Should I trade Ramona in for this BEAUTY!!!!!

Managed to download the rest of the pictures, in the centre of this wonderful park I found a small soccer field. The church was on the road home, there had a been a wedding a couple of hours before and I did see one little girl about 7 years old walking with her mother down this muddy side road and the little girl was dressed in a spotlessly white long communion dress, she looked priceless, oh for a photoo!!!!.. have to go now as the base ball game is beckoning me. I had a very rare and special day and all for 300 colonies!!!!!!!

Going through some technical difficulties here downloading the rest of my photos for today, so I will tell you about the day and then your mission, if you choose to accept, it to match the words with the photos.
Well after a very relaxing morning I set off about 11 am today's trip was to the University of Peace which I have been told is about 7 kilometers on the other side of Cuidad Colon. Please if you have time google wikipeddia for the University of Peace, very interesting text telling you all about the history and mission statement.
I have never seen cows with big floppy ears like that!!!! He or she was in the same field as yesterday's horse just by the gate to the community. The picture of the road and beautiful house is inside the gated community. Just on the main highway walking into town I passed first the shrine, then the road side store and because I lazed the morning away the market in town was packing up as I passed by. I walked all the way through town to the other end where there is a small road with the sign to the University.
Incredible!!!!! Is the only word to describe the walk which took me over one hour. I passed fields and fields of what i first thought were grapes but closer examination showed small red and green berries. I walked through lush forest and winding roads some which had been previously washed away, over a cute little bridge until I stopped this Tico on a bike and asked him what the bushes were and of course they were coffee bushes!!! He took the 2 photos of me in the bushes, that is the closest I ever came to a cup of coffee!!!!
After a steep climb came to this very tiny village where in the centre was a skate board park and the kids were playing and laughing, refrained from taking any pictures. Another short trek and there was the University. The campus is closed on the weekends but the park was open. 300 colonies got me into the park and the photos speak for themselves, the ponds, the walkways and the statues, all very beautiful. I stopped and had lunch and took a self portrait, mention my wrinkles and instant blog ban, that includes you too Janet ( my favourite sister in law ). Started the trek back and after about 500 yards this car stopped and a couple with a young daughter offered me a lift which I gladly accepted. So here I am 3600 miles away from home on the small road in the middle of a little town and I get picked up by a teacher from Delta (a suburb of Vancouver), his Japanese wife and little girl!!!!! His Mum lives in Victoria, here on Vancouver Island and she was born in a town called Bakewell, Derbyshire, England, I was born and raised about 45 minutes from this town!!! What a small world, he is on sabbatical from the school district and teaching English here in a little town called Santa Anna. They dropped me off close to my house and as walked up the drive way being greeted by Lucy the heavens opened and it just poured down. Well there you have it another boring day!!!!! I hope to post the rest of the pictures later....

Warning this post does contain partial nudity, viewer discretion is advised!!!!!!!


Meet Desi a very loving kitten that follows me everywhere and her favourite spot is on a shelf above the computer watching me do the blog.





How can you not love this face????Even when she puts in your face when you are sleeping at 7am!!!!!!!!





This is how I spent this morning, after getting the Lucy wake up lick, I found it to be sunny and warm, so with a dish of fresh strawberries and yogurt, I am watching a live soccer game from England.
Now I have not threatened anyone with a ban from the blog yet from Costa Rica, but it could happen, if anyone dares to mention my toes. They may not be the most handsome but I have been told they have character!!!! Have a great day everyone...

Around 12 noon I decided to go to the main highway and this time take a bus west, the opposite direction that I took the other day. After a short wait along came the bus to Puriscal and I thought I don't mind going back there, so on I went. Again this bus driver was competing with the others to be the proud holder of "I got more people on my bus than him award " After about 10 minutes of driving climbing into the mountains all the vehicles in front were stopped and so were we. We waited for a few minutes and the bus driver turned his engine off it was apparent we were here for a while. With so many people on the bus it got very warm and I decided enough and I got off and started to walk towards where the problem was and found that an accident had knocked a power pole down over the road. It appeared that traffic was not going to get through so I turned around and walked back towards home, it took me about 1 hour to get to Cuidad Colon, where I stopped and bought 7 eggs for 412 colonies, remember 515 to a dollar, and came home. The photos are of the horse that is in the field by the gate that leads to the house where I stay. As close as I was allowed to get to the accident, some of the shots on the walk home. The lesson this morning.

I got back about 4pm and enjoyed the trip and it was the first time in the week I have been here that I did not have to use the umbrella. If this continues I may have the surgical procedure reversed. Amber alert Heather and Mary there was no precedure!!!!!!!!!!!!! As of now about 6pm it is raining like crazy!!! Have a nice evening everyone..

Must be a slow day as I ponder which did come first?????

Say good morning to Professor Miguel!!! He comes once each week to the house to teach Spanish to the owner and she asked me if I wanted the time slot whilst I was here and of course I did. So the Professor arrived at 9.30am this morning on his bike, he is retired from the local University and I had a one hour lesson for four dollars. What a wonderful and very informative time it was. He is a very good teacher and very patient with me and I feel it was just a great time and I learned many things and now I have to keep using the phrases he taught me. We sat in the kitchen area with the doors open, the sun was shining, just a fantastic start to the day. I slept well and had a great breakfast of French toast actually it should be Spanish toast, using a fresh egg, local vanilla, which is awesome and the black pepper, the pepper here is very tasty the same as in Mexico and some milk, it tasted`really good and then orange juice and read a paper, not a bad life is it? Haven't decided yet what to do today but some adventure no doubt...

Just a friendly reminder...double click on any photo and they enlarge, some of them are pretty neat, enjoy..

This would be a good time to get that cup of coffee or tea I feel I have a literary giant coming on....Today was exploring the canyon behind the house. I had been shown the road to take and off I went. The photos are of the street I took that leads to the gravel road. I just love that picture of the tree with the mountains in the background(on the previous post). I think I walked down the winding path maybe 2 miles and then came across this side road, which I took of course. I finished up in the garden of this older gentleman named Jorge, after I very meekly told him I was pleased to meet him and could I take photos, we shook hands and there you go the base of the waterfall that I can see from the back yard. The other picture I also like is of his casa, with the trees, the laundry and believe me this home is in the boonies completely. Continuing down the path I was trying to find my way to the river basin and I came across this other Tico collecting fruit again after respectfully telling him my name he allowed me take photos and also took one for me. I am sure I was in land never before been visited by a gringo just call me Dr.Livingston(you know the score by now if you don't know who he is...google him). I continued further down until it was obvious I was going away from the river so I decided to turn around and make the monumental climb back, just as it started to rain. Back on the main street I needed to go and post some post cards then called in at the local store, photo of the inside of the store and then back home. I was gone about 5 hours and it was a memorable day to be hiking in forest and semi jungle away from everything and meeting the two Tico's, who were so friendly and kind. My big mistake I forget to bring down my Canadian gifts, I always go to the dollar store before I leave Nanaimo and get many small Canadian key chains and always carry them with me just for the exact occasion of giving them to these gentlemen. I bought the chains but neglected to bring them!!!!

Now after a shower and as my Mum would say "your 4 o'clock cuppa" I feel great. I am going to do some reading and get ready for the base ball game tonight. Soup and a roll for supper tonight.

I have also been researching where I am going to travel after I leave here I have six days and on advice from locals I think I may go over to the Pacific coast and stay in a place called Manuel Antonio a National Park on the ocean with rain forests and jungles, it is supposed to be magnificent. More research needed I know I do miss the ocean it becomes part of you. OK enough already, blessings to all....

WWARNING!!!!!!!! Heather and Mary please do not read this!!!!

Well I have made a big decision today came across the fix er upper and only for 10.00 dollars per month, couldn't pass it by I know it doesn't look like much but it faces the canyon, the river down below and the waterfall off to the side and as they say it is all about location, location, location. Labour is really cheap and I figure by the time I leave in three weeks it will be presentable and then I can rent it out for income. There are none of the hassles here with buying property as you encounter in other countries. Feels good to be back in the real estate market again!!!!

It seems that I also duped another one of my favourite and faithful readers...I am not going to mention Heather by name on the grounds it may incriminate her, but this photo should show once and for all the operation was complete and the umbrella is doing really well and was in use this afternoon.

Have been trying to find a way to down load these for a few days now...not sure if you click on the map it may enlarge and if you find San Jose I am in a small town a little to the west, for my directionally challenged readers that would be left!!!!!