tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89555154963578981602024-03-05T12:49:51.349-06:00Life in the Slow LaneA family of three move from the Midwest to Costa Rica...Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-46445292411204303952009-06-02T14:20:00.001-06:002009-06-02T14:30:53.309-06:00Moving to FloridaWow! Has it been forever since I’ve written on this blog, or what?!<br /><br />I’d really be surprised if anyone told me they are still reading this thing, but thought I’d update it just in case…<br /><br />Our newest adventure pertains to our decision to move to Florida. Yes, we’re planning a move back to the States. Patrick is itching to get back to work (go figure)! So we did a bunch of research and found that both Broward County and Palm County Florida have a couple of great schools (believe it or not- I was shocked). Azure will be able to attend a public school again but they have magnet programs for teaching. These programs will allow her to begin student teaching at the local elementary schools while still in high school and also earn college credit! Since she really wants to be a teacher, this will be an excellent opportunity for her to get her feet wet.<br /><br />We’re all pretty excited about the move but a little sad to leave our beautiful property. If anyone happens to be interested in this great place (1/3 acre plus two houses), we’re selling it for only $152,900 plus we’ll throw in our 4x4 car with a closing before June 30th!<br /><br />We have four pages of pictures on Photobucket:<br /><a href="http://s687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/crhome4sale/">http://s687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/crhome4sale/</a><br /><br /><br />Just email us at crhome4sale@yahoo.com for more info.Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-78210555272340148382008-07-02T09:17:00.002-06:002008-07-02T09:19:56.776-06:00Summer BreakI obviously haven't posted much lately. For those of you still checking, I just want to let you know that I'll be taking a break from this site for a while since Azure is out of school right now and we don't have internet. <br /><br />Please check back in early August.<br /><br />Thanks!<br />JodiJones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-58751931688209480742008-06-16T14:58:00.004-06:002008-06-16T15:06:33.952-06:00Replacing the muffler- vehicle inspection part 2<div><span style="color:#3333ff;">As most people know, if a business is busy they probably sell a good product. Patrick and I always keep this in mind especially when looking for new restaurants to try. We actually spent an entire vacation in Germany just eating from the busy street vendors instead of spending a fortune at sit-down places. But I am getting off topic aren’t I? I should be telling you about picking a place to get our muffler replaced. Every day we drive by this tiny hole in the wall shop with a sign hanging out front that says “muflas”. This garage always has cars parked outside and people pulling in and out. Therefore, I knew when we needed to get our muffler replaced that Patrick should stop by this place.<br /><br />As is his practice lately, Patrick asked a couple locals for recommendations for a mechanic anyway. Both guys he asked recommended this tiny no-named garage. So, a couple days later on the way back from dropping Azure off at school, Patrick pulled up to the muffler shop and asked the guy when he could work on our car. The guy told Patrick 30 minutes so we had time to get gas and then Patrick drove me home. He left me alone about 8:35am and I figured I had some time to read and then get housework done. Boy was I wrong!<br /><br />Patrick drove up to the house at 9:20am with a huge smile on his face. He made it back so quickly I thought for sure there was a problem but he said the guy actually replaced the muffler and tailpipe. Plus, he was second in line since by the time he got back to the shop a tourist bus had pulled in before him! I couldn’t believe it. Nothing ever happens that quickly here in Costa Rica. The mechanic charged him about $60 which we realize is probably a gringo price but then again probably cheaper than going to a more Americanized garage with English speaking mechanics. Patrick thinks the guy intended to also keep the old muffler to fix and then sell to another customer but he threw it back into the car when the guy wasn’t looking.<br /><br />I also found out later that we have a used muffler which seems typical around here to buy used products since the hot water heater we bought back in Sept. turned out to be old also but since they are cheaper and work fine I'm not complaining!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212588173848485586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXkBWLAHZ-PSPUqhtNaTfRBOZn7M1zDnTVOpcLuvbNYGHvH1LUtUjBOS4tVydUqF93B6xdAv8fP_OAAGvIcGYgvy_sKhH0w5PGvAqES6S3qy7sSEElknVWCpXwpwsulxH4CVqUOm4f0M/s400/old+muffler.JPG" border="0" /><br />(Not sure what we’ll do with this rusty old muffler?)</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-39089215668157466412008-06-12T14:05:00.002-06:002008-06-12T14:11:02.157-06:00Vehicle Inspection -Part One<div><span style="color:#3333ff;">As lucky owners of a vehicle in Costa Rica, we need to have our car inspected yearly by the MOPT (not sure what this stands for but translates into the government’s transportation dept). We’d heard stories about how difficult it can be to pass the inspection so Patrick decided to go a couple weeks early in case we fail we would have time to make the repairs and test again. Inspections are designated by the number of your license plate and ours needed to be completed by end of June.<br /><br />So, a few weeks ago, we drove to the inspection center near Tibas. About a twenty minute drive through mostly rural area. I love this drive. We arrived slightly before 10:30 in the morning to find a woman sitting outside at a folding table under a canopy. She checked our paperwork against a list of license plates she had typed and attached to a clipboard. Apparently we were supposed to have scheduled a time for our visit. Despite the fact that we didn’t have an appointment, she handed us some papers and sent us into an office. We again handed a woman our paperwork and a few minutes later she handed us an inspection sheet and told us to pay at the next window. The gentleman charged our Visa about $20 and told us to drive around the building and get in line.<br /><br />Once to the far side of the building, we were unsure which line we should wait in so we just picked the first (and longest line). Luckily, an inspector walked up and told Patrick to go to an empty lane (I think there were six altogether). These lines went through a long garage and appeared to have several “stations” each. I figured I didn’t want to sit in the car during the inspection so I hopped out to read a book at a nearby cement table/bench.<br /><br />I hadn’t even finished reading one paragraph when I saw Patrick driving around the building. I hopped in the car and waited for him to tell me how in the world he had finished so quickly.<br /><br />Unfortunately, he didn’t have good news. The car failed the very first part of the inspection –the visual part. He had been told that the car needed a new muffler and tailpipe. Also, the car’s tires were wide and needed to be covered with fenders –this posed a hazard according to Costa Rican laws.<br /><br />After being told how long of a process this whole thing could be I was quite surprised that we were back home only 70 minutes later. Granted we had work to do on the car and had to go back but like I said – I love the drive!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211089689376186962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSqFhNy5sKy0IdEbzYF3zrDDuiqfXFCrQJcix9W0zRCoe6HNEuUg1otxL6DyhO6V1TqhMOTHaM5-45oK2ohAtpJauMnIMfP26RrwJ6RnzWGOr8JK3JFy9Ivhy4TF1aSPTIJi0EplhOiw/s400/P1030507.JPG" border="0" /><br />Next time: replacing the muffler and adding fenders</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-1629491744491642982008-06-06T07:53:00.002-06:002008-06-06T08:10:17.625-06:00Type of Tree?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0e6Z8rnMK_vHFMB7H9QuWldzCWkYi1oUuwiovSZjWpn8hu4STCpCr3__Z4097jIzjxa464dJWanPa062mzVcRGfjW1qY90FvRg7Tp8YUNFtRFZNKv-UWU2-hepQdHGq0RCSiTNgu2aE8/s1600-h/tree.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208770499318700482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0e6Z8rnMK_vHFMB7H9QuWldzCWkYi1oUuwiovSZjWpn8hu4STCpCr3__Z4097jIzjxa464dJWanPa062mzVcRGfjW1qY90FvRg7Tp8YUNFtRFZNKv-UWU2-hepQdHGq0RCSiTNgu2aE8/s400/tree.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div> <span style="color:#3333ff;">I know it’s been a while since I last posted to this blog. We continue to have bad weather here. Lots of thunder and lightning accompanied by several inches of rain per day. Luckily this happens mostly in the afternoons and evenings with our mornings be somewhat “dry”. But it’s still impacting our use of the computer and internet connections.<br /><br />I’m hoping someone can help me identify this tree. The branches and even the trunk are not very wide –I can almost get my hands around it. The tree is very spongy reminding me of cork yet I’m almost sure it’s not. Last month the tree started to flower and now it’s covered in tiny clumps orange berries (green when not ripe). I have no idea what this could be but the bees love the flowers and birds & squirrels love the berries. I’ve noticed in my bird book that some of the birds say they enjoy mistletoe and the photo shows them eating what appear to be these same orange berries…<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208770030362781538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdoAplR2jvuiJlnsnqrRgYRCSo61DeqGRyTeAcXtEq2foWTIP-OtPnU8-8oYMtb13gPvqvYkbAsx9710LST-PvAF-tX-9ldTw90CbPOmiEWjgLblJjKlCQ278KhtnI4h99QrxTATbtTI/s400/fruit+and+flower.JPG" border="0" /></span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-80340305230102075462008-05-26T15:10:00.004-06:002008-05-26T15:24:46.048-06:00Rainy Season is here!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVmLdXBJNQCHx34pgKFu9TqqOtUpukjegSZC_9GdTK-WhbqpaUlhA0zMy2Bp5Tyav2pmdi_wqnGPIscsveOjP1LtFQsCAVDlZ3ogXUyaeIqtTJtaknXte03gkZkgu-l6B0_RPKAtMU0A/s1600-h/P1030496.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204800105252948850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVmLdXBJNQCHx34pgKFu9TqqOtUpukjegSZC_9GdTK-WhbqpaUlhA0zMy2Bp5Tyav2pmdi_wqnGPIscsveOjP1LtFQsCAVDlZ3ogXUyaeIqtTJtaknXte03gkZkgu-l6B0_RPKAtMU0A/s400/P1030496.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">I think it started sometime last week because ever since then we have been averaging about an inch of rain each day. Today it’s really coming down. Our rain gauge is reading 1½ inches already in just the last half hour!<br /><br />Patrick says that the weather men are predicting more than the usual number of hurricanes to hit this summer so we are sure to have lots more rain to come (Costa Rica never actually gets hit by hurricanes but we get the effects of the rain). Patrick made sure he went down into the trench and removed all the fallen tress from last season’s storms. He also did some more trenching around our house and cleaned the gutters a few times. Hopefully we’re prepared…</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">**Note:</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">I wrote this post on Friday but due to internet connection problems couldn't post it until today. We ended up with 2 1/2 inches of rain on Friday and both Saturday and Sunday we received about the same amount. "They" blame tropical storms...</span> </div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">The photo shows the run off from our gutters into a barrel to help slow the erosion.<br /></span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-78879881975685176272008-05-19T15:28:00.000-06:002008-05-19T15:30:09.963-06:00First movie in Costa Rica<span style="color:#3333ff;">We attended our first movie in Costa Rica yesterday! We met some of Azure’s friends and their parents in Escazu to see the new Narnia movie –Prince Caspian. We were lucky enough that Cinemark was showing the movie both subtitled and dubbed since the Flores mall only had the dubbed version. The movie was busier than we expected and we didn’t get the best of seats but we all enjoyed the movie very much and I’m sure we’ll do it again. <br /><br />I liked seeing the Spanish subtitles –it actually helped me understand the movie more since I’m slightly hard of hearing. The best part had to be ticket prices. At approximately $3.40 we can’t stay away anymore.</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-64804988477971356072008-05-15T14:12:00.003-06:002008-05-15T14:24:11.583-06:00New "toy"<span style="color:#3333ff;">Patrick finally bought himself a machete yesterday. He’s been jealous of the men in town that walk around proud to have a machete slung around their shoulder or hanging from their waist. Of course, we went the cheap route and Patrick didn’t get the scabbard…<br /><br />As soon as we arrived home from the store, Patrick was outside wailing on the dead banana trees (after they produce fruit, the tree dies and a new one springs up in it’s place). To his delight, the blade was too dull to use. I watched him a few minutes later sparks flying everywhere as he used an electric grinding stone to sharpen the blade. I didn’t even realize he had brought my Grandfather’s grinding stone but I know he was loving every minute of it. Then he really went to town on the trees.<br /><br />Now we need to mulch some of the trees and we’ll have some great fertilizer. Then hope some of the new trees grow quickly to fill in some gaps (the trees mature after only one year!). </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><br /></span><span style="color:#3333ff;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200701286364071426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjg39X0V5gHaMcNmBfbpfOEEVO_rZ3a4Eo_YC_Zo0SmyAyLine4dIUF-EWyVhgrMHFyAeV4Ko1zCtD0HL9gw12BdDRVO57HpXI2SxTvBmmpNr_wS59nOIVQf5IJAtRWmY-qXMUATztjM/s400/P1030430.JPG" border="0" />Anyone need a haircut?</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-5755966293742749942008-05-14T11:37:00.004-06:002008-05-14T11:42:27.953-06:00Fire at Paseo de las Flores Mall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDiaR8uSvM02sMRLxF-IDyV74bn6sVvJupWXmqaUMoo-zCk6VQi4PhyHGeZQyIt67M5snVx7X8cLjbaE7EeoY9xcWToz5lQ3Ey13SCDIjcCskoG7Cc8T9Zgr7fWqz0KeAxYKhNT-2cyw/s1600-h/Flores+fire.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200289897216591346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDiaR8uSvM02sMRLxF-IDyV74bn6sVvJupWXmqaUMoo-zCk6VQi4PhyHGeZQyIt67M5snVx7X8cLjbaE7EeoY9xcWToz5lQ3Ey13SCDIjcCskoG7Cc8T9Zgr7fWqz0KeAxYKhNT-2cyw/s400/Flores+fire.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">Yesterday we needed to make a school payment so we drove to our bank (which happens to be in the local mall). When we arrived around 3pm, we noticed several fire trucks. Then we saw that many store employees were gathered outside the mall. Next we were unable to even enter the mall parking lot because the gates were closed and chained.<br /><br />Unsure what had happened but sensing it not a huge emergency due to the laid back attitude of the fire dept., we parked outside the gates waiting to get in. Eventually (about 30 minutes later), a security guard told us that the mall would not be opening until the next day so left to pick Azure up from soccer practice still unsure what had happened at the mall.<br /><br />When we arrived home, we didn’t have any water. We did the usual troubleshooting by checking the guest house and the meters but found no water available and the meters on. We waited to make dinner until 6pm and with still no water finally decided on simple peanut butter sandwiches. We still didn’t have any water when we went to bed to read at 9pm but fortunately about 9:30 we heard a faucet that Azure had left on dribbling. Yeah! We had water again! I quickly took advantage and filled an empty pitcher and the coffee pot with water just in case the water was off again in the morning. But luckily we had water when we woke up this morning.<br /><br />I still don’t know why we didn’t have water last night, but I was able to find out about the mall online. One of the local papers, La Nacion, posted an article about a fire at the mall that started at 12:20pm yesterday. Apparently the fire started in a storage area and burned out 3 stores. No one was hurt and the fire dept is investigating the cause of the fire.<br /><br />We still need to make our school payment so hopefully the bank is open today. At least I feel better knowing what happened at the mall since normally I feel in the dark about the things happening around me.</span></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">(photo from <a href="http://www.nacion.com/">La Nacion</a>)</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-29262042504785489072008-05-08T14:05:00.003-06:002008-05-08T14:10:44.582-06:00Baby Robin<span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGAc1-jXeYAGqBLKQdsfAjiXgPVNsIJR82q2Rk_4QRUfuSqRZnkqTqfNVaUK8w6sVaO3LDJphFI0eKkzelgzV6BUuPKwEjjl2_FRKM_WlfVB8FVZwFiAAPpzJ07wpb5kFG__5r8Iv-LA/s1600-h/P1030400.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198101768026941954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGAc1-jXeYAGqBLKQdsfAjiXgPVNsIJR82q2Rk_4QRUfuSqRZnkqTqfNVaUK8w6sVaO3LDJphFI0eKkzelgzV6BUuPKwEjjl2_FRKM_WlfVB8FVZwFiAAPpzJ07wpb5kFG__5r8Iv-LA/s400/P1030400.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">We've had a lot of baby Robins in our yard lately. Ilike watching the Mom and Dad feed the babies.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">This morning I heard a thump in the kitchen window. I found a baby Robin just sitting there staring at me. I think he was stunned but he flew away soon after I shot this picture.</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-13299449405582803162008-05-07T12:02:00.000-06:002008-05-07T12:02:39.290-06:00Poas Volcano<div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1LpEV3Zt1jAmUgG9pkgpP_st8kEzB2DyzDjExIzj__J0CmVsgTg1Q7Sc8ABvXXSqtTT2ROB6FEKaFtpnsKrIsu7Piy1nweAZ46AoO8Br2CpDjEAEnkG4V92i8n6gJuR-hu70XvGjXOI/s1600-h/P1020424.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195978824136888162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1LpEV3Zt1jAmUgG9pkgpP_st8kEzB2DyzDjExIzj__J0CmVsgTg1Q7Sc8ABvXXSqtTT2ROB6FEKaFtpnsKrIsu7Piy1nweAZ46AoO8Br2CpDjEAEnkG4V92i8n6gJuR-hu70XvGjXOI/s400/P1020424.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#3333ff;">It's been a while since we traveled around Costa Rica but I would finally like to post some pictures from our trip to Poas Volcano. We went in January with my Mom and brother. Although we didn't see any wildlife other than some squirrels and a few birds, I really loved it and will definitely take more visitors there to view the active volcano.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195981555736088434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAgPvXqrloV33tU2HzVoR-U4qSZwGz1uzsrTqZkdKUsqA8tcl51xWd5D5AQ0twP2WhHKAxVZ1yDNb3TctpItjQgXYud-bD4ArGe_FXeRHPgzmgWvPqKw182jEe6L083fpl6IALS5hyphenhyphensk/s400/P1020452.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">The chilly breeze made beautiful ripples on the lake!</span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197695562904988146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xHmdnVvky02L9VtrVxjeNWQ3TTZ0iUajEkKwmKdO4pvemevPqHyA1Ha7PmOTMuWRBQYyO2tykJb4zmGm3giVVDw1YxQ5_0cZd9zotA76PAo6SYl8QpqBG3KVvAcptPoJ753y4ioN_4s/s400/P1020456.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">My Mom and Azure were happy to have warm clothes for our hike that day.</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-41157876979359894062008-05-05T15:44:00.006-06:002008-05-05T15:52:15.698-06:00Spiders in and around our house<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr64LwNNkh91XAMkenEwTkzMMH9i5TsCaoF0HiKkgI_URgTxb1GOu0VnEqhLb8v0ebrzxvzQOX8mBCiCCGf7OKzDBdu23kbGdW-jId1vrJFLT2yEXJVOE2rcfp6mX5GoBOVrINZrq9whY/s1600-h/spider+4.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197014598449991634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr64LwNNkh91XAMkenEwTkzMMH9i5TsCaoF0HiKkgI_URgTxb1GOu0VnEqhLb8v0ebrzxvzQOX8mBCiCCGf7OKzDBdu23kbGdW-jId1vrJFLT2yEXJVOE2rcfp6mX5GoBOVrINZrq9whY/s400/spider+4.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLQNkDaGkvbErnE5MEadvIoPw0hHdKlK1BI21UGArj_oak7Yb8dRfnzZVkxxXC2A5d2OJjbQ06ATq17kt-sYn_T53-TPqvGxtr4-gvkz2K1U7uFXzu6E4oIAWNoFKHw3Ek1yXoxQ20tQ/s1600-h/spider+3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197014272032477122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLQNkDaGkvbErnE5MEadvIoPw0hHdKlK1BI21UGArj_oak7Yb8dRfnzZVkxxXC2A5d2OJjbQ06ATq17kt-sYn_T53-TPqvGxtr4-gvkz2K1U7uFXzu6E4oIAWNoFKHw3Ek1yXoxQ20tQ/s400/spider+3.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZzaAhr9QhrM8KXPopIKWCygO5QjBwntSn8Zzsr5I8bVC9j885uHoExrtmxrNu-LoJ5zfMuYBO8za6RpQ4Y_1rAwv1ry8PvteYsOtI5AI5g7HWtS7tb-k3OlZYV9yyXIRhRv1CaG0eqY/s1600-h/spider+2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197014044399210418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZzaAhr9QhrM8KXPopIKWCygO5QjBwntSn8Zzsr5I8bVC9j885uHoExrtmxrNu-LoJ5zfMuYBO8za6RpQ4Y_1rAwv1ry8PvteYsOtI5AI5g7HWtS7tb-k3OlZYV9yyXIRhRv1CaG0eqY/s400/spider+2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko39PJDofFFi6YQ3GsUIV-iGl0aizFX4ZuMwR6aXDmIPxGiEqp0z19bLpldqTkv7KXOVvN7_DIjhJ1iWMj1klqKDsjTV8YO4_g6BMAZyBenpZSnko6ranb18T8EE6xxcSy-tjdicEDJI/s1600-h/spider+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197013662147121058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko39PJDofFFi6YQ3GsUIV-iGl0aizFX4ZuMwR6aXDmIPxGiEqp0z19bLpldqTkv7KXOVvN7_DIjhJ1iWMj1klqKDsjTV8YO4_g6BMAZyBenpZSnko6ranb18T8EE6xxcSy-tjdicEDJI/s400/spider+1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">This post is dedicated to my cousin, Heather. I know you hate spiders but that shouldn't stop you from visiting us!</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">They are so cute!</span></div></div></div></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-19932702236012563292008-04-29T05:25:00.014-06:002008-04-29T05:58:06.204-06:00Wearable Art<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuS6lXa334z1CaOKVmU5hUSlFNHS3kKR6W39AUwtfdoJ7AlVshAHFGzaQB9ynUqLtaX7WOL7AdWi0vzG6qJXHyG747tf7SGUaSevnCOOxrqOGzQc8_HGYqpmhTM1M7t5U4bGqIZiKlIk/s1600-h/azwithfire.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194632648242335554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuS6lXa334z1CaOKVmU5hUSlFNHS3kKR6W39AUwtfdoJ7AlVshAHFGzaQB9ynUqLtaX7WOL7AdWi0vzG6qJXHyG747tf7SGUaSevnCOOxrqOGzQc8_HGYqpmhTM1M7t5U4bGqIZiKlIk/s400/azwithfire.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#3333ff;">Last week Wednesday Azure's entire school performed what they called Wearable Arts Program. Patrick and I asked Azure to keep the details a secret so we would be surprised during the performance.</span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><br /></span><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">I loved the program and thought everyone did wonderful and looked amazing! </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">Basically, each class designed costumes and a few props to act out the elements and how they evolved to create the plants and animals. Other than the 3rd-6th grade principal as narrator, the classes only used music and action to convey their part of the program.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">I know my pictures don't do justice to the time and energy spent but hopefully you'll see some of the beauty of this program.</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194632072716717874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5It2ip9TOqRwQ8kgo9XvvOQzhzoU4GOGk-VvF_rHzsG5ROgDQ1vNIeT0mTwPJcs43qiv-zT2sBWET58LWTnWIcsN3WwPK8fWZe6p3hyphenhyphenWzCV4juzc__2_nXILE-FXYUIqjFwHh2XVDSI/s400/flowerrainbow.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194631187953454866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDM2waD8tQExHFlJkbCzmMCMUorgyZ_TGzq705tnG3DUGFpqxtjr2kN-O-DhYFf9cteasLK4SIHPRAjkCXnlMN0JrEmtlPALFMu_KOi_RK5VhrnA5OQGeaF5CPyp6wdXxsQs9bK1KnW8/s400/color.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194630943140318978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsMdZBwgCTRDLn-t458Y4YwUC3YbXprnEajESDjGQac6eHnsES-pIzrtpiON6-vDhMq4_whtOLZYbiCeRBcSiEEedDU-ju-u8k36rpVEkHjD6KKyFgdV2GT8niwPMlKhe493YbWtCt38/s400/littlekids.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194630552298295026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJQoyJ4V-C38exO60EmNsFvDrzbbrMSMl9VCNc1JcieWG8KGZziwMq5u15tRAoyP0zUQDeRZV85waOdjchoQyJaR6FgK26SDrgjvGe7u4Us95YFIieXrKoZdN5PyenmQqpkWaEMdVdxA/s400/bird.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194630359024766690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSx_npkt9WJyiN5LNvDNLlTwnzMv2ztSlg8y7GGPq-OOIa2AcEaG8sZOujTvqUamc9uDaWi8uZpTFBGLpO-85fM0y6wArCLpN7Maagyk0KKjQrVu_bmJvGLFYSIJAty50pErXIioJf8U8/s400/beeandbutterfly.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194629517211176642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmV1yi47dINnRLwisqCUV6ovInYeGE_6D-mcUPMT_BjoUQDSwdLox9YhnOs153bUdYlcZx26alngO1wgRFzMNMhMRoTL5J11DvfftdX1yCYvZ1i6QOAbutcfwQ34JAWf-cDtn14QvXsI/s400/blue.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194631510076002082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0maJZQYNpg9DWpUnSxvfss5ML8Q42H60HTq-x7nB_iwl8jjyFUyVsGImTtjLC09sd6GpoJo7Hnjtz2y7cthv-pSAJ9vmELvkvxS5x3dlxQstVhXIWtPcFJyjG3lvL3keipI6panvgZGg/s400/cavepeople.JPG" border="0" />Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-76750234006409031542008-04-22T15:41:00.005-06:002008-04-22T16:27:48.388-06:00Sharing the road in Costa Rica<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6l6kQ_TYE9irhrQusRjZvmfVxC3mLQtjBoIiHDhiNMWHTeJTYvubi6xSevVy0jtdaq5EyZMUYrOsqizaTakQOI9k_OOS0lEIselFCWFUG24zKhONQ-HR8ptWlxBPIhpFC-m1soejofM/s1600-h/P1010681.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192197406080470706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6l6kQ_TYE9irhrQusRjZvmfVxC3mLQtjBoIiHDhiNMWHTeJTYvubi6xSevVy0jtdaq5EyZMUYrOsqizaTakQOI9k_OOS0lEIselFCWFUG24zKhONQ-HR8ptWlxBPIhpFC-m1soejofM/s400/P1010681.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">Most roads are two car widths wide but it can choke down to 1 ½ car widths in places without warning (especially rural towns). Also, you will be sharing the road with not just other cars and trucks but also motorcycles, scooters, bikes, pedestrians, dogs, chickens, ox carts, and the occasional runaway cow. And be aware that no one uses the sidewalk. Considering cars have the right away here in Costa Rica, it’s surprising that the pedestrians don’t move out of the way. Often we see groups of six or more in the middle of the road walking side by side (and cars forced to go around them)!<br /><br />There are pretty views all around you. But if you’re the driver, please keep your eyes on the road because there is a homeless dog wandering around every blind corner.<br /><br />Oh yea, and just one pet peeve (of Patrick’s). I like the fact that many people pull over when they are talking on their cell phone but can they please pull all the way over and not just stop in the middle of the lane?</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192194571402055282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0h1t-Vi8QvxtIT7OSs0YgvX0cZ6Mw3SIUZgtAsn6FBIH5wSjrxsnDgBpSs8YYDOmHMq9N7kDpctsnTBTaqSSkiYZ_-xuW75Y5BiHLzExzo_iSmOoVgmfpqbQyDWBYiy4FqhW5DfPYSs/s400/P1010676.JPG" border="0" /></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-15067384492881263512008-04-21T15:25:00.004-06:002008-04-21T16:00:14.089-06:00Squirrels Gone Wild<span style="color:#3333ff;">No, I don’t mean naked squirrels at Mardi gras. Everybody knows that squirrels never wear clothes- duh! I’m talking about the squirrels in our yard going crazy. Figure this one out.<br /><br />Last week Patrick told me he heard a noise at our front door so he went to check and said he saw the squirrel in between the gate and the wooden door. We tried to figure out what he would be doing there. Chewing? Tunneling? Trying to pick the lock? What could he be doing?<br /><br />A few days later, I’m in the shower and Patrick peeks his head in the door to grab some mouthwash. Then I hear a shriek. Well, it sounded like MMMPHH! I holler out to ask him if he’s okay and he yells back telling me the squirrel was sitting in our bedroom window just staring inside. Is he a voyeur or what? How did he get in the window and why? Then we realized he was really just sitting on the patio chair sitting outside the window. Still, what in the world is this crazy squirrel up to now?<br /><br />Today, we’re sitting on the couch and I heard another funny sound from the front door. I slowly unlock the door (we always use the side door) and yank it open. There was the squirrel again -sitting right on the middle bar of the gate door. I expected him to be there somewhere yet I think he scared me as much as I had scared him (if at all). He jumped down and dashed to the nearest tree and up into the canopy of our “jungle” while I slammed the door shut and jumped around. Like I said, I really did expect to see him but then again my adrenaline level skyrocketed since he was at eye level and he could easily have jumped at my face instead of the ground! I always have that darn Christmas Vacation movie in my head when I think about the squirrel.<br /><br />So, what’s next with this silly thing? And how do I know it’s only one squirrel gone crazy and not the lot of them?</span> <div> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191817850375029058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQux48GhICWfxrrK4HVytr0WPMlLLd4r5KShsQf5-xtgqY78Gff0_29dLqLLbQ0iNacPabaHnwDWwh3Y2ovcvXFp10zp8lHJi8aZMYqf56ikc7KKvKYKT65-tEybrhrBQ_FQNXukwokNE/s400/P1020930.JPG" border="0" /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">What's so exciting about this door?</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-31560772755840469102008-04-18T13:59:00.000-06:002008-04-18T14:12:53.438-06:00Power Problems in Costa Rica<span style="color:#3333ff;">Most of you know about the power problems is Costa Rica. The country relies on a hydro-electric power source which is great but the problem occurs during the dry season when a lot of the rivers just trickle. We tried to prepare ourselves by buying a crank system radio and stocking up on flashlights and candles. The radio turned out to be worthless and we’ve only used the flashlights a couple times now.<br /><br />I can’t speak for everyone in Costa Rica but let me tell you about our experiences with the power issues here. First off, mostly they are brownouts not blackouts. We generally only lose power for 5-10 minutes. This occurred more when we first moved here. Then we received a newsletter from the water and electric company stating that they were working on a new substation to relieve the outages in San Rafael and it would be completed by January. <br /><br />Well, I didn’t believe the news but sure enough sometime around January we stopped experiencing so many brownouts. BUT we were warned by some people that during the dry season the water would be turned off for many hours during the days to help conserve. Then I read in the Tico Times that the government was trying to prepare for the water/electric problems during the dry season by purchasing more generators. <br /><br />So, now it’s April and the dry season should be ending soon. The last two Sundays our power has been out from 2-3 hours. I kind of liked the quiet but this past Sunday when the power wasn’t on by 5pm and the sun was setting, Patrick started to worry a bit. The power did come back on by 5:30 so all was well. <br /><br />Now I would suppose these were planned outages but since we don’t read the local newspaper in Spanish and the Tico Times doesn’t carry this kind of news, I can only guess. The outages don’t bother me as long as they are during the day. The thing that did concern me happened Wednesday when the power kept turning off and on again for several minutes. That can not be good for the appliances! As a matter of fact, I’m sure this is why our computer died last fall.<br /><br />I hope the country can figure out a good solution to this power problem.</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-52539569970696234252008-04-15T14:18:00.006-06:002008-04-15T14:42:58.849-06:00Caution<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLo-_SK-0GCdssJipRvJRGCcqQ4GiobYY5iDxLKbeIKos935tOtEWwsxENWXNdpk_jNNWEKBMAuo8nmn-kkVmwPMsTnm69HN2ZYTHjnJpqPoQK3-cXLo-DkqbgM8CJJCcm4BrryMvS8Q/s1600-h/caution+fat+kids.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189571144043289218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLo-_SK-0GCdssJipRvJRGCcqQ4GiobYY5iDxLKbeIKos935tOtEWwsxENWXNdpk_jNNWEKBMAuo8nmn-kkVmwPMsTnm69HN2ZYTHjnJpqPoQK3-cXLo-DkqbgM8CJJCcm4BrryMvS8Q/s400/caution+fat+kids.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#3333ff;">Does this mean caution fat kids running?</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189573523455171218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpg3KYZ7LXeXmeQa10DvNDTgYfleJBzsO93NQzlVKaZ63jZwAhhDbdrUfXE1jz7gUAQLDuR2gKOG2d87bkoipXsE1jEMIXYFNNgey_L5YncCKVqozyJgXMTn1_366WSnHtARA3q68yP1w/s400/locked+park.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3333ff;">No wonder the kids are fat if the park is locked all the time!</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-7425637969975291602008-04-14T14:24:00.001-06:002008-04-14T14:28:42.491-06:00Stop sign update -ALTO<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq80mhfiZJDAbdYjIjFfUSYaqWFKbecV8MFOdTAus8RCKrh7-bzG7p30dklIjHptQq4FKPfadRIvn1vXjq4VTs5pPPTrsbqpJvI7H9dT5XCEqkfpRkkENR7bCx2jma4zrj-sxtu3y4-cM/s1600-h/P1020904.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189200415351200370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq80mhfiZJDAbdYjIjFfUSYaqWFKbecV8MFOdTAus8RCKrh7-bzG7p30dklIjHptQq4FKPfadRIvn1vXjq4VTs5pPPTrsbqpJvI7H9dT5XCEqkfpRkkENR7bCx2jma4zrj-sxtu3y4-cM/s400/P1020904.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">Do you think someone at the San Rafael Municipality reads our blog? Sometime over the weekend someone painted the intersection we posted about on Friday afternoon. I would guess this means someone really did steal the signs so this is the solution.</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-17852731205816339412008-04-11T14:35:00.004-06:002008-04-11T14:43:41.187-06:00Patrick’s thoughts on Road Rules in Costa Rica<span style="color:#3333ff;">We noticed something different last week at an ordinary 4 way intersection. Normally we have the right of way turning left because the other direction has stop signs. At least that was the case.<br /><br />So starting last week, people were blowing through the intersection (not always uncommon) but it was happening all the time now and right in front of us. Twice we were almost hit by cars turning in front of us and missing by what seemed like inches. A few days later when we took a closer look, we realized that the intersection only has one stop sign left and that one is barely hanging on by one screw.<br /><br />We wondered what happened to the other sign and in fact, the whole post is gone too! Maybe someone scrapped it for the 28 cents that they could get from the metal buyers? Maybe the city took it to make sure people were paying attention? Or they had a different intersection that it was needed at more?<br /><br />That started me thinking, who makes the street signs here? No one is put in prison long enough to make a sign. Maybe that’s why there are so few signs around?<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188090716336548034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW8N-VK5lUuvIiLcOEUqQhz2VZXfy8GA-tk6Gu-MAN8vn2IrnRkLe6etAlDxL2gIpNzibZpq4lhBpTUAQAmwgQGwjRrO5u_ofJzTquO0SpjVLrtgVxg9i4bWwJ42SsTYUrRVNH-7Sc40/s400/road+rules.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">**UPDATE** We went back this afternoon with camera in hand to take a picture of the upside down stop sign and someone has taken it already!</span><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><span style="color:#3333ff;">You can see the last remaining post in the photo but no sign.</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-87567582663688078142008-04-10T14:06:00.006-06:002008-04-10T14:16:52.651-06:00Hostile Hummingbirds<div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHCStUc6-47J0Kn8_kyTomzsOSUEqx5xYBN-n5wlHiw7nzf0t_DZsgR1DNR8U5q0iMvostfAAQneEHjHwb2KsurFUqlyZWcdPm7mLD10OwcCRTifdIEkEmrgGSLslxK4h-0rsFPJCtc4/s1600-h/back+of+2+hummingbirds.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187711440659540114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHCStUc6-47J0Kn8_kyTomzsOSUEqx5xYBN-n5wlHiw7nzf0t_DZsgR1DNR8U5q0iMvostfAAQneEHjHwb2KsurFUqlyZWcdPm7mLD10OwcCRTifdIEkEmrgGSLslxK4h-0rsFPJCtc4/s400/back+of+2+hummingbirds.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#3333ff;">I love hummingbirds and Costa Rica is a great place to see many varieties. I knew we would have hummingbirds in our yard before moving here. Sure enough, Patrick and I spotted them moving from flower to flower quite often but they were always so quick that it didn’t quite satisfy my desire to see them more often.<br /><br />So in October I bought two hummingbird feeders. I purposely had Patrick place one directly outside our living room window and the other one I hung from a shepherds hook outside our bedroom window but further into the yard. I had read that hummingbirds are very territorial so I knew I had to place the feeders at least 10 feet apart.<br /><br />It took a couple weeks before the first hummingbird started using the feeder located in the garden and then maybe a week after that and he was using the one in front of the living room window. Then a week or so later another larger hummingbird (almost twice as large and of a different variety) found the feeders and decided they were his (or hers). So when the smaller hummingbird would try to drink from the feeder the larger one would chase it away.<br /><br />At first this was kind of funny but the chases became more violent. The birds would literally slam into one another and then the chase was on. One day while sitting in the living room, one of the hummingbirds smacked the other one into the window! We heard a thump and looked to see the hummingbird trapped between the glass and bars. He did find his way out after a several seconds as we watched in shock.<br /><br />I don’t see the tiny hummingbird in our yard so much anymore but when he does show up he seems to win the battle which I love since he was here first. The larger hummingbird actually sits in a couple different trees in our yard from which he has a view of both feeders. When he sees another hummingbird at a feeder he immediately chases it away. I hate the violence but sometimes these antics can be quite amusing! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187712531581233330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OS5q1y0JxGDMtvgyLdPlyPI2I1RHNe_4uj7b9kLCzebDY-UyG3-LApb8NUy2e2ihrJ-PhSFWUNOOLLbjDYlUnlEH3sDl7ZHZPSjV7AbGoRGL6anfnzEIw159JKaa9LrP7PY2_jRSfmo/s400/hummingbird.JPG" border="0" />Recently the large hummingbird would allow another bird to drink from the feeder while he (or she) watched and I only believe this happened because the other bird was either its mate or an offspring.<br /><br />I do want to mention that I’m not worried that I am upsetting the ecosystem by having a feeder because I do still see several hummingbirds going from flower to flower. It also seems they like to eat bugs that are trapped in spider webs which I had never heard of before but Patrick and I do enjoy watching them scout for bugs.</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187712359782541474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNzthuerp6ufG1XvXasqt9If4Vqps6heWJgDMDMmDLkpruhOJ2zGcZMYFgY1lVgbnoGZg9yEafqwkfnSyMsyZ5yiyEiCrjE8Q05NE9lhF8z711vCHS8UI-soyC4RgKZTR7Z5oHWnozrQ/s400/both+hummingbirds.JPG" border="0" /></div></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-58182489093646357122008-04-07T14:15:00.003-06:002008-04-07T14:33:11.611-06:00Another scorpion sighting!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7pmR2sm-JJMysBU526Who8DDpx_TrQlRRTYKHRNSG9_gH5tIpK0kq22PIjPOtW9U-YWvY6llTX2EihmNIYPPn0Wxe4p5EyvQrYntTRauGGmr2BbolbIY0ik70ukoNs0T5SHaDrKfJTI/s1600-h/scorpion.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186604073251024626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7pmR2sm-JJMysBU526Who8DDpx_TrQlRRTYKHRNSG9_gH5tIpK0kq22PIjPOtW9U-YWvY6llTX2EihmNIYPPn0Wxe4p5EyvQrYntTRauGGmr2BbolbIY0ik70ukoNs0T5SHaDrKfJTI/s400/scorpion.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">A few weeks ago we spotted a scorpion and this time I was able to get a picture before Patrick flattened the scary thing. I had just finished clapping Azure's shoes together and Patrick spotted the scorpion scurrying for cover. I guess the scorpion was in a shoe again and good thing I was prepared for it this time!</span></div>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-41175133674463320772008-04-04T14:45:00.003-06:002008-04-04T14:52:04.303-06:003 quarters down, one to go<span style="color:#3333ff;">Yesterday was the end of Azure's third quarter of school. Today we met with her teacher for a conference. Unlike the States, teacher conferences are mandatory at the end of each quarter. I like this method. We always have things to discuss with Azure's teachers! </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">For those interested, most of Azure's grades have gone up. Most importantly, she has been doing better in Spanish. Her teachers say she understands enough but needs to put her knowledge to use because she just doesn't want to speak Spanish (I wonder where she gets that from?) LOL!</span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Alll in all, things are good!</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-54556166495233055462008-04-03T14:21:00.001-06:002008-04-03T14:23:20.056-06:00Field Trip<span style="color:#3333ff;">Azure has a field trip today. Both 6th grade classes will be going to Los Chorros de Tacares. I can’t say I know anything about this location. I checked my Lonely Planet guide and there isn’t any information inside.<br /><br />I do know they are going hiking then a picnic lunch and swimming in a river. Other than the two teachers, I’m not even sure if there will be other chaperones. But I trust that the kids will have fun! I like that the European School allows for frequent interesting and educational field trips. I think this will be her 6th field trip this school year including the Israel Museum and a working farm.<br /><br />There is no way the public school system in Big Lake would permit so many field trips let alone a potentially unsafe one such as an unsupervised swim in a river!<br /><br />The Big Lake Schools took the kids to the MN Zoo every spring as a special treat! Poor kids were divided into small groups of four per adult. The kids were told they needed to stay with the adult for the duration of the time at the zoo which amounted to less than 2 hours including lunch! They could have left earlier in the morning and spent more time at the zoo but decided against it for one reason or another –it probably cut into the total of the amount of time spent in class so they would be shy the allotted time they needed to get their federal funding or some nonsense (maybe they shouldn’t have had so many days off during the school year for supposed teacher workshops!). Anyway, Azure missed most of the animals at the zoo including the dolphin show because the mother she was assigned decided she would rather shop and eat ice cream in the food court! I don’t know why they didn’t give the kids some more freedom? They could have had an adult stationed at each area of the zoo and allow the kids to wander a bit more. But I guess I am too trusting…<br /><br />All I have to say is that I am glad we left Minnesota! </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">and</span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Thank you European School for giving the students more responsibility!</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-6191582410576470802008-03-31T14:21:00.001-06:002008-03-31T14:41:23.038-06:00Financial Advice for moving to Costa Rica from Patrick<span style="color:#3333ff;">For those of you thinking of moving to Costa Rica, be advised that financially it is getting harder to live here. First, the US dollar is falling as a currency across most other currencies including the Costa Rican Colon. Since the Costa Rican’s tie their money to the US dollar in hopes of keeping the Colon stable, they are buying the excess US dollars in circulation causing inflation here. The government is reporting about 11-12% annual inflation but on some items it is closer to 20%. Last but not least, if your invested money is in the US, which should offer more stability, you have seen a fall in your portfolio value or you are locked in at 2.5%. So there are three things working against you on your potential move: the falling US dollar, inflation in Costa Rica, and a lower return on your investment. All of these might affect your standard of living in Costa Rica. These things may eventually change, but in the short term it could be a big concern.</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955515496357898160.post-81792697660417903232008-03-28T14:04:00.001-06:002008-03-28T14:07:13.497-06:00Grocery store concierge<span style="color:#3333ff;">Something I find funny here in Costa Rica is when you’re grocery shopping and women stand in the aisles and try to sell you certain products. Patrick used to always be convinced they were there as a form of theft prevention.<br /><br />One day in December while in the Escazu Hipermas, I wanted to try some different coffee and two women were in the aisle pushing different brands. I had one brand in my hand but it seemed more expensive than other brands even though it was on sale. The woman trying to sell it only spoke Spanish and I didn’t care enough to try to translate so I politely ignored her. Another woman pushing a different brand spoke some English. She was more aggressive and eventually convinced me to buy the brand she was selling. I put back the original bag of the sale brand I had in my hand and grabbed two of the other brand. <br /><br />When we left the coffee aisle, Patrick said the woman that couldn’t speak English was so upset I didn’t buy her brand of coffee that she was nearly in tears. I thought he was kidding but when we got home that afternoon he was snickering as he put the coffee away. I asked him what was so funny and he said he didn’t know why I didn’t just get that more expensive coffee so the woman wouldn’t be so upset. I was furious and feeling horrible because I really thought he was joking while we were at the store. If I knew I had made that woman cry, I would have at least bought one of each coffee.<br /><br />I guess they must work on commission? Did I mention they sometimes give samples of alcohol in the middle of the weekday? <br /><br />As a side note, after Patrick read this post he pointed out that he still thinks the women are there to prevent theft.</span>Jones Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10135389646850007584noreply@blogger.com3