We got to the house, which is the place Bill has been staying at since he started this project about 3 years ago. It's the same house we stayed in both times the kids & I visited last year. It's a 2 bedroom villa, full kitchen, living/dining, and pool. It's in the W hotel complex, and since Bill's team moved today from the construction trailer to a hotel suite next door, his commute is now about 34 steps (he will verify that tomorrow). After making sure we were ok, Bill went to work, and I unpacked all 6 pieces of luggage while the kids alternated between helping, hindering, and everything in between. We have a brand new Jeep Wrangler, bright red, which is really cool but the mom in me instantly said "IMPRACTICAL" (much to Bill's disappointment). The kids & I drove the 3 minutes to the grocery store, stocked up on cooler, boogie boards (Penny ate the 2 we had), sunscreen, and other staples, and exited the store to a tropical shower. Between piling the goods and the kids into the 2 door Wrangler & then unloading the above, all in the rain, I got soaked. But gosh it felt good - no snow!
We had lunch, then headed out to Blue Beach. Our favorite beach in the past was Red Beach, but it's closed right now as they are paving the access road. About a third of the island is closed right now. Previously, Vieques hosted the US Navy, which used the beautiful beaches for landing exercises and target practice. Thanks to Al Sharpton, the Navy pulled out and the US Wildlife Service has taken over clean up. Blue Beach, Red Beach, Silver Beach, Secret Beach, etc - are deemed artillery-free, but they are still completely undeveloped. Which is awesome, unless your kid decides soon after arriving that s/he needs to poop. There are no concession stands or bathrooms for miles.
Blue Beach was unbelievably beautiful. Looking as far as we could see, we saw maybe a dozen people. We had a blast with the boogie boards, body surfing, building sand castles, taking pictures with our new waterproof point-and-shoot (yes, I will upload shortly). John, a Facebook friend of mine who had found me last year via Twitter, who lives here (he and Chris decided to ditch San Francisco for Vieques a couple of years ago) - came down to the beach to finally meet me in person. Gotta love social networking :) After about 45 minutes, he had to get back to work. All his work is remote, via phone & internet. Lucky guy!
We left the beach around 5pm. The kids remembered their sand phobia and went to great lengths to get rid of the sand before putting on their sandals - only to be completely covered in sand immediately. Yep, tantrum time. I had to carry the cooler, the boogie boards, the beach bag & 2 towels - and Willo actually asked me to carry him too. His plan was that he would rinse his feet, then I would pick him up (in the water) and carry him straight to his perch in the car. I looked at him and said "Willo, we are here for 3 months. You are not only going to get used to the sand, but you are going to BECOME ONE WITH IT. Now put your sandals on and pick up your boogie board."
Jorge, one of Bill's colleagues here, has adopted a stray dog, Juana. There are tons of strays on this island. If each inhabitant adopted one dog, there would still be strays. He brought Juana round tonight to meet us. She was an instant hit. She looks like Penny though smaller and dark brown, and she is actually not interested in eating goggles, Leapster cartridges, sunglasses, stuffed animals or used kleenex, so at first I wondered if she was retarded. I actually pondered her mother's prenatal diet. After 9 months of Penny, I guess I'd assumed that all young dogs are hyper. Jorge told the kids they are welcome to pop over to the office and take her whenever they want. Apparently she loves the beach. Of course, I'm already picturing the photo opp.
We had dinner at Chez Shack's. Monday night is bar-b-que night there and they have a live band, steel drums. We had to wait 20 minutes for a table, that's how popular it is. By now, Bill and his colleagues are on familiar terms with the wait staff and Bill introduced us to the bartender and a couple of the waitresses. As soon as we sat down at our table, Willo picked at his salad, then put his head down on my lap and fell asleep. The food was good, but not cheap. About a dozen Americans danced, and when Jackie had finished her salad & ribs, she went back to her 3rd grade Brain Quest workbook I'd bought her at Border's. At the rate she's going through that, I'll have to order the 4th grade book in a few weeks.
Tomorrow we start more of a routine, beginning with my flabby a$$ donning some running gear and going out for a 4-5 mile run.
I'll post some photos tomorrow. Good night!!
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