Sir Stumpy

Poised for attack. Or maybe another peach...

Steve and Sir Stumpy

We have a new pet, Sir Stumpy the lizard who is regrowing his tail.
He's been hanging out in our gazebo for about a month now - long
enough to have gotten comfortable enough to share meals with us. This
is him hoping for a handout from steve's lunch

Flowers

Back patio

Getting better all the time

Flowers!

The backyard is starting to look more and more like home!

Flower beds

Flower beds

My latest flower bed

I really like the way this one turned out!

The lighthouse

This is the place to have a cookout!

It is so pretty here! While we were waiting, I got to play with
lizards, hermit crabs, and eat fresh oranges and avocados from the
trees on the premises. Heaven

Exploring the lighthouse

While the pig was turning on the spit, I went exploring the grounds
around the lighthouse - what a great place!! I loved this vine - it
twisted itself into the most perfect rope.

Pig roast

Pig roast at the Slaughter House

We had our first official pig roast this weekend - what a hoot! I
think We're now officially puerto rican. The whole weekend was really
a good time and a pretty big success, despite all the furies working
against us. Luis got the pig late Friday night - and it turned out to
be twice the size of what he ordered. So... That meant OUR spits were
way too small. Enter Josh, who saved the day by taking us to a great
BBQ pit. Here's josh and luis stoking the fire. And then, it rained.
Not just a little. It poured. Which, of course meant that we lost
power. So, Angie and I chopped, blended, and diced in the dark, and
then cooked most of the rest of the feast, one pot at a time, on the
eye on the grill outside. Fortunately, the rains dried up, and power
came back on about an hour before people started coming. This party
set a new record - we ended up cooking breakfast for 9 the next
morning :-)

Luis leaving San Juan

Smoke over the wing of the airplane

San Juan burning

San Juan burning

San Juan burning

Details are still sketchy, but one major fuel storage tank and 8-10
smaller ones exploded last night in San Juan. According to the
security here, it registered 2.8 on the richter scale. Since all the
fuel for the island is stored in San Juan, people have been panicking
and hoarding gas. The local Texaco was backed up about 1/8 mile at
8:30 this morning. Steve and Luis flew over this afternoon - the
following are their shots.

Afternoon rain clouds

Moonflower

It bloomed!! Isn't that the prettiest flower?! This poor plant is
having a time of it right now too-it got some kind of bug - they're
little tiny, yellow, and all over the back of the leaves. I've hand
soaped every leaf (shew)three times low in an attempt to kill the
varmits and save the plant. Helped, but today I'm on a quest for
Rotenone. Anyone got any other recommendations for something that will
take care of the invasion of the teeny tiny leaf suckers?

Btw, the succulent in the pot is a freebie leslie and I got from a
friendly nursery owner yesterday - it's the coolest thing! It looks
kind of like an aloe plant, but where the pointy parts come off the
lead, it grows a little succulent rose. Looks enough like teeth that
it reminds me of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors! I'm trying to find
out what it's called...

Afternoon showers bring...

Morning toadstools! I found the prettiest little trail of these guys
in someone's front yard this morning on my run. I ne'er cease to be
amazed at how beautifully intricate these guys are on the backside -
especially given the fact that they appear out if thin air overnight!