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!

Home

 The heat that drove us out of Usery Mountain Regional Park finally broke today.  It's in the high 80's with a lovely breeze and blue skies.    The birds are happy we're back, they've been wondering where their food and water have been these last few months.   

We arrived home on Tuesday, to the same temps. that we were trying to outrun.

Beluga takes our dirt road very slowly

We saw four new friends using the shade of the Beluga building. We don't mind, they're welcome to it.

It was hot for everyone; a young coyote was panting in what little shade a Saguaro could provide.

Taos wasn't feeling well, but it wasn't heat related.   He has been dealing with what we think may be Panosteitis, aka growing pains.    It's not uncommon in young, large breed, fast-growing puppies, causing pain in one or more legs.   It is a self-limiting condition that usually resolves by the time the dog is 2 years old (ish) and sometimes moves from one leg to another.    Our sweet Taos is very stoic, never complains, but we can see he hurts.

 This is totally my amateur diagnosis, but he fits the symptoms and demographic.  We haven't done any x-rays yet, but he is on some pain meds and his happy, sweet demeanor has returned.  

 He's enjoying the house's large clothes closet and its big screen TV.   And...no stairs.

Last Friday we all had a great Happy Hour at the Lowe's house, complete with MonaLiza's famous Lumpia!   It was wonderful to see them both and catch up.     There were a couple surprises for us.....

On one of their summer trips they had stopped in Julian, California to get a couple of their famous pies!    Strawberry/Rhubarb - Yay!    (I'm sad to report that it's all gone, already....burp).

The big surprise, however, was for Dave.    You'll remember that he and Steve labored long and hard on Steve's "pet", Tam, in his unairconditioned, rudimentary car shop.   

 Steve was a busy man while we were off laughing and playing.....

WOW!

He'd completely refurbished the inside....floor, ceiling, walls, air conditioning, windows, including painted graphics, fancy wallpapered doors and a photo gallery of the process of Tam's rebuilding.   It was perfect in every way.

even the perfect hat to wear while riding in TAM!

Taos wasn't up to walking over to check it out himself, but he did enjoy some MonaLiza love afterward.

So, we're home and settled.    Beluga is in her building and Dave is busy getting ready to upgrade some of her systems (he has no rest in his bones....).

  I'm busy getting ready for a family trip to Costa Rica in a week or so!  (ha, maybe no rest in mine either!)    Stay tuned.