How the birthday went

Today, Día de San Juan Bautista, or St. John the Baptist's day, the day that is more a beach party than a religious festival, is also Challenge Day. Every year, the same dilemma. Can I make it through one more day of partying, to actually be awake at midnight to walk backward into the sea three times for good luck, as thousands will be doing here as well as the big island and Vieques? Some years it's a yes, but most years, by midnight I'm long asleep, recouping from Summer Solstice (which is the pre-birthday day) and my actual birthday. I never really know until...I know.

Yesterday was filled with long beach hikes on three different beaches and I didn't even make it to the other side of the island, as I thought I would. I also took a long dinghy ride, and coming back in, I looked at Culebra and thought, why do people consider this a small place? Because unless I'm in town, it doesn't seem small to me in any way. There are still places I've never gone here. Just yesterday I was in a neighborhood I'd never seen. But maybe I'm just really slow...which makes it a good thing I live here. Among a few dozen other good reasons.

This is a slideshow slice of my day. If you know where these places are, excellent. If you don't, sorry, I can't tell you because then I'd have to move. And I'm not going anywhere. Enjoy. I had an excellent day. Hmm, I'm doing that today too. Yippee! Life is good.

music by Steve Conn

P.S. Yesterday was ALSO the day Steve Harding (bike Steve) married Lisa in North Carolina. I think it was nice to do that on my birthday so I'd remember it. Uh huh. Here is the happy couple in the act! No, naughty boo boo head, not THAT act.