Why I like black outs. At first the power went out and we thought – oh well… it will be back on soon. But then a few hours later our loved ones, co-workers, and friends started reaching out to us. “Is everything ok?” – “How are you going to do this?” – “Are you still […]

ECONO – (our local grocery store in Aguadilla) – asphalt crumbling in the parking lot, carts that lock up on you at least half the time – but there are things you wouldn’t expect to find in this little store — artisan goat cheese, organic deli meat, seaweed, and multiple brands of melatonin.  This store […]

Tuesday, September 19, 2017 The clouds looked a little ominous. But otherwise September 19 was a pretty nice day. We even went and played in the tidepools one last time. 5pm The Hammonds call to tell us they got approval for us to come on the Coast Guard base to stay in their home during […]

We get this all the time.  What? Why?? Really??? And we get it.  We live in Northern California. Where it’s the perfect temperature year round but you still get seasons. Where you can hike in 1,000-year-old redwoods, snorkel with sea otters, bike over Mount Tam, surf at Mavericks, and ski all within a 3-hour drive […]

As of December 28 we are back in Puerto Rico. All healthy and safe.

And we made it back to the bay.

  Not so quick story about our storm experience. I have no problem admitting: hurricanes are not my expertise.  Yes, I grew up in Florida.  Yes, I weathered Hurricane Andrew. But now in hindsight I realize, I was a child.  I helped bring in outdoor plants and tape things down and go to the store. […]

Irma passed just north of Puerto Rico. So in the end we got some pretty strong hurricane winds but no eye wall. It was a long loud night. Trees slamming into our walls and shutters. The wind moaning through the small cracks in our walls. And finally around 10pm the cistern flew off our roof […]

To all concerned – thank you.  We will take all of your thoughts, and prayers, and finger crossings that this experience is just that and not something catastrophic.  To ease your minds and hearts I will tell you a little of what we have done so far to prepare ourselves for a hurricane now clocking […]