Azulado

Today we're one week away from returning to Ohio and, though I am happy that the return is nearer than it has been, our time here has been mostly relaxed and just as I had hoped it would be. The photo above is our view on the mornings when we walk to the nearest Starbucks.

And this is the view from the window in front of which my husband suggested that I set up my laptop. The photo is dark but it gives an idea of the difference between working in a basement office (albeit a space I love back home) and what working here has been like.

Our walks down the beach have yielded a few treasures, including these lovely tiny pink shells.

And I finally got to cook a full meal in our mini-kitchen with my new mini-caldero (the aluminum pot in the front which we use to cook rice). It didn't come out perfectly but my husband was happy with his rice and black beans, Puerto Rican style.

We also like to go down to the beach, steps away from our building, and sit and read and my husband once thought about getting in the ocean but it was too rough and cold. Yes, cold. It's not cold like Ohio-cold, but it's been cold for Puerto Rico, as the meteorologists here keep pointing out.

Still, it's been perfect for us and we are both so glad we did this. So glad, indeed, that when we return in the fall for a conference of one of the major organizations in my discipline, we are planning on renting an apartment in an area near the conference hotel instead of getting a room there. Not only will I save almost $400 by not staying at the pricey hotel, but we've also both realized how much more we prefer this type of more independent (I guess I'd term it) living when we're visiting.