Our jabong tree is fruiting. In the middle of the night I will hear branches crack as one falls from high and tumbles through the tree ... to the ground with a loud thud. When it is windy or rainy I can be awoken several times with these bombs. Some crack on impact and a cloud of citrus-sweet scent will drift into my room. The trees are fruiting for about a month I think - we already have way too many of these fruits. We have foisted them off on neighbors; left piles down by the road for passersby; carried them off to work to share. Now I take them surfing.

This last week I stayed in the water well past sunset. I have an aussie bud who is quite competitive -- was snaking me every which way, while I dropped in on him mercilessly. Neither of us wanted be the first to capitulate and head in. We ended up catching the same last wave ... a perfectly bowled shoulder high peak ... I swept across the upper lip laughing and crowing with glee as he tried to pass below. We managed to not collide ... all grins. Paddling in with the water black beneath and no lights ahead was a new experience for me. I chattered a lot more than usual ... warding off any thoughts of the dark demons that might be lurking below.

Sitting by the shower with the other late surf stragglers, I broke out my jabong (Literally. I had to break it on the cement to be able to pry off the thick peel). Some people knew what it was -- pommelo is another name? ... The aussie says they call this fruit ÒugliesÓ ... a tourist stopped and cooed in wonder. It is somewhat like a grapefruit, I guess - only larger and not so acidic ... and the sections can be broken off and eaten without a mess (the bubbly cells of the sections are like juice pockets that pop in your mouth). I like to turn the the sections inside out so the bubbly cells stick out and look like sea anemone.

Now when I head for surf I take two with me ... one to leave for passersby ... one to share at the showers.

Süs