Every Routine is Different

A COSTA RICA SESSION, Part One

Costa Rica, a small country in Central America that we frequently visit, has much to offer including spectacular scenery and a wide variety of plant life and wildlife. Did you know that there are over 850 species of birds and over 2000 species of butterflies in Costa Rica? Some typical sightings: The large Scarlett Macaws mate for life and tend to bicker loudly with each other, much like a few couples I know! We came across this Giant Atreus Owl Butterfly on one of our hikes. Although not evident by the picture, this butterfly is actually about the size of both of my hands together!
Whether we travel with close friends, family or just Chris and I, the dynamics of the group and the variety of the activities make it for a unique time. This particular visit was shared with my son Kellen (14), his friend Sebastian (15), Chris and me. Each visit to Costa Rica brings about a new experience.
Every morning Chris leaves the house around 6 am to go surfing while the rest of us sleep in. Costa Rica has the world’s most consistent surf which is why we purchased a home here over three years ago. I get up around 7 am, pour myself a rich cup of café negro, sit on the back porch and watch the wildlife. The noise is deafening at times with the flocks of birds screeching and chasing each other and the constant whine of the cicada. On this visit we have two nests on the porch. A dove is protecting her eggs in the nest she made on top of the fan and an Ani comes and goes from her nest in the palm tree over the pool waterfall. A few mornings ago, as the dove flew off for a much needed break, a Black and White Hawk-Eagle landed on our fence about 40 feet from me eyeing the empty nest located between us. Unfortunately, he took off as I reached for my camera so no picture of this amazing creature. The following morning as I was again enjoying my heavenly brew, I heard the Ani frantically screaming. The large iguana that lives on our roof climbed into her nest and helped himself to breakfast. Most of our trips to Costa Rica include a visit to Manuel Antonio, a national park with beautiful white sand beaches, lush forest that comes down to the water’s edge, and plenty of wildlife. It was a hot and humid afternoon when we arrived on this trip and the entrance gate was closed due to overcrowding. The park rangers only allow 600 people in at a time so we waited patiently for some to leave so we could enter. We saw sloths up high in the trees, bats hanging out, tree frogs and plenty of spiders. Perhaps it was too hot for the monkeys today as there was no sign of them during our long trek through the jungle. As we headed towards the turquoise blue water to cool off, our white-faced friends arrived. And boy were they friendly! Or maybe hungry. They were trying to snatch our bag away from us! We enjoyed a canopy tour on Miro’s Mountain which took us over 750 feet above sea level and gave us spectacular views above the trees. On some of the lines we reached a speeds of up to 50 mph!

Take A Ride With Us!


I have to say my balance felt really good this week!

More unique adventures of our March Costa Rica trip to come...

Doing Flips

Today was my youngest son Kellen’s first tennis match on the high school tennis team. And sadly, I have to report that I missed it! Instead, I was acting as a counselor, negotiator, and you could even call me a gymnast. A walk-through on a home that was suppose to close should have been easy but instead was filled with tension, uncertainty, and a crawl through a doggie door. Top that with preparing two untraditional contracts (aren’t they all these days), a cell phone that wouldn’t work and an attempt organize files to leave for my unfortunate partner, my day got away from me. I frantically made calls from the office phone to make sure the spastic seller really would follow through on her commitment to close so my buyer could purchase the home she waited so patiently to get. At the eleventh hour, the transaction finally recorded and I was caught up in the moment - missing my son’s event. I have come to the realization that I am pretty good at doing back flips and GI Joe crawls for others, but unfortunately, my family only gets my feeble attempts of a hop, skip and a jump. Business is good (a true blessing), but my balance is not.

BTW: Kellen won both his singles and doubles match-YEAH KELLEN!