"Nobody works as hard for his money as the man who marries it." - Kin Hubbard

Our flights landed within 15 minutes of each other, Pam's from O'Hare and mine from Phoenix. We even got the same luggage carousel. By the time we'd retrieved our car and made the drive home it was 11:50 p.m. and we were both exhausted. Pam lost 3 hours with the time zone change and I lost 4, and I'd been up for almost a full 24 hours. I was up this morning on Puerto Rican time, made it through church thanks to a quart of coffee, and spent most of this afternoon unconscious.

In no particular order (and with pictures totally unrelated to the text)....

We had lunch here. Beautiful setting and very good food, the Spanish word for 

which I can't remember

Am I the only one in the world who didn't know that the Spanish word for pineapple is piña? And that they don't grow on trees? Yeah, that last one proved a bit embarrassing in a place where they grow it all over.

Friday night I spoke to their youth group and afterward we took this selfie. Fun group.

In Costa Rica the response to muchas gracias is con gusto (something akin to, my pleasure). In Puerto Rico it's de nada ('tis nothing).

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to experience PR, including the food (they eat a LOT of rice), the scenery, the architecture of the city squares... But there, as in Costa Rica, and here in the States, the best part is the people.

They celebrate Three Kings Day sometime during the first week in January (the date varies, but I don't know why). It's what they call Epiphany and commemorates - you guessed it - the visit of the (supposedly) three magi. On Three Kings Eve presents are put under kids' beds, more and nicer than those they get on Christmas.

Ponce is the city of lions, as in Ponce de Leone. These are two of the four (?) lion sculptures at the city square, each painted differently.

My host at the church was Pastor Miguel. He and his wife Elga have two terrific daughters, Angela and Elika. Really good people. Angela (front left) and her beau Gabby got engaged a few hours after I left PR. I felt honored that Gabby told me earlier in the week that he planned to pop the question Saturday morning.

My hosts at the camp - the whole crew of about 12. But early in the week five of us went in to Ponce for some authentic PR food and to see the town square (beautiful). Matt and April (left and right respectively) are short term workers. Harry and Kayla actually work in the barrio a few miles from camp running an after school program for K-6th graders. Kayla is due to give birth to their first any day now.

Yeah, I had a lot of fun, with my gracious hosts and with the various groups of Puertorriqueños I spoke to. It's pretty much the best when you get to do what you love with great people.