by Judy Handley | Apr 23, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 113: Flying from San Juan to Boston
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2022
Weather: Most Sunny and Beautiful; High 86, Low 71 degrees F
Location: On an Airplane Headed for Boston
Our last day in Puerto Rico was beautiful. The sky was blue with puffy white clouds and the sun was shining brightly as I opened the curtains of the hotel room I shared with Sam last night. He was jumping for joy, as was I, when we stepped out on the small balcony to soak in the view of the large pool area and beyond to a salt pond and then the ocean. It was beautiful.
We soaked in the beauty and joined the rest of the family for a buffet breakfast on the dining area patio at the hotel to start the morning. Then we all migrated to the pool for a morning of fun.
The adults got in and out of the pool to keep cool and the kids played in and out of the pool.
Jo gathered all the grandkids to get a photo with me.
I am always taking the photos and am not usually in them. I love having the photo with the Fabulous Five. Thank you, Jo. As noon approached, we all knew our special week together was about to end. The grandkids decided that all of them jumping into the pool on the count of three was the way to put an exclamation point on a wonderful week. They jumped, and jumped, and jumped again as Oma captured them on video, and finally, reluctantly went inside to get ready to leave.
After check-out, we all drove to a food truck park to get a quick lunch so we could move on to the final activity of going to the indigenous ceremonial grounds. But the food preparation time was anything but fast. Our reluctance to leave the pool and the slow coming food caused us to miss our stop at the ceremonial grounds as they closed at 3 pm and it was almost that when we finished eating and said our farewells to Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. Heather really wanted to make that stop and I felt terrible that we hadn’t moved faster to make it happen. But once again, we shifted gears, and decided that a walk about in Old San Juan would be our last activity.
I think the boys really enjoyed the walk in Old San Juan as it celebrates its 500th year.
It is after 11 pm right now. We won’t land in Boston until 12:30 am and then we will drive home to Cape Cod. I am going to stop writing and close my eyes to relive all the wonderful times we had as a family this week. I saw a post on Facebook where Justin labeled a photo of all of us on our horseback ride as “My mom, her children, and their children.” Nothing makes this mother so happy as being with her children and grandchildren.
by Judy Handley | Apr 22, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 112: Fairy Lights in the Bioluminescent Bay
Date: Friday, April 22, 2022
Weather: Mostly Cloudy with Intermittent Rain; High 86, Low 71 degrees F
Location: At Home in Holiday Inn and Tropical Casino, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Check out time in our pool house Airbnb was at 11 am this morning.
We knew when we booked it that we were a night shy of a place to stay, but it was the one we wanted, so we took it thinking we would have time once we got to Rincon to make other arrangements for our last night in Puerto Rico. By the time I started looking for something it was too late to get an Airbnb, so I booked rooms in a hotel on the south coast in Ponce. We knew we were going to swim and snorkel in the bioluminescent bay near La Parguera on the south coast tonight, so here we are in the Holiday Inn Ponce and Tropical Casino. It was late when we arrived, but the view of the pool from my room looks amazing. Otherwise, I would give the rest of the place a B rating, but just like the rain we have had this week, I am going to ignore that and not let it keep me from enjoying out time here. Justin and family are with us, so we will have one more morning of fun together before we head north to San Juan for our flight home tomorrow evening.
Now for the amazing part of today . . . swimming in the bioluminescent bay. As a family, we swam in the bioluminescent bay in Vieques in 2011 when Heather and Justin and families met Windbird there as she was returning from her travels around the world. There were only three grandchildren at that time, but they remembered the experience and wanted to do it again on the south coast of the main island at La Parguera. I had booked a two-hour snorkeling trip along with the bio bay experience, but the snorkeling was cancelled due to rain. We filled those two hours by going to an Earth Day Fair where Ziggy and Coco’s school had a booth to raise money for a new school club.
Then we went to Justin and Joe’s to say goodbye to all the animals at Finca Maravilla.
On our way to La Parguera, we made a slight detour to see the salt flats of Cabo Roho. The Interpretive Center was closed for the day by the time we arrived, but we could see the flats as we drove out on the Cape, and we stopped and walked on the one of the trails.
The southwest coast of Puerto Rico is very different from the lush green along the west coast. It is dry with a totally different kind of vegetation. After our short exploration, we drove on to La Parguera to get on one of the Paradise Scuba and Snorkeling Center Bio Bay Tour boats. We were on a boat with about fifteen other people. The Bio Bay tours start late in the day as it has to be dark to see the teeny tiny dinoflagellates light up in the water when they are disturbed. The boat crew served boxed dinners of empanadas and had plenty of cold drinks available. As we ate, we traveled to a small island that used to be used for shark research where the boat docked to let us explore the small mangrove island and swim in the area where the sharks used to be kept.
Only Sam, Jonah, Coco, and Ziggy jumped in the water, but we all enjoyed discovering sea life along the shore. Justin found a big pincushion urchin
and Heather and Jed found brittle stars, baby black urchins, and an anemone hiding in a small pool along with baby fish.
The pool was like a small sea life nursery. There was a boardwalk through the mangroves, so we also walked that loop.
When we heard the whistle from our boat, we knew it was finally time to go to the bioluminescent bay.
By the time we reached the bay, it was dark. When we stopped, the boat captain turned off all lights on the boat and explained to us what we would see. He suggested wearing a dive mask to best see the underwater light show. I put on my dive fins as well, so I could more easily glide through the water. I watched as others jumped in and didn’t see the bioluminescence. But when I jumped in, it was magical. Hundreds of tiny pin pricks lit up my arms moved through the water.
I heard Heather tell the boys to put their arms in front of them Superman style, so I did that and was amazed by the show of lights. It looked like fairy lights. And when I dove down a foot or so, the disturbance caused more to light up. Once when Coco went under and came up, you could see the ‘fairy lights’ in her hair. The captain let us snorkel and frolic in the water for about thirty minutes before we had to get back onboard. We were lucky that it was a cloudy evening as the moonlight would have made the bioluminescence harder to see. But it was dark, the water was warm, and the dinoflagellates worked their magic on us. 
Tomorrow morning, we will spend time in the pool overlooking the ocean and visit the indigenous ceremonial grounds in Ponce, before driving back to San Juan to head home.
by Judy Handley | Apr 21, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 111: Ride ‘em Cowboys
Date: Thursday, April 21, 2022
Weather: Sunny with Intermittent Rain; High 86, Low 71 degrees F
Location: At Home in an Airbnb in Rincon, Puerto Rico
What a wonderful family vacation week we are having here in Puerto Rico. Being together with my whole family is so very special, and we have managed to pack in some wonderful experiences together. The Falmouth grandchildren have been introduced to the home of their cousins here in Puerto Rico, Uncle Justin gave Sam an introductory surfing experience, Heather, Jed, and I had an incredible snorkel at Steps Beach, we all visited the Gonzalandia Waterfalls where the more adventuresome jumped into the water from the rock cliffs, and today we went horseback riding along the beach and through beach almond and Australian pine forests.
And every day, we have enjoyed trips to the beach and the pool right outside the back door of our Airbnb. After our horseback riding adventure in Isabella, we returned to Rincon to have a fabulous dinner at Cowboys. And it really was fabulous. A number of us agreed that it might be one to the top meals we have ever had in a restaurant.
Tomorrow’s snorkeling and bioluminescent bay trip might get cancelled due to rain, but if so, we will just find another way to enjoy our last bit of time together.
by Judy Handley | Apr 20, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 110: Waterfalls, Soccer, Sushi, and a Movie
Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Weather: Cloudy with Intermittent Rain; High 82, Low 72 degrees F
Location: At Home in an Airbnb in Rincon, Puerto Rico
During a Thanksgiving visit to Puerto Rico in 2015, we visited the Gozalandia Waterfalls as a family. Sam was only 8, Jonah and Ziggy were 6, and Ollie and Coco were 3.
00 Happy Thanksgiving from the Fab Five
The Goldpebbles were young, but they remembered enough about the waterfall adventure that they put it high on their list of things to do while visiting this time.
Today was totally cloudy and there were periods of pouring rain, but we decided to simply ignore the rain. It was actually a perfect day for the waterfalls.
The parking lot is part way up the mountain, and the last ascent is done on foot on a concrete walkway. Sometimes it is a gradual climb but for a few steep parts there are stairs. For the younger generations, it was just a nice walk. For me, it was definitely a climb! But the beauty of the waterfall at the end of the path makes it all worth it. Plus, there is a lovely natural swimming pool under the falls with a rope swing and rock ledges for jumping in.
Just as we reached the falls, it started pouring rain which made being in the water nicer than standing on the shore. Jonah and Ollie were not interested in jumping off rock ledges, but Ziggy, Sam, Justin, and eventually Coco jumped, and Ziggy and Sam tried the rope swing while the rest of us swam in the pool.
When doing suicide jumps off rock ledges was no longer exciting, we walked part way down and had lunch on rocks by the river. And further down at the lower falls, some of us watched as others climbed up and under the falls to a ledge to jump off .
Justin also took Ziggy and Sam with him for a swim under the water into a cave. At the lower falls, Jed joined the suicide rock ledge jumping team.
The final jump was made by Ziggy and Sam in tandem just before we climbed the steep steps back up to the path.
I was glad there was a railing for those stairs. Otherwise, I think I would have been crawling!
Next on the agenda was Coco’s 5 pm soccer game. Of course, just as the game began, it started pouring rain once more. Some of us had rain jackets and others borrowed an umbrella from another soccer parent. At the end of the game, Coco was elated as she scored one of the goals that gave her team a win. 
She used to be the only girl on her team, but recently another girl has joined. Go, Coco.
During our previous Thanksgiving visit, there was a sushi pool bar in Rincon that we loved. It was the perfect restaurant for kids as it was outside, and they could swim in between bites of sushi. The pool bar also had a big screen where surfing movies were projected. The pool bar is now closed, so our plan was to recreate that here at the pool house Airbnb. We have a nice covered area at one end of the pool and the plan was sit there while the kids swam. But once again, the rain intervened. It was pouring and the covered area was not enough to protect us. Plan two emerged.
We watched a movie on our ‘big screen’ television. It was not quite the same ambience as the pool bar, but the sushi sure was delicious.
by Judy Handley | Apr 19, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 109: Surfing, Sea Glass, Snorkeling, and Tacos
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Weather: Tropical Sunshine and Rain; High 87, Low 74 degrees F
Location: At Home in an Airbnb in Rincon, Puerto Rico
We packed a lot of activities into this day, but it all was done in relaxed vacation mode. I was the first one up this morning which seems like a miracle. I am never the first one up. Soon Heather and Jed joined me, and we got the day started. First on the agenda was a trip to Steps Beach for most everyone and a trip to Domes Beach for Sam to have his first surfing lesson with Uncle Justin. Jo had to teach this morning, so I went to pick up Justin, Coco, and Ziggy. By the time we got back to the ‘pool house’, our new name for our Airbnb, everyone was ready to go. We all piled into one van, and with me as chauffeur, I dropped Heather, Jed, and all the kids but Sam at Steps Beach, and then traveled on to a surfboard rental shop with Justin and Sam. They went in to rent a board for Sam and then I dropped them at Domes. I watched as Sam and Justin walked to the water’s edge with their surf boards and it brought back many memories of taking Justin to beaches to surf when he was a teenager.
I then drove back to check on the others. The weather had gone from sunshine to rain to sunshine and back to rain by the time I got back to Steps Beach. We were having a typical tropical weather day for this time of year—a mix of sunshine with bursts of rain. I wanted to make sure the kids were okay with the rain. I found them on the beach under Ziggy and Coco’s big almond tree with great climbing branches. But instead of climbing, they were all searching for sea glass. They had planned to snorkel but decided that sea glass collecting was more fun. Actually, the water seemed a bit rough for snorkeling, so the sea glass was a great diversion. We all then went back to Domes to pick up Justin and Sam.
Sam felt like his snowboarding experience helped him a bit with surfing. He had a few good runs, but also a lot of crash and burn runs. He and Justin were ready to head home.
The afternoon was more snorkeling for some of us and water play in the ‘pool house’ for others. We continued to have bursts of rain and one downpour, but we just simply decided to ignore the rain.
By this time Jo had joined us and she needed to run some errands. Heather, Jed, and I wanted to go back to Steps Beach to snorkel. So that left Uncle Justin with the kids who spent the time in the pool and then went for a walk to get ice cream. The snorkel at Steps Beach was fantastic. There are huge elk horn coral, sea fans, and a wonderful variety of colorful tropical fish. I don’t know when I last snorkeled, but whenever it was, it was too long ago!
Tonight, we went to Justin and Jo’s for beef and shrimp tacos. Everything was absolutely delicious. After dinner Ziggy made cookies for all of us and Justin built a fire.
Instead of sitting around the fire, Jonah and Coco started a basketball challenge. Who could shoot the most baskets? Those of us who entered the competition had a great time, but Jonah and Jo definitely made the most baskets.
Tomorrow we travel to the waterfalls. The family fun continues.
by Judy Handley | Apr 18, 2022 | 2022 Life Logs |
2022 Life Logs, Day 108: Enjoying Life in Puerto Rico
Date: Monday, April 18, 2022
Weather: Hot with a Threat of Rain; High 87, Low 74 degrees F
Location: At Home in an Airbnb in Rincon, Puerto Rico
Day one of our family vacation in Puerto Rico was wonderful. Heather and I were the first ones up this morning and we made a run to the grocery store to get food for lunch, plus a few other necessities. Breakfast was taken care of by Justin and Ziggy. They arrived at our Airbnb with the ingredients for Ziggy to make pancake batter which Justin cooked on the griddle. Then we all walked to Marina Beach to snorkel.
After snorkeling a bit, the kids decided they really wanted to rent a paddle board (they ended up renting two) and spent the next hour messing about on those boards.
Lunch was back at our BNB. While the adults fixed lunch, the grandkids played in the pool. We had not made plans for the afternoon as we wanted to let the kids decide what they would like to do. A decision was made that Justin, Jo, and I would take the kids to Finca Maravilla, the name of Justin and Jo’s two-acre homestead, to explore and just hang out. Heather and Jed stayed home and went to Steps Beach to check it out, while Justin introduced the Sam, Jonah, and Ollie to their horses, Hopi and Barnaby
and let them each have a try at using a machete.
Sam cut down some rogue almond trees while Jonah got to cut down the banana plant and Ollie got to chop the stalk of bananas from the tree.
And Ollie got to feed Rabbit, the pet pig.
Then the kids took off on a little exploration while I sat on the porch. So relaxing.
At the end of this perfect day, it was out to dinner at a new Thai outdoor eating venue. The service was extremely slow, but the food was absolutely delicious. And finally, it was back in the pool at the Airbnb.
Tomorrow surfing and more snorkeling are on the agenda.
We soaked in the beauty and joined the rest of the family for a buffet breakfast on the dining area patio at the hotel to start the morning. Then we all migrated to the pool for a morning of fun. 
Jo gathered all the grandkids to get a photo with me.
I am always taking the photos and am not usually in them. I love having the photo with the Fabulous Five. Thank you, Jo. As noon approached, we all knew our special week together was about to end. The grandkids decided that all of them jumping into the pool on the count of three was the way to put an exclamation point on a wonderful week. They jumped, and jumped, and jumped again as Oma captured them on video, and finally, reluctantly went inside to get ready to leave.
I think the boys really enjoyed the walk in Old San Juan as it celebrates its 500th year.
