go down the road and follow the right side, he directed.  Voila, down there, more bamboo. I love bamboo. And bamboo led me to this sanctuary.

The bamboos creaked as they swayed, their leaves rustled. Instantly I was healed and that's just the entrance.  Sounds of nature--birds, wind, trees. That's all.

      This being a quick, sudden drive out, I forgot to bring a proper camera.  

    The very accommodating and cheerful guest officer who showed us around explained that the owner being "very religious, a devout Catholic", set this property up as a place for prayer.  It does make a pretty garden wedding location.  It's like having a wedding at home.  It is actually also a B&B.  With casitas named after saints, crucifixes and statues marking each, it looks like a Catholic retreat place.  It is conducive to contemplation, reflection on the faith.  The birds are cared for--the owner avoids fumigation, etc which may harm them. It is after all called a "Nature Sanctuary" and well, St. Francis, animals, you get it.  On the table as we dined was a black bug with white patterns, and a caterpillar.  Good signs, but in my humble opinion maybe they should have carabao grass and not the bermuda grass (or is it zoysia? philippine grass?) they were watering to rehabilitate. I mean the lawn is pretty, but...I don't know...maybe too high maintenance. 

     I hope their wide and deep drainage system is enough for the monsoon season. There is a creek along the property and it is currently dry, but the place looks like a catch basin. Oh what do I know, they know what they're doing. Just a word of warning I suppose, for monsoon weddings...

     A pavilion named John Paul II, a devotion to St. Francis, with his image everywhere...interestingly this was opened a year ago.  Will a Pope Francis pavilion come next?

     Oh I forgot to mention, yes there is all-day dining for walk-in guests.

     

coffee machine in every casita

There is a piano in here

It is pretty in the evening. Huge appeal for weddings

mahogany trees planted by the owner 13 years ago