Lisa!

 Our favorite niece, Lisa, arrived last week.    It's been almost a year since we saw her, and we were looking forward to her visit.

We did a little relaxing and catching up, then took a trip up to Cottonwood for some wine tasting, beer tasting, train riding, eating and laughing.    Taos accompanied us.

   

Lisa, Janet, Bob and Dave

Lisa's cousin once removed (I think that's how it goes) and Dave's relative by marriage (this gets really complicated and I can't keep it all straight!) and his delightful wife came over from Scottsdale to see her.      After a quick happy hour here we all went to Rancho de los Caballeros for dinner, then they headed back to the Valley.

We rented a nice VRBO house in Cottonwood for three days so we could spread out and enjoy our time together.

see Taos watching me?

It had nice views towards Sedona and the Mogollon Rim in the distance.   

It also had a huge black leather massage chair in the living room.    We all tried it out, it was a very weird feeling.   Some of us liked it more than others.....

We had lunch at Page Springs Winery, sat beside a busy little stream and tasted some nice wine at DA Ranch, enjoyed a good German Lager at the Belfry in "downtown" Cottonwood, had dinner at Nicks Italian Steak and Crab House, tasted wines and ate a lite dinner at Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery and Trattoria, and had some yummy take-out Thai from Mai Thai on Main.      The weather was nice (ish) for our four-hour train ride on Monday, but we enjoyed ourselves, nonetheless.  

hinge details at Page Springs Winery

the boys walking to DA Ranch winery

waiting to board the train

comfy couch seats

Green Verde River path

We rode the Verde Valley Railroad train 20 miles into a beautiful canyon, following the path of the very verde Verde River.    Once through a dark tunnel and out of the canyon walls, the brightly painted locomotive engine disconnected, passed us all by, reconnected at the other end and off we went again.    The scenery was just as beautiful on the way back!

Eagle eye logo on the locomotive fills the window as it passes by a fellow passenger

Taos was a very good boy on the train ride.    He slept beneath the coffee table the entire time, only twitching his nose slightly when we opened our charcuterie boxes for a little snack.     He even handled the steep, open backed stairs onto and off the train with only a slight hesitation.   Good boy.....

 

After our visit with Lisa was over and before the next guest arrives tomorrow, Dave took care of a little business.     Actually, he's been brainstorming one particular job for a while now.   He likes to keep Beluga up to date and to replace things before they break down or malfunction, so in that vein, he bought two new air conditioner units a month ago.      How to get the two old units off the roof and then lift the two new, 100 lb. units up and put them in place......

   

up they go!

Steve came over this morning to help and they had the old ones removed, winched down to the floor and the new ones winched up and in place on Beluga's beautiful white roof!     Piece of cake!

Earlier this fall he replaced the inverter that, apparently, fried as a result of a neighbor's birthday balloons hitting our power lines and causing a blackout.       Ahem.       He also located (with Steve's help, again...) an air leak in the system that provides airbag suspension and brakes......All fixed now!

We don't traditionally have any little ghouls or goblins trick or treating here.   Probably not enough houses to make it worthwhile but......here is a little cutie I recognize...

go Annie!

 

Costa Rica

 We're back home and unpacked after a lovely family vacation in Costa Rica.  

  The trip was an anniversary celebration gift from Jesse and Erin.     Costa Rica is one of their favorite places in the world and they wanted to share it with us. 

Dave and I booked a hotel room in Phoenix the night before our flight.  We had Taos with us so he could have a hotel room experience and then dropped him off at a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy sitter the next day.   After drop off, we went back to the hotel and got the shuttle to the airport for our Dallas flight leg.  Taos did very well in the hotel, he walked through the jam-packed lobby filled with a large, loud, rather tipsy family reunion, entered the elevator with said reunion revelers and slept like a baby on his bed in the room.    Good boy.

Our flights were fine, we booked first class seats, so we had a nice ride with pretty decent food on the trip to Dallas.    We met Jesse, Erin and Annie there, stayed overnight and finished the trip to Costa Rica the next morning.     It's a long trip and somewhat complicated with four adults and a one-year-old.

Grandpa entertains at the terminal

The rental car was a tight fit for us all!  Especially Dave

Once again, grandpa entertains at check in

He shows her how to stuff those wet towels into the holes in the coffee table!

 

long day, tired baby

We spent our time at our destination (El Mangroove Hotel) relaxing beside one of the five pools, in one of the pools, playing pool.....eating and drinking and talking and playing with sweet Annie.

Annies favorite pool was very shallow
She could motor around all on her own, and chase daddy's shoes

  

this little wren was a butter connoisseur!

The resort was absolutely beautiful, lush and verdant and dense.... every inch covered with all manner of plants.    The weather was rainy for the first day or so but then the blue sky returned as did the heat and extreme humidity.   It turned Annie's hair into a riot of curls!

Dave walks to our suite

our window view

Plenty of wildlife kept us busy looking down, and up and in.   What was that sound?   Did you see that bird?    Look at that iguana watching us.    

a howler monkey was most often heard but rarely seen

these colorful guys were everywhere

this critter watched us quietly from the safety of his tree 

Not all the wildlife was exactly wild......    A few locals joined us for breakfast each morning.     They were all polite and never "asked" to help with our meal but were friendly and more than willing to accept any handouts when offered.

two of many Rufous-naped wrens

Gato Tigre and Gato Negra

We did venture out of the resort a few times for dinner at The Andaz, a luxury Eco resort nearby.    We tried two of their restaurants and the food and atmosphere were both exceptional.

On our adventure day, we drove to the town of Coco, boarded a panga and were ferried out to the Sea Bird, a classic 45-foot sailboat, to begin our morning journey.  The trip included a stop in a picturesque cove perfect for snorkeling.  

I took very few pictures of the boat and our excursion because I wasn't comfortable taking my phone out on the rocking boat!    My mind's eye recorded them instead. 

  The weather was a bit iffy, and the skies were cloudy, but the trip was fun.     We anchored offshore and once again boarded the panga for the ride into shore.    Don't ask me about my whale like panga entry, I'm trying to forget!  

    Dave and Jesse set off to find the reef and Erin, Annie and I played with shells and stones and swam in the warm water.

snorkel man with noodle

 

 We were given a bag of fruit to feed the monkeys that often frequent this beach looking for handouts.      I wasn't exactly excited about monkeys asking me for things, I've watched too many Americas' Funniest Videos I guess......    No monkeys that day, phew, they must have been having their siesta!         

Jesse came back and switched occupations with Erin so she could snorkel out to see the turtles.      Once safely (ahem) back on the Sea Bird we found a huge plate of goodies, including the most fabulous pineapple I've ever eaten, waiting for us along with the requisite beverages.      A lovely morning.

Annie was the star of the trip.   She's such a good little girl, dealing with schedule changes, plane flights, lots of strangers and late evenings with nothing more than a few grumpy faces and squawks of annoyance. 

   

   

peek a boo

at the dinner table with bunny

Now that she's back home and into her routines, watching formula one on tv with Dad is high on her list.....

We're back into our routines also, but looking forward to visits from lots of friends before the holidays close in.    Stay tuned!