Christmas in Puerto Rico

As summer turned into fall, we knew that we were now entering our last year in Florida.  We don't yet know where we'll be moving, but do know that the odds are we'll be moving somewhere.  We had spent the year fairly close to home, other than a few races and a trip to summer camp and Grandma's, with the theory of saving up for a last hurrah of travel from Pensacola over spring break.  But then I began to worry that spring break might be taken up with the actual move, or at least preparation for a move, or a house-hunting / school-searching trip.  And I had the idea that no matter where we moved, we probably wouldn't be closer to Puerto Rico than we are in Florida, and I've always wanted to see the Bioluminescent Bay there.   Once I began researching a trip to Puerto Rico, however, I quickly discovered that it was outside of our budget.  Until I began to play with dates and saw that flights over Christmas vacation were less than half price of the flights over spring break.  So I bought the tickets and began some slap-dash travel planning.

Early Christmas morning we boarding our plane out, bringing chocolates for the flight crews, and enjoyed Christmas dinner at Cocina Abierta in San Juan.  That afternoon we drove out to the city of Fajardo to be ready for our next day's adventure.

Wednesday morning we checked in at the Ceiba airport for our flight to Vieques, an island off the coast of mainland Puerto Rico famous for its Mosquito Bay bioluminescence.  A picture-perfect "puddle jumper", the plane seated eight (including the pilot), and we all had to step on a scale and have our weight written on our ticket so that our assigned seats would balance the plane properly! Gate-to-gate time was ten minutes, and we enjoyed the views.  Once we landed, my lack of planning made itself apparent, as I had been unable to reserve a rental car on the island.  We never did manage to find one -- nor even a golf cart, motor scooters, or bikes -- but luckily we're all hikers, and were only travelling with our little backpacks.  We ended up walking somewhere between five and 50 miles (ok, it only felt like a lot) before a kind local put us in the back of her pick-up truck and took us to a bus.  We eventually ended up at the Casa de Tortuga Guesthouse in Esperanza, where we enjoyed a few days of swimming, snorkeling, hiking, and eating star fruit off the trees.  And, most importantly, the evening kayaking on the bioluminescent bay!  We marveled at the sea creatures and the Milky Way, and yet another item on my "bucket list" was well worth the effort in getting there.  We took only "memory pictures", but below is an internet stock photo to give you an idea of what we saw.

On Friday, we made our way back to the airport and the mainland, and proceeded to the city of Ponce and an Air B&B there.  The art museum there is world class (Museo de Arte de Ponce), and we learned quite a bit at the local history museum.  Hans, ever a car lover, also especially enjoyed the Parque de Bombas, with its historical exhibits of fire trucks.

Returning to San Juan, we investigated the old town, wandered around the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, hiked in El Yunque, ate (twice) at Chocobar Cortes, which we definitely highly recommend, and enjoyed the tour at Casa Bicardi.  

Following our family tradition, we rang in the new year by watching the festivities in London on BBC.com (live, on British time), and went to bed at our normal time.  

March for Our Lives

Since school started up again last fall, we've stayed pretty close to home.  As a family, we went camping a few times, and participated in several races and other athletic events, and we spent two nights in New Orleans for Christmas.  But in order to build up our travel funds again, we're back on a strict budget, and for us, that means not as much wandering as we'd like.  And then came 2018. One mass shooting after another.  Well past the point of ridiculousness.  Then came the Ash Wednesday/Valentine's Day shooting in Parkland, Florida.  Enough is enough.

I wanted to see as many people as possible at the March in Washington, DC.  It was spring break, so the kids wouldn't have to miss school.  We didn't have plans to go anywhere on vacation, so we were available.  We couldn't all go, but some of us could.  We booked a trip for Miriam and me.

Last Friday, I picked her up from school, and we took off for a weekend in DC, one of my favorite cities.  And a place where I could remind Miriam (and myself!) that as bad as things have seemed in the United Sates lately, we are incredibly blessed to be American.  The people, exercising their right to gather, to protest, to work together, and make changes to the status quo.  To be a part of a meaningful movement, to feel the energy and excitement, and remember that good can happen when people work together.   

We joined approximately 800,000 people in downtown Washington in a peaceful rally, and listened to the passionate speakers.  We were part of the tears, and of the joy -- that despite the horrors and loss, that there is a hope for the future.  From the looks of it there on the ground, the future is bright.  If we can keep from imploding in the meantime.

The oratory skills of the kids on stage -- because everyone who spoke was a kid -- was impressive.  So was the musical ability.  The poise they have displayed, and the strength in the face of ridicule should be commended.  Those in the crowd were a part of it as well -- the cleverness of the signs, from jokes to word choice, to art, to the use of statistics reminded me how great America is, or can be, at any rate.

Jake and Hans joined friends in a the local march, one of more than 800 world-wide, and we will continue to direct our "thoughts and prayers" for those who have suffered due to gun violence.  But I've shown Miriam, and reminded myself, that even the average, regular person can make a difference.  This wasn't a one-day event, it's a movement.  May God bless these efforts, and God bless America.