Category Archives: Winter

The Holiday Season in Puerto Rico 2019

The holidays are in full swing here in Puerto Rico this year. The festivities are on fire and it seems that every other day we have one party or another to attend. It has been so much fun! Thanksgiving with our neighbors, birthday parties, cookie exchanges, encendidos, parrandas, school parties and more. It has been non-stop. It is so true that Puerto Rico knows how to party and the winter Christmas season is the best for that!

   

When we haven’t been out having fun, we’ve been trying to take advantage of the extra time we have with Aeden in daycare and the fact that it has been so much cooler in order to expand the gardens. We recently planted over 35 new cultivars of heliconias and are so excited to see them grow! The cabana has been steadily booked with guests and so that keeps us busy with maintenance, tours and turnover. It’s been a very fufiling time in our lives. I’ve been trying to make more videos in order to capture the essence of life these days, sort of “vlog” style if you’d like to watch some other things that we’ve been up to. Here’s our channel: LIFETRANSPLANET YOUTUBE


Christmas Fun


Primer Cumpleanos for friend Nico’s Birthday Party


Holiday fun. At the beach, with a Norfolk pine (a tropical Christmas tree!) and surfer statue has been Santa-fied


Winter is the best time for a swim!


Or just visit the beach


There was a fun party at the lighthouse


We went out to the encendido in the Rincon Plaza – the best orchestra in Puerto Rico (Orquesta Sinfónica)!


Cows and geckos- normal sights


Had a fun stop at Tres Sirenas Inn


And an awesome farm called “Finca Brutal”



Thanksgiving with our neighbors was a lot of fun!


The beauty of this place still astounds me


More fun out and about



Some new additions to the garden and harvests


Preparing for a flower delivery and working outside in December!


Check out this GIANT heliconia called “Beefsteak” or Mariae. With our new friend Carlos

It’s been an active period of growth, literally, while we enjoy the holidays as well. We hope yours are going well also! Felicidades.

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Life Updates: Around the Farm and Town

Life has been swinging right along.

We continue working on our flower business. We have more demand than supply so that’s always a great recipe for expanding and planting more and more. Something we love to do anyway!


Our flowers at a wedding!


Our flowers on display!


More and more flowers on their way!


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Animals are doing well


We’ve taken some time for beach days


Freshest coconut water from the crew down the road!

We continue to host our cabana for rent and have had some really fun guests such as ethnobotanist and author Maria Benedetti and competitive surfer Dominque Miller stay with us!


Dominique and her mother at the Rincon Farmer’s Market

We’ve been out hunting more waterfalls and found a nice close one in Anasco that is also an abandoned park!

 

 
At Salto La Encantada

Aeden keeps getting bigger and bigger and has even started walking a little! We also have put him in daycare a few days a week which has opened up our time quite a bit in order to manage our businesses (and just get a breather). He seems to enjoy the socialization time that he doesn’t get being with us 24/7.


Approximately one year apart! My how he has changed!


Aeden enjoying some play time at school


Dress code at home: No shirt, no shoes, no problem!

Sugarcane in bloom

Well, that about covers everything new in our world. Hope all’s well in yours!

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Feliz Navidad and a News Story

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2019 full of love and wonder!

This Christmas after some plans fell through, we found ourselves on the beach once more trading snow and cold for sand and sunsets. They moved the annual Pig Roast celebration from Almendros Beach because it was devoid of trees after Maria to Playa Lala. Playa Lala was once just “the beach behind the old Econo” and has now become a popular destination especially with all the little kiosk bars right nearby.


The 3 of us getting into the Christmas Spirit


Playa Lala on Christmas


Driftwood tree


Another unusual tree


Breaking out the Coquito at sunset

What a beautiful sunset it was! Almost watercolor

Britton and Aeden away from the crowd


My silly sweety -my favorite Christmas present ever!

Also, the Newstory about us aired in Colorado on Christmas Eve. Check out more of the story here if you haven’t yet seen it, or watch the video below!

After Maria: The Kauffman Family from KDVR on Vimeo.

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Felicidades (at least 65 Percent)

AEE sign 3 molestos
This sign says: It is time to have electricity. We are upset and have not seen work crews. The generator costs money and we are broke!

It is amazing how much better life feels with electricity and water. I will never take those basic services of modern life for granted again. We are only two people of about 65% of the island that currently has power however.

AEE sign 2
Another sign notifying the electric company of a house that still has no power

It is sort of strange how and where the power is distributed. For instance, our neighborhood was the first one in Puntas to get reconnected, and now, nearly a month later the nearest road to us still doesn’t have it. The patchwork connection is frustrating for those without. Just because you see your neighbor connected doesn’t mean you will be.

aee WORKING
AEE is out there doing their best!

Still this doesn’t stop the Christmas spirit. Puerto Rico is well-known for the length and type of fun celebrating during the Navidad season. We have been enjoying spending time with friends and going to various events and get-togethers.

Britton with flower bunch  Flanthony   Britton Coral

Tommy tuna poke Kim Party Kim and Cassie Fun socks
Tooting In the barrio Christmas pool day
Christmas Crop

Chrstmas Party fun

Steps beach sunset Steps party
Winter Solstice Party at Steps Beach

Pretty J Britton playingPicturesque scenes

Britton and Cassie cabin
Enjoying nice nights out

Cassie and Blue Santa
And the Christmas Spirit of Puerto Rico

When we are not out celebrating, we have been working on the property. We have added some water tubing to irrigate the gardens more and have found more plants to add to the collection. Now that it isn’t raining very often, the work is a little easier because things aren’t growing quite as fast.

Tarantula
Tarantula in the gardens

Iguana
Iguanas out en force!

Flower bunch short hike around the property for this beautiful tropical bouquet

Uprighting palm tree

Uprighting a coconut palm took quite some doing!

It feels that the more people who receive power, the more powerful and happy people are as well. The general sadness that we saw immediately after and for the first month or two has shifted over the hump to a general happiness. At least 65%. Christmas and holiday spirit has lifted even the lowest spirits some, but we are all still awaiting the full glory of island life once again. The clean-up continues, but overall things are looking more and more beautiful every day.

Trash pile
One of the piles of post-hurricane household rubbish

Christmas day
And a serene Christmas moment at dusk

 

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