I’m sitting at a Jimmy Buffet-themed beachside bar on the north shore of Puerto Rico this afternoon, enjoying a cold Corona with lime while the girls sleep off an overnight flight and pre-dawn checkin. It’s warm and humid here and the ocean breeze feels good on my skin. My table is surrounded by noisy grackles, who are waiting for me to order some overpriced bar food and drop it on the floor for them. Sorry guys.

This trip has been planned for a while but issues finding a sitting solution for Hazel meant it was looking like one of the two adults wasn’t going to be able to come. She’s unboardable given her allergies, medications, and lack of current vaccinations (due to the allergies) so Jen searched for months for someone who could house and petsit for us. I have trust issues with my house being occupied by people I don’t know, so many of our avenues were immediately blocked. At the 11th hour, my sister heard our predicament and threw all her stuff in a car to come down and make the family trip possible, for which I won’t ever be able to repay her. So we three jumped on a direct Northwest flight—which was delayed by two hours—and got into the hotel room at 3:30AM. (I had serious reservations about Northwest, but I found our flight painless—even though baggage and assigned seats were extra charge).

at 11AM I got up and found us all some breakfast, and after noshing the girls fell back asleep, so I walked down here to the pool area and ordered a beer, preferring the humidity and my avian friends to the ice-cold air conditioning. In retrospect I should have changed into a bathing suit, but I think I’ll just take my shoes off and walk through the surf when my beer is empty.

This hotel is beautiful, the beds are comfortable, and the water looks clear and blue. It’s great to get away.