Lucky Acorns

It's been almost a week since we returned from our 10 day trip to Puerto Rico and I've been able to go through some of the photos we took and compile a few of them into what you see here. In short, a whirlwind trip. Traveling with two young children is no easy task, especially when your itinerary includes many off the beaten path destinations as ours did. When I found a quiet moment to pause during our trip, and when reflecting on our time in PR now that we are home, I realize that there were some challenging times -- like being stuck on a tiny mountain road in the middle of nowhere for over 30 minutes with two hungry and cranky children because road crews were very slowly paving the single lane road and were not allowing cars to pass, or trying to desperately quiet a tired and crying lap baby on not one, not two, but three out of the four flights we took because she refused to sleep anywhere but in her crib or car seat -- but the happy, spontaneous, joyful and awe-inspiring moments far outnumbered and outweighed any of the difficult ones. This was a trip that David and I will remember for a lifetime, with many memories made.

{Early mornings looking out the front door at Tio Mory and Titi Zory's house - Canovanas, PR}

{Our "home base" in Puerto Rico: Mory and Zory's house. This is where we stay when visiting the island. Mory and Zory are like parents to David -- he lived with them in this house for several years when he was young}

{Panaderia -- the bakery right around the corner. Fresh bread every morning.}

{Two dollars a loaf -- can't beat that}

{Four generations: David's grandmother (Abuela Ana), father (David), sister (Shayra), David and Miles & Lydia}

{David's maternal grandmother Eleidy. I have to admire David's determination to find out about his family's history while on this trip. We learned so much from his relatives this time around. I think it was a matter of expressing an interest and asking the right questions.}

{In Old San Juan, near Paseo de Princesa and El Morro}

{A moment between siblings}

{Stopping for a piragua (snowcone) in Old San Juan}

{Miles gets his piragua de limon. The promise of an icy treat fulfilled.}

{Oh, that's good}

{At El Morro in Old San Juan}

We spent the first few days in PR visiting with family in and around Carolina and Canovanas (near San Juan). We also made our usual trek into Old San Juan where we visited parque de palomas, walked the brick streets, stared at the colonial architecture, spotted the occasional cockroach, lizard, and caterpillar, and bought a few souvenirs, including the panama hat that Miles is wearing in practically every picture.

A few days into the trip we set out for a beach resort on the southern coast of the island near the Guanica Dry Forest. Miles was in heaven playing on the sandy beach and practicing his "swimming" in the kiddie pools. We explored some of the nearby towns, but found this area to be a very quiet part of the island with much less tourism than in the larger cities.

{On the beach at Copa Marina Resort in Guanica, PR. We practically had the place to ourselves.}

{Walking and rolling down the pier at the resort -- Guanica, PR}

{Even trucks and truck drivers need breaks -- looking contemplative on the pier. Guanica, PR}

{Building sandcastles on the beach -- Guanica, PR}

After two nights at the beach, we headed north/inland towards the central mountain range. I knew the drive would be an interesting/nervewracking one with over an hour of hairpin turns on single lane mountain roads. This midwestern girl is used to flat, wide open spaces, and large, accomodating freeways. Once we were up in the mountains, I felt completely disoriented. We had entered into a vertical world where everything was up and down, hanging and leaning, narrow and curving, close and sloping, rugged edges and soft greens above and below us. Although difficult to get to, this was such a unique experience and well worth the journey. No t.v., no radio, no cell phone. Hens and roosters, goats and citrus, tin roof, hot chocolate for breakfast. Mountain vistas, lizards everywhere, the deafening noise of the mountain insects and wildlife at night, filtering through our open windows. True family time, evenings of games, puppet shows, and storytelling. A slower pace set by the daylight hours.

{The view from outside our room at La Casa Grande Mountain Retreat -- Utuado, PR}

{Taking a break in the hammock while Lydia naps in the room -- Utuado, PR}

{"The Temple" - a designated space at La Casa Grande for yoga and meditation -- Utuado, PR}

{Grapefruit trees at the resort -- freshly picked fruit was part of the breakfast fare each morning. Utuado, PR}

{Miles practices his "kicking" in a mountain view pool -- Utuado, PR}

{Mountain views -- Utuado, PR}

{Lago Dos Bocas -- near Utuado, PR}

{A palm near the main house at La Casa Grande -- Utuado, PR}

{A tired girl ready for a morning nap in the car as we drive out of the mountains and back toward the coast}

{Breakfast each morning on the porch overlooking the mountains}

{The morning mountain fog -- Utuado, PR}

{View from La Casa Grande -- Utuado, PR}

On our way back toward San Juan, we stopped in Arecibo to visit the lighthouse. We were amazed by the stunning blues of the Atlantic.

{View of the Atlantic from the Arecibo Lighthouse -- Arecibo, PR}

{Posing for a photo at the Arecibo Lighthouse}

{Stunning contrast everywhere between white (lighthouse building, clouds, surf) and blue (lighthouse shutters, sky, water) -- Arecibo, PR}

{Puerto Rican and American Flags}

We celebrated Miles' 4th birthday on November 20th while in Puerto Rico. It was a full and wonderful day that started out with a treasure hunt during a morning trip to Luquillo Beach. David and I filled a treasure chest with lost pirate treasure (toys and treats), buried it in the sand, and made a treasure map for Miles to use to find the buried treasure. It was a huge success! Miles loved it, although for a while he had convinced himself that the pirates were going to come back for their loot, and was worried that he would have to give it back to them.

{Treasure Map -- Luquillo Beach, PR}

{Starting the treasure hunt}

{X marks the spot. Digging for treasure.}

{Pirate paraphernalia}

Later that day, Zory had planned a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese for Miles and some of the cousins and family friends, complete with Captain America birthday cake. Of course, Miles had a blast. After the party, even more people came over to Mory and Zory's for a happy, noisy, family dinner. Zory and Maylen had decorated with balloons, the guys played pool, the women (and David) chatted, laughed and told stories. Such a great way to celebrate with our little guy! Happy birthday sweet boy! We love you.

Puerto Rico has slowly grown on me. I always feel like there is something there calling me back, something else I want to do/experience there. We enjoyed our adventures and visiting with family and will definitely return in the near future.

Other moments I want to remember (just to document it somewhere):
- Playing dominoes with Mory and Zory
- The drive along the coastal road through Loiza (juxtaposition of poverty and beauty of the landscape)
- Morning coffee overlooking the mountains
- Pancito de jamon y queso en Ciales
- sleeping babes on long car rides
- late night chats with David y Zory
- Bamboo forests
- the feel of the wind on the Atlantic side of the island
- always foraging for snacks for the kids
- the realization and affirmation that raising bilingual children is a priority for us