Gosh, where do I start? Getting on the computer is a challenge since the Me Time I have here is pretty minimal and when I do get it, lately I've been doing a lot of swimming, biking & running, & consuming all the calories I've burned, in the company of several new, but already very good friends. Plus there's the housekeeping. Since we still have 3 puppies in our custody (this is the last week), I have to spend more time on housework. Not because they soil the floors (they don't, as long as a door is open). But because every day people want to come by and visit with the puppies. I suddenly feel very popular and love the fact people come over to relieve the stress they've accumulated as the W is now 4 days away from Opening Day. I am in denial about the fact that they come to see the puppies, not me. Of course, once these puppies are gone I may go get the other ones someone found, just to still have a draw. I love the Puppies & Beer Happy Hours.
Yesterday at Red Beach we met up with a bunch of friends, and I also met a couple of women I'd never met before who I immediately pegged as triathletes since they each had children, they're in their early 40s, and they had physiques that would make Dara Torres insecure. The funny thing is that one of them, Marie, asked me what part of CT we live in, and when I replied Southbury, she said, oh I know Southbury! Turns out her brother-in-law lives there (I was expecting her to say her grandmother lives in Heritage Village, our humungous retirement community, which is usually how people know Southbury). It also turns out that her brother-in-law's father is Bill's eye doctor and his sister was Willo's preschool teacher. Just goes to show you should always mind your p's & q's since we do indeed inhabit a small world! Anyway, now I had enough people interested in my little tri scheme, we agreed to meet up at the W at 8am today for a mock tri. Five of us congregated and we did a swim/bike/run workout. We swam at the W/Gringo Beach, biked to Mosquito Pier and back again, and ran to the cockfighting arena in town and back. Loosely a sprint tri. At Pablo's suggestion (one of the participants; head bartender at W), we called it Try Gringo Tri. And I decided we are now the Vieques Tri Club. We plan to do this every weekend, and hopefully more people will join us. As Beth pointed out (she's visiting Marie; Beth lives in Ohio), having an active triathlon club here will be an added draw for the well-heeled crowd who come to the W.
Last night was really relaxing since after a great afternoon at Red Beach I went to Esperanza and picked up Bridget, the scallops fisherwoman/massage therapist I'd met at the Humane Society (if you'll recall, I gave her and her friends, the reggae band, rides round the island). Bridget had agreed to come to our house to give massages. So we set up the table in the bedroom, lit candles, put on my massage playlist, and each took turns getting massages while the others waited in the great room, playing with puppies, drinking wine & eating pizza. It was awesome. Too bad Bridget leaves for home on Tuesday - but I have a feeling she'll be back, as a massage therapist at the W. She really was great.
On Thursday the kids had a little thing for us parents. They'd been learning about slavery etc, and along with that were learning about the cultural influences we see today in Puerto Rico, eg the Bomba dance. They performed a little skit, where my kids and Annabel were Spanish plantation snobs and the others were slaves, and they pretended to be really bossy and whip their slaves, and suddenly the slaves were freed (slavery was abolished in 1873 in PR) and then they erupted in a bomba party. Followed by food - typical African dishes prepared by Erica, the center's director. I enjoyed the performance, it was nice to see my kids getting into the dancing, but I admit I was a bit annoyed still from the fact that it was Rona's birthday, and I had wanted to treat her to a pedicure. So I had found a place seemed somewhat decent and made appointments for us. Rona had a sitter for Baby Dagan, I dropped the kids off at Oasis, and we met at the salon. Which was closed. There was a hand-written sign on the door that said they were closed for the day. No reason. "That's Vieques" Rona muttered. So we went to Roy's for coffee across the street, my first time there, and I was really impressed. Way better and more charming than Starbucks. But still, I really wanted to have pretty toenails and treat Rona. Oh well. And then, when the bomba was done, I was surprised to find out that the kids were to be dismissed when it was done. School here is definitely too laid-back, and Oasis is no different, with all the early dismissals and days off. Oh well. I didn't get to do my work that day, but at least I got to go to Happy Hour with a few other girls, to celebrate Rona's birthday. It was my first time using a babysitter here. Jeni was recommended by Rona and she was great. So for 3 hours we women got to sip cold drinks and chat in peace. We were on the rooftop terrace of Cantina, a Mexican place, and we had it all to ourselves. I know this will strike many of you as strange as it does me, but I actually had to hold a gun to a few of these women's heads so that they would leave their tykes home with a sitter for a few hours. Well, not really, I don't own a gun, but you get the point. I don't know if I'm more evolved, or callous, or selfish, or what - but I will tell you straight out, that if I don't periodically get time without my or others' whiny, needy, clingy kids interrupting my conversation and my thoughts - then trust me, anyone short of a convinced pedophile is a better parent than I am. I admit I was the over-protective, control-freak mom when Jackie was 1 or so, but I've now swung closer to the other side of the spectrum. Anyway, Happy Hour was way too brief.
The next night we had another sitter (LUXURY!!) since we had a reservation at the W restaurant. They're doing a few days of testing, where employees and their spouses can make a reservation to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, room service... To put the kitchen & wait staff to the test. Our dinner was very good. Can't wait to try lunch! After dinner we tried out the pool table which was really fun - it's a great table, unlike the ones we're used to at bars. Bill beat me in the first 2 games, I won the 3rd.
OK, must go now. My dad and Janet are arriving soon!!!!!
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