The 2017-18 winter is still dragging its feet here in Jersey. It snowed again this morning. It’s still bitter cold and the wind still bites. We lost count of the number of snow days we had this season. The school year got extended and spring break was cancelled. But we had already made plans and decided to have our spring break trip anyways. So, on the 23rd of March, we packed up and flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Our home for the week was a penthouse apartment in the Aquatika BNB in Loíza. We had arrived in the wee hours of the 24th and had fallen asleep. We woke up hungry and drove out to get food. As we drove, the El Yunque rain forest in the distance played hide-and-seek with the clouds.

When we reached El Yunque, we tried asking the Ranger. He explained in fluent Spanish with a hearty smile and gave us a map. As none of us speak much Spanish, we relied on the road signs. La Coca Falls was our first stop.

For the next few days, whichever way we went, we crossed the bridge over the Rio Grande de Loíza at least once.

On one of the days, while we were filling gas in Loíza, I noticed a guy with a can of beer, leaning on the gas pump, smoking nonchalantly, apparently indifferent to the fire hazard. I wondered if I should caption that scene, ‘Huh, I laugh at the face of danger!’ I guess when one survives a natural disaster like Hurricane Maria, one gains a more fearless perspective on life.

From the time I loaded bags in our rental Kia, I was impressed with the little fort image on the license plate and had googled it. That led us to the Castillo San Cristobal in Old San Juan. This was my favorite gem from this trip. Boy, I could have spent my entire vacation sitting there drawing the fort from various angles. I LOVED the watch towers. They were incredibly beautiful to me!

As we walked through one of the dimly lit tunnels in the fort, with Nini ahead of me, I paid attention to the ground to keep from tripping and then looked up and saw this – light at the end of the tunnel and she was stepping into the light. That moment will remain etched in my mind forever.

Vibrant bougainvillea and hosta overflowed the colorful doors, fences and walls of the houses in Loíza and other towns we visited. Cats and dogs lazed under their flowery shades, only lifting an ear as an unknown car drove by.

After we got back each day, we finished dinner and cleanup and spent the remaining waking hours, each doing our own thing. I painted scenes from the day sometimes till 4 in the morning and then slumped into a slumber.