by Judy Handley | Nov 28, 2015 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 37, Year 11: Hangin’ Out with Ziggy and Coco
Date: Saturday, November 28, 2015
Weather: Overcast, High in the low-80’s F
Location: At Home with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, Aguada, Puerto Rico
It was another laid-back day just hangin’ out with Ziggy and Coco, but our morning got off to a sad start. Justin came over about 7:30 with Coco and asked if I could play with her for a bit. Of course, I said yes and I didn’t ask any questions. Since Mark was not up yet, I suggested to Coco that we go out to the hammock to read. So we gathered some books and headed out. After reading a book or two, we heard a commotion and saw big birds flying up in the air. We saw that the dogs were up near the chicken and guinea fowl/quail cages and headed that way. Jo and Ziggy were there and we saw that they were trying to get the escaped guinea fowl back into their cage. I figured it was best to just take Coco back to the hammock and continue reading and shortly after I did, Ziggy came over crying saying that the dogs had broken into the cage. The guinea fowl escaped, but they had already found two dead quail. One of them was Ziggy’s pet and he was devastated. He said that the only live quail they had seen was Coco’s and she immediately told Ziggy that she would share with him. That helped a little, but Ziggy was not a happy little boy. We did a quail watch off and on all day, but in the end, we only found and captured the one live quail (Coco’s). The guinea fowl went back into their cage, so they are now safe. The culprits were Yaya and her two pups, Jemma and Barney. Justin and Jo lost five laying hens to these dogs while they were away in England and have now lost their quail who just started laying eggs. A couple of days ago Jo ordered shock collars to train the dogs not to attack the birds. Hopefully they will arrive soon and the training can begin before we lose any more.
Otherwise, we played Legos, worked puzzles, and played games. Mark and I drove into town this morning to pick-up a few things. While we were gone, Jo helped Ziggy and Coco get the tree branch Christmas tree decorated and it looks great. Everyone here in Puerto Rico shifts into gear for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. So now the plaza downtown is decked out in Christmas lights as well. Tomorrow morning we will go to the Sunday morning Farmer’s Market in Rincon and check out the decorations in the plaza there.
by Judy Handley | Nov 27, 2015 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 36, Year 11: Trip to Mayaguez
Date: Friday, November 27, 2015
Weather: Partly Sunny with Afternoon Showers, High in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, Aguada, Puerto Rico
Early this morning Mark and I borrowed Justin and Jo’s car and went into Aguada to run some errands. Then this afternoon, we went with Jo, Ziggy, and Coco to Mayaguez. This is a small city just south of here. Jo and the kids were going to a movie with friends, so Mark and I dropped them off and explored Mayaguez. We were really interested in seeing the waterfront and specially the area where sailboats would anchor. We can’t imagine how Christopher Columbus ever landed here in Aguada as the surf is so big. All we can figure is that he must have arrived in the summer when there is almost no surf. But south of here in Mayaguez the surf is much less. There was only one sailboat anchored out, but it does look like it is possible. After exploring Mayaguez we went back to the shopping center where we had dropped Jo and the kids at the Caribbean Cinema. We went into the Home Depot there to find some Christmas lights for a tree Jo is creating and Mark tried to buy some Band-Aids at Kmart. But that attempt was thwarted by the huge lines at check-out. Mark came out empty handed saying he now knows why today is called Black Friday. It is because if you go shopping on this day, you’ll end up wishing you were dead! When we got home, Jo continued working on her Christmas tree while Justin fixed dinner. After dinner we all called it a night, going our separate ways to rest up before the weekend begins.
by Judy Handley | Nov 26, 2015 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 35, Year 11: Quiet Thanksgiving Day
Date: Thursday, November 26, 2015
Weather: Partly Cloudy with Late Afternoon Rain, High in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, Aguada, Puerto Rico
People always talk of the calm BEFORE the storm, but today was more like the calm AFTER the storm . . . the storm being five grandchildren 8-years of age and under all together. But early this morning Heather, Jed, and their three boys drove the rental van back to the San Juan airport and caught the 12:20 pm Jet Blue non-stop flight back to Boston. It got so quiet here when they left that the silence hurt your ears. The one boy and one girl left here make a little bit of noise, but add three more boys to that and you just always get something resembling a storm!
After the early morning farewells, we all did our own thing. Unfortunately, Mark was not feeling great. He has some sort of tummy upset and thinks he might be getting another urinary tract infection, so he needed rest. Coco came home from England not feeling good and yesterday she spiked a fever that she still has today. Jo is not feeling great and Justin is fighting the terrible sinus infection he brought home with him from England. So they all needed rest. That just left Ziggy and I who are still holding our own for now. But with so many not feeling good, it was definitely time to into slow gear. Ziggy and Coco watched some kid programs on Justin’s computer while I did a wash and hung it out to dry. Mark and Justin took naps and Jo stayed awake to keep watch over the kids. Later in the afternoon Ziggy brought his Lego collection over to the guest house and Justin and I played Legos with him while Jo and Coco napped. Mark, Coco, and Jo joined us for Thanksgiving Dinner left-overs and then we all went on a walk down to the beach to enjoy the moon. Mark and I read stories to the kids and called it a night. Between barking dogs and crowing roosters, none of us got a lot of sleep last night, I think it is time to turn in and hope for a quieter night.
by Judy Handley | Nov 25, 2015 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 34, Year 11: Family Thanksgiving
Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Weather: Partly Sunny, High in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, Aguada, Puerto Rico
It has been years since we have been together with both of our children for Thanksgiving and we have never had a Thanksgiving with all of the grandchildren. So this was a very special day.
And it was also a very busy day. Ziggy and I walked up the street early this morning to visit with the Goldstones and I didn’t get back to Justin and Jo’s until they checked out of the rental home at 12 noon. I chopped celery and onions to make stuffing and helped Heather pack up all the food supplies to take to Justin and Jo’s. We also did laundry and before we knew it, check-out time had arrived. Early on, Jed took Ollie to the beach while the ‘gang’—Sam, Jonah, and Ziggy—walked back to Justin and Jo’s to play. Eventually Sam came back and went to the beach to join Jed and Ollie, but they all returned sooner than expected as Jed was concerned about the water quality. Evidently it rained up in the mountains last night and the run-off from a nearby river flowing into the ocean caused the water to turn brown. The brown comes from the color of the soil but it is also indication water quality issues. Unfortunately, the water quality issues are not usually reported for a day or two. So to be on the safe side, Jed cut the beach stay a little short. Once we had everything moved it was time for lunch. Ollie had the idea of having pumpkin pie with whipped cream for lunch, and many of us made that choice. After all, it was our Thanksgiving Day and we had a huge pumpkin pie we had bought at Costco. So there was enough to have it for lunch and for after dinner. After lunch, it was time to start the cooking for our Thanksgiving feast. Heather, Jed, and boys headed out to a beach further down the coast where the water quality was not supposed to be an issue. But again, they returned early. This time it was not because of water quality. Jed stepped on a sea urchin and needed to get home to take care of that. As Heather said, that was a beach trip they just should not have taken. But as long as they were back, Heather pitched in with the kitchen crew preparing the feast. And a feast it was—chicken, turkey, local fish, stuffing, gravy, cranberry salad, kale and carrot salad, breadfruit mashed like potatoes, baked squash, broccoli, and more pumpkin pie with the added addition of pecan pie, both topped with whipped cream. Jo, Ziggy, and Coco all need gluten and dairy-free foods so I brought Olivia’s gluten-free stuffing from Whole Foods back home. Jo made the most amazing gluten and dairy-free pecan pie. I think it might be the best pecan pie I have ever had. And we also had a gluten-free pumpkin pie and gluten-free cornbread that was part of J&J’s weekly box of locally grown veggies and other food goodies. Jo also made fantastic gluten-free gravy using Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Flour. It was nice to have the local addition of breadfruit and squash grown here in J & J’s garden. And we prepared all of this food without an oven. We roasted the chickens and squash on the grill and used a big toaster oven to bake the stuffing and the turkey breast. Needless to say, we all feel like stuffed turkeys tonight!
Heather, Jed, and boys are staying here at Justin and Jo’s with us tonight and they will be leaving early in the morning. I think we will have a relaxed day at home tomorrow until mid-afternoon when Justin, Jo, and kids go to a Thanksgiving pot luck dinner with friends. We probably have enough left-overs to feed all of their friends.
by Judy Handley | Nov 24, 2015 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 33, Year 11: Relaxed Mix and Match Day
Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Weather: Sunny AM, Partly Cloudy PM, High in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, Aguada, Puerto Rico
It was a relaxed day here. Having two houses within walking distance of each other has been fun. We can mix and match kids with different adults to let everyone do what they prefer. Some want to be at the beach while others want to stay at home and read and play. So today Mark and I started our day at Justin and Jo’s and then walked with Ziggy and Coco down to the rental house. Jo went to her exercise class and Justin went to work in his office on the second floor of the guest house. Jed, Sam, and Jonah were already at the beach when we got there, so Mark walked Ziggy down to join them. Mark came back and we had breakfast while talking to Heather and watching Coco and Ollie play. Then Heather went to the beach, Mark went back to Justin and Jo’s to do some work, and I read and played with Coco and Ollie. The day continued like that until evening when we all drove to Rincon to the Pool Bar for dinner. This is fantastic place to take kids for dinner as they can jump in the pool and swim or watch surfing videos on a big screen while waiting for dinner. Oh, I forgot to mention that in addition to having a swimming pool, the Pool Bar is a sushi restaurant. Fun for all!
Tomorrow is our family Thanksgiving Day and on Thursday Heather, Jed, and boys fly home. Sam, Jonah, and Ziggy have really enjoyed their time together. Unfortunately, Coco has not been feeling great and tonight she crashed. She developed a fever while we were out to dinner, so we are hoping she will feel better tomorrow. But even if she were in top form, she and Ollie just wouldn’t have bonded like the older boys. For one they are both three and still much more concerned about what each of them wants to do individually. Add to that the fact that Coco is all about girl stuff and Ollie doesn’t even begin to comprehend why she is so concerned about what she is wearing. Coco is convinced that she is a fairy princess and her greatest concerns are about what she is wearing. Ollie could care less if he were wearing clothes. So we are going to have to give these two a couple of years before they can be best ‘buds’ like the older boys
by Judy Handley | Nov 23, 2015 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 32, Year 11: Waterfalls
Date: Monday, November 23, 2015
Weather: Sunny, High in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco, Aguada, Puerto Rico
Today was all about waterfalls. We packed a lunch and headed inland to San Sebastian to the Gozalandia (also known as Las Cataratas or El Roble) Waterfall. In Spanish waterfalls are called cascadas or saltos, and Gozalandia has not one, but two, waterfalls. We decided to climb up to the highest waterfall and then work our way back down to the lower one. Both were beautiful and loads of fun. The highest waterfall has a rope swing and a path leading you to a spot about a third of the way up where you can walk under the falls and come down into the pool if you feel like Indiana Jones. There is also a rock you can climb to and jump into the pool if the swing is not your thing. Justin and Ziggy have done the jump off the rock before, so they led the way today. It took him a while, but finally Sam decided to take the plunge as well. And everyone but Mark and I walked up the path and under the falls. We stayed below to get photos. The lower fall did not have the height of the higher fall, but was quite interesting to look at. Justin, Jo, and Ziggy climbed up and under the fall and then found a little cave they could swim into by going under water for a short distance. Heather joined them in this adventure. But even for those of us who were not so adventuresome, there was plenty of fun to be had just playing in the water.
Tonight we all gathered at the rental apartment for a taco dinner and a game of charades. Tomorrow will be a beach day and on Wednesday we will have our early Thanksgiving as Heather, Jed, and boys fly home on Thursday. The little cousins are really enjoying their time together and it is such a joy to watch them. Our only problem is that the time is flying by.
Note: Mark and I moved from the rental apartment to Justin and Jo’s guest house tonight. We will stay here for the remainder of time in Puerto Rico.
