La Vida Loca!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Villagomez O'Connor Ford Family!

2008-12-29T08:51:00.003-05:00

Angelo visited for Thanksgiving this year, and for the first time in over three years we have a family photo of all of us that I didn't have to photoshop! This photo was taken at Catie's 9th birthday celebration at Margiano's, an Italian restaurant on International Drive.

Today is Tiana's 8th birthday and we're heading back to Margiano's tonight to celebrate.

Governor Ben Fitial of the CNMI

2008-10-11T07:48:00.004-05:00

In our last week in Saipan this summer we went out to dinner with Alex's godparents Maggie and Fred Camacho. We ran into the Governor of the CNMI, Ben Fitial, who posed for a picture with us.

Dancing Cheeseburgers

2008-10-10T17:19:00.013-05:00

My friend Jeanne cleaned our her kids' closets yesterday and brought over a bag of dress up clothes, including these ABBAesque dancing outfits. Catie and Tiana thought they would make great Halloween outfits. The cheeseburger hats in their video really add to the look. They were inspired by Mama Mia!, which we went to see last week.

Happy 30th Birthday Angelo!

2008-10-04T18:23:00.000-05:00

Hope you have a wonderful birthday! We miss you and love you!

Head Shots

2008-10-01T15:49:00.002-05:00

Busy Week

2008-09-14T20:29:00.002-05:00

We've been back in Winter Park for 5 weeks, and I'm finally hitting my stride. We've got our routines down, and house is looking more organized. It always takes a while. The kids have already gotten their half term progress reports, and they are doing great. Kevin got all A's and Catie had a mix of A's and B's.

Alex and are still working on the rental house, and we are now concentrating on the back yard. I never think to take "before" pictures to contrast with "after" pictures, and it would have been a good idea to do this, as Alex has done an amazing job. I don't think our last tenants did anything out there in the past 8 years, and it was quite overgrown. Alex dug out most of the bushes that were probably planted over 20 years ago and were half dead. We're putting new mulch down and I'll get some more flowers to plant. I'll also get some grass seed and spread it out before we get some rainy weather.

We had a great day today at the pool. Nora and Gene came over for the day, and Kent and Rene came over for a barbeque at Windsong with us. Alex did all the cooking, and everything was delicious.

It's 10 p.m. and the kids are already in bed. We're back on track.

More Yard Work

2008-09-06T16:05:00.003-05:00

Alex, Kevin, Catie and I went over to our rental house today to do some more yard work. Catie worked on spreading out new mulch, Alex finished bundling up all the trees he cut down and Kevin and I raked the yard and bagged all the leaves. Winter Park requires all cut down trees to be cut into 4 foot branches and then tied with twine or they won't pick it up.

It was in the 90's today, so it was pretty hot work. Luckily most of the front yard is shaded, so we didn't burn too much. The only thing we have to do in the front yard now is mow the grass and edge along the sidewalk. It already looks so much better. The back yard will be a real challenge, and we'll start on that on Monday.

The house is now completely clean on the inside, and the smell is gone. I did a space clearing yesterday with my bell from Bali and feel like it's ready to rent. I've been getting a lot of calls, so I feel pretty confident I find a renter this week.

Ike Is Coming to Florida

2008-09-04T21:53:00.004-05:00

Looks like Hurricane Ike is heading for Florida. It's expected to reach South Florida by next Tuesday. It's already a category 4 with 135 mph winds, and it'll be stronger by the time it gets to Florida. I'm glad I left my bags of ice in the freezer after Tropical Storm Fay because it looks like we might be needing them next week.

Cleaning

2008-09-02T16:08:00.002-05:00

My long term tenants just moved out of the house Alex and Angelo and I lived in when they were in high school. They had lived there for the past eight years, and I don't think I had actually been inside the house for the past four years. They were great tenants; if anything broke they fixed it, and when I was out of the country they would take their rent check directly to my bank to deposit it in my account. I always assumed that they would want to buy my house, so I was kind of surprised when they bought a big house with a pool in a neighborhood way out in the suburbs. They paid someone to clean and paint the house, so we just had to tune up the yard, do a deeper clean and figure out how to get the dog smell out of the house.

Alex spent the day cutting down overgrown trees all around the house. I amazed how much the trees in front had grown, as high as the basketball hoop. He also pressure washed the driveway so it looks like new, and cut down all the overgrown corn plants in front of the house. Jim bought new pavers for the front of the house and some plants and flowers to spruce up the house.

It took me all day to wash all the windows in the house (for some reason the cleaner hadn't washed any windows), clean under the fridge and stove and clean the pantry shelves. It already smells better and looks great.

Alex felt really nostalgic working around the house. He lived there from 6th grade to 11th grade, and we had a good life there.

Cloud Forest Coffee

2008-08-31T07:58:00.004-05:00

Ever wonder where the coffee we bring home to Florida from Monteverde actually comes from? It grows on my friend Marta's farm and is harvested by hand every year in December and January as the green berries ripen into red berries. The coffee berries are then dried out in the sun, measured and bagged, usually in old feed bags. The measurement is a cajuela, and I'm not too sure how much that actually is - probably around 3 kilos.

After the coffee is dry, the husk of the berry has to be removed and separated from the coffee beans inside. The coffee beans are then roasted with a light or dark roast. We take the coffee to be processed in San Louis, where it loses about half its volume. Our friend Don Victor bags the coffee once it's roasted into 3 kilo bags, and then I repack it all to take it all home to Florida.

Kevin at the Cabalgata in Cabeceras de Tilaran

2008-08-30T13:32:00.006-05:00

Kevin participated in several cabalgatas while we were in Costa Rica this summer. This one was in Cabeceras de Tilaran, which is about a 20 minute drive from our house. He rode there with Don Carlos and his brother Don Rafael. Jim, Catie, Tiana and I hung around for a few hours with him and ate lunch there at a little restaurant not far from where the cabalgata was organized. Kev rode his horse for about 12 hours that day, because it was a 20 km ride each way. It was dark by the time he and Don Carlos rode up to his house in La Lindora.

Kev is riding his new horse Tormento, who was raised by Don Carlos. Tormento, as his name implies, was born in a storm two years ago.

A cabalgata is a group horse tour on public roads and private farms close to the sponsoring village. There is a charge to participate and the money raised goes to a charity. The cabalgata is normally scheduled for noon, but nothing generally gets organized before 2 or 3 p.m. The video clip shows the cabalgata getting underway.

Happy Birthday Kev!

2008-08-27T20:29:00.002-05:00

Kev turned 11 at 10:21 a.m. today. Happy Birthday Kev! To celebrate, we went to Borders, where he bought a military slang book, and tonight we went out to dinner at Flemings. We tried to go to Ruth's Chris, but we hadn't made reservations and couldn't get in. I really can't believe he's 11 already. How did that happen?

Random Costa Rica Pictures

2008-08-27T10:50:00.001-05:00

Our Niece Dana and Family

2008-08-23T09:17:00.001-05:00

Dana just sent me these photos of her family. Her kids are so cute! We sure wish they would move to Florida (hint, hint).

Catie's baby pictures look just like Dana's, and they both have that 1000 watt smile!

No School Today

2008-08-22T08:02:00.002-05:00

Orange County cancelled school last night around 10 p.m., and LHPS quickly followed suit. The kids had gone to bed around 9 p.m., so they were surprised this morning to wake up late and find out that they didn't have school. The rain has finally slowed down, but it's still a grey, overcast day.

I've been fighting a cold all week, so today I plan to just chill out and take it easy. We've only been back two weeks, and I've been pretty busy getting caught up on our life here.

It's Still Raining

2008-08-21T15:43:00.002-05:00

We got about 8 inches of rain here today, which is nothing compared to the 20 plus inches some of the beach towns got today. It rained all day today. This morning a huge live oak tree toppled over in front of our neighbor's house, and somehow managed not to do any damage. When we left for school this morning two police cars were stationed at either end of our street to keep traffic away from the downed tree.

Tropical Storm Fay is still parked just off the east coast, and until it moves I guess it'll keep raining.

Fay No Show

2008-08-20T17:54:00.002-05:00

We missed Tropical Storm Fay yesterday. Governor Crist declared a State of Emergency on Saturday to get everyone in panic mode, and so I made a half hearted attempt at hurricane preparedness. I know the drill; you need candles or batteries in case the power goes out, non perishable foods and lots of drinking water. We didn't have have any food in the house, or any bottled waters, so off Kevin and Catie and I went to Costco. I also needed gallon plastic bags to make solid bags of ice, which I find work best at keeping your food cold when the power goes out. I filled up some large pots of water for drinking water, but held off filling up the bathtub for flushing. Four years ago we lost power for almost a week, so I've learned it's best to be prepared. The kids' school was closed for Tuesday in anticipation of the storm, and Tiana's school was also cancelled.

Luckily, the storm never even came close to Orlando. We got some rain, and some wind, but no trees came down. There was probably more damage over at New Smyrna Beach, where the storm was stalled for half a day. I called a friend over there today and she told me that the ocean was almost up to the sea wall in front of our building, and that all of the rough sand had been washed away, leaving all the powdery soft white sand behind. Can't wait to see it.

It's still pretty rainy and dreary here.

On a bright note, Catie started her modeling class at Lisa Maile's this afternoon. Look out world!

We're Coming Home!

2008-08-05T11:47:00.002-05:00

We've been in Costa Rica a month, and we'll be coming home on Thursday. Lot of stories to tell! Tiana had a wonderful time with us for the month, and I think that she was amazing being away from her Mom for so long. I'll post lots of pictures when I get home.

We're Packing

2008-07-07T21:30:00.002-05:00

We leave for Costa Rica tomorrow night! We arrive in San Jose at 12:05 a.m., and we're going to the Marriott Airport hotel overnight because our car won't be ready until 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Some friends from LHPS are meeting us in Monteverde for the week, and I think that they'll already be at the Marriott when we get there.

I've finally convinced everyone to travel light, and all of us are taking very little, and we're only checking bags with household and car items. I gave each of the kids a vacuum bag for their clothes, which shrunk down what they're bringing a lot. I sealed the bags yesterday, so it also cut down on the girls changing their minds about what they wanted to bring. All in all we're only checking in three bags, and schlepping the rest.

Jim saw all our packed carry-ons in the dining room and asked me tonight at dinner : "Have I packed yet?". Hmmm.....

Happy July 4th!

2008-07-04T22:55:00.002-05:00

We had a fantastic July 4th! We drove to our friend Mike's house on the St. John's River in Astor, about an hour's ride from Winter Park. Alex came for a couple of hours, but had to leave at 3 p.m. to get to work at 4:30. We brought chicken to barbeque, a watermelon and a coconut cream pie, which turned out to be a big hit. The weather was beautiful, and unlike every other day this past week, we didn't have an afternoon thunderstorm. We had a relaxing day by the river, hanging out in the hammocks (or falling out of the hammocks, in the case of Catie and Ciera, Mike's granddaughter) and drinking margaritas. Those of us who hung out after dinner went out on the pontoon boat for a ride towards DeLeon Springs and Kevin was very pleased that Mike let him drive the boat the whole way out and back.

After dark Mike's son in law and his sons prepared the fireworks that Mike had bought in North Carolina. What a show! The fireworks were beautful shooting high up in the sky over the river. There was only one mishap when some of the rockets tipped over before they shot up, and exploded sideways into the yard in two directions; one toward the house and the other toward the two boats in the boathouse. Luckily no one was hurt, and it added to the excitement.

The evening was unseasonable cool, with temperatures in the 70's. When we got home we found both dogs in the house. I had left Jo in the house and Jumper outside, so they couldn't get into trouble together while we were gone. I forgot that unless I actually lock the back door Jumper knows how to open it.

Kev Is Ready

2008-07-03T08:19:00.004-05:00

We've already been to Kev's favorite store since we've been back, Al's Army Navy Story. The owner knows Kevin by name, and gives him a special discount whenever he comes in. Catie and I are pretty bored shopping there. The only interesting thing Catie found, which she wanted me to buy for myself, were pink camo boxers with Booty printed across the back. I declined to buy them. Kev got a camo waterprooof jacket that will be great in Monteverde, a new hat and new camo pants. Our neighbors will think that the Marines have invaded.

Got Tickets?

2008-07-02T10:47:00.006-05:00

Yard Clean Up

2008-07-02T10:21:00.005-05:00

We were inspired by the yard clean up at Angelo's house in Fina Sisu to do some yard work at our house. Angelo had xeroscaped the front yard several years ago when a tenant was living here, and so our yard doesn't look anything like our neighbors' yards. The goal of xeroscaping is to introduce plants in your landscaping that don't require a lot of water, which has been an issue in Florida for the past 8 years or so as we have been in a drought. I prefer the look of our yard, as it attracts a lot of butterflies, birds and squirrels. our back yard is completely untamed, with scrub trees and wild bushes. The dogs love it. Most people in this area use a lot of St. Augustine grass which requires a lot of water and fertilizer to keep it looking good. I prefer the natural look with as little chemicals as possible.

Jim went out this morning and bought a lawn mover and Kevin and I cut the grass. It looks pretty good. I'll go out later today and get some grass seed to fill in the bare spots. We have been having torrential thunderstorms every afternoon, so it's a good time for planting grass seed.

Catie has been sleeping for 14 hours... Kevin and I are pretty much back on track today.

Jet Lag

2008-06-30T20:28:00.004-05:00

It's good to be home. Catie and Tiana are so happy to see each other that most of the time they play happily together. Kevin and Catie are having a having a hard time with jet lag, and spend most of the day sleeping. They should be back to normal in a day or so. I knew Catie was really tired when she turned down an offer to see Walle last night with Alex, T and Kevin.

While they were at the movies I drove to Sandra's in the rain to pick up Jojo. The storm had knocked out the lights on SR 436 which made driving a little scary. The minute Jo saw me he ran outside and sat by the car - so much for loyalty to Sandra for taking care of him for a month!

It has rained every day since we've been back, with torrential storms in the afternoon. I got caught at Publix in a downpour today and had to borrow a bagger's rain poncho to make a run for my car without getting drenched.

Tomorrow I'll start to pack for Costa Rica, where it's cold and rainy up in the mountains this time of year.

Then and Now

2008-06-29T23:10:00.003-05:00

Dankolo na si yu'us ma'ase'!

2008-06-28T21:21:00.004-05:00

Thank you, Angelo, and all our family and friends for the wonderful time that we had during our month in Saipan. Come and visit us in either Orlando, Florida or Monteverde, Costa Rica!

This One's for Herman

2008-06-28T20:30:00.006-05:00

Dear Herm,

One of the highlights of my trip to Saipan was meeting you, the grandson and namesake of my friend Herman Kiyu. Like him, you are kind and loving and your beautiful daughter Leah is so lucky to have you as her dad. Jim, Alex, Kevin and Catie and I are looking forward to welcoming your family to either Orlando or Monteverde, Costa Rica!

Love, Auntie Donna

Happy Birthday Alex!

2008-06-28T20:20:00.002-05:00

We made it home in time for Alex's 27th birthday today! Happy Birthday Alex!!

Last night we went out to dinner at Houston's to celebrate. We went out pretty late, as we weren't tired because Kevin and Catie and I were still on Saipan time, so in our brains it was 11 a.m., not 9 p.m.

The trip home was uneventful, and although there was very little time between our connections all our luggage made it home with us. I slept most of the way from Nagoya to Detroit (thank you Ambien!) and Kevin and Catie watched a coupled of movies and then slept the rest of the way.

Our month in Saipan passed much too quickly and we already miss Angelo. We watched most of the videos last night with Alex, and he said that he regretted not coming with us. Next time we'll all come!

Jim was pretty busy while we were gone, and painted the interior of the house. I described the colors I wanted over the phone and he picked them out. It looks perfect. I'll take some pictures once all the luggage gets put away.

We leave for Costa Rica on July 8th; Alex is coming for two weeks and Tiana is coming for a month.

Catie Has Her Own Blog!

2008-06-28T20:13:00.001-05:00

Check it out at www.hellocatieblog.blogspot.com !

Super Dog!

2008-06-26T02:32:00.003-05:00

Oreo helped out at the cleanup at Angelo's house in Fina Sisu this weekend. This is the after picture.

Wave Jungle

2008-06-26T02:19:00.002-05:00

Old Man by the Sea

2008-06-26T01:59:00.005-05:00

Earlier this week we went to Old Man by the Sea, a remote beach on Saipan's east coast. We met at my nephew Norman's family's farm in Talafofo, and hiked down to the beach in the pouring rain. The kids had a blast swimming and catching fish with their hands, which they then put in tidal pools to create their own mini aquarium. Six of Norman's seven children were with us, four of Cindy's, Michael's three and my two made for a fun afternoon at the beach. Kevin and Catie are going to miss all their new cousins and nieces and nephews.

Medic!

2008-06-26T01:55:00.004-05:00

We went to watch Angelo play soccer yesterday afternoon after Wave Jungle, and Kevin and Cindy's boys ran off to explore the WWII era Japanese bunkers next to the field. Kevin gashed his leg when he slid down the side of the bunker and fell off. Luckily, he had his first aid kit in our car and was able to patch himself up pretty quickly.

Globalization

2008-06-25T20:42:00.003-05:00

Catie had a lot of fun with my godson Diego's three youngest daughters. They went with us to Wave Jungle yesterday, and then joined us at Angelo's soccer game. Catie and Nala were both wearing the same shirt - pretty amazing when you consider that Catie got her shirt in Orlando and Nala got hers in Saipan, and both shirt were made in El Salvador.

Catie's New Best Friend

2008-06-16T18:24:00.004-05:00

Catie's new best friend on Saipan is Olympia, pictured above. She is the granddaughter of my friend Julie, who is Ramon's first cousin.

Catie can't wait to go to the Novena every night so that she and Olympia can hang out. We're supposed to go to Olympia's Nana's house today so they can play before the Novena. Kevin is expexted at the Kiyu compound to help out with killing the pig for tonight's party.

Last Week's Activites

2008-06-15T13:58:00.004-05:00

We've been very busy since we arrived. Almost every day we go to a different beach, and there's normally an evening activity. For the last week we've been attending a family novena every night. This is a Chamorro custom honoring a saint and the family gathers every night for nine nights to pray together, and then eat and socialize. Kevin and Catie have met some new friends at the novena, and can't wait to go every night. The final night is Tuesday, and they'll be disappointed when we have to find something else to do in the evening!

We toured more of the island last week, and climbed Mount Tapotchou, the highest point on the island. Luckily it's not much of a climb from the parking lot! Next weekend we're going on a hike to see a B-29 plane that's still in the jungle on Topotchou. Rotary Club had a special father's day luncheon last week, and Kevin met a visiting General from Guam.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T02:39:00.003-05:00

Alex and Angelo's Uncle Jesus (Tan Chung, first of the left above) invited us to his house for a Father's Day celebration today. In the photo above are Ramon's brothers and sisters Jesus, Ralph, Merced, Cecilia, Connie and Father Jose. Juan had already gone home when we started taking the formal photos. The top picture is all the inlaws and outlaws. It was wonderful to see everyone.

Kev Made Both Papers Today!

2008-06-09T01:25:00.005-05:00

Kev made the front page of both Saipan papers today! The Marianas Variety - www.mvarietynews.com - and the Saipan Tribune - www.saipantribune.com ! In the Saipan Trubune he's in the background putting a mwar on Orea. In the Marianas Variety he's posing with all the other winners in the Saipan Dog Show. Go Kev!

Barbeque on the Beach

2008-06-08T22:18:00.004-05:00

Angelo's friends arranged a barbeque on the beach in front of the hotel where we are staying yesterday afternoon. We went down to the beach around 4 pm, and stayed until well after dark. Angelo's cousin Ike Cabrera and his wife Alicia came, and his godmother Frances Borja.

Fina Sisu House Cleanup

2008-06-08T22:08:00.006-05:00

Sunday morning Angelo and his team of volunteers met at my old old house in Fina Sisu at 8 a.m. to clean up the yard. We worked for about 4 hours, cutting tangantangan, some of which was about 4 inches in diameter, weeds and overgrown flowers. Kevin and Jim and were pretty amazing wielding machetes, and I assigned myself the task of dragging the trees they chopped down to the chipper.

You can see the progress we made in the first two photos; the last photo is the "before" picture. The jeep in the bottom photo belongs to Angelo's Uncle John, and is from WWII. Amazingly, it still runs.

The house needs a lot of work; the electrical wires and plumbing were ripped out, as well as all the air conditioners and appliances. The concrete is crumbling in parts, and most of the wood has been damaged by termites. The roof looks solid, and the foundation seems strong.

Best of the Worst Boonie Dog Show

2008-06-08T21:44:00.005-05:00

Saturday afternoon we went to the Best of the Worst Boonie Dog Show near the airport. Angelo was a judge, so Catie entered Oreo in the competition for Worst Behaved Dog (he won 3rd place!), Belly Dragger (he won first place because he decided to crawl past the judges) and Movie Star. We had thought that a category was Best Celebrity Look Alike, and went for Catie dressed as Angelo in a Beautiful CNMI shirt and Oreo as Cinta Kaipan wearing a CNMI shirt and mwar mwar. Didn't win that one!

Saipan Photos

2008-06-06T18:15:00.003-05:00

We're in Saipan!

2008-06-05T23:54:00.008-05:00

We arrived in Saipan last Friday morning, May 30th, at 1:20 a.m. and Angelo was there to greet us with his dog Oreo and his friend Laurie. You can check out the pictures of our arrival on Angelo's blog at www.jetapplicant.blogspot.com . I was feeling a little too disorganized after a 24 hour flight to take pictures or a video! We had a very good uneventful flight; Orlando to Detroit, Detroit to Nagoya, Japan and Nagoya to Saipan. The flight to Japan was booked solid, and the only two empty seats on the plane were where we were sitting, so Catie and Kevin got to stretch out and sleep. I managed to sleep most of the way, and arrived feeling quite rested.

We spent our first three nights at the P.I.C., a beautiful resort in San Antonio with a water park. Angelo and Oreo spent the first night with us, and in the morning we did a little tour of Garapan, and went to the American Memorial Park and Museum. Angelo took me and Kevin and Catie to visit his friends Cinta and Gus Kaipat, and later that night we went to dinner with them in Garapan. Cinta's family made all of us traditional mwars, which all of us except Kevin really liked.

We really enjoyed the pools and beach at the P.I.C., and logged a lot of miles in the lazy river there. We also used the kayaks and paddle boats in the lagoon.

On Saturday morning after a breakfast at Wild Bill's with Angelo we went to Suicide Cliff and the Last Command Post and explored the northern end of the island, which hasn't changed much. We then drove to the Saipan airport soccer field to watch Angelo referree a soccer match. That night we went to Taste of the Marianas, an event featuring lots of food booths, traditional dancing and music and a bartending competition.

On Sunday June 1 we moved into a three bedroom two bath penthouse apartment in the Aquarius Beach Tower, a high rise hotel in Chalan Kanoa across the street from Carmen's Safeway. It's very comfortable and a very conviently located. The kids and I went out swimming in the lagoon in front of the hotel once we got settled and I was amazed to see so many people surfing there. The lagoon has been dredged and there are waves now in the area near Sugar Dock.

On Monday we went to lunch at Len's, a Japanese restaurant, where Kevin and Catie had sushi. Kev's goal is to eat sushi every day we are here. After lunch we met Angelo at Wave Jungle, a water park at the World Resort with a lazy river, four water slides and a swimming pool.

On Thursday we went hiking at Laderan Tangke Trail on the northern end of the island with Angelo and his friend Ken. It took us about 2 hours, and Kevin was really thrilled to find a WWII canteen in the woods. Angelo had wanted to make the hike in advance of a hike he's planning to make on Saturday in honor of National Trails Day.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T09:51:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the other mother's out there! Apparently the folks at Orlando Ballet didn't realize that today was Mother's Day when they planned the year end recital for all their aspiring ballerinas and jazz dancers. Catie's recital is at the Orange County Convention Center today at 4 pm. Nora and Gene are driving over for the event, and my friend Nancy is also attending. I'm helping out backstage with costumes and assisting the dancers.

Alex and Kevin are staying home to cook dinner for us for after the show. The area restaurants are so crowded on holidays, and I think it's much nicer to eat at home.

Run for the Roses!

2008-05-09T21:13:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday night Jim and I attended a fundraiser at the Gaylord Palms for Kevin and Catie's school, Lake Higland Prep. It was called "Run for the Roses" in honor of the Kentucky Derby. The ladies were encouraged to wear fancy hats for the evening, which was a lot of fun. I naturally left getting a hat to the last minute and ran out to Marshall's on Friday night and found this black velvet/felt hat, which I decorated with an oversized rose from Walmart. Kevin told me I looked like a witch, and when he saw the shocked look on my face, as I rather like my hat, he amended his comment to say that I looked like a witch from Harry Potter.

We had an opportunity to bid on the silent auction items, and won lunch off campus with the Lower School Director Mrs. Deloach for our kids and two of their friends. I assume that they will do this during school time, so that should be fun.

I've Been Tagged by Angelo

2008-02-19T21:42:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted anything since before Christmas because I've been pretty busy. I was going to post some of the pictures I took over the holidays, but then my computer (the one with all my photos on it) crashed, so I couldn't share my photos.

Angelo just tagged me, and so here goes:

"Young children are brutally candid about the emotional judgement implicit in such rejections. Witness the following dialogue from four-year-olds in a preschool. Linda wants to join Barbara, Nancy and Bill, who are playing with toy animals and building blocks." (From Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.)

Hmmm... I don't know 5 people who blog other than Angelo and the other people whom Angelo tagged. Can I tag strangers?

Rocio and Her Family

2007-12-18T08:44:00.000-05:00

Remember my friend Rocio? She is now married, and has a two year old son. They live in Cusco, Peru and Rocio is working in the tour industry. Rocio took care of Catie when Catie was a baby, and I think that the reason Catie speaks and understands Spanish so well is because Rocio only talked to her in Spanish when she was a baby. I think Spanish is permanently in Catie's hard drive.

Cold Front

2007-12-17T07:48:00.000-05:00

It's 39 degrees in Winter Park this morning. That's pretty cold. Catie was so cold that she is risking the Dean's wrath and wore black leggings under her uniform skort. Tights OK; leggings not OK. She also wore her purple "mink" jacket, so it's not like she'll blend in when she arrives at school. Their school has a strict uniform code, and last month she was written up for wearing a jean skirt on Spirit Day that was more than 4" above her knees, with contraband leggings. AND her socks were the wrong type. It's hard for a fashion queen to wear a uniform.

A cold front moved in yesterday, and I woke up to the sound of wind and hail, and then a huge explosion that sounded like a cannon boom. A huge branch from one of the trees next to our house had crashed onto our fence, bringing down some power lines, and I guess the boom was the sound of the transformer blowing up. That was a dramatic way to wake up. The power crews arrived within the hour, and had the power back on 3 hours later. Not bad for a Sunday morning!

We had to rush down to Gap as soon as it opened at noon to buy Kevin a pair of slacks to wear to lunch at the Citrus Club. He realized on Saturday night that he didn't own a pair of non-jeans long pants that fit him. He wears shorts to school every day. He's now a 14 husky, and wears a size 10 shoe. Cate bought a red with black pockadots (is that the correct spelling - looks weird, but then again I'm hardly awake) shirt, and put together a rather smart looking outfit with red tights and a black skirt. I'll write more about the lunch when I get the photos downloaded.

These Photos Go with Angelo's Post

2007-12-16T11:42:00.001-05:00

These photos go with Angelo's blog at www.jetapplicant.blogspot.com.

Jim Daniel

2007-12-11T08:08:00.000-05:00

My friend Jim Daniel passed away on Saturday night, December 8th, after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. His partner Ray and his parents were with him. Jim had moved to San Francisco a few years ago to take his dream job as Director of International Programs at the San Francisco Art Institute. I was so proud of his many accomplishments, including his graduation with his M.A. from UCF. I'm going to miss him.

Ray created these designs http://www.cafepress.com/raykampf to help raise awareness about colon cancer. He is also going to establish a scholarship in Jim's name to help students to study abroad.

We're at the Beach

2007-12-09T11:00:00.001-05:00

We drove over to beach yesterday morning. Nora and Gene met us over here in the afternoon, and for dinner we drove up A1-A to Daytona Beach and had dinner at one of the restaurants near the lighthouse on Ponce Inlet. I slept on the pull out couch with Kev, and left the balcony door open so that I could listen to the surf.

Yesterday when we all took a walk on the beach we found two starfish. One of them was still alive, so I threw it back into the surf, hoping that would help. The other one we found was already dead, so we left it alone. We also saw several jellyfish washed ashore. It's a bit cool to swim in the ocean at this time of year (at least if you live in Florida and are wimpy, like we are), so we didn't go into the water. The kids did swim a bit in the pool, though. That was pretty cold too, because the heater isn't turned on until January when most of the snowbirds come down.

We are planning to leave around 2 to make it home in time for Catie to attend her friend Abby's birthday party, which is being held at a kid's art studio in Baldwin Park. We'll also need to allow enough time to stop somewhere and buy a Webkinz, the preferred present for 8 year olds.

We weren't going to be able to stay for the 3:30 launch of the space shuttle, but now the launch has been scrubbed until January 2.

We left Jumper at home, because it's difficult having her here because we have to walk her several times a day. We take Jo with us because he's better trained and can be trusted to go on walks with us without a leash and not take off. Also, Gene and Nora had Minnie with them and 3 dogs in this small condo would be a bit much. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach in Volusia County, so we can't even let them go out and have a swim, which Jumper would really love.

Shuttle Launch Postponed Until Saturday

2007-12-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

The shuttle launch was cancelled on Thursday, and so we did our normal Thursday routine instead. The kids have math tutoring at KUMON, and then Kev has his fencing class. We went home and had a quick dinner, and then headed to downtown Winter Park for the annual Carols in the Park. The Bach Choir sings holiday songs, and lots of the Tiffany windows from the Morse Museum are on display. Normally the weather is pretty cool for this event, but last night it was in the 70's, so it was great weather for milling around.

Find the Man in the Coffee Beans

2007-12-06T11:25:00.001-05:00

This is bizarre - after you find the guy in the coffee beans he's so obvious. Once you find him you think: "Why didn't I see him immediately?"

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!

And, yes, the man is really there!!!

Shuttle Launch!

2007-12-05T16:59:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about living in Central Florida is getting to see a shuttle launch. There's a launch tomorrow from Kennedy Space Center at 4:30 pm and so we are planning to pick up the kids right at 3:15 and drive over to New Smyrna Beach where we should have a great view of the shuttle from the condo balcony.

Handcuffs and Catie's Birthday Dinner

2007-12-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

We went out to dinner at Ruth's Chris on Friday night because it was Catie's birthday and she got to pick where she wanted to go. We had to make a stop at the Winter Park fire station first, though, because the handcuffs which Kevin bought the day before in St. Augustine had somehow broken and he couldn't get them off. I vaguely remember him doing this before when he was about 2. He was a little embarrassed to explain to the fire fighter that he needed some help getting the handcuffs off. He got them off in a matter of minutes, and we were on our way.

Wax Lips

2007-12-03T20:25:00.000-05:00

Kevin went on a field trip to St. Augustine with his class on Thursday, and they spent the morning touring the historical sites such as Castillo de San Marcos and the oldest school building in the U.S. In the afternoon they had some free time to do some shopping, and Kev got me something he knew I would love - wax lips!

Kevin has a great memory. A few months ago he asked me about what kind of candy I used to eat when I was a little girl, and I told him about going to the penny candy store near our house (I think it was called Jim's) and buying wax lips. I couldn't remember if we actually ATE the wax. I certainly hope we didn't. Anyway, Kev thought of me when he saw the wax lips for sale and he bought me some.

Family Dinner

2007-11-28T09:25:00.000-05:00

Alex and Tiana came over for dinner last night, and Alex prepared roast lamb. It was delicious! Alex doesn't work on Tuesday nights, and so we normally have dinner together on Tuesdays. Reggie also came over for dinner.

Today I am cleaning the house to get in back into pre-Thanksgiving week condition, and then I'm going to the kids' school to attend their Book Fair. I also have to return the new jeans I bought Kev (too small) and get a size 14 husky. This morning I noticed that we are almost the same size. When did that happen?! He needs the jeans because tomorrow he is going to St. Augustine with his class on a field trip. They are going to visit the old Spanish fort there, which Kev loves. They have to be at school by 7 am tomorrow, and they'll be back by 6 pm.

Citizenship

2007-11-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

Kevin is a Webelo Scout at LHPS, and is currently working on citizenship. There are 5 boys in his den, and the parents have divided the responsibility of den meetings up so that each of each plans two monthly meetings during the school year. This month was our responsibility, and had to do with citizenship. At first I thought it would be good for the boys to visit the Winter Park Police Station, but they turned me down because the boys' home den is in Orlando, not Winter Park. Then I tried to plan something with the Orlando Police Department, but they told me I needed to make the request at leaset 6 weeks in advance (!) and besides, the date I wanted coincided with the Grand Opening of the new Ikea store near Millennia Mall, so no one would be available. (!!)
Scouts with Mr. Jeff Briggs

Front Row Seats!

Mr. Jeff Briggs and Scouts
So.... I talked to Jeff Briggs, Planning and Community Development Director for the city of Winter Park, and he suggested that the scouts attend a City Commission Meeting, which are held on Monday afternoons at 3:30 twice a month. The boys met first with Jeff, who told them about what he does for Winter Park, and then they attended about an hour of the City Commission meeting, which dealt mainly with building issues. They met the mayor, Mr. David Strong, and an Orange County Commsionner, Mr. Bill Segal. They were invited up to the podium to lead the meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a great opportunity for them to see how a city government functions.
Mayor David Strong and the Scouts

Orange County Commissioner Bill Segal and the Scouts

We went to Panullo's after the meeting for a pizza dinner. Jim and Catie came and met us.

Biking in Baldwin Park

2007-11-25T15:35:00.000-05:00

Cate, Tiana, Kevin and I went biking in Baldwin Park today. It's a short bike ride from our house to Cady Way, and then to Baldwin Park. I still can't get over the transformation of the former Navy Base to Baldwin Park. It looks like a town that was created for a TV movie set, with perfect New England style houses, manicured lawns, lots of parkland and bike paths. There's also a small downtown area with restaurants and shops. The idea is that someone could live there and work there, and never need a car to go to restaurants or to shop or play sports.

We had a very good ride, and went to Stone Cold Creamery, where Alex met us while we rested and had an ice cream. Alex was driving, so he left to meet us at home, and we left to ride around Lake Baldwin and get back on the bike path. We were almost to the bike path when Kevin and Catie collided, and Catie went flying off her bike. Luckily, she was wearing her bike helmet so at least she didn't hurt her head, but she skinned both knees and her elbow pretty badly.

We called Alex, and came back with the car to pick up Catie and T and their bikes. Catie is now resting watching TV with bags of ice on her knees and arm.

Cady Way

2007-11-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

Kev and I have started biking on Cady Way, which is a 3.5 mile long bike trail that runs through parts of Winter Park and Orlando. It hooks up with the bike trails in Baldwin Park on the south end, and with the Econlathatchee (or something like that) Trail and Blanchard Park on the north part of the trail. It includes a fantastic bridge that spans Semoran Blvd./SR 436, which we have wanted to cross since it opened about 6 months ago. It is really too hot to bike in Florida in the summer, and so we have been waiting for the weather to be cool enough to be enjoyable. This weekend has been perfect biking weather.

On Saturday Kev and I went out riding for about 2 and half hours. We went over the bridge on 436, and rode to Forsyth, which is really close to the Eastbrook neighborhood where T lives, then turned around and rode to Baldwin Park, where we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery and had an ice cream, then rode all the way around Lake Baldwin, which has its own bikepath. Baldwin Park is really made for biking.

Catie's Sleepover

2007-11-24T10:02:00.000-05:00

Catie's 8th birthday is next week, but we decided to celebrate it early before people get too busy with Christmas events. Only one girl and her family couldn't make it to the party, so I think the timing was right.

We started out the evening with a spaghetti and meatball dinner for Catie and her friends and their parents. It was a bit hectic, as there were a lot of us, so we ate in two shifts, feeding the kids first. While the parents ate the kids decorated gingerbread men (courtesy of Costco!) so we could eat in relative peace. The parents left around 9:30, and I got the kids to lie down on their sleeping bags in Catie's room, which lasted until about 10:30 pm, when Catie came to tell me that some of the girls were crying for their mommies. Oh dear. I figured everyone was way overtired, so I split them up into three bedrooms, and let the two die hards stay up and talk and laugh until the wee hours, while the rest of us went to sleep.

Miraculously they all slept until around 8 am, and then ate a french toast breakfast courtesy of Jim and Kevin in front of a blazing fire, courtesy of a fake log. It was actually colder inside the house, so the kids are now all outside in the front yard playing some kind of espionage game that involves guns and talking covertly into broken cellphones. I'm ready for them to go home so that I can go on a bike ride with Kev!

Catie at the LHPS Veteran's Day Program

2007-11-23T09:43:00.000-05:00

Catie's Big Day

2007-11-23T09:08:00.000-05:00

We're having Catie's birthday party tonight, (as Cate says "It's Great to be 8!") and she has been planning this event for weeks. She has invited 5 girls over for a sleepover, and I think most of them will be able to come. Tiana started running a fever last night and went home early, so we hope she'll be better by tonight. One the agenda for this evening: Dance Dance Revolution, making gingerbread men, manicures and pedicures. No doubt Cate has some other activities planned as well. We have to go out and face the shopping hordes later today to pick up prizes for Dance Dance Revolution.

Some of the parents are coming over for dinner, which will be nice. Now I just have to get the house picked up from yesterday so that it looks somewhat presentable.

It's a gray, rainy kind of day, so I'm not exactly motivated to get anything done.

Thanksgiving Day

2007-11-22T21:54:00.001-05:00

We all had a great Thanksgiving Day! My day started out with a call from Angelo at 7 am, and throughout the day I talked to my 3 sisters in Massachusetts, and my sister and brother in law, as well as some friends.

I got started early on the pies (pumpkin, pecan and apple) and took the turkey out of the fridge to wash it and get it ready to cook, and then Alex took over when he arrived. He and his friend Sarah cooked the entire dinner pictured above. It was absolutely fantastic. Kent and Rene were with us, so we were a group of 9. The kids had set the table for 10, though, so Angelo there was a place at the table for you even if you weren't physically with us we were thinking about you!

Bike Riding

2007-11-17T17:22:00.000-05:00

Our intention was so get up early on Saturday and go bike riding right away, and then drive over to the beach for the weekend.

Well, we all ended up sleeping in until about 9:30 am, which is very unusual for us, but all those 6 am mornings all week have a way of catching up to you. I thought we should clean the house first, which we did, and then we had to drive over to the Cortland house to replace the rental sign that was stolen yesterday (who steals rental signs!), go the library to check if they had the WWII book Kev wanted (they did), go see Wendy to bring her some Airborne, and go the Post Office. Meantime I got a call from someone who wanted to see the Cortland house, who said they would be right there in 10 minutes (they weren't, but they did come 30 minutes later, so we spent some time pulling weeds while we waited. Then off to Publix for subs, when home to eat, and we were on our bikes by 3.

Cate, it turned out, had forgotted how to ride a bike, so we spent about an hour coaching her to overcome her fear of falling off the bike. Then we rode/walked to Winter Park high school to ride in the parking lot, where Catie had lots of room to practice. Her bike riding skills finally kicked in and she did great. I don't think I have been in that parking lot since I gave Angelo a lesson in driving my Subaru many years ago.

We then found the bike path, and rode for a few minutes until we decided to call it a day and went home around 5.

We're going to go pick up Tiana and head for the beach for the night. Ghost crab hunting here we come!

It's Cold!

2007-11-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

The weather was predicted to turn cold overnight, and it sure did. It was 45 degrees outside on the ride to school this morning. Cate wore here leggings under her jean skirt - Fridays are "Spirit Day" at their school, so they get to ditch the uniform and wear jeans with a casual school t-shirt instead of the more formal look. Kev wore his boy scout uniform, also an option for Spirit Day.

Jumper is loving this cold weather, and won't come inside the house. It must remind her of Monteverde.

Donna's Busy Day

2007-11-15T19:19:00.000-05:00

This post is a reaction to the question: "What do you do with yourself now that you're not working?"

We normally get up around 6:45 am every day, and this morning we were a little lazy about getting up. Jim is in Costa Rica for a week, which means I have to take the kids to school in the morning, so by 7 am we were all up, and getting ready for the day.

I dropped the kids off at school around 7:45, and noticed that there is a LOT more traffic on the roads. I think that the Snow Birds have arrived, and probably a lot of Thanksgiving relatives are in the area as well, because there are a lot of cars on the road. After dropping off the kids I went to the Post Office and then to Miller's Hardware ("The Ladies' Harware Store"!) and bought replacement parts for a toilet in a rental house. I dropped that off at the house, and then had to drive in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go because there was so much traffic on Aloma Avenue at 8:30 am that I couldn't make a left hand turn. In the midst of my traffic dilemma I got a call from Angelo, but to my surprise it was EJ who said hello! That was a very nice surprise.

I then went home to work on some paperwork. I need to get new homeowner's insurance because mine will be cancelled in March, but I was going to change it anyway, so it's not a problem. I also got a notice that our mortgage company never paid our 2005 taxes for a rental house (it took the city THIS long to let me know?) so I chatted with a lovely guy in the Philippines for about an hour trying to get that straightened out. Then I tried fixing my laptop (no luck, I'm going to have to bring it back to Best Buy). By this point Jim had called 3 times, and he asked me to drive downtown to check out his commercial building there because his tenant is having a problem, so I went to check that out. MORE traffic. No sign of the tenant, so I headed for home, but decided to call my friend Wendy who had invited me to lunch.

Wendy was in a bad car accident last month, and is still finding it hard to get around. She's using a wheel chair or a walker, and it makes outings challenging. Today she just took her walker because I had trouble earlier in the week trying to get her wheelchair into the back of my car. I thought I was pretty strong, but that wheelchair is pretty heavy, and I can't really manage it. Anyway, we went to Hot Olives on the West side of Winter Park, and had a great lunch. Well, I had a great lunch. Unfortunately Wendy's jaw is wired almost completely shut, and she is on a liquid diet, so she could only have soup. The title above is linked to Hot Olives if you want to check it out.

Angelo won't believe how much this part of Winter Park has changed. It is very trendy with lots of restaurants and little shops - more upscale than Park Avenue.

After lunch I did more paperwork, started to work on Catie's party invitation (She wrote it: "It's great to be eight, so let's selabrate!"), ordered flooring for the wood floors in the rental the plumber ruined when he left the water running for 5 hours and flooded the bathroom and the bedroom, and got someone to fix the kids' bikes so that we'll be able to use them this weekend when the weather turns chilly.

Left to pick up the kids at school around 3, parked instead of going through the car pool line so that I could buy some lunch tickets and pay for their charges. Kevin handed me his homework folder which I was supposed to sign, and which I promptly left at the lunch ticket office, and only remembered it hours later. Oh well. They both go to math tutoring at a school called KUMON on Mondays and Thursdays, but we decided to do that after Kevin's fencing class, which started at 4:20 and runs for an hour. Went to KUMON from 5:30 to 6, and then finally home. What a long day for Catie and Kevin.

I had already made the turkey soup stock in the morning, so when I got home I added Kevin's requests: rice, potatoes and noodles, and snuck in some onions and carrots, which he carefully picked out before he ate the soup.

It's almost 8 pm, Catie's bedtime, and Kevin follows around 9. I'm usually in bed not long after they fall asleep!

Catie's Red Letter Day

2007-11-14T08:34:00.001-05:00

When Catie is in the car, we have to listen to Radio Disney. For those of you who are familiar with Radio Disney, you know that there are lots of opportunities for listeners to call in for a variety of contests and prize opportunities. You can also call to request a song. The problem is, it's pretty hard to get through on their 1-888 number, and Catie has only managed to get through a couple of times to make her request.

Yesterday on the way to school I was driving in my normal too early to be driving morning haze, when Kev, who was listening to Radio Disney, suggested that we should try to win the current contest and be the 10th called to call Radio Disney. I figured I'd humor him, because I figured THAT would never happen, because it is a national radio channel on XM, and I knew we'd never get through. Surprise, surprise, on my 3rd try a voice announced cheerfully: "Radio Disney!". Catie got so flustered when I handed her my phone that she started to stammer out a request, when Kev reminder her she should ask if she was the 10th caller. "Guess what, Catie! You are the 10th caller!". I thought all she had to be was the 10th called and she would win something, but then there was a quiz: she had to identify 3 songs contained in a little snippet which they played for her. It wasn't live, which I thought was strange, because on the radio these little interactions with kids sounded live.

Cate knew 2 of the songs, but couldn't identify the first one, so the announcer kept giving her clues, and she kept guessing. On about her fourth try, she got it right, and said: "Catie! You won!" What she won was a chance in a drawing, and the winner of that drawing will get a phone call from the Jonas Brothers, which would have been like getting a chance to have the Beatles call me. Cate is pretty excited, and is working on what she'll say to the Jonas Brothers.

By this point, we were at school, and so Cate didn't hear her very much edited telephone conversation on the air, which played a few minutes later.

I'm Back!

2007-11-08T19:46:00.001-05:00

It has been a little crazy getting settled, and I can hardly believe that we have been back here for 3 months. We are now into our school routine, as well as our ballet, jazz, tap, Boy Scouts, Brownies and fencing routines.

Tomorrow Catie is performing in the Veteran's Day Program at Lake Highland. She's wearing a military uniform, and is singing patriotic songs with the Academy Singers. Kevin has to get to school early in his Boy Scout uniform, so he can wave the American flag in front of the school to greet all the vistors who are coming to see the programs at 10:30 and 1:30.

Nora and Gene are making the ride over from Spring Hills to see the show, and then we are going out to lunch to celebrate Nora's birthday.

Jim and Alex are heading out to Ohio to attend Andres' wedding.

My Christmas Wish!

2007-11-08T19:45:00.001-05:00

Hanging Out With Our Neighbors

2007-08-07T08:18:00.001-05:00

Our neighbors across the street from us have a small farm behind their bakery. Yes, we have a bakery right across the street from us, which is wonderful. Fresh bread every morning!

We noticed last week that they had a foal, so the kids went over to get acqainted. It was just a few days old, and wouldn't let Kevin get very close.

Kevin spent the day working and riding with our friend Don Carlos one day last week. We drove him to Carlos' farm in La Lindora and they rode to our farm together, where they worked with the cattle for most of the day, and then spent some time training his 2 year old horse. Kev had his new lariat with him, and practiced roping the horse.

Visiting Manolo's Mom

2007-08-05T20:46:00.000-05:00

Our friends Manola and Beth moved to Canada last summer, and we told them that when we are in Monteverde that we'll check on Manolo's mom. Manolo's mom is staying in their house while they are away, and I'm afraid to drive to their house because it requires driving over this bridge. I can't believe that an entire neighborhood has to use this bridge. It's supported by iron beams underneath (I checked when we rode under the bridge once on horseback) but there are lots of holes spaces between the boards.

I got out of the car and walked across, but one of the neighbors shouted to me that the bridge was safe to drive across, so Jim drove.

Below is a picture of Manolo's mom and her brother.

Views of the Gulf of Nicoya From Our Farm

2007-08-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

Random Farm Pictures

2007-08-05T20:35:00.001-05:00

I Thought This Was Funny

2007-08-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

Las Juntas

2007-07-30T16:44:00.000-05:00

When we come back from the beach along the Pan American Highway we pass though Las Juntas de Albangares on our way up the mountain. It's an old mining town where some people still mine gold. The statues in the picture above depict the miners, and in another part of town there is an old mining train. It's a pretty typical Tico town, and there aren't any tourists who come here. It's the equivalent of a county seat, and so you have to come here to conduct any offical business, such as business permits or payment of land taxes.

It's pretty different from Santa Elena, where we live, which is a total tourist town. Jim describes it as ski town without snow, which is a pretty accurate description. Lately there have been so many tourists that there are traffic jams in town, with all the local buses and tour buses. I particularly like the sign on the bus that goes to the Cloud Forest Reserve; it says Cloudy Forest on the sign, which about sums it up.

Playa Tamarindo y Playa Grande

2007-07-30T09:54:00.000-05:00

Kevin and Catie in the Diria pool

Playa Tamarindo with a view of Playa Grande

Playa Grande

Jim's lot in Playa Grande

After we left La Fortuna we drove to Playa Tamarindo, via Tilaran and Canas, and then north on the Panamerican Highway to Liberia. From there we drove west to the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. Stefano and his family went to Playa Panama to a resort, but we drove another hour south to Tamarindo, to Hotel Diria. This hotel has the most fantastic swimming pool - it's build like a beach, so you can wade in, which I think is great. There are little coves, with islands and bridge, and a swim up bar. We spent a lot of time swimming there during the two days we spent at the hotel.

We also took a drive to Playa Grande, where Jim has a lot right near the beach. Right now it's quite overgrown, with only a real estate sign on it. We left for home around 2 p.m. on Saturday, and it took us about 3 hours to get home. The main road to the beaches has been paved, which makes a huge difference in travel time and comfort.

Stefano and Jim in La Fortuna

2007-07-29T16:44:00.001-05:00

View of Tileran on the way to Arenal

Our friends Stefano and Marie and their children Antoniella and Lenny came to Costa Rica this week for a week vacation. They had hoped to visit us in Monteverde, but their travel agent was misinformed and told them that their resort in La Fortuna was close enough to take a taxi. We decided to take the three hour trip and visit them instead, so on Wednesday morning we headed out of Santa Elena towards Tilaran and then on to La Fortuna and the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort.

View of Arenal Volcano from our hotel room

We weren't aware that the springs and the resort were two different places, a simple mistake considering that I asked the parking lot attendent if we were at the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort, and he said yes, without pointing out that the hotel was actually about a mile further along the road. Due to the confusion, it took us a while to connect with our friends, but we eventually got tired of waiting, and started the drive to La Fortuna, when we came upon the other part of the resort.

We went for a swim in the hot springs, which the kids loved. It's quite well done; there are a number of different sized pools, some with waterfalls, and the water was quite warm. The largest pool in the front had a water slide, and Kevin and Catie spent most of their time in this pool, which was convenient as it was located next to the swim up bar. I tried taking picutures in the springs, but it was so steamy that none of them came out very well.

We then decided to take a drive to the Arenal Observatory to have a closer look at the volcano. We drove up a narrow dirt road, across a rather sketchy looking bridge, and into the woods, up the mountain. It was about 8 pm and quite dark, and as we didn't really know where we were going the ride was scarier than it would have been in the daylight. We forded one stream, and when we came to another, we decided to it was too risky and decided to turn around. Antoniella thought she saw a light in the distance, so we got out of the car to investigate. Good thing we did, because we were about 100 yards from the guard's shack that in front of the driveway to the observatory. Back in the car, up another 2 km to the top, and as we got out of the car, Arenal put on a show. I had never seen the volcano up close before, and I couldn't believe the amount of lava flowing down the sides. By the time I got my camera out, it had slowed down, so in my picture you can only see some of the lava. It's disconcerting to stand under a live volcano, so we didn't stay too long, and left to have dinner in town. Lenny and Antoniella had arranged for Stefano and Marie to have a privately catered dinner in a rainforest setting to celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary.

Hiking, Foosball and Dancing

2007-07-24T19:43:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we went hiking on our farm with the kids and two of our friends who live close by, Jessica and Luis Alonso. We left around 9 a.m. and drove to the second gate on the farm, where we left the car and started walking. We walked for about a mile on the road, and then entered the farm at the last gate, and started the descent. I've done this hike a number of times, several times on horseback, and I have to say that I prefer doing it on horseback even though the height scares me a bit. Even though the difference in altitude is less than 300 meters (1000 ft.) it seems a lot more extreme, especially on the way up.

It was an exciting hike. Don Carlos has put a lot of new cattle on the farm, and they didn't seem as tame as the other cattle he used to have. Even the cows have big horns, which is rather intimidating. It didn't bother Kevin, and he picked up a long stick and yelled some kind of cowboy yell to get them moving along. Jessica and Luis Alonso were happy to have him take charge of the cattle. Then Don Carlos' rather frisky young horse started following us. I didn't figure out for a while that he kept approaching me (which had me rather scared, because the last time we rode horses on the farm this horse acted very agressively with the other horses) because I was wearing Kevin's Australian cowboy hat, which looks somewhat like Don Carlos' cowboy hat. Hmmm... I think I was confusing the horse. Anyway, Kevin took some time to get the horse to come up to him to eat out of his hand, and to let him touch him. When we told Don Carlos later that Kevin was working on taming his horse, he could hardly believe it, as he told us this horse is rather wild, and hasn't been broken yet.

We hiked down to the little house that is still on the farm, and talked Jim out of hiking all the way down to the river. (What goes down has to come up!) Instead we walked a little way to check out a waterfall, which normally has a lot of water, but that day only a trickle of water was running. All in all, we hiked for about four hours, and by the time we walked back to the car my legs were rubbery.

We now have a new bar right near our farm, Bar Pabas, and luckily it was open when we passed by! We decided to stop for lunch, and the kids were happy to see that they have a new Foosball game. They were playing some great Spanish cowboy music, and Jim and I did our best to embarass the kids by dancing.

Jessica and Luis Alonso invited us to go to Tilaran this weekend to visit Luis Alonso's parents, and to do some fishing. I'm looking forward to it.

Don Carlos' Farm in La Lindora

2007-07-24T19:29:00.000-05:00

Don Carlos Salas takes care of our farm for us. He and his wife Noemi live in La Lindora, a small village located about 15 minutes outside of Santa Elena. From his farm, he has a beautiful view of our farm, pictured in the photo below. Our farm starts just after the second peak from the left, and extends to where the mountain is obscured a bit by the trees in the forground. That's Carlos and Jim in the second photo.

Don Carlos wanted Kevin and Catie to come and see his twin cows; one set, the white ones, were born three weeks ago, and the golden ones were born about 12 hours before the photos were taken. Twins are not that common, and so Carlos was incredibly lucky having two sets of twins born in a month. He invited Kevin and Catie to come and work the farm with him, and they will most likely go work with him tomorrow or the next day. His day starts at 5 a.m., and I don't think we'll get there that early.

Guayabas

2007-07-22T08:34:00.000-05:00

Whenever we go for a walk Catie looks for guava (guayaba) trees. The birds also like these fruits, so ripe ones are surprisingly hard to find. The ripe fruit is a soft yellow on the outside, and inside is bright pink.

She's pretty persistent when she sees a ripe one. She managed to shake two down out of this tree.

There's a guava forest across from our farm, and despite the huge number of trees, Catie didn't find even one ripe guava. She has a lot of competion from the birds and the wild animals.

Coffee Tour Pictures

2007-07-22T08:10:00.000-05:00

Catie and Liam got to ride in the oxcart at the Coffee Tour. These oxen aren't just for show; they are actually used a lot in Monteverde to haul heavy loads. I've seen them being used on the road hauling out huge boulders.

Even though it might look like he's not paying attention, Kev took it all in and now pretty much has the history of coffee memorized. He can relate the story in Spanish or in English, which is impressive.

And Kevin Got the LAST Copy of Harry Potter in Monteverde!

2007-07-21T19:20:00.000-05:00

Kev got the LAST copy of the new Harry Potter book in Monteverde today! We called ahead to reserve it this morning (it helps to know the owner Deb!) and when he was paying for it, two tourists were in line trying to get a copy. Alas, there were no more to be had. A girl outside the store offered Kev $50 for the book, but he wouldn't part with it.

If you look closely at the store window, you'll see our sign for Kev's missing horse. Someone stole Imperial from our neighbor's pasture. Kev's having a rough year this year. At least he has Harry Potter.

Buscando Nacientes

2007-07-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

Today we went over to our farm to hike and to find the fastest way to get to the springs. If we had listened to Kevin, we would have found them a lot quicker, but I was sure that I knew the way so I insisted that we go my way first. We got a bit lost and ended up near the bottom of a waterfall in a banana grove. There were lots of banana peels on the ground, so I imagine that there must be monkeys that hang around down there. I knew we were close to the spring, so Kevin and I hiked to the top of the highest ridge to get some perspective. Kev was getting a little cranky because we kept slipping in the mud, and it was hard going getting to the top. After all that work hiking to top, it didn't do us any good because it looked like the spring should have been where it wasn't, if that makes any sense. So then we had to hike all the back down again, being careful to walk in the very narrow cow paths.

We hiked along another ridge and eventually found the springs. Jumper loved it; it was very wet and muddy and she had a good time sitting in the mud. We decided we'd find the shortest route to the other spring, and this time we listened to Kevin so we found it fairly quickly. The path leading to this spring was extremely muddy and I slipped and my hiking book sunk ankle deep in gooey mud. I also had to sit down a few times to avoid falling down, so my jeans were pretty disgusting by the time we got home.

I'm fascinated with language, and how different languages express ideas differently. In Spanish, for example the movie Finding Nemo is translated as Buscando Nemo (Looking for Nemo), which to me means something entirely different. Finding Nemo is so much more confident in the outcome. Anyway, that's why this entry is called Buscando Nacientes (Looking for Springs) instead of Finding Springs, because I wasn't sure that we would actually find them.

I'm starting to really know my way around the farm, which is a good feeling. When we used to hike there before I used to get nervous when we got a little lost. I have a much better sense of direction. It's not that big, but at 140 acres or so, it's big enough to get somewhat lost in.

A friend of mine here gives massages, and she came to the casita this afternoon after our hike to give Jim and me massages. What a treat! She's also studying to be a chiropractor and made some adjusments on me.

Liam went with us hiking, and is spending the night tonight here with us. He is so excited to be on his first sleepover with us! We went out earlier tonight to eat arroz con pollo at the Santamaria's soda, then drove to Poca a Poca to see if they had the new Harry Potter movie (they did, but in Spanish, so Kevin figured he'd give it a try), then drove up to Sabores in Cerro Plano for brownie delights and ice cream. What a night! Liam was asleep by 9 p.m., I think. Catie lost interest in the movie and went to sleep but Kevin is still watching the movie. We're going to Chunches in the morning so he can buy the new Harry Potter book.

Our Coffee Tour Walk

2007-07-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

We had such a fun day today. Today was my friend Tina's son Max' 8th birthday and we we went to their house today for Max's birthday party. Tina made several kinds of pizza and homemade chocolate birthday cake. The kids had a blast. We were there all afternoon, and then went to Friend's School Library to get some more books. We dropped off the videos on the way home and picked up two new videos. We were driving the Jeep, which is a lot of fun, because Jim went to San Jose for the day.

I really needed a walk to work off some of that cake and ice cream, so we took our usual Coffee Tour Walk, which normally takes us about 30 minutes. Today it took a little longer because we ran into Don Juan, who owns the farm and whose children run the the Don Juan Coffee Tour. He invited us into the restaurant because he wanted to show Kevin a collection he keeps for the tourists of different currency from around the world. I'll post some pictures of several recent walks, including a picture of Don Juan.

In this last picture you can see our house from the road up from the coffee tour nestled in the trees.

A New Addition to the Family

2007-07-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

My niece Jill has a new addition to the family: Lola Mae Gowen was was born July 16th at 2:37 a.m. According to her husband Matthew she weights 7 lb. 2 oz and is beautiful with big eyes and long fingers. That's her big sister Charlotte in the lower photo.

I am posting these photos primarily for Angelo's benefit who frequently feels that he is the last to get any family news.

Pictures from the Santamaria Agroturistica Finca

2007-07-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

San Rafael Campo de Oro

2007-07-15T18:47:00.000-05:00

We heard there was a cabalgata today in San Rafael, so we figured we'd go for a ride in the Jeep to check it out. The Jeep has been in San Jose for the past year at Mark's house, and Jim drove it back up the mountain when he got back from San Jose on Saturday. It looks great because our friend John painted it and fixed all the rust spots last year for us. Jumper came with us for the ride.

We drove to San Rafael, but didn't see any evidence of a cabalgata, so we stopped to ask for directions, and someone told us to keep driving; it was further down the mountain. We kept going and going, and still didn't see anything, so we stopped again for directions. A guy walking by said he lived in San Rafael, and hadn't heard about a cabalgata, but had seen some of his neighbors riding away on horseback earlier, so he thought maybe it was further down the mountain. So, we kept driving and were about to turn around figuring we had missed it when we stopped to ask someone driving a small truck if he had heard about the cabalgata, and he said that was where he was heading, so we followed him.

Good thing we found him because he turned onto a smaller road, and headed up a different mountain. After another fifteen minutes or so driving on a progessively rockier road, we finally approached a few other cars in the road who had stopped to park, and realized that we had arrived. There weren't many riders; I'd guess at the most about 50. Normally the cabalgatas are held in the dry season, when it's a lot easier to ride. We walked around and looked at the horses, and the ride finally started at about 2:15 pm, about 2 hours past the scheduled time, which was unfortunate as it started pouring around 2:30, so everyone would have a two hour ride in the rain. I imagine that most people don't care, as they start drinking much earlier in the day, and I'm pretty sure the beer truck follows the riders.

We stayed for a while in the crowded community center and listened to the music, and then decided to head home. We only saw a few people we knew, and we were the only gringos. We were just past the center of San Rafael when Jim noticed that the Jeep was overheating, so we pulled over to see what the problem was. As soon as we raised the hood, a car going in the other direction pulled over to help us. Turned out it was our friend Manolo's cousin Raoul and his wife Marleny, on their way to Las Juntas. Raoul knew a whole lot more about cars than we did, and we were soon on our way back home.

I've Been Tagged by Angelo

2007-07-14T15:28:00.000-05:00

which means that I have to write something about the last time I experienced different emtions. Here goes... I'll do it in the opposite order from Angelo, as I was left with a very strong emotion after reading his list:

Last time I was surprised: Reading Angelo's list on his blog that EJ told him this week she is pregnant. At least this announcement didn't knock the wind out of me (not sure how to describe that emotion!) the way Alex's did when he showed me a stack of photos upon returning from Saipan after his dad first became ill and among the photos was a sonogram. I was so surprised that time my legs got weak and I had to sit down. When's the wedding Angelo? We're planning to be there for Christmas if you want to wait until then!

Last time I was afraid: riding a horse down a slippery grassy slope on our farm last month.

Last time I was exhausted: Thursday night after an hour of "Zumba"; a combination salsa/aerobics/modern dance class.

Last time I was happy: I'm pretty happy most of the time, especially in Costa Rica where life is so tranquilo. Actually, I'm pretty happy that EJ is pregnant because I thought Angelo never wanted children, and I was afraid he would miss out on life's greatest gift. I'm pretty happy that I'm going to be a Nana again.

Last time I was depressed: I haven't been really depressed in a long time.

Last time I was frustrated: Last week I was trying to send money by wire transfer to a business partner in San Jose. I went to the bank here 4 times, and each time met with failure. I always needed some other piece of information that they had neglected to tell me the time before. Added to this was the attitude of the clerk in the bank who talked in front of me like I couldn't understand every word she was saying. Anyway, on the fifth try it went through.

Last time I was sad: Last week I was missing my life in Florida, missing Alex and Tiana and only seeing the downside of living in Costa Rica. To cheer up the kids and I went out to dinner at Tramonti and ate pizza and it helped a lot.

Last time I was angry: In the process of moving into our new house someone stole Kevin's IPod from his bedroom. Who would stoop so low to steal from a 9 year old kid?

Finca Agroturistica Santamaria

2007-07-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Liam came over to hang out with Kevin, so in the afternoon to give them something to do we walked up the street to the Santamaria's soda (small family run restaurant) to hang out with the Santamaria kids. Nicollette, Ryan and Jackson came along for the walk, as well as their new zaguate (street dog) Ginger and Lily. It's all uphill, so it's a bit of hike, and Nic had to carry Jackson, because at 2 he's not quite ready for hiking.

The Santamaria's are a family of 9 brothers, most of whom still live in the area. Two years ago they formed the Finca Agroturistica Santamaria as a community gathering place. They just finished a huge play area behind the soda, complete with see-saws, swings made out of old feed bags and a soccer field. There's also a covered area outside with a mechanical bull. I haven't seen the mechanical bull in action, so I don't know how it works. It's basically an old oil drum covered with blankets with a tail attached.

Kevin and Catie went to school last year with the Santamaria kids, so they know everyone there, which makes it easier. Also, all the kids are bilingual and I've noticed that they tend to talk together in both Spanisha and English.

We spent the afternoon there and ate a late lunch. The food is great; the kids and I both had arroz con pollo and they also had french fries. We let Jumper loose so she could run around with all the kids, but that was a mistake as she headed straight for the cow poop and rolled around in it. Whew!! Kevin had to give her a bath as soon as we got home.

The other night Kev went on a Night Tour that the Santamaria's arrange, and he had a great time. He saw a sloth, racoons, tarantula, motmot, bats, opposum and a poison dart frog.

Kevin's Reply to Alex

2007-07-12T08:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Judy!

2007-07-09T09:40:00.001-05:00

Today is my sister Judy's xx birthday! Happy Birthday Judy! I've posted some pictures that Judy sent the other day of her family so everyone can enjoy them.

Making Repairs

2007-07-08T17:22:00.000-05:00

We've been trying to get a carpenter to come to our house since the first week we were here in Monteverde. The roof on the porch has two leaks, the roof on the casita sounds like it is going to blow away in the next storm and most of the screens in the main house have holes in them courtesy of some homeless cats, I imagine. Oh, and Jumper demolished the cat door when we left her here alone on the porch one day. I don't know what she could have been thinking. We did find people to help us to get the gardens under control, but carpenters must have plenty of work because everyone we asked would make an appointment, and then not show up. I've noticed that that it a cultural trait here; no one will ever come right out and refuse a request.

When Ricardo offered to loan me his carpenter I was thrilled. It's actually a father/son team, which is great. They came over Saturday morning and I went over with them everything that needed to fix. I don't have a ladder that is high enough to reach the porch roof, so off we went to Ricardo's in Monteverde to borrow his extension ladder. I no longer have a roof rack on the Land Rover (that's another story), so the guys made a makeshift rack using some boards some old foam, and tied the ladder to the roof. Then we headed to the ferrateria (hardware store) where everything is behind the counter, and you ask for everything one thing at a time, and then the invoice is written up by hand. We bought a few kilos of different sized nails, some screen and the plastic stuff to fix the leaks in the roof. All of the roofs here have something called "laminas", which is plastic sheeting that allows the sunlight to come through the roof. They are something like skylights, except that they aren't transparent. The idea is that they allow the warmth of the sun to enter, because it can be very damp living in a cloud forest, and it keeps the house drier.

Next, we had to do to the "deposito" (wood store) to buy the wood to fix the casita roof. By this point I was running a little low on cash, so I asked the carpenter how much he thought it would cost. I got the stardard answer: "Depende". I love that answer. It's pretty much the standard answer for any question you might ask here. Turned out that our good friend Victorino who used to own the Ranario is now running the deposito, so I didn't have to worry. Then the wood got put on the car roof with the plastic sheeting and the ladder.

All in all it took us about two hours to pick up the material, which wasn't too bad, but the guys forgot to buy a special kind of roofing nail, so they had to go back to the ferrateria.

So far they have fixed the screen porch off the kitchen and cleaned out two of the porch laminas. They'll be back on Monday.

Santa Elena in 1950

2007-07-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

I took a picture of a photograph on display in the Paseo de Stella Museum of downtown Santa Elena in the 1950's. I'll take a picture of Santa Elena today to show the contrast.

Tina's Birthday at Paseo de Stella

2007-07-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

We've had a busy week. On July 4th I went to yoga class at the Friend's School with my friend Tina, and Kevin and Catie played with her kids Max and Isabella around the school. There's a playground there, and they managed to keep pretty busy for the duration of the class. After class everyone came to our house for a spaghetti dinner.

On Thursday I helped Tina with some decluttering and space clearing in her house. We went through all her clothes, and put aside everything that she doesn't use or love for her to donate. Kevin and Catie helped Max and Isabella to do the same. The next step is to do some feng shui!

Tina's birthday was on Friday, and we spent most of the day at her house. First we went hiking behind the Monteverde Institute, which is close to their house. We were a good sized group: Tina, Ricardo, Max, Isabella, Kevin, Catie and me plus our two dogs and their two dogs. We hiked into the back part of the Monteverde Reserve, and then down to a stream where the kids took off their shoes and socks and waded around in the freezing cold water. Jumper and Montey enjoyed the swimming too. We heard a lot of bellbirds (bonk!) but we didn't actually see any.

After our hike we walked down to Paseo de Stella, a fairly new business in Monteverde, which has a bat museum (click on link in the title for more information, a history museum about the Monteverde area and the Quakers who settled here, a gift shop and and the Argentine Cafe. We ate at the Cafe, and the food and ambience was great. Lily, our rent-a-dog, made the mistake of climbing out on the very slippery tile roof, and almost fell off. We were told by the worker who rescued her that another dog had fallen off the roof the week before and sustained fatal injuries. Luckily Lily was fine. We walked back to Ricardo and Tina's house, and had chocolate birthday cake and ice cream. Yum!

Coffee Tour Walk

2007-07-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Almost every day the kids and I and whatever kid or kids happen to be playing at our house for the day take a walk through the Don Juan Coffee Tour farm. The farm is actually right below our house, and the main building has a fantastic red tile roof that you can see from our porch. It was constructed in traditional Tico style, made out of wood with huge beams and a very high ceiling.

There are two entrances to the farm, and we sometimes alternate between which way we walk to the farm. The kids like the main entrace better because they think it's an easier walk. I disagree because that way we end up with a practically vertical climb at the end to reach the main road. They don't seem to mind this, as they generally run through the fields checking out the guava trees looking for ripe guavas, which just happen to be Catie's favorite fruit. The Cruz family, who own the farm, dammed up part of the stream that runs through their property to make a duck pond. They have a number of ducks, swans and geese swimming in the pond. Jumper is determined to get one of them, so I have to keep her on a really short lead when we walk by the pond.

We normally take a walk just before dinner. I figure it helps us all to work up a good appetite, and by that time of the day it's cooler. We're going to skip our walk tonight because we're going to Deb and Liam's house for dinner.

Sunday at Home

2007-07-01T17:27:00.000-05:00

We had a quiet day at home today. It's kind of a rainy, cloudy day, and the kids were content to hang out at home, particularly because Liam and Ryan came over for the day. I make chicken soup and popovers for lunch, and it was a big hit. This is my third try at making popovers, and they are still not coming out right. They don't rise very high, and they're not full of air. Could be the alititude. I'll keep fiddling with the recipe. I've decided to make a recipe book while I'm here of all the things I CAN cook here, so I don't get discouraged with the process. The kids aren't hard to please; their favorite meal is a can of tuna dumped on hot rice. Thank God for rice cookers! I used my crock pot to make the soup today, and it came out really well. Maybe tomorrow I'll make another batch of homemade spaghetti, another crowd pleaser.

Catie and Ryan almost gave me heart failure today. They have strict instructions NOT to play in the guest house (this after I caught them jumping off the top bunk) and NOT to leave our property. Considering that our property is about a half acre or so of little paths amid wild undergrowth, plus the gardens that are somewhat under control, they have a lot of space to play in. I keep an ear out for them while they are outside, and when I hadn't heard them for a few minutes I sent Kevin and Liam to investigate. No Catie and Ryan. OK, I figured they must be at the bottom of the property, on the lower paths in front of the house, so I didn't panic. They weren't there. By this point I was yelling "Catie" loud enough to be hear in Santa Elena, and the girls still didn't appear. I finally caught sight of them through the trees, on the path leading back from Ryan's house. Such a relief. It's not that I think that they might be kidnapped, but there are so many things that could happen outside here that I don't have to think about in Florida. Snakes, tarantulas, falls down a cliff... Childhood here is way more interesting.

Right now the house and everything around it is in a big cloud. I'm going to take the kids for a walk to tire them out. It's really fun and mysterious running through clouds.

Arco iris

2007-06-30T14:10:00.001-05:00

Rainbows appear regularly in the rainy season, usually in the early morning or in the late afternoon after it rains, as it does most afternoons. I took these pictures from our front porch, looking across at our farm.

BBQ

2007-06-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we ran into my friend Margarita while we were in town doing some shopping. She told us that she had some guests staying in her cabina, and invited us to a barbeque at her house at 5:00. I asked what I could bring, and she said I could bring anything I wanted. Hmmm... that could be a challenge. I've gotten better over the years at cooking here, but I still find it difficult. The first time we came here, for three weeks in the summer of 2003, I didn't cook the whole time we were here. I look back at that and can hardly believe it. Anyway, I figured that I should bring a dessert to the party, and as the ingredients to my best desserts - apple pie, refrigerator cake or strawberry shortcake - were not available, I would make oatmeal cookies. I've figured out how to light the stove without blowing it up, which helps. When Alex was here two years ago he got a flash burn on his arm and face from lighting the stove incorrectly. I had everything I needed except vanilla, so I substituted bananas, and they came out great.

The kids and I have been walking at least 30 minutes a day to get in shape, and we hadn't had our walk yesterday when it was time to leave for the party. I suggested that we walk to Margarita's house, which is about 10 minutes away, and that would equal a 20 minute walk roundtrip. Kevin said it would be better to stick to our plan, so instead we walked the long way though the coffee farm near our house. This is a perfect 30 minute walk, and it passes right by Margarita's house. We dropped some cookies off at our friends who own the Rosewood Souvenir shop (where I have bought all my wooden bowls over the years) as a thank you to Lycho who gave me lots of basil for my sphagetti sauce the other day.

I've been to Margarita's house a lot, but I didn't realize that she had an outside kitchen in the shed outside her house. I had assumed it was a garage, as it had a locked gate outside it. She was preparing the barbeque there, and had already made potato/apple salad (it was great!) and had the meat marinating. I cut up some sweet red peppers and onions, and started to put the meat on skewers. Margarita mixed up some masa harina to make tortillas on the old black wooden stove, and Kevina and Catie came in to learn how to do it. Kevin had not been eager to come to the party, but he had a really good time. Margarita asked him to keep the stove going, so he had to find some wood and keep the fire stoked. There were about 6 other kids at the party, and they had a lot of fun running around in the yard in the dark and climbing the guava trees looking for guavas.

The guests staying in the cabina were from Los Angeles, and were originally from Poland. They are in Monteverde for a week, and are studying at CPI, our local Spanish language school.

I met a friend of Margarita's, Xinia, who is buying a lot right up near our farm. She was interested to hear that the kids and I walk every day so she is planning to join us on Monday afternoon for a longer walk to La Cruz. That usually takes us about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete.

We walked home in the dark with Xinia and her daughters under a full moon. It was a great night.

Happy Birthday Alex!

2007-06-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Alex! I wish we could all be with you on your birthday today! Instead Kevin and Catie and I are sitting in the house in the midst of a torrential downpour. The rain is thundering on the roof, and I can barely see the Don Juan Coffee Farm below us. Looks like we won't be hiking today! We went to town earlier and stocked up on groceries, so we don't have to leave the house.

I hope you have a fun dinner tonight with Jim! We love you!