More Puerto Rico

El Yunque Rain Forest

Castillo de San Cristobal.  This fort was finished in 1783.

 This fort has a huge underground tunnel system.  The doors were hidden so that the soldiers could go from one area of the fort to another without being detected.

 These ships are assumed to be drawn by a captured ship captain who was held in the prison for months, awaiting execution.

 Water collectors (rain)

 Fort San Felipe del Morro in the distance

Puerto Rico Day One

Here are some pictures from my trip to Puerto Rico with my mom and sisters.

A monument in downtown San Juan

We couldn't figure out what animal this was.  Donkey?  Sheep?  Camel?

 A piece of the original wall surrounding San Juan

 The buildings in downtown San Juan were bright, colorful and squished together!

 The following are all photos of Castillo San Felipe del Morro.  Construction on this fort began in 1539, and was under Spanish rule until 1898.  In 1898, the United States won control of Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War.  They used the fort as a base even during WWII.  In 1961, the fort became a part of the National Park Service as a museum.

 Lighthouse

 The chapel

A smaller fort on the opposite island provided extra fire power against any ship trying to sail through this passage.

 A soldier with a rifle could run down this narrow passageway to fire their gun without being seen by the enemy.

 Bathroom

Halloween 2010

It seems a bit ridiculous to be blogging about Halloween in December, sitting amongst my Christmas decorations.  Oh well...

The kids couldn't decide on costumes this year, so they decided to just see what they could come up with from our dress up stores.  We ended up with a pirate and a fairy.

 Nate is wearing my shirt and belt, plus a hook that I made out of aluminum foil and gold spray paint.

MYC

I'm so behind.  SO BEHIND.  Starting at the end of October...

Nate is singing in the youngest Madison Youth Choirs boy choir, Purcell.  He loves it.  At the end of Oct., they sang at the opening of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association conference in the capitol rotunda.  This performance included kids from all of the choirs, 2nd grade through high school.