Books read in October and more adventures
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Sept 30-Oct 5). I left before the last book club meeting, I'm excited to see what everyone thought of the ending!
A Ghost of Caribou by Alice Henderson (Oct 6-8)
Murder on the Titanic by Jim Walker (Oct 10-16). Will I ever get tired of reading about the Titanic? (A novel, but still lol)
Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea by Tami Oldham Ashcraft (Oct 17-18)
Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe (Oct 19-29). I would have enjoyed this even if it hadn't mentioned Caja de Muertos..I liked the humor in it lol. I happily bought the second in the series after I finished it! (Hopefully I'll get a pic of the island tomorrow!)
On Monday, we had Thanksgiving dinner with Jo's family, since we're going to be in Alaska then. I finally got to meet Jo's dad (Malbert)! (His parents are divorced, but are still good acquaintances.) He was nice! Most everyone arrived early and hung out and talked, which made me sad I couldn't talk to them too..kinda felt like an outsider. I especially wanted Camilla to like me, but whenever I tried talking to her she seemed shy or confused. Dinner was turkey with meat stuffing, rice, macaroni salad, and breadrolls (Ryan had to supply veggies, because I guess that's not common here). We also celebrated Malbert's birthday and had cake and milkshakes for dessert. Camilla and another kid named Tiomi were drawing and doing crafts, and all of a sudden both of them started talking to me, excitedly talking about their crafts. Camilla spoke just enough English, and me just enough Spanish to get by (Tiomi is from Boston and bilingual, so she helped too). If I messed up my Spanish, Camilla thought it was silly (but not in a mean way) and was super excited when I got it right. It was weird how suddenly she wasn't shy anymore! We had fun coloring (I called what I was using a marker, and Tiomi was like "no, it's a HIGHLIGHTER!" haha) and just being silly, and suddenly Tiomi said "I'm having so much fun with you!!" Awwww, that made me so happy! They must have read my mind, because that's exactly what I've been looking for. Tiomi also asked me why I wore glasses and why my eyes are so small haha..I'm not sure she understood me explaining ptosis, but I tried lol. It was a really fun night!
Yesterday Ryan had an appointment to get a tattoo in San Juan, so we drove there for the day. We hung out a mall until his appointment, dropped him off, then went to another mall to go to a bookstore there. That mall was HUGE, possibly the biggest mall I've been to (three stories! It's the biggest mall in the Caribbean). Malls in the US might be dying, but not in Puerto Rico..there were lots of people! The bookstore had a section for books in English, and bought a couple. After that we went to Old San Juan. It's a really cool historical place, and there were stray cats EVERYWHERE!! I've seen some in the various places we've gone to, but this place was teeming with them! The first cat I saw was very friendly (it blinked slowly at me, so I knew it was ok), and enjoyed being pet by me..when I stopped it meowed at me, like it was saying "don't stop!!" Not all the cats were friendly, but I still loved seeing them (mom was annoyed I kept trying to pet every cat I saw LOL). Later I read the cats are famous descendants from the cats the Spaniards brought with them 500 years ago. I'd visit just to pet the cats all day LOL. We walked past the original city wall and fountains and stuff..it was 91 degrees though, too hot for me! We ate a late lunch, looked in shops, and finally found a couple geocaches! (There aren't many in Ponce.) There's also a castle fort thing, but it was too hot to walk over to it..we'll just have to come back (and pet more kitties!! Hehe). We also went to a pigeon park, where on the weekends you can buy food and feed them. Some of those poor things were so fat they could barely walk. :( Eventually it got dark and we were tired, so we just drove back to the tattoo studio and waited for Ryan to be done. He got a raven with a graveyard in the background..it's super detailed and cool. He got done late, so we missed the pumpkin carving and food at Carmen's house. The house is now decorated for Christmas haha. It was really nice to go to bed after that long day!
Today we went up to this overlook where there's a castle (really a fancy house), Japanese gardens and where you can see Caja de Muertos, but it was hazy and everything was closed, so I think we're going back tomorrow. It's nice to just chill for awhile now :P
A Puerto Rico Thanksgiving. Carmen looked SO happy surrounded by her family..she's definitely the glue that holds the family together!
Me and Camilla, awww! I love her <3
Jo's dad. "Look at me, I'm 54!"
Siblings and dad: Jonny, Juju, Malbert and Jo
Jonny is holding Aaron (nephew) and Camilla is standing up front (they're siblings)
A statue in Old San Juan
Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It was way too hot to go over there (no shade!!), but I'd like to come back and see what's inside
Old city wall
Giant doors to the city!
Kitty!!! I talked to it and it very slightly curled its paw, like it was gently kneading something..awww
Another old wall
This cat hissed at me when I tried to pet it..darn lol
A monument
The streets are so cool!!
Sunset
Lots of pigeons in a tree at the pigeon park
30 - Haunted Refrigerator Night: Sometimes you forget about certain things that are in your fridge. And while you may have forgotten about them, they certainly haven't forgotten about you. Instead, they sit lurking in the back of the refrigerator waiting for you to delve into its darkest corners and unleash the disgusting rotten mess that lurks within those Tupperware sarcophagi. Is there anything lurking in the deepest recesses of your fridge that you're afraid to look at or deal with? LOL. No, my fridge got cleaned out before I left lol
31 - Magic Day: Have you ever seen magic performed live? Have you ever tried to learn a few tricks yourself? I think so. No
November 2023
1 - Extra Mile Day: When was the last time you went the extra mile for someone, or someone went the extra mile for you? Tell us about it. Maybe yesterday..I got a cold drink after our long day, but we had to to a mall to get it..Jo definitely goes out of his way to care for people!
A Ghost of Caribou by Alice Henderson (Oct 6-8)
Murder on the Titanic by Jim Walker (Oct 10-16). Will I ever get tired of reading about the Titanic? (A novel, but still lol)
Adrift: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea by Tami Oldham Ashcraft (Oct 17-18)
Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe (Oct 19-29). I would have enjoyed this even if it hadn't mentioned Caja de Muertos..I liked the humor in it lol. I happily bought the second in the series after I finished it! (Hopefully I'll get a pic of the island tomorrow!)
On Monday, we had Thanksgiving dinner with Jo's family, since we're going to be in Alaska then. I finally got to meet Jo's dad (Malbert)! (His parents are divorced, but are still good acquaintances.) He was nice! Most everyone arrived early and hung out and talked, which made me sad I couldn't talk to them too..kinda felt like an outsider. I especially wanted Camilla to like me, but whenever I tried talking to her she seemed shy or confused. Dinner was turkey with meat stuffing, rice, macaroni salad, and breadrolls (Ryan had to supply veggies, because I guess that's not common here). We also celebrated Malbert's birthday and had cake and milkshakes for dessert. Camilla and another kid named Tiomi were drawing and doing crafts, and all of a sudden both of them started talking to me, excitedly talking about their crafts. Camilla spoke just enough English, and me just enough Spanish to get by (Tiomi is from Boston and bilingual, so she helped too). If I messed up my Spanish, Camilla thought it was silly (but not in a mean way) and was super excited when I got it right. It was weird how suddenly she wasn't shy anymore! We had fun coloring (I called what I was using a marker, and Tiomi was like "no, it's a HIGHLIGHTER!" haha) and just being silly, and suddenly Tiomi said "I'm having so much fun with you!!" Awwww, that made me so happy! They must have read my mind, because that's exactly what I've been looking for. Tiomi also asked me why I wore glasses and why my eyes are so small haha..I'm not sure she understood me explaining ptosis, but I tried lol. It was a really fun night!
Yesterday Ryan had an appointment to get a tattoo in San Juan, so we drove there for the day. We hung out a mall until his appointment, dropped him off, then went to another mall to go to a bookstore there. That mall was HUGE, possibly the biggest mall I've been to (three stories! It's the biggest mall in the Caribbean). Malls in the US might be dying, but not in Puerto Rico..there were lots of people! The bookstore had a section for books in English, and bought a couple. After that we went to Old San Juan. It's a really cool historical place, and there were stray cats EVERYWHERE!! I've seen some in the various places we've gone to, but this place was teeming with them! The first cat I saw was very friendly (it blinked slowly at me, so I knew it was ok), and enjoyed being pet by me..when I stopped it meowed at me, like it was saying "don't stop!!" Not all the cats were friendly, but I still loved seeing them (mom was annoyed I kept trying to pet every cat I saw LOL). Later I read the cats are famous descendants from the cats the Spaniards brought with them 500 years ago. I'd visit just to pet the cats all day LOL. We walked past the original city wall and fountains and stuff..it was 91 degrees though, too hot for me! We ate a late lunch, looked in shops, and finally found a couple geocaches! (There aren't many in Ponce.) There's also a castle fort thing, but it was too hot to walk over to it..we'll just have to come back (and pet more kitties!! Hehe). We also went to a pigeon park, where on the weekends you can buy food and feed them. Some of those poor things were so fat they could barely walk. :( Eventually it got dark and we were tired, so we just drove back to the tattoo studio and waited for Ryan to be done. He got a raven with a graveyard in the background..it's super detailed and cool. He got done late, so we missed the pumpkin carving and food at Carmen's house. The house is now decorated for Christmas haha. It was really nice to go to bed after that long day!
Today we went up to this overlook where there's a castle (really a fancy house), Japanese gardens and where you can see Caja de Muertos, but it was hazy and everything was closed, so I think we're going back tomorrow. It's nice to just chill for awhile now :P
A Puerto Rico Thanksgiving. Carmen looked SO happy surrounded by her family..she's definitely the glue that holds the family together!
Me and Camilla, awww! I love her <3
Jo's dad. "Look at me, I'm 54!"
Siblings and dad: Jonny, Juju, Malbert and Jo
Jonny is holding Aaron (nephew) and Camilla is standing up front (they're siblings)
A statue in Old San Juan
Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It was way too hot to go over there (no shade!!), but I'd like to come back and see what's inside
Old city wall
Giant doors to the city!
Kitty!!! I talked to it and it very slightly curled its paw, like it was gently kneading something..awww
Another old wall
This cat hissed at me when I tried to pet it..darn lol
A monument
The streets are so cool!!
Sunset
Lots of pigeons in a tree at the pigeon park
30 - Haunted Refrigerator Night: Sometimes you forget about certain things that are in your fridge. And while you may have forgotten about them, they certainly haven't forgotten about you. Instead, they sit lurking in the back of the refrigerator waiting for you to delve into its darkest corners and unleash the disgusting rotten mess that lurks within those Tupperware sarcophagi. Is there anything lurking in the deepest recesses of your fridge that you're afraid to look at or deal with? LOL. No, my fridge got cleaned out before I left lol
31 - Magic Day: Have you ever seen magic performed live? Have you ever tried to learn a few tricks yourself? I think so. No
November 2023
1 - Extra Mile Day: When was the last time you went the extra mile for someone, or someone went the extra mile for you? Tell us about it. Maybe yesterday..I got a cold drink after our long day, but we had to to a mall to get it..Jo definitely goes out of his way to care for people!