Where has the time flown!? Our baby has officially turned into a one-year-old! We decided that we had a lot to celebrate after this first year, and that we should throw a party in honor of making it through (literally since I almost died)! Our property is like a sanctuary to us and we are sort of hogareños (home-bodies) and don’t often have events or people over. But we have the space and we also very proud of all the work we put into it and wanted to showcase it.
Before the party, not only did we mow and clean both the houses, but we also removed another section of fence that we have always wanted to take out in order to open up the meadow area and connect it to the upper courtyard. This took many steps, including a tow rope and the truck, but it turned out great and will look even better when the grass grows in.
We also had fun going out and finding the craft stores and party stores around. There was one I noticed close-by in Aguada and just had to check it out. We got all sorts of fun party supplies and then stopped for ice cream. And of course we went a couple of times to the All Ways 99 stores. They have pretty much anything you could want for cheap but fun home and party fixings.
Raising a baby really helps you to see time go by much differently. And it is like a marker point for reference now (before Aeden, when I was pregnant with Aeden, when Aeden was ___ old, etc). It is not always easy and the challenges always change, but I’d say having a one year old is much better than having a newborn! Holy smokes we can sleep again! We are so grateful that I am alive to celebrate this milestone of life that the party was more than warranted.
Aeden Cakes!
For the party, we rented a big white tent and chairs since we don’t really have entertaining space and it was a good idea since it was both roasting hot in the full sun and then we had a downpour for about 20 minutes in the middle! Aeden enjoyed his little smash cake that we bought from a local small business “reposteria.”
Nice tent at the party
Fun at the party!
Memories in the making! Thanks to some friends for some of the photos/videos
Here’s a fun video of the party and highlights of the first year and before!
Ever since Hurricane Maria, hurricane season has become something different in our minds. We came to Puerto Rico very naive about hurricanes, and we lived here for 4 years with basically nothing ever happening. We had an occasional tropical storm, but we’ve had stronger aguaceros (downpours) come out of the blue. But Maria changed all of that optimism and surety. We have a deep underlying trauma associated with hurricanes now. On the surface, our logical brain tells us that if we can survive 2 + months of living like primitive people we can survive anything! But underneath, our subconscious says “Ah, hell no. I don’t want to do that again!” So we have our conscious and subconscious minds competing against each other.
This time last year I was 8 months pregnant going through hurricane season!
I was particularly nervous last year for a few reasons, most notably that I was pregnant with a due date right around the climatic probability of storms. After the birth my medical care turned out to be VERY lacking as it was without a storm, so I can only imagine how bad it would have had there been no electricity, water or medical supplies. I am SO grateful everything turned out ok. It was iffy there for a bit. My medical care nightmare is probably for another day, but suffice it to say, I don’t ever want to be in another major medical emergency in Puerto Rico with or without a hurricane looming.
Last year in our tropical gardens
One of our neighbors is currently about as pregnant as I was, so we thought it would be fun to do a photoshoot in our gardens that we have finally named. Since Puerto Rico is La Isla del Encanto (The Isle of Enchantment), we named our farm/gardens The Garden of Enchantment. You can check out our new Facebook page and give it a like if you want. Julie is about as nervous as I was having her first baby in an unfamiliar land and so we thought it would be a nice de-stressor to take a little of that anxiety away and focus on the beauty that she is emanating! I gathered materials from all over the gardens and made her a flower crown to make her a jungle queen.
Finished flower crown
Here’s a “How-to” Video on the making of the crown.
It turned out so nice.
What a gorgeous mama-to-be
Even Aeden got to check out his jungle friend in making
When we heard a storm called Dorian was forming and heading straight for us, our nerves started to fray a little. We turned on the hurricane brain and started prepping. Extra gas, water, food, batteries, clean out the cistern, shut the windows, check, check, check.
There are always runs on water. We just rinse out and refill our jugs
Day of Dorian right outside Econo…wouldn’t think anything was abnormal!
Dorian thankfully turned anticlimactic and didn’t even really have any rain. But it did bring back lots of memories. We ended up going to a pool party for a friend who is moving away. We had even partied at Yukayeke a lot after Maria, so the recollections are stacked. Strange how much that period of time is embedded in our psyches now.
Fun at Yukayeke
Yukayeke Resort in Anasco from the road
Living in the tropics of Puerto Rico is 90% awesome. We get to live like we’re on vacation! But interspersed are moments of sheer panic and annoyance. I guess there’s nowhere on Earth that is 100% paradise all the time. But to me, this sure comes close. Even in hurricane season. It gives us all a little something to get worked up about I guess. No one would read a story if it didn’t have some complications to resolve.
No, I am not talking about the stock market or the GDP, but rather the original meaning of those words. Literally growing things (including a baby) and going to markets. We have a bit of a schedule and routine now, moreso than ever with a baby. We used to go out a lot more at night with the band and just to hang out at chinchorros or downtown at the ArtWalk, but we now appreciate our quiet evenings with the kiddo sound asleep. So that means our days must be a little fuller. Fridays and Sundays mean market. Fridays we go to the San Sebastian Pulguero (Flea Market) where we do some bartering and buying. Mostly we are in the market for strange exotic plants. Actually we are ALWAYS in the market for those it seems. No matter how much plant life we throw at the property, it just eats it up.
With a new flower find at the San Sebastian Market
It’s pretty fun at the San Sebastian market because we are nearly always the only “gringos” there and so we sort of stick out like sore thumbs. But people are starting to get to know us, greet us and show us what all they have available before we even have to ask. It REALLY helps to know Spanish in these sorts of environments!
Aeden is a favorite with many people at the market including this sweet woman who even sang “Que Linda Manita” to him
Aeden and the birds back at the farm
Saturdays are usually spent back at the farm unless we have something fun planned. On Saturday afternoon we harvest the fruit and flowers for the Sunday Rincon Farmer’s Market.
Look who needs to start wearing shoes soon!
Aeden is now 11 months old! Check out his latest update video
New bromeliads in bloom at the farm
Our avocado that we accidentally cut down YEARS ago, has come back and is fruiting! I am so happy! Yay for guacamole! What’s strange about it, is only one trunk has fruit. So I think it must have been grafted long ago and we’ll probably have two types on one tree. We’ll see!
At the Farmer’s Market in Rincon. Dragonfruit! We have had our dragonfruit plant flower, but it never holds onto the fruit
The Farmer’s Market on Sunday mornings is fun. We don’t make much money, but it is worth it and it’s fairly stable for being summertime. We have made a lot of great friends there. And we use the money to go out and have brunch and drive around a bit afterward. If we make any more than that we put it into buying more plants from the nurseries or flea markets around.
Taking Aeden to Yogufruti after the Farmer’s Market one Sunday
I never knew what fashion tasted like before, but it’s pretty good! haha
During the week we mostly work on the farm: mowing, planting, improving trails. We also clean and do “turnovers” if we have guests staying in the cabana. We also like to pick a day or two to go shopping or an excursion of some sort. Sometimes we go hunting for plants on the side of the road or check out a beach. Lately it has been so hot, that we have been doing everything we can to stay cool. Since we don’t have A/C that means sitting in the baby pool, finding anywhere that has air conditioning and just milling around, eating watermelon and lots of fluids and trying to avoid the heat of the middle of the day (siesta anyone?). The beach is actually too hot for me on those sizzling days since the water and sand multiply the sun’s effect.
Staying cool in our baby pool in the shade like the hillbillies we are haha!
Fun shopping day out with friend Pauline
Stop in at an authentic chinchorro for una bien friiiia
Checking out a beach in Aguada (Tablerock) -great beach for bamboo driftwood hunters!
Fun on the farm! Dad and boy
Man and his horse swimming in Anasco
Not sure, but I believe this is a cupey flower blooming at our house
Britton had a red RX7 when he was a teenager so this made him gasp when we were driving along in Aguada one day! His 17 year-old self has multiplied! haha
He probably wasn’t listening to this type of song back then though (this is a top hit currently on the radio that we turn up when it comes on, and it’s great for Spanish vocabulary!)
Buying plants at Jardines Eneida! One of our favorite nurseries!
At Jardines Eneida. Check out the video:
I call Puerto Rico “Toon Town” and it’s not without reason…Check out this vibrant little house
And this one…who is very concerned with the modesty of its columns haha
Or this awesomely strange creation seemingly out of a sci-fi movie
Driving up the hills of Mayaguez we had a majestically different view of Rincon and Desecheo in the distance
That’s it for the update. Time flies. I can’t believe that a year ago I was hugely pregnant and just waiting for our little guy to arrive and now he’s almost walking. It’s crazy. Nothing like a kid to make time really feel warped.
Here’s a quick little video of some vignettes of our daily life in Puerto Rico. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and I am trying to do a little more with Instagram if you’d like to follow along.
Our friend Daisy invited us to a last-minute getaway into the mountains of Maricao and we are so glad she did! We quickly did all of our chores so we could head up to this secluded, hidden waterfall and yet it was not too hard to find in the jungle. One of our favorite waterfall areas is Gozalandia, but it has become a tourist trap and just too popular, especially on a Saturday in summer. This trip was just perfect with just our group and a couple of other people there. The pond was deep enough to swim and jump into and the water was soo refreshing. This time of year, the ocean water is almost too tepid warm and so the rivers and ponds start to beckon to us to cool down.
Fun in the water
Beautiful (au) natural setting
Aeden seemed to enjoy playing in the water
After how hot it’s been, we are already thinking of going back!
The group. It’s really not a long walk from the road to the waterfall
Stone petroglyphs (maybe old maybe not)
Super refreshing!
Apparently there is another smaller fall up a little higher as well as a waterwheel (molino) just down the way, but we just enjoyed this amazing spot. We brought down some drinks and snacks and enjoyed a much-needed break from the heat. We WILL be back!
