Mid-November 2023

Introduction

Calle Cerra in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan is known for its wide range of street art. In this post, I’ll share some of the new art and recall some of the art that’s been painted over. I’ll acknowledge the artists whenever I can.

Danae Brissonnet

I’ve written about this French-Canadian artist before (click here to see an earlier post). She was responsible for this.

This has been painted over, replaced by this.

This is minimally edited. The signature on the upper right (@guillemfontart) identifies the artist as Guillem Font, from Barcelona/Mexico. Google the name – you’ll see interesting work.

While the mural above by Danae Brissonnet is gone, she has a new mural down the street a bit.

This is on the side of a 15 story or so building. Note it contains the same colorful palette and fantastical images as her earlier work. Google her name to see more of her murals.

Other New Works

I’m not sure who the artist is for this one. It replaced one of my earlier favorites.

The imposing raptor on the first story wall of the same building was replaced by the more abstract creation below.

The work is signed by @sofiamaldo. I was unable, in a quick search, to find out much about her.

The new mural below replaced on of my favorites.

I cannot decipher the signature on this one. I have not yet had time to edit this too much. When I do, I’ll remove the wires and objects on the wall. It will be a good project for a rainy day.

This mural replaced the enigmatic one below. This image has been extensively edited.

Thoughts

I don’t know how these murals are commissioned and who decides which artist will be assigned what space.

And I have more. I’ll put together another post soon.

And it is not just walls that are painted. Here is a three story building. Graziani, a restaurant, occupies the first floor.

Notes and Sources

The images are mine. I capture them with a point and shoot digital camera and edit them with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop.

Mid May 2023

Introduction

A Return to Somewhat Normal

The Puerto Rico Ironman was held in San Juan again this year, on March 25, 2023. About 500 atheletes competed. They began to arrive three or four days earlier, and could be seen running, biking and swimming as they did their final preparations. The event consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike leg, and finishes with a 13.2 mile run. I live close to the the swim area and the park where the bike and run events begin and end. I’ll share some of my images of the event in this post, as well as a short description of the activities.

Preparations

The preparations begin a few days before the event. The swim course is marked by buoys, the bike storage area is put together, lanes are marked, volunteers are trained.

Buoys in the Condado Lagoon mark the swim course. The swimmers enter the water to the right and swim down and back keeping the buoys to their right.

The swimmers pass under the highway bridge and proceed to the end of the swim course.

Volunteers construct a ramp. The swimmers will leave the water via the ramp and make their way to the bike sorage area where they will begin the bike leg.

Volunteers also construct bike racks. The atheletes will leave their bikes here the night before the event. They’ll get their bikes here after the swim and leave them here after the bike leg as they start the run.

Race officials and volunteers mark runnng lanes with pylons and tape. The course takes the runners into and out of Old San Juan twice.

Race officials place signs at key points. This sign marks the line where riders can mount their bikes and begin the bike leg.

Volunteers, race officials, and onlookers have to eat. A couple of food trucks are brought in to meet that need.

On the Saturday afternoon before the race, the atheletes bring their bikes and running shoes to the bike racks. This is where they transition from the swim to the bike, and then the bike to the run.

The Start

On Sunday morning, the atheletes gather at the swim start. They are grouped in time blocks – the fastest swimmers in the first group, the second fastest in the next, and so on. After some pre-race ceremonies (the Puerto Rican and US anthems, a greeting from the mayor of San Juan), the swim event begins. Three atheletes enter the water every five seconds and begin their swim.

The swim start area before the start.

Note the ankle straps. These contain a chip which records times as the atheletes pass through various check points.

The atheletes strike various poses as they get ready to enter the water.

I caught some of the swimmers in the warm light of the tropical sunrise.

The Swim

I have always had a hard time photographing swimmers. I suppose I could do better with a wet suit, scuba gear, and an underwater camera but that’s not about to happen. So here are some images to give you a feel for the event.

The swimmers go into the water just to the left of this image, with three starting every five seconds. They should keep the pylons to their right as the proceed. It seems some swimmers will need guidance from the volunteers in kayaks along the course.

By the way, the start changed from previous years. Then groups of 40 to 50 swimmers would go onto the water, with groups starting every five minutes. I suspect the new start process eliminates a lot of kicking and clawing in the group starts.

One of the early swim starters.

The swimmers leave the water via the ramp and make their way to the bike paddock. The water in the lagoon is warm, about 78 F.

The Swim-Bike Transition

After leaving the water, the atheletes run about a quarter of a mile to the bike paddock. There they don their biking regalia and proceed to the Mount line to start the bike leg.

Some of the competitors have a pair of running shoes stashed just as they exit the ramp.

Other atheletes run barefoot to the bike paddock.

Another barefoot transitioner.

Once in the bike paddock, the atheletes don their biking gear, grab their bikes, and head to the Mount line. This is one of the early swim finishers.

The Bike Leg

After the swim and the transition, the atheletes race along a flat, 56 mile course to Dorado and back. I watch them as they leave the park and as they return. I find the bike leg the most interesting to photograph so I’ll share several of my images.

Leaving the Park

Jan Flores is just past the Mount line. Note he has his shoes clipped to his pedals – he’ll fasten them as he starts his ride. This US athelete finished in 5 hours and 21 minutes.

These riders are beginning to accelerate as they leave the park.

The bikers transition to city streets as they leave the park. They have to slow down for an ess curve just as they get onto the city streets.

Isabel Cody of the US enters the city streets. She finished in just over 7 hours.

Elizabeth Martinez of Puerto Rico begins the bike leg. She competed in the F 55-59 age group and finished in six hours and 50 minutes.

Michael Garcia of the US is heading for Dorado. He finished in six hours and 50 minutes.

The US athelete Paul Hartman competed in the M 55-59 age group. He finished in just over 8 hours.

The rider on the left is wearing a white band on her right wrist. That identfies her as a member of a relay team, specifically Team Hillsthrills of the USA. They finished in just under six and a half hours. Rider 404 is Daniel Reinheimer of the US, competing in the M 55-59 group. He finished in just over 7 hours.

Returning from Dorado

Afet waiting a bit, I can catch some of the riders coming back into the park as they finish the bike leg.

The riders slow down as the get to the Dismount line. Then they run their bikes to the paddock and get ready for the run.

The Bike Run Transition

Jessica Gozalez of Puerto Rico finishes the bike leg. Competing in the F 40-44 group, she finished in 5:19:44.

Javier Hernandez of Puerto Rico runs barefoot to the bike paddock to prepare to the run. He finished in 5:34.

Nicki Leo (US) and Alfredo Gonzalez (PR) transition to the run. Nicki finished in 5:17:25 (first in her group of F 50-54) while Alfredo came in at 5:54.

Oscar Otero of the US finished in 5:32.

The Run

The atheletes run from the park into and then back from Old San Juan. They repeat the course twice before finishing. So there is a constant stream of runners along the city streets into and out of Old San Juan.

I must say I find the runners hard to photograph. By this time, the sun is high and the lighting is harsh. In addition, they all look like they are in agony. So I’ll share just a few images of the runners.

Victor Torres of Puerto Rico begins the run. He finished in 5:48.

Volunteers assist the runners as they first enter the course.

Anne Jackson of the US begins the run. She finished in 6:20.

This runner is close to finishing the first leg into and out of Old San Juan. In a short distance, he’ll reverse course and start his second leg into the walled city.

Final Thoughts

Although I’ve watched the event for several years now, I don’t understand all the details. For example, it is pretty clear that the timing of the swim event begins when a swimmer enters the water. I did not notice but I suspect there is a chip reader device that records the time when an athelete begins his/her swim. But exactly where does the swim event end? When the simmers go up the ramp? When they reach the bike paddock? At the Mount line as the bike leg begins?

I examined the timings for some of the finishers. The winner, Javier Figueroa of Puerto Rico, finished in a recorded time of 4:09:45. He did the swim in 26:30, the bike in 2:13:37, and the run in 1:25:29. If I add up the times for the indivudual events, they total 4:05:36. I figure the missing 4 minutes were used in the transitions. So the three events are timed discretely, with the times in the transitions added to the total.

I was also curious as to which of the three events determined the race leaders. I scanned the results for the first 20 finishers to see what I could find. Fabian Roman (PR) had the fastest swim of the top 20, at 25:50. Rafael Ramon Franco, also of PR, was slowest, at 37:00. In the bike event, the overall winner, Javier Figueroa, had the fastest time, at 2:13:37, although Aurimas Sabalis of the US was a close second at 2:15:39. Of the top 20 finishers, Diego Rodriguez of PR was slowest at 2:35.

For the run, Javier Figueroa, the overall winner, was again fastest, at 1:25:29, while Aurimas Sabalis was slowest at 1:46:52.

So what does all this mean? The bike and the run are more important that the swim. This makes sense when you think about it – the swim is of the shortest duration and it is more diffcult to build a time advantage in that event. The two longer events allow the eventual winners to dominate and build significant time advantages.

Advice

That leaves me with a final thought, offered as advice to Ironman competitors.

You swim, you get wet.
You run, you make sweat.
To make Ironman dough
Make bike like hell go
And run to win, not show.

Click here to see the offical Ironman website, with the announcement for the 2024 event.

Mid-February 2023

Introduction

The normally pristine beaches of Old San Juan and Condado are covered with deposits of brown algae. Crews clean the stuff from the main beaches but one can still see piles of brown algae along the seconday areas.

The first two images are from Parc Escambron, on Isletta de San Juan. The third is from Condado, in front of the Hotel Tryst. I suspect the Condado beaches are raked and cleaned more frequently than the beaches at Parc Escambron.

Source of the Brown Algae?

So where did the brown algae come from? I suspect most people assume it is from near shore, washed up by the surf driven by the seasonal trade winds. I prefer a more convoluted explanation.

There was an unusually strong storm in the tropical Atlantic in early December. In fact, some forecasters thought it might develop into a hurricane. While Atlantic tropical storms in December are not all that rare, a December hurricane would have been truly unusual.

Here is a visible satellite image of Invest 99L, obtained at 10:30 AM, December 6, 2022. As noted above, forecasters thought the disturbance might develop into a tropical storm or even a hurricane.

In the event, Invest 99L stayed a strong but not tropical storm. But the strong low pressure system affected the winds in San Juan. Most of the time, during the winter months, the trade winds are from the east or east north east. However, the counterclockwise flow around the low pressure system generated strong winds from the north that lasted for about a week.

The next several images are from December 9, 2022. I went with friends to Pinones, a beach and restaurant area just east of San Juan. Here are some pictures of the surf that day.

So what does high surf in December have to do with brown algae in February?

The December storm developed near and passed over the Sargasso Sea, an area rich in algae. It is in a relatively quiet part of the Atlantic, between the easterly trade winds to the south and the westerlies to the north. It is a rich breeding for, among other species, European and American eels.

I suspect the December storm dislodged a good bit of brown algae, only now making its way to San Juan’s beaches.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I’ve written about brown algae before. Click here to see that post. And, by the way, I’m still looking for investors.

Notes and Sources

Except for the satellite image, the images are mine, captured by a digital camera and edited with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop.

The satellite image of Invest 99L is from the excellent Eye on the Storm blog, written by Bob Henson and Jeff Masters. Click here to see their post about the December 2022 storm.

Mid February 2023

Introduction

We can see much of the Port of San Juan from our balcony. I can see cruise ships, a variety of freighters, and the occassional warship enter and leave port.This week, a research vessel was tied up at Pier 14. Research vessels are rare visitors here, at least by my casual observations, so I thought I would find out more about this one.

The R/V Falkor (too)

If nothing else, the R/V Falkor (too) suggests oceanographers are equipped with whimsical senses of humor. You may recall that Falkor was a luckdragon in the 1984 movie The NeverEnding Story. He was large (43 feet long) and graceful. Falkor was covered by albino/light colored fur, with pinkish scales along his back. As far as his personality, he was wise, optimistic, dignified and friendly. Click here for more information about this luck dragon. And if you’re really excited about Falkor, be aware that stuffed versions of him are available at Amazon.

And why is the ship named Falkor (too)? Simple. She is the second research vessel so named. Why would a whimsical oceanographer do something common, like Falkor II?

The ship began life as the MV Polar Queen, which was used, among other things, to help construct off-shore wind turbines.

As you can see, the Polar Queen has a large open deck at the rear of the ship, and a substantial hoist mechanism. I suspect the hoist will be used to deploy instrument packages and the open deck will house various laboratories.

The Schmidt Ocean Institute purchased the Polar Queen from the Norwegian shipping company GC Rieber Shipping ASA in 2021. She was, during 2022, refitted into her research vessel configuration at Vigo, Spain. She sailed to San Juan in anticipation of her first research voyage next month.

The Falkor (too) is about 365 feet long with a beam of 66 feet. The rear deck has an area of about 10,000 square feet. She had, before her reconfiguration, 110 berths. Some of those have been converted to laboratory space.

The RV Falkor (too) in San Juan

The Falkor (too) is here preparing for her first research voyage, scheduled for next month. She’ll carry a team of investigators to study vents along the mid-Atlantic Ridge. More on that later.

I first noticed the R/V Falkor (too) in early February. In the image above, she is docked at Pier 14 and is taking on fuel from a fleet of tanker trucks. The box truck at the head of the queue, according to the signage on it, supplies oils and lubricants to industrial customers.

The ship left port for a few days and came back. She took on more supplies and left again. According to the website Marinetraffic, she is currently off the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, near Aguadilla. The website reports she is in a Restricted Manoeuvrability state. I wonder if she is testing some of her deployable instruments.

The R/V Falkor (too) leaving port on February 15. Note the prominent bulbous bow. I was curious about those and dedicated an earlier post to that arcane topic. Click here to refresh your memory.

The Schmidt Ocean Institute

The Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) owns the R/V Falkor (too). The SOI was established in 2009 as a 503(c) non-operating foundation. The founders, Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt, met while in graduate school at the University of California, Berkley. Eric Schmidt later worked for Google, becoming CEO in 2001. I don’t know where the Schmidt’s gained their interest in oceanography.

The mission of the SOI is as follows:

We combine advanced science with state-of-the-art technology to achieve lasting results in ocean research, to catalyze sharing of the information, and to communicate this knowledge to audiences around the world.  We foster a deeper understanding of our environment.

See Notes and Sources

The SOI sponsors oceanographic expeditions on their vessel, with free ship time for investigators and expert technical help ranging from managing the instruments (including submersibles) and data management. Investigators commit to sharing their data, including raw data, to the oceanographic community.

First Research Voyage

As I noted above, the R/V Falkor (too) will begin its first research voage next month, in March 2023. Here is a map of the proposed trip, scheduled for March 3 – April 10, 2023.

As can be seen, the Falkor (too) will leave San Juan and head east south east to the mid-Atlantic Ridge complex. There it will investigate vents under the leadership of Principal Investigator  Dr. David Butterfield from the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory – University of Washington.

There are, to my limited knowledge, two main types of vents. So called “black smokers” occur when hot magna meets cold sea water. The drop in temperature causes preciptitates to form, rich in sulfides, especially iron sulfide. Here is an image of one black smoker.

Black smokers, first discovered off the Galapogos Islands in 1977, create an environment rich in up to then unknown organisms, such as three foot tubeworms, shrimps, etc. Click here for more information on these life forms.

But the Falkor (too) is looking for a different type of vent, vents devoid of the life forms found around black smokers. The water from these vents runs clear through carbonate structures. It is thought their chemistry mimics conditions of the early Earth and could therefore provide insight into the evolution of life here, as well as on other planets.

Final Thoughts

I find it intriguing that the search for clues about early life are occurring at the ocean bottom as well as the surface of Mars. (Click here for a Mars exploration update). We sure live in exciting times.

Notes and Sources

The pictures of the R/V Falkor (too) are mine, taken with a digital camera and edited with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop.

The image of the Polar Queen, the SOI mission statement, and the map of the upcoming expedition are from the SOI website. Check that out here.

I used Wikipedia to find information about the Schmidts.

I got the image of the black smoker from this site. Check there for more information on vents in general.

I got the image of the carbonate vents here. The R/V Falkor (too) will be exploring in the same general region, i.e., the so-called Lost City vent region.

Early December, 2022

Two Navies Visit

Armada de Republica Dominicana

Two ships from the navy of the Dominican Republic were here just before Thanksgiving. This was apparently a courtesy call. It was easy to spot the young midshipmen (and women), dressed in their crisp white uniforms, in the bars close to the piers in Old San Juan.

One ship, the P 301, the Almirante Didiez Burgos, is the flagship of the navy. She was originally the United States Coast Guard Buttonwood, an ocean going buoy tender. The Buttonwood, commissioned in 1943, saw service in the Pacific (Guadalcanal, New Guinea, the Philippines and Australia, among other places). The vessel was transferred to the Dominican Republic in 2001. She is now used for transport, humanitarian assistance and training.

The sailing ship, a three masted barquentine, is the Juan Bautista Cambiaso. Originally built in Bulgaria as the Royal Helana, she was acquired by the Dominican Republic in 2018. She is quite small, with a length of 54 meters (about 175 feet) and a beam of 8 meters (26 feet). She can carry up to 37 midshipmen for multiday cruises.

The ships were attractive at night, with bright lights along the deck and in the rigging.

The Royal Navy

The Dominican Navy was here for three nights. Shortly after they left, a ship from the Royal Nay came into port.

This was a very different port call. The ship, the P223, the HMS Medway, docked not in Old San Juan but rather along the Pan American Pier, towards the San Juan Marina.

The Medway is an off-shore patrol vessel. Launched on August 23, 2017, and commissioned on September 19, 2019, she is about 200 feet long with a beam of 43 feet. She displaces 2,000 tons and is armed with a 30 mm gun, four machine guns, and two miniguns.

Her first assignment was to escort a Russian cruiser through the English Channel. In January, 2020, she was assigned to the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Patrol Task (North), which is based in the Caribbean. She performs disaster relief duties as necessary and tracks and intercepts illicit trafficking.

In October 2022, the Medway, working with the United States Coast Guard, seized cocaine worth an estimated 24 million pounds sterling, captured three drug runners, and destroyed their boat. The image below was taken during that encounter.

Perhaps the Medway was here so her officers and crew could work with Coast Guard officers and sailors to continue collaborative efforts against illicit drug trafficking.

Notes and Sources

The ship images are mine. I downloaded the last image, of the burning vessel, from the web, specifically http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/portsmouth-royal-navy-warship-hms-medway-seizes-ps24m-of-cocaine-and-then-blows-up-smugglers-boat-3897867. Follow that link to see the copyright information.

I used Wikipedia articles about the Dominican Navy and the HMS Medway for information.

Recent Discoveries

Late November 2022

Missing Murals

The Undertaker is gone. He existed an a wall less than a block from my building, in an alley at right angles to the bus lane. He was not easily visible but I did notice a change as the bus I was on was slowing for my stop. So I wandered up the bus lane and looked around.

Here is The Undertaker. The CONTRALONA in the lower right is not the artist’s name; rather it is the production company that publicizes professional wresting in Puerto Rico.

Here is what replaced The Undertaker.

I’m guessing it is the same artist – note the bold colors and the interest in performers. I suspect a particular muralist has claimed this section of wall as his/her own. As I said, it is in a small alley at right angles to the bus lane and so it doesn’t get much traffic.

Here is another missing mural, from nearby. This one was on the wall paralleling the bus lane.

This was signed by Joshua.Webs. I tried searching for information about him. I found a reference to an Instagram page but the link was broken.

Here is what replaced that mural.

Apparently Joshua.Webs has made a claim to this section of the wall. In any case, the new mural is more whimsical than the old one.

Other Works

I noticed other wall art along the bus lane. Here are a few of them.

These are all along the walls paralleling the bus lane. I especially like the first one – the multiple eyes and crab-type legs certainly create an eerie effect. And it nicely works into the steel grating visible at the top of the image.

Sagrado Corazon

I noticed a retaining wall with murals near the bus terminal at Sagrado Corazon so I grabbed my camera and checked it out. Here are some of the images from that wall.

The artist clearly has an interest in local sea life. But he/she also used the Puerto Rican flag on part of the wall.

The murals along the are clearly by the same artist. I could not make out the signature so he/she will remain unknown, at least until I can do some more research.

Notes and Sources

The images are mine. I usually use a Sony digital camera. I edit the images with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop.

Introduction

The Puerto Rico Ironman returned after a two year covid break. In 2020, the event was cancelled two or three days before it was to have occurred; many of the atheletes were already here in San Juan.

The event, technically a half-iron man, consists of a 1.5 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.2 mile run. It typically draws competitors from all over North and South America. One would think the South Americans, given that the March event is at the end of their summer season, would have an advantage over the winter-bound North Americans.

All three legs begin and end close to our apartment building and so I bring my cameras and look for photo ops. Here are some of my images, with brief explanatory remarks.

Preparations

Things begin to happen three or four days before the event.

Balloons are placed in the Condado Lagoon to mark the swimming course. The swimmers enter the water along the north shore (to the left), swim around the end of the lagoon and return to the right of the markers along the southern shore. They will pass under a highway bridge and exit the water via a ramp onto the Paseo de Caribbe.

The lagoon, closed to motorized vessels, is home to three or four kayaking venues, including one that features night kayaking excursions. Local ecologists are trying to reestablish mangrove trees along the southern shore of the lagoon, to the right of the image above.

This is the ramp the swimmers use to exit the water, as set up the day before the event. The tape is apparently to deter tourists from thinking this is an entry to a swimming area.

The athletes begin arriving a day or two before the event. One sees them swimming, biking and running, presumably fine-tuning their conditionng. These swimmers are checking out the swim course. On the day of the event, volunteers will be in the water helping the swimmers up and over the ramp. Fortunately, the water is a comfortable 78 F.

The competitors leave their bikes and their biking/running gear in a guarded, fenced area the afternoon and evening before the event. The bike here, with a carbon fiber frame, has a list price of about $10,000.

Here are more bikes ready for the next day’s race. I suspect, given the low numbers and high tech bikes, these belong to elite professional athletes.

The Start

The competitors, in their swim gear, gather at the swimming start area. They wear color coded swim caps and start in assigned groups, at five minute intervals.

The swimmers were serenaded by a small band sponsored, appropriately enough, by a headache medication. They stopped, the crowd heard recordings of the US and Puerto Rican anthems, and the race began.

The athletes struck various poses while waiting for their group to be called.

Notice that each competitor wears a band around one ankle. I suspect that contains an electronic chip with the athelete’s name, home, contact numbers, etc. I further suspect the chip is interogated at various points along the course to keep track of an athlete’s time.

The Swim

I have found it difficult to take interesting pictures of the swim. All I get is churned up water with a few swim caps. Perhaps others can do better.

Swimmers in the Condado Lagoon. I took this as they were going under a highway bridge.

Swim-Bike Transition

After leaving the water via the ramp shown above, the competitors run to the fenced in area to get their bikes.

The athletes, many running barefoot, run about a quarter mile to get their bikes.

The crowds thin out as the runners move away from the ramp.

These two are about halfway to the paddock where their bikes are stored.

The racers move with their bikes to a start line. They can’t mount until they pass that line. Note the biker to the right has his biking shoes clipped to his pedals.

More bikers making their way to the mount line.

These bikers are almost at the mount line.

This racer is beginning the 56 mile bike race. He will go to Dorado and back, along a couse that is quite flat. The prevailing wind will be at at his back outbound; in hs face inbound.

Bike

The bike portion begins and ends in Parc Escambron. I stay within a block or two as I get my pictures.

The two riders above are leaving Parc Escambron as they begin the bike leg.

These two riders are entering the park as they near the end of the bike leg.

Bike-Run Transition

The bikers dismount at the same line where they mounted. They make their way to the paddock, change into their running shoes, and start the half marathon.

Two runners leaving the bike paddock and starting the half marathon. Runner 217 is Loubriel Ramirez of the United States. He finished in six hours and almost eleven minutes. I could not find runner 4017 listed in the on-line results.

Osmel Lopez of the US starting his run. He finished in under six hours, at 5:52:12.

Run

The half marathon makes two laps into and out of Old San Juan. I don’t find taking pictures of runners very interesting. They all look like they are in agony. But here are a few.

Javier Vallejo of Puerto Rico is almost finished with his first lap. He will enter the park, circle a post, and start his second trip into Old San Juan. He finished in 7:36:40.

Runner 928 is Brenda Flores of the US. She finished in 6:42:22.

Javier Pagan of the US seems happy to finish, which he did in 6:39:26.

Summary

The athletes had a typically nice Puerto Rico day. There was a bit of rain in the morning, and then sunshine with a nice breeze. Beno Melo of the US won, with a time of 4:14:07. Deborah Eckhouse of Canada was the highest placed woman, with a time of 4:49:46. For more details, and the race announcement for Puerto Rico Ironman 2023, go to www.ironman.com.

Sources

The photos are all mine. I used both my 35 mm camera (an old Nikon) and a Sony digital camera. I edited the images with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

Mid-March 2022

Introduction

In this post, I’ll share some recent finds in my quest to document wall art here in San Juan. I’ll also show some works that are gone – painted over, torn down, whatever. I’ll arrange the art roughly by neighborhood.

Calle Cerra: Newly Discovered Murals

Calle Cerra is a short street (four blocks long) in Santurce. Art work there has led to a continuing revitalization of the neighborhood. Here are some works I discovered there about two weeks ago.

The work above is signed by Angurria, the signature of Omar Garcia, a muralist from the Dominican Republic.

The next three are from a low wall in a narrow alley. I could not capture the whole work so these are sections of that one wall.

The mural above is signed by @mrbbaby. After a little research, I discovered that is the signature for Michelle Guerrero, out of San Diego. She comes from a Mexican-Puerto Rican family and earns her living as a muralist. She is on Instagram – check her out at @mrbbaby.

The work above is signed by Smite_Arte, which is the signature used by the Puerto Rican muralist Elvin R. Hernandez. He is on Instagram at @smite_arte.

Calle Cerra: Old Friends, and Questions

That artists come from various places to create murals in this neighborhood raises questions. Before I get to them, I’m going to show a few more examples of art in this small neighborhood.

I edited the image above. Hee is the original, as captured by my digital camera.

This striking mural is by the French-Canadian artist Danae Brissonnet.

Here is another example. I don’t think I shared this one before. I’ll show first what I had from my camera, and then the edited version.

I was not able to identify the artist who created the image above.

But all of this makes me curious: How is it that muralists from Puerto Rico, San Diego, Quebec, and the Dominican Republic (and other artists as well) converge to Calle Cerra in Santurce and make art there? Is the some kind of brokerage connecting walls with artists? Do muralists have agents? And how do communities decide to become a home for murals? Who does the promoting? Muralists? Agents? Community activists? And where does the money to pay the artists come from? Grants? Donations?

There is much I do not know.

Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon

This avenue is the main street through Santurce, and was at one time the premier street for movie theaters, restaurants, and department stores. There are occasional examples of wall art along the street and on some of the side streets.

Calle San Agustin

This street runs though our neighborhood towards Old San Juan. It is a side street, with apartments, a bar, a hardware store, a Mexican restaurant, and a pizza place. It also has some wall art.

Rio Piedras

Rio Piedras, in the southeastern part of San Juan, is home to the University of Puerto Rico. As you get away from the university neighborhood, Rio Piedras becomes a poor, gritty neighborhood that has seen better days. But there is a variety of mural art and so worth a visit. Here are some recent discoveries from there.

There are several murals around a government square near the entrance to the urban train station. I’m told this collection of murals is advertised on local television, apparently to get more visitors to Rio Piedras. Here are three examples, selected from nine works there.

Goodbyes

The next images are works that are gone – painted over, defaced, on buildings since torn down. By the way, the first three are from Rio Piedras.

Conclusion

So here you see some new findings. I have more – stay tuned.

Notes and Sources

The images are mine. I edit them using Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop. I have, in many cases, increased the color vibrance and saturation so as to bring out more details.

Late February 2022

Introduction

Puerto Rico has been through a tough time. Hurricanes Irma and especially Maria battered the island in the fall of 2017. Earthquakes caused damage in the southwest of the island in January 2019. And then the covid pandemic slowed the economy here to a crawl. The ongoing debt crisis has been a drain on everybody.

Perhaps I’m an optimist, but I see hopeful signs. I’ll mention some of them in this post. To break things up, I’ll include images that may or may not relate to the things I write about. I’ll leave that for you to figure out.

The Debt Crisis

The on-going debt crisis pretty much dominates the news. Briefly, President Obama signed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) into law in 2016. The law created the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) which, with its seven presidentially-appointed members, can designate an entity (territory or territorial financial instrument) as a “covered entity”. Once so designated, the “covered entity” is subject to court supervised negotiations or a court-ordered process similar to a bankruptcy.

This past fall, the FOMB filed a proposed eighth amended Commonwealth Plan of Adjustment that, it claimed, would reduce Puerto Rico’s debt to $7.4 billion, down for $33 billion. That plan included freezes, but not cuts, to public service retirement benefits. Cases were heard in a Title III Bankruptcy court under the gavel of federal judge Laura Taylor Swain.

Much of the news this past fall has been about the Plan of Adjustment.

October 20, 2021

The Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corporation confirmed that it had deposited $472.6 million with Bank of New York (Mellon). The payment, current for the third straight year, was in accordance with the entity’s Third Amended Title III Plan of Adjustment as managed by the U. S, District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

October 25, 2021

Miguel Romero Lugo, Mayor of San Juan, announced $26 million street repaving program.

October 26, 2021

Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District on New York threatened to dismiss Puerto Rico’s 5 -year bankruptcy case if the parties could not come to an agreement. She ordered U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barbara House to lead mediation efforts.

October 29, 2021

A new health clinic opened on Vieques, one of Puerto Rico’s two off-shore islands. The 9,000 residents there now have access to a modern facility. The clinic is funded by the US government under the Public Service Health Act.

November 2, 2021

A Puerto Rican senator introduced legislation to repeal Act 53-2021. That law, passed earlier this year, bans retiree pension cuts. The senator, Maria de Lourdes Santiago of the minority Puerto Rican Independence Party, claims Act 53 is merely an attempt to fool people.

November 3, 2021

Eight hundred people were arrested by Puerto Rican police working in conjunction with the Organized Crime Division of the Department of Justice. The anti-drug operation had lasted for over 45 days.

November 5, 2021

The FOMB filed a proposed eighth amended Commonwealth Plan of Adjustment (POA). In accordance with Act 53, the plan does not include pension cuts for active or retired government employees. However, as noted Victor Bonilla Sanchez, president of the Puerto Rico Teachers Association, the plan does not preclude pension freezes.

November 8, 2021

Judge Swain initiated confirmation hearings for the POA. The complex instrument includes compensation for creditors, a strategy to build reserves for pension funds, and contingencies if the Puerto Rican economy performs better than anticipated. If Puerto Rico has to borrow funds, they will be subject to the laws of New York, the court’s location.

November 9, 2021

The University of Puerto Rico received a grant worth nearly $1 million to train students in agricultural sustainability and resilience.

November 10, 2021

The U. S Supreme Court heard oral arguments in U.S. vs. Vaello-Madero, The plaintiff was a resident of New York City and while there collected SSI benefits. He later moved back to Puerto Rico. The U.S. sued to recover more than $20,000 in benefits he received while in Puerto Rico. SSI benefits are available to residents of the 50 states, Washington, D.C. and the Northern Mariana Islands, but not to residents of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Guam. In February 2019, the First Circuit affirmed a lower court decision that excluding U.S. citizens from SSI was unconstitutional. The U.S. appealed that decision to the Supreme Court.

November 23, 2021

In their closing arguments, the FOMB claimed again that the proposed Plan Of Adjustment would not cut public pensions.

November 24, 2001

Judge Swain took the issue of confirming the POA under advisement. This was after hearing arguments since November 8. The case is the largest bankruptcy ever in the history of municipal markets.

November 25, 2021

Judge Swain heard arguments by the FOMB as to how to restructure the bond debts of the Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority ($1.9 billion) and the Convention Center District Authority ($383 million). The restructuring is under Title VI of PROMESA which means it is a mediated and not court based process.

December 2, 2021

Puerto Rico Secretary of State Omar Marrero Diaz announced he will lead a trade mission to the Dominican Republic.

December 3, 2021

Minnesota health officials confirmed the second covid case with the omicron variant in the U.S.

December 9, 2021

Governor Pierluisi announced that Unit 6 at the Costa Sur power plant will return to service by December 30. A blade in the turbine failed last August. The unit had to be shipped to New York-based Mechanical Dynamics and Analysis for repairs, which cost $2.8 million.. When Unit 6, rated at 400 megawatts capacity, comes back on line, less efficient units in San Juan and Catano can be shut down.

December 14, 2021

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo announced a three year, $209.5 million program to improve the city’s infrastructure. The work will include improvements to parks, bus stations and stops, and the connector walkway between Miramar and Condado. The funding is from various federal grant programs.

December 15, 2021

Judge Swain told the FOMB that their proposed Plan of Adjustment was “problematic” and needed modifications to address her concerns. The FOMB had wanted to displace various Puerto Rico laws, mostly having to do with public sector retirement benefits, to execute the POA. Judge Swain found that matter “problematic”.

December 17, 2021

Jobs in the tourism sector rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels, as indicated by October job statistics. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 79,200 jobs in that sector, slightly below the 80,500 jobs pre-pandemic.

December 20, 2021

The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill to prevent conflicts of interest by persons arguing PROMEAS bankruptcy cases under Title III. Previously, bankruptcy advisors and consultants did not have to make disclosures that may have shown conflicts of interest.

A new Executive Order requires proof of vaccination to attend mass events. The Order was issued in response to rapidly rising number of covid infections caused by the omicron variant.

December 21, 2021

The New Years Eve Party is Old San Juan was cancelled, as were live performances scheduled for the San Sebastian Festival, scheduled for the third weekend in January. The artisan shows at the Festival will be held as scheduled.

December 22, 2021

The FOMB sued Governor Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia and various government agencies. The FOMB claims certain Puerto Rico laws, mostly dealing with retirement benefits, are unsustainable and “will reinstate the fiscal mismanagement that existed before PROMESA . . .”

Meanwhile, the Governor announced that retired police officers can participate, for free, in the island’s Vital health insurance plan, starting January 1, 2022

December 24, 2021

The FOMB called Governor plan for retired police officers “fiscally irresponsible.”

December 27, 2021

A law suit between several unions and the FOMB and the Puerto Rico government will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. In essence, the plaintiffs argue they suffered harm because the FOMB preempts local laws.

December 29, 2021

The government and the FOMB reached an agreement on retirement benefits. The government will repeal certain laws guaranteeing such benefits. In return, the FOMB agreed to, within 60 days, provide enhanced retirement benefits for police officers, and, within 120 days, for teachers, all consistent with the proposed Plan of Adjustment.

December 30, 2021

All face-to-face activities at the Juana Diaz Three Kings Festival, scheduled for January 6, 2022, are cancelled.

January 5, 2022

The San Sebastian Festival, scheduled for the third weekend in January, was cancelled.

January 7, 2022

Judge Swain dismissed a lawsuit brought by six Puerto Rican credit unions against the government. The plaintiffs argued they were coerced into buying government bonds even though the government knew the bonds could not be paid back.

January 13, 2022

The Federal Aviation Agency announced grants worth $8 million for capital improvements at the island’s airports. The funding is part of the Biden administration’s infrastructure package.

January 14, 2022

Governor Pierluisi Urrutia announced a $3.8 million grant to upgrade Calle Fortalezza, a main street in Old San Juan.

January 19, 2022

Judge Swain entered an order to implement the Plan of Adjustment. The order ends five years of bankruptcy, reduces the debt burden of the central government from $33 billion to about $7 billion, and will restructure some $50 billion in unfunded pension debt.

January 20, 2022

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it had allocated $163 million to restore the Martin Pena channel. The channel connects the San Juan Bay with the San Jose Lagoon, near the airport. Once a broad channel, it has filled in with sediment and debris to the extent it is less then a meter wide in some areas.

January 21, 2022

The visitor center at the El Yungue National Forest reopened. The center, rebuilt with $20 million allocated to the U.S. Forest Service, had been closed since Hurricane Maria.

A group of investors bought the Normandie Hotel, located near the Caribe Hilton on Isletta de San Juan. The investors promise to return the hotel to its former glory.

January 22, 2022

King Felipe VI of Spain arrived for a two day state visit.

January 23, 2022

FEMA approved $554 million to rebuild and repair damages in 275 public housing complexes. The damages were caused by Hurricane Maria which struck the island in September 2017.

January 24, 2022

The FOMB held a public board meeting during which it officially certified the Plan of Adjustment. During their announcement, the Board revealed they estimated the PR government won’t face a budget deficit until 2048 both because of an improving economy and federal assistance.

February 4, 2022

Architect Fernando Pabon Rico, in testimony before a Puerto Rico Senate committee, told senators the sea level would rise by about 10 feet by the end of the century. This will endanger shore line homes and businesses as well as freshwater aquifers, the latter from salt water intrusion.

February 7, 2022

A stationary low pressure system dumped record rainfall on the island over the weekend. The San Juan area received between six and ten inches of rain. Low lying areas experienced flash floods; no loss of life was reported.

February 9, 2022

The governor issued an executive ordering declaring a state of emergency in 15 towns hit by record rains. Most of the towns were in the greater San Juan area.

February 10, 2022

Teachers from around the island walked off their jobs and demonstrated in front of the Capitol. They demanded salary justice and the opportunity for a dignified retirement.

February 11, 2022

FEMA announced an allocation of $1.9 million for repairs to Family Service Centers in Hato Rey, a San Juan neighborhood and Arecibo. The sites suffered damage during Hurricane Maria.

February 14, 2022

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo announced a $63 million program to improve parks and public spaces in San Juan. The efforts will include repair of baseball fields and recreational areas, fence and sidewalk repairs, lighting improvements, and repainting as necessary.

February 17, 2022

Tourism data for January showed that hotel reservations for the upcoming high travel season were 17% higher than the pre-covid January 2020 figures. In addition, current short term rentals were up 329% compared to the pre-covid figures. Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean said the figures showed Puerto Rico to be a resilient travel destination.

February 22, 2022

A 12 year old boy drowned after being swept to sea by a rip tide. This occurred on the beach along Condado, the main tourist area is San Juan.

February 24, 2022

The FOMB approved the updated fiscal plan put forth by the Puerto Rico Highway Authority. The plan calls for toll increases of 8.3% a year. In addition, the Urban Train will be transferred to another entity. The FOMB said the plan will stabilize the authority’s finances and will allow it to exit from bankruptcy.

February 25, 2022

The governor said he will do what he can to mitigate or cancel the toll increases in the FOMB plan announced yesterday.

President Biden announced Puerto Rico will get $900 million in federal aid for highway and bridge repair. The funds, from the administration’s infrastructure plan, will be spread over five years.

Conclusions

So there you have a brief description of some of the news that we’ve read about while here this winter. As you can see, federal monies are flowing to the island, the economy has rebounded, and a debt management plan is in effect. While no one is entirely happy with the plan, most agree it is a better alternative than the others, i.e., unmanaged bankruptcy.

Notes and Sources

We subscribe to the San Juan Star, the English language newspaper. I used that source for my items.

With the exception of the image of Judge Swain, all the images are mine. I edit them with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop. I downloaded the image of Judge Swain from the web.

Early February 2022

Introduction

I enjoy finding, photographing and sharing images of street art I find. In this post, I’ll share some new findings, revisit some not so new works, and say good bye to a few more. I’ll arrange the images more or less by location this time.

Calle Loiza

The Calle Loiza neighborhood is undergoing gentrification, changing from a gritty urban neighborhood to one with boutique bars, coffee shops, upscale restaurants. It is an ongoing process, slowed by Hurricane Maria and its aftermath, and then the covid pandemic. Still, many of the start up businesses have survived and the process, while slowed, is still happening.

And the area is rich with street art. Here are a few examples.

Two by theamazingske

The work above dates from 2021, so it is new to me as of this year. It replaced another work, shown next.

Compare the two works above. Both are signed by the same artist, theamazingske. I looked the name up on Instagram. The artist is a woman, and has exhibited works locally and internationally. If you have access to Instagram, see some of her work at @theamazingske. While you’re on Instagram, check out some of my images at @jmilohas. By the way, I notice common elements between the two works. Do you?

Billiards

I really like the work above. It has aided me with my Spanish vocabulary. I now know that billar means billiards. I won’t soon forget that. And it is nice to have a strong visual image to better understand the idiomatic expression to be behind the eight ball. Again, go to Instagram and see other works by this artist at @Kau.Tvrs.

Build Your Dream

I wasn’t able to identify the artist for the example above. I do like the wide ranging palette and the upbeat message.

Plantain?

The work above, just off Calle Loiza, is similar to one I had seen earlier, just off Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon in Santurce. I think it is in my post about eyes in street art. Check it out here.

Three on Screens

The colorful rooster is on a screen that opens and closes as the business it protects does. These screens are often a good place to find street art. Of course, you have to be there when the business is closed and the shutter is down. Here in San Juan, that is less of a problem than you might think.

Here are two more examples of street art on screens.

I found the example above in Condado. It has since disappeared.

The pineapple shown above is on Avenida de Deigo, near Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon. The business it protects has changed; the pineapple remains.

Calle San Agustin

Calle San Agustin is a side street that parallels the main routes in and out of Old San Juan. I sometimes walk along it as I go to and from the old city. While not rich in wall art, it does have some interesting examples.

I found the disembodied face above along Calle San Agustin, near our apartment building.

I discovered this mural along Calle San Agustin. The Spanish translates roughly as The Union Makes the Force.

Condado

Condado, the main beachfront tourist area in San Juan, is not rich in street art. However, I have found an occasional example.

This is one of the rare examples of street art in Condado. That it expresses a clear political message might well be the reason it is there.

Parc Escambron

Parc Escambron is a public park in the Puerta de Tierra section of San Juan. It has a fine beach, protected by off shore reefs. It is also home to an underwater park, in a section of the ocean protected by Punta Escambron and the remnants of Spanish fortifications.

The two examples above are on retaining walls near the abandoned Hotel Normandie. They promote the underwater marine park in protected waters in Parc Escambron.

Goodbyes

Street art is anything but permanent. I’ll now show a few examples no longer exist – painted over, on walls torn down, whatever. I won’t comment on them. They speak for themselves.

Conclusion

There you have it – more examples of street art. Stay tuned – plenty more where these came from.

Notes and Sources

All the images are mine. I use a Sony digital camera and edit the images with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop. These images are minimally edited. I’ve cropped them when necessary and adjusted levels and sometime brightness and contrast.