Costa Rica II

Everybody poops. Sloths do it just once a week. They live in the forest canopy and ONLY descend (slowly) to the ground to poop. Typically if you spot a sloth in the wild you will see a ball of fur hanging from a branch high above you. During our recent visit to Costa Rica to help Graham celebrate his 9th birthday, we were incredibly lucky to see a small sloth during one of its infrequent trips to the ground. From pictures I'd always thought sloths were kind of homely but "in person" this little sloth was the cutest creature ever. 

We also enjoyed the birds, snakes, lizards, and butterflies that Costa Rica has in abundance and were especially excited to see the showy little Blue Jeans frog. 

Graham chose Carolina Lodge, in the foothills near Miravelles and Tenorio volcanoes, for celebrating his birthday. The 170 acre ranch offered plenty of activities to enjoy during the four days we were there.  

Hiking

Barry family on hike.

Amara and Graham milking cows.

Horseback riding.

Fishing

Boating

Graham paddling, Amara fishing with string from boat.

Play at the exercise platform.

Birthday boy enjoying Carolina Lodge hot chocolate - extra 

yummy with fresh milk.

Amara and Celeste

Graham with dog he had bonded with on prior visit. 

Man and animals working.

After Carolina Lodge we stayed near the Arenal Volcano. Since it was the "green season" - which means rainy - we weren't sure if we would be able to see Arenal. Again we were lucky and had nice views of the volcano each day we were there. Arenal was erupting a few years ago but now there is a steam plume.

Graham with Arenal in backround.

We stayed one night in a hotel in La Fortuna. A fortunate choice, because after dark Amara, Celeste and I armed ourselves with flashlights and explored the hotel's garden. Jackpot! We spied about a dozen tree frogs. They were definitely more attractive than the tree frog sculpture in the hotel's yard!

A visit to Costa Rica wouldn't be complete without a scorpion encounter. Roger got into the passenger seat of Celeste's car and we soon noticed a scorpion on the ceiling right above his head. Everyone started shouting. Loudly. We probably made it more likely that the scorpion would panic as well and drop onto Roger's scalp. Thankfully it did not. We tried to get it out of the car but didn't succeed. The scorpion disappeared behind the glove compartment and left us wondering if we might encounter it again.

Costa Rica is a feast of green inhabited by beautiful and exotic plants and animals. However, the best part of the trip was spending time with our delightful grand-kids. Roger is less than enamored with Costa Rica's hot and steamy weather but Amara and Graham are great for the prevention of a grumpy grandpa. 

Gracias a la vida.