Chanukah 2014

Large grasshopper and strangler fig tree

Monkeys, family and friends

We have been to Playa Samara, Playa Grande, and are now home

Tony's gig and Grandparent visit

Grandpa Ted and Grandma Linda came to visit. They shared two rainy, misty, windy days with us in Monteverde, we went on some hikes where we didn't see much wildlife. We got to see Tony play at the opening of a new local cafe with Robert Dean and Richard Trostle, and Liana kept running up to the keyboard to join in.
Now we are at the beach and it is warm and sunny in Samara. After Ted and Liana leave we will head to Playa Grande to meet friends and return to Monteverde with Eileen, Fred, and Jessica. After they leave the end of the month Anna, Andres, and Little Atom will still be with us for another week before we head back down to meet my mom at the beach. And, in between we will enjoy seeing both Phebe and Jim, and Andrea and Marino back in Monteverde. December is a busy month. Tony is still working and I am trying to write up an analysis of the Friends School. Jaal and Melinda did the Christmas bird count with
Robert Dean, and saw 77 species of birds in one day. We have iguanas and parrots here at the beach.

Scorpions, tarantulas, and chickens

And a scorpion with its babies on its back...

Visit to the butterfly garden

Butterflies, blue Morpho caterpillars, white throated
Capuchin monkeys, and leaf cutter ants.

Friends Anna and Andres

Our friends Anna and Andres are here, with their two
Year old named Atom. We have been having a nice
Time watching them learn to share as well as visiting
Strangler fig trees and the butterfly garden.

We have chickens now

The gems are enjoying their space in a mobile chicken unit, and chicks come on Monday. These two layers we saved from someone's dinner.
Jaal and Liana are equally excited.

Photos from Nicaragua, Hotel Villa Mar, Playa Marsella, just north of San Juan Del Sur

Liana...

She took this first photo of herself when she got a hold of my camera.
The weather has been nice, some mist and rain, chilly sometimes and then hot and sunny too.
Liana found her name (the L) on a sign about plants in the forest, and she made herself a little bed on a shelf and read to herself.
I haven't gotten around to writing about our Nicaragua trip. The border crossing was slow and painful but the rest of the trip was lovely. I have been more busy doing a school evaluation for the Friends school and it has felt very valuable and is interesting. I will start one at the CEC in January. I also will follow up with teacher and admin professional development in both schools. Liana is four mornings a week with a Spanish speaking nanny or play group and is starting to show that she understands some Spanish.
Tony is playing music with a few friends and has just started playing with Jaal and Melinda. Liana completely loves being next door to Jaal and Melinda and they have been fun to be with and also helpful when other child care has fallen through and I have had meetings.

This Saturday our first friends arrive and then we have a busy month of family and friend visits, which we are looking forward to.

We have two spare bedrooms and today we had a mechanic come and repair our dryer for $8. (The costs of things varies tremendously here. A regular sized block of cheddar cheese is $10, and a nanny or house cleaning is $3/hour. Restaurants are almost US prices but housing, cell phones are cheap.) Bananas and lemons fall from the trees...

A quick breakfast

We are headed to Nicaragua for a few days to renew our visas. San Juan Del Sur and the brag near there should be nice but it's a big trip with Liana-four hours to the border.

Our breakfast- home made banana bread and homemade yogurt with tapa dulce, mango, papaya, and our bananas.

Jaal and Melinda bird banding

Home made fruit basket, swinging with cows