Hello fair readers! I just got back from a relaxing vacation in Puerto Rico and I apologize for not posting while we were gone. But, it was truly wonderful to have some time away from the computer.

While I took some much-needed time out for ourselves in a brand-new place, I decided to play a writerly game throughout our trip. I consciously evaluated the environment of everywhere we went with sensing words and phrases, attempting to describe the experience as if I were planning to write a story that takes place there. It turned out to be a pretty useful game, and is one that I plan to play the day I get to go to Greece to explore for the next story I want to write. The results are below, along with a few photos in case you wanted to see.

Puerto Rico: A Trip of the Senses

The cooing coqui frogs calling to each other in the cool dusk light.

The wash of the ocean on the sand. Ancient and unending.

The tangy smell of the salty sea air that sticks to my skin and nests in my hair. A scent I have missed dearly.

The rapid pace of spoken Spanish in my ear.

The loud speakers blasting Puerto Rican music down the street.

The rumble of the old highways beneath our tires.

The damp clean smell of the rainforest. Green and ancient fronds unfurling.

The hooting owls and the cooing birds in the trees.

The incessant rush of the waterfalls on the treacherous rocks.

The starkness of the mangrove in the darkness. The winking of the stars between their branches.

The fleeting fairy-like glow of the bio-luminescence. One instant there, the next, blackness.

The heat of the sun on my pale pale skin.

The stickiness of the brown-sugar sand.

The rush of the waves against my shins.

The pull of the ocean as it drags the sand from beneath my feet.

The sweet taste of fresh fruit on my lips.