Mangos!

Mangos I

Have you ever eaten a fully ripened, just picked mango?   I hadn't until last Tuesday when we arrived in Vieques, Puerto Rico.   What a special treat!  The sweet, juicy flesh of the fruit was very similar to a perfect peach, and the aroma was unbelievable. Our casita was surrounded by mango trees weighed down with these bright, heavy fruits.   We were invited by our hosts, Hector and Mary to help ourselves to the fruit.   The only caution was to never try to get to a freshly fallen mango if their horses were out.  The horses would win every time.  


Mangos II

We witnessed firsthand the horses zest for the fruit.  We heard a mango fall with a thud.  The closest of the three horses - pets of the Inn - made a beeline for it.  He made a precise nibble at the edge of the mango's skin then swung his head around in circles which took the skin off like a spiral.   He then took the whole fruit into his mouth, juices pouring out.



Mangos III

With all this attention on mangos, it became a prime topic of the watercolor studies that I did on this vacation.  The strap shaped leaves were sunlit and warm green, forming star patterns just above the fruit clusters.    I did several studies of the mangos and I look forward to working on an oil paint version now that we are home.





Mangos IV

Mangos V