Dry Season is here

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No sooner did I type that than a downpour began.

OK well after a busy frantic week last week, one where I spent a good deal of time trying to set up movies on two of the centre's laptops so my ladies who do crafts, "Las Morphas" can see felting movies without having to be connected to the internet - the computers didn't work on Thursday, the day before the class. I went to the library Friday morning and wrote out the Basics of doing a search on the computer. It began with "Make sure the little button is lit up on the CPU" and covered where the Space Bar is, and how typing is like writing. Wrote it all out in English and asked the receptionist to type it out for me since it took me 20 min to get Office working, what with not understanding the Spanish menus! And, they are all >spit< PC's around here.

So a while later I stroll in to see the director about something, and there he is with my manuscript! I said he didn't have time to do that, he said nevermind he's almost done. He dropped it at my desk an hour later and it was all in Spanish!!! The receptionist thought I wanted it in Spanish too! Well, I did, but I was just going to use Google translator. So today I was using it to translate another document back into English.

Today I was back in the garden, hooray, and will be setting up some gardening work for the community service portion of the contract for the scholarship students here.

Tomorrow we are going over to Selva Verde, a beautiful Ecolodge attached to the Centre. Or, rather, we are attached to Selva Verde. The volunteers get big discounts there for food, beer (Tico price for Beer!!), guided tours of the rainforest and we get to use the pool on Fridays if it's not crowded with their normal guests.

Time to dash! Ciaow for now.

AL.

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Photos

On the way to the Centre
in the morning. Check out the image painted on the panel behind the driver.

In case you couldn't make it out
I zoomed right in. I already read the part in the camera manual about zooming. Hence,....

The next page in the manual
was all about taking a picture of yourself. This is in my room. Note the ceiling. It's bamboo poles, cut in half. About 15 feet above that is a metal roof which covers all the little rooms underneath. It's kindof like a gazebo.

Oh , and the Macro Button
was the page after that. Minerva's garden, Sunday morning.

So we went hiking to a waterfall
on Sunday. A couple of the volunteers were slow in showing up, so we didn't get away until 11:30. Took the bus 30 min to La Virgen (look on Google maps) and then hiked in to the waterfalls. Another hour and a half, one hour of which was on a paved back road, with little shade. THEN, walk INTO THE YARD WITH THIS FELLOW.

So, a few falls and slippery slides later,
we descended a greasy trail to this little garden of Eden.

I just realized I already posted these,...
the story is feeling a bit familiar,....

Learning to use
my Macro button. I am bringing home the manual to my new camera a few pages at a time. My old one died a few days before departure!

My view from my couch
where I spent many contented hours yesterday, Sunday. Recovering from the week, reading.

In the morning light
this species of Heliconia is quite striking

My bedroom door
is just before the couch. So it opens to outside.

Walked around Minerva's
Sunday morning, taking shots of the plants. My first chance, since I leave early for a bus at 8:15 and come home on the 6:15 in pitch darkness

Another species of Heliconia
The first day here, I watched a hummingbird sampling the nectar. Then, it sat on one of the petals, and DIDN'T FLAP ITS WINGS! That's a first for me!

Minerva cutting up bread
to go with the pineapple for Sunday breakfast.
I told her in broken Spanish that when in Canada, I buy pineapple and eat almost the whole thing myself. Not in one sitting, though. What, me, an OINKER?

This afternoon
a little celebration for all 3 or 4 of us volunteers who have a birthday in January.
Yes, I am even acknowledging it this year. Because it's not cold and miserable!!

The gang chowing down
around 2 pm on the balcony.

Yum!
Happy Birthday in Spanish first. They say Happy Complete Year. Uh, in Spanish.

Lee and Heidi
two fellow volunteers. See, all pretty close to my age. 29.