A personal photo memory — My camera is my constant companion when I travel. Well, when I used to travel. I am 83 years old and my trips far away from home are mostly for doctors appointments and excursions out on the island. The island I live on, Puerto Rico, is only 35 miles wide…

Our lord and master — “That no life lives forever; That dead men rise up never; That even the weariest river Winds somewhere safe to sea.” ― Algernon Charles Swinburne, The Garden of Proserpine That’s me, that guy on the top with crutches. Well, not exactly. I use a cane. A single cane for a…

In praise of anglosperms — Warning: Some images in this post may be unsuitable for children and immature adults. If you prefer Pornhux over the Hallmark Channel, forget about tiptoeing through the tulips and other members of the anglosperm family. Head directly for the anthurium, the randiest flowers in the fields.

Masterpieces by my neighbor Ed — When is a rainforest an art gallery? When Ed is around, of course. Ed — Eucalyptus deglupta — is a tree so creative with colors that it has become better known as Rainbow Eucalypsis. I admit that I am jealous. …

A Blessed Soulful Tale — You’ve got to be kidding. We don’t joke around here. It’s a pretty serious place. What exactly is this place? You’ll figure it out. You’re dead. You saw that flash of light when you collapsed, right? Lightning struck me? No, that was your soul leaving your body. I don’t believe…

A visit to Las Piedras — I’m not sure what is going on up in the hills at the center of Las Piedras, a town of about 40k in the central eastern region of Puerto Rico. Las Piedras was founded in Spanish colonial times, in 1743, but may have missed the mandate from Spain about the…

Behind the forever door — Abuela Betsaida wanted to be buried with her bed. Her grandchildren, José Manuel, Gilberto Mario, and Josefina Amelia, were adamantly opposed. “Imposible,” José Manuel, the eldest said. “Ridículo,” the second grandson said. “Una desgracia,” the granddaughter added. The problem was not only Abuela but the bed. It was the largest…

A Six Word Photo Story Freestyle —

A visit to Naguabo — Do you ever visit a place that made you feel you belong there? Naguabo, the latest public plaza I visited during my ongoing quest to see as many as possible, sort of did that for me. It was not the alabaster-white Roman Catholic church. …