Latest News from NavFaq

The PDFs of the Environmental cleanup of the former Navy lands can be found here in English and Spanish.
http://enchanted-isle.com/vieques/downloads/cleanup.htm
Next RAB Meeting – June 12, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the Lighthouse in Isabel II

Oops!!!

I got the date that Coconuts closes wrong.  The CORRECT date is July 30.  So that gives us all an additional month to enjoy the food and drink. Yippee!

JC

Green Energy Fund workshop-Taller sobre el Fondo de Energía Verde

Taller sobre el Fondo de Energía Verde
1ro de junio, 4pm en el Fideicomiso
hasta 60% de los costos de instalar energía renovable cubiertos
Nuevo ciclo de fondos comienza pronto.

Green Energy Fund workshop
June 1st, 4pm at the Trust
covers up to 60% installation costs for renewable energy
New funding cycle begins soon.

Para información ● For information Calle Flamboyán 138 Esperanza Vieques ● 787 741-8850

What Not To Wear At The Beach

The other afternoon some friends and I were at Blue Beach.  The beach was virtually deserted except for one group of tourists and us.  The water was cloudy due to some south side wind and all the rain we've been having, so snorkeling was out, but floating was not.  Late in the afternoon, two of us were sitting on the beach and two of us were doing the float thing, when suddenly there was a commotion in the water.  Usually when that happens it is a ray of some type jumping out of the water.  Well, it was a ray, but it was running for its life.  In the churning water, we were able to see two dorsal fins. Yep, you guessed it.....sharks.  From what we could see, they appeared to be about five feet long. 

The ray, a spotted one, was much too smart for those sharks.  It ran right into the surf line near the shore in water far too shallow for the sharks to follow.  We got a great up close look at it.  It hung out there for several minutes and then disappeared into the deeper water.  Now, the reason for the title of this blog....if you wear a black and white polka dot swimsuit, you too will look like a spotted ray.  My advice is to keep the polka dots for poolside. 

In all seriousness, we all tend to take the ocean for granted.  When someone asks, "are there sharks in Vieques?", the first impulse is to reply with an emphatic no.  But really, there are sharks in the ocean.  There are barracudas, there are eels, there is fire coral, etc.  There are lots of things that can potentially hurt.  You have to learn what to stay away from, how to handle yourself if you run across something, and how to prevent coming into contact with something.  Makes sense.

So, besides no polka dots, do not wear anything shiny while snorkeling or diving.  The glitter attracts fish.  Mostly you'll run across the little bar jacks that nibble on the strings of your swimsuit, but a gold necklace might just make a barracuda more than a little interested in you.  Never touch fire coral or a sea urchin.  Don't stick your hand into a crevice in the coral, since you don't know what might be in there.  The next time you are at Wrigley Field or Fenway, grab one of those miniature bats.  They make great shark sticks. 

Recently had dinner at the Patio, which is now called the Biekes Bistro but will always be the patio to us.   It was fabulous.   Top choices are the arugula salad, lump crab cakes, chicken parm and churrasco.  Chef/owner Carlos also makes a pretty mean hot sauce. 

Last night was the monthly birthday party at Sombrero Viejo.  The theme was prom night.  There were some interesting prom get-ups, but no powder blue tuxedos from my era.  Darn.  A king and queen were crowned and then were driven around the block in Liz's 1963 Ford Galaxy convertible.  What a cool car.  It takes an entire block to park it and a u-turn is completely impossible, but it's so cool that it doesn't matter. 

Coconuts is offering up a new menu starting tomorrow night.  There is an avocado bacon salad with grilled shrimp and green goddess dressing.  Yum.  On Mondays, they have their traditional Sabor Latino menu which includes things like bacalaitos, pastelillos, fish soup, etc.  Coconuts will be open Friday thru Monday until June 30. 

More Later.

JC 

We Have A New Restaurant

There is a new restaurant called Sabores located in the former Blue McCaw Building in town.  I would assume from the name it will be Puerto Rican cuisine.  Haven't heard much about when it will open, but it must be soon since I did see one of the food purveyors delivering there. 

Don't forget Mediterranean Tapas tonight at the Mar Azul.  Should be some good eats.  Monday night the Spam Cook-Off returns.  The Cook-Off will be 7-10pm, with appetizer, entree, dessert and sculpture categories.  A $5 donation at the door will give you tasting rights and support the humane society. 

The Vieques Against Crime (VAC) group headed up by Sandy Malone of Weddings in Vieques has been spotlighted recently in most of the newspapers.  The group is focusing on creating a cohesive community/police relationship.  This includes training in English and victim advocacy for the police officers as well as appealing to the public  to report crime whenever and wherever it occurs.  As we all know, a community policed by it's citizens is a safe one. 

I have mentioned previously that there is a huge movement to ''green up'' Vieques.  I have just seen one the first steps toward that with the drink cups from Duffy's in Esperanza.  They are green and they change color when something cold is put in them.  Way cool.  The idea is to buy your cup and bring it with you wherever you go.  That will eliminate at least six plastic cups per day, per person going into the trash.  That translates into 1.8 million cups per month. (Scary, huh) I just found out that a friend's family member is in the biodegradable business.  The cups, eating utensils, plates, bags etc that his company produces are made from corn husks.  They are sturdy and reusable until they sit in the sun.  The sunlight degrades them in a very short time.  The items are already in use at many marinas around Puerto Rico, since if they accidentally get blown overboard, they will simply disintegrate.  No dead sea turtles with this stuff.  This kind of thing is so important to us.  We are an island and we can't truck our trash to someone else's backyard. 

The road work continues, but the potholes have grown exponentially with the rain we've had in the last two weeks.  The section between the Green Store and the Malecon is terrible.  The area in front of the turn to the middle road has come unglued again.  The flats outside Esperanza have crumbling shoulders so the road is only about 1and 3/4 care widths wide.  Shrink that when the vehicle coming at you is a huge dump truck headed to the road construction sites. 

May 23rd is Birthday Night at Kuhn's.  For everyone with a birthday in May, attendance is mandatory.  Kuhn's actually does this every month, along with weekly dominoes.  Pretty fun and you get to visit the wine room and see what's new in there. 

JC

Spam is Back

Just got word that the Famous (Infamous) Spam Cook-Off is on for Monday, May 21, 2012 at Al's Mar Azul.  For the uninitiated, this is undoubtedly one of the most absurd and fun events ever.  You get a can (or 12) of Spam and create something as nearly edible as possible.  This is not just your average spam 'n eggs or spam 'n cheese competition.  Think caviar, pate, silk cake and much more.  Not only is what you create important, but how you showcase it as well.  One year, there was a huge spam sand castle complete with ramparts, flags, and a drawbridge.  Not a spam fan.  There is lots of Tequila there also.

It's all happening at the Mar Azul.  On Thursday, May 17, Jimmy is dishing up Mediterranean Tapas for this months specialy night.  Always a good time, and the mediterranean diet works for everyone.

Some energetic people had started up a Rotary Club on the island.  The meetings are every Tuesday night, 7pm, at Lazy Jack's and last abolutely only 30 minutes or less.  I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of Rotary Clubs, but I wasn't really aware of the magnitude of the whole thing, on a national or international level until I read up.  Anyway, the issues are humanitarian.  The Vieques Club is working toward funding youth programs and hopefully will be able to get funds from the National Rotary to supplement what is raised here.  Stop by the meeting if you are here.  Dues are minimal and the end result huge. 

The roadwork continues here.  The gutters that have been built along the edges of the roads are doing their job of keeping the water off the traveled portion of the roads, but we haven't yet figured out where it is all going.  One can only assume that wherever it is, there will be one ginormous pothole.  There are two John Deere backhoes at work on this project.  Both are totally tricked out.  One has chrome plate on the hoe part and wow is it shiny.  The other is done in matte black.  The stereo systems in both of them them rival anything you ever listened to.  Pretty sure these guys drive  them on date nights.   Only in Vieques. 

JC

REGIONS OF ITALY @ COCONUTS Saturday, May 5,2012

“LIGURIA”

PRIMI
Calamari alla Piastra- Grilled calamari with lemon, thyme & garlic
Daily Bread
Pizza con Pesto, Gamberi, Pepperoni e Provolone
PASTA
House-made Pasta Rollatini con Manzo, Cippoli e Funghi
SECONDI
Petto di Pollo en Vino Bianco con Insalata di Farro
Pesce Spada Grillata con Finocchio, Limone e Patata
Bacala e Gamberi Dorati
DOLCE
Fritelle di Ricotta con Nutella Gelato

787.741.9325  for  Reservations & Information
59 Calle Benitez Guzman, Isabel II
FRIDAY-TUESDAY 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

A Few Things Are Changing

Dorothy from Coconuts asked that I include news about the restaurant.  She writes:

As we approach the summer season, some changes are in store.  First, as of next Friday, May 4^th, we will be open Friday – Monday for dinner only from 5-9:30 p.m.  A new summer menu featuring lighter fare such as cold soups, additional salads, and even more fresh fish will be available by or before Memorial Day weekend.   We intend to begin our "Sabor Latino" evening on Mondays as well. 

Our seasonal closure will commence on Monday, July 30, 2012.  We will reopen for the 2012-2013 season in early November.  A surprise is likely as far as venue.  Stay tuned!

We thank all of our friends and customers for their patronage and support during our fourth season! 

Happy Summer,

Chef Alex, Dorothy, Susan & the Coconuts Staff

So, there you have it.  Dorothy has been playing the venue card pretty close to the chest, so I can't even speculate on it.  When the rumors start I'll pass them along.

The Trust has some exciting news.  In Puerto Real there is an abandoned school.  It's directly across from the school that isn't abandoned.  I had always thought that when I won powerball I would try to buy that property.  It has great space and cool architecture.  Anyway, the Trust has made an agreement with the municipality to have use of the school property, called Escuela Barbosa.  A grant from one of many, many goverment agencies has been secured in the amount of $60,000, and four individuals have pledged $10,000 each, so there is $100k to renovate the buildings.  The Trust will be using the space for the educational programs, and the renovations will all be "green".  The property itself will become an educational tool.  For more info you can go to the Trust's website, vcht.org.

Trade Winds has moved into the 21st century by installing a Point of Sale computer in the restaurant.  That is the computer screen you bang on with your fingers and the order goes into the kitchen.  While seating people the other night, I joked that with the new computer, if you order chicken and get steak, just eat it, since we don't know how to fix it.  At least I thought it was a joke.  Last night, someone ordered Churrasco and got a Filet!!!! ( I was hoping that I could order a medalla and get a bottle of Abarino for $3, but unfortunately the system is working in that area).

JC

JC