Because I had been negligent and had not remembered to call the airlines and reserve our seats on the plane we ended up sitting separately on the flight from Boston to San Juan, with Mac gallantly offering to take the worst seat on the plane, the one on the aisle next to the bathroom, where people stand in line with their arses half way into your face whenever someone squeezes past on the aisle. Sorry about that Mac- you can give me grief about that for at least a week.



The next lap was a 9-seater prop plane run by non other than Cape Air, the same folks who fly to Nantucket. I love these little planes- the feeling of being so connected to the whole experience of flying. While standing on line to board an airline employee was calling out names, and after she said “Crary”, the woman in line in front of us turned and said, “are you any relation to Miner Crary?” Turns out she is the granddaughter of Ted and Sarah Bacon, long –time Amherst friends of Mary and Miner’s, Ted being also a fellow board member of the American University in Cairo. Mac had toured Egypt with Ted during one of Miner’s excursions out there for a board meeting. Katie Bacon from Brookline was on her way to Vieques with her mother and sister for a few days, and would be staying right next door to us. Another one of those small world moments that always surprise you at first but then seem to make sense. Another connection was her father Ken Bacon, who was Defense Dept spokesperson under Clinton, served on the AUC board with Edie up until she got too sick to go to Cairo.



Our host, Joe, picked up us at the airport and led us in our rental jeep to the house. What a gem! The house, not Joe, although he was very helpful and gave us a very thorough orientation, to the point that we had to say “enough info!” He and his wife gave up their life in Baltimore five years ago to move down here. They are property managers for a few homes on the island, playing host to the renters like us and keeping an eye on the houses and grounds. He seems really happy with his decision to leave the mainland US and live in paradise, especially because he still has a 401 K waiting for him at home.



We are situated on a hill overlooking the Caribbean, a vast expanse of sea and island land east to west. The grounds are very private, with a wall surrounding most of it, although horses, chickens and I suppose people could wander in from below. Breezes come through the house, which is all on one level, charming and well equipped, with a little swimming pool just steps away from the veranda. Feeling a little guilty that we didn’t invite some special friends to join us (you know who you are!)



We are a two-minute drive from the Malecon, the strip of shops and restaurants in the little town of Esperanza, which is one of only two towns on the island. It was a vibrant, noisy scene there last night when we went down to Duffy’s for dinner, an open-air bar and restaurant that was recommended by Joe. Lots of locals and tourists mixing it up at the bar and in the streets, where vendors are selling beach glass jewelry and sarongs, and a hamburger stand was doing a good business on the beach side of the street. Dinner was fresh and good and cheap, which made us happy. Lots of drinking going on, and it’s hard to tell who are the tourists and who are the locals. We were told that Americans own most of the businesses in Esperanza. Every so often a guy on a horse rides bareback down the Malecon at a very fast pace, then he comes back shortly after. Is he looking for girls? Just getting some exercise? He has to dodge the cars and visa versa.



We have already had a few wildlife experiences, and haven’t been here even 24 hours. There are bats that were swooping down on the pool last night, diving for the bugs that lay on the surface of the water, and later were skittering around over our heads in the middle of the night, somewhere between the ceiling and the roof. Mosquitoes invaded sometime before dawn, getting in through cracks in the screen doors, and of course there are the roosters who started vocalizing around 3 am. Needless to say I am wishing I had brought some Ambien, and some earplugs. But it was all drowned out by the sound of the surf and the breeze, constantly lulling you into a calm state of mind. It seems impossible to feel any stress here. We can see about a dozen wild horses grazing on the fields below the house- sometimes they will start running around- but mostly they stand completely still like statues. You see them at the side of the road occasionally, skinny, lank bodies with sunken bellies.



The US Navy occupied Vieques since the 1930’s, used as a bombing range (they tested weapons such as Agent Orange and napalm) and an ammunition dump. In 2000 President Clinton instructed that most of the Navy property be given back to Vieques, and a huge piece of the eastern side was taken over by Fish and Wildlife to manage as a wildlife refuge. It seems they’ve been cleaning it up, although you can still go out into the hills and find the old bunkers. This is a rough island, one just at the beginning of tourism, compared to others in the Caribbean. It reminds us of Tortola, our favorite island, just smaller and more flat.



Today we drove out onto the refuge in search of the famous beaches that were named for the colored buoys used by the Navy for simulated beach landings. We were not disappointed by what we found- beaches only accessible by tiny dirt roads that only a jeep can manage. Pristine, empty beaches with fine white sand, turquoise water and what look like perfect rocky ledges for snorkeling. Our first trip out was strictly for reconnaissance purposes- we will go back tomorrow with supplies- our snorkel gear, a picnic, an umbrella and a bottle of wine. As we were leaving the area more cars were coming in to the refuge, but it seems as if only a few venture out this far on the island.



We are hearing that Boston is expecting a foot of snow tonight. We feel so fortunate to be here.



March 2, 2009



Talked to the kids this morning- Elissa in Boston and Cam in New York- and got reports on the snowstorm that seemed to paralyze the entire East Coast. Maybe it will all be melted by next weekend. Everyone was happy to have a snow day!



Spent the better part of the day at “Secret Beach”, as it’s called, out on the Wildlife Preserve. The water was warm and clear, and we were eager to get out to the rocks beyond the beach to check out the underwater scene. However, we were disappointed with the snorkeling out there. There were few fish, and only one real school that was hovering over an old tire beneath some rocks. Saw a couple of parrotfish and zebras, as well as some large sea fans, but altogether there was not much color. We will try another reef off another beach tomorrow, but if we don’t find more sea life we will get ourselves onto a boat trip that will hopefully take us further off shore. Our disappointment is minimal, and the breezes, the hot sun and the promise of a rum punch far outweighs the lack of fish.



The Bats joined us for dinner last night. They swooped and dived over our table on the patio as we sat sipping red wine and eating an excellent dinner from town that we brought up to the house. Sometimes they would fly right between us, or around in circles. It must have been our stimulating conversation that got them all worked up. We need to find out more about tropical bats… Strangely we didn’t feel threatened by them at all- it was as if they were just checking us out or maybe hoping we would toss them a morsel of steak. I was nervous however about the GIANT spider I encountered hanging on to the side of the cooler bag in the closet. I mean Huge! Mac came to the rescue and encouraged it into a paper cup to go outside.



Cloudy today with a shower… We got a flat tire and had to wait around for the car rental place to deal with it. They ended up giving us a new car, an upgrade, as this one actually has real windows that roll down as opposed to plastic ones that have a broken zipper on the first Jeep. The roads here are Terrible. I think that’s on purpose to keep people going slow. You absolutely have to have a Jeep-type vehicle and at times 4 wheel drive. You must watch out for animals in the road-- horses, goats, dogs, cats, iguanas, turtles, and of course lots of chickens.



March 4, 2009



A front of clouds and showers as settled over the island. It rained last night and again this morning. We optimistically packed a picnic but may end up having it at home under the veranda. We are trying not to be discouraged by the weather, but knowing that it may stay like this through Friday is a little depressing. We have plenty of books, the first season box set of “The Wire”, Monopoly and each other for company, so we will enjoy this no matter if the sun doesn’t come out. You could send a hurricane at us and we would still be so relaxed! Tonight we may go out to the “Bio-bay” where you see phosphorescents in the water at night. It’s supposed to be quite the show.