what is it about a bath?

this is for real

Directions: Twist up product. Remove protective seal and discard. Glide product on. Apply to underarms only. Always replace cap tightly. Use daily for best results.

isn't this a bit unnecessary? isn't this what moms, dads, older brothers and sisters, best friends, middle school P.E. teachers are for?

daddy-o

i really love my dad. he's one swell guy.

how do you like your spinach?

this year we planted two rows of spinach in the garden and it's come up beautifully and bountifully. i've been enjoying the (almost daily) spinach salads, i'm making lasagna for Father's Day, and i've got a killer spanikopita recipe but i think i'm going to need some more ideas. we're talking spinach in Popeye proportions here. if push comes to shove i know i can freeze it but fresh spinach is a billion times better. any help by way of tried and true recipes, home remedies, arts & crafts ideas - whatever - would be greatly appreciated.

El Castillo

the change in our itinerary took us back up to the Arenal area with Linds and Gav to the tiny mountain village of El Castillo. ever since Volcán Arenal erupted in 1968 it's been spurting volcanic rock constantly. in the last four our five years it's been falling on the northeast side and the best place to view it now is from El Castillo. our room had huge picture windows and the bed was set up for convenient night-time viewing. it was crazy to realize that we were just laying there all comfy watching the center of the earth spew forth. when Ash woke up around 2:00 am we brought her into our bed and just watched it until we fell asleep again. better than watching reruns by a long shot.


in the morning we watched the hedge flutter with humming birds and took a little swim in the pool overlooking Lake Arenal. then Linds and Gav headed out to the coast and we headed back to the city to catch our plane the next day. indeed, El Castillo was a grand finale to our tropical adventure. we're happy to say that we would recommend everything we did and everywhere we stayed in Costa Rica.

you can see more photos of our adventures here if you're interested.

La Tigra

it was a short visit but the two days we spent nestled on the hillside at Cabañas Pocosol were peaceful, quiet and beautiful to be sure. in the evening we watched the lightning roll in across the valley and when we woke up the next morning there were two keel billed toucans sitting in a tree in plain view. so cool! Ash got to lounge around in her birthday suit a little and she enjoyed a warm bath in the kitchen sink.


Linds and Gav arrived despite a dark and rainy drive the second night. needless to say we were so glad to see them and very impressed with their driving and navigating skills. meeting up with them gave us a big second wind after two and a half weeks of traveling. we spent the next day at the Los Angeles Cloud Forest and saw philodendron leaves the size of buffet platers, some totally decked out fungi, and giant fiddle heads. we finished with a delicious lunch at the fancy pants café (the pesto was superb).