So how does this get so “taxing”? On Saturday night I was happily bouncing in my seat to one of the many live bands, when, over the beat of the music,  I heard my name called from several seats away.  I was motioned to come over by Sandra, who I know very well from the Vieques Women’s Alliance.  Sandra, who is also the director of the local Revenue Office,  wanted to let me know that I had dropped off my tax return without signing it.   I thanked her and said I would be there to sign it after the weekend.  Kudos to Sandra for going above and beyond the call of duty on a Saturday night.   What a joy to live in Vieques where personal service is the norm and even filing taxes can be fun.

Penny with her diamond

The bioluminescence wasn’t the only thing making the bio-bay sparkle on the night of April 12th.   Dave made his surprise proposal for marriage to Penny while they were on a tour to the bio-bay.   It’s hard to get down on one knee when you are treading water and just as hard to get a ring out of a Tiffany’s box to present to your beloved.

The couple kayaked out to the middle of the bay and threw themselves into the luxurious glowing water.

Dave & Penny after engagement

Then Dave proceeded to ask  Penny to marry him and pulled out the box with the diamond ring from his bathing suit pocket.  But Penny wasn’t satisfied with that.   She wanted the ring on her finger then and there.  So, with much trepidation, Dave opened the box while treading water, slipped the ring on her finger and then planted a long kiss.

When they arrived back to Casa de Kathy, I was ready to hear the joyful story (Dave had already consulted with me on how to safely transport the ring to the bay).  I gave a big hug to Penny and took several photos of the happy couple.   May this engagement day

Dave proud of his proposal

be one of many happy memories that they create together.

Kathy and Luvy

Today I went for a hike to Black Sand Beach with my dog Luvy.  I left  Casa de Kathy at 7:30 AM and walked to Coco Beach (Playa Cocal) and west along the south coast.   There are about four headlands of rocks that you have to pass so it is good to wear shoes that can get wet.  The walk is peaceful and you will pass many beaches good for beachcombing (finding shells and seaglass). The coast is rocky and wavy.

As I stood on the 4th headland and looked west, I saw the very long sandy beach with orange cliffs.  That is Black Sand Beach.  In a very short distance I stopped where the river bed joins the coast because that is my favorite spot to swim because there is a sandy bottom.  I swam for about 10 minutes while my faithful dog Luvy watched.

There are patches of black sand all along this beach.    How much depends on the the movements of the sea.

Dry river bed that leads to black sand beach

Then I walked north up the dry river bed under a  wonderful tree canopy.  The total silence except for the birds is what I love about this walk.  In about ten minutes I arrived at the public road (201) where I took a right and headed back home.  This walk is nice in the morning because the road is shaded by all the trees.  Thanks for these photos of life along the river bed taken by my guests Theresa and Slava.

Lizard (anole)

Hermit crab

I got home at 9 AM – one hour and a half after I left.   What a great way to begin the day!

Museo Fuerte Conde de Mirasol

Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña

Apartado 71 Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765

t. 787 741-1717 f. 787 741-4688
<mailto:rrabin@icp.gobierno.pr> rrabin@icp.gobierno.pr

5 de abril de 2010

Celebran XXXIII Festival Cultural Viequense

Del 16 al 18 de abril se celebrará en la Isla Nena la trigésima tercera
edición del Festival Cultural Viequense. Tres noches de presentaciones
artístico-culturales se llevarán a cabo en las facilidades del Museo Fuerte
Conde de Mirasol, proyecto adscrito al Programa de Museos y Parques del
Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. El Festival es la más amplia y más
antigua manifestación de la cultura viequense-puertorriqueña que se celebra
en la isla municipio.

Ballet folklórico, música típica, bomba y plena, una feria de artesanía –
con decenas de artesanos de la Isla Grande y de Vieques – y una feria de
libros viequenses cuentan entre las actividades del fin de semana que
comienzan cada noche a las 7:00PM La Banda Municipal de Vieques y su
Taller Orquesta, los grupos Mariyandá y Albacaná, Los Pleneritos del Son
(Luquillo), Ballet Folklórico Sol del Caribe (Guayama), una presentación de
baile, teatro de títeres y música típica del Municipio de Caguas, Los
Pleneros de Vieques, Victoria Sanabria y su Orquesta forman parte del
programa del Festival.

Este año se dedica el Festival Cultural a Myrna Pagán y Charlie Connelly por
diez y siete años de periodismo viequense a través de la publicación de El
Vieques Times (1987-2004). Además, se rendirá tributo póstumo a dos
trabajadores de la cultura viequense vinculados al Festival Cultural: Dr.
Rafael Rivera Castaño y Mario Solís.

Dos exhibiciones especiales estarán en el Museo durante el Festival y
continuarán hasta finales de mayo: una muestra de portadas del Vieques Times
y una impresionante exposición de arte popular puertorriqueño que incluye
máscaras, tallas en maderas, cerámica e instrumentos musicales.

Auspician este evento muy especial junto al Instituto de Cultura, el
Gobierno Municipal de Vieques, la Hermandad de Artesanos de Vieques, el
Departamento de Educación y un amplio grupo de comerciantes viequenses.

Para más información pueden llamar al teléfono, 787 741-1717.

Contacto: Robert Rabin, 787 375-0525

The photo was taken by another guest, Joe Saraceno who has stayed at Casa de Kathy more than once. This winter Joe and his wife were walking towards Black Sand beach and encountered these beautiful galloping horses and were able to take this dramatic photo.  In the background you can see Cayo Afuera, the island in front of the Malecon.

Thanks for sharing, Ted and Joe .

Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 6:34 AM
From: Ted Glick
Greetings from beautiful Vieques.

Yesterday I had an experience like none I’ve ever had. Jane and I are walking up a mountain road, closed to vehicle traffic, no other people around, to the top of the highest mountain here (1,000 feet) and we encountered a herd of a dozen wild horses eating by the side of the road. We spent the next hour and a half, going up and then coming back down, trying to get past them, walking behind them, watching them speed up to get ahead of us and going out of sight, eating lunch prematurely as we came upon them forming a kind of blockade of the road while half of them ate some luscious-looking long grass by the side of the road.

We eventually decided to press our luck by walking slowly up towards the blockaders to try to get through so we could get up to the top. Fortunately, and as we thought was likely, they moved aside and then down the road to allow us to go past. Then, after we’d gone up to the top and were coming back down we ran into the whole group of them again at one point and they proceeded to move as one group, about 15-20 feet ahead of us, all the way down the rest of the hike to the bottom.

It was amazing to have this kind of dance with these beautiful animals,
each of us eyeing each other nervously, us moving cautiously, trying to get
them to trust us, watching certain ones of the horses playing leadership roles in their determination of how to respond to us, etc.

TED

The buffet was wonderful with all kinds of local dishes.  The desserts were ecstasy!   The dance show included swing, salsa, meringue, hip-hop, plena & tap dance.  The winners of the 3 dance contests were hard to choose since there were so many good dancers.  Thanks to Vinni Tozzi, our coordinator,  for another great night of fun.  To get invloved with the Vieques Small Busness Incubator (Incubadora de Microempresas), call Nilda Medina at 787-741-8787 or write to incubadora.bieke@cprdv.org