"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
I took this picture this morning, it looks to the northeast...not quite Christmas weather! (That's ok with me) From rooftop looking north. From rooftop looking northwest. From the back part of the roof...looking North. About a month ago I had a small accident while bodyboarding, I rode in a HUGE wave and then when I left it to swim back out another even bigger wave broke on top of me. The leash of my board that was now ripped from my hands pulled me underwater and across the coral reef! I'm almost all better now. My hands were also bloody, I'm just fortunate that it was my back and not my head.
It sure has been a long time! I almost decided to quit this blog over the past few months, but I guess that I won't.
Part of the reason that I have not made any updates is because I have been so busy and so many things have been happening in my life. Since my last update I spent 2.5months without my car, moved from Isla Verde to Ocean Park, flew 300+ hours, got my back completely covered in blood and scrapes from being dragged underwater and hitting coral, traveled to Key West with my girlfriend Cristina, went to the Puerto Rico Zoo with Cristina, and lets see what else...became a few thousand more in debt!
Without Cristina I don't know what I would have done over the past few months. She has been great to me in my "time of need" and I really appreciate how much she has helped me in my time of not having a car. By the way, the entire engine was rebuilt and after many heated exchages over the phone I finally put $975 on my credit card today and took a working car back home.
Hopefully my next update tomorrow will show where I live now. It is a house about five steps from the beach in a beautiful setting in one of the most expensive areas of the San Juan area. Luckily, I share the house with four other pilots so for me it is very cheap.
My current plans are to leave Puerto Rico before the summertime. Cristina is planning on moving to the states for graduate school and I guess I should probably move on with my career and fly the jet for a year or so. This will all me to be more competitive for a job with a major airline hopefully in the not to distant future...more soon!
This is the famous "aviones" of the north coast of Puerto Rico. Today the waves were on the small side, but still tons of fun! In this picture you can see a surfer riding the waves towards the west... I'm scared, but Puerto Rico sure has grown on me! The ocean is where I am meant to be... This is the board, it has a nice red bottom that attracts sharks! The water today was very clear and I saw octopus, eels, and lots of urchins! Plus some are still in my chest, that is another story. Are you ready to spend an entire day swimming?!?! The entire skyline of Isla Verde, Condado, and Old San Juan. I feel that I am the most fortunate person in the world to be able to live such a fun and carefree life. I am blessed!
This month flying is such a blast! The visibility is good again, the air is fresh, the ocean is warm, and I love it! This pictures are from my last "four day trip" which really only lasts for 72 hours. Saturday morning out of Canouan Island, we took a "right turnout" to the south instead of our northerly course to St. Lucia, after awhile buzzing islands we went back on course, the Grenadines are amazingly beautiful!!! This is the runway extension project in Canouan, they are making the 3,900 foot runway almost twice as long...which really makes me mad! On the left you can see the lowered crane that I almost crashed into three weeks ago. There is nothing quite like buzzing islands at 1,500 feet going 250 knots. Well maybe 500 knots is more fun, but we can't do that very easily...I would love to though. The Raffles Resort in Canouan is amazing. I'll get a picture of my golf cart next time. Until next time...don't have more fun than I am!
Well I just spent my last few days off here in Puerto Rico snorkling, surfing, and just hanging out with friends. Time to go back to work. This month I fly for 72 hours away from home each week starting on Thursday evenings.
In case anyone cares, here is what I do each week:
Thursday: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic turn then Anguilla overnight.
Friday: Anguilla to San Juan, St. Thomas turn, then off to St. Lucia and then Canouan Island overnight.
Saturday: Canouan to St. Lucia (the most beautiful flight in the world I believe), St. Lucia to San Juan, a St. Croix turn, then Nevis overnight.
Sunday: Nevis to San Juan, Tortolla turn, then finish with a St. Kitts turn.
This month is probably the most fun and relaxing flying that I have ever had in San Juan. (Minus the bird strike and ingestion into the engine and almost hitting a crane on final into Canouan which resulted in my worst landing of any airplane...anywhere since I learned to fly)
Ok, time to go to work! Next week I'll take my camera out when I go to the beach that we surf at. It is so beautiful.
Ok, there is a long story that goes with this whole thing, but the short version is that about a week and a half ago a friend from college ,who now works for the same company as myself, came to visit. Five of us went to the rainforest in my car, and then dinner, and then offroading around 5 or 6pm. It was a road that I had no idea where it went...we sure found out... What a beautiful beach, huh? I had no idea that it was a "leatherback turtle nesting grounds"...
I figured that since the policia drive on my beach, why can't I drive on this beach? Evidently all beaches are not the same, I went out and in the process went down to the axles in sand! Here I am laying in what used to be the hole that my car's right back wheel had been in, after 7 hours, deflating the tires, having help from two fishermen, and much sweat and blood...we were out of there! It wasn't all for nothing, ever since I have been studying about the Giant Leatherback Turtle, do you know that they can get to be 1,600 pounds! They are amazing animals, thankfully even though I could have gone to jail for this offense (if I had been caught by the wrong person), I learned a lesson. And for any people who read this, turtle hatching season is over...so I did not kill any turtles, just one crab.
This morning I woke up early and decided to go hiking by myself. I have been flying for the past four days and each flight I have been looking at a private beach on a coral cliff about 20 miles from the airport. Today I found it!
