In between naps

I've got a cold so I'm home from work today. Our backyard is full of sun during the day, but mostly shade by the time we get home from work. So in between napping inside and napping outside, I decided to enjoy my blooming poppies through some photography. I hope you enjoy them too.

Pachira Hike & Turtles

Our hike in Tortuguero, leaving from Pachira Lodge, was equally scenic. We took a boat ride down the canals, then got off at a popular trail in Tortuguero National Park. (Notice the picture in this link matches mine below...must be a popular place).

We got off at a trail head where a family seemed to live. These little girls greeted all the women with fresh hibiscus.
Then two older boys ran up the trail ahead of us to help all the tourists climb over the rough spots in the trail. It was very very muddy. So muddy in fact that we were all required to wear rubber boots that the lodge provided for everyone. It was soo much fun listening to all the guides stressing us not to forget our 'rubber boots' in their Costa Rican accent. I loved it. Here we are trooping along in our rubber boots.
But even though we were all in rubber boots, the locals just helped us up and over tree stumps and large roots in bare feet, not minding the mud at all.

We saw lots of little creatures including these worker (or leaf cutter) ants (hormigas trabajadores). We also saw these on just about every hike/walk we went on. These little guys, or gals I should say...the women do the work and the men guard the camp. They collect pieces of leaves, and carry them back to their home. Little aunts run along the leaves while they are being carried sterilizing them somehow with bacteria or something. Then they pile the leaves up to rot, and mushrooms grow on them. Then they harvest and eat the mushrooms. Very very complicated if you ask me.
We also saw this brightly colored frog. Apparently he's poisonous, but again the locals had no problems picking him up so we tourists could get a better view of him.
And finally we arrived at the top. Very very sweaty and muddy, but in store for a great view of the canal and the ocean.After we hiked back down, the locals were waiting for us with coconuts to chop open and drink out of. You could even pay extra if you wanted a shot of rum in it. We were way to hot for rum. Here's Wes enjoying his coconut.
Another awesome thing we got to do while staying at Pachira in Tortuguero was go and watch a sea turtle create a nest and lay eggs, but we weren't able to take pictures. It was totally amazing to see a 300 pound turtle...who has probably been alive longer than any of us, and will be after we go. It was amazing enough just to see one, but super amazing to see her slowly build a nest, lay tons of little eggs, camouflage her nest, and then slowly, but every so triumphantly get back to the sea. You can read about it and see pictures here. I want to go back some day to watch the little babies hatch and make a run for it back to the ocean!

Pachira Wildlife

We had 3 main activites while we were at Pachira lodge. A canal wildlife tour, a visit to watch sea turtles lay eggs, and a hike. Today, you get to read about the canal wildlife tour.

This was our guide for all the events. He was the only one who spoke English. I think we were the only Americas there, but we were grouped with Europeans, and other people who didn't speak Spanish. I can speak Spanish, but it's hard to translate all the time for Wes. I forget his name, but all the other guides called him 'Gordo'. He wasn't that gordo, but gordo enough I guess...
So Gordo lead us around the canals. We would go very slowly up to the land and wait for Gordo or the boat driver to point out some interesting wildlife. We followed the eyes and fingers of our boatmates.We saw so many different kinds of birds. Mostly different kinds of herrings. This is a boat billed night herring. Apparently we woke it up. I didn't get a picture of it sleeping, but it sure is beautiful!

We also saw different kinds of lizards. We saw lots of iguanas, but they are so hard to see amdist the grenery, we would spend forever just trying to get our eyes to focus on one. Here is a good one though.This little guy is called the 'basilisco de Jesu Cristo' or the Jesus Christ lizard. He has big wide feet that allow him to run on water. We never got to see that though.
We saw a couple of caymans. They are small alligator type things. They are also very hard to spot. See if you can see this guy's teeth from behind the bush. Kinda creepy huh?

And our favorite things to see were the monkeys! There were howler monkeys around everywhere, like the ones in the previous post. We also saw a couple white faced monkeys. They are super cute.
We also saw a bunch of spider monkeys in one area. They move fast, so it's hard to capture them.

This little guy was my favorite. A little baby spider monkey hanging from the tree. I had to zoom way in to get it, so the quality isn't that great. But isn't he the cutest?!?

Family Bocce

Despite the sadness of loosing Grandma, it was a good reunion weekend with family. She gave us a reason to get together and create new memories.

Family Bocce ball was definitely one of those :) We went to Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos.
We even got to meet cousin Nicole's beau.

Then we divied up into teams. To make sure there was no unfair advantage, each of the sibs (my dad and his siblings that is) got to be a team captain and draw names for the rest of us.

The boyz...Jesse, Uncle Rick, and Wes

Uncle John, myself, and cousin Amy

My mom, Uncle Miles, and Aunt Diane

Cousin Nicole, Aunt Susan, and my dad

Here's Uncle Rick demonstrating his awesome Bocce skills. Wes took a great action shot!Later there were many memories shared. Here's some of the laugher.And here is the latest sibs picture.

And here's the whole gang.

Springtime

My parents were in town this weekend for my Grandma's memorial. When we had some off time, my mom and I went to the nursery to get some plants for the backyard. It was wonderful to spend time outside in the springtime air with my mom and my family.

We have these pots that hang on the fence, and we've been wanting to fill them for a long time. Voila!
We also planted a tomato plant and some peppers. Alongside my favorite...poppies just starting to bud.

My mom also taught me how to prune my roses, and we re-potted a lily, some rosemary, and started some new cuttings of geraniums.

We also rescued this little guy from rogue grass that was taking over it's pot. It was hiding in the corner of the backyard. Now it is all cleaned up and ready to grow.

And these little blooms have been hiding behind the side gate.

Today after I took pictures of this new life, Wes and I went for a walk to take pictures of more springtime blooms. Here are some little orange flowers in a field down the street I've been waiting to capture.

Labyrinth Making 101

My church had their annual women's retreat last weekend. It was a great time of experiencing God amidst the reality of life.

The theme of the retreat was the story of Exodus, which mostly consists of the Israelites wandering in the desert. We learned how God can rescue us from slavery, walk with us through the desert to the promise land, and then do it all over again. I worked with some other women to put together some activites to help us experience and express this theme of journey.

My grandma's church has a large stone labyrinth which they use for exactly that. Meditating and walking in a pattern, towards a center, and then walking out again. I was very excited about the idea of bringing a labyrinth to the retreat to help us experience journey.

I looked into buying and making labyrinths. Turns out portable labyrinths are REALLY expensive...esp for a church budget. I found some instructions on how to make one with masking tape...and after lots of discussions with my planners, and my resident engineer...that's Wes of course. We decided to take on the challenge.

So, now I bring to you Labyrinth Making 101. I hope you enjoy the journey!

Step 1: Buy supplies and determine the size of your labyrinth.

We decided to go for a 24' x 24' feet labyrinth. We also went for the Chartres Labyrinth pattern, but we had to modify it to 7 circuits rather than 11 so there would be enough space for the pathways.

We used the instructions here for a masking tape labyrinth, but adjusted the measurements accordingly for the 7 circuits, and just sketched it rather than use masking tape.

Supplies:
Enough painters drop cloth (or other canvas) to put together a 24'x24' square. For us, this was 8 pieces, 4 9'x12's and 4 4'x12's.
Heat'n Bond Iron on Adhesive
Iron
Twine
Measuring tape
weights and pole
outdoor paint
1 roll masking tape
2 light colored markers

Step 2: Iron together drop cloths

We laid out the drop cloths peice by piece, cut the Heat'n bond in long strips, and then ironed everything together to create our giant square.

Looks easy enough...but takes a lot of time! Maybe 5-6 hours for 2 people. Probably less time if you had a large enough space to lay out the whole thing...unlike our living room.

Step 3: Trace pattern

Using something heavy or taped down to the center (the masking tape directions suggest a plunger taped to the ground...but we thought that was gross) create a compass kind of a thing using a pole and a string. We stacked some free weights and put the bar in the center to be the base. We attached twine to the bar, with masking tape markers at the different intervals for the 7 circuits.

Then, using the markers, trace concentric circles to create the circuits. Once you have concentric circles, you can trace the boundaries of the paths. We followed this pattern for a modified 7 circuit Chartres Pattern. (Click the picture to get an explanation from the product description)

Step 4: Paint pattern

After you have the pattern sketched out, it's easy! Just paint over the sketch with a roller!

Paint in the boundaries between the paths...Paint the rosette in the center. This creates little spaces for multiple people to stand in the center.
And then of course, if you're from the Vineyard Church, paint some grapes in the corners to add your own flare :).
Step 4.5: Let husband paint second half

Since we didn't have a space to lay out the whole 24'x24' square, we had to paint half, then let come back the next day to paint the second half. I was unable to be there to paint the second half, and Wes finished it so quickly, by the time others were going to join him, he was done!

Look at that awesome work!The paint needed to try about 3-4 hours before folding up labyrinth.

Step 5: Set up and enjoy!

The following week at the women's retreat, the labyrinth was ready to go. I got to set it up and see the whole creation for the first time.
Then many women were able to enjoy the walk of the labyrinth. It was awesome to see so many people enjoy what we had made.

And now the labyrinth is ready and waiting for the next walk.

Thank you to Lindsay, Elizabeth, Brain, & especially Wes for helping make this creation!