Costa Rica (15 Nov - 15 Dec)

A months worth of photos and events to update on. It's not possible.
My life here in Turrialba has been beautiful. I look very forward to the day I return.

Here are a few highlights from the last 30 days.

Views from where I live in Verbena (up the mountain from the town of Turrialba)

double rainbow over the cafe farm -- early morning

Sunrise over the Talamancas

November's full moon from my apartment

Annual cheese festival/fiesta in Santa Cruz/La Pastura, CR. Dancing, lots of singing, and good times. Santa Cruz is located above Verbena on the flanks of Volcan Turrialba -- where the country's famous cheeses are made.

Geri and Fernando

Xinia (Ger's sister) and her boyfriend

Friends from my spanish language school

Nate and Todd

Jenny, Denis, Stephani, and Laura

Piret

Stephani

We had massive flooding in early December on the east side of the Talamancas. Many landslides, bridges out, and some people in the lowlands had flooding in their homes. The rivers raged and I loved it. Apparently we received 1/2 of the months average rain fall in just a couple of days.
This inspired a trek out to my study site on the Rio Pacuare two day after the flood waters started to recede ..... I wanted to see the changes that the flood created first thing. These rivers are wild and dynamic.

Me - hopping across the new boulder deposits on my study bar at CRRios site on the Pacuare.
While GPSing in the head of the bar a boat of rafters went by with a friend from Oregon that spotted me sitting on the banks (small world).

Once vegetated back channel -- with massive veg disturbance and new layer of sands at CRRios site.

Bug on the banks of the river (apple for scale) -- gotta love the tropics!

Clouds moving in over the jungle and the Rio Pacuare below on my hike out from the site

Aunt Jo and Sue came for a visit. It was such fun to have them here. We went up to Santa Cruz to buy cheese from a local cheese maker, visited the Guayabo National Monument, quickly visited the CAITE Botanical Garden, tooled around Turrialba and had a lovely lunch with my Tico family in Verbena.

Aunt Jo and Sue at the Guayabo Monument (archeological site of the indigenous peoples of the Talamancas)

Monument from viewing point in the jungle

I then traveled with Jo and Sue back to Cahuita for a few days of rain, clouds, yoga, good food, and fantastic company.

Uncle Jim on the deck/kitchen table

Jo and Jim's beautiful Cahuita home

Sue in her yard with her new puppy

Playa Grande, Cahuita ..... after a storm.

Returned home from the Cahuita to a household of family and friends for an early cena de Navidad.

Me and Nico -- Dec 2010

Brett and Nico -- Brian and Samuel: Dec 2010

Life abounds here! everywhere you look

Tiny eggs in a hummingbird nest

CATIE main campus building