Coming into Focus

I am incredibly blessed. There simply wouldn't be enough room here to list all that I'm grateful for---yes, the list would certainly include my loving husband and best friend, Al; our two fabulous adult children and their wonderful partners, Mike and Laurelyn, Beth and Jon, and of course, our two darling grandsons, Graham and Dean. And oh, so many friends. And, oh so much time.

I keep pinching myself because I've stopped working and have made the glorious shift to making my own decisions about how I use my time. Glorious. And a bit unsettling at times. Am I "allowed" to feel this happy? Is it O.K. to greet each new morning with a tremendous sense of energy (yes, my sleep's somewhat improved) and to look forward to the sweetest moments of my week? I'm building new friendships with others who love rughooking, knitting, and handspinning. I'm able to provide rides to shut-ins and elderly folks through Island Connections; each new neighbor I meet is like unwrapping a special gift. My absolute FAVORITE part of the week is volunteering at our local resale shop (Serendipity) where an ever-burgeoning supply of new and gently used donated clothing is sorted, steamed, priced, and sold at unbelievably reasonable prices; our profits benefit the Bar Harbor Food Pantry. And even though the sarcoid makes it tough for me to sing, I'm enjoying using our church's handchimes with little ones (ages 3-first grade) and new, older friends (at the nearby adult day program) alike. What fun! Altogether, in one quickly written paragraph, it sounds a bit frenetic, but actually, it's not. My days are long and if I need a nap, I take one. My activities are spread across the week -- and I love my life and its rhythm. Passionately. I am so blessed.

I've got more energy in the kitchen than I can ever remember having at any other time of my life. Learning that I have celiac disease could have resulted in a whole lot of frustration (and pain) but fortunately, my daughter and daughter-in-law have been great encouragers -- and I'm learning to eat locally. Tonight will be my first attempt at fish chowder which I'll serve with some gluten-free cornbread that I made earlier in the week. I had a wonderful visit with the fellow who sells fish out of his truck at the head of Southwest Harbor; no wonder so many friends had recommended that I stop to get my fresh fish from him.

I've dusted off my sewing machine and am gobsmacked by how much fun I'm having making a special Christmas gift for G and D. Looks like the continued Prednisone therapy and the resulting weight gain will require me to do a bit of sewing for myself (unless I can continue to find great bargains at Serendipity--I'm always on the lookout).

It still feels a bit strange to have SO much time to play with -- my GP and I had another heart to heart visit this week and she insisted that I start exercising to try to combat the Prednisone weight gain. Maybe it will help my sleep to improve even more! (And probably stopping buying those 42 oz. bags of peanut M & M's will help, too!) SO, yesterday I bit the bullet and signed up for a whole year's membership (with an extra month thrown in for free) at the nearby community center/gym, Harbor House. I'm SO lucky that there is a huge variety of classes and most of them are early in the morning which happens to be my BEST time of the day, energy-wise. This morning (are you listening, Beth?) I attended my very first indoor cycling/yoga class -- it's a beginner's class and you get 30 minutes of each -- indoor cycling (thank goodness they have gel seats available) and then some Anusara yoga. It felt great and I was back home before 8:45. There are many exercise options: Zumba, introduction to yoga, yogalaties (a combo of yoga and pilates that I doubt I'll be ready to handle for awhile), indoor cycling every day of the week, fitness classes, cardio sculpt, etc. All of this no more than 7 or 8 minutes from our house. W.O.W.

All this said, my stamina is still a bit precarious at times. My body has fallen into a rhythm where I barely make it up the stairs to bed some evenings at about 7:30 or 8, and then I'm up at 4:30 or 5 AM. Fortunately, I can sneak a nap here and there which sometimes gives me a bit lengthier evening. And one day this week, I even took my nap at 11 AM. Al's been able to shift his work schedule a bit so that we can eat on the early side (5 or 5:30---uh-oh! Are we officially entitled to 'early bird specials' now??). Eating on the early side gives us the sense of an evening, albeit short.

Oh, and did I mention how much I'm love, love, LOVING reading again? Stuff that I REALLY want to read --- so many books on so many shelves throughout the house. It's like having a HUGE box of Whitman chocolates in the cupboard all the time (and they'd all be nuts and crunchy ones, none of those nougat or creme ones--ick!). The TV is getting a bit dusty. I've learned that when my brain isn't full of "work stuff," I can actually read more than one book at a time. Well, not like this wild woman --- but I can actually have more than one book going at a time. And I have a new bedtime routine that NO LONGER includes TELEVISION! About a half hour or 45 minutes before I want to shut the light out, I climb into bed with whatever I'm reading and travel to distant places and times. It's just like when I was a young girl but I've traded Laura Ingalls Wilder for Ken Follett. And, unbelievably, our local public library (rated 1 of the top 10 public libraries in Maine!) lends books on KINDLES! I wasn't aware of it until last week when I put my name on the "reserve list" for a hard copy of Follett's newest book. I was told that there were 142 people statewide who were signed up for the book and that I'd get one of the dozen or so copies sooner or later. A new spinning friend (the fiber, not the bikes---hmmm...guess that could get confusing now that I spin AND spin!) happens to work at the library and suggested I sign up for Follett's book on the Kindle. I got a call three days later that "my" Kindle was ready for me to come in and pick up! WHOA! How cool is THAT? So far I love it!

Blessings. Too many to count. I am so very grateful.

...and the Other Gold

You simply can't beat time spent with good friends. And of course, visiting with dear friends in the surrounds of Acadia National Park is pure magic. This weekend, four teachers I used to work with back in New Hampshire came for a visit. What a FABULOUS time we had!

Facebook has helped me to keep in touch with Nancy, Lisa, Diane, and Linda. I invited them to come for a visit and much to my delight, they planned a trip to our little piece of heaven. Knowing that they'd be here just 24 hours gave Al and me a good excuse to put our 'tour guide' planning talents to good work -- what did we want them to see? Where should we go first? What would give them a great flavor of Acadia National Park? And, of course, having friends visit is always a great excuse to get the house all tidied up and sparkling. :)

I suggested that, rather than having them stop for lunch on the way up, we'd pack a picnic lunch and head into Acadia National Park as soon as they arrived. And so we did! We're just past peak foliage but it's still gorgeous with many, many trees still shimmering gold, orange, and bright red; against the clear blue, sunny sky, the leaves just sparkled.

We stopped along the Park Loop Road and ate our sandwiches on the rocks overlooking Sand Beach and Great Head. A very curious seagull sat with us while we ate; he was surely hoping we'd toss him some tidbit but we didn't. We made a quick stop at Thunder Hole which was barely burping but the rocks and water together never disappoint. The water was just about the bluest we'd ever seen it. Even though October is officially "Lobster Month" in Maine (the biggest monthly harvest of the year), there were many fewer lobster buoys visible than during the summer.

The weather was absolutely PERFECT for a hike, so Al led us on a wonderful hike up the Gorham Mountain Trail. It's one of our favorite hikes -- 3 miles in length, not too demanding, and with the reward of many gorgeous views along the way. It sure looked like he had a harem as he led the way with five fabulous women following at his heels; he was in his glory!

On the trail, we met up with a friendly young couple who were taking a quick break; she was really hungry and asked us where they might be able to grab a bite to eat. We told them how to make their way back down the trail, and take the spur off the Park Loop Road that would lead them back into Bar Harbor. The young fellow seemed more interested in continuing to hike, and assured his partner that they'd eat soon enough. She was visiting from Florida, and he was from Michigan; she had a lovely Eastern European accent and she told us she was originally from Albania. We 'leap-frogged' with them along the rest of the trail, and ended up taking each other's pictures several times. At the summit (525 feet), she insisted on having her picture taken with the five of us women. We affectionately nicknamed them "The Hungry People" and wished them safe travels as they headed back down the trail ahead of us. Nancy made sure that we took several beautiful pictures of the two of them together, indicating that they might "the special picture" in the near future (always the matchmaker...is it possible that he'd be proposing to her while visiting Acadia? We'll never know).

The descent back down Gorham Mountain gave us the option of taking the Cadillac Cliffs spur along with some dramatic photo ops. Al knew just how to pace the hike and did his usual stellar guidework, encouraging and cheering us on as we made our way back down the trail.

We took a quick jaunt around the rest of the Park Loop Road and even made a quick stop at Jordan Pond House. Al and I wanted to show the girls the Bubbles and the view of Jordan Pond. As we headed down the path toward the pond....shhhh! There's a wedding happening on the lawn! Some of the wedding guests in the front row donned quilts to keep off the chill. What a beautiful setting for a wedding. We tiptoed by respectfully as to not disturb the holy occasion.

Even the quickest trip into the park wouldn't be complete without a quick trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It was 39 degrees when we reached the top and the wind was B.R.I.S.K. Unlike midsummer, there were very few people at the summit. We donned our hats and I pulled up my jacket's hood---the wind filled it and as you can see from the picture, I look like I had some MASSIVE headache!

We had 6 PM dinner reservations at Testa's Restaurant in Bar Harbor. We entered town via West St and as we rounded the corner to go up the hill, we were greeted by a HUGE, beautiful golden moon peeking up over the islands in the distance. And within moments, a bagpiper regaled us with a beautiful tune. We parked the car and made our way into the restaurant; hot tea and coffee all around -- we were still a bit chilled from our excursion to the Cadillac summit. And sure enough, part way through our delicious dinner, who should walk in and take a seat just a couple of tables away but ...the Hungry People!! Hugs all around!

Back at the house, we enjoyed more visiting over wine and a large jar of peanut M & M's! Who could ask for more? We shared lots and lots about work (even though we kept trying to avoid the subject) as well as lots of stories about our kids, our grand-kids, book recommendations, and more.

I love hosting friends at our home -- I try to plan ahead so that any meals that we eat here at the house are easy to pull together. I'd prepared a large breakfast casserole Saturday morning for our Sunday morning breakfast. (Let me know if you'd like the recipe; it's easy and I even made it gluten-free!) I thought of my Nanny as I set the Sunday breakfast table with her beautiful hob-nailed glass plates and goblets. A large fresh fruit salad completed the preparations. The smell of coffee greeted us (gotta love the timer on the coffee pot) when we awoke. We had a relaxing breakfast before we girls headed out for our final few hours in the park. Al headed off to church (we had signed up to host coffee hour so one of us had to be there; I'd done all the baking on Friday and we dropped it all off Saturday evening while we were in Bar Harbor).

We drove down to Bass Harbor Light -- it was so quiet and calm. The water glistened like diamonds and the bell buoy tolled over and over. It's always fun to hear first-time visitors to the park ooh and aah when they see the pink granite cliffs and dark blue-green evergreens lapped by the ocean waves.

We did another short hike on the Ship Harbor Trail. It's a trail that the Obamas hiked when they were here earlier this summer, only 1.3 miles but breath-taking views all along the way. We saw many ducks who chased and played with each other -- they looked so big and fat, certainly preparing for wintering over. We marveled at the many shades of moss and lichen along the trail, and even giggled over some of the "interesting" and amusing shapes that the fungus-laden trees provided.

A final stop at the Seawall Beach yielded lots of sea glass finds---even a rare turquoise piece, churned and smoothed by the steadfast waves. A group of cormorants were arranged in stairstep formation on an exposed rock, while an even larger group of seagulls raucously sunbathed. Yes, this is where I'll come and sit with whatever book I'm currently reading. There is something so settling, so predictable, so soothing about the lapping waves.

I bet my friends will come back again. 24 hours just wasn't enough. What fun we had! It's great fun to make new ('silver') friends, but it's so important to keep our 'golden' friends. Dear, true friends --- the kind you can miss seeing for a long time but when you reunite, you just pick right up where you left off. Come back soon, Linda, Nan, Lisa, and Diane!

A New Attitude

Glass half-full? Or half-empty? It's HALF FULL. It's just gotta be.

So if I'm on this wild ride for at least the next few months (and hopefully no longer), I have to make some decisions---or affirmations?---about how I'm going to deal with the challenge of insomnia. Prednisone is part of the equation.

I've always enjoyed the "sweet" couple of solitary hours I have early in the morning. I make a pot of coffee (most decaf these days) and enjoy my favorite meal of the day. But I guess I should be careful what I wish for -- what used to be an hour or so by myself in the early morning is now a substantial part of my day. Waking up at 3:30 AM -- in the pre-dawn hours -- seems to be the norm now. Many more hours than I'm used to.

So...what to do with all of my time?

1. Make coffee
2. Read
3. Knit
4. Drink more coffee
5. Check e-mail
6. Make and enjoy breakfast (I've become much more savvy with gluten-free breakfast!)
7. Check the blogs I follow to look for new posts
8. Pray - started a prayer journal recently - it really helps with this important daily task
9. Write a letter to the little girl we sponsor in Colombia
10. Greet my friends on FB as each one awakens (they think I'm a stalker for sure!)
11. Check the yard just before dawn -- any deer?
12. Play FB Scrabble turns
13. Empty the dishwasher
14. Drink MORE coffee
15. Watch the sunrise







16. Watch DVD's - not much on TV pre-dawn except lots of infomercials
17. Work on Christmas presents for our grandsons - wheeee!!
18. Make food to fill the freezer (lately it's been basil pesto and tomato sauce)

The list will certainly get longer as time goes on. I can fight this early morning time or make it mine and revel in what I can accomplish.

I'm going for the new attitude. Anything less is self-defeating.

It's a good morning!!

A Wild Ride

I'm in a fog. It's caused by Prednisone. Yeah--I can breathe more easily and the coughing is just about gone, but I'm really wondering if it's worth it. I'm losing my mind.

Prednisone is a double-edged sword; it can make you feel better but the side effects are crazy. I'm like a little kid with the worst case of ADHD you've ever seen. It has become nearly impossible for me to sit in one place for more than 30 seconds. Seriously. I'm on-the-go-all-the-time-always-flitting-from-one-thing-to-another. Eventually, I get a lot done but probably in about the most inefficient way possible. I'm always interrupting myself to start something else. ARGHGH! At my best, I've cleaned places in my house that I can't remember EVER cleaning, at least to this degree. The Dyson vacuum doesn't know what hit it. And I'm going through paper towels, Windex, and Pledge like Armageddon is right around the corner. And at my worst, I start pointing things out to Al that he could be doing, too! The man works full-time and he's a saint; he doesn't need to be barked at with 'suggestions' for how he could help me out with stuff.

Then there's the issue of insomnia. It's a BIG issue. I am on yet a third sleeping aid at this point, and I'm sure banking on this one having a cumulative effect; night one was the worst night yet. Woke up by 2:30 and finally crawled out of bed with my racing brain at 3:15. Seriously---breakfast at 5 (that took some doing, but I didn't relish having lunch by 7 AM)-- and as the clock hands crawl around the clock, 5:00 starts to feel "late." I have been trying to nap during the day (to keep me from walking into walls) but that's even become difficult. Prednisone has my brain on overdrive. Grrrr. . . Even when it's time for bed and I've been up for 18 hours or more, I'm whirring like a top and already making a mental list of all the things I could accomplish the next day!

Blood pressure -- mine topped out at 170/100 two weeks ago. Scared the bejeebers outa me. So the doc put me on a prescription for that -- a week later, we figured out that the pharmacy made a mistake---a big mistake---and that I'd been taking 4 times as much of the medicine as what was prescribed. Lesson learned. Check and double-check prescription dosages. Assume the worst and check to be sure they've got it right. So I check my BP about twice a day; it's much better but stress (or too much vigorous housecleaning!) can make it go up. I'm not a person who relishes just sitting in a chair for any length of time.

And the munchies! Yikes! Never smoked weed in my life but from all the movies and TV I've seen through the years, I think my "munchiness" is much like a great post-smoking-weed snacking haze. THANK GOD for the person who invented the FORTY-TWO OUNCE bag of PEANUT M & M's. If I ever find out who came up with that fabulous idea, they're going to be named in my will.

And sadly, being in such a stupor so much of the time has meant that I've had to put a very important relationship in my life 'on hold' which I'm pretty sure has been interpreted in the worst way possible. It takes every ounce of energy I have to get through the day (and night) -- I hope she understands.

Coughing is starting to sound like a pretty good alternative but the pulmonologist really encourages me to 'hang in there' on this high dosage as long as I can. He's pretty sure that if we start tapering, even just a little, my disease will exacerbate and we'll be on the Prednisone-yo-yo thang. Don't want that.

M & M's, anyone?

Ol' Eagle Eyes

Now that we have lived year-round in Maine for just over two years, I can honestly say that one of my very favorite things to do is kayaking. Our boats are small and easily maneuverable whether hoisting them atop the car or paddling quickly through the reeds. Paddling quickly? An oxymoron. The best part of kayaking is that you slow. down. The slower you go, the more you observe.

Take this morning for instance. We arrived at the put-in at Seal Cove Pond (in Acadia National Park) by 8:45. There was only one other car in the small lot -- as we pulled up to the temporary parking where we take the boats off the car, we spied an older woman at water's edge; she was wearing a wetsuit and a bright red ball cap and trying to put flippers on. She told us was going to get her morning exercise.

We slipped our kayaks into the water and floated out into the stillness. We paddled past the floating water lily leaves and some of them, below the surface, were a vivid orange. No blooms yet. We could see a loon floating off in the distance as we paddled away from it.

Our red-capped swimming buddy had worked her way out into the water and as we approached, she silently pointed overhead. An elegant, great blue heron soared above us, moving its wings in nearly slow motion. We waved to our buddy and paddled on into the morning quiet.

As we rounded the point, I scanned the treetops stealthily and sure enough, a bright spot of white appeared. I whispered to Al -- "Look! An eagle!" Admittedly, they can be hard to spot but my eyes have had lots of practice in recent weeks. A mill pond in Somesville that we drive by several times a week has become a favorite spot for bald eagles. I've trained my eye to quickly scan the trees all the while searching for the bright white head and the solid dark mass of the eagle's body. I've probably spotted an eagle there a dozen times in the last two or three weeks. These birds are huge and their bodies can be easy to pick out against the sky.

While kayaking this morning, my first spotting was a particular challenge because the sky was bright and overcast; the bird's head barely contrasted with the sky. Its massive body was quickly identifiable, though, perched at the very top of a large pine tree. We silently dragged out paddles in the dark water to slow down the boats and give us more time to watch the regal bird without disturbing it.

After a moment or two, we continued to paddle out toward the middle of the pond. This is a BIG pond -- and we love it. There is an island out in the middle that we often paddle out to and then around. About a third of the way to the island, I looked back and spotted a second eagle. This one was very easy to spot among the dark pines -- it was perched about half way up a large tree.

We continued on to the island and a beautiful loon greeted us. Its distinctive call echoed off the water and up toward the nearby mountain. It was magical. And, look! A THIRD eagle! On the island. At first, it almost looked like two eagles perched right next to each other -- we could see two groups of feathers below the branch but only one head at the top. As we slowly paddled closer, the single bird pulled its wings back in --- apparently, it was doing its best imitation of a cormorant in its wing-drying position.

We paddled out past the island rather than around it. It's our first kayaking of the summer season and we were feeling pretty good. And, sure enough, as we worked out way farther down the pond, we spotted yet another eagle. A record. We've never seen four eagles in one kayaking outing. These birds are thrilling to spot in the wild.

We'll never tire of this. Ever. As we paddled back down the pond, an eagle flew overhead and into the trees. We're pretty sure it was one of our eagle buddies asking when we'd be back. Soon.

An Incredibly Beautiful Spring

This coming weekend is the summer solstice. I didn't want spring to slip by without a big HURRAH! SPRING -- you were PHENOMENAL this year. Thank you! It occurs to me that I've experienced an incredibly long and lush spring this year.

We spent part of February in Costa Rica where vibrant, colorful flowers were EVERYWHERE. It was a lively preview of spring even though we returned to some coldish weather. Back home, we had some crazy weather with some warmer temperatures than we'd ever expect in March and April. I was lucky enough to have some work days down on the Cape and south of Boston. In early April, the 7th as I remember, I attended a workshop in Hingham, Massachusetts. Typically, in early April there would be lots of piles of filthy snow. On this particular day, I came out to my car at 3 PM and my car's thermometer read a stifling 92 degrees!! I was pretty sure that driving along on I-495 would bring the temp down rather dramatically and pretty quickly. Boy, was I wrong! For the next 45 minutes even at 60 MPH, the thermometer wouldn't dip down below 89. Whew!

As I continued to work and travel through April and early May in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, everything seemed to be blooming ahead of schedule. I love springtime---most especially all of the shades of green---lime-yellow, reddish-green, brilliant green and more. The flowering shrubs in New Hampshire were bursting forth--lilacs and forsythia alike--and daffodils trumpeted their way up out of the ground majestically.

By the second week of May, I returned home and much to my delight---SPRING! Just starting! Here in Maine --- the lilacs and forsythia were just barely starting to bud. And the lupine were already tall and proudly pushing out their spires of buds. In May? Really? Was I really going to enjoy three springtimes in one year? Yup! By the first week of June, the fields and hills of lupine were exploding with color--deep purples, magic magenta, blushing pink, shy yellow, and wonderful white. Even still, it was a full three weeks earlier than usual -- as the warm (for Maine!), sunny weather continued, the local greenhouses worked overtime to get everything ready--flats of pansies, quart-sized perennials, shiny new bushes, and lush hanging baskets that needed both strong arms to wrestle them into the car and onto the shepherd's hook by the back door. And, best of all, I discovered a gorgeous bird's nest hanging from a low branch in our yard. We're pretty sure it's a junco; there are three eggs but they haven't hatched yet!

Along with gardening in Maine comes the ever-constant vigilance to protect plantings from deer, rabbits, groundhogs, squirrels, garden snails, aphids, and the infamous, disgusting slugs. We haven't seen any deer come through our yard this spring (the local 'gang' hangs out at our neighbor's garden up the street). The adorable bunny that was in our yard frequently the last two years hasn't been spotted yet this year --- I kinda miss him. No groundhogs either -- we're lucky--it's probably because we don't grow any vegetables. And once I figured out that it was a squirrel who popped of the head of EVERY pansy in one of my windowboxes, I had no one to blame but myself; I'd left a shovel leaning up against the house. I may as well had put up a little neon sign flashing: This Way to Delicious Pansies!

But THIS is the year of the snails, aphids, and SLUGS in our gardens. I did a little research on natural (non-pesticide) deterrents and so far I think I'm winning. Aphids were covering the royal purple stalks of one of my lupine. I made up a solution of two minced garlic cloves and water. I sprayed the heck out of the little suckers -- apparently, they HATE garlic. However, a few days later, when one of my lupines with EIGHTEEN flowering spires was covered with the pale green aphids, I gave up. I enjoyed the flowers for a couple of weeks--and now it was apparently the aphids' turn.

The snails I just pick off (they're small) and squish in my begloved hands. Not sure who's winning that battle.

BUT the battle I am DEFINITELY winning is the one against the slugs. THEY LOVE BEER! And at age 57. I bought my FIRST beer ever. I picked up a few little plastic saucers and we dug small, shallow holes in the garden. We sunk each of the saucers to be even with the dirt and poured some beer into each one. Sure enough, by the next morning, there were more than 20 slugs floating in the Budweiser. Today I refilled the original three saucers and planted three more foamy beers on the opposite end of the house in the other garden. I might need to look for some teeny, tiny bar stools before long; I could probably color coordinate them with the ganzania and roses.

Gotta love spring! Three times over! Can't wait for summer . . . bring it on.

Monkeys, Toucans, and Boas! Oh, my!

First of all, let me say that I'm a slacker. I know. No posts since November. I'll try to redeem myself here.

We've just returned from. . .In February, we took an incredible vacation in Costa Rica. Spending a week with our family in the thick of the rainforest was nothing short of amazing! Here's how it went. . .

Sometime last year, in anticipation of our thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, Al and I started dreaming about a special trip we could make. On our 25th, we did an Alaskan cruise (in June); this time we knew we wanted to make a trip to a warm clime. We had been to Aruba twice and thought it might be a good time to try a new destination --- many friends have been to Costa Rica. Within 24 hours (insert Twilight Zone music here), we got an e-mail from our son, Mike, suggesting that we take an 'all-family' trip to Costa Rica to celebrate our 35th! Our son-in-law Jon had found some intriguing information about a CR resort on the Osa Peninsula called El Remanso. We booked our trip for February 2010 and started the great count-down!

As the time approached for our great adventure, we had to make sure that our inoculations and passports were all updated. Check!

My travel schedule for work had been pretty intense the last few months -- it worked out just PERFECTLY that I was home for the entire week leading up to the trip. Whew! We decided to pack as lightly as we could because we could only each carry 25 lbs of luggage on the domestic flight from San Jose (the capital of CR) to our final destination. As it turns out, we could have packed even lighter than we DID!

El Remanso offered a variety of excursions, many of which we took advantage of! Of course, MY favorite part of the whole trip was spending time with Graham (now 4) and Dean (nearly 2) --- and I offered to watch them as often as need be so that Mike and Laurelyn could enjoy some of the excursions that were not suitable for the little 'uns. It worked out just great!

El Remanso is amazing! The accommodations were simply beautiful. Three meals a day were included and we loved dining in their outdoor dining room. There was no extra charge for huge katydids on the tables or tiny lizards on the ceiling; the boys never knew what we'd see at mealtime. Set in the jungle we were about as close to nature as you can be! When we arrived, we could hear what sounded like packs of loud, barking, howling dogs off in the distance. We quickly learned that these were the howler monkeys! We heard them every morning at about 4 AM -- what an incredible alarm clock.

We hiked all together to a lagoon during our first day---the rainforest was SO dense -- and the hike down to the beach was pretty steep. We weren't prepared for how HOT the sand would feel on our feet. Ouch! We walked the beach in the puddles formed by the lapping waves. The waves were HUGE and STRONG so we kept our distance but the cool, wet sand was the only way to safely make it down to the lagoon. The sun so close to the Equator is intense!

Al and I were able to do some early (5:30 AM!) morning bird-watching with the resident naturalist, Gerardo. To say that Gerardo was an AMAZING part of our trip is such an understatement -- not only was he incredibly endearing and gracious, but he was also one of the most knowledgeable people we've EVER met when it came to all things to do with animals, plants, and trees! Just fabulous! On our first morning out to look for birds, Gerardo hung his head out the jeep's window (we had a different person as the driver) looking for motion in the treetops. "Stop! Stop!" he told the driver. We climbed out of the jeep and were thrilled by a large group of monkeys who came closer and closer to the dirt road we were on, all the while squealing. Within minutes, they began a "conga line" as they swung, one at a time, right over our heads! It was amazing and Gerardo assured us that this NEVER, well . . . rarely, happens; we had brought good luck with us!

I watched Graham and Dean one afternoon so that Jon, Beth, Al, Mike, and Laurelyn could go waterfall rapelling - from all reports they had a SUPER time! And of course they got to cool off in the ocean before heading back to the resort.

We visited a wildlife sanctuary via boat. On our way there, we were thoroughly entertained by a large pod (?) of dolphins who especially enjoyed swimming in the wake of our boat. Can you see them? Each of the colorful animals had a story of abuse and survival. The couple who runs the sanctuary told us of some successful releases but some of the animals would be living out their lives there. It was a beautiful, densely forested spot. As we walked between enclosures, Beth spotted a superhighway of fire ants that frequently criss-crossed the walking path.

On our way back from the sanctuary, our boat driver made a special stop in an inlet that had some great snorkeling opportunities. Having already had the snorkeling experience in Aruba and Hawaii, I offered to stay on the boat with Graham and Dean, and encouraged the others to snorkel. Neither Mike, Beth, Laurelyn nor Jon had ever snorkeled. Al joined them and they had a great time and got a few good shots of colorful fish.

Since we just loved our first early morning birding excursion, we signed on again and brought Mike along with us this time. Well, apparently we brought along good luck once again (maybe everyone does??) and this time we saw monkeys overhead including this beautiful mama with her baby clinging to her back. What a blessing to see them up close!

I decided some time ago (maybe 10 years ago?) that I definitely want to skid into Heaven with a resounding, WOW! What a ride! So I've been known to do what some might consider daring things --- including (a little bit of) white-water rafting, (tethered) hot air ballooning, lots of kayaking, and parasailing (fabulous!!) in Aruba. I wanted to be sure I could add something with a bit of a thrill to my life list. So, in Costa Rica, we had the opportunity to zipline out to a platform near the top of the canopy to watch the monkeys, birds, etc. It was a very early morning activity (6 AM) and I felt a bit jittery as the time approached. Luckily, our dear daughter-in-law Laurelyn was coming along with us (Mike was on kid and camera duty) and she encouraged me to go for it. "You'll be fine! You'll love it!" she nudged.

As we donned our helmets and awaited our harnesses, I got a bit more excited. Gerardo, once again the incredibly sweet and knowledgeable naturalist, got hooked into the cable and zipped out over the jungle below. He then pulled across a huge duffle bag with coffee, fresh fruit, numerous binoculars, and field guides. One at a time, well-harnessed and "clipped in," we zipped across to the wooden platform set into a crotch of a large tree. See all of our harness caribiners lined up on the cable? We were at 127 feet above the jungle floor. Amazing! Gerardo pointed out lots of birds and with his keen eye, spotted a group of Howler monkeys up in the trees across from us. We watched them for quite a while and after some coffee and fresh pineapple, we got ready to head back across the zipline.

Of course, I had to ask Gerardo how long the platform had been there, how it was erected, etc. He told us that it had been there about 6 months and that they'd had several engineers come in to design the structure and its installation. It reassured me especially when I noticed the many huge bolts that secured the platform into the tree. Another young couple was with us that morning (having left their three young children back in the States) and they also hoped to capture the zipline return on their movie camera. As we lined up to zip back, the young mom said she'd like to go first so she could film her husband's return trip (he planned to pull himself across the last half of the trip!). We watched her fly through the treetops and when she was about half-way across, we heard a loud CRACK! I know that sound, I thought to myself. A tree branch somewhere had split and was falling to the jungle floor. Wait a minute! That sounded AWFULLY close, like it's from the. tree. we're. in. Gerardo queried, "OK! Who's next??" "I AM!!" shouted the young father and we all laughed (a combination of fear and nerves). Apparently chivalry is dead. What a ride!

All in all, the trip was a huge success and a wonderful celebration. For me, the best part was having all of our family together -- I would have been quite happy to just play with Graham and Dean all week...anywhere! But being in this idyllic setting with those we love most, was a dream come true. Can our 40th anniversary be too far off? I wonder where we'll all go. . .