Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Our White House Christmas Tree Ornament Collection

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Our White House Christmas Tree Ornament Collection

Twelve of my 24 White House Christmas Tree Ornaments.

Today December 1, 2016 reminds me of the Katague's clan several decades of Christmas celebration here in the US. Our first Christmas was in 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. Christmas also reminds me of Christmas tree decorations at home. Macrine and I started our very small collection of White House Christmas Tree Ornaments during the Clinton-Gore Administration (1993-2000). What inspired us to do this was a receipt of a Personalized Christmas Card from the White House in 1994. It came from Former President Bill and Mrs. Hillary Clinton. At that time my son was working for the Office of the President( White House), as a Policy Analyst for the Office of Management and Budget. I believe this was the reason why we were in the Christmas List of the Clinton's during Bill Clinton's presidency.

Macrine and I considered receiving Christmas Cards from the White House, one of the several successes that both of us have accomplished here in the US. (http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com dated April 22, 2016).

Yesterday, I purchased one White House Christmas tree ornament at our the Post Office for $24.95 (see photo above). It is honoring former President Herbert Hoover. It depicts the picture of a Fire Engine that responded during the 1929 to 1933 years. Most of our ornament collections were during the Clinton-Gore years.

Here's a video about the White House Christmas Ornaments from the White House Historical Association.

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Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree