Thanksgiving in Rincon Puerto Rico

Thanksgiving morning we saw a spectacular sunrise. The sun had its golden and pinkish halo as it rose above the horizon in the East. The day was quiet, as the waves gently caressed the beach. What an incredible way to begin a very special day.

We spent Thanksgiving with family and friends, talking and enjoying each other's company. We ordered the Oferta de Accion de Gracias from EC Bakery. They cooked a fabulous pavo (turkey) for us along with arroz con gandules (rice with peas), batata (incredibly delicious sweet potato), and flan. To this Puerto Rican inflected menu, we added a pumpkin pie, cornbread dressing and cranberries.

We also played music, a traditional activity in Puerto Rican households. Families gather around and those that play instruments, play! I played the cuatro and tiple and Ted the bongo and everyone else joined in also with claves, bells, guiro or seed pods. We sang and played and laughed and played some more. What a joyous time together.

Two of our guests were from Columbia and so we discussed with them the origins of Thanksgiving and our gifts from those steadfast pilgrims who came to the new world seeking freedom of religion and liberty. No other country has been founded on such basic beliefs. And though, the first Thanksgiving was held many years prior to the founding of the country, Thanksgiving continues to this day as the most important celebration of our freedoms and historic past. We all agreed, God Bless America.

Saragasso Sea mats along the current lines in Rincon, PR

This morning when I awoke and went out onto the terrace I was treated to an exquisite soft sunrise and..... magnificent current lines of Saragasso Sea mats. They stretched along the multiple current lines as far as I could see. Above you see what I first saw as the sun rose. What you cannot see in the photograph are the current lines behind this one, they were just too far away for my camera to capture.

When I was mating on a local boat, we took folks out for whale watching cruises in the winter. We always looked for these current lines of mats of vegetation because underneath them were tiny fish and under the tiny fish were larger fish and under those were sometimes the whales we sought.

In the photo above you can see the current line as it winds sensually through the water as the waves carry it toward shore. As these current lines moved along, the pelicans were diving for fish along their sides. Pelicans are always thrilling to see diving head first into the water and always coming up with a fish.









The sea mats came into closer view and above you can see two of the mats of Saragasso Sea plants.

Finally, a few actually hit shore and I took the shot to the right. All in all a beautiful and sensual plant a long way from home.

Birthday lunch at the Horned Dorset Primavera, Rincon, PR

Today we celebrated two birthdays at the Restaurant Aaron at the Horned Dorset Primavera here in Rincon, PR. The Horned Dorset is just down our road, Carr 429, less than a minute from the Lemontree. The picture above shows you my view from my seat at our outside table. We like either sitting outside as we did today or on the terrace. The Horned Dorset has a French menu and very gracious, old world service.



Our Lunch... The bouillabaisse, pictured above, was simply delicious. A rather simple dish, the tastes melded and blended to make for a very happy palate! Along with the crusty bread and creamy butter, we had a delightful lunch. If you are wondering about bouillabaisse, click on this and see the history of the bouillabaisse dish.

The chef prepared a special birthday cake which I can report was absolutely delicious and I was happy to have some to bring home too. Unfortunately, we cut it before I had taken a picture so I don't have one to share. Sooooo, imagine a three layer, six inch cake with very thick and creamy vanilla buttercream icing swirled on in an intricate pattern. Add to that chocolate swirling writing of, "Happy Birthday," and slices of fresh strawberries accenting the top and placed all around the base. Between the three layers, the chef had another creamy subtly flavored coconut buttercream icing with slices of fresh strawberries. Perhaps from my description you are able to understand why I forgot to take the photograph and simply asked our waiter to proceed to the serving!

We highly recommend the Restaurant Aaron at the Horned Dorset Primavera for either lunch or dinner. Restaurant Aaron has a facebook page which you can follow to see what special events they are hosting. To serve you better, reservations are always required.