Looks like we will be leaving early tomorrow.  We have been waiting for a weather window to Puerto Rico, but can’t seem to get one for the entire trip.  We have decided to stop looking so far ahead, and concentrate on going to Samana or Punta Cana.  Either place is good for staging a crossing of the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico.  The “official” guidebook for cruising these waters tells us to leave at night and only cruise at night due to the strong winds coming off the island during the daytime.  We’ve decided against that.  The next few days calls for nearly no wind, so we are leaving at first light. 

One last time we head up to the Lighthouse for a quick night to celebrate my birthday.  This will be the last time, for a long time if ever, that we will be able to leave the kids by themselves.  That has been such a nice treat.  We can keep an eye on them from the window and the guards all know us and keep an eye on the kids.  That has been great.  We will really miss it here!  We will miss the great staff, the beautiful facilities, the marine park, being treated like royalty!  We have to come back.

There is a different feel to the air today, almost felt like an autumn day.  The breeze has a touch of coolness to it, and the evening falls softly, the darkness coming down slowly and evenly like flakes of snow in winter.  The twilight takes on a special stillness.  In the Midwest, the coolness in the air would remind you to bring a jacket that evening, and you would expect to find a full harvest moon lighting your way.  If you were in rural Illinois, where I grew up, you’d hear the crackle of ripe corn stalks whispering to each other in the night wind.  A tinge of anticipation hangs in the air.  You pause to take it in as your heart catches.  At that moment you are caught between two worlds; a bit of sadness, nostalgia really for what you will leave behind, and the building excitement of continuing on to the next adventure.  It’s like coming down a long staircase and hesitating a moment, holding your foot in the air before letting it touch the last step.  I step down, breaking the spell.  It is time to leave the Dominican Republic.

Life is Good left this morning.  The waves were still pounding against the seawall.  We watched them struggle through the high seas, the waves burying the bow.  We are getting anxious to leave too,  but it is still too rough.  A new fishing boat, Black Gold, came in this evening as Reel Easy was leaving.  They said there was so much garbage in the water between here and Puerto Rico.  It slowed them up so they had to stop here.  I had read about that.  Another time when they had a big rain, they said there were alot of trees, dead horses and cows floating off the coast.  Can you imagine?  I would not want to be out there and see that. We will be waiting a few more days.  We did get some sunshine today.  That was nice.  A new weird thing though.  At night, the wind is supposed to die down.  The last 3 nights however, the wind has come up suddely, really strong gusts, out of nowhere.  I hope this stops before we leave!