Giving some small measure of just how far down the hill the dam is...


With camera at the ready, I follow Bill DOWN the hill. First set of steps is just outside the house, and then...


The Mango Road (a set of "zipper stairs" that Bill made)
is buried under thousands of rotting mangoes, from years of fruit dropping!


Then there is a sloped section, leading to a flat spot where Bill has finished the ground with cement, and has built a dome with a bathroom, and the site has running municipal water (you can drink right out of the faucet, it's clean to USA standards!).


And now, DOWN the hill to the small fracture in the rock that formed the spring and water feature.


And, then, down some more. Note the switchbacks!

And, Frish next to the dam, which is supporting the pipe, that Bill hauled down the hill.



And, Bill, cleaning out the lower pipe, that drains basically to the bottom of the pond, which is a small fault line in a very hard bedrock (volcanic). Since the hill is only a couple hundred feet above this spot, it is rather a good indication of just how much rain falls here, since it runs all year long (about 10 gallons a minute during early July (pre-rainy season!).

We put the dam between what we hope are two bedrock sections.


About 2/3 of the way back up the hill towards Thinkenstein's house, there is this marvelous tangle of vines, and I'm standing at such an angle, and they are so mixed up, it is very difficult to get the true perspective! There are a lot of very large vines in this pic, that are all part of one vine, I believe.


Bill, up trail, with a bit of a slope behind!


My Mental State was really good, couldn't figure out how to cool down after marching up the hill from the dam however!  And, yes, that shirt is soaked, it was a little over 90F and 80% humidity for sure...

This kinda looks like I've hung myself from the clothing line, which, upon reflection,
would have been much more comfortable than I was at that moment...

Lizards and other wildlife


Sapo (toad) just outside Bill's back door, it's green, not orange really, that's an artifact of the flash (nighttime shot).

Brown Mass at base of tree is termite mound
Beautiful and large snails on a Papaya stalk

"Call Me!" (Honk Horn by squeezing round object, that's the front door bell!)


These are known as "whip spiders" (local name is Guaba' or Gvaba') and can grow to be a foot across or more.  Harmless to humans, they are the single ugliest creature ever.  They are carnivores and will even kill and eat a lizard!

Life is happening on all scales, this is a closeup of some small flowers.
See the two lizards?  When walking around Casa de Think, a minimum of 5 lizards are frightened into running.  There are always a lot of them scurrying around, but when they confront EACH OTHER their flight mechanism is subdued!
     They look at each other from the side, then threaten each other with open mouths ready to bite, see pix below.                         The darker one actually did latch his jaw onto the other one, who immediately played dead, and was eventually released.

They can walk up a vertical wall, especially ones as rough as the cement walls at Bill's.


Both Open Mouths Threatening, and they definitely do bite each other...


Pictures of Casa de Thinkenstein


 Lousy pic but cute frog on Bill's thumb knuckle!

 Bill's in here somewhere!
Find Thinkenstein!  (This is a farm he owned at one time, and put in 1/2 mile of PVC to have spring water on a faucet at the front of the porch.  It's for sale again, and is quite overgrown!  And, the water is still great!)

HERE'S SOME PICS AS PROMISED. 




Guest house and garage looking up the driveway  (See location button below, HWY 3370 ends here)
Bill's house is on a two lane track up to his parking pad, and house.



Looking down the driveway to the garage and guest house





Path from driveway to house. The original hurricane shelter is left center and was the first dome built










A snake sculpture to greet the guests!




View from the roof



View from spiral staircase towards original house




Bill's Bedroom, suspended bed (no rats) 


Thinkenstein's View from bedroom!

Looking into the loft from below




Front Door Detail

Inside Front door Detail

Side door detail

Side door open

The front entry way










Good looking spider inside hurricane shelter

Front of original house he built and lived in for several years without water or electricity (half a mile from anyone!)
Then came the hurricane shelter, then the hole that became the cave
and then he built a really big dome to keep all of it safe and dry
36 years of work, and counting...
Original house on right side, dome covers all, looking towards kitchen


One of three entry doors



Roof is coincident with the top of the Jungle

From the roof

Sculpture in Garden





Side of house







Silicone curtain for bathroom/shower privacy

Flush Toilet, Shower on back right



Shower with Bas-Relief sculptures




View of back of house from bathroom


This is the TOP of the cave. It is also next to the front door, and in the middle of the living room!
The right angled structure was a jig Bill invented to allow him to continuously dig, using pulleys
and rope it dumped the dirt to the side, and then returned the bucket!
The cave is about 30 feet DEEP.  
(Several Years of Digging, about 150 feet of 8 foot tall ceilings plus rooms and things down below!)

Walk out to the world on the right, take a left to the lower level, Cave Entrance

Stairway to the cave entrance (from the bottom)


Bill heading towards the cave door


The pad in front of the cave, STEEP slope to the right,
the tailings from the cave helped make the landing, the cave is to the left

Just outside the cave, these are impressive leaves!




 


The cave door is open, C'mon In!


View from inside the cave looking out the door.


Hallway in cave



Cave Detail 



Shelves in Cave (a musical instrument)




Guaba' and his uglier brother live in the cave!
On my screen it's about the right size, like about a hand width..!




Bill Mellowing Out after long day!