bugs lives

My camera has a less than spectacular zoom.  I mean it is effective enough at getting the point across, but it that is all it can muster.  It can not make the mico go macro.  This grasshopper was never a creature to be eaten in one bite.  To dip him on chocolate, you would have to double dip.  I of course, stood, staired, and was suddenly reminded of the 1980's red and black leather jackets.  It was as though at any moment a time machine would drop down and I would be visited by a black Michael Jackson.

Place of work and life

The question is, will i ever not have an outdoor kitchen in Latin America?  This is our Work cocina and where I am babied by Dona Hilda - a woman who cooks and feeds me like a grandmother, and who helps my Spanish by almost never speaking English.

Peace Yo.  This is not the view from my porta-pit-potty.  This is what the balcony of our office faces - the Sarapiqui River.

but this is where i spend most the of the day.  Yup, on Outlook!

Our library.... with mostly English books that volunteers have left behind.  We have a program which asks tourists coming down from the States to bring Spanish books with them as gifts because shipping to Costa Rica is so expensive.  Right Mom...

Therefore, when all ya'll come down and visit me... bring some books for the Ticans!!  And dark chocolate!

Up and coming:  biggest and coolest grasshopper yet.

These are children from our after school program.  This is also the river where I swim.

Note the children.  Note the river.  I play in the river.  I do not play with the children.

Or at least I don't HAVE to...

:)

Neighbor's backyard

I live in a community of about 2000 people.  there are three 'stores' ie, mini-marts / general stores / last out post you find on your way up to a mountain retreat kinda venues, two bars, and a rafting company.  Essentially, commercially speaking, you get it, there isn't much do do in the immediate vicinity. Wellll..... these are the hiking trails behind my neighbors ...um...eco-lodge.  Yes, in between the noisy, life threatening highway and the theoretically pristine Sarapiqui River are Eco-lodges, "eco-resorts", rafting companies, and us, the conservation learning center.  Anyways, i think i just wanted to show off my playground...   

I've stopped wearing the dorky hat... it is way too civilized here to emulate Indiana Jones!