Island Girl- Puerto Rican Vignettes II

Today we went to the Pueblo...and for my family that's Caguas and with all the malls around these days less and less shops have remained open and much of the integrity of the Pueblo shops has been lost, but they're still considered one of the places to go for more inexpensive versions of things.

Island Girl- Puerto Rican Vignettes Part I

So I haven't been blogging much lately, but no worries- I'm preparing an onslaught of cool and interesting blog posts coming to you soon! For now, due to my dad's ill health and my cousin's wedding I've had to leave the coop completion to my hubby Gregg, while I return to my island hub in Puerto Rico for 2 weeks. I thought I might share some Puerto Rican vignettes along the way with you ;))

Quenepas Or how the Jibaritos all around me on the island spell it...Canepas- (which I will honor here) are one of my favorite snacks...you crack open the green skin and pop out a juicy, fruity and somewhat massive seed ball that you suck the life out of before you spit it out.

Note-

When I was a little girl, I lusted after a batch of canepas that my older cousin and her schoolmate got a hold of. Back then canepas came in the same little brown paper bag like the one you see in the photo above.
When the older girls obliged my puppy eyes and gave me a canepa, I was so eagerly sucking the life out of it that we broke out laughing - with this gumball size thing in my mouth. Before I knew it- in one split second- I began choking violently on the slippery seed as it fell down my throat and lodged itself into the much too small space.
my bag of canepas - --- photos by m.diaz I remember holding my throat, as I lost sensation and began to see the room turn into double images. I walked in random circles, straining and turning dizzy, unable to breath. As the older girls saw what was happening they started to yell,

'¡Mami, Mami se ahogo Marisol con la canepa!!!'

My aunt came running up to try to hit my back to get the villianous seed out. When that didn't work, my aunt recalled her NYC candy-striper-nurse's-aide days and grabbed me by the ankles, turned me upside down and positioned me against the arm of the sofa to smack my back...until the seed was finally dislodged and fell out.

I had a sore,irritated throat for days after. And for those who know me - yes, that was THE aunt. Life is messy and quite ironic and 'she' my DREDLIMA, is the one that saved my life. That's what I think about whenever I eat canepa.

Luquillo beach...so so so warm and salty and buoyant I float on my back effortlessly and feel so familiar, at home and at peace with this body of water.
hipstamatic photo by m.diaz

Limbe- or little frozen ices/sorbets, in all the classic Puerto Rican flavors like coco, and parcha (oh so good!)

Piragua / Water Ices- mmmmmm mmmmm mmmm- one of my favorite flavors is Tamarindo (tamarind).

Me....

Recovery

Ahh the cost of meds...and breath.

So I broke down today in a non-breathing fit hacking up my lungs and called the doctor's office barely being able to speak and hoped they'd fit me in.

Alas they did and I forced myself up rinsed myself off and went to the doctor. I had to inhale into one of those steamy medicated respirators for five minutes, get a whole lot of prescriptions tossed at me 'the kitchen sink', as my doctor called it, including a mega-antibiotic and a third inhaler. $130 big bucks later, I should be on the road to recovery.

Simply annoyed because I feel that the paper trail I've left of the countless respiratory infections I get in single year should be a red flag to someone to look into what's going on...but its just a band-aid fix always. Remember folks we have to be our own heroes in this life.

hipstamatic - breathe

So you remember when you were young and had a doctor or dentist appointment that hurt and you got a gift afterwards as a treat?? Well My hub and I do that for each-other and so I got some presents today!

my sorry your sick gifts from my hub!

-Ciao Amarettogirl

Hipstamatic Blossoms

hipstablossom1 by m.diaz hipstablossom2 by m. diaz

Dog Love

Chulo dreaming of Chica Chica dreaming of Chulo Chica upside down throwing me a kiss - the harlot!

The Driftwear Giveaway is tonight!! So be back after 9PM to check to see who the winner is!

-Ciao Amarettogirl

Hipstamatic

While over visiting Redstarink's blog and having some Easter Morn mimosa's with her yesterday, I was introduced to 21stcentury Hipstamatic images.

The Hipstamatic camera is a plastic toy camera produced during 1982-1984 by Bruce and Winston Dorbowski,two brothers that remind me of the clever entrepreneuring bros Fred and George Weasley of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

Well leave it to Iphone application designers to come up with an app that for me takes the cake on the best app totally worth the $1.99! The app comes with different lenses, film and even flashes like one called lemon pop!

The app website is wonderful too and they even host a monthly contest show in which you can win a $100 Itunes gift card! I think I want to enter but I might need your help on choosing which images fit the theme the best.

But for now here are my first test runs with my new Hipstamatic camera on the Iphone and glimpses of my Easter Sunday!

My first Hipstamatic photo by m. diaz

My baby Chica Hipstamatic photo by m.diaz

Spring has started photo by m.diaz