Plaza des Armas (6:07P), San Juan Puerto Rico

This Friday Bella Jane and I went to Old San Juan in advance of our Saturday music lessons at the conservatory. Bella... the Tiple and Cuatro, for me the Bongo. But tonight, we headed out to scavenge for our dinner and found ourselves in the Plaza. In a display of technical virtuosity that surpasses most 10 year olds (well some) I popped out this picture of Bella with the built in photo boots camera on the Mac laptop by the Four Seasons Fountain and dropped it into the Blog. Why? Because I could. All done in nearly real time in the plaza... using the city wide wifi system.

Actually the temperature is wonderfully moderate, sky sunny and the night is not yet begun.

How great is this?

A cat that might grin in San Juan, Puerto Rico

On our trips to Old San Juan we have previously written about the cats. They are everywhere however some are more lordly than others. This fine kitty is usually found accross from the Cathedral lounging in a shops doorway on C. Cristo. This morning before my bongo class I was doing a walkabout with camera and spotted this cat sleeping on the hood of a Jeep. It was windy and cool (relatively) this morning and the sun's rays must have warmed yo the metal of the hood. Also possible is that it was just parked (but unlikely) and still warm from the motor. Last night I saw the same cat in about the same place crossing the street slowly. Nothing makes this cat break into a sweat. Its an alpha animal... top of the chain and all that.

I made this photograph with a 50mm lens. What caught my eye in addition to the kitty was the reflections in the smooth dark metal and of the building and roof in the windshield. Really an odd combination of perspectives... a little like Alice in Wonderland. Could this be the grin of the philosophical Cheshire Cat?

Cats of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

One more post from our recent trip to the Capital. Old San Juan is the home to many semi-feral domestic cats. You will see them, especially at night on the walk below El Moro and in the western parts of the city. They are fed by residents who leave dry food and water out for them. They mostly avoid people but occasionally one will approach. They seem to be territorial and if you frequent certain streets you most defiantly will see the same cats there.

If you drop "cats of old san juan" into Google you will get an eyeful. Flicker streams of photos, a Calendar of OSJ Cats, a book available from the Save a Gato organization... and plenty of politics which pit the tourism folks against the animal rights groups.

From my perspective I like them... I like to see them. I guess I'm in the camp that says its better to neuter and return them rather than to "transport" them.

I made the photograph above using a 135mm telephoto lens. I can't resist a cute cat.