Evening under the Portico

Evening weather in Puerto Rico is fabulous, and our resort was designed to exploit the cool breeze and ocean sounds perfectly. Candlelight, sunset, and moonlight bathed the portico in cool Caribbean colors as the temperature dipped to the mid sixties.

For dinner, fresh seafood was delightfully seasoned, and umbrella drinks flowed easily from the bar past our lips, repeatedly. Pina Coladas which were to die for, with wedges of pineapples dripping sweetness, taunted me for the duration of our vacation. Fortunately the path back to our room was well lit ;)

An evening stroll on the beach brought refreshing carefree moments, tinted with the hues of Red Snapper Ceviche and Bacardi. It was just what was needed to bring a romantic night to its appropriate conclusion... a sound night’s sleep.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28mm f/13 ISO 100 5 image HDR

“Beware Paradise”

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That was the sign on the plate glass balcony door of our suite in Puerto Rico.  The irony of the warning seemed almost comical.  Why beware such a beautiful respite? Our view stretched across the Northeast end of our lodging, the Gran Melia Golf Resort, out to the Atlantic Ocean.  Deep rich greens in the leaves of the palm trees gave our Winter weary eyes something new to gaze at.  Branches swayed in the gentle breeze that cooled the heat of the midday sun, and made a faint whisssssping noise as the palm leaves fluttered against each other. The surf from the distant reef was barely audible, but soothing in its drone.  The mildly humid air was a nice change from the arid and cold winds we left behind us in Philadelphia; the scent was fresh with a little touch of saltiness.  

Then it came to me. The thought I had been warned about on the door. I would have to leave this place, and I could have stayed forever. My senses, still peaked from the tactile pleasures surrounding me, shuttered in the realization that my station was but temporary.  Beware Paradise indeed!

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 45mm f/10 ISO 100 1/4 sec