Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Gone!


Well let's see: we've been gone from home a week. We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico @ about midnight last Wed. I slept 4 hours & went for a run/swim on the beach. We grabbed a rental car, drove to Machabuca with one lunch & one swim stop. Arlee & Shawn were duly impressed with Machabuca--Felipe's (Shar's dad) place. The picture is of Shar at Machabuca. We we had a fabulous dinner there. The next day we boarded the ship to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We arrive arrived in Santo Domingo after 8:00 a.m. & taxied to our hosts place & were then transported in our host's new Mercedes (to me it was a starship)to the private community of La Romana some hour & 45 min. east. The villa there was absolutely unimaginable. I think you could have fit our entire house within one of the living/dining room spaces. Our hosts were/are incredibly kind and gracious. They are long time friends of Felipe who thought nothing of us crashing our hostesses' father's 82nd birthday party. All 3 brothers, wives, and children were there as well as one daughter with kids and husband plus a number of people who I never found out what their connection was. They made us feel like family. We swam in the pool & the ocean, Shawn beat me 3 times on one of the 2 regulation sized pool tables at the house. I played music with Jose Enrique Santos, our host.

After one day we went backto to Santo Doming for shopping & little strolling around Zona Colonial which is 500 years old. Arlee & Shawn stayed out at the villa which they've had to themselves now (along with the servants). They are really roughing it. Our hostess, Argentina, is going to pick them up & bring them back to us today.

Shar is now getting around with just a cane. We did get a little special treatment at the airport & at the ferry terminal since she was on crutches. Yesterday she overdid it, & her leg swelled up again last night. She's getting around, but it's very slow going. We take a taxi if we have to go more than a few blocks.

Ciao for now!

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