Jack's 8th birthday

The anticipation was palpable.   Time crawled by.   Each passing day was noted on the kitchen chalk board.   Then, miraculously,  the day arrived! 

Jack was super ecited and he was rewarded with his gift of choice.   Given some clever packaging, it still came as a surprise tohim.   

We had a family celebration on his birthday but he will have 2 friends sleep over this weekend to continue the party. 

Jack wanted to dress like Quinn on his birthday for some reason so he made it happen.   This could be the last time this happens.   

Sent from my telephone machine

Two final photos from Puerto Rico

A final review of the Puerto Rico files brought these two additional photos to the surface.  It's such a rare treat for all of the fans to see the blogmaster.  It's like having the Honus Wagner baseball card.  

Trip to Puerto Rico

The view from our 10th floor balcony wasn't too shabby.

We enjoyed a fine week at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  It was an excellent resort with plenty of amenities, natural and man made.  The grounds were truly amazing and the sea breeze was continuous.  I wish you could bottle it.  The restaurants did not disappoint.  We ate like kings and came home paupers.

Most of the trip was spent swimming in the resort's fine pools and at the beach depicted above.  There were many iguana sightings.  There were several drinks ordered from beach chairs.  There were a terrific number of room charges. 

We made a couple of runs into Old San Juan where we stepped back in time to see the city's famed walls and fortresses.  They date back to the early 1500s making them some of the oldest outposts in the Western Hemisphere.  You can see a few photos of them below.

Cindy made four new friends while we walked around Old San Juan's streets, many of which are lined with pastel colored buildings.  You'll enjoy seeing that photo below.  It was a highlight for sure.  

Our most involved excursion was the trip to the El Yunque Rain Forest.  Cindy poignantly noted it should be renamed the "Pouring Rainforest".  Man, did it come down during our 1.5 mile hike to and from La Mina falls.  We were outfitted with durable ponchos but it was still a slog for sure.  The boys were surprisingly resilient.  30 minutes after we left, we were at one of the island's beaches preferred by locals where it was once again sunny and tropical.  

One of Dad's colleagues happened to be vacationing in town while we were there.  We invited her and her daughter over for an afternoon of swimming and pina coladas.

If I weren't so tired, I'd post more but this will scratch the itch for sure.  

Inside the main promenade of Castillo San Cristobal

I think this one was named Iggy.  He was on the seawall bordering the north side of the resort.

Old San Juan

I forget what this 60 oz. concoction was called.  That's because we split two of them.

A bit fuzzy but the vivid sunset was the inspiration for the shot.

The boys climbing a stack of cannonballs at Castillo San Cristobal.

The aforementioned cannonballs.

King me!

Mr. and Mrs. out and about.

Mrs. was looking muy bueno today.

One of the highlights of the trip was this surprise moment in Old San Juan.  Polly wanna babe?

Inside El Morro - panorama

El Morro from one of its points jutting into the ocean

The family in El Yunque during a brief respite from the torrential downpour we hiked in.

Hammock cam!

Quinn

Purty flower #1 - El Yunque

Purty flower #2 - El Yunque

Growing up

Quinn enjoyed an unguarded moment in the ice cold "Blue Hole" at the foot of Peekamoose Mountain today.  Jack didn't enjoy anything after stumbling in his flip flops and ripping half the nail off one of his big toes.  Anyway, this is one of the more natural photos we have taken of our big guy in some time.  He'll be 12 in about 3 weeks, and that just does not seem possible.

Easter Attack!

3 weeks into dog ownership and all is well.  Woody is very much the puppy in all respects but goofy moments like this make it all worthwhile.  

With respect to the 2 legged animals, they are fine, too.  Jack is back into the swing of soccer and the trampoline is back in operation.  The boys help with Woody and we all enjoyed his first trip to the vet yesterday.

The cat hates Woody's guts and wants him dead.

Welcome mangy mutt

Say hello to Woodstock (you can call him Woody).   Some ungrateful southerner gave him and his siblings up and he was transported to a shelter in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains.   He is a Catahoula Hound mix and is just  shy of 4 months.  He has been a wonderful addition to the family, says everyone but the cat. 

Woody has enjoyed dry nights in his crate which has been approved for international travel.  We trained him quickly but he still needs to be watched at all times.   He loves to play, always makes us laugh when he can't figure out how someone went upstairs (it's only a matter of time) and greets us all every morning with unconditional love.  It is work for sure but well worth it. 

And now that the news has been shared 

...let the unsolicited advice begin! 

Sent from my telephone machine

Happy New Year!

We wish you all the best this upcoming year.  Jack made it to midnight and Dad opted to run the "Hungover Half Marathon" (that's the real name of the race) in Albany, NY to ring in the New Year.  They are both proud of themselves.  The link below details the frosty race details for anyone who may be interested.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/423040773