Category Archives: Friends and Family

RIP Cindie Rice of Calypso

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On our very first trip to Puerto Rico on our honeymoon we serendipitously found Calypso just down from the lighthouse in Rincon. Calypso seemed straight out of a Jimmy Buffet song. Neon lights, pink and teal paint, ocean waves right beyond, and a no-shirt, no-shoes, no problem attitude. They had good drinks (especially their rum punches) and pretty decent eats too. It was one of the places that made us fall in love with Rincon. We felt we could fold right into the fabric of life in this little corner of the island.


Just another day in paradise…at Calypso

We met  the owner of Calypso, Cindie Rice, on one of our trips to Puerto Rio. She was just enjoying her time at Calypso hanging out in one of the chairs out front by the gift shop. She was an interesting character who believed in ghosts, UFOs and lots of conspiracies. As a great surfer, businesswoman, animal lover and a legend, especially amongst the gringo community, most everyone in town knew her name. She was the one to tell us about the previous owner of our property (and how she had been found dead in the house). Cindie was a staple in the community. She supported local music and we are grateful to Cindie for having us play music when we were in the band. She was the sort of person it just seemed would always be a part of Rincon.

When we played a show at Calypso with our band

So it was sad to read that Cindie Rice had died after some difficult times in her life such as being diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Cindie and Me

This season there seems to be a lot of people moving out of Rincon or otherwise leaving the island. Exiting the stage so to speak. It has been a time of transition with new characters arriving and some of the greats, like Cindie, leaving.

Calyspo Sunset at Cindie’s celebration of life

We celebrated her life the way I think Cindie would like for Rincon to: with a big party at Calypso. We watched the sunset over the water, listened to music and ordered up a rum punch in her name. Rest in Peace Cindie. May there be forever fun music, good waves, happy dogs and strong drinks on the other side!

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Out and About with Baby

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Out to a Mexican Restaurant in Aguada…he is not so sure of the whole thing!

Life with baby can be somewhat exhausting. He’s a good boy, but he still needs to eat every 2-4 hours even in the middle of the night which leaves us pretty worn out. We are starting to get the hang of it, though and have started to take him out and about with us around town. We are getting much better. We’ve had a few diaper blow-outs and had to find strange places to breastfeed, but overall, he is just sort of our tag-along and it has been fun to have a new sidekick in our adventures.

With friends Frank and Rosa at our first time back to Art Walk


At the beach

With our friend Tom in Isabela (on the table)


With friends Bill, Jenn and Liam


With our neighbor Julio at the farmer’s market


At a photoshoot on the property with friend Laura


Of course it’s not always easy!!


At Rincon of the Seas


At beach parties


Halloween (with our little magician!)


Silly Mommy and baby!


Me and the bebecito

Overall, he just sort of is with us pretty much everywhere we go and we love him so!

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Without Love, Where Would You Be Now?

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The Doobie Brothers song, Long Train Running, became the soundtrack and mantra for the birth of our son. There was a documentary about the Doobie Brothers that we watched in the hospital after his birth and that particular song just worked its way into our subconscious. The question kept repeating: Without love, where would you be now? Through the long cold steel tracks of life that long train running brings us many places, but without love, where would we be now?

A week after the blessed birth of our son Aeden I became very ill and had to be hospitalized for 4 days due to a partially retained placenta. A fever developed that shot to 104 F and I lost so much blood that I was on watch for cardiac arrest and needed two blood transfusions, an iron infusion, IV antibiotics and a surgery under general anesthesia.


Lots of pokes, tests and prods

After some very scary moments on the line between this world and the next, we are now hopeful that we are in the clear and that my condition has improved. I am recuperating currently and finally have had a chance to give an update. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the village that came together behind the scenes to help our little family through this very rough time. If it weren’t for this crew of amazing people, I am not sure how we would have made it through.

First of all, thank you Britton for being there in the “sickness” part of sickness and in health. You have been extremely strong through this period that could break most people. I love you so, so much.


Britton is a great dad!

Thank you Missy, Ben, and even little Juliana for taking in a newborn, our precious baby, feeding him and loving him when we could not have him. Not many people would open their homes and hearts in such a way. Thank you to Missy for also rallying the troops for even more help. She kept us in communication, checked on us, provided us with supplies and so many other things. I do not know what we would have done without you when we were desperate standing at the emergency room door and they wouldn’t let Britton and I enter with our baby.


With Missy and Ben (and little Lucia)

Thank you to Megan and Kat who nourished us and our baby and provided us with extra breast milk when we had none. Thank you for everything else you did behind the scenes. Thank you to the fairy sprites Joanne and Francine (who I still have yet to meet) for cleaning our house and providing us with food and encouraging words. Thank you Jo for also making sure I made it to the hospital and making a special trip for the breast pump. After our ordeal it was so nice to walk into a clean house rather than the disaster we had left it when we rushed off.

Thank you to Ricia for washing our clothes and linens as well as the food and other supplies that have helped in my recovery. Thank you to Laura for the visits to the hospital, the food and the supplies we forgot in the hustle and bustle (like towels and pillows). Thank you to my family especially my mom Charlotte and aunt Annie who flew a long, long way to see me and make sure that I was alright. Thank you to Bill and Jenn for being in constant contact with us, the hospital visits and the smorgasbord of food when I was finished with surgery and doped up on morphine. Thank you to Brittany, Missy’s long distance ER doctor friend, who walked us through the steps and urged us into action or calmed us when it wasn’t needed. Thank you also to my friend Lisa who is a nurse and also encouraged me to seek medial help. Thank you to the medical staff at Mayaguez Medical Center. Thank you to the nameless people who donated the life-saving blood.

Blood transfusion

Thank you to Britton’s side of the family and everyone who wished us well and prayed for my recovery. I felt very loved in my darkest moments. Please forgive me if I missed someone in this list; it was quite the whirlwind. But know that you are appreciated! We may not have village tribes per se anymore in our modern world, but this was a shining example of the power of love when people come together to help one another. Without love, I don’t know where I would be right now, but it is possible my train may have stopped. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!


Back at home recovering and bonding with our baby

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Random Growth and Update

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In the jungle of our yard, growing and growing!

We have been pretty busy lately with doctor appointments for the baby, making a space for him in our cabin, keeping up with the landscaping (Britton has been having to pull a lot of weight, and I have been putting a lot on -haha), Farmer’s Markets and cabana rental activities amongst all the other various things we have to do to keep all the balls in the air (lawn mower repair, car repairs, house maintenance, shopping, etc). Here’s a little glimpse into some of our random life as it grows along.


Putting the crib together. A beautiful gift from a friend!


Snail hitched a ride to the farmer’s market


Some of our flowers and goods at the market


International Folk Dance night in Rincon was fun


These little geckos are everywhere. They have just become part of the background now


A walk through the tropic gardens


Plumeria in bloom smell so good!


Baby belly needed a rest


Croooaaak!


We hadn’t seen the inside of a hospital at all in many years of living here, and now seem to be getting a whole island tour! Mayaguez Medical Center


Britton and one of the friendliest souls in Rincon, Angel


Britton, turkeys and a cute back-up crib that was also a lovely gift


I actually use these scales that are everywhere in Puerto Rico. I also get my horoscope in Spanish! All for a peseta (quarter)


Dragonfly resting on the truck antenna after eating up the skeeters


A cool car and a cool spot by the water


A wild fruit we found growing by the quebrada that I learned is the delicious local named: pomarrosa blanca


Farm grown pomegranate isn’t as big, but is pretty juicy and good!


Fun girl’s night out (at the Goat house)


This guy is so funny! He dresses up as various comic characters and sells popcorn and other snacks around Rincon (that’s got to be hot!)


View from on high when we took a jaunt up the high hills of Rincon to Pico Atalaya to this abandoned property. It’s a steep trek on scary roads, but the vistas are amazing.

Well, that’s it for our little mish-mash of random life updates. You can also check out my latest baby bump update.

Oh and here’s a cute little song we made up one night at home: Enjoy.

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