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March 2004

Hola from Vieques!

It has been a busy month on the island, restaurants are breaking records and serving more people than they thought possible! Fresh vegetables arrive at the grocery stores on Wednesdays and by Fridays the selection is thinning out. Chef Michael’s Foodspace is doing well with more exotic fruits and veggies than we are normally accustomed to! His deli section is to die for and they are making more sandwiches than they ever expected! Restaurants are having to turn away people without reservations some nights so call ahead and show up on time. There is something for everyone and the menu choices are getting more creative all the time.

For fine dining, or as fine as it gets in Vieques try Blue Macaw, Café Media Luna, Island Steakhouse, Trade Winds, La Sirena or Martineau Bay. For great food in a more casual setting definitely get to Chez Shack, Bayaonda or Posada Vista Mar, hard to believe you could be disappointed with a meal at these. For casual dinners or lighter fare try Amapola or Bananas. Tropico Restaurant has some theme nights that are good and people rave about their Wed. night ribs! For good local food try Taverna Espanola, Mucho Gusto, Richards Café or Tito Bloques at night. Lunch hot spots are every restaurant in Esperanza! In Isabel - Mamasongas, Coconuts and for local food El Patio or Shaunna’s. Eating out can be as expensive or inexpensive as you like, sometimes I am satisfied with just rice and beans (about $4) or you can do an elegant meal and spend well over $20 for an entrée. Uvas restaurant opened in Isabel a few weeks ago and the reviews were very good, unfortunately for some reason ( I hear it has something to due with a faulty sewage line under the building) they are temporarily closed, not sure when they are reopening but can’t wait to try out the menu. Best breakfasts on the island are Mamasonga’s, Trade Winds, Café Coconuts, Tropical Baby, Tiki Hut and the Panaderia Viequense (they also have great sandwiches for lunch). I have gotten very spoiled this winter and have eaten out a lot!

There were lots of activities in February, a busy month for me getting to lots of events! The local government sponsored a musical event in Esperanza through the generosity of several of the businesses over there, great local music, good attendance and dancing in the streets. They are going to try and do this each month although the locations might change so that local residents sometimes have them in their neighborhoods. It was nice to see a good turnout of Puerto Ricans and Ex-Pats and tourists in attendance. The mayor celebrated his birthday several times! I attended one party for him where he addressed mostly a North American crowd with his visions for the future of Vieques. He had a similar party the following week directed mostly for local residents. Valentine’s Day was celebrated at the Seniors Home, where the King and Queen were then driven around the island with crowns and hoopla! They actually did this the Friday before Valentines Day but they sure looked cute in the convertible Suzuki! On Valentine’s Night there was a local talent show that was very entertaining! Watching 3 and 4 yr. girls trying to twirl baton with the big girls was just too cute for words! There was one dance group with a member that I have trouble believing is not a professional dancer, he was amazing! The events were mostly lip-syncing and dancing and it was definitely a good time. After the talent show I had to get to El Sombrero Viejo to celebrate Bob Kuhn’s birthday. I won’t tell you how old he is but he is still in remarkable shape for someone who could have retired about 15 years ago! He still works like a dog when his delivery comes in each week. Eve and Alex had the opening of their Landscape Exhibit which was awesome. They sold more paintings at this exhibit than at any other. It was hard to pick a favorite artist but in the future I definitely want to have an Ernesto Pena original in my collection! It was a great night and everyone has a fabulous time. Casa de Amistad celebrated their first anniversary with a great party and the Will Colon Steel Drum Band! What a blast that was. They have created one of the cutest spots on the island and it is definitely affordable. The guys that own it/operate it are wonderful and browsing through the guest books shows how much their guests have enjoyed their stay there. One of the owners, Owen Smith, was then the guest auctioneer at the Goods and Services Auction (to benefit the Vieques Humane Society) held at La Sirena. What a great turnout and successful event that was. Owen was funny, kept the crowd amused but got through the items quickly and raised more money than ever before! I am sure he will become the regular auctioneer at this event! A new exhibit opened at the Fort that deals with a 100 million years of Natural History of Vieques. It is a panel exhibit and although it is all in Spanish they say translations will be available. There was a big celebration with lots of speeches about the exhibit which will be on display for the next year.

Ended the month with Oscar Night at Island Steakhouse which was a blast! Scott said he would have a red carpet and wanted people to dress up! Well I happened to have a great long dress here and friends Richard and Jeff just happened to keep their tuxes when they moved here never imagining they would come in handy just a few months after making the move. Our friend Sheenah was the only other who was looking especially glamorous (for Vieques) although some in attendance were more dressed up than usual. It was fun doing the long gown and sitting with friends in tuxes! Scott treated us to Champagne as we went the extra mile for Oscar Night! Thanks Scott and Eli! As you can see it was a busy month for me and I still made it to Karaoke each week! Hard to believe that I will sing in public and that people don’t boo me off the mike, everyone obviously has a good sense of humor! Barefoot Joey (the mc), Tim (Aqua Frenzy Kayak), Pooch (Blue Caribe Kayak) and myself are usually on hand to keep the music going until others get brave enough to sing. Richard (H2Ahh Pool Service) says he has been too busy lately but will join us again soon! Laurel and Barry (owners of the equipment) are rumored to arrive in town any day now and listening to Laural sing is always a treat, she is amazing and I am looking forward to seeing both of them soon. This past week the music teacher from the high school joined the crowd and sang a variety of music and was terrific. We are all hoping that he will become a regular member of Karaoke Madness! Oh and I celebrated a birthday also in February, dinner with friends on 2 separate nights, life doesn’t get any better than that! March looks to be almost as busy, I hope I survive until Easter!

Highlights for March include 2 fundraisers for the humane society, a St. Patty’s Day party at Island Steakhouse and the annual Arts and Crafts Auction. The Art Auction is held at Casa Vieja Gallery and Eve and Alex are pros at this now. It is always very well attended and local artists contribute amazing works for it. Although there are some bargains to be had, be prepared for more expensive pieces. There are lots of original paintings and the prices can go high. Keep in mind that all the funds go to helping the animals and having affordable health care available to the local residents. For anyone that came to Vieques years ago or anyone who has spent time on the main island, stray dogs have always a problem. Vieques has almost no stray or mangy dogs loose on the island anymore. With all the educational work being done in the schools and community more people are opting for spay/neuter services. There are still some that won’t and they (VHS) get there share of unwanted dogs and puppies, cats and kittens. They usually have more animals than what is comfortable but manage to get many adopted out in the community. It is a worthwhile cause and they really appreciate all the support from people attending the fundraisers. The Vieques Conservation and Trust has a few events going on as well. Vieques is the winter vacation spot for Joan and Bob LePard. Joan has graciously offered her expertise in ikebana (Japanese) flower arranging and will be holding a few classed at the trust this month. This will probably be well attended and anyone interested should contact the Trust for more information. The Trust is also doing a House Tour again this month, these are always popular. If you wonder what some of the houses are like on the island sign up and see! All the dates are available on the calendar that follows. And if you are here early this month be sure to stop by Beach Doggies for their Champagne Sunday (March 7th) where they will be showing a collection of old photos of El Morro, the fort in Old San Juan. I saw some of the pictures and they are wonderful! Beach Doggies is a fun place to go and browse regardless and is worth a stop!

Have seen lots of friends that visit regularly this past month. Mary Beth has managed a trip down without Wally, but he will be here in a few short weeks! She will return for the last few days of his vacation! Paul and Cindy are here from Martha’s Vineyard for a few weeks and are always fun. My neighbor’s son-in-law and some of his co-workers come down for a few days each year and usually treat themselves to a massage! I can’t mention their names, could get them in trouble, but they keep me laughing for the afternoon and usually supply lunch and a cold beer! Looking forward to seeing other friends that are planning visits soon as well.

Here is the calendar, hope you all get the chance to experience Vieques soon!

Thanks for reading
Judy

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