Where Columbus Landed, Rincon Puerto Rico

Columbus, on his second voyage touched somewhere on Puerto Rico's western coast in 1493. The exact location, perhaps, will never be known. The fun part is that towns along the coast all vie for the honor of being "discovered" first by Columbus.

I made this photograph this morning looking down Corcega Beach at the makeshift Columbus Monument which is Rincon's claim to being first. The beaches are largely empty this time of year and the town breaths a collective sigh, recovers from the waves of winter visitors and looks ahead to July for our summer visitors.

Dia de Logros, Rincon, Puerto Rico

As those of you reading this blog over the past few months know, we (Ted and Bella Jane) have been taking Puerto Rican music classes for the past year...Bella Jane playing the cuatro and tiple and Ted playing the bongo. In the photo is Bongocera Ted...he played with a group playing En Mi Viejo San Juan at our Dia de Logros (graduation day recital) at the Ballaja. He is dressed in the appropriate attire with his white shirt, hat and Puerto Rican pin on his left lapel. He was just perfect! As a percussion instrument, the bongo is critical to a song. The bongo beats tell the other players the tempo. Mi Viejo San Juan is a cuatro por cuatro or 4/4 piece. The cuatro players played a short five note introduction and then Ted came in with the beat. His hands hit the bongo heads and the low notes (hembra) and the sharp staccoto notes (seco) were just right for the song. He played a martillo beat (the clip shows a man playing that beat). We had a great day! Ted's entry into Puerto Rican music was a grand success. Below you can see Ted's hands as they move from one bongo drum head to the other....

Tropicals Are Outside, Rincon, Puerto Rico

As it is now officially the "wet season"...means we have rain for a little while each afternoon...I have started to trim back on the garden to let the rains bring out the lush new growth. As I was trimming, I was struck by how what mainlanders think of as "house" plants are actually "outside" garden plants here in Puerto Rico. This peace plant is a great example. When on the mainland, this was one of my favorite plants with which to gift as it has such lush green foliage and the flowers are magnificent. Here at the Lemontree, we have peace plants in abundance and their strong white flowers tower over the other greenery. Here in the photograph, it is nestled in the asparagus fern...yes, another tropical that typically one thinks of as growing indoors!