Jill Will Go...

"Grey is the price of neighboring with eagles, of knowing a mountain's vast presence, seen or unseen." - Denise Levertov We spent a sun-filled day in the forest, then drove to Mount Rainier for some spectacular sightseeing. I always love it when the mountain is out (only about a third of the year, by the way), but this was an up close and personal viewing.

In Washington State, the voters decided that gay marriage is just fine, thank you, and so is recreational use of marijuana. It was a giant step for progressive thought and law making. Washington (or at least Western Washington) has always had a reputation as a liberal haven, but now we've backed that up with humane and progressive laws. Now I can get great pictures like this:

Every once in a while it is good to revisit your own home. We come and go, taking the view, the art, the people, the uniqueness of our own place for granted. Until we have someone to show it to. In Seattle, it really helps to have a nice, clear summer day. Oh, and a bonus is that the Space Needle has shed the 50th Anniversary Orange. Everything is right in the world again.

It's El Yunque rain forest and Fajardo's Lagunas Grande bioluminescent bay Day. Or EYRFFLGBB for short. Trying saying either one of those ten times fast. We started the day with a marching band. In retrospect, it was appropriate for the adventure ahead. We were meeting our ride at the statue of Christopher Columbus, and there was a band, with marching and batons and everything. It was a great way to start the day. I love it when something spontaneous like that happens. Then it was off to the rainforest. El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. Forest System. As happens in rain forests, El Yunque receives over 200 inches of rain each year. This is the home of the coqui tree frog, endangered green parrots, giant snails, and thousands of native plants. Giant ferns and tiny lizards. The green parrot was down to 19 birds in 1967 - they are coming back, with some serious help, of course. We hiked through the forest, saw two waterfalls, and lots of snails.

The rain here is pretty spectacular. Little warning sprinkles give you a minute or two to find shelter or get your umbrella out - then wham! Downpour. In our wonderful little apartment, the bedrooms are on the top floor or the building, and the windows open onto the shared courtyard below. We heard the torrential downpour, then the drain pipes desperately trying to keep up with their massive job. It is warm, but wet, and we are planning a trip to the rain forest tomorrow, so K wanted to find a jacket with a hood. Surprise, surprise, they don't seem to sell jackets with hoods in Old San Juan. Not even at Marshall's. However, they do sell ponchos. K got an orange one, mine was yellow. K had found a place called The Butterfly People on Calle de la Cruz, so we popped in there. We saw a myriad of real butterflies that had been perfectly preserved and turned into art. They are mounted in either patterns or themes in glass boxes. One display called "Forest" had butterfl