Thursday, February 25, 2010

Finally getting off of this rock.

For Stacy's 26th birthday we took a trip to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

We stayed in a hotel called 'Da House. Each room in the hotel has original artwork from a specific Puerto Rican contemporary artist. The entire place is decorated with really interesting pieces from local artists.
The place was originally a monastery, then an artist's studio. Recently, it was remodeled into 'Da House.


Walking around Old San Juan.





Fountains outside of Old City's walls.




Interesting hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants line the streets.


La Bombanero: The best breakfast in the caribbean in my humble opinion.

Stace trying to be all fancy with a chili pepper martini.



Walking outside of the walls of the main fort in Old San Juan. Originally constructed in the 1530's, El Morro (the headland) wasn't completed to it's modern form until the 1730's.






Stace chasing an iguana.

A huge iguana scrambling towards the sea as it tries to escape Stace.





Stace sketching a very cool cemetery within the walls of El Morro.


El Morro in the distance.


A 'reduced-size' head, according to the museum placard.




San Juan capitol building vs the walls of the old city.

Finger banana snack during our rainforest rappelling and ziplining adventure.

Stace doing it like a pro.





This is a bit of a video chronicling our walk through the woods with helmets on.

Gorgeous things catch your eye if you're window shopping in Old San Juan...


Gargoyles and the Taco Maker.


It was so nice to get away from Tortola and experience a big city. We drove on a highway and went to the mall, ate some real food and relaxed.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Ode to the Art Room.

It never fails. When a couple of teachers congregate, it's inevitable that the conversation will go the way of sharing teaching stories and experiences. I always feel terrible for the one friend or significant other who works on the 'outside'.

Although it's time consuming, messy and a lot of times frustrating for whatever reason, when it comes down to it, I've got a pretty great job. Bowie High or Cedar School, If I'm having a bad morning, a student always manages to crack me up and get me out of that rut. I love being inspired through student talent, passion, interest and background. I learn something new technically, conceptually or historically each time a plan/teach a new unit.

Here are a couple of pictures of the K-12 'Art Sanctuary.'