you get what you give

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
in costambar we have a coquero (spelling?), a guy who comes to take coconuts and trim and clean the trees. he can see our garden when he is taking care of neighbour's plants so every now and then he sorts out our two trees (sweetest coconut water ever).

so he comes to the gate today, shouts, come out and there he is, sans his usual machete and rope gear but with two small coconut trees. he says: i always come and take your coconuts but you cannot only take, you need to plant new trees. i brought those for you.

and he planted them in our garden :)

i liked the thinking so i thought i will share :)
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i am not sure it is typical :) i have been here a long time and no one planted any trees for me :)
miesposo says this guy has been cutting cocos for 20-25 years. is super simpatico. always trims my trees nicely, cleans the place and prepares few coconuts for us. i let him take all the crop save for few i keep for my father in law.

he made my day today for sure :)
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
a dying breed. Congrats on being nice to him. The HB Hovel used to have a big coconut tree but the woodpeckers bore a hole through the trunk and made the very top a dangerous place to be, so we had to cut it off. I mean a hole big enough to put your arm through!

Sad to lose the cocos..and the friendhip with the guy that used to come around.

HB
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i always have a great respect for people doing hard physical jobs. i call the guy don and he calls me dona :)
we did not even get upset when he accidentally dropped a coconut on our wall lamp and crushed it to pieces. things happen.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
Our coconut guy here in Santo Domingo is close to 70 yrs. old.

Our coconut trees are higher than a 4 story building, and he climbs them with just his hands and feet.

I couldn't watch him, he made me nervous as hell.

Our man is younger, but same thing --- just hugs the tree and up he goes..

Then he walks across the sharp gravel like broadloom...... but his toenails are perfectly trimmed !!
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
6,247
113
South Coast
There's a guy who lives down the road from us, he looks about 90 but he's "only" in his mid 60s. He scoots up our trees as if it were an escalator. We keep some of them, and he takes the rest down to the beach and sells them. We always feed him when he's around, but he's a proud fella. He shows up all the time with bags or boxes of fruit that he picks off his property. It's a good trade.
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
8,190
580
0
64
I have the only non-climbing coconut man- he has a very long stick with a knife on the end, sometimes they roll down the pole and almost concuss him, he needs to go to dominican coconut climbing school
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
I 've seen that tool.

We hve men come around all the time - we sell the product of our trees when I'm not there - breadfruit, avocados, cocnuts..... the works.
Once they find you - they swarm.

My man always has a pocketful of bills when I arrive...... then I'm sure, we go downtown and buy our own fruit back.
Contributing to local economy!!
 

Castle

Silver
Sep 1, 2012
2,982
1
0
Well, If you make a living out of coconut trees, the wisest thing to do is make sure they are never scarce. Sadly, most people only consider short term benefits, and forget about the long run...