Lemonade + Mint Iced Tea

This lemonade recipe began not from a desire for juicy lemons or sweet iced tea, but from a fresh harvest of sweet, succulent strawberries at the height of the season. For anyone who has ever bought those strawberries on sale from the supermarket, it’s no longer a surprise that the giant imported California variety carries with it a certain tastelessness, and aren’t all that sweet. So, given the luxury of acquiring fresh local strawberries for the month, there are eight pounds of said fruit in the fridge, most of which will be made into jam for the more dour, berry-less months to come. But for now, particularly on this hot, sunny first day of summer, an iced tea lemonade with fragrant strawberries and cooling cucumber makes for the perfect, refreshing beverage.

music: evan awake – after the festival

Missions Conference III, Philippines

Pulling back the shower curtain to reveal a rainy morning through the window.

At the pastor’s quarters, the women tend to the young children.

The rain has stopped.

Morning service of worship and prayer.

The congregation holds hands as a symbol of unity and connectedness.

Lunch break: Pili fruit/nut grows primarily in the Bicol region and is indigenous to the Philippines.

After the pili fruit is boiled, the black skin can be peeled back to expose the fibrous and pulpy flesh. They can then be dipped in fish sauce for consumption.

The active Mayon Volcano, as seen from the rooftop of the church.

Transportation outside the compound.

Children, posing.

Construction and repairs.

This man and his son strike up brief conversation with me as I walk by.

There is a certain dourness to the weathered exteriors of these concrete buildings.

But a certain appeal as well.

A father arrives with balloons to celebrate his daughter’s second birthday.

Trisikads, or pedicabs, line the streets of Legaspi.

Motorized versions, or auto rickshaws, are available as well.

Across the hotel.

At the end of the hotel hallway.

The active Mayon Volcano, as seen from the hotel balcony.

The sun sets on the city.

***

I’m reminiscing. When can I return to the Philippines?

Missions Conference II, Philippines

The end of the first day, with a full afternoon session, dinner at the pastor’s quarters, and night session as the rain died down.

Missions Conference I, Philippines

***

Photos from a missions conference held in the Philippines, featuring my cousin and uncle. An incredibly memorable time.

Graceland, Philippines

Traveling is an exhausting endeavour in large part because it requires me to be more open to the lives unfolding before me. When on the move and transitioning through different landscapes, I can’t help but notice the details of the lives of others and become absorbed into these stories which, granted, are mostly fabricated elaborated in my mind.

This is how I spent much of 2010-2011. Aside from the material I’m attempting to incorporate into my thesis, I have been remiss to share the accounts of my travels, which I continue to play out during dull moments in transit or times of silence, looking out into the valley below me. In the upcoming weeks and months I will try to remedy this neglect by recounting the meaningful experiences that I carry with me, starting with the following photos from the Philippines.

I’ve been meditating lately on the notion of solitude and the boundaries between silence and noise. These photos were made at a fast-food joint called Graceland, in Legazpi City, Bicol, Philippines.

Music: Olafur Arnalds – Lag fyrir Ömmu