Christmas-New Year-Birthday in Costa Rica!!!

We arrived in San Jose on Dec. 21 and spent the night before picking up our rental car and heading across the country to Dominical. We arrived to find our Large Beach Cottage at Coconut Grove ready and waiting for us. We unpacked, and settled in for our two week stay. We booked a fishing trip with Isidro, but had no luck, had to buy Dorado from the fish market, La Macha. Our days were filled with long beach walks, pool time at the Rancho, and holding down the hammocks with a good book.

Richard and Diane invited us to a big Christmas Party on Christmas Eve, I prepared a dip to take. It was fun, we met some old friends and made some new friends.

Dale and I volunteered to help Daryl put on a Christmas party for the children of Playa Uvita. With our elf hats on we handed out gifts, dished out ice cream, and helped put toys together for the kids. It was very refreshing to see the smiling faces of all the local children. The true meaning of Christmas!!!


Many days we headed to Playa Hermosa.....our favorite beach for some sun, sand, and warm water. The beaches were packed with local families, but we always found a spot. We played in the surf, enjoyed cold coconut water and plantain chips, and some really unique snow cones from a beach vendor. During our last week we borrowed two boogie boards from Coconut Grove and decided to give it a try! Dale got the hang of it quickly, he was soon riding the waves all the way to shore. It took me several days before I was able to do it.

Off to Tinamaste we had booked a ATV tour with Karl....we went up into the mountains riding for about four hours. We stopped at waterfalls, crossed rivers, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It was a great day and Karl is always fun to talk with. After the ride we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a Soda....great food!
 
New Year's Eve we joined Richard and Diane for drinks at their house.....then we drove down the highway to Lewis Park to watch Daryl's fireworks display.....unfortunately I crashed and burned after tripping over a wire in the dark. It could have been bad.....but I came out with only a few scratches. Next time I will take a flashlight! New Years Day we went to the beach, enjoyed a pizza at La Fogata in Uvita and then celebrated my birthday with dinner at Por Que No? It was a wonderful dinner, I had some of the best ceviche I think I have ever tasted.
Hiking Hacienda Baru in search of wildlife, my trusty guide, Dale found a sloth high up in the trees. We also saw a group of monkeys crossing our path in the trees. It was a warm steamy day, but we completed the trails.
After our last beach day we drove up the mountain into the jungle to have lunch at Jolly Roger....quite a trip! We had some great hamburgers and an order of wings with a cold beer. That night I prepared dinner and we began packing for our trip back to San Jose. The next morning we left about 10 am....stopping to have lunch at Vista del Mar on the way back to San Jose and the hotel. We turned in our rental car, checked into the hotel and had dinner. Flying out the next day we arrived back in Texas that night. It was a great trip.....the weather was fantastic....and we had a great time.

Turkey Day!

Turkey Day was spent at Cottage on Spotted Fawn in Fredericksburg, Texas! It was a really cute cabin with everything we needed for our stay! Our Thanksgiving Feast included a Glazed ham, Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Salad, Green Bean Casserole, and a Pumpkin Cheesecake. We visited old friends, made Trade Days, ate at Alamo Springs Cafe, and visited a winery to listen to the Almost Patsy Cline Band. A relaxing trip!