Ed

Well, finally. Ginger's been at me to try snowshoeing for years, and this morning we went up the ski hill and plodded around for an hour or more.

Turns out, it's pretty fun. And hard. It can be really tough going! Yoga came in handy: I ended up falling into one trikonasana and various new and intriguing positions. Feet don't always seem to end up where you intended; I'm glad I had the flexibility to adapt to what the snow demanded of me.

Lunch was a candy bar, a banana, three pieces of toast, a bagel, a bowl of chili, and an entire pint of Julie's blackberry ice cream. Hard work requires sustenance.

Confusion reigns as we try to figure out today's plans. My fault: I misunderstood a conversation earlier in the week and failed to plan properly. No matter, all was resolved in the end.

Dad is listening to Don Quijote on CD. Forty-plus CDs, to be precise. It's a beautiful recording, but what shocks me most is how incomprehensible it is to me. The reader has what can only be described as a thhhhhhick Spanish accent. In my 25 years away from Puerto Rico I've gotten used to Mexican and New Mexican accents, but my ear for Castilian has apparently faded from lack of use. I would need subtitles for this CD.

The day wrapped up with a beautiful evening get-together at the house of much-too-generous friends. Churrascos, rice, and the only edible green salad I've had on the island. The tomatoes were actually red and flavorful. "They're from Costco. That's the only place I've ever found good tomatoes", said Clari when I asked her about them.

Guess who were the last two diehards in the pool?

Back home to pack and get ready for my morning flight.