Recently, as we were driving back from Fao Rai district, where we were teaching English and guitar, we passed a beautiful tree. The tree goes by a couple names, royal poinciana and, very appropriately, flamboyant.
Viewed up close, the flowers are especially pretty. The white "banner" petal tends to turn more yellow as the bloom ages, giving the tree an orangeish hue as in the picture above.
Occasionally, one might see and orange-flowered variety.
The seed pods are quite large (that is my size 14 foot). The pods can be carved as handicrafts. They can be used as musical shakers when dry. The seeds are very hard and are used as beads.
But what struck me today was a memory of the first time I ever saw a flamboyant tree. In 1981, we would drive past a flamboyant tree on the way to Amani-y beach near the town of Saint Marc in Haiti.
 |
| Flambouyant Tree on the Way to Amani-y Beach |
This beach was a place our team would go on occasion to take a break from working in a village above the town of Saint Marc.
 |
| Amani-y Beach |
The infrastructure was not well maintained, but there were always people nearby to sell a soft drink or make lunch. Casuarina trees (Australian pine) had been planted which gave a little shade.
One of the amazing things about this beach, was that it was right on the edge of the bay. The bay is quite deep and the water at the time was very clear. At the north side of the beach, there is an underwater cliff and the water goes from about 2 meters deep to 25 meters or more deep. In spite of the depth, you could still see the bottom. I loved to snorkel over the top of the bluff. The dark blue water in the background of the first photo is where the water depth changed.
 |
| Best thing about the beach was the pretty girl |
I have no idea what condition the beach is in these days. When we returned to Haiti about 5 years after these photos were taken, the water was already getting cloudy from the soil being washed off the mountains. But I'm glad to have memories of the time when the water was still nice.
Not only has Haiti changed a lot in the last 40 years, we have as well. My hope is that, instead of worsening with time, we would become better.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8 (ESV)
