I realized after I posted Saturday's antics I had intended to be a debbie downer and between my smilepacing attitude and the fortunate turn of events which have led us to this paradise, I failed miserably. Sorry about that. I'll try to insert some negativity into this post.

Yesterday we decided to avoid the sun at all costs since while Jackie has olive-colored skin and tans beautifully, Willo is susceptible to charring in spite of compulsive SPF 60 applications, and plenty of warpaint (green Zinko). Bill creatively put together a list of things that the kids were to spy during a scavenger hunt. If they acquired 20 points each, they'd be rewarded with an ice cream. So we all (including Juana) climbed into the Jeep and set out to explore the western part of the island.

They quickly spotted several scavenger items (brown horse, white horse, mongoose, church). We stopped to get out and take pictures of the horses. One of was scratching its back on the ground or something, cracking us up, while a couple of his buddies fought and chased after each other. The church is the Ecumenical Chapel, which has a pretty interesting history. On April 19, 1999, a Viequense security guard was killed when a 500 lb bomb missed its target (yep, US Navy again). The killing led to civil disobedience which took the form of camps being set up within the bombing range, preventing further bombing. The people in one of these camps built a chapel, which became the spiritual center of the movement. The chapel was damaged by Hurricane Lenny, but was rebuilt. On May 4, 2000, everyone in these camps was arrested, and the chapel, which was filled with nuns & priests deep in prayer, was stormed by Navy, FBI, Federal Marshals, & PR police officers, all armed to the teeth. They threw all the priests & nuns into military vehicles, handcuffed, and demolished the chapel. Somehow the chapel bell survived. In 2002, a replica of the chapel was built in San Juan, and the original church bell was placed inside. The chapel became the battleground for those opposing the Navy, supporting the Navy, opposing statehood, supporting statehood... In 2003, the PR governor decided to send the chapel back to Vieques. Then a whole new drama ensued as the Big Island folks neglected to include the Viequenses in the logistics and the chapel was delivered to the wrong place. Long story short, between miscommunication, and the fact that Viequense "speed" is even slower than that on the Big Island (just ask anyone working on the W) - the chapel was taken to the place is sits right now (as opposed to by Garcia Gate, on the other side of the island, by our favorite beaches).

Anyway, from there we headed further west, toward Punta Arenas, but Bill suddenly decided to veer off the main road and onto a dirt road. We drove through lots of overgrowth and then he took a right and followed another dirt road, which quickly became pretty steep. Suddenly it opened up to a landing that had some beautiful wild flowers, and an awesome view! There were hand-painted signs which seemed to announce plots that were somehow appropriated by individuals. I haven't learned the details about that yet, but since 70 yrs ago the Navy rudely decided to take over 3/4 of the island, leaving the inhabitants to fend for themselves, usually with 24 hours' notice (but if you were lucky, you were given 10 days) - I'm assuming that the Navy's withdrawal about 5 years ago spurred the more motivated and shrewd Viequenses to engage in a free-for-all. Bill remarked how he felt like he was driving through the Wild West, with all the prospecting.

From there we went to check out the abandoned Navy bunkers. But before we could get to the area leading to Punta Arenas beach, where we had explored many bunkers on previous visits, Bill spotted a sign to Club Tomby. He'd heard there was a nightclub in one of the bunkers and we decided to go check it out. Although it was only about noon, it was already open, but only 2 people were there - one of the 3 owners, and his daughter. They let us walk around it. It's like a warehouse, and they have a couple of huge screens up on the wall, as well as a stage for live music. He told us it's a sports bar and Friday & Saturday nights it's also a dance club. Business hasn't been great but he's hoping that the W will bring more partiers, in fact they're negotiating a deal right now with W, for special all-inclusive (ie open bar) packages.

From there, we decided the kids had already accumulated enough points for an ice cream, and since we had a 4pm Super Bowl party to attend, we wanted to have some time to rest. We went to El Resuelve for lunch, and had - you guessed it - empanadas. (I've decided to limit empanadas to a Saturday & Sunday indulgence, before I start to resemble a fried pastry). Fortunately we got there when we did (12:45) because just after 1, 3 huge vans of people arrived.

Back home, I took a much-needed break from the family and Juana and I went to Bill's office to blog (our internet was down over the weekend). Willo & Bill napped and when they woke up, we got ready to go to the Super Bowl party. We really have zero interest in football. In fact, when we were invited to the party I was confused, I thought the SB had already passed. I then had to find out who was playing, and then where the heck the Colts are from. But I was looking forward to the party since it would be a chance to meet a few more people. It ended up being a great Super Bowl party. The kids and I swam before kick-off, then the kids happily entertained the 10 month old (Dagan, named after his dad), we kicked back with rum punch, and I got to chat with some really cool people.

Oh, yeah, football. Have to admit that I didn't really watch it. Every time I glanced at the screen they were in some kind of recess or whatever you call it. The commercials were mostly for Bud Light from what I could tell, and for the most part, I hate to sound snooty but gosh, I felt my IQ going down a few points with each ad. Or maybe that was the rum punch.

Thanks for reading my ramblings :)