Sloth Sighting!

The ONE wildlife species I really wanted to see in Costa Rica was a sloth. I thought, how hard can it be? They literally move slower than molasses so it seemed as though they’d be easy to spot. I was wrong.

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Casa Pelican in Tortuguero, Costa Rica ~ Guesthouse Review

If a stop in Tortuguero is on your Costa Rica itinerary, and it should be, one of the first questions will be where to stay. Our choice was the delightful Casa Pelican.

Although there are dozens of lodging options both in and around town, we think your best bet to truly immerse yourself in the culture is to choose one of the centrally located guest houses available. You can stay in a standard bland hotel anywhere…on a tropical holiday why not venture on the local side?

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Floral Beauty in Costa Rica

We adore the flowers of the tropics, and the floral beauty in Costa Rica is extraordinary. Although I love flowers and gardens, I admit to being mostly ignorant of the names and details but am more than happy to take endless photos.

Enjoy this display of some of the glories of the country.

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Even in urban San Jose, it was possible to find brilliance around every corner.

The stunning displays only got better as we headed west to the Caribbean. As we slowly worked our way through the mangrove swamps teeming with life, the colorful tropical vegetation was on display.

In Tortuguero Village, my traveling crew became frustrated with my slow pace but I couldn’t resist stopping often in awe of the natural beauty surrounding me.

One photo even captured an unexpected, and I’m told, non-venomous friend.

After we left the coast and headed into the hills to Orisi Valley the floral display remained vibrant with different varietals and our stop at the Lankester Botanical Gardens was one of many highlights of our time in the country.

During our winding road towards the coast, this time the Pacific, the visual display continued.

Costa Rica is well worth a visit for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is nature on display around every bend.

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Costa Rica’s Capital in Photos

We have to be honest, San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, didn’t win our hearts but did lend itself to some intriguing photos. We did appreciate the pleasant climate combined with the color and vitality that is so evident in Latin American cultures. It’s easy enough to make a list of things to see and do in San Jose but we’re going to simply share our favorite moments in photos to inspire you to head to this stunning country and find your own magic.

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A Costa Rica Preview

Costa Rica was a country we, quite frankly, hadn’t been that excited to visit. Oh yes, we’d heard all about the lush jungles filled with exotic wildlife, but it seemed too clean, too touristy, too “ex-pat”. Well, having just returned, here is a quick photo Costa Rica preview depicting a snapshot of our two weeks roaming from the capital city to the jungles of the Caribbean coast, an untouristed small town high in the central hills, and finally the ultra-touristy Pacific.

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Don’t Get off the Bus

Recently we’ve been feeling in a bit of a funk. With a long and busy high season behind us life had slowed down at work but we were finding ourselves spending every weekend with errands, doctor’s appointments, and the like and began to fully realize how errant we were in not planning a fall vacation. With Costa Rica still two months away…an eternity when in a funk, and fall weather turning to winter my mood was grim.

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Vallarta Food Tours ~ Eat + Explore = Exceptional Experiences

Although we’ve traveled to Puerto Vallarta dozens of times and called the city home for a bit in 2016 until the last trip we’d never taken advantage of one of the very popular walking food tours put on by Vallarta Food Tours. I wish we hadn’t taken so long! What a great few hours with new friends wandering and eating our way through several neighborhoods.

After a light breakfast of street tamales, we headed to nearby Lazaro Cardenas Park at 1030am to meet our group. Our fearless leader was Joana, a native of Puerto Vallarta. We all chatted as we headed to our first stop for breakfast tacos. Yes, for everyone not familiar with truly authentic Mexican cuisine, breakfast tacos are a thing!

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Food, Food, and More Food ~ Highlights from a Culinary Holiday in Puerto Vallarta

We recently headed to Puerto Vallarta for a variety of reasons, but food, food, and more food certainly became the theme of the vacation.

As regular visitors to this scenic city by the sea, we had many old favorites to return to but also discovered new haunts that were all spectacular. Truly, in 10 days we didn’t eat badly a single meal. A normal trip south finds me cooking the occasional breakfast or dinner but not this time; burned out from an extremely busy summer I declared my time as head chef in the family on hiatus. I advised Jim we were simply going to be “forced” to eat out every meal. He announced himself up for the task.

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The Color of Puerto Vallarta

As we drove home from the airport, I marveled anew at the vast difference between the look and feel of Mexico as compared to our home in Oregon. Gone was the dramatic and contrasting colors and back were the endless neighborhoods wrapped in tones of beige, white, and grey. 

Returning to Puerto Vallarta was a given. Although it’s been nearly four years since we last graced her beaches, PVR has always felt like a second home and it took mere minutes upon landing to release a deep sigh of contentment. We were home.

Many stories and photos are to come shortly but first off a short post highlighting the extraordinary color that breathes life into every moment of this remarkable country.

Lessons in Adopting ~ Our Life with Ryder One Year In.

The lessons of living each day to the fullest never seem more important than now when I suddenly realize months have gone by since I’ve paid any attention to this blog. Life races by at warp speed and if we don’t pay attention entire months and years can fly by and suddenly we’ve had another trip around the sun.

It is nearly impossible to believe it’s been thirteen months since we said goodbye to Aspen and welcomed into our home this big, anxiety ridden sweet boy. The general rule of adoption suggests there is power in the number 3. 

The 3-3-3 Rule of bringing a rescue dog home . . . | Dog adoption, Mutt dog,  Rescue dog quotes

Lesson 1: Believe us, it sometimes takes longer.

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