Puerto Rican Flora and Fauna

Rain showers come and go easily in Puerto Rico so we decided to take the car for a ride about the community instead the golf cart. This gave me a dry retreat in case of a downpour.

When not raining, I was able to get a few shots of interesting bits around us. Above is the Antillean Grackle apparently in a mating or territorial display.

Arecibo

It seemed silly to visit Puerto Rico and not visit the radio telescope at Arecibo so we drove over for a look about. Turns out that the telescope is sited in a region of karst south of the town of Arecibo. As you might imagine, there are no primary roads from the expressway south, so we wound about for a long time on very narrow roads never sure that we actually getting anywhere until we finally popped out right at the entrance.

Old San Juan

After the cathedral, we wandered Old San Juan a bit to get a feel for the place. We found Calle Fortaleza decked out with a roof of pink umbrellas. And for some reason, the fellow by the orange traffic barrel was wearing his iguana on his head, I suppose for hands-free lizard transport.

Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista

In Old San Juan one find a real gem, the Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista. Although the ceiling decorations are painted rather than carved, it is still a interestingly ornate and imposing.

Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi: A City of Angels

The old part of San Juan is located on an island that protects the harbor. On this island is Old San Juan and the famous fort that you see all the photos of. But the fascinating place for us is just next to the old fort, the cemetery. This place is crowded city of angels by the sea. It is filled with beautiful statues to honor the dead.

Puerto Rico

After out short excursion in Glasgow, we loaded up for a flight south to Puerto Rico. It was a long day. We went through security in Glasgow (of course), again in London when we changed terminals, once more in London at the gate when they decided that we won the lottery to have our carry-on inspected, again in Miami when we came into the US and boarded our flight to Puerto Rico. Lordy! We felt really secure!!

So, on this trip we've been as far north as 55.9 degrees in Glasgow, as far east as 3.6 degrees east in Grenada, as far south as 18.5 degrees in San Juan, and end up in Snohomish at 122 degrees west. Even though the trip from Glasgow to San Juan was shorter than a flight from LAX to Melbourne, the terminal changing and frequent safety checks made our travel day feel like we'd had all that travel in one day.

The Cemetery in Old San Juan

Elizabeth got some photos of the old cemetery in San Juan I thought I'd share with you. Above is the entrance. As you can see it is right on the shore with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.

A Visit to Ponce

Another outing to report on from Puerto Rico where E and Jeanne are house sitting this week. The house where they are staying on the northern (Atlantic) shore and today, they took a trip across the island to the south coast (caribbean shore) to the town of Ponce. Heading into the mountains brings lush vegetation.

Playa de Chiquita, Puerto Rico

So, Elizabeth and Jeanne has gone off to Puerto Rico  for a week long house sit while I stay behind and keep the fires burning. Judging from the pictures she has sent to me, she got the better end of this deal.

She and Jeanne went out to Playa de Chiquita at sunset the other day to have a look about and take their little charge, Buddy, out for some exercise.