Large Load

I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this small truck with a car almost twice its size in the back! Looks like they were determined to move it...

Special Delivery

Bella got a package in the mail from my parents!! She got a bone, sock monkey, and a ball. She loved her gifts, thank grandma and grandpa :)

She passed out on her monkey.

Gas

This is what the gas prices look like here in Puerto Rico. They are priced by the liter and this converts to about $3.39 a gallon.

Service Time

Ryan has been in the military for exactly 6 years today! This is the cutter CUSHING, Ryan's second home for the next year and a half.

New Addition to Our Family

We adopted Bella from the animal shelter here in San Juan. She is a dapple dachshund and is 1 year old. I snapped this picture of her while I was signing the papers to adopt her. Bella and her brother were brought to the shelter in November because their owners were abusing and neglecting them. Unfortunately, her brother was too sick and had to be put down and she was only 7 pounds and was very sick too. They were able to nurse her back to health and I adopted her exactly 2 months after she arrived at the shelter. Bella is now a healthy 11 pounds and is the most sweetest, loving animal. I have only had her a few days and already head over hills in love! She is adapting well and we are currently working on potty training....patience patience patience!!!

OOD Board

Ryan passed his "Officer of the Deck" board while he was underway this week. So proud of him!

The Parrot

The Parrot is a news letter that comes out every month. It gives information about upcoming events, updates on meetings and clubs, and fun activities that are happening around our community.

Upgrades

They have been working on our housing units since I got here in December. The workers have put solar panels on our roof, tinted all of the windows, new AC unit, and new toilets. Going green!!

Our new LG AC unit. Very quiet and looks a lot different from the older one!

Caroma dual flush toilet has two buttons for flushing (for you number 1 or number 2 lol). The half flush uses 0.8 gallons and the full flush uses 1.28-1.6 gallons per flush.

Isla Caja de Muertos

Ryan and I took a weekend trip to the south of the island called Ponce, Puerto Rico (second largest city on the island, San Juan is the largest). We stayed the night in the Hilton Golf & Casino Resort and woke up bright and early to catch the ferry over to Isla Caja de Muertos.

View from our balcony as the sun was setting.

Being an island, the only way to get there is via boat. Island Ventures operates a ferry boat that runs between Ponce and the island on weekends. They make 1 trip per day — departing from La Guancha Marina at 8:30am and departing from the island at 3:30pm. The boat trip takes about 35-45 minutes. The ferry holds 125 people, but the day we went there were only about 25 people on board. The ferry has 2 decks, a covered lower deck and an open-air upper deck. They sell drinks and water on the ferry, and it has restrooms.

Our view pulling up to the island.

Isla Caja de Muertos is located 8 miles off the coast, south of Ponce. It is a small island, just about 1½ miles long and about ½ mile wide. It is a nature reserve, with beautiful beaches, hiking trails, a light house and a cave. There are some reefs off the north-eastern side of the island, but you need a boat to get to them. And there are other beaches on the east side of the island, but they are roped off during turtle-nesting season. The water was absolutely breathtaking and we had so much fun snorkeling and soaking up the sun!

Horse Trailer

Who needs a horse trailer when you have a truck bed?!?

Co-Host

 This is our local English news station One Caribbean Weather. The meteorologist has this parrot on his arm everyday! When I first saw it, I thought it was a joke. Its hard to take him serious sometimes....

Santa is herree!!

I know this is a little late, but better late than never! We had a parade come through our USCG Rio Bayamon housing before Christmas. Everyone went out in their driveways and watched it go by. That's how we ended up meeting a lot of our immediate neighbors.

Trash Can

This is a trash can in the mall. Its a little freaky, but its so funny!

Second Class Petty Officer Richard

The Coast Guard Cutter CUSHING is a 110' Island Class Patrol Boat homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Coast Guard Sector San Juan base. Their missions include Search & Rescue (SAR), Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) including migrant and drug interdiction, Homeland Security, and Enforcement of Laws and Treaties. USCGC CUSHING has a crew complement of 16.

MEGA Marshalls

It was huge and fun to shop around in. I had to contain myself...

Home Depot

When I walked into Home Depot I saw this sign. Love it! They need these signs everywhere!

Strangler Fig Tree

This tree is on the Coast Guard Base where Ryan's boat it docked. This sort of growth is common in more tropical climes, particularly among species of fig (Ficus). A strangler fig can actually begin its life above ground, sprouting on the limb of another tree, then extend its roots down towards the ground while also sending branches and trunk upward. Over time, the original tree dies off and the strangler fig completely usurps the space.

Three Kings Day

Puerto Rico has an extra-long holiday season. It starts at Thanksgiving and runs until mid-January. With about 90% of the population being Christian, the Christmas season is a big deal here. While you may think that Christmas is the big day, tradition dictates that it is the Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day or Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (which falls on January 6th each year) that is the biggest holiday in all the island.

The Three Kings of the Epiphany are the guys who followed the star to Bethlehem, to offer the baby Jesus presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh 12 days after he was born. So, unlike some cultures that have Santa bringing the presents on Christmas eve, Spanish cultures have Los Reyes Magos, who come to people’s homes on the night of January 5th (La Vípera de Reyes or the Eve of Three Kings Day) to bring them presents. Here, in Puerto Rico, Santa does come on Christmas, and December 25th is a celebration, but tradition dictates that Three Kings Day is the big deal.

Kids write their wish lists to their favorite king (Melchor, Baltazar or Gaspar), and they leave out snacks for the Three Kings (and grass for their camels) before they go to bed. On January 6th, there are huge family gatherings with lots of traditional foods. It’s lots of fun to participate in these traditional celebrations.

One of the cool things about Puerto Rico is that they never loose the spirit of the Holidays. When you visit the island, you can see the Three Kings depicted everywhere, all year long. They are frequently painted, crafted, or carved from wood, and on display regardless of the season.