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That's Funny...
I was reading my book at lunch today when my sandwich arrived. I put my book down on the table upside down so that the back cover was facing up. I eat some of my sandwich and then something on the back of the book catches my eye...
"...son of Prince Charles's wife Camila..."
I immediately reach over and turn the book over, and I think to myself... Funny, he doesn't look like he is the son of a horse!?!
But yes the author of "A Year of Eating Dangerously," Tom Parker Bowles is the son of Camila Parker Bowles!
"...son of Prince Charles's wife Camila..."
I immediately reach over and turn the book over, and I think to myself... Funny, he doesn't look like he is the son of a horse!?!
But yes the author of "A Year of Eating Dangerously," Tom Parker Bowles is the son of Camila Parker Bowles!
The Animals and the House
So it is a georgeous day here in Washington DC and we are keeping it pretty low key, we went to brunch this morning around 11, and then my friend from Boston who is playing down here this weekend (DJR) came over for a bit. We BBQ'd a late lunch and now we are just enjoying the evening out on the front patio. See like I said nothing too exciting. Oh yeah, and then we cleaned this morning.
So I wanted to post today for a few reasons, one... there is not much better to do other than read and blog on our front patio when it is 80 degrees, two... the Doctor is washing the car and I don't want to participate, and three... because I had the camera out today and we took some cute pictures of the animals and the house.
First off, the animals, as I am sure many of you know we have a lot of
animals in the house, even without Tipsy (miss you fat girl) we still have 3 cats and one dog. The Doctor had two cats before we moved in together, I had two, and he had the dog. Now we have a combined family of four animals. We have Val, (full name Valentine) the white Cat who is the ruler of the roost much to Bob's chagrin as he truly enjoyed being the Alpha cat. When it was just him and Tipsy he could boss her around and do whatever he wanted. Now, he has a couple other cats he has to contend with (not to mention Annie). Then there is the Doctor's other cat Indiana. 
Indiana is the resident fat cat who loves to lay around the house all day and lounge in the sun without moving. And then there is my buddy Bob. Bob has been a little grumpier since his sister died and since he was forced into a home with three other animals. He is definitely the step child who has trouble adjusting. However, for the most part all three cats can live calmly in the house with very few disturbances.
And then there is Annie. Annie is a beagle mix who is adorable to
look at but she is a bit hard to live with. She is a very hyper dog, who barks non-stop at anything moving, and in my opinion she is bipolar. She loves me and then she hates me. She will cuddle with me when she is happy and she has learned to weaponize her urine so she can pee on me from a distance when she is mad at me. But she is so darn cute to look at. We obviously love out animals here in the lovely house that I am about to talk about...
So the main focus of the house since the weather has started to get warm is the front patio. We just bought the grill, and the bistro set, and the Doctor wanted a water feature so we bought the fountain. We spend
many evenings out in the front, enjoying the weather grilling, and having a glass or two of wine.
Inside the house we have a huge kitchen, and living room area. The house came with three TV's the one in the living room which is a 55" Sony TV, is amazing, especially since the house is wired with surround sound in all of the rooms. The other TV's we will get to in a second. The center focal area, where we are always entertaining is the kitchen island, which also came with the house, and it glows a soft blue hue in the dark. And yes, the Doctor forgot to put the shoes away when he took one of the pictures.
We have two bathrooms, which is very convenient because we have one for the ca
t food, and litter and another one for the humans. Our bathroom (the human one) is done up in blue and chocolate brown and is a very relaxing room. And here are where the other TV's come into play... each of the bathrooms has a flat screen TV that is hooked up to the cable and the surround sound. Crazy I know but we could never go back to not having one because it is a great way to get the news in the morning (yes I am serous).
One of the two bedrooms in the house belongs to the roomie, so we respected his privacy and
didn't take any pictures, and the other one is our room. It is a very comfortable room, especially since the Doctor loves his pillows and there are about 300 on the bed. And of course another TV for me to all asleep to every night!
So that is our home, with our 4 animals and 3 people in two bedrooms, but it works and we love it!
So I wanted to post today for a few reasons, one... there is not much better to do other than read and blog on our front patio when it is 80 degrees, two... the Doctor is washing the car and I don't want to participate, and three... because I had the camera out today and we took some cute pictures of the animals and the house.
First off, the animals, as I am sure many of you know we have a lot of
animals in the house, even without Tipsy (miss you fat girl) we still have 3 cats and one dog. The Doctor had two cats before we moved in together, I had two, and he had the dog. Now we have a combined family of four animals. We have Val, (full name Valentine) the white Cat who is the ruler of the roost much to Bob's chagrin as he truly enjoyed being the Alpha cat. When it was just him and Tipsy he could boss her around and do whatever he wanted. Now, he has a couple other cats he has to contend with (not to mention Annie). Then there is the Doctor's other cat Indiana. 
Indiana is the resident fat cat who loves to lay around the house all day and lounge in the sun without moving. And then there is my buddy Bob. Bob has been a little grumpier since his sister died and since he was forced into a home with three other animals. He is definitely the step child who has trouble adjusting. However, for the most part all three cats can live calmly in the house with very few disturbances.And then there is Annie. Annie is a beagle mix who is adorable to
look at but she is a bit hard to live with. She is a very hyper dog, who barks non-stop at anything moving, and in my opinion she is bipolar. She loves me and then she hates me. She will cuddle with me when she is happy and she has learned to weaponize her urine so she can pee on me from a distance when she is mad at me. But she is so darn cute to look at. We obviously love out animals here in the lovely house that I am about to talk about...
So the main focus of the house since the weather has started to get warm is the front patio. We just bought the grill, and the bistro set, and the Doctor wanted a water feature so we bought the fountain. We spend
many evenings out in the front, enjoying the weather grilling, and having a glass or two of wine.Inside the house we have a huge kitchen, and living room area. The house came with three TV's the one in the living room which is a 55" Sony TV, is amazing, especially since the house is wired with surround sound in all of the rooms. The other TV's we will get to in a second. The center focal area, where we are always entertaining is the kitchen island, which also came with the house, and it glows a soft blue hue in the dark. And yes, the Doctor forgot to put the shoes away when he took one of the pictures.
We have two bathrooms, which is very convenient because we have one for the ca
t food, and litter and another one for the humans. Our bathroom (the human one) is done up in blue and chocolate brown and is a very relaxing room. And here are where the other TV's come into play... each of the bathrooms has a flat screen TV that is hooked up to the cable and the surround sound. Crazy I know but we could never go back to not having one because it is a great way to get the news in the morning (yes I am serous).One of the two bedrooms in the house belongs to the roomie, so we respected his privacy and
didn't take any pictures, and the other one is our room. It is a very comfortable room, especially since the Doctor loves his pillows and there are about 300 on the bed. And of course another TV for me to all asleep to every night!So that is our home, with our 4 animals and 3 people in two bedrooms, but it works and we love it!
Revenge: Practical Joke Style
Last week I was off on Friday, when I returned to work the following Monday my office had been redone. I was expecting it to be actually redone judging from the email I had received, but I was mistaken.
When I walked in my desk was surrounded, floor to ceiling, with cardboard framing success boxes that had a "gnome sized" door for me to get into my office. The boxes were beautifully decorated and I even had a welcome mat outside my front door. They had finally gotten me, since I am the one usually responsible for practical jokes, like when KE told me she was going to be late because she forgot her pants her entire office was full of pants she could have worn, like pink plaid pajama pants. Or moving JN's desk across the office, throwing her for a complete and total loop. It was funny to watch. I have had many others here and at other stores and many times they have gotten me. All in good fun, my favorite is when I returned from vacation at one of my stores and my desk was shrink wrapped and a large cutout of a crap was wearing one of my extra shirts and nametag hanging from the ceiling.
Anyway back to the point, everybody had been involved in this prank which meant that everybody was going to pay! Now a true practical joker knows when to strike, and I wanted to strike early so they think it has passed and in a few weeks I will get other participants when they least expect it!
So Tuesday night phase one of the strike began, I had 15 minutes in the office by myself, and my boss had already left. The time was right so I walked into her office, closed her door
, and began flipping all of her furniture upside down, except for the chairs and then placing everything back on the upside down furniture exactly as it was. This created maximum impact with very little effort. It was actually funny as all you know what! I left Tuesday night and couldn't wait to return on Wednesday morning for the reaction. Some people would not take it well but my boss loved it and knew she was in for it. She did mention that it was too soon, and that I should have waited!
Oh, I know I should have waited, and I am. I have plans! They may involve shrink wrap, duct tape, or even new springs for some of the doors!
Yes, I know I am evil!
People All Over
I have mentioned this before but I think it is really cool that people from all over the world read all of the silly things I have to say on a day to day basis. Sure I don't get a million hits a day like some of the big blogging folk, but I do have over 6000 hits (sad I know) and they have come from all over the map. Below are the places that people have clicked on my blog from...
United States (US) 1,521
United Kingdom (GB) 47
Canada (CA) 21
Australia (AU) 12
Czech Republic (CZ) 7
Germany (DE) 6
France (FR) 5
Netherlands (NL) 5
Mexico (MX) 4
China (CN) 4
Costa Rica (CR) 4- those are probably from when I was there
India (IN) 3
New Zealand (NZ) 3
Europe (EU) 2
Brazil (BR) 2
Portugal (PT) 2
Argentina (AR) 2
Finland (FI) 2
Poland (PL) 2
Denmark (DK) 2
Saudi Arabia (SA) 2
Slovenia (SI) 2
Greece (GR) 2
Sweden (SE) 2
Norway (NO) 1
Belgium (BE) 1
Ireland (IE) 1
Austria (AT) 1
Switzerland (CH) 1
Iran, Islamic Republic of (IR) 1
Netherlands Antilles (AN) 1
Taiwan (TW) 1
El Salvador (SV) 1
Colombia (CO) 1
Peru (PE) 1
Singapore (SG) 1
Kuwait (KW) 1
Egypt (EG) 1
Korea, Republic of (KR) 1
Turkey (TR) 1
Morocco (MA) 1
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (LY) 1
Jordan (JO) 1
Israel (IL) 1
Romania (RO) 1
Ok, so it may be a boring post, but I find it interesting, I wonder if I can find a way to double the clicks by next year. I already linked to my facebook page, I wonder what else I can do?
United States (US) 1,521
United Kingdom (GB) 47
Canada (CA) 21
Australia (AU) 12
Czech Republic (CZ) 7
Germany (DE) 6
France (FR) 5
Netherlands (NL) 5
Mexico (MX) 4
China (CN) 4
Costa Rica (CR) 4- those are probably from when I was there
India (IN) 3
New Zealand (NZ) 3
Europe (EU) 2
Brazil (BR) 2
Portugal (PT) 2
Argentina (AR) 2
Finland (FI) 2
Poland (PL) 2
Denmark (DK) 2
Saudi Arabia (SA) 2
Slovenia (SI) 2
Greece (GR) 2
Sweden (SE) 2
Norway (NO) 1
Belgium (BE) 1
Ireland (IE) 1
Austria (AT) 1
Switzerland (CH) 1
Iran, Islamic Republic of (IR) 1
Netherlands Antilles (AN) 1
Taiwan (TW) 1
El Salvador (SV) 1
Colombia (CO) 1
Peru (PE) 1
Singapore (SG) 1
Kuwait (KW) 1
Egypt (EG) 1
Korea, Republic of (KR) 1
Turkey (TR) 1
Morocco (MA) 1
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (LY) 1
Jordan (JO) 1
Israel (IL) 1
Romania (RO) 1
Ok, so it may be a boring post, but I find it interesting, I wonder if I can find a way to double the clicks by next year. I already linked to my facebook page, I wonder what else I can do?
Cleaning the Grill Can Be Hazardous
We bought a grill a few weeks ago and since then we have become grilling fiends. Every night it seems rain or shine we are firing up the grill, and making dinner. Yesterday evening we were having a few people over and decided to make some meat and veggie skewers on the grill.
We uncover the grill, and being that it is the first time we have grilled in the daytime we notice that the grill is a little dirty. No worries, I will just light it up, leave it on high, and then scrape the grease off when it warms up. In the meantime I will go inside and help prepare the meal. (And by prepare I mean watch other people cook).
A little bit of time passes and I head out to the grill to start scraping, it is quite warm but there is still a bit of grease that needs to come off of the ceramic. I leave it on high and head back into the house. My next time out I look at the window and notice that there is a small crack at the bottom that I hadn't noticed before. By the time I walk around the corner four feet and outside the crack looks bigger. I quickly realized that the heat from the grill was the cause of the crack and damn the window was hot. The crack continued to spread all the way up the window and I can't cool it down fast enough.
I move the grill away but unfortunately the damage is done, the crack is getting bigger and there is no real way to glue glass back together. Lesson learned I guess, don't grill next to your window it can be hazardous to the window!
We uncover the grill, and being that it is the first time we have grilled in the daytime we notice that the grill is a little dirty. No worries, I will just light it up, leave it on high, and then scrape the grease off when it warms up. In the meantime I will go inside and help prepare the meal. (And by prepare I mean watch other people cook).
A little bit of time passes and I head out to the grill to start scraping, it is quite warm but there is still a bit of grease that needs to come off of the ceramic. I leave it on high and head back into the house. My next time out I look at the window and notice that there is a small crack at the bottom that I hadn't noticed before. By the time I walk around the corner four feet and outside the crack looks bigger. I quickly realized that the heat from the grill was the cause of the crack and damn the window was hot. The crack continued to spread all the way up the window and I can't cool it down fast enough.
I move the grill away but unfortunately the damage is done, the crack is getting bigger and there is no real way to glue glass back together. Lesson learned I guess, don't grill next to your window it can be hazardous to the window!
Love Spring Days Off
I am off today and for the next three days. I have to go back to work on Monday and it may be tough. My parents were supposed to come down today but my Dad had to work. So instead I am being lazy.
I started my day by driving the Doctor to work and then I came home, sat down, and watched the Today show. Now I am going to shower and then hit up the Diner with my book for some lunch. I may even bring Annie. Then I am going to do not much of anything. I do love my random Friday's off.
Tomorrow it looks like we may do another wine tour since the weather is going to be over 70.
Woohoo Spring!
I started my day by driving the Doctor to work and then I came home, sat down, and watched the Today show. Now I am going to shower and then hit up the Diner with my book for some lunch. I may even bring Annie. Then I am going to do not much of anything. I do love my random Friday's off.
Tomorrow it looks like we may do another wine tour since the weather is going to be over 70.
Woohoo Spring!
The Angel's Game
Last week I finished reading The Angel's Game from one of my favorite authors and master storyteller Carlos Zafon. Zafon is the renowned author of The Shadow of the Wind. The The Angel�s Game is touted as "a dazzling new page-turner about the perilous nature of obsession, in literature and in love." I was so excited about this book that I called the publisher and requested the advanced readers copy. As soon as it arrived I jumped right into this amazing story.
The description provided by the publisher starts with the following quote from the books, a pure example as to why Zafon is such a beautiful and descriptive writer...
"The whole of Barcelona stretched out at my feet and I wanted to believe that, when I opened those windows, its streets would whisper stories to me, secrets I could capture on paper and narrate to whomever cared to listen . . ."
The story begins with the protagonist as a young man, and progresses on. He starts out writing for a newspaper, then his own books. He buys a deserted mansion in center of Barcelona and in that house he struggles to write in the evenings deal with a love that can never happen. Then one day he gets a mysterious and lucrative offer.
David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed. He is to create a religion, the power of his words should be able to change hearts and minds. In return, he receives more than enough money to live off of, but as he begins to work on his "religion" he begins noticing connections between his book and the life he is living. There are "ghosts" surrounding him and haunting his life. In true Zafon fashion a tangled web of stories, characters and passions begin to come together. Zafon even weaves a web that contains elements of the Shadow of the Wind. At times you are not sure what will happen, and how these character will affect others. You are amazed at how certain characters meet there end, and how others trigger additional chaos.
And then you come to the end of the book, and it all comes together. I put it down and knew that I would need time to recover. A truly amazing story, heartbreaking, romantic, surreal, tragic, secrets, lies, murder and mayhem. Yet it is still a cleanly written and amazingly descriptive novel.
Zafon is a master, and the power of books is evident once again in The Angel's Game. Run out and buy in as soon as it comes out on June 16!
The description provided by the publisher starts with the following quote from the books, a pure example as to why Zafon is such a beautiful and descriptive writer...
"The whole of Barcelona stretched out at my feet and I wanted to believe that, when I opened those windows, its streets would whisper stories to me, secrets I could capture on paper and narrate to whomever cared to listen . . ."
The story begins with the protagonist as a young man, and progresses on. He starts out writing for a newspaper, then his own books. He buys a deserted mansion in center of Barcelona and in that house he struggles to write in the evenings deal with a love that can never happen. Then one day he gets a mysterious and lucrative offer.
David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed. He is to create a religion, the power of his words should be able to change hearts and minds. In return, he receives more than enough money to live off of, but as he begins to work on his "religion" he begins noticing connections between his book and the life he is living. There are "ghosts" surrounding him and haunting his life. In true Zafon fashion a tangled web of stories, characters and passions begin to come together. Zafon even weaves a web that contains elements of the Shadow of the Wind. At times you are not sure what will happen, and how these character will affect others. You are amazed at how certain characters meet there end, and how others trigger additional chaos.
And then you come to the end of the book, and it all comes together. I put it down and knew that I would need time to recover. A truly amazing story, heartbreaking, romantic, surreal, tragic, secrets, lies, murder and mayhem. Yet it is still a cleanly written and amazingly descriptive novel.
Zafon is a master, and the power of books is evident once again in The Angel's Game. Run out and buy in as soon as it comes out on June 16!
Beware, Hazards Ahead
This is a warning to anybody in the DC area, Never go to Giant Foods to go grocery shopping... especially if you are used to the upscale feel of the Harris Teeter.
Let me explain, it was Saturday evening and I had just returned from work. The Doctor and I needed to rent a carpet steamer because having 3 cats and a dog makes the light beige carpeting in the house very dirty. The only place that rented the carpet steamer was the Giant Foods in Columbia Heights. At first glance this looks like a fairly nice supermarket, and there isn't much wrong with the facilities per say, it is mainly the fact that it is too small for the onslaught of customers on a Saturday evening and the customers were all screaming, yelling, and crazy!
It was overwhelming with kids screaming and running all over the place and hurling produce at their parents. We knew from the moment we pulled up that we would be in and out as quickly as possible. We literally ran through the store and grabbed the items we needed while avoiding the other patrons. The Doctor ran ahead and got some stuff for brunch while I ran up to grab myself a beer, and Mr. NG went to buy the bacon for Easter brunch, I met up with NG while the Doctor went to get the carpet cleaner, we reviewed the list and realized that we still needed to buy OJ.
We head up the aisle that has the juices, I am walking straight ahead with my eyes scanning for my Tropicana (which is harder to recognize) and I spot it ahead of me. I turn to talk to NG and suddenly a five year old girl is sprinting down the aisle with her pink stroller ahead of her. She is about four feet ahead of me and I jump up to avoid her and end up in a freezer case, of course making a scene. The mother turns to me and looks at me like i am the one causing a problem. She completely ignores her child who running customers over ten feet down the aisle. I remove myself from the freezer case and go grab the orange juice, I put it in the carriage and we head towards checkout as quickly as possible.
We check out, still managing to spend $180, and run out the front door. We have never shopped that quickly, yet we were never quite as exhausted from shopping. I will never go to the Giant again, and I will always be scared of bright pink strollers!
Let me explain, it was Saturday evening and I had just returned from work. The Doctor and I needed to rent a carpet steamer because having 3 cats and a dog makes the light beige carpeting in the house very dirty. The only place that rented the carpet steamer was the Giant Foods in Columbia Heights. At first glance this looks like a fairly nice supermarket, and there isn't much wrong with the facilities per say, it is mainly the fact that it is too small for the onslaught of customers on a Saturday evening and the customers were all screaming, yelling, and crazy!
It was overwhelming with kids screaming and running all over the place and hurling produce at their parents. We knew from the moment we pulled up that we would be in and out as quickly as possible. We literally ran through the store and grabbed the items we needed while avoiding the other patrons. The Doctor ran ahead and got some stuff for brunch while I ran up to grab myself a beer, and Mr. NG went to buy the bacon for Easter brunch, I met up with NG while the Doctor went to get the carpet cleaner, we reviewed the list and realized that we still needed to buy OJ.
We head up the aisle that has the juices, I am walking straight ahead with my eyes scanning for my Tropicana (which is harder to recognize) and I spot it ahead of me. I turn to talk to NG and suddenly a five year old girl is sprinting down the aisle with her pink stroller ahead of her. She is about four feet ahead of me and I jump up to avoid her and end up in a freezer case, of course making a scene. The mother turns to me and looks at me like i am the one causing a problem. She completely ignores her child who running customers over ten feet down the aisle. I remove myself from the freezer case and go grab the orange juice, I put it in the carriage and we head towards checkout as quickly as possible.
We check out, still managing to spend $180, and run out the front door. We have never shopped that quickly, yet we were never quite as exhausted from shopping. I will never go to the Giant again, and I will always be scared of bright pink strollers!
"the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I ever had"
Okay, no I am not suicidal, that is a line from the song that Adam Lambert sang today on American Idol.
It is a sad and haunting song... I had never even heard it before but Adam killed it, he did an amazing job and I felt like I was watching a star being born, that was the moment of the season like Fantasia's "Summertime" that makes the American Idol.
All I have to say is Simon never gives a standing ovation... and he stood up... go Adam!
It is a sad and haunting song... I had never even heard it before but Adam killed it, he did an amazing job and I felt like I was watching a star being born, that was the moment of the season like Fantasia's "Summertime" that makes the American Idol.
All I have to say is Simon never gives a standing ovation... and he stood up... go Adam!
And The Vineyard Trips Resume
A favorite weekend activity of ours (the old married couple as S referred to us today) is to go to local vineyards and enjoy their wine tastings. This weekend the Doctor and I decided to do Northern Virgina's Wine Tour #3 in Leesburg VA. This tour consisted of four small local vineyards that ranged in the type of wine and style made.
The first Vineyard was our favorite, as it offered a wide variety of red wines, and dessert wines including a Black Raspberry Port which was amazing, and we bought despite it being $32.00 a bottle. This vineyard had a really nice setup, with individual tasting areas, very well educated hosts who knew a lot about the wine and a very comfortable feel. Many vineyards have a tasting room that consists of a shoulder high booth and a swarm of employees babbling. This vineyard was calm peaceful and enjoyable, and they had 7 cats so we didn't feel bad admitting we have 3.
While we are at this vineyard, which I picked from the group because I liked their labels the best, we picked up a map of the other vineyards and decided on a path to follow since there were 4 places located within the 6 mile radius on the one we had just visited. All three of these vineyards had different setups and different wines.
The second vineyard was our least favorite because it seemed very disorganized and we both felt that the wines were very light and almost lacking flavor. Vineyard three was fun because of the people that worked there. They came over had a conversation with us and knew quite a bit about wine, as a matter of fact that liked us so much they gave us a 25% discount on the wine we bought.
Vineyard four was voted the best vineyard/winery in Northern Virginia. We were holding out great hopes for this vineyard, the grounds were beautiful as we walked in, and the tasting room was very nice as well. We approach the counter and ask for two tastings and we were charged $21.00! Most tastings are about $3, $10.50 is a little excessive. Overall, the wines were okay here, especially if you like a dry red wine. But it was not worth the price.
After this vineyard, we snacked on some cheese and crackers and then made our way home to relax for an evening. I am looking forward to a few more trips like this over the summer, they always are a good time.
The first Vineyard was our favorite, as it offered a wide variety of red wines, and dessert wines including a Black Raspberry Port which was amazing, and we bought despite it being $32.00 a bottle. This vineyard had a really nice setup, with individual tasting areas, very well educated hosts who knew a lot about the wine and a very comfortable feel. Many vineyards have a tasting room that consists of a shoulder high booth and a swarm of employees babbling. This vineyard was calm peaceful and enjoyable, and they had 7 cats so we didn't feel bad admitting we have 3.
While we are at this vineyard, which I picked from the group because I liked their labels the best, we picked up a map of the other vineyards and decided on a path to follow since there were 4 places located within the 6 mile radius on the one we had just visited. All three of these vineyards had different setups and different wines.
The second vineyard was our least favorite because it seemed very disorganized and we both felt that the wines were very light and almost lacking flavor. Vineyard three was fun because of the people that worked there. They came over had a conversation with us and knew quite a bit about wine, as a matter of fact that liked us so much they gave us a 25% discount on the wine we bought.
Vineyard four was voted the best vineyard/winery in Northern Virginia. We were holding out great hopes for this vineyard, the grounds were beautiful as we walked in, and the tasting room was very nice as well. We approach the counter and ask for two tastings and we were charged $21.00! Most tastings are about $3, $10.50 is a little excessive. Overall, the wines were okay here, especially if you like a dry red wine. But it was not worth the price.
After this vineyard, we snacked on some cheese and crackers and then made our way home to relax for an evening. I am looking forward to a few more trips like this over the summer, they always are a good time.
Dear Tropicana
Dear Tropicana Marketing and Packaging Department-What the hell were you thinking? From a business perspective I understand the need to keep your brand fresh and current. However, removing the iconic orange from your packaging is one of the stupidest moves that you could have ever made. Did you not test this packaging with test groups? Get feedback?
Old packaging= Iconic
New packaging= Generic
Look at the packaging that you decided on, the brand name is barely visible, the logo that you are known by is no longer there and quite honestly the muted colors just make it look cheap. When you change packaging the idea would be to improve upon your current package. When you are a well known brand you want to keep what you are known by, and most companies would maximize it. Isn't your orange with the straw a Trademark, why would you abandon it?
I would bet that this change in package will diminish your market share, as marketers you really should be aware of this. My recommendation would be to return to your old packaging, eat the losses of the changed packaging, and next time you feel a need to mess with an icon, think twice.
Sincerely,
JRH456
The Doctor says I am a little behind on this post, being that the package change occurred over a month ago, and to be honest I generally avoid orange juice because the acidity messes with my stomach, but when I do drink OJ, I think fresh, and I think Tropicana. Its almost nostalgic as when I see the orange with the straw I think back to the old commercials. As you can tell the package change rubs me the wrong way, and I honestly think it is a really bad marketing decision. Maybe they should have talked to Coca Cola who made the huge mistake of changing the way their 2 liter bottles were made years back resulting in consumer fury, and them having to change back to the normal two liter bottle. This is just my two cents but I really do think my two are the same as millions of other peoples two cents and it will result in Tropicana losing sales.
Once again, just saying...
Guess What Honey...
So I was riding home on the Metro from work on Thursday, I was completely engrossed in my Advanced Readers Copy of The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and then I realized that the next stop was Metro Center where I needed to get off. As we approached the stop I stood up and expected the woman sitting on the outside of me to let me past. Instead the woman rolls her eyes lets out a loud sigh and stays in her seat...
I kindly say, "Excuse me this is my stop."
Crazy lady sighs again, "Well I just sat down"
"I'm sorry I didn't notice, but I need to get off here"
She doesn't move, "Well I am not standing up because I just sat down, how could you not notice"
"Once again I am sorry but I need to get off" I say as I begin to climb over her.
"Your an asshole, how dare you not notice me."
"Guess what honey... take your stupid sunglasses off and take a look around, the world doesn't revolve around you," I say as I get off the train and the doors close for dramatic effect.
I give her the evil eye as the train pulls away, I just can't believe that she wouldn't move out of the way for me to get off the train, I am never rude to people when they are trying to move on a train, there are tons of people cramped a small over packed cylinder. And by the way there is no sun in the Metro so you don't need sunglasses!
I kindly say, "Excuse me this is my stop."
Crazy lady sighs again, "Well I just sat down"
"I'm sorry I didn't notice, but I need to get off here"
She doesn't move, "Well I am not standing up because I just sat down, how could you not notice"
"Once again I am sorry but I need to get off" I say as I begin to climb over her.
"Your an asshole, how dare you not notice me."
"Guess what honey... take your stupid sunglasses off and take a look around, the world doesn't revolve around you," I say as I get off the train and the doors close for dramatic effect.
I give her the evil eye as the train pulls away, I just can't believe that she wouldn't move out of the way for me to get off the train, I am never rude to people when they are trying to move on a train, there are tons of people cramped a small over packed cylinder. And by the way there is no sun in the Metro so you don't need sunglasses!
Pura Vida
Pura Vida= Pure life
It is not only the motto of Costa Rica but a term used in general conversation and a motto that many Ticos live by. Visitors take on a pure life when they visit. A life without all of the outside interuptions. Pura Vida also takes on the meaning of "everything is well," "life is good" and "living the good life."
While the Doctor and I were in Costa Rica we lived the pure life, the life without the constant interuptions from the cell phone, a life without a watch, and a life maily without TV. We became much more connected with our surrounding and the people around us. We had conversations, and dinner without our blackberrys vibrating off the dinner table.
We were able to enjoy life more when we lived by the motto of "Pura Vida" we were free to enjoy ourselves without the general contraints of everyday life. An afternoon lounging by the pool was not interupped by constantly checking emails. And the best part is we didn't miss it at all.
Looking back over the week I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to go to Costa Rica and enjoy a new place with an amazing person, a person who pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to experience so many things that I would have never done. While I missed laying on the beach and reading a book I got to do so much more.
I was lucky to go with somebody who pushed me out of my comfort zone for food as well, I ate fish! For those of you who read my blog you know I am picky... I had amazing coconut crusted Mahi Mahi at Agua Azul and another fish at Kapi Kapi. I didn't eat them as my meal but I tasted them, its progress! We paired all of our meals with an amazing bottle of wine and truly enjoyed a "Pura Vida."
I can't wait to return to Costa Rica, maybe next year, or maybe soon for a special event!
It is not only the motto of Costa Rica but a term used in general conversation and a motto that many Ticos live by. Visitors take on a pure life when they visit. A life without all of the outside interuptions. Pura Vida also takes on the meaning of "everything is well," "life is good" and "living the good life."
While the Doctor and I were in Costa Rica we lived the pure life, the life without the constant interuptions from the cell phone, a life without a watch, and a life maily without TV. We became much more connected with our surrounding and the people around us. We had conversations, and dinner without our blackberrys vibrating off the dinner table.
We were able to enjoy life more when we lived by the motto of "Pura Vida" we were free to enjoy ourselves without the general contraints of everyday life. An afternoon lounging by the pool was not interupped by constantly checking emails. And the best part is we didn't miss it at all.
Looking back over the week I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to go to Costa Rica and enjoy a new place with an amazing person, a person who pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to experience so many things that I would have never done. While I missed laying on the beach and reading a book I got to do so much more.
I was lucky to go with somebody who pushed me out of my comfort zone for food as well, I ate fish! For those of you who read my blog you know I am picky... I had amazing coconut crusted Mahi Mahi at Agua Azul and another fish at Kapi Kapi. I didn't eat them as my meal but I tasted them, its progress! We paired all of our meals with an amazing bottle of wine and truly enjoyed a "Pura Vida."
I can't wait to return to Costa Rica, maybe next year, or maybe soon for a special event!
An Unexpected Suprise
Our trip is coming to an end, this morning we left Quepos on the 7:45 flight (again on a tiny plane) and arrive in San Jose for our 6 hour lay over. The plane from Quepos landed at a different airport so we need to arrange for transport to the San Jose International Airport.
Once we land in San Jose our driver meets us to bring us to the hotel. While in transport we ask him what there is to do around the airport, there is shopping and food, and McDonalds. We have five hours until our flight leaves and are not sure that McDonalds will suffice. As we approach the airport we see a sign for Vulcan Poas. The Doctor saw the smile on my face and asks me if I want to see if we can go to the Volcano. We ask the driver and he ensures us that he could get us there and back by noon. He will charge us a little extra but we decide that it is worth it and much better than spending five hours in the San Jose Airport, so we are off.
Our driver is a little bit of a tour guide as we head up the mountain and he stops in a few places and points out some interesting facts, lets us take some pictures, and revels about how beautiful the volcano is. I am as giddy as a school girl as we approach the volcano, and you can even smell sulfur as we get closer. We get to the gate pay the fee and the driver finds out that you can even see the volcano and crater today. There is apparently only a 30% chance to be able to see anything. The Doctor and I practically run up the path towards the Volcano. The clouds are rolling in and I want to see the crater, we have come this far, I really hope we can see it. As we approach we notice a number of people taking pictures and staring in awe at the big hole in the ground, that’s a good sign right! As we approach the fence we see the lagoon in the crater and smell the sulfur gas being emitted from the volcano. I am shocked at how powerful it is to see a hole in the earth as it belches gas out. Not only has the cloud above the volcano lifted, but my dark cloud may be lifting as well. We are incredibly lucky to have time to come to Poas but to be able to see the Volcano in its entirety is very lucky.
We then make our way up the path to see if we can see Lagos Botas, a lake that was formally a volcanic crater that has been filled with rain water. It is pretty much a big puddle! We are hoping that we are able to see this too. And we are lucky once again, we reach the puddle as the clouds begin rolling in, but it is a darn pretty puddle and we are able to take some spectacular pictures.
As the clouds (of gas caused by the volcano) roll in we make our way back to the Volcano just to take one more look. As we approach we notice that all you can see is whiteness. We were very lucky with our timing and it was a great way to end our vacation.
Pura Vida!
Pictures are up on the travel blog... www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
Once we land in San Jose our driver meets us to bring us to the hotel. While in transport we ask him what there is to do around the airport, there is shopping and food, and McDonalds. We have five hours until our flight leaves and are not sure that McDonalds will suffice. As we approach the airport we see a sign for Vulcan Poas. The Doctor saw the smile on my face and asks me if I want to see if we can go to the Volcano. We ask the driver and he ensures us that he could get us there and back by noon. He will charge us a little extra but we decide that it is worth it and much better than spending five hours in the San Jose Airport, so we are off.
Our driver is a little bit of a tour guide as we head up the mountain and he stops in a few places and points out some interesting facts, lets us take some pictures, and revels about how beautiful the volcano is. I am as giddy as a school girl as we approach the volcano, and you can even smell sulfur as we get closer. We get to the gate pay the fee and the driver finds out that you can even see the volcano and crater today. There is apparently only a 30% chance to be able to see anything. The Doctor and I practically run up the path towards the Volcano. The clouds are rolling in and I want to see the crater, we have come this far, I really hope we can see it. As we approach we notice a number of people taking pictures and staring in awe at the big hole in the ground, that’s a good sign right! As we approach the fence we see the lagoon in the crater and smell the sulfur gas being emitted from the volcano. I am shocked at how powerful it is to see a hole in the earth as it belches gas out. Not only has the cloud above the volcano lifted, but my dark cloud may be lifting as well. We are incredibly lucky to have time to come to Poas but to be able to see the Volcano in its entirety is very lucky.
We then make our way up the path to see if we can see Lagos Botas, a lake that was formally a volcanic crater that has been filled with rain water. It is pretty much a big puddle! We are hoping that we are able to see this too. And we are lucky once again, we reach the puddle as the clouds begin rolling in, but it is a darn pretty puddle and we are able to take some spectacular pictures.
As the clouds (of gas caused by the volcano) roll in we make our way back to the Volcano just to take one more look. As we approach we notice that all you can see is whiteness. We were very lucky with our timing and it was a great way to end our vacation.
Pura Vida!
Pictures are up on the travel blog... www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
I Broke Twelve Toes
I broke twelve toes today… well not exactly 12 toes but it feels like I broke all of the toes on my feet after a day of walking, and hiking up hills in flip flops. We woke up around 8:30 today, went to breakfast at the hotel and then hopped onto the bus down to the park. The Doctor wanted to take another walk through the park in hopes of seeing howler monkeys and another sloth. He does love his sloths.
We got down to the park, the Doctor drank out of a coconut and we found a path that we had not discovered in our previous visit. We were hoping that it wouldn’t have as many people on it and we would have the opportunity to see more wildlife. Well, apparently our eyes are not as good as our guides and we walked all the way to the end of the path and halfway back before we spotted a single animal. However, about halfway back after I broke 5 toes, we heard a rustling in the trees and when the Doctor looked up he spotted a sloth slowly moving down the tree. We broke out the video camera, and digital and started taking pictures, as people passed not noticing the animal above them. Once we got our fill of the sloth (they are slow and rather boring to film after all) we moved back to the main path in hopes of seeing more monkeys. Unfortunately, no monkeys were spotted.
We approach the beach where we saw the deer and decide to set up shop for a bit. This was a very peaceful beach on Sunday when we came to visit, but today it was a bustle of activity. We set up, put on suntan lotion, and head into the surf for a bit. The waves are still rough and we get thrown around a little bit more then we expected. As the waves threaten to get our electronics wet we return to our towel and decide to head off. We walk down the beach a bit and decide to take some pictures of the rocks as the waves hit. Of course I make the Doctor climb some of the rocks so I can take some pictures. Once again a beautiful scene, there have been so many of them over the past few days in Costa Rica.
We continue walking through the park, not spotting many animals but enjoying the trip. We then emerge on the main beach, and decide since the tide is low enough to venture out to Playitas, a more secluded but beautiful beach down the shore about twenty minutes on foot. The waves are crashing in but they are not nearly as high as they were the day before. As we approach the cross over to Playitas over the rocks we notice that we are going to have to scale the rocks and venture through the waves in order to get over. We decide to take a chance and though a difficult task, we conquer the rocks and make it to the other side. The force of nature is tremendous on this side of the rocks as the waves pound the shore at several different angles. The waves are over fifteen feet tall on this stretch of beach and while we venture into the waves for a bit we are thrown around violently and decide that it would make sense to head back to the hotel. The only problem is as we look over to the rocks the water is over our heads, we can’t escape. We would have been stuck at the beach for hours with the exception of this nice foreign couple who offered to show us up the trail to the road.
They say the trail is a little steep at the beginning but it’s not too bad. As we begin we are climbing a vertical wall of rock (yeah not too bad my butt), we make it up that stretch (once again in flip flops) and then they tell us not to look down because it is a straight fall about 200 feet to the rocks below and we have to cross a path that is only about 12 inches wide. I pass the backpack off to the Doctor who is a lot less accident prone then me and somehow make it across. A few more obstacles and we are up on the road, of course that doesn’t mean the fight is over because roads in Costa Rica are not much more than dirt paths. After about a twenty minute uphill walk I exclaim, “I think I broke twelve toes today” the Doctor is confused!
Tomorrow sadly is a travel day… until then Pura Vida
Pictures are up on the travelblog... www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
We got down to the park, the Doctor drank out of a coconut and we found a path that we had not discovered in our previous visit. We were hoping that it wouldn’t have as many people on it and we would have the opportunity to see more wildlife. Well, apparently our eyes are not as good as our guides and we walked all the way to the end of the path and halfway back before we spotted a single animal. However, about halfway back after I broke 5 toes, we heard a rustling in the trees and when the Doctor looked up he spotted a sloth slowly moving down the tree. We broke out the video camera, and digital and started taking pictures, as people passed not noticing the animal above them. Once we got our fill of the sloth (they are slow and rather boring to film after all) we moved back to the main path in hopes of seeing more monkeys. Unfortunately, no monkeys were spotted.
We approach the beach where we saw the deer and decide to set up shop for a bit. This was a very peaceful beach on Sunday when we came to visit, but today it was a bustle of activity. We set up, put on suntan lotion, and head into the surf for a bit. The waves are still rough and we get thrown around a little bit more then we expected. As the waves threaten to get our electronics wet we return to our towel and decide to head off. We walk down the beach a bit and decide to take some pictures of the rocks as the waves hit. Of course I make the Doctor climb some of the rocks so I can take some pictures. Once again a beautiful scene, there have been so many of them over the past few days in Costa Rica.
We continue walking through the park, not spotting many animals but enjoying the trip. We then emerge on the main beach, and decide since the tide is low enough to venture out to Playitas, a more secluded but beautiful beach down the shore about twenty minutes on foot. The waves are crashing in but they are not nearly as high as they were the day before. As we approach the cross over to Playitas over the rocks we notice that we are going to have to scale the rocks and venture through the waves in order to get over. We decide to take a chance and though a difficult task, we conquer the rocks and make it to the other side. The force of nature is tremendous on this side of the rocks as the waves pound the shore at several different angles. The waves are over fifteen feet tall on this stretch of beach and while we venture into the waves for a bit we are thrown around violently and decide that it would make sense to head back to the hotel. The only problem is as we look over to the rocks the water is over our heads, we can’t escape. We would have been stuck at the beach for hours with the exception of this nice foreign couple who offered to show us up the trail to the road.
They say the trail is a little steep at the beginning but it’s not too bad. As we begin we are climbing a vertical wall of rock (yeah not too bad my butt), we make it up that stretch (once again in flip flops) and then they tell us not to look down because it is a straight fall about 200 feet to the rocks below and we have to cross a path that is only about 12 inches wide. I pass the backpack off to the Doctor who is a lot less accident prone then me and somehow make it across. A few more obstacles and we are up on the road, of course that doesn’t mean the fight is over because roads in Costa Rica are not much more than dirt paths. After about a twenty minute uphill walk I exclaim, “I think I broke twelve toes today” the Doctor is confused!
Tomorrow sadly is a travel day… until then Pura Vida
Pictures are up on the travelblog... www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
Surfing...
Our last planned activity of the vacation was surfing. Now I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be that good at surfing, and then when we got out there and the waves were ten feet tall and the surf instructor was worried that we might have trouble with a lesson in these conditions I knew it was going to be a bad experience.
We were picked up at 2 in the afternoon about an hour before high tide at our hotel in our instructor Todd’s “Red Rocket” a beaten up Honda that he bought 8 years ago for 2000 dollars, I am not sure I would have paid 2000 colones (4 dollars) for it. And he brings us down the winded road to the beach. He starts by giving us an in depth lesson about the beach and waves and where they come from. How they reached this beach and how you can tell waves apart. I was so confused but tried to look like I was paying attention. At this point I was more worried that I would end up falling under the board and having the fin slice my neck. The Doctor on the other hand could not wait to get out on the water and try to stand up on these ten foot waves. If you have been following this blog then you are not at all surprised by this.
We finally get into the water right as high tide is hitting and there is not really any beach left. The first wave hits me hard but I am able to stand up to it until my board rides the wave back into the trees and pulls my ankle out from under me. I fall face first into the next wave. Hmm, I am not sure that this is going to work out well. But I get out into the water and begin paddling out past the break zone, finally I feel a bit more comfortable and I am able to balance on my board and actually sit up. He gives us a quick lesson on what to feel for when the wave catches us and when to stand up.
The first wave he wants us to catch comes up and we begin paddling to shore. The Doctor catches the wave and is able to get to up on his board. I get thrown from my board head first towards the shore and then pummeled by the waves until I am not sure which way is up. Thank goodness I have spent many years in the ocean so I know not to panic and in a few seconds my head pops to the surface and the board yanks me backwards. So this time was not my turn to be successful so I begin to paddle out again with the Doctor. A couple of waves hit us hard but we make it out again and watch as Todd rides a wave into shore. Apparently that is how you are supposed to do it. Since I have no idea what to do when I wave comes I wait for him to come back and then I try to catch a second wave, that kicks my ass, and then a third which I had no right to even try. It kicks my ass so hard for a moment I almost panicked because I had no idea what was going on and I had swallowed about a gallon of salt water. I come tumbling into shore. I rip the safety cord off my ankle, hold back the urge to throw the board and walk in back up to the red rocket and place the board in front of it. I then go back into the water without the board. Take on the waves without an anchor and have a blast watching the Doctor stand up on his board for some huge waves. I was very impressed.
Finally after about another 30 minutes of me in the water getting beat up by some huge waves the Doctor tries to take one wave and gets clobbered, he tumbles off his board and is then hit by a set of waves that wouldn’t stop. When he finally surfaces he decides that he has had enough and returns to shore with his board and the instructor. The instructor buys us a beer and we talk for a bit before we return to the hotel in the red rocket. It wasn’t my idea of a great time but we made the best of it, and I did enjoy being in the water, I just didn’t enjoy having the board strapped to my ankle. It was fun to watch the Doctor get up on his board though.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a day at the beach, we will see how that goes.
Until then, once again… Pura Vida
Once again photoes are up on the travelblog... www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
We were picked up at 2 in the afternoon about an hour before high tide at our hotel in our instructor Todd’s “Red Rocket” a beaten up Honda that he bought 8 years ago for 2000 dollars, I am not sure I would have paid 2000 colones (4 dollars) for it. And he brings us down the winded road to the beach. He starts by giving us an in depth lesson about the beach and waves and where they come from. How they reached this beach and how you can tell waves apart. I was so confused but tried to look like I was paying attention. At this point I was more worried that I would end up falling under the board and having the fin slice my neck. The Doctor on the other hand could not wait to get out on the water and try to stand up on these ten foot waves. If you have been following this blog then you are not at all surprised by this.
We finally get into the water right as high tide is hitting and there is not really any beach left. The first wave hits me hard but I am able to stand up to it until my board rides the wave back into the trees and pulls my ankle out from under me. I fall face first into the next wave. Hmm, I am not sure that this is going to work out well. But I get out into the water and begin paddling out past the break zone, finally I feel a bit more comfortable and I am able to balance on my board and actually sit up. He gives us a quick lesson on what to feel for when the wave catches us and when to stand up.
The first wave he wants us to catch comes up and we begin paddling to shore. The Doctor catches the wave and is able to get to up on his board. I get thrown from my board head first towards the shore and then pummeled by the waves until I am not sure which way is up. Thank goodness I have spent many years in the ocean so I know not to panic and in a few seconds my head pops to the surface and the board yanks me backwards. So this time was not my turn to be successful so I begin to paddle out again with the Doctor. A couple of waves hit us hard but we make it out again and watch as Todd rides a wave into shore. Apparently that is how you are supposed to do it. Since I have no idea what to do when I wave comes I wait for him to come back and then I try to catch a second wave, that kicks my ass, and then a third which I had no right to even try. It kicks my ass so hard for a moment I almost panicked because I had no idea what was going on and I had swallowed about a gallon of salt water. I come tumbling into shore. I rip the safety cord off my ankle, hold back the urge to throw the board and walk in back up to the red rocket and place the board in front of it. I then go back into the water without the board. Take on the waves without an anchor and have a blast watching the Doctor stand up on his board for some huge waves. I was very impressed.
Finally after about another 30 minutes of me in the water getting beat up by some huge waves the Doctor tries to take one wave and gets clobbered, he tumbles off his board and is then hit by a set of waves that wouldn’t stop. When he finally surfaces he decides that he has had enough and returns to shore with his board and the instructor. The instructor buys us a beer and we talk for a bit before we return to the hotel in the red rocket. It wasn’t my idea of a great time but we made the best of it, and I did enjoy being in the water, I just didn’t enjoy having the board strapped to my ankle. It was fun to watch the Doctor get up on his board though.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a day at the beach, we will see how that goes.
Until then, once again… Pura Vida
Once again photoes are up on the travelblog... www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
A Whale Pushed Me Into A Volcano
Then there was the snorkeling trip on Wednesday. That was a late minute addition to the schedule when we decided against taking a trip up to the Volcano because everybody who had been up there said you couldn’t see the volcano because of the rain and fog.
Luckily the snorkeling adventure left at 1pm so we were able to sleep in, all the way until 8:30!
We got up and went down for breakfast by the pool and then decided that since we had the time we would go do some souvenir shopping down by the beach. The entrance to Manuel Antonio beach is a 25 minute walk down the hill or a cheap bus ride down. We waited at the bus stop for a few minutes and then I decided that we should walk down to the beach. It was only about 100 degrees under the red hot sun so why not! The walk down was a bit rough but nothing compared to when I didn’t want to wait for the bus back up.
Down along Manuel Antonio beach all of the locals have little tents set up with the goods they are pushing, and I am not kidding when I say pushing… lo siento pero no necessito una vaca… yes I did mean to say I don’t need a cow. Once again the Spanish comes at us fast and furious and while I have enough conversational Spanish to get through this the poor Doctor has no idea what is going on half the time. Throw in the fact that we have to pay everything with colones (monopoly money) and it is a very demanding morning.
We end up buying a few little things for ourselves, a vase and mask and a soda and water, and a drum for my sister because that’s what she asked for and then started heading back up the beach back to the bus stop. On the way back up a woman whistles at the Doctor and exclaims in Spanish… es como un angel! Yeah, ok crazy lady he is like an angel! When we get back to the bus stop and the bus had not arrived in five minutes I decided that it wouldn’t be such a bad walk so we start walking, 30 minutes later we arrive back at the hotel dripping sweat from everywhere, needing a shower desperately!
It is almost 1pm and we are frantically packing our backpack to meet the tour group up in the reception area of our hotel for the snorkeling trip. Not sure what we needed we overpacked a backpack and were out the door. We loaded into another bus and were on our way to the dock where we learned that a marina is being built, however the engineers failed to take into account that the marina was being built on sand so it is now sinking. Silly Tico engineers you say, yes but the engineers are American!
We get onto the boat which is a 12 person sailboat where the Doctor realizes he is going to need Dramamine to survive and then we are off on a seven our sail around the Pacific ocean. The first thing I notice is how stunning the coastline is as we pull away, the rocks jutting out of the water with waves crashing on them and the volcanic hills rising from the coastline with light white clouds puffed up around them. I obviously snap a couple hundred pictures this trip. There really is no better way to appreciate the landscape of this country then experiencing it in all the different ways possible.
About an hour or so into the trip the captain slows the boat down and then tells us to look off to the right of the boat as we look to the right we see some gulls and then two dolphins jump out of the water in front of another boat, and then two more and before you know it there are about 20 dolphins surrounding the boat. Jumping and playing in the water and swimming around. The water is so clear that you could see the dolphins swimming a few feet beneath the boat before the jump. It was amazing.
After about 20 minutes watching the dolphins (which we weren’t able to get a picture of) the boat stopped and told us if we wanted to we could jump in the water. So we all hop off the boat and go for a swim in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Of course Greg has to ask how deep the water was, apparently it was about 500 feet deep where we were swimming. I immediately swim towards the rope attached to the boat. Then we get back on the boat for our trip into the bay to do some snorkeling.
Once we get there we get a quick explanation on how and where to snorkel, as well as how to use the equipment. I immediately recognize a problem, I always breath through my nose, and then my nose is clogged by the stupid goggles. But I give it a try and jump into the water and swim towards the rocks. The problem with the bay we are snorkeling in is that there are about 6 other boats and 200 other fat white men and women and their children snorkeling there. Quite honestly it is way too busy to really see much except for fat people in swimsuits. As the Doctor dives down he is able to see some fish below the water. I dive down and I can’t breathe and my ears pop. The Doctor calls me over to a location by the rock and tells me where to look. As I get ready to dive down and see some fish a whale swims over me pushes me out of the way and into a huge chunk of volcanic rock attached to the sea floor. I gouge my shin open and scream at this stupid whale… and by whale I mean 600 lbs woman.
After a little while longer and seeing a few fish I make my way back to the boat with the Doctor and they have dinner ready for us. We sit enjoy dinner, exchange experiences (I only saw like 3 fish) and I nurse my leg back to health, or at least stop it from bleeding. And then the sun begins to set and red yellow pink and purple hues are scattered throughout the sky, the clouds are kissed with colors and a streak of orange cuts the water. It is a miraculous sunset and once again I make sure to take hundreds of pictures. After the sun sets we head back to shore on the boat and our snorkeling adventure comes to an end. We spend the rest of the evening at the hotel relaxing by the pool and enjoying the company of the others on the snorkeling adventure (except for that one couple that didn’t talk) And then Thursday was surfing.
Surfing was not my cup of tea but I will talk about that a little more tomorrow.
Until then… Pura Vida
The pictures are up and posted on the travel blog www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
Luckily the snorkeling adventure left at 1pm so we were able to sleep in, all the way until 8:30!
We got up and went down for breakfast by the pool and then decided that since we had the time we would go do some souvenir shopping down by the beach. The entrance to Manuel Antonio beach is a 25 minute walk down the hill or a cheap bus ride down. We waited at the bus stop for a few minutes and then I decided that we should walk down to the beach. It was only about 100 degrees under the red hot sun so why not! The walk down was a bit rough but nothing compared to when I didn’t want to wait for the bus back up.
Down along Manuel Antonio beach all of the locals have little tents set up with the goods they are pushing, and I am not kidding when I say pushing… lo siento pero no necessito una vaca… yes I did mean to say I don’t need a cow. Once again the Spanish comes at us fast and furious and while I have enough conversational Spanish to get through this the poor Doctor has no idea what is going on half the time. Throw in the fact that we have to pay everything with colones (monopoly money) and it is a very demanding morning.
We end up buying a few little things for ourselves, a vase and mask and a soda and water, and a drum for my sister because that’s what she asked for and then started heading back up the beach back to the bus stop. On the way back up a woman whistles at the Doctor and exclaims in Spanish… es como un angel! Yeah, ok crazy lady he is like an angel! When we get back to the bus stop and the bus had not arrived in five minutes I decided that it wouldn’t be such a bad walk so we start walking, 30 minutes later we arrive back at the hotel dripping sweat from everywhere, needing a shower desperately!
It is almost 1pm and we are frantically packing our backpack to meet the tour group up in the reception area of our hotel for the snorkeling trip. Not sure what we needed we overpacked a backpack and were out the door. We loaded into another bus and were on our way to the dock where we learned that a marina is being built, however the engineers failed to take into account that the marina was being built on sand so it is now sinking. Silly Tico engineers you say, yes but the engineers are American!
We get onto the boat which is a 12 person sailboat where the Doctor realizes he is going to need Dramamine to survive and then we are off on a seven our sail around the Pacific ocean. The first thing I notice is how stunning the coastline is as we pull away, the rocks jutting out of the water with waves crashing on them and the volcanic hills rising from the coastline with light white clouds puffed up around them. I obviously snap a couple hundred pictures this trip. There really is no better way to appreciate the landscape of this country then experiencing it in all the different ways possible.
About an hour or so into the trip the captain slows the boat down and then tells us to look off to the right of the boat as we look to the right we see some gulls and then two dolphins jump out of the water in front of another boat, and then two more and before you know it there are about 20 dolphins surrounding the boat. Jumping and playing in the water and swimming around. The water is so clear that you could see the dolphins swimming a few feet beneath the boat before the jump. It was amazing.
After about 20 minutes watching the dolphins (which we weren’t able to get a picture of) the boat stopped and told us if we wanted to we could jump in the water. So we all hop off the boat and go for a swim in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Of course Greg has to ask how deep the water was, apparently it was about 500 feet deep where we were swimming. I immediately swim towards the rope attached to the boat. Then we get back on the boat for our trip into the bay to do some snorkeling.
Once we get there we get a quick explanation on how and where to snorkel, as well as how to use the equipment. I immediately recognize a problem, I always breath through my nose, and then my nose is clogged by the stupid goggles. But I give it a try and jump into the water and swim towards the rocks. The problem with the bay we are snorkeling in is that there are about 6 other boats and 200 other fat white men and women and their children snorkeling there. Quite honestly it is way too busy to really see much except for fat people in swimsuits. As the Doctor dives down he is able to see some fish below the water. I dive down and I can’t breathe and my ears pop. The Doctor calls me over to a location by the rock and tells me where to look. As I get ready to dive down and see some fish a whale swims over me pushes me out of the way and into a huge chunk of volcanic rock attached to the sea floor. I gouge my shin open and scream at this stupid whale… and by whale I mean 600 lbs woman.
After a little while longer and seeing a few fish I make my way back to the boat with the Doctor and they have dinner ready for us. We sit enjoy dinner, exchange experiences (I only saw like 3 fish) and I nurse my leg back to health, or at least stop it from bleeding. And then the sun begins to set and red yellow pink and purple hues are scattered throughout the sky, the clouds are kissed with colors and a streak of orange cuts the water. It is a miraculous sunset and once again I make sure to take hundreds of pictures. After the sun sets we head back to shore on the boat and our snorkeling adventure comes to an end. We spend the rest of the evening at the hotel relaxing by the pool and enjoying the company of the others on the snorkeling adventure (except for that one couple that didn’t talk) And then Thursday was surfing.
Surfing was not my cup of tea but I will talk about that a little more tomorrow.
Until then… Pura Vida
The pictures are up and posted on the travel blog www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gregandjon
Whitewater Rafting Too
So with the Doctor's crazy scheduling it has been a very busy but enjoyable couple of days. We went white water rafting on Tuesday and then we had an afternoon/sunset snorkel trip yesterday.
White water rafting was another early morning. Our driver picked us up at 7:30 in the morning, brought us to the office to pick up the raft and pay and then informed us that we were the only ones signed up to white water rafting with their company today. Again, lucky… we were going to have a private white water rafting trip. After all of the gear was uploaded they brought us up the hills (with another Costa Rican Car Massage included) to the start of the course we would be taking. It is the dry season in Costa Rica so the river is very low but it was a good place for a beginner like me to take their first white water rafting excursion.
They gave us a quick explanation of how we would be rowing down the river, where to sit, what to do if somebody went overboard etc etc. I was sure that I was going to be the person who went overboard but I was actually more concerned about the fact that I don’t know my left from my right and our lovely instructor Maria wanted to make sure that we know that it was imperative that we did exactly as she said in order to make it down safely. That means if she yelled out right forward, left back I needed to know which way to paddle. I found myself going I am on the right I am on the right I am on the right the entire trip down the river, and when she screamed out right forward I still had to stop and think about which way I needed to paddle.
We made it through the first few rapids, one of them backwards and I started gaining confidence, after all I had not been thrown from the raft yet. A few more rapids and I was actually having fun. It was afterall a nice paddle down a river in the middle of the rainforest. Maria pointed off to the right at a waterfall that fed into the river. A waterfall over jagged rocks surrounded by butterflies and flowers. She asked if we wanted to have a snack beneath this waterfall and had us paddle to that beach and walk up to the waterfall. Stunning is the only word that comes to mind as we approach the waterfall, she tells us to wade in because the fresh water feels great on your shoulders after you have been paddling for a while. We wade in move towards the waterfall and get a great neck massage. I am so disappointed that we didn’t bring down the camera for this trip but we can always remember it and maybe describe it to you one day. As we enjoyed the purity of nature she prepared some pineapple and cookies for us to eat and some water so we had the energy to paddle the rest of the way down the river.
We leave our pictauresque location and head back to the boat. Put our equipment back on and paddle our way through a bunch more rapids. Then the water is calm. She asks if we want to go for a swim among the rocks and fish but I opt not to because my entire goal for white water rafting was to not end up falling out of the boat and I would have succeeded if Doctor hadn’t pulled me violently from the boat almost causing one of my contacts to make the journey down the rapids ahead of me. The water was crisp and cool and we could see the trees and animals around us. There was not a single other person in the surrounding area.
Once the trip was done and we were exhausted and exhilarated at the same time we loaded all of the equipment into the van and they told us we had a bumpy hour ride into town where we were going to grab lunch. We were very confused for a moment expecting it to be four in the afternoon when it was actually only 11 am. They drove us back into downtown Quepos and brought us to a little shack called La Cubanita for an authentic Costa Rican lunch of rice beans, meat, yucca, platanos and fresh squeezed pinapple juice. It was an amazing lunch and it was all included in the tour. They do have tourism down to an exact science in Manuel Antonio, gotta make the customer feel like the trips were worth it.
After lunch they drove us back to the hotel and asked if we needed anything else, we were contemplating the beach and they offered to drive us down, but because it was high tide we were unable to get there so instead we relaxed by the infinity pool overlooking the rainforest at our hotel. It wasn’t a bad option!
No pictures this time unfortunately, but I will post tons of pictures from our sunset snorkeling tour we did. Until then… Pura Vida!
White water rafting was another early morning. Our driver picked us up at 7:30 in the morning, brought us to the office to pick up the raft and pay and then informed us that we were the only ones signed up to white water rafting with their company today. Again, lucky… we were going to have a private white water rafting trip. After all of the gear was uploaded they brought us up the hills (with another Costa Rican Car Massage included) to the start of the course we would be taking. It is the dry season in Costa Rica so the river is very low but it was a good place for a beginner like me to take their first white water rafting excursion.
They gave us a quick explanation of how we would be rowing down the river, where to sit, what to do if somebody went overboard etc etc. I was sure that I was going to be the person who went overboard but I was actually more concerned about the fact that I don’t know my left from my right and our lovely instructor Maria wanted to make sure that we know that it was imperative that we did exactly as she said in order to make it down safely. That means if she yelled out right forward, left back I needed to know which way to paddle. I found myself going I am on the right I am on the right I am on the right the entire trip down the river, and when she screamed out right forward I still had to stop and think about which way I needed to paddle.
We made it through the first few rapids, one of them backwards and I started gaining confidence, after all I had not been thrown from the raft yet. A few more rapids and I was actually having fun. It was afterall a nice paddle down a river in the middle of the rainforest. Maria pointed off to the right at a waterfall that fed into the river. A waterfall over jagged rocks surrounded by butterflies and flowers. She asked if we wanted to have a snack beneath this waterfall and had us paddle to that beach and walk up to the waterfall. Stunning is the only word that comes to mind as we approach the waterfall, she tells us to wade in because the fresh water feels great on your shoulders after you have been paddling for a while. We wade in move towards the waterfall and get a great neck massage. I am so disappointed that we didn’t bring down the camera for this trip but we can always remember it and maybe describe it to you one day. As we enjoyed the purity of nature she prepared some pineapple and cookies for us to eat and some water so we had the energy to paddle the rest of the way down the river.
We leave our pictauresque location and head back to the boat. Put our equipment back on and paddle our way through a bunch more rapids. Then the water is calm. She asks if we want to go for a swim among the rocks and fish but I opt not to because my entire goal for white water rafting was to not end up falling out of the boat and I would have succeeded if Doctor hadn’t pulled me violently from the boat almost causing one of my contacts to make the journey down the rapids ahead of me. The water was crisp and cool and we could see the trees and animals around us. There was not a single other person in the surrounding area.
Once the trip was done and we were exhausted and exhilarated at the same time we loaded all of the equipment into the van and they told us we had a bumpy hour ride into town where we were going to grab lunch. We were very confused for a moment expecting it to be four in the afternoon when it was actually only 11 am. They drove us back into downtown Quepos and brought us to a little shack called La Cubanita for an authentic Costa Rican lunch of rice beans, meat, yucca, platanos and fresh squeezed pinapple juice. It was an amazing lunch and it was all included in the tour. They do have tourism down to an exact science in Manuel Antonio, gotta make the customer feel like the trips were worth it.
After lunch they drove us back to the hotel and asked if we needed anything else, we were contemplating the beach and they offered to drive us down, but because it was high tide we were unable to get there so instead we relaxed by the infinity pool overlooking the rainforest at our hotel. It wasn’t a bad option!
No pictures this time unfortunately, but I will post tons of pictures from our sunset snorkeling tour we did. Until then… Pura Vida!
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