How does she help people?

I'm working at my district office for the summer (the same low-income district I teach in during the school year). I administer a simple test to incoming kinders who are ELLs (English Language Learners). I point to pictures and ask questions like: "What is this called?" or "What is this used for?" and the child responds (or doesn't, depending on the kid). In one of the questions I point to a doctor and ask, "How does she help people?" to which one particular 5 year old responded last Friday, "taking out the bullets from people." :(

True Statement

Jessie: We're going to have a birthday for all the girls at church this Wednesday night even though it's no one's birthday...I'm so excited!! There's going to be cake and ice cream...YUM!

Jameson: You're like a fat kid inside.

I concur.

My Dear Aunt "E" Comes to Town!

I have this favorite great aunt, Aunt "E", who is near and dear to my heart. She lives in Dallas and is 87 years old--though no one believes me when I tell them this. She is all that I want to be when I am old! I can't even call her old because she is so young at heart. She has the BEST attitude about life and is just such a special person to our family--my sisters and I just adore her (and of course Jameson does too). Here are some pictures from her recent visit. She and I, and her friend Mary stayed the week in San Francisco. :)




Jameson, eating the best dessert of my life. Yes, I know, I am full of hyperbole. And, let's be honest, Jameson ate half a bite and I had 25.

Top of the Mark.
Jameson and I thoroughly enjoyed their Shirley Temples. ;)

Jameson joined us most nights after work for dinner. He's the best tour guide. I love him because he doesn't get stressed out driving around SF like me!!! He knows the city so well.

We were cracking up here because Aunt "E" just learned how to use a digital camera!

YUM.
Sausalito is our favorite.

Spring Break in Costa Rica

Jameson wrote a summary of our time in Costa Rica in an email, so I'm copying it here just in case you weren't on his list of recipients. Click here for pictures. Pura Vida.

From the trip.

1. After our dear sweet cousin Christine leaves us at the airport, we learn that the SFO to DEN connecting flight is delayed. The gate agent also kindly informs us that "that's what you get when you take the last flight out," and also that "there's only one flight daily from SFO to DEN on Frontier." It seems the irony is lost on him.

2. Despite the 1 hr+ delay, missing the scheduled time for connecting, we make it on to the DEN-SJO (San José, CR) flight, which Frontier held for us. The 28 passengers from SFO heading to Costa Rica provide ample economic incentive to hold the plane.

3. Jessie does not enjoy the tossing and turning and not sleeping. The plane lands at around 7am CR time (MST).

4. We rent the "only" remaining car across all rental agencies: a 4 cylinder 4WD Hyundai mid-size SUV. More on this later.

5. The toll roads in Costa Rica max out at 80 kph (50 mph).

6. During Semana Santa (Holy Week), Ticos have spring break and many are on holiday from work. Jacó is the beach town nearest to San José.

7. We leave our bags at the Hotel Mar y Luz. The owners are Dutch, but also speak German, Spanish, English, and Italian.

8. Lunch teaches us that prompt, diligent service is not a virtue. Lonely Planet says that it is not uncommon for lunch (the 'large' meal) to last 2 hrs. We concur. The first of many delightful meals consisting of fish, rice, and beans. Pura Vida.

9. There are phenomenal local surfers.

10. Jacó would be described as a seedy cross between Miami Beach, Oceanside, and Tijuana. There was a great sushi place - they serve California rolls, among other things - which do not taste quite the same, but California would be well served to imitate.

11. A broken air conditioner does not sit kindly with road-weary travelers. Gracious hosts mitigate by providing alternate accommodations, though the phenomenal service is negated somewhat by the presence of various species of insects. Most of the bug bites are sustained this first evening.

12. We get our first taste of local fauna: various house geckos inhabit the hotel. We welcome them along with their appetite for all things invertebrate.

13. Each year, over Easter weekend, the LDS church holds a special conference in which church leaders address the global membership via satellite with words of inspiration, counsel, and wisdom. These broadcasts show live thrice on the Saturday before Easter, and twice on Easter Sunday. Each session has different content - we typically watch all 5 live, and missed content is available online. Mormon.org has a tool which enables travelers to locate meetinghouses wherever they might find themselves on a given Sunday: our thought was to catch a session in Quepos en route to our next destination, Manuel Antonio. I find the meetinghouse online, in lieu of the address I am directed to head 3 blocks south of the furniture store. I hope there is only one furniture store in Quepos. There is also a phone number for the leader of the Quepos branch of the church, in our conversation I inquire if we would be able to catch either the 10 am or 2 pm time. It seems that out of all 5 sessions, they are only watching the 10 am. Pura Vida.

14. Just south of Jacó is Playa Hermosa, a beach-break that can get pretty heavy and hollow - they hold an ASP world tour event here yearly. Tide is wrong, not surfable. One of the convenient things about Costa Rica is that you can drive up and down the beach to check waves. At this point, we discover that either the 4wd on the Hyundai doesn't work, or the engine is simply outmatched by the sand. It takes about an hour, with the aid of 5 local gentlemen, to get the car back onto a dirt road. Scalding sand, sweat, and lack of a shower are not a few of my favorite things. Jessie was sitting in the passenger seat the whole time, and had a pleasant conversation with the older gentleman who had replaced me as driver. His outlook on the whole experience exemplifies the national attitude: pura vida. We learn another use for the word, "c'est la vie", or "these things happen". Everyone leaves with a smile. Still not sure if this was kindness or they were happy to be rid of us.

15. The drive from Jacó to Quepos is roughly 100km, and takes about an hr. We pass miles and miles of Palmeras - the smell from the Palm Oil factories is absent on Easter Sunday, but we become familiar on the return trip.

16. Manuel Antonio was described by Lonely Planet as 'the jewel of Costa Rica'. The resort town cascades down the sides of a jungle-covered promontory - the terrain is very similar to Three Arch Bay in Laguna Beach, CA. We had made reservations at Issimo Suites - a small hotel with 8 rooms. It was built about a year ago, so is very clean and new. Prices are lower than surrounding resorts as they are still trying to attract business. I would recommend it. Also, we ate dinner at a place called Si Como No - if we go back we will try to stay there.

17. After unpacking, we start to walk to the beach, and meet our first Perezoso, just outside the hotel. They aren't very large, maybe the size of a small dog, move very slowly, and are expertly camouflaged. Each Costa Rican tells us that they only come down from the trees once a week - to defecate. They are very proud to know this.

18. We see our second Perezoso closer to the beach.

19. The beaches at Manuel Antonio are the closest to white sand/clear water that Costa Rica has. Very pretty. We spend most of our time there at the gay, clothing-optional beach, Playitas, on the north end of the cove. This was discovered later, via Lonely Planet. No unfortunate experiences, thankfully. A small beach break there.

20. I'm getting fuzzy on the exact order of everything that happened in the next few days, but here are the events, not necessarily in chronological order:

i. Nature night walk at Si Como No private reserve. We saw every imaginable tree frog, insect, and lizard, and a few snakes. We also were fortunate to spot a Kinkajou. I'm pretty good at this game, but nobody seems to be keeping score. They also have enclosures with Caimans and Crocodiles, one of whom is rumored to have eaten a boy named Elliot years ago. He has since assumed the same name. Props to Jessie for enduring a somewhat anxiety-filled evening.

ii. Jessie has the best brownie of her life at Hotel Si Como No.

iii. Another perezoso hangs out just outside the window of our hotel room.

iv. We sit on the beach for an extended period of time.

v. During the 1-mile nature hike through the park itself, we see a vine snake, several bird and monkey species, and more sloths. We get lucky and see the endangered squirrel monkeys.

vi. On our 2nd-to-last day, we signed on to go sailing with a local dude and some people from other resorts. We left in early afternoon and came back after sunset. The food was great (more seafood) and we saw dozens of dolphins. Very cool, especially to the people from Texas on the boat. We avoid the 'happy juice' generously provided by the guide.

21. We eventually leave Manuel Antonio and start the trek back north, hoping for some surf along the way. The highway that runs along the coast is not in bad shape at all. In some places, however, it is a narrow 2-lane road with little to no shoulder. The posted speed limits are surprisingly low but this doesn't seem to dictate the flow of traffic. Though there are no major towns in between Manuel Antonio and Jacó, there are several small villages that pop up out of nowhere. These generally consist of some sort of convenience store, a mechanic, and a soda (food stand), and some homes. As we are passing through one such village, the car in front of us slams on the brakes and swerves to the right shoulder - leaving two dogs in our path (to make the matter worse, these aren't scruffy, disease-ridden animals, but look like the dogs from Where the Red Fern grows). In a split second, I realize that I can't go right, as I'd hit the car that had swerved, and that the oncoming semi truck in the lane on my left doesn't look particularly welcoming. THUMP THUMP. I can't remember if we heard the dog cry - the worst part of the whole thing is that the dog was still alive - per our rear-view mirror assessment. I'd flattened its hindquarters, starting about halfway down. I don't think that the prospects for recovery were good, as the spinal cord had likely been completely crushed. At least we didn't hit both - in the mirror we could see that the friend returned to the road to see what had happened to his/her companion. I didn't pull over, as that likely wouldn't have accomplished anything.

22. The waves weren't great along the coast, but the ginormous crocodiles in the Rio Tarcoles somewhat made up for this. I tried to see if someone would sell me a chicken or a small goat. No dice. Next time I'll come prepared.

23. We drove through the city of San Jose on the way to the B&B that we had booked (not yet paid for). It was fun to see the kids leaving school - left me wondering how different life as an elementary school teacher (la primaria) would be there. We arrived at the motel/inn/shelter and the drive-by was enough to change our mind. It wasn't so much the bars on the windows as the decrepit nature of the neighborhood and the absence of law enforcement.

24. So, we find the Holiday Inn Express near to where we say good riddance to the rent-a-car. Jessie immediately becomes an evangelist. Unfortunately, the only place open within a reasonable distance is Denny's, believe it or not. Very unfortunate.

25. We arise the next morning and take the hotel shuttle to the airport. Despite arriving more than 2 hours early, Frontier takes 2+ hours to process the line of USA bound passengers - putting us at airport security after the plane should have taken off. No need to worry, as the rest of the passengers are behind us in line. I think the plane took off an hr later.

26. Thank goodness Frontier is so prompt, or we might have missed our connection were it not for the 6hr layover in Denver they had the foresight to arrange. Pura Vida.

27. Home sweet home - not quite as tan as one might hope, but full of smiles.