Head over to Fort Buchanan and see the Castro Brothers Circus tonight. 

Don't miss the great "Hermanos Castro" Circus on september 29th at 6:30pm for Military, Retiree and Federal ID card holders only! Buy your tickets online at http://bit.ly/Circus-HCastro for only $5.00 + transaction fee. Additional shows on September 30th & October 1st will be OPEN to the public and tickets can be bought online on http://bit.ly/Circus-FB-OpenPost

Quantities are limited so hurry! For more information contact 787-707-5105/3974

The month of September is very much not summer anymore but it really hasn't passed into autumn as we in the north know it....here in the tropics there is an official 5th season called the "monsoon" season.

From the weather channel we get the following definition: "Derived from mauism, the Arabic word for "season," a monsoon often refers to a rainy season -- but this only describes the weather a monsoon brings, not what a monsoon is. A monsoon is actually a seasonal shift in wind direction and pressure distribution that causes a change in precipitation."

We usually visit Puerto Rico in late October as the monsoon season comes to its end and what we find is that at the beginning of our trip (Oct 24th) it rains most of the day and night but each day has less rain until about November 5th when the rains are completely gone and it is clear and dry for the full 24 hours.

I live in the 49th parallel normally so we don't have any type of rainy season other than fall and the rains are very hit and miss----some years there are minimal rains and other years it seems as if it will never end but at the 49th parallel it is always COLD when it is raining. Here at the 18th parallel it is usually warm when it is raining. The rain actually diminishes the humidity and can be a welcome relief!

Enjoy the monsoon season and pray for a lack of hurricanes!

If you enjoy sightseeing and photography, then make sure you add the Aguadilla Spanish Lighthouse Ruins attraction to your list. Bring your camera to capture the contrasting colors of reddish orange bricks against a blue sky over waters in deep shades of navy blues. This is a great place to watch the sunsets.
The lighthouse was built by the Spanish government in 1889 to facilitate navigation from Europe to Panama. The original lighthouse was damaged by an earthquake in 1918 and never repaired. A new lighthouse was built on higher ground at that time and is still in use today.
Officially known as the Borinquen Point Lighthouse, this structure was built in 1889 by the Spanish. Made of brick, it had a tower with the light and a living area for the light-keeper. Like many of the lighthouses of its time, it was pretty elaborate in architectural details. However, in 1918, there was a major earthquake in the north-west that severely damaged the lighthouse beyond repair. It was abandoned, and a new concrete lighthouse was built in 1922 by the US Coast Guard in a different location — a little more to the north-east in Aguadilla.
What remains of the ruins are left to be further destroyed by time and vandals. But still you can see the beauty that was once a mighty lighthouse. And the views through the hollow windows to the west, overlooking the ocean are breathtaking.

GPS COORDINATES:  18.488601, -67.161627

The annual Longaniza Festival in Orocovis will be going today and I highly recommend trying to visit.

LAND OF LONGANIZA
Sausage- a food made from ground meat, salt, herbs and other ingredients that have been traditionally stuffed into casing made from intestines- is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous foods on the planet. It can be found everywhere and in great variety and abundance. Germany alone is said to have 1,200 different kinds of sausages!
Longaniza is a sausage long associated with Orocovis and has a long history and pedigree. The original was from Lucania, an ancient district of southern Italy. Lucanica (sausage from Lucania) was considered the finest in the Roman Empire.
The name longaniza is applied today to a wide variety of fresh and cured sausages, especially in Spain and its former New World colonies. Local varieties can be found in many areas of Puerto Rico, but the best and most famous are made in Orocovis.
Why Orocovis? The tradition began sometime after 1934 when don Pedro Ortiz opened Colmade La Sombra and his wife dona Maria developed and served a recipe for longaniza that became a local legend. When don Pedro passed away in 1956, dona Maria raised their 14 children through her talents and hard work in the kitchen—her fame spread quickly.
In 1984, Jorge Luis and Alberto- two of the 14 children- took over the reins of La Sombra and expanded the restaurant and its menu. Today, a third generation of the Ortiz family serves dona Maria’s original pork recipe along with beef, chicken, turkey and fish versions to large crowds of fans.
Bar Restaurant La Sombra is a frequent stop for local residents who stock up on freshly made longanizaa and both the locals and visitors from all over the island come to feast on arroz con longaniza (rice with sausage) and other criollo specialties.
Because of the popularity and huge success, many restaurants in the area now feature longaniza and it is even celebrated in town festivals featuring the once- humble food. Thanks to dona Maria and her disciples, Orocovis has become the “land of the longaniza”.
©2011 Ronald C. Flores copied from Que Pasa magazine October-November 2011 issue

The Summer Olympics in Rio De Janiero has ended and a 22 year old Puerto Rican from Hato Rey made history by winning the first ever gold medal for the island of Puerto Rico. The medal came after a grueling match between Monica Puig and Angelique Kerber of Germany, Great Job to Monica!

Puerto Rico sent 40 athletes to events this summer.  The names and events are as follows:

Tennis: Monica Puig

Track: Andres Arroyo (800m)
            Beverly Ramos (marathon)
            Celiangeli Morales (200m)
            Eric Alejandro (400m hurdles)
             Grace Claxton (400m hurdles)       
             Jasmine Quinn (100m hurdles)    
             Javier Culson (400m hurdles)
             Wesley Vasquez (800m)

Field: David Smith (high jump)
           Diamarra Planell (pole vault)
           Luis Castro (high jump)

Heptathlon: Alysbeth Felix

Boxing: Jayvier Cintron (men's flyweight)

Cycling: Brian Babilonia

Diving: Rafael Quintero (10m platform)

Equestrian: Lauren Billys and Castle Larchfield Purdy

Judo: Melissa Mojica (+78kg)
           Maria Perez (-70kg)

Shooting: Yarimar Mercado (10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 position)

Swimming: Vanessa Garcia (50m freestyle)

Table Tennis: Adriana Diaz (singles)
                         Brian Afanador (singles)

Taekwondo: Crystal Weekes (+67kg)

Triathlon: Manuel Huerta

Indoor Volleyball: Alexandra Oquendo
                                Aurea Cruz
                                Daly Santana
                                Debora Seilhamer
                                 Diana Reyes
                                 Karina Ocasio
                                 Lynda Morales
                                 Natalie Valentin
                                 Shara Venegas
                                  Stephanie Enright
                                 Vilmarie Mojica
                                 Yarimar Rosa

Weightlifting: Lely Burgos (-53kg)

Freestyle Wrestling: Franklin Gomez (-65kg)
                                    Jaime Espinal (-86kg)



Congratulations to all the competitors---you made your country proud!