We had another early start with coffee and stale German pastries, before heading to the lobby for our 8am pickup for our Sail-Snorkel-Rum-Punch-Lunch trip. We had arranged for the sailboat-lunch-snorkel cruise from the hotel the day before. A woman from the boat tour picked us up and drove us in her car to a beach in Playas del Coco where the sailboat was anchored off shore. The harbor, set in a secluded cove, was filled with other sailboats and fishing boats. A dingy soon came to shore to pick us up and carry us to the sailboat. We were the first to arrive but soon were joined by a French family of four, bringing us to only 7 of us on board. The seas were calm yet there was enough breeze to get us underway. We ... read more

Today’s main attraction was a guided trip in the jungle. Oscar from Jacaranda Tours picked us up at the Manoa Resort at 7:45am for the Hanging Bridges Tour. It is always better to go early to see wildlife and birds and also to avoid the crowds, so although my girls might have wanted a slower pace, they did agreed on the early morning tours, even if they had to wolf down breakfast. We were whisked to the nearby park to begin our hike with Oscar. As we walked up and down the paved paths that carved out the various habitats he explained all the indigenous flora and fauna of this part of Costa Rica. We observed the parts of the native heliconias that feed the butterflies, a parade of leaf cutter ants, monkey ladder vines and ... read more

Early on our first morning we woke to see the breathtaking view outside our room of the colorful tropical garden with the impressive Arenal Volcano in the distance. Not having the luxury of time, we dressed quickly, ran down to the same resort restaurant for a very delicious buffet breakfast including freshly made omelets, yogurts, pastries, oatmeal, many local specialties, and my favorite, the “digestive juices” that changed each day. This morning, along with a hearty breakfast, we enjoyed a refreshing lemon-cucumber juice and excellent Costa Rican coffee. We ate our breakfast in the open air restaurant overlooking the volcano, gardens and lovely birds. With no time to lose we were soon dashing to the main entrance where we met Jose from Jacamar Tours for our first Costa Rican adventure. Jose was waiting for us at ... read more

8/7 Ellen had asked me what I would want to see on this leg of the trip and besides enjoying their company and seeing a bit of what Spokane had to offer I said, “we are so close to Idaho I would love to see Couer d’Alene”. The four of us left for Coeur d'Alene at 9am heading east, driving though golden rolling wheat fields and farmland. After an hour we arrived at the lake house of Jim and Ellen’s friends Jeff and Julie. Long time residents of Couer d’Alene, Jeff, a retired Pediatric Eye surgeon, and his wife Julie were happy to share their little piece of heaven with us. The quiet relaxed bay where their summer home is situated reminded me of my childhood on Lake Winnipesaukee on a hot hazy day. Rocky steps ... read more

8/5 After a wonderful dinner and great conversation, we went to bed and slept like babies. In the morning we woke to a delicious home cooked breakfast of Huckleberry pancakes. We watched hummingbirds line up for the feeders and deer in the meadows. The uninvited turkeys came later. Our breakfast feeding frenzy over, we piled into Ellen and Jim’s car for a tour of Spokane. ‘Spokan Falls’ was the original name of the town, named in 1873 by James Nettle Glover after the Spokane Tribe. By 1891 an ‘e’ was added and the falls was dropped making it simply Spokane. The impressive Spokane Washington Water Power Company now called Avista Utilities, completed the Monroe Street Dam. We took the steps down to Spokane Vista, an impressive park and viewing spot of the powerful falls. There is ... read more