Hurricane Isaac

We had a near miss from Hurricane Isaac this week. All of the cutters in Puerto Rico were sent out away from the storm till it passes so they can be the first responders after the storm. And plus if they stayed here their boats would get beat up at the dock with the wind and storm surge. Bella and I did just fine. We lost power a few times, but not for more than a coupe of hours at a time so it was manageable. Hopefully we don't have to deal with anymore hurricanes while we are here!

Home Schooling

We have taught her how to sit!

And how to get in her kennel! Shes such a good girl!

Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast

The Captain of the San Juan Base presented Ryan and 2 other guys from his boat with this "Challenge Coin" for their courageous efforts of saving 4 Cuban immigrants. The coin promotes individual strength and courage and it inspires teamwork and camaraderie. Im so proud of him :)

Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Dominican Republic navy crews interdicted two Dominican suspected smugglers, rescued four Cubans and recovered 11 other Cuban survivors and one deceased Cuban from Mona Island and Monito Island, Puerto Rico, following a maritime pursuit of a migrant-smuggling vessel Thursday in the Mona Passage.

"These smugglers showed their ruthlessness and a complete disregard towards the lives, well being and safety of the people they were transporting illegally to Puerto Rico," said Capt. Drew Pearson, U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan commander. “The excellent coordination and response between Caribbean Border Interagency Group partner agencies and the Dominican Republic navy resulted in four lives being saved and the successful interdiction of the smugglers.”

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Puerto Rico is seeking the extradition of the two smugglers from the Dominican Republic, who are currently in the custody of Dominican Republic authorities.

Upon noticing the presence of law enforcement authorities in the area, the smugglers proceeded to cover the migrant vessel with a blue tarp in an attempt to avoid detection and continued to transit towards Monito Island, where several Cubans jumped into the water and were trapped below the island’s cliff waterline unable to reach safety.

The migrant vessel proceeded to transit rapidly towards Mona Island, where the remaining migrants jumped into the water and began swimming towards shore. Immediately thereafter, the suspected smugglers proceeded to flee the scene and head back towards the Dominican Republic with the CBP surveillance aircraft in aerial pursuit.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Cushing arrived to Monito Island, deployed their response boat and combined efforts with the crew of a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to rescue the four migrants from the cliffside. The helicopter’s rescue swimmer was able to reach the four endangered migrants and pull them to safety, one at a time. The crew of the rescue helicopter hoisted one of the survivors onboard, who required immediate medical attention, and transported him to Good Samaritan Hospital in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The crew of the Cushing embarked the three other survivors from the cutter’s small boat.

The Cushing transported the three other survivors to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where they were turned over to awaiting Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents. The Cushing is a 110-foot patrol boat home ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

http://www.d7.uscgnews.com/go/doc/586/1317939/ (entire article)

Bella's First Trip to the Beach

Bella had a blast at the beach! She rolled in the sand and chased after waves.

Sandy nose.

The wind would catch her ears and blow them out. lol She had a good time.

Arecibo, PR

Arecibo is the largest city in geographical size on the island. Its about 45 mins away from our home. There are beaches in San Juan, but they get filled with tourist and get crowded. So for us it was worth the drive. There are two large rocks near this beach and as the waves crash against them it shoots the water in the air. The waves break really good here and there were a lot of surfers and I enjoyed watching them. Ryan didn't surf, but he did boogie board and had a blast.

 Enjoying the sun and the beach!

 Ryan found some glasses while boogie boarding...

This is a little lagoon made by the rocks. It looks kinda crowded, but on either side of the rocks there was hardly anyone. There was also a lighthouse up on a hill beside the beach too. When the water hit the rocks it would make a loud BOOM.

Fun Facts

1. The world's largest single-dish radio telescope is located in Puerto Rico.
2. Puerto Rico is roughly the size of Connecticut.
3. El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System.
4. Puerto Rico was "discovered" by Christopher Columbus.
5. More than 70% of the rum sold in the U.S. comes from Puerto Rico.
6. San Juan is the second largest cruise port in the western hemisphere.
7. Two of the oldest churches in the Americas lie in Old San Juan.
8. Puerto Rico has over 270 miles of beaches.
9.  The legal drinking age in Puerto Rico is 18. No matter what your age is, you can't drink on the street in Old San Juan.
10. Given the number of casinos on the island, this may not be a real surprise, but gambling is legal all over the island. However, only hotels are allowed to have casinos.
11. For some reason, gas is sold by the liter, but distance is measured in kilometers. To make things even more confusing, speed is measured in miles per hour.
12. There is no Daylight Savings Time in Puerto Rico, which is always on Atlantic Standard Time.

First Visitors

 We had our first visitors come last week, Ryan's sister Amanda and her husband Jean!! I was excited to show them around town, bring them our house, and of course meet Bella (Amanda fell in love with her). Ryan was underway most of the time they were here, but made it back in time to spend their last night with them. We went to dinner then walked around Old San Juan.  

 Brother and sister :)

Amanda showed me a setting on my camera that I didn't even know I had. It takes awesome pictures at night!

El Yunque Rainforest

 Amanda and I got to visit the El Yunque Rainforest while she was in town. Ryan wasn't able to come because he was underway on his boat. We went on a guided hiking tour and went on several trails through the forest. One of the trails follows the course of the La Mina River downward through tropical trees, shrubs and flowers to the La Mina waterfall (Cascada La Mina).

 

Snails on leaves.

 Along the way, it crosses and re-crosses the rushing river on many small bridges, passing tiny cascades and still pools filled with chilled mountain water, on its way to the falls.

The waterfall drops over 35 feet through a jumble of huge rocks into a pool where hikers can choose to swim in the cool refreshing water or just rest and enjoy the view.



The Castillo de San Cristóbal

The Castillo de San Cristóbal or St. Christopher Fort is a massive fort that was built by the Spanish in the city of San Juan. The fort was originally designed to guard San Juan but it is now just an interesting tourist site. Fort San Cristóbal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a U.S. National Park Service site. It was built (began in 1634 and completed in 1771) to protect the city. Built on San Cristobal Hill (hence the name), the fort is considered one of the largest Spanish fortifications in the New World. The structure extends across 27 acres of land. We went down into the dungeons and climbed up on top of the fort walls.

 Ryan's sister came into town for a week. We had fun spending time with them and exploring the island together.

At the top of one of the towers was slit that was a "look out" for the Spaniards. It was a beautiful panoramic view of the ocean.

It was such a beautiful day!!

This is me and Ryan, Amanda and Jean (Ryan sister and her husband), and Cecilia and Jason (Amanda's friends) at the top of the fort with Old San Juan in the background.



Bella

How did Bella go from a pound dog to Princess Bella in just a couple of weeks!?! I put her outside in the mornings so she can go to the bathroom. But the grass has a little bit of dew on it. So she balances on a 3 inch ledge so her paws won't get damp... really Bella?? lol At least I always know when she's finished going to the bathroom. Wonder where she got this princess attitude from...?

After bathroom, ledge balancing, breakfast, and play time she gets tired and takes a quick snooze. She is not a very modest sleeper.

When I sing to Bella she gives me this face. LOL

Ryan calls Bella an ankle bitter and says she looks like a hyena, but yet I catch him rolling on the floor loving and playing with her and kicking her back to give her a belly rub. He says all those things, but I know shes got him wrapped around her little paw!

I caught them taking a nap together on the couch. So sweet!! She's such a toot, but I think everything she does is so dang cute! She has my heart : )