Come fly with me

Sunday was a perfect day to fly a kite!

Blue skies, warm sun, strong breezes.
This day was born out of many, many promises to Harry. Every time we visit Old San Juan we are the tour guides, catering to the wishes of our guests. And every time Harry tugs on my arms and asks “can we…. fly kites? feed birds? walk down this street? get ice cream?” I always promise that we will come back another day, just us, and he can plan our fun.

A free day finally arrived and his agenda was set: Kites at El Morrow, Ice Cream, Pigeons and maybe Mom can play with her new camera.

We started off with a bi-plane kite.

The wind was strong. The tail fell off. The wings fell off. And I am no MacGyver.

After a number of starts and crashes… my boy was crushed and my girls were impatient. The kites that were faring the best were the really simple ones.

So thankful for the sidewalk stand selling kites! $5 later: JOY!

Below you see a boy and his three sisters. I leave the soundtrack to your imagination – but if I can offer a hint, the poor guy was getting a lot of advice.

Even though she looks kind of mean, this sister was the most helpful in making the flight a success. And look how lovely she is when she realized the camera is focused in her direction.

Once kite flying was deemed a success, we crossed the city – stopping for a few shots of my kiddos.

You will notice a wardrobe change. Harry insisted in wearing a red shirt for the kites, because his kite was red. And yes, when I bought him another kite, I made sure it was color coordinated. He wanted to wear the “right” color for photos too – and match the girls. The funny part was when I held out his shirt to change – he told me that it would be inappropriate to take his shirt off in public. Really? REALLY? The potty talk at the table is okay? Regularly forgetting to put on underwear  for school is fine? But 3 seconds of a bare chest – that is inappropriate? If the reason for my gray hairs was not evident before, it should now be as clear as day.

The kiddos had some fun finding new photo locations.

I love this gray building – note to self, around 1pm, the light here is great. And no – I didn’t pose them, this is all spontaneity.

And what would a trip to Old San Juan be without Ben and Jerry’s? Here are perfect examples of my favorite photography tip: when you photograph kids doing something they enjoy, the photos are always better. The smiles are real and effortless.

Next stop: Pigeon Park. I had fun with the focus options on my camera.

UP CLOSE – These 4 were all on my hand at once. I love how the 4 heads managed to stay in focus, as did my hand of food,  while everything else is a blur of motion – exactly as it felt while it actually happened.

Pretty Bird.

In Victoria’s hand.

My bird-boy.

The kids watching a local musician.

We captured a few more shots before going out to dinner.

Loving siblings

They love each other, they really do.

After an early dinner, we strolled the city streets for another hour. As the sun started to set, the color of the city completely changed. I love that the normally brown walls take on a blue color.

The sky was just beautiful.

Even on the North East side of the Island, the sunset offered beautiful colors.

This final shot is my favorite of the day. I caught my family navigating through the crowds as the city lights came on.

It was a perfect day. We ended our holiday time with memories of dreams fulfilled and lots of laughter. And where are they today? Back in school. The transition wasn’t too bad. I woke them up at 6am yesterday with a LONG list of chores. After making beds, writing thank you note, cleaning out closets and doing the dishes, when the alarm went off at 6am today, I think they were relieved to be heading to class.

How brilliant am I?

Have a happy Tuesday. Go fly a kite!