In the afternoon the clan hit the beach. BB had his first surf lesson. Angie from Del Mar Surf was his instructor. She was one of the first acquaintances here in Nosara last year.
Go BB go!
BB really liked surfing and is going to have another lesson tomorrow. Look out alpine skiing, you have some serious competition!
BB and Angie after their lesson
Fairy1 is very serious about warming up before surfing. She initiates all of her presurfing warmups on her own.
Fairy2 is completely content making ornate sand fairy houses on the beach. She had MomT fetch the treasures while she designed her master plan.
She was so proud and couldn't wait to show DadD her creation.
Goodbye for today Playa Guiones, see you tomorrow.
The evening was finished off with a tasty meal of some fresh red snapper (yes caught this morning and delivered by the fish lady) along with some fresh veggies and pasta leftovers from last night's dinner. If you haven't already figured it out, enjoying food is a priority to this bunch.
So everyone can probably guess the morning drill by now. AuntieL and BB did their morning tour which was a canopy tour. Guess some of the roads were so muddy they needed to switch vehicles and do some walking. Life in the jungle is a constant adventure. MomT ... yoga DadD & Fairy1...surfing Fairy2...lots of artwork and all the kids enjoyed countless hours in the pool
A bare-throated tiger heron graced the pool area with it's presence this morning. Supposedly he lives on property. Who can blame him? There is a trickling stream with blue shrimp marching towards the ocean, fruit trees and lots of creepy crawlers to keep well fed.
Here is a photo of Fairy2 drawing some tropical scene pictures....in a hammock of course.
It seems if you are in need of something you ask your local friends who may supply the service or item. Word gets around quick and the locals do not keep their connections a secret...well at least they haven't from the fabulous 4. MomT emails the fresh cheese/yogurt guy when she needs fresh dairy. The fish lady Cheri sends out an email when her boyfriend has fresh fish he has caught that very day, and they deliver the fish whole or filleted within an hour. The lady who supplies us with freshly baked gluten free bread. The fresh organic veggies, the fresh tortillas, the woman who puts hair feathers in your kids' hair, the woman who comes to your house to cut or shave your hair (she is also the fish lady). If you want it and they have it, you ask and you get it.
MomT ran into our friends from home today. Their kids are in school this week and all 4 kids will be in school together next week.
Fairy1 went to a local market and picked up some veggies and fruits to present to her home classroom in NH. She had some help identifying the items from a gentleman who was on AuntieL's canopy tour. Fairy1 will Skype with her class tomorrow. She can't wait to report back some of the knowledge she has gained thus far. The fairies have learned so much already.
Here is the lychee that was sampled today...super tasty.
Fairy2 made a comment in the car today which confirmed to MomT and DadD that coming to Costa Rica again was the right choice for their family. Her comment "We are lucky to have everything we have in NH. People here don't have very much and we have 4 toilets in our house in NH". Fairy2 is 5 years old and this is huge for the kid who wants it "all". MomT wanted to shout HOORAY out the window.
The location for dinner this evening was at Dolce Vita. Our host Roberto was delightful and we all felt like we were in the Cique Terre rather than Costa Rica. The portions were generous and the service was great. Children are really treated like royalty in this town.
Here is a photo of AuntieL and MomT. Yes they really did accompany their families on the trip. They are usually behind the cameras so there tends to not be a lot of photos of them.
This is DadD's dinner, lobster fradiavlo
Fairy2 was in heaven with her pesto pasta. Notice Roberto has a huge chunk of romano cheese he walks around with and grates it over your meal with a large knife.
The complementary carafe of lemoncello presented after the meal. Felt kind of bad we didn't take more than a taste.
Da Boyz
Full bellies all around and plenty of leftovers to last a while. Ciao!
AuntieL and BB got an early start this morning and went on a river kayak tour. The tour was on Boca Nosara where the river meets the ocean. AuntieL was able to try stand up paddling on the way back.
DadD got an early surf session in and MomT went to yoga....do you see a trend developing? Afterwards MomT tracked down the produce truck and bought some fruit and veggies out of the back of the truck. Her next stop was for fresh tortillas prepared daily. When she returned everyone enjoyed a healthy tasty snack.
The fairies got lots of pool time in and MomT is amazed at the amount of bathing suits they go through in a day (4 today). Who wants to get into a wet bathing suit? Not these fairies.
After a little pool time everyone headed to Robin's for a yummy lunch. There was another down pour so MomT and AuntieL decided it was a sign to do some shopping.
Here are the inseparable pair being Zen.
The plan was to go to the beach but there was so much giggling the adults decided to let the kids play! AuntieL went to a yoga class at Treetops and some howler monkeys watched her do her poses.
WARNING! These images may contain upsetting images. Please view at your own risk.
This is what can happen when you pull your kids out of school and go to Costa Rica.
Leave them unsupervised and anything can happen.
Who needs the ocean when you can put everything in the pool.
(sorry this picture is slanted, but you get the idea)
Spinning uncontrollably at warp speed
(don't be fooled by the laughing in this video)
Shots of lemoncello at dinner
(well they aren't actually drinking it but it is disturbing that they think it is funny and Fairy1 does know how to look drunk)
Fairy1 and BB got to phone Skype with MEE from home. Very exciting stuff for Fairy1! I am sure there was tons of giggling cause that is what they do best.
See other entry for a continuation. MomT's IPad keeps dropping posts in the middle of typing so some posts may be short in the future.
MomT started her day off with some yoga. It is very small town just like home, she knew 3 of the other students in the class.
The rental car got replaced by a new one today. The back hatch of the 1st RAV4 would not open without great force and MomT was worried either her shoulder or the door handle was going to rip off. The other problem was the seal on the passenger side door where Fairy1 sat was leaking a lot with all of the random down pours..and the seats are cloth....no bueno. A new one was delivered with no fuss and a smile. The guy drove 2 hours to deliver it. How is that for service? Of course there was lots of pool time, always a fairy favorite. They never get enough of the pool. Lots of painting and reading as well.
Fairy1 was able to have a surf lesson with NELSON! His girlfriend Maggie said she is willing to share Nelson for our month long visit. A little competition is always good.
Pura Vida!
Fairy2 was taken out to do some body surfing compliments of Nelson. She practiced with DadD afterwards by standing on her board while he pulled her down the beach. What a life. Today is the first day on this trip that Fairy2 was completely comfortable in the ocean. Sometimes things take a little warming up. Now it is pure enthusiasm.
When we arrived home from the beach we had a surprise. AuntieL and BB were just getting dropped off at the casa. We were all so excited to see each other and shortly after their arrival we had a little surprise for BB's bday.
MomT stopped by to Joanne at Zen Cafe and it was a fateful encounter. Just as she walked into the cafe Joanne was pulling a warm flourless chocolate torte out of the oven. MomT claimed it as hers and Joanne topped it off with some chocolate sauce. Chocolate heaven.
Fairy2 presented BB with a lovely card and some molding clay she insisted he needed.
Next the clan headed downtown to do a little browsing and topped off their day with a delicious dinner at Harmony. Yummy seafood, salads, sushi, pizza etc. Nelson popped over to say hi with his sweet girl Maggie.
Fairy1 and BB, back together like bread and butter:) Poor Fairy2 is sure to NOT to get any attention from her big sis anytime soon.
So nice to have our family here to enjoy a slice of paradise with us. AuntieL and BB have a tour planned bright and early. Off to bed.
The first stop on the itinerary today was the Farmer's market. This market had a wonderful perk... a horseshoe shaped pool surrounding the gazebo that housed the market itself. The pool is open to all who visit. A lot of restaurants offer use of their pools while dining. Some treasures from the market today were local artisan cheeses, yogurt, indian spices, pesto and almond butter to name a few.
In this photo you can see Fairy1 in the forefront and Fairy2 in the background (she loved the slanted end of the pool because she thought it was like a beach).
The fairies enjoy some fresh watermelon juice poolside. Since gluten free options for breakfast was limited it was back to Robin's for another wonderful meal. Back at the casa Fairy2 spent a good amount of time painting shell and in the pool.
Fairy2 has rediscovered her joy of being naked in the jungle. Think Tarzan minus the cloth. Below are painted pieces of sand dollars.
Fairy1 spent most of her day in water. Either in the pool or the ocean. She had a surf lesson with a young woman named Jessie. MomT and DadD met Jessie in a yoga class. Yoga brings good things to the family so MomT feels obligated to continue to go to yoga classes:) Jessie is a pro surfer from Jacksonville, FL who has relocated to Costa Rica. She was the east coast champion in the US and is rated #4 in Costa Rica in woman's surfing. Jessie had Fairy1 going out past the break, surfing on her own and practicing her turns. Post lesson photo op
Here is a clip of Fairy1 after her 1 1/2 hour lesson
Fairy2 was frolicking around the beach
On our way leaving the beach we spotted some wildlife hangin out
DadD had his own surf lesson and got a good amount of time in the water today. Here is a little friend who hangs out near the outdoor shower. It's body is about 1 inch minus the long legs. It is beautiful and doesn't move when we are near.
MomT didn't do yoga today but don't worry tomorrow is another day. Sunday afternoon our visitors will hopefully be arriving if all flights etc are on schedule. Their studio apt in the downstairs of our casa awaits them.
We are fortunate enough to welcome some visitors tomorrow. AuntieL and BB will return for their second year with us in Costa Rica! We wanted to wish BB a Happy Birthday! Check out the singing telegram from the Fairies.
