Season in the sun

I have been a resident of South Sandisfield, Massachusetts since 1961 and have always felt that this is the only place to be. I love it's winding, sometimes bumpy side roads, its cool summers, its amazingly clean air, and its flora and fauna.

However, at my age, 'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire' don't warm my bones enough in the winter. 'When the wind comes sweeping down the plain', I look for a warmer environment. So for a number of years, I have spent part of the frigid weather in  Isla Verde, Puerto Rico.

Isla Verde is a coastal area just to the east of Old San Juan. My condo faces the Atlantic Ocean to the north and I can experience an entirely different world from my life in Sandisfield. I have enough space to invite friends to come down and enjoy Puerto Rico with me. From my balcony I look down on a large pool where adults and children splash about, having a wonderful time. Then, just beyond the pool is the ocean where I see people being pulled through the waves propelled by a kite in the wind. Once in a while I see people hauled aloft in a balloon that is attached to a small boat. 'Flying too high with some guy in the sky is my idea of nothing to do'.

Often in the evening I see a brilliantly lighted cruise ship heading east, bound for Barbados, Trinidad, Shangi La!

Not a bear in sight. (Lots of those in Sandisfield!)

There is a long reef out at sea that calms the ebb and flow of the waves as they reach the shore. At night they sing a gentle lullaby which promotes blissful sleeping. My condo has soft breezes blowing through it day and night. Who needs air conditioning?

The street side of my building is Avenida Isla Verde, a bustling commercial street with shops and restaurants of all sorts.

John and I discovered this little piece of Heaven years ago and began coming to a small hotel that is right next to my condo building.

It has become a regular winter destination for me ever since.

So-   Dear Sandisfield, I will see you again in March- which means 'mud season'. Oh well!