Category Archives: Rincon

Just a Tuesday: Hula Hooping, Pig Visit and Fiery Sky

Tuesday we had a pretty open day. We went and visited a friend and then headed down to the Rincón balneario where some other friends were playing with poi and hula hoops. I’ve always thought I was good at hula hooping, that is until I moved here and saw what real hooping can look like. I can do basic waist hooping, neck, legs, arms, but I have a hard time with any transitions between them.

hula-hooping-c
Larger hoops are good for basic moves. In the background you can see Frances playing with the staff

I practiced a few transitions and I think I got the move from waist up to arms and down back around the waist. It’s so fun! I need a hula hoop at home though so that I can practice more. My friend Frances is the guru of hooping around here. I also learned some basic poi moves. Poi is basically fire dancing and very hypnotizing if you see someone do it. Lauryn has done poi and fire dancing choreography professionally so it was really cool to hang out with them. For the poi play, we didn’t light them up yet, but rather just played with practice tools like sand socks and the staff. My arms are sore! I am not so much into “working out” but I love moving my body and dancing. This was perfect!

hula-hooping
Beachside Poi and hooping!

As we were going home, the sky lit up amazingly. Rincón is a special place because you are surrounded by water, almost like an island unto itself. Then add the special charms of beautiful sunsets, a rural small town feel and the hippie vibe (come on we were hula hooping and fire dancing on a Tuesday at 3pm with the friendly homeless people of the balneario) and you begin to see why people love it so.

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Silver lining clouds

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A nearly empty Steps Beach. I love September!

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The clouds and sky were just amazingly lit! I felt like we were in a movie set!

When we arrived home we were greeted by a huge sow and her eleven little piglets! It was so funny!

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Mama piggy and her babes



A perfect day in our special corner of the world!

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Random Puerto Rico Weirdness

Here are some random weird pictures that don’t really have a place, but I just have to share. Though we are adapting well to our environment sometimes there are still moments here where we both just look at each other and say “WTF?!”

Ford Trax on a pool table strange sightsA Quad on a pool table!?

Farmers Market
Some sort of wild cucumber…looks like a plant from another planet!

Bar BathroomApparently this bar bathroom was made for visiting mermaids too…check out the conch shell showerhead and coral rocks

Fake Pig RoastThey really like lechon here…even when it is made from old rubber tires!

David BowieEven our chickens are a little wacky!

Wheelchair Cassie
And you never know who or what may photo bomb you whilst hanging out in a wheelchair!

Big IguanaAnd I don’t think I will ever get used to living in Jurrasic Park with these huge lizards!

Pink bromeliadAnd the colors here feel like we live in a cartoon

Rob Towel PlayingAnd check out our drummer, Rob! lol

Britton and his coffeeWalking around half naked is still sort of weird, but I love it!

Island Time literally
I still just don’t understand why they put an old ceiling fan and a clock on a bamboo stick outside? So many questions!

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Like, What? A mushroom house?? This is such a cartoon!

guavas
When the guys at the loza store give you guavas that look like avocados and laugh because your confusion is a sure way to tell a gringo from a Boricua

pitomba
And we continue to find new fruits we have never eaten before in our lives like this pitomba we have growing on the finca… it’s a little like an apricot

tarantula
And also finding a huge tarantula in your work boots!!

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So…that nicely tiled trough is the urinal….why???

please-do-not-wash-feet-funny-strange-sight
Apparently a lot of weirdness happens in bathrooms. When you live in a beach town…people like to wash their sandy feet in the sink

This place is so fun…and weird. But so fun. I love it. It’s like a dream: weird and wonderful.

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Trapped in an Aguacero

This time of year we just always must expect rain. It doesn’t usually last very long, but it can come down in sheets. One Sunday we went to the farmer’s market and then the grocery store, but we got trapped in a downpour AKA an aguacero!

Cassie Farmers MarketFun chatting and checking out all the wares and goods of the Rincon farmer’s market

Grocery Store blocked up

The rain was coming down super hard and we humans tend to not like to get wet. So everyone got backed up in the store by the exit.

Cassie in an aguacero at the store

We managed to squeeze through the crowd huddled at the doorway and wait outside under the metal roofing and watched the rain.

Wet Cat

When we got home we found poor Kitty ready to come on inside! Life in the tropics can be a bit moist in the summertime! Over by the cabin we have an intermittent creek that is usually dry but when an aguacero comes down we have a full-fledged river and waterfall! Check this out!

These rains can be a challenge to navigate and it makes things like the Fiestas Patronales a little muddy. But it also makes everything SUPER green and lush. Because of all the rain we have to keep things mowed a lot more but I just love the finca this time of year because it is just so beautiful.

Cassie mowing
Those big clouds usually mean more afternoon rain!

We both get out and mow the upper meadow area about once a week! It’s hot, hard work and the ants are out en force but if we didn’t do it things start growing wild and vines overtake the fruit trees. I actually enjoy mowing now that things are a little more manageable and there aren’t as many stumps and huge rocks to break the mowers. And I love how it makes the farm look like a park.

Yard workBritton and the chickens doing a little yard work

 

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Fiestas Patronales de Rincón 2016

This weekend we attended the annual Fiestas Patronales in Rincón as we have for the last couple years. It’s a fun weekend of carnival rides, live music, fried foods and sugary or alcoholic drinks, people watching, dancing, games and gambling and more. This year it was a bit wet and muddy due to some tremendous afternoon aguaceros (downpours), but we still had a great time. It always reminds us a little of the Greeley Stampede  back in Colorado and the summer fun there. For these Fiestas Patronales this year we met up with a few friends and enjoyed the festivities. Here are a few pictures and a video of our time.

Carnival rides
Bright lights, loud music, swirling rides and fun times!

Playing pica
Learning and playing Pica

I finally learned how to play pica. It is essentially roulette. Instead of betting where the ball will land on the roulette wheel though, you bet which little wooden horse will come in first place. There are 24 spots and you win 20 to one on a number. Like roulette though you can bet on the line or a quadrant and earn a little less. Not very good odds, but fun to play for a while.

Pica
The bets are placed with a domino

BK CK Lichi
Britton, me and our friend Lichi

Pinchos Aranitas
Carnie food like pinchos and arañitas which translates to little spiders. A nest-like bowl of shredded and fried plantains with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and bbq chicken

Cassie Carnival 2
I had as much fun as any kid could!

We also really enjoyed the live music! It’s always so impressive to see these bands perform.

 

 

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