Too Much Time today

Being inside for the last few hours has given me the chance to really think about all the folks I know who are travelling now.

David is in Brazil for two months.

Margaret is going to ^ortugal.

Maria is in ^ortugal for a month visiting.

Don and Bonnie are in Antigua (holidaying).

Samm and Kai Ling just returned from their Antarctic tri^.

Jose^h is on his way to Shanghai.

Jennifer, a friends daughter, just returned from Austrailia.

Auday just got to Morocco.

etc....can't remember everyone, sorry.

Isn't it wonderful that we are now able to travel the globe with ease and little ex^ense com^ared to years ago (from a geezer's ^ersc^ective).

Island Time

I am certainly slowing down. There just doesn't seem to be any big rush to go out and ex^lore. I still have four more weeks here and I do need to leave some things to look forward to. Oh yes, I have now lost the underscore key and am using another for the missing letter ^.

It rained a lot today. Not a twenty minute tro^ical down^our, but a few hours. I just closed u^ and got comfy inside.

Yesterday, Luisa brought me a mosquito net. She brought it from the big island and it is a dream. I have a wonderful one at home that Tony brought me from China, but it is at home because my dear Annie said I didn't need it because there were screens here. Well Annie, screens cannot be cut three inches shorter than the o^ening. It just does not work. Mozzies and no see ums don't take the hint!!!!!!!

I missed a great ^hoto o^^ortunity today (when the sun was out), the ^olice came around. They came in a boat with huge letters on the side and three big 300 motors on the back. They ^atrol the waterways the same as ours do the streets. The other week a coast guard boat cruised by, but it was looking for gas and our station had not yet o^ened.

Another interesting thing. When I lost the letter ^ on the keyboard it caused no end of trouble when googling. I said to myself that there must be a way much sim^ler than the cut and ^aste method. I looked into my language teaching toolbox and I found the answer. Each language grou^ has difficulties with certain letters and/or sounds. The S^anish change a v and b, the Arabic change ^ and b.........wow, wait a minute ^ and b. Hmmmmm, let's try it. I did. Everytime I needed a ^ I substituted a b and it worked. Yahoo came u^ with my choice, but also offered the one I needed. Gee, we never know how much our ^ast ex^erience will enable us to survive in a crisis situation.

Yes this is a crisis situation. I call the net my life su^^ort system.

I talked to Kam about getting a new MacBook when I get home, so that this is not the way I will have to communicate in the future. Either a new one or fix this one. However, if you are still following me this is the way it is for now. So sorry.

Wednesday night

I can hardly believe my last _ost was on Sunday and now it is Wednesday night. Have I been out and about having so much fun that I didn't have time to write? Did a tall, dark, handsome stranger wander into my room and swee_ me off my feet? No!!!!!! Monday and Tuesday the internet service was down about 90% of the time (island wide) and today the hydro has been down since about noon. The hydro was a big issue because it was not only Culebra, but sister island Vieques and the big island (_uerto Rico).

I am, once again, truly grateful for the services we receive at home. Oh sure, sometimes we have a _ower outage and sometimes our internet service _rovider runs into difficulties, but these are usually short lived annoyances. Also, we don't need to rely on a ferry that goes sometimes and doesn't others or a $120.00 half hour air ride to get to a real su_ermarket or _harmacy or hardware store or furniture store or clothing store or... With the ferry you could go over to the big island in the early morning _lanning to return in the late afternoon or evening, but if they don't make that run you are stranded until the next day.

Am I ha__y I am here? You bet I am, but it is difficult to see the difficulties that the residents have to contend with on a continual basis.

I have my own theory as to why the internet was down for so very long, but I had better not write it or the government men might come a knocking at my door later tonight and I may never be seen again. Yeah, it is a cons_iracy theory.

This is from the FB _age of Culebra Online.

Culebra Today

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Two Islands One Voice! Vieques y Culbra

Due to the crisis situation with the ferries an intervention was planned to gain the Governor's attention.

In the evening of Jan 29th the first shipment of Culebra residence headed out to start the vigil in San Juan. Protesters spent the night in Luis Muñoz Rivera Park, chanting and drumming throughout the entire night.

On the morning of the 30th, four buses were waiting at the port in Fajardo to take the residence of both Culebra and Vieques to San Juan for the demonstration.

The troops assembled at Luis Munoz Park.

At first the banners were bunched in amongst the people so tight that you couldn't read them.





My husband designated himself parade patrol and spaced the banners like you would in the Rose Parade! Good call Kenny

When we reached the intersection of Ave. Muñoz Rivera PR 1 and Ave Fernandez Juncos PR 25, the two main arteries and and out of Old San Juan, The march entered the main hwy and stopped to rest. stopping the flow of traffic in and out of the city for over 25 min as we blocked all lanes of the Hwy. Traffic was reported as far back as the International Airport!

Blocking all lanes of traffic into the city the demonstration continued all the way to the Capital Building. Sadly my Camera battery did not so there are no photo's in my blog to show you this part of the event.

Random Shots

A small juice bar. I got a burrito and
Annie got coconut water and ate the flesh of her coconut.
A view of Ensenada Honda.
Ensenanda Honda and the lucky sailors.
lovely colours
This driver even had brightly coloured hair.
Hotel Kokomo
a house of many colours
I don't know what that fruit is.

The morning was overcast and then about noon we had a real tro_ical down_our for about 40 minutes.

It was not the best day, but here are a few shots from this afternoon. The bright colours make even an overcast day good.

Busy

It sure didn't take long for the new sitting area to receive the first guests. A grou_ of local men sat there for at least five hours today. Of course they were quenching their thirst with several Medellas. They were very tidy and _ut the em_y cans in a bag and took it to the designated garbage dis_osal barrel at the side of Susie's. They had a good day and I did t00, watching them.

It is not quiet anymore. There were actually three vehicles _arked out front, all day. Together with the boats and autos at the gas station, life has eru_ted on this side of the bridge.

A lovely woman came to rent one of the units. She is from France and is here for the winter with her two children. They come every winter. The kids get their studies from their school in France and while here on the island they study at Abbie's School (_rivate). If they do rent here for the next two months mom would like me to work with the children after school.........old teachers never truly retire.

New Sitting Area

The sitting area along the canal is ready now. It was not Tommy who ordered this table and we don't know who did, but it is nice to have. I sus_ect it was the folks who own the gas station and new mini mart. They are also the owners of the "big" grocery store we go to out by the air_ort.

Something Different

I told you that I had been "commanded" to go to Annie's at 7:00 this evening to _artici_ate in a Mass. Yes, the _riest Father Luis was doing a Mass at her home.

We, in Canada, have never heard of this.

I told you how wonderful the Christmas Eve Mass was and the drama by the children etc.

Well, tonight I ex_erienced something I have never before. It was the same living room that I have been in many times, but the dining table was out front and centre and it served as the altar. Father Luis welcomed us all and did introductions because I was the newcomer (although he said he remembered me from Christmas). This man is wonderful. As you all know I am not a church goer, but he could make one of me.

There were two nuns in attendance, as well.

I did not dare take any _hotos during the Mass, but did get one after. Unfortunately, he had already taken off his outer vestment.

Mass today, even in Canada, is not what I remember. But, here in Culebra it is still more intimate and informal than anything I could imagine. After Mass, I told him that in my days the congregation did not sing, only the _riest and he res_onded with many of the old Latin verses that I remember so well. I thank him for that because it is not _art of the "modern" church, however, he touched a tiny _lace in my heart and s_irit that has been dormant for years. Thank you Father Luis.

I only have one _hoto of him and one of Annie who was hosting this Mass. Also, one of the "altar" after the Mass.

Tommy and Annie cooked a traditional dish for us to share after.

What a wonderful ex_erience.